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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 132,
-March 1909, by Various
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 132, March 1909
-
-Author: Various
-
-Release Date: June 25, 2016 [EBook #52408]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE, MARCH 1909 ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines,
-Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek, and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
-
-
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: "I SLASHED SAVAGELY AT IT WITH MY MACHETE."
-
-(SEE PAGE 525.)]
-
-
-
-
-THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.
-
-  Vol. XXII.      MARCH, 1909.      No. 132.
-
-SHORT STORIES.
-
-    A further instalment of a budget of breezy little
-    narratives--exciting, humorous, and curious--hailing from
-    all parts of the world. This month's collection deals with a
-    thrilling fight between a jaguar and a boa-constrictor, the
-    tragic fate of a Canadian cowboy, and a night adventure in
-    Japan.
-
-
-
-
-HOW I GOT MY JAGUAR-SKIN.
-
-BY DR. T. A. STODDARD.
-
-
-In the month of November, 1907, I arrived at the Isthmus of Panama to
-do some zoological work, and incidentally to get a better knowledge
-of the geography of the infant republic. I landed at Colon, a dirty,
-dingy town of about eight thousand inhabitants, built on a low, swampy
-island separated from the mainland by a narrow but deep lagoon. Here
-I secured the services of two Spaniards to act as carriers, and, going
-by boat some ten miles up the coast, disembarked in a drenching rain
-near the mouth of the Santa Rita River.
-
-I carried a small supply of tinned and tabloid foods, and these we
-packed through the jungle to the highest point of the Santa Rita
-mountains, a distance of ten miles. We made a very comfortable camp,
-and after a hearty meal turned in for the night.
-
-I slept very little, tired though I was, being kept awake by the
-howlings of jaguars, cougars, and bobcats. However, after a hasty
-breakfast in the early morning, I started out alone with my Winchester
-strapped on my back and carrying a single-barrelled sixteen-gauge
-shot-gun in my hand. I also carried a short but sharp and heavy
-machete, without which it is impossible to travel in this impenetrable
-jungle of mahogany, cedar, yellow-wood, and palms of various kinds,
-all supporting vines of every size and character. Some of these vines
-hang from a height of seventy-five feet, touching the ground and
-sending out tendrils which climb to unknown heights on other trees,
-thus forming a most intricate network, through which it is impossible
-to see more than a few feet ahead.
-
-[Illustration: THE AUTHOR, DR. T. A. STODDARD, WHO WAS AN EYE-WITNESS
-OF A TERRIFIC FIGHT BETWEEN A JAGUAR AND A BOA-CONSTRICTOR, OF WHICH
-HE HERE GIVES A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT, AND ALSO OF HIS OWN ENCOUNTER WITH A
-SECOND HUGE SNAKE.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-I had been travelling for about an hour, trying to locate the source
-of the Santa Rita, and winning every inch of ground by hacking and
-slashing with the machete, when I was startled by a most fearful
-scream, which seemed to come from somewhere immediately behind me. To
-say that my blood "froze in my veins," even in this tropical climate,
-would be but a poor and inadequate figure of speech to describe my
-feelings. I had heard of the treachery of the San Blas Indians who
-inhabit the country to the eastward, and my first thought was of them.
-Turning round and looking back anxiously over the trail I had just
-made, I saw a great commotion taking place among the vines, dead
-leaves, and decaying branches which carpeted the ground, and the
-blood-curdling screams I had heard rang out again and again. For
-what seemed hours to me, but were really only seconds, I could not
-comprehend what was transpiring so close to me, and what kind of
-creature was giving utterance to such agonizing cries. At length,
-however, venturing a little nearer, I discovered it to be a "tiger,"
-or, properly speaking, a jaguar or American leopard, and it was
-writhing in the coils of an enormous boa-constrictor. The great snake
-appeared to have the side of the jaguar's head in its mouth, and a
-coil or two of its body around the neck of the beast, which was making
-frantic efforts to regain its liberty. The snake had its tail coiled
-round a small ebony tree about a foot in diameter, and whenever the
-hapless jaguar relaxed its efforts the serpent would swiftly release
-itself from the tree and make an attempt to get another coil around
-the body of its opponent.
-
-I stood there fascinated with horror, and yet forgetting my fear in
-the interest I was taking in this terrible fight between beast
-and reptile. Presently the snake, with an incomprehensibly quick
-movement--in fact, almost too quick for the eye to follow--succeeded
-in getting two more coils around the body of the jaguar, but not
-without receiving several severe lacerations from the formidable claws
-of its victim. Then letting go the jaguar's head, where it seemed to
-have a firm hold, the boa-constrictor raised its head, seemingly in
-triumph, and, with its tail still wrapped round the tree, lifted the
-body of the jaguar up in the air. I heard the bones crack under the
-fearful strain, and with one awful, despairing scream the jaguar fell
-back--dead!
-
-During all this time I stood rooted to the spot, too spellbound to
-stir. Now, however, I realized that I stood in considerable danger,
-for other constrictors might be near, who would treat me in the same
-manner as this one had treated the unfortunate jaguar. Taking a
-hasty look around I saw nothing but trees and hanging vines in all
-directions. I then decided that I wanted the jaguar as much as the
-snake did, and, moreover, that I wanted to kill the snake. I had
-a charge of small shot in the gun which I carried in my hand, and,
-withdrawing this, I replaced it with a cartridge containing B.B. shot.
-By this time the serpent had uncoiled himself from his dead victim and
-also from the tree, and seemed to be dressing his wounds, for he was
-rubbing his nose, if a snake can be said to have such an organ, over
-the lacerations caused by the claws of the jaguar. Raising my gun and
-taking deliberate aim, I was about to shoot the reptile through the
-head, when I detected a slight rustling from the direction in which
-I had been travelling. Turning round suddenly, I peered through the
-hanging vines and leaves of the jungle, but could see nothing. Then,
-wiping the perspiration from my forehead and out of my eyes, I looked
-again carefully, but could not see anything animate.
-
-[Illustration: A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SKIN OF THE JAGUAR KILLED BY THE
-BOA-CONSTRICTOR.]
-
-I was about to wheel again to secure my snake when I noticed that one
-of the vines was swinging as if disturbed by the wind. Looking up,
-I saw that not a leaf was stirring on the trees; there was no breeze
-whatever. I thought this somewhat strange, and decided to investigate
-more closely. So, taking my machete out of the sheath, I leaned the
-gun against a tree and started cutting my way towards the swinging
-vine. I had taken but a few steps when the vine swung rapidly
-towards me. Then, to my intense horror, I discovered it to be another
-boa-constrictor, hanging from the bough of a mahogany tree, its mouth
-wide open.
-
-Instinctively I screamed, ducked, and slashed savagely at it with my
-machete. I drew some blood from its neck, but almost before I could
-recover myself the creature swung viciously towards me again. I
-repeated my first performance, not forgetting the yell, for I was far
-too frightened to run. This time, however, I succeeded much better
-with the machete, for I inflicted a severe wound over the reptile's
-eye.
-
-Again it retreated and again swung towards me, and thus we fought, I
-succeeding at each swing in doing my adversary some damage. Once
-it struck me on the left shoulder with the point of its lower jaw,
-sending me reeling to the ground. Wildly I sprang to my feet and
-dashed with renewed vigour into the struggle, cutting, slashing, and
-screaming continually, without presence of mind enough to run or think
-of my gun. Finally, in maddened desperation, I made a frantic slash
-as the horrible thing was swinging towards me, and by the merest
-good fortune caught it fairly behind the head with the sharpest and
-broadest part of the machete, almost severing its head from its body.
-Its tail uncoiled from the limb above and its sinuous body fell with a
-crash to the ground. A second later there was another fall--myself. I
-lay there trembling with weakness, fully conscious, but dripping with
-perspiration and too much exhausted to stand.
-
-After some time I remembered the jaguar and the live snake which lay
-but a few yards away, and at once sprang to my feet, caught up my gun,
-and turned to investigate. I speedily discovered the reason for the
-snake's quiescence. The jaguar was rapidly disappearing down the
-capacious throat of his successful enemy. Again I took careful aim,
-and put the whole load of large shot fairly through the body of the
-snake about two feet from its head and about two inches from the nose
-of the jaguar, which was being swallowed whole. Having killed the
-snake, I secured the skin of the jaguar, which measured from tip of
-tail to nose nine feet four inches; it was a male, and beautifully
-marked. The constrictor that killed the jaguar measured twenty-nine
-feet two inches in length and twenty-eight inches round at the largest
-part. The one with which I had the encounter was twenty-five feet long
-and twenty-two inches round.
-
-I reached camp about noon, covered with blood, but proudly carrying
-my jaguar-skin, and just for fun I informed the Spaniards that I
-had killed the animal with my ·22. They examined the skin for the
-bullet-hole, but failed to find it. Thereupon I calmly told them that
-I always shot animals like that in the eye, so as not to spoil the
-skin! They now think the "Gringo" a mighty hunter indeed.
-
-
-
-
-OUT OF THE SKIES.
-
-TOLD BY LIONEL BEAKBANE AND SET DOWN BY L. H. BRENNAN.
-
-
-In 1907 I was employed as a cowboy on the Wally Ranch, situated a
-little to the north of Fort Saskatchewan, in Alberta, Canada. It was
-there that an incident occurred which I shall never forget as long as
-I live. Such a thing has never happened before in Canada, so far as I
-am aware, and I hope it will never happen again.
-
-During the particular week I have in mind we had a pretty rough time
-of it and were all more or less tired out, but we had to keep going.
-There had been some heavy storms and the cattle were unusually
-restive, needing a lot of attention. One Thursday, about two in the
-morning, we were seated round the camp fire getting something to eat.
-There were five of us there, amongst us a comparative new-comer named
-Harry Munroe. He was a splendid young fellow, and took to the work
-from the first. He was a capital rider and a first-class shot. I had
-always liked him, and used to take him with me to outlying posts on
-every possible occasion. On this particular night we had a mob of
-about two thousand five hundred head of cattle to look after. The
-weather outlook had been very threatening for a long time. Great
-clouds rolled one after the other across the face of the moon, and
-presently the latter disappeared behind them altogether. The next
-moment, without warning, the storm burst upon us. In an instant we
-were on our horses, everyone ready for action, for each man of us knew
-that at the first flash of lightning the cattle would stampede. Only
-those who have experienced the spectacle of a thunderstorm on
-the American prairies can have any idea of its grandeur. It is a
-magnificent display of Nature's powers for a human being who can
-understand and appreciate it, but a terrifying thing indeed for a herd
-of helpless beasts.
-
-I thought it best to take young Munroe along with me, as he was not
-experienced enough in following a stampede to go alone. The three
-others were old hands and needed no directions. Very often the cattle
-will suddenly turn right about without any warning, and it needs an
-experienced and cool-headed man to keep his saddle and save his life
-when such a thing occurs.
-
-We had not long to wait--only a few seconds--and then our work
-began. A flash of baleful light zigzagged across the skies, and the
-terror-stricken beasts rushed off headlong into the night. It was
-an appalling sight to see the fear-maddened brutes racing over the
-prairie. Heads upraised, mouths open, and tails lashing the air, they
-neither knew nor cared where they were going. Sometimes one would
-stumble and fall, only to be immediately trodden under foot by his
-comrades, and the thudding of their feet could be heard as a dull
-rumble in the lulls of the storm.
-
-On and on they went in their mad career, horses and men close behind
-them. We could do nothing but follow them and, when the storm abated,
-collect them and drive them back to the station. The rain came down in
-torrents and the lightning almost blinded one, so vivid and terrific
-were the flashes, while the claps of thunder which followed seemed to
-shake the earth. We had been going at a tremendous pace for perhaps
-ten minutes, when a small range of hills loomed up in front. I knew
-what would happen when the cattle reached this, and was of course
-prepared. I yelled out to Munroe to keep close to me, so as to follow
-my instructions.
-
-"The beasts will stop at these hills and either wheel round or else
-turn off to the right or left," I shouted.
-
-Suddenly the whole herd stopped and, sniffing the air for a moment,
-seemed undetermined what course to take. At that critical moment an
-awful flash of lightning rent the air, completely blinding me for
-a moment, and simultaneously I heard a terrific report immediately
-behind me. These two occurrences decided the cattle, and they turned
-and went pell-mell along the foot of the hills to the right. For the
-moment I scarcely knew what had happened, but as the last of the herd
-disappeared I turned round and called to young Munroe. "Are you there,
-Harry?" I cried, but I got no answer. Again and again I shouted,
-riding a little distance after every shout, but no answering hail
-reached me. I knew Munroe would not follow the herd without me, and at
-length I came to the conclusion that something must be amiss with him.
-Perhaps his horse had stumbled and thrown him, or he had been caught
-and overwhelmed by the passing herd. There was nothing to be done,
-however, but to wait for the daylight; I dare not move in the pitch
-blackness for fear of trampling upon him.
-
-Already drenched to the skin, and with the rain still pouring down in
-torrents, the lightning and the deafening peals of thunder combined to
-make that night the most miserable of my existence. I had to keep on
-the look-out, too, for any signs of the cattle, as they might easily,
-from some cause or another, return along the base of the hills.
-
-They did not appear, however, and so I kept my watch through that
-awful night alone. I do not know how long the storm lasted, but it
-must have been two or three hours at least.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-LIONEL BEAKBANE, THE COWBOY WHO HERE TELLS THE STORY OF THE TERRIBLE
-FATE THAT BEFELL HIS COMPANION ON THE PRAIRIE DURING AN APPALLING
-THUNDERSTORM.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-At last, to my infinite relief, the dawn arrived, and I looked round
-anxiously for some signs of Harry Munroe. I had not gone far when, at
-a short distance, I discerned the figures of poor Harry and his horse,
-lying motionless on the ground. Leaving my own horse I ran towards
-them. It was apparent, long before I reached them, that both man and
-horse were dead.
-
-[Illustration: "THE LIGHTNING HAD STRUCK MUNROE'S CARTRIDGE-BELT,
-KILLING MAN AND HORSE ON THE SPOT."]
-
-"Good heavens!" I involuntarily exclaimed, as I came nearer. "What
-has happened?" Then, suddenly, I realized the awful thing that had
-occurred. The lightning had struck Munroe's cartridge-belt, exploding
-the whole of the cartridges simultaneously, and killing man and horse
-on the spot. Poor Munroe! It was a terrible end; the only consolation
-was that it must have been instantaneous.
-
-Shocked and saddened by this awful calamity I stayed by my dead
-friend, for I knew the boys would soon be coming to seek us. Then,
-a very quiet procession, we bore our poor comrade's body off to the
-ranch for burial.
-
-
-
-
-A NIGHT ADVENTURE IN YOKOHAMA.
-
-BY P. V. ALPISER, OF THE BUREAU OF POSTS, MANILLA, PHILIPPINE
-ISLANDS.
-
-
-The traveller who has visited Japan has, as a general rule, nothing
-but good to say of the land and its very polite people; and as a
-rule, also, it may be said that such praise is well merited, for the
-Japanese certainly try exceedingly hard to please all visitors, and,
-if they do not always succeed, the fault in all probability lies with
-the visitors and not with the people. Unpleasant experiences rarely
-occur to the foreigner in the domains of the Mikado. The Japanese
-cities and the country are perfectly policed, and robberies are seldom
-heard of. However, I can testify from personal experience that one
-_can_ meet with unpleasant incidents in this well-regulated kingdom.
-
-In the early spring of 1903 I was journeying to the Philippines, and
-arrived in Yokohama during the latter part of April--in the midst of
-the cherry-blossom season, a most delightful time to visit Japan. The
-air was full of the agreeable aroma of the cherry blossoms, and all
-Yokohama was in festival attire, making a scene of great animation and
-gorgeousness.
-
-On the evening of my last day, after dinner, I strolled through the
-main streets of the city, down gay Theatre Street, with its rows of
-flaunting, unreadable banners, and far out along a broad avenue across
-a number of oddly-constructed wooden bridges, not noticing and not
-caring whither I went.
-
-My walk took me much farther than I had supposed, and when I started
-to return I discovered that a strong wind was blowing and a storm
-threatening. When about half-way back to the steamship pier I found,
-to my annoyance, that I had lost one of my gloves, and decided that
-I had left it in the small restaurant where I had had dinner--a
-very nice place kept by a Japanese family who had lived in Boston,
-Massachusetts, for a number of years, and which the doctor of our ship
-had highly recommended. It seemed to me that I could not be very far
-from this place, and I decided to call in for my glove. The restaurant
-was located in a side street in the curio district of the city,
-branching off from the main thoroughfare I was on.
-
-When I turned down this side-street it was entirely deserted. Not
-a living thing was in sight and the road was absolutely and totally
-dark, neither the city nor the residents, apparently, providing any
-lights to illuminate the street. I had gone some little way down this
-gloomy lane when a door on the opposite side of the street suddenly
-burst open and two men jumped out and came running towards me. I
-stopped and asked them the whereabouts of the restaurant. One of them
-answered gruffly, and in bad English, that he did not know. I turned
-to go on, noting out of the tail of my eye that the men, after
-speaking together for a moment, followed me.
-
-As I walked slowly away one of the pair gave a peculiar call.
-
-It was instantly responded to by two more men, who stepped into the
-street from a house just behind me, and as the light from within the
-doorway shone upon them for a brief moment I plainly saw the glint of
-steel from a long knife one held in his hand.
-
-Late that afternoon, as it happened, I had bought a heavy,
-curiously-carved cane as a souvenir, and, fortunately, I had this cane
-with me. Now, realizing that I was in a tight corner, I increased my
-pace somewhat, swinging the cane with the small end in my hand, and
-watching narrowly to prevent any one of the four from getting in front
-of me, or stealing upon me unawares from behind.
-
-In another moment I saw they were preparing for a rush, and I knew
-that, although I might down one or two of them with my stick, the
-others would easily overpower me. Vainly I looked up the street; no
-one was to be seen! The houses on both sides were as black as pitch;
-there was not a light anywhere! Not even a star twinkled above, for
-heavy clouds obscured the sky.
-
-For some reason it did not occur to me to call for help. In fact, I
-have always been a rather silent man, doing my work in the quietest
-manner possible, and taking my diversions in the same manner. I do
-not think I should have uttered a sound if these ruffians had ended
-my career then and there. Perhaps a cry would have brought me ready
-assistance from a score of adjacent houses, but it never occurred to
-me to give it.
-
-I had proceeded but a short distance, always with an eye on my
-followers, when I saw, or felt, perhaps, that the rush was coming.
-I heard no sound, for the rascals were absolutely noiseless in their
-movements.
-
-Hastily I jumped to the nearest house and, with my back to it,
-prepared to lay about with my stout stick. The four villains were
-right at my heels, he with the knife a little in advance of the
-others. A picture of the group at that moment would have made a most
-interesting souvenir of Japan.
-
-I was just beginning to regret that I had not suffered the loss of
-my glove without protest, when the foremost scoundrel made a lunge
-towards me. Simultaneously, a loud ringing, clanging sound smote my
-ears, and the quartet disappeared from my view like magic. I am not
-sure now that I did not rub my eyes vigorously to see if I was awake.
-
-The noise that had saved me proceeded from the next side-street
-parallel to the one I was on, and I was at a loss to account for
-it. It was repeated time after time, gradually growing fainter, and
-finally ceasing altogether.
-
-Needless to say, I took instant advantage of the respite thus afforded
-me, and hurried along at my best pace. I felt sure that my late
-assailants would not give up their attempt so easily, and before I had
-gone thirty steps my fears were realized.
-
-Glancing back nervously every few yards, I presently saw several dark
-shadows gliding along behind me, and I unconsciously drew over towards
-the opposite side of the street. As I passed very near the door of a
-house that protruded into the street some little way beyond the other
-buildings a side door burst open ahead of me and a young Jap stood in
-the doorway just long enough for the lamplight to strike squarely on
-his face and to reveal, to my surprise, the features of my rickshaw
-man of that very afternoon!
-
-A low whistle sounded from behind me and the man jumped out of the
-door and stepped in front of me. It was quite plain to me that this
-rickshaw man, having seen that I carried considerable money that day,
-had organized this attempt to rob me, and that he was determined to
-succeed at any cost.
-
-I was surrounded, but, so far as I knew, only one of the precious lot
-had a weapon--the man with the knife. I felt the rush again, the one
-in front and the two or three behind, and I jumped towards the house,
-but was compelled to turn before reaching it and defend myself.
-
-My rickshaw man was the first upon me, and I had the sweet
-satisfaction of laying him flat on his back with a tremendous crack
-over the head. At the same instant, before I could turn, I felt the
-sharp swish of something flying past my head and heard the ripping of
-cloth at my side.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-MR. P. V. ALPISER, WHO WAS ATTACKED BY ROBBERS IN A DARK STREET IN
-YOKOHAMA.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The man with the knife had slashed at me and had cut my clothes open
-from my right shoulder to my hip, but, luckily, so far as I could
-feel, without even scratching the skin. I swung about quickly, and
-as he raised his arm for another and perhaps more effective stroke
-brought my cane down fiercely on his arm; the knife fell to the ground
-with a clatter. Another of the rascals stooped to pick it up, while
-the rickshaw man began to sit up. It was a critical moment, but the
-age of miracles is not yet past!
-
-Again that harsh, ringing clang broke through the blackness of the
-night, and this time from almost at my side, and a moment later
-into the street, a few doors away, there stepped a black figure, and
-brought a long steel rod down on the hard ground with a noise that
-sent all four of my assailants scuttling away into complete obscurity
-for once and all.
-
-My rescuer was clad in a long black cloak with a sort of helmet on his
-head, also black, and carried a steel rod, perhaps eight feet long,
-to which were attached several iron rings and a long chain. He was,
-it appeared, a night-watchman, and as he proceeded on his rounds he
-struck the ground with the rod, thus announcing to all, evil-doers and
-righteous as well, that an arm of the law was at hand. This quaint
-old watchman--for he was quite old and grizzled--in his queer costume,
-seemed a relic of the Middle Ages; he was quite different from the
-regular Japanese policemen in their smart and jaunty uniform.
-
-I stepped forward and, kicking something with my foot, stooped to see
-what it was, and found the knife which the would-be robbers had failed
-to carry off with them. The watchman silently surveyed me for a time,
-and then to my surprise spoke slowly in English. "You no good here!"
-he said; "go hotel soon!"
-
-I lost no time in taking his advice, and in about an hour's time
-reached the hotel near the pier. To my intense astonishment, however,
-I found the doors locked. I tried for a few minutes to rouse someone,
-but failed entirely.
-
-I then went to three other hotels, without better result. This
-consumed some time, of course, and finally, giving up in disgust, I
-walked back to the pier, entered the Customs House, and saw it was but
-a little past eleven o'clock. Think of it! Hotels closed, locked,
-and barred at 11 p.m.! This was another new experience for me; I had
-evidently not yet learned everything about Japan.
-
-[Illustration: "I HAD THE SWEET SATISFACTION OF LAYING HIM FLAT ON HIS
-BACK WITH A TREMENDOUS CRACK OVER THE HEAD."]
-
-I then tried to get a boatman to take me out to my ship, but none
-would do so, all saying that a typhoon was blowing. "No can do;
-too much typhoon; turn boat down up!" There was nothing to be done,
-therefore, but to wait in a corner of the Customs House for daylight.
-When it came I hailed a sampan and went to the steamer, taking with me
-my cane and the knife--interesting souvenirs of my night's adventure.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: TEN LIONS in a DAY!]
-
-By Walter Cooper.
-
-    The story of an exciting day's sport on the Athi River,
-    British East Africa. The lions came not singly, but in troops,
-    and no fewer than ten fell to the rifles of the party of
-    three! The last lion, however, nearly bagged a member of the
-    party before being killed by a plucky native.
-
-
-We were visiting British East Africa in quest of big game, and on
-our arrival at Mombasa at once proceeded by the railway to Stony Athi
-Station, taking with us a Swahili headman named Abdullah, a cook, four
-gun-bearers, three tent boys, and over fifty porters, who had been
-engaged in advance for us by one of the leading trading houses.
-
-Soon after leaving Mombasa one gets into a very desolate thorn-bush
-country, which continues without intermission till one reaches Voi.
-After Voi one catches occasional glimpses of antelope in the thin
-thorn-bush, but it is not until the Capiti plains are reached that
-they are seen in numbers.
-
-The vibration of the train unfortunately made the use of field-glasses
-impossible, but for all that we saw numbers of zebras and Grant's and
-Thomson's gazelle; and once we descried a rhino walking ponderously
-along about half a mile off. The country from here onward is
-similar in character, being perfectly open plain with short grass,
-occasionally broken by a dry watercourse, whilst on either side hills,
-or rather rows of kopjes, rose up in clumps. From the dak bungalow at
-Kia we could see Kilimanjaro, rising majestically from the flat plain
-and looking about four miles off instead of the seventy odd which we
-knew it to be. It was cold at this point, as we arrived quite early in
-the morning, and we were very thankful for our excellent breakfast.
-
-We all felt rather forlorn, being dumped down on to the station
-platform with no one but a Babu station-master to give us advice,
-for we were all new at the game except Captain H----, who had done a
-little shikar in India. He had brought with him his sister, Miss Sybil
-H----, who, being a born sportswoman, was anxious to try her hand at
-big game.
-
-The station-master soon fired our imaginations by telling us that five
-lions came to drink at a spot close by at which, as it was too late
-that day to go farther, we should have to camp. We got our loads
-carried there, and soon had the tents up. We also built roaring fires
-all about the camp, for, though we were very anxious to meet a lion,
-we did not want our first encounter to take place in the middle of the
-night. However, none turned up, so next day we made a march of about
-eight miles to Lucania, a kopje of considerable height, round which
-lions were said to be numerous.
-
-Daybreak showed us a herd of hartebeeste within half a mile of us,
-whilst farther off were two small herds of zebra and several lots of
-Grant's gazelle and "Tommies," as Thomson's gazelle is usually called.
-They were all somewhat shy, but we each managed to bag something, Miss
-H---- getting two wildebeeste and Captain H---- an impala.
-
-These uncanny-looking beasts were scarce where we were at that
-particular time; we were told they migrated to Kilimanjaro and
-returned later. This certainly seemed to be correct, as later on we
-saw them blackening the plain quite close to Nairobi. I was with the
-young lady when she bagged them, and it occurred in rather a lucky
-way. We were sitting under a thorn-bush in a little depression, when
-we saw the two wildebeeste coming towards us at a trot. As they got
-near their movements became most threatening. After standing for a few
-moments surveying us they threw up their heels and, with heads down
-and tails waving, charged savagely straight at us. They made several
-stoppages in order to inspect us better, but the demonstrations grew
-more and more savage, and they had got within sixty yards when Miss
-H---- took a steady aim at the biggest and fired. He turned and rushed
-off at a terrific pace, the other following suit. Number one, however,
-had not covered more than fifty yards when he fell dead, and his
-comrade, pulling up to see what was happening, was killed by a second
-shot from Miss H----'s Mauser.
-
-We were much elated at her success, as wildebeeste are most
-imposing-looking. We afterwards learnt that the apparently savage
-charge was nothing more than sheer curiosity concerning an object
-which they could not distinctly identify. Hassan, Miss H----'s
-gun-bearer, being a devout Mohammedan, rushed up to "chinja" the
-animals, their religion prescribing that unless the throat has been
-cut from ear to ear, and the blood allowed to flow, the meat is
-unclean. The Swahilis were very particular about this so long as it in
-no way interfered with their convenience.
-
-The following morning we had just started breakfast when one of the
-porters came running in to say that whilst he was gathering firewood
-he had seen seven lions, including three fine maned ones. We started
-at once, accompanied by our gun-bearers and two Masai boys who were
-recommended to us to carry second guns. We were all armed alike,
-having Rigby's ·275 Mausers loaded with double ·450 cordite.
-
-The plain hereabouts was broken up by watercourses, in some of which
-water still remained, and owing to the moisture there were some large
-trees and more bush marking the course than in other parts; indeed,
-we could tell exactly where the watercourses were by the lines
-of vegetation. Large beds of high reeds covered some of these
-depressions.
-
-On our way to the place where the lions had been seen we had to cross
-a perfectly open grassy plain, intersected every now and then by
-small, dry watercourses. Any one of these might hold a lion, as he
-is an animal who likes to slink along unseen. Every donga we came to,
-therefore, we searched, expecting to find lions. We passed a lot of
-game on the way, but were afraid to fire for fear of disturbing the
-lions. Miss H---- was radiant at the prospect, and it required all
-our firmness to prevent her rushing on ahead, such was her eagerness.
-Personally I was also very keen to get a lion, but I had a lurking
-consciousness of my inexperience, which was not improved by the
-fearful lion stories, true and otherwise, with which we had been
-regaled by every man we met. Captain H---- showed no emotion of any
-sort. He was an old hand at meeting danger, but I could not help
-admiring his unmoved expression, which showed that he knew what danger
-was and was prepared to meet it. Miss H----, on the other hand, had
-forgotten all about danger, and her only thought was to get to close
-quarters with the utmost speed.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-THE AUTHOR, MR. WALTER COOPER, WHOSE PARTY OF THREE BAGGED TEN LIONS
-IN ONE DAY.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-We were not far from the trees when we saw a lion slinking along
-a depression in the ground towards a clump of dry reeds, which he
-entered. After a council of war, it was decided that one of the men
-should go round and set fire to the reeds, whilst we posted ourselves
-as for a pheasant drive. Miss H---- was in the middle, facing the
-reeds, whilst Captain H---- was on her left and I was on her right.
-Soon the reeds were blazing high, with a noise like a waterfall. A
-crashing, as of a big beast coming in our direction, made our hearts
-beat faster, and soon out came, not a lion, but a poor little female
-reedbuck, followed soon after by her lord. We let them go with a shock
-of disappointment, not unmixed with relief.
-
-An instant later, however, straight in front of Captain H----, a large
-lioness bounded across a gap in the reeds, followed by several other
-forms not easily distinguishable. She had evidently seen us, for
-immediately after the rushing sound stopped and growls succeeded,
-increasing in volume as the flames came nearer.
-
-Suddenly, without the slightest warning, out rushed no fewer than
-seven lions, no doubt the ones the porter had previously seen. They
-passed between Miss H---- and myself, and appeared to be in full
-flight, when two lionesses, apparently attracted by the movement the
-young lady made in putting up her gun, turned and made straight for
-her. They were exactly in a line between me and her, so that I was
-unable to shoot. Miss H---- had not descended from a long line of
-soldiers for nothing. Standing up boldly, she put in three shots
-as they advanced. The first lioness went over like a rabbit, with a
-bullet in its left eye which penetrated the brain; the two other
-shots merely checked the second. Unable to do anything to help her, in
-another instant I expected to see Miss H---- hurled to the ground and
-worried to death by the enraged beast. But at this critical juncture
-her gun-bearer, Hassan, thinking matters were getting somewhat too
-exciting, took to his heels.
-
-[Illustration: MISS SYBIL H----, THE PLUCKY GIRL WHO SHOT FOUR OF THE
-LIONS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The lioness, attracted by the sight of the fleeing man, or else afraid
-of the fearless figure in front, who was not to be intimidated by her
-charge, swerved off suddenly and made after the fugitive. The man had
-not more than twenty yards start, and the great brute rapidly overtook
-him. Miss H---- fired again, and we men both fired as well, but we
-were not near enough to make a good running shot. The wretched man,
-with a courage born of desperation, turned at the last moment and
-hit at the lioness with his rifle. The blow fell a bit short, and the
-enraged brute, snapping at what came nearest, caught the weapon in her
-mouth at the muzzle. The pace at which she was travelling was so great
-that Hassan was hurled backwards, and in falling his finger caught the
-triggers, letting off both barrels. By the most extraordinary piece
-of luck the rifle was pointing straight down the beast's throat at the
-moment, and down she went, with her head nearly shot away, right
-on top of him. When we had at length hauled him out he was a
-deplorable-looking object, simply smothered in blood, chiefly the
-lioness's, for his only wounds were claw-marks on his thigh, caused
-by the contraction of the animal's muscles after death. These were
-slight, however, and as soon as Hassan realized he had, albeit
-accidentally, shot the lioness himself, he began to strut about in
-a ludicrous fashion, bragging to the other men as to what a great
-lion-killer he was.
-
-[Illustration: "THE LION SWERVED OFF SUDDENLY AND MADE AFTER THE
-FUGITIVE."]
-
-Miss H----, who, in spite of the narrow escape she had had, seemed
-to have forgotten it already in her pride at having killed her first
-lioness, insisted on following up the others, who had now gone into
-some long grass on the open plain. We therefore advanced in line,
-about eighty yards apart. We had gone about a mile when my gun-bearer
-pointed out the top of a lion's head and ears, just visible above the
-grass in a hollow. We passed the word along and at once made for the
-place. There was a dry watercourse here, and just in front of Miss
-H---- along the edge of it were some big rocks. She was within fifty
-yards when, in the gap between the stones, she saw a head. She fired,
-and it disappeared. A moment later up it came again. Another shot,
-and again it disappeared, only to reappear a third time. Once more she
-pulled trigger, and then there was a veritable stampede, for a lion
-and five lionesses broke out of the grass, galloping in huge bounds
-across the plain. They passed right across my front, and my second
-bullet knocked over the lion as dead as a door-nail and my fourth a
-lioness, which I got with a lucky shot at the back of its head.
-
-[Illustration: ONE OF THE TEN LIONS KILLED BY THE AUTHOR'S PARTY.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Captain H----, who had seen them coming, had kept down out of sight,
-for fear they should pass out of range, and they went straight towards
-him. On seeing him they stopped, giving him an easy shot at about
-forty yards. He killed one lioness, and then, taking his ·450 from his
-gun-bearer, took the neatest right and left I ever expect to see at
-the other two, who, having separated, were rushing past him at about
-sixty yards' distance. This made seven lions that we had seen dead, or
-as good as dead, and we expected to find the eighth, which Miss H----
-had had three shots at. What was our amazement and delight when, after
-a very cautious approach to the rocks, we found not one, but three
-fine maned lions lying dead in a heap, a Mauser bullet through the
-brain of each! Two had light-coloured manes, whilst the other had a
-black one.
-
-[Illustration: "THE LION ROSE UP AS IF UNHURT AND JUMPED AT CAPTAIN
-H----."]
-
-They must have been a different lot entirely to the other troop,
-and, as each one fell, the next one, excited by curiosity, must have
-stepped on to a slab of rock which enabled him to see through the gap
-in the rocks. Hence, what appeared to be the same lion was in reality
-a different one each time. It was an extraordinary piece of luck, as
-they evidently could not quite understand what Miss H---- was, as she
-and her gun-bearer were sitting down, and, the distance being short,
-she was able to make a dead shot at each.
-
-Captain H---- had just left us to look at my two lions, when we heard
-a terrific growl and my apparently dead lion rose up as if unhurt and
-jumped at Captain H----. He did not spring; he simply pushed him over.
-The Captain had no time to do anything, and went down like a log, the
-impetus of the lion's movement sending him yards away. Miss H---- and
-I, after an instant of absolute stupefaction, rushed for our guns,
-which we had put down. Before we had time to shoot, however, it was
-all over. The Masai boy, who was following close beside Captain H----,
-with the splendid pluck of his race, drew his _simé_ (a sort of sword,
-with all its weight at the business end) and hit the lion across the
-spine. The beast simply stiffened spasmodically, and before it had
-time to fall over the plucky Masai had sheathed his weapon in the
-beast's shoulder three or four times. Then we rushed up to Captain
-H----, who looked in a terrible plight; he was covered with blood from
-head to foot, and unconscious.
-
-We had, during the chase, got nearer the railway line, and we could
-see a train in the distance puffing slowly up the incline towards Athi
-River Station. The Masai are very fine runners, so we dispatched one
-of them to stop the train, and proceeded to contrive some sort of a
-litter to carry Captain H---- in. Miss H----, with a woman's wit, at
-once proposed to skin a lion and use its hide. We accordingly started
-to rip off the skin of the very beast which had mauled him, having
-first propped up our coats over Captain H---- to give him a little
-shade. What was our joy, in the middle of our work, to hear his voice
-and see him sitting up, smiling as well as he could from a face that
-was all blood except what was dirt. He said he felt perfectly well,
-and could easily walk back to camp.
-
-It appeared that he had simply been stunned by the terrific fall he
-had had, and that he remembered nothing more till he woke and found
-himself under a canopy made of our coats. On examining him, expecting
-to find a shattered arm, we were astounded to find he had only
-received some very nasty-looking gashes. The explanation of this we
-soon saw. My shot, which appeared to have killed the lion, had hit the
-beast at the base of the jaw, smashing the bone to pieces and stunning
-him. When he dashed at Captain H---- his lower jaw was absolutely
-useless, so that the upper teeth only acted as a rake instead of
-nut-crackers.
-
-However, the wounds looked serious enough, for we knew that very few
-men recover from lion-bites, most of them dying of blood-poisoning.
-Captain H----, however, was able with assistance to walk very
-comfortably the mile which separated us from the line, and before
-we got to it we were met by an engineer on the railway, who had his
-travelling carriage attached to a goods train. He at once placed
-the carriage and train at our disposal, and, best of all, produced a
-bottle of carbolic crystals. He insisted that the carbolic should be
-put in undiluted, as the action of the pure acid is so rapid that it
-kills the tissues which it touches so quickly that no pain is felt.
-
-Certainly this seemed to hold good, for Captain H---- took it quite
-calmly, and assured us he was in no great pain. We all took the train
-for a few miles to the point nearest our camp, when I left them. It
-was arranged that I was to pack up the camp and follow into Nairobi,
-Miss H---- and the engineer attending the patient to the hospital,
-where, it appeared, he would have to stay for a period, as a high
-temperature was by this time apparent, coupled with a feeling of
-extreme exhaustion, caused by reaction after his narrow escape. I had
-also to superintend the skinning of the lions, which Captain H----, in
-spite of his condition, was most anxious about. I was much relieved
-to hear the next day that he was going on splendidly, though still
-prostrated by the shock and likely to be detained in hospital for the
-next few weeks to get his arm healed.
-
-The Masai boy we sent away rejoicing with a present of a cow, as well
-as some smaller gifts in money and kind. Cattle are the one and only
-form of riches amongst the Masai--except, perhaps, wives--so he was
-proportionately pleased, and promised to join us again as soon as we
-were ready to start. But we hardly expect to bag ten lions in a day
-again.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-THE MASAI BOY (ON LEFT) WHO SAVED CAPTAIN H----'S LIFE, AND HASSAN THE
-GUN-BEARER.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-
-
-
-MY FRIEND DALTON: A Tale of the Klondike.
-
-By HARRY DE WINDT.
-
-    Twice--and twice only--the famous explorer met "Dalton," the
-    gentleman wanderer, and he here relates the story of the two
-    encounters and the tragic episode which finally revealed to
-    him the man's real character.
-
-
-"Good-bye, De Windt; I don't envy you the trip," were the last words
-that rang in my ears as the lights of Vancouver faded away in the
-wintry darkness.
-
-My friends were right. Business of vital importance called me, or I
-should certainly not have left Vancouver at a season when the journey
-to Montreal is generally attended with discomfort, not to say danger.
-In the summertime it is pleasant enough, for the scenery outrivals
-that of Switzerland, and the Canadian Pacific Railway is justly noted
-for the perfection of its cars and cuisine. But now the passes were
-blocked by snow, and a train had recently been "held up" in the wild,
-mountainous district between Banff and Calgary. It was Christmas Eve,
-so that I had the cars pretty much to myself. Indeed, east of Lytton,
-where a party of Victorians left us to spend the New Year, the train
-was practically empty. We numbered, after leaving Lytton, a dozen
-passengers in all; none too many to dig a way through the drifts
-which, to judge from the steadily-falling snow, were grimly looming
-ahead.
-
-The prospect of a week or more of weary travel was not inviting, and
-I dined the first evening unable to appreciate a dinner worthy of the
-Paris boulevards. The cheerless meal over, I smoked a solitary cigar
-in a dimly-lit and silent "smoker," and towards bedtime summoned the
-conductor, in sheer desperation, to share a hot grog. Afterwards I
-sought my couch. But the frequent stoppages due to the tempest
-and driving snow kept me awake--a revolver handy in case of
-a "hold-up"--until a cold grey dawn was peering through the
-window-blinds. For notes to the amount of thirty thousand dollars
-reposed in a note-case under my pillow, and the fact that a friend in
-Montreal was awaiting them did not tend to lessen my anxiety.
-
-But fortune and the Arctic weather favoured us, for a starving
-wolf would scarcely have faced that blinding blizzard, let alone a
-train-robber. We were detained for a time by a fallen snow-shed,
-but we forged steadily ahead through minor difficulties, and, on the
-morning of the third day, steamed safely into Calgary. Here I put away
-my pistol with an easy mind, for open country now lay before us. The
-robbers who lurked in the mountains, where trackless forests on either
-side of the line afford an easy means of escape, were not likely to
-trouble us on the plains.
-
-Dark days were now followed by a blue sky and brilliant sunshine as
-we rattled over the prairie, clad in a mantle of dazzling snow. The
-monotony of this journey can only be realized by those who, day after
-day, have watched the same dreary landscape unfold, as void of life
-and colour as the moon itself. A desert, in summer, of withered grass;
-in winter the scene of snow-clad desolation so wearies the eye that
-the sight of a ruined log-hut or a solitary crow comes as a positive
-relief. It was therefore some consolation when, at the little log-town
-of Regina, a solitary passenger entered the train.
-
-I surveyed the new-comer with an interest engendered by three days of
-solitary boredom. He was middle-aged, with the clean-shaven, clear-cut
-face and keen grey eyes common in America, but which, upon this
-occasion, were clearly imported. For, although the man's appearance
-betrayed rough experiences, his tattered tweeds retained a certain
-symmetry more suggestive of Bond Street than Broadway. A "Zingari"
-ribbon round his shabby grey hat also hinted at the wearer's
-nationality, which was further proclaimed when he called in pure
-English for a whisky and soda. The speaker was a gentleman, as shown
-by his manner and certain subtle signs that denote the species all
-over the world. At first I put him down as a wealthy sportsman, but
-the usual arsenal and piles of personal baggage were missing. The
-traveller, whoever he was, was uncommunicative, for he drained his
-whisky at a draught with a sigh of relief, lay full length upon the
-cushions, and slept like a baby until dinner-time.
-
-I generally mistrust the chance acquaintance on Canadian railway cars,
-but there was nothing of the "sport" or "bunco-steerer" about this
-man. At dinner we got into conversation, and the discovery of mutual
-acquaintances in England banished any lingering suspicions on my part;
-my companion was apparently glad, after many months of solitude, to
-exchange ideas with a fellow-countryman. The stranger had not seen
-England for seven years, during which period he had apparently tried
-his luck at most things--from gold at Coolgardie to rubies in Rangoon,
-in the lazy, desultory fashion of one to whom money is no object.
-His name, "Edgar Dalton," told me nothing, but the magic words, "Turf
-Club," in a corner of his card augured much. I expressed surprise at
-this lengthened and voluntary exile, but Dalton's sudden change of
-manner warned me that I was skating on thin ice. Domestic trouble,
-perhaps, or a woman, had sent him aimlessly roving over the world,
-and, anyhow, it was no business of mine. My eccentric friend had
-lately turned his attention to fur trading, he told me, and was now
-returning to Chicago from York Factory on Hudson Bay. The winter
-journey is a perilous one, but Dalton spoke of a thousand miles in a
-dog-sled as though it were a summer picnic. "I like roughing it," he
-said, frankly; "civilization bores me, and I loathe the very sight
-of a frock-coat!" I did not quite believe him, for the most ardent
-globe-trotter occasionally yearns for a sight of Piccadilly; but,
-anyhow, as I have said, it was no business of mine.
-
-The evening passed pleasantly, for Dalton was excellent company, and
-we sat long and late over our cigars, chatting over his reminiscences,
-which would have filled an entire issue of THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE. It
-was only towards bedtime that a subject was broached destined to bring
-about strange consequences. "You say you know Milford well," said
-Dalton, naming a small town in Yorkshire; "did you ever meet a Mrs.
-W---- there?" The words were spoken with a hesitation that made me
-glance sharply at the speaker. Could this be the secret of his life--a
-hopeless passion for the beautiful woman whose sufferings had excited
-universal sympathy and whose love so many had sought in vain? To know
-Milford was to know or, at any rate, to have heard of Mary W----, who,
-a few years since, had figured as the innocent heroine of a notorious
-forgery case. The affair never reached a criminal court, for James
-W---- had successfully absconded with a large sum of money, and had
-never since been seen or heard of. Rumours were rife; some said he had
-gone to Australia, others that he was in the Argentine, others that
-suicide had wiped him out of existence as completely as a pebble
-dropped into the sea. And he would have been no great loss, for,
-according to all accounts, a more heartless scoundrel never breathed.
-But Mary W---- was still leading a quiet and lonely life, although she
-might legally have chosen a second husband from among the many men
-who had sought her hand. W---- I had never known, but his portrait
-had been freely circulated at the time of the crime, and a momentary
-suspicion that Dalton might himself be the man was quickly dispelled
-when I recalled the portly frame and bearded countenance of the
-forger. Not only did I know Mrs. W----, but I had, only the preceding
-winter, saved her life in an ice accident--a fact which raised me
-considerably in my fellow-traveller's estimation.
-
-"I only asked you if you knew her," he said, "because I happened to
-know him. Poor beggar! He was shot last year in a gambling hell in
-Coolgardie."
-
-Here the subject might have dropped, but that fleeting hours and the
-frequent reappearance of the conductor with refreshments revived
-it. There had clearly been something between Dalton and the forger's
-beautiful wife, either before or after her marriage. "I may tell you
-in confidence," were his last words that night, "that Mary W---- is
-and always has been very dear to me." A cloud passed over Dalton's
-face as he continued: "If things were different I should have been a
-better and a happier man. There, I won't bore you with my troubles,
-but here's my hand, Mr. de Windt, for saving that brave, unselfish
-woman's life. And remember, if ever you need a friend you'll find one
-in Edgar Dalton."
-
-I was right, then, after all. This was but another victim who had
-worshipped vainly at the shrine of pretty Mary W----, and I wondered
-vaguely, as I dropped off to sleep, whether the "good angel of
-Milford," as she was called, had yet heard of her merciful release.
-For here, possibly, was a man who might bring some sunshine into her
-lonely life.
-
-The next morning found Dalton seated at breakfast with a mysterious
-individual who had joined the train during the night. The stranger
-was a stout, florid man of about fifty, with shifty blue eyes, grey
-whiskers, and a perpetual smile. He wore a serge suit and a yachting
-cap, also a profusion of tawdry jewellery, and might have been
-anything from a prosperous drover to the skipper of a tramp steamer.
-The new-comer addressed Dalton as "Cap," and until the mystery was
-explained I marvelled at his apparent familiarity with the quiet,
-refined Englishman. But Mr. Hiram Knaggs, it appeared, had acted as
-agent in Chicago for Dalton during his northern trip, and had now met
-him by appointment to settle about the disposal of a consignment of
-valuable furs. Knaggs was a cheery, amusing fellow, notwithstanding
-his vulgarity and a painful habit of parading his wealth. At dinner
-that night he displayed a bulky pocket-book with which he pleasantly
-averred he could buy up the train and everyone in it. Encouraged,
-perhaps, by champagne and good fellowship, I then carelessly alluded
-to the comparatively modest sum that had caused me such anxiety, but
-a significant look from Dalton closed my lips. "Knaggs, of course,
-is all right," he explained afterwards, "but in a public car you can
-never be too careful." The incident struck me as being curious, for at
-the time there was no one within earshot of our table.
-
-Dalton and his agent were leaving us at Winnipeg, and we had
-reached that town--then far from being the bustling city it has now
-become--when I awoke on the following morning. The berths lately
-occupied by my friends were empty, and I was surprised that Dalton, at
-any rate, should have left without a word of farewell. There was yet
-half an hour before departure, and I dressed hastily, intending to
-alight for a breath of fresh air. But a terrible shock was in store
-for me. My heart stood still and a cold sweat bedewed my temples, for
-when I placed my hand under the pillow it encountered only a worthless
-silver watch. My pocket-book and the thirty thousand dollars had gone!
-
-I was about to call loudly for help, when a touch on the shoulder
-arrested me. It was Dalton, with a smile upon his face and the missing
-note-case in his hand.
-
-"I was the thief," he said, quietly. "Here are your notes, but take my
-advice. Never talk about your money before strangers." Intense relief
-overcame a feeling of resentment at the trick played upon me, and,
-after all, was it not in my own interest? So I put my pride--and
-my notes--in my pocket and thanked my friend for the service he had
-rendered me, which I never duly appreciated until long afterwards.
-
-[Illustration: "MY POCKET-BOOK AND THE THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS HAD
-GONE!"]
-
-On the platform we found Knaggs in a very surly frame of mind, which
-Dalton laughingly ascribed to overnight indulgence in "tanglefoot."
-But the joke was apparently ill-timed, for the American turned and
-left us with an oath, to his friend's amusement.
-
-"Good-bye, De Windt," said the latter. "We may meet again, and if ever
-I can do you a turn, for Mary W----'s sake, count upon me."
-
-Three or four months elapsed, during which period I heard nothing more
-of my fellow-travellers, but I received a letter from Mrs. W----,
-who had been informed of her husband's death by an anonymous
-correspondent--Dalton, no doubt. This was in the spring of 1897,
-however, and my mind was too much engrossed with personal affairs to
-give the matter much attention. A bad attack of the gold-fever then
-raging on the Pacific Coast had resulted in my resolve to leave
-Vancouver and seek a fortune in the Klondike. I need not describe the
-now familiar perils and privations of that ghastly voyage: the grim
-passes, stormy lakes, and treacherous rapids; the cold and starvation
-that littered the dark and dangerous road to the "Arctic El Dorado"
-with dead and dying victims. Suffice it to say that I eventually
-reached my destination, and in less than a year had "struck it
-rich" enough to acquire several good claims. Early in March, 1898, I
-returned from my claim up the Koyukuk to Dawson City, and took up my
-quarters at an hotel, intending to return by the first steamer to St.
-Michael, and thence, by the sea route, home.
-
-The River View Hotel was not a cheerful residence, although its
-numerous guests were very festively inclined. The restaurant at
-dinner-time resembled a bear-garden, and between meals dapper New York
-barmen ministered to the wants of a rowdy mixture of nationalities
-from all ends of the earth. Time hung heavily on my hands, although
-there was plenty of gaiety of the disreputable kind to be found in
-most mining camps. Dawson swarmed with gambling and drinking saloons,
-but crime was rare, for the North-West Police keep a sharp eye on
-evildoers, especially the harpies of both sexes who fleece lucky
-miners. You did not need, in those days, to go to the creeks for gold,
-for the dust was flung about so recklessly that modest incomes were
-made by sweeping out the dancing halls. One night of debauchery often
-left wealthy men as poor as when they first started out from home
-without a penny. And there was some excuse for the poor prospector,
-coming straight from months of cold, hunger, and hard work on some
-lonely gulch into a crowded, brightly-lit saloon, with champagne,
-music, and friends galore, to say nothing of a gambling table in the
-background. Even I, who should have known better, was occasionally
-drawn into some dazzling pandemonium which, by daylight, would have
-sickened me to contemplate.
-
-Thus it came to pass that I found myself one night at the Imperial
-Casino in company with a friend who, like myself, was heartily sick of
-his gloomy bedroom at the River View Hotel. The Imperial, like most
-of its kind, consisted of a dancing-hall leading into a smaller
-compartment screened with green baize, which occasionally parted to
-disclose a roulette table. The noise and stifling air of the first
-room were, as usual, unbearable, and we struggled through a rowdy
-crowd of men and women to the inner sanctum, where a number of players
-were assembled. For a time we watched the game with interest, for the
-high stakes would have attracted a crowd at Monte Carlo, but these
-ragged, mud stained gamblers lost or won their money gracefully and
-without the push or wrangle that often occurs on the Riviera. I have
-seen more fuss made over a five-franc piece at Monte Carlo than over a
-thousand dollars in Klondike.
-
-To this day I don't know what induced me to fling a stake upon the
-table. My friend, sick of the fetid atmosphere, had left me, and I was
-following him, when the solitary number I had backed turned up. I then
-carelessly heaped my winnings on the zero and became the unwilling
-object of all eyes when the ivory ball jumped into the space
-numbered by that wicked little circle. From that moment I won without
-cessation, chiefly, I suppose, because of my absolute indifference
-to loss. In an hour I was the gainer of an enormous sum, which,
-consisting largely of nuggets and gold-dust, was difficult to handle.
-A carpet-bag was borrowed from the proprietor, by whose friendly
-advice I made my exit through a back door, and hastened along the
-snowy, silent street to my hotel. As I neared my hotel a figure stood
-out from the doorway of the River View, and I recognised Barlow, of
-the North-West Mounted Police, who a few hours previously had been my
-guest at dinner.
-
-"Don't shoot, old man," said my friend, as a revolver gleamed in the
-moonlight; "it's only me. We have got a big job on. The safe in the
-office here was rifled last night, and the thief is supposed to be
-living in the hotel. J----, of Scotland Yard, and ten of my men are
-inside; so if the joker tries any games on to-night it will be all up
-with him. By the way, _you_ look a bit suspicious with that bag. Gold
-from Gluckstein's, is it? Whew! Oh, pass in; you're a match for any
-hotel sneak." And with a cheery "Good night" I left my friend vainly
-endeavouring to keep warm in a temperature that would have tried the
-patience of a Polar bear.
-
-[Illustration: "THE DOOR WAS THROWN OPEN WITH A CRASH AND THE ROOM
-FLOODED WITH THE LIGHT OF MANY LANTERNS."]
-
-The barrack-like building was in darkness, and by the aid of a wax
-match I groped my way to my bedroom, a garret for which I paid, daily,
-the sum of twenty dollars. The door was fitted with a cheap lock which
-a missing key rendered useless, but I secured my winnings, which I
-carefully locked up, and then retired to rest with a mind at ease,
-thanks to a revolver under my pillow. I must have dropped off to sleep
-suddenly, for when I awoke the fag-end of my candle was sputtering
-in the socket. The next moment it had gone out, leaving me with no
-matches and an unpleasant suspicion that, while I slept, someone had
-entered the room. Conviction followed when I heard a moving body and
-loudly challenged the intruder. But there was no reply.
-
-"If you don't answer, I shoot!" I cried through the darkness. There
-is short shrift for thieves in mining camps, and the next moment I had
-fired at random in the direction of the sound. Simultaneously the door
-was thrown open with a crash and the room flooded with the light
-of many lanterns. J----, the Scotland Yard man, and half-a-dozen
-policemen were soon surrounding a prostrate figure, clad in a grey
-sleeping-suit, which lay with a dark crimson mark over the heart,
-showing where my bullet had reached its mark. Great heavens! Had I
-killed him?
-
-The bare idea filled me with horror, as I pushed my way through a ring
-of excited men and, kneeling by the side of the wounded man, gently
-raised his head. The features were already twitching in the death
-agony, the eyes were dull and glazed, but a faint smile flickered over
-the face as I realized, with the appalling terror of a nightmare, that
-I was looking upon the features of Edgar Dalton.
-
-"Forgive me," he gasped, faintly, as I bent closer to catch his
-whispered words. "I never knew it was you. Knaggs will tell you. Give
-her----" The hand was raised, with a last effort, towards a thin gold
-chain around the neck, but death arrested it half-way. Edgar Dalton,
-killed by my hand, had expired in my arms!
-
-"Come, sir, we can do no good," said J----, presently, as I continued
-to gaze vacantly upon the ashy face of the corpse. It was borne
-away by six stalwart troopers through the now crowded passages and
-stairway. "You've no need for remorse," added the detective, "for
-you've rid the world of as clever and cruel a scoundrel as it's ever
-been my lot to come across--and I have seen a few. Why, he has murders
-enough on his hands in Australia alone to hang him ten times over."
-
-"Mr. Edgar Dalton?" I asked, almost speechless with amazement.
-
-"Is that the name you knew him by?" said the Scotland Yard man, with
-ill-disguised pity for my ignorance. "Edgar Dalton, indeed! Why, the
-Australian Government has offered a reward of one thousand pounds for
-this man, dead or alive, for the past three years. I have been after
-him for seven years as James W----, the forger, and I think I am
-fairly entitled to the reward," he added. "For, you see, I have netted
-both birds this time. There's the other"--and he pointed to a man
-standing handcuffed between two troopers by the open doorway. His
-dejected appearance contrasted oddly with a gay suit of pink
-pyjamas, but although the smiling lips were now screened by a bristly
-moustache, and a carefully-curled auburn wig concealed the scanty
-grey locks, I had little trouble in recognising my old friend and
-fellow-traveller, Mr. Hiram Knaggs.
-
-I was permitted to visit him the next day, and found him shivering,
-heavily ironed, in a cold, miserable shanty known as the town jail.
-Knaggs made light of his discomfort and the long term of imprisonment
-before him, but was inconsolable at the death of his leader. "A whiter
-man never breathed, Mr. de Windt," said the man, with tears in his
-eyes; and although I knew Knaggs for a consummate villain, I could
-scarcely restrain a feeling of pity for the abject figure before me.
-Nor, indeed, could I think of the dead man without compunction, for
-I could not forget the feeling of gratitude that had prompted him to
-save my notes from the greedy grasp of his confederate.
-
-"He always spoke well of you," said the man, "and if he'd only known
-last night that the swag was yours he'd have been alive now. But I
-suppose the game was up, anyhow, with that J---- on our tracks."
-
-[Illustration: A FORM OF PUNISHMENT FOR CRIMINALS USED IN THE KLONDIKE
-AND KNOWN AS THE "WOOD-PILE."
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-And Hiram ground his teeth in silent rage as I left him--to be
-eventually sentenced to ten years "on the wood-pile," a local form of
-punishment which, owing to the Arctic climate, is seldom endured for
-long.
-
-I was permitted to retain the gold chain and medallion, which
-contained a faded portrait of W----'s wife. Mary W---- still wears the
-little locket in memory of the worthless scamp who wrecked her life,
-but who, nevertheless, had loved her in his own wild way.
-
-
-
-
-Two Girls in Japan.
-
-BY IRENE LYON.
-
-    After six weeks of conventional sight-seeing in Japan the
-    authoress and her friend decided that they had not yet seen
-    the real thing, and so they decided to spend a week off the
-    tourist track, living as far as possible the life of the
-    natives. This amusing little article shows how they fared
-    during their pilgrimage.
-
-
-Gladys and I had been six weeks in Japan; we had worked hard at
-sight-seeing, and done all that was expected of us during that time,
-and yet we were not satisfied. Why? Well, we had luxuriated all the
-while in the most charming European hotels; we had slept in cosy beds
-with soft, springy mattresses; we had lounged in easy-chairs, eaten
-with knives and forks, and had been waited on hand and foot by
-noiseless Japanese "boys," who anticipated our every want. Within a
-week of our departure for Australia the full extent of our slackness
-was borne in upon us, and we at once decided to make up for lost
-time and to sacrifice personal comfort in a final effort to "see"
-Japan--the real Japan.
-
-A trip down the Inland Sea was arranged, as affording a suitable
-opportunity to carry out our resolves, and one bright spring morning
-we set off from Kobe, armed with a basket of provisions and eating
-utensils--to be used only in case of dire necessity!
-
-We travelled all day in an up-to-date, conventional train, and arrived
-at Onomichi towards evening. The proprietor of the principal inn had
-been informed of our intended arrival, so he came in person to meet
-us at the station, and we set off on foot for our new abode with an
-escort of some twenty to thirty of the inhabitants.
-
-The "hotel" was a two-storeyed, wooden house, like most of its
-fellows. On reaching the threshold we discarded our shoes, took a
-surreptitious peep at our stockings, in order to assure ourselves that
-no holes were visible, and boldly entered.
-
-[Illustration: THE VILLAGE STREET--THE YOUNGSTERS WERE VASTLY
-INTERESTED IN THE NEW ARRIVALS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF THE INN.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-A hearty--but unintelligible--welcome was extended to us by "madame"
-and her surrounding bevy of profusely-bowing attendants, and we were
-ushered into a room on the first floor which had been set aside for
-our use.
-
-Our apartment was divided from the adjoining one by sliding panels
-which made no pretence at reaching the ceiling; it was entirely
-destitute of furniture, but at one side was a tiny alcove where a
-single vase reposed upon a raised dais, while hanging on the wall at
-the back was an elaborate "kakimono." The floor was covered with fine
-matting, and the inner walls were made of opaque white paper divided
-into diminutive squares. Round the outside of the house ran a tiny
-veranda, which was closed in at night with wooden panels.
-
-Previously to starting Gladys and I had thoroughly primed ourselves as
-to the correct behaviour in Japanese circles, and as we knew that
-we should be expected to take a hot bath immediately on arrival we
-inquired at once for the bathroom. Another reason for not wishing to
-delay the important function of bathing sprang from our vague fear
-that every member of the household would perform his ablutions in the
-same water, and we were naturally anxious to have the first "look in."
-
-After inspecting the bathroom our determination wavered,--but we
-pulled ourselves together and descended to the lower regions
-armed with towels and wrappers. Our first difficulty was with the
-entrance-panel, which, in addition to having no locks or bolts,
-absolutely refused to close properly. After several vain attempts the
-gap was eventually stuffed up, and we entered the dressing-room. I
-have yet to discover the intended use of the latter apartment, as for
-all the privacy it provided one might just as well have undressed in
-the public passage. About three yards square, and communicating with
-the bathroom, it was furnished with two large windows looking on
-to the hall, and there was not even so much as a pane of glass to
-obstruct the view of the passers-by. Gladys and I spent a considerable
-time in carefully filling these openings, and then, having satisfied
-ourselves that we were beyond the public gaze at last, we began, very
-diffidently, to undress, and afterwards entered the bathroom together,
-as we simply dared not venture in alone.
-
-The bath itself--which looked like a large box--was a wooden structure
-built into a corner, and all round the inside ran a convenient ledge,
-for sitting on. The water being little short of boiling, our movements
-were decidedly cautious, and, curling ourselves up on the ledge, we
-tried to grow accustomed to the temperature by degrees before plunging
-right in. When, thinking to remove the traces of our journey by a
-vigorous application of soap, we began to scrub ourselves, it suddenly
-occurred to us that such a proceeding was not "etiquette," out
-of consideration to the other bathers. So we stepped out, soaped
-ourselves well, and rinsed our bodies with the wooden ladles supplied
-for the purpose, before getting back into the water again.
-
-[Illustration: A GLIMPSE OF THE SITTING-ROOM, WITH ITS
-SPOTLESSLY-CLEAN FLOOR, SLIDING DOORWAYS, AND PAPER WALLS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-We were sitting on the ledge, chatting peacefully, when a sudden
-premonition of danger made me look up, and the spectacle which greeted
-my eyes caused me to utter one agonized gasp and then sink rapidly out
-of sight. The pains we had taken to block up the gap at the entrance
-had all been in vain, for the various garments which we had used for
-the purpose lay scattered on the floor, and the opening was occupied
-by a line of little heads, one above the other, whilst ten gleaming
-eyes were interestedly fixed upon us! Having followed the direction of
-my horrified gaze, Gladys gave a shriek of dismay and joined me at the
-bottom of the bath with surprising celerity; and there we remained
-in agony, feeling as though we were being boiled alive, and gazing
-ruefully at our garments, which all lay well out of reach. Help came
-at length in the shape of the proprietor, who, lighting upon the
-little group of spectators, immediately sent them off about their
-business. Feeble and helpless, we eventually emerged from our retreat
-and retired behind our towels to dry; but our trials were not yet
-over, for Gladys, leaning too heavily against the flimsy framework
-which constituted the partition wall, suddenly disappeared from sight,
-and the whole wall with her! Fortunately, the only occupant of the
-passage at that moment was a little maid-servant, who speedily rushed
-to her assistance, and the damage was soon repaired. Feeling much
-shattered in mind, we at length departed from the scene of our
-disasters and returned to our own apartment. With the help of two
-merry little "nésans," who thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, we
-succeeded in donning kimonos and obis more or less after the correct
-manner, and then, determined to carry out the programme quite
-properly, we sat down on our heels to partake of our evening meal
-before a table three inches high. We drank fish soup out of lacquer
-bowls, we dissected unfamiliar concoctions with chopsticks (no easy
-matter) and tried manfully to do our duty by them, but when a
-large bowl of rice made its appearance we flung etiquette--and
-chopsticks--to the winds and fell back upon spoons, as being the only
-way of ensuring ourselves anything to eat. Also, when we were certain
-of being unobserved (as certain as it is possible to be in a land of
-paper walls and sliding panels), we hastily demolished huge chunks of
-bread from our private provision store, as, though we did not wish
-to hurt the feelings of the "chef," we felt that our inward cravings
-_must_ have something substantial to satisfy them.
-
-After dinner we ventured on a stroll through the town; but the fact
-that we were repeatedly obliged to retrace our steps in order to pick
-up our sandals--which showed an extraordinary facility for parting
-company with our feet--considerably hindered our progress, and the
-close companionship of many of the inhabitants, who were vastly
-interested in us, prevented us from gaining a very good view of the
-streets.
-
-When we returned to our abode the little maids made us up beds on
-the floor out of "futans" (thick quilts) which were pulled forth
-from wonderfully hidden cupboards, and we retired to rest, thoroughly
-wearied out by our first day of Japanese life.
-
-The next morning we were awakened early by the arrival of green tea in
-baby cups with no handles, and big, luscious peppermint creams. After
-tasting both, and appreciating the latter, we rose to dress. Our
-landlord had entertained European visitors before and considered that
-he was thoroughly acquainted with their habits, as well as knowing how
-to provide for their comfort; consequently, the pride of his heart
-was a wash-stand--which was an object of wonderment to the whole
-household--and that useful article of furniture was placed on the
-outer veranda, in full view of the main street! It went to our hearts
-to hurt the feelings of "mine host," but in this case we felt it to be
-unavoidable, and the household treasure was removed to a more secluded
-spot before we performed our ablutions.
-
-Later in the morning we took steamer to Myajima, and sailed all day
-down the beautiful Inland Sea. There were no seats on board, so we
-made ourselves comfortable on a big coil of rope, and as there was
-also no buffet we were obliged to picnic for our meals. We reached
-Myajima at dusk and halted in mid-stream. A sampan came out to take us
-on shore, and we were hauled down the side of the steamer by a piece
-of rope, swaying feebly about in mid-air before being unceremoniously
-seized by the feet and deposited in safety.
-
-As we crashed on to the pebble beach a number of girls came round from
-the hotel to meet us, each one carrying a paper lantern, which waved
-fantastically to and fro from the end of a long pole. We were
-escorted by them round the narrow, winding path to our quarters,
-which consisted this time of a little summer-house away from the main
-building of the hotel and in the midst of a delightful wood. We were
-too tired to examine our surroundings that night, and tumbled as soon
-as possible on to our lowly couches, where we slept "the sleep of the
-just."
-
-[Illustration: MORE INTERESTED VILLAGERS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-On opening our eyes next morning our first thought was that we had
-wandered into fairy-land; the smiling-faced "nésan" had arrived during
-our slumbers and pulled back the outer wooden shutters, and as one of
-the inner panels was ajar we could look straight out on to the woods.
-The sun was shining brightly through the green of the trees, a spring
-of clear water trickled musically down by the side of our hut, and
-but a few hundred yards away lay the Inland Sea itself, looking like a
-huge lake amidst the surrounding chain of misty, blue-grey mountains.
-
-[Illustration: A VILLAGE FÊTE IN FULL SWING.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Our tiny habitation, which consisted of two compartments and a small
-veranda only, was scrupulously clean, and we could have eaten off the
-floor, as well as sit on it, without the least misgiving.
-
-Every morning we interviewed the landlord on the subject of our day's
-menu, as, after the first evening, we decided that a strictly Japanese
-diet would not be conducive to either strength or comfort. There was
-not much variety in the food which we managed to obtain, but it
-was both healthy and harmless, consisting chiefly of fried fish,
-omelettes, and wild strawberries.
-
-Myajima is a sacred island, and no means of conveyance are allowed
-to profane its shores. The temple is built out into the sea, a unique
-specimen of its kind, and a great, dark torü rises from the water
-some yards in front; all along the main coast, and built at irregular
-intervals, are the sacred stone lanterns, five hundred in number.
-
-For three days we spent our time in wandering about the island,
-swimming, lounging on our tiny veranda, and darning, European
-stockings being scarcely equal to Japanese "tabi" in the matter of
-endurance. The third evening being beautifully fine and calm, we
-arranged--by paying a very modest sum--to have all the five hundred
-lanterns lit up for our benefit, and rowed out in a sampan to see the
-effect from the water. Nature seemed to be at her devotions, and such
-a wonderful hush spread over all around that the scene was impressive
-as well as beautiful.
-
-On the fourth day it began to rain. A Japanese inn does not exactly
-lend itself to either comfort or amusement in wet weather, our stock
-of literature was limited, and by midday we were at our wits' end. And
-still it rained.
-
-Finally, in desperation, we invested in brilliantly-coloured oil-paper
-Japanese umbrellas, and wandered about holding these huge structures
-over our heads, so that only our feet--mounted on high, wet-weather
-"geta"--were visible. Still it rained, and rained unceasingly. On the
-evening of the fifth day--the deluge showing no signs of abatement--we
-packed up our baggage and sorrowfully departed, taking our seats
-in the evening express for Kobe, after a damp passage across to the
-mainland in a sampan.
-
-The train was crowded with Japanese, and as each person was
-accompanied by at least four mysterious and peculiar-shaped bundles
-there was not much room to spare, and before long I had a pile of
-"luggage" two yards high in front of me. When some of the little
-ladies in the carriage with us grew tired of sitting up in European
-fashion they slipped off their sandals and climbed right on to the
-seat, where they sat comfortably on their heels and were happy at
-last.
-
-When night came the long seat was divided up into portions, the upper
-berths were pulled down, and we all huddled into our respective
-bunks, men and women mixed up together. It was distinctly trying to
-be obliged to hoist oneself up into a high upper berth before a mixed
-assembly, and more trying still to descend in the morning with the
-very incomplete toilet which one was enabled to make in a reclining
-position, but the blissful ignorance of our Japanese neighbour that
-there was anything unusual in such a proceeding considerably relieved
-our embarrassment. His attitude and calm matter-of-factness was very
-reassuring, and the wonderfully cheerful conductor who brushed our
-clothes and fastened our blouses seemed to consider himself specially
-suited for the post of lady's-maid.
-
-We arrived back at our hotel in Kobe feeling that for the first time
-in our existence we had really seen life in a different aspect, and a
-few days later we left Japan with a clear conscience, satisfied that
-we had fully accomplished our duty, as well as considerably added to
-our experiences.
-
-[Illustration: OIL-PAPER UMBRELLAS DRYING IN THE SUN.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: THE LAST CREEK.]
-
-By John Mackie.
-
-    The story of an eventful journey in the Australian bush, with
-    hostile blacks on the track. Mr. Mackie got through, but
-    the passage of the last creek was a distinctly touch-and-go
-    affair.
-
-
-Schooners must have grub, and I had accompanied ours round to
-Normanton for supplies, leaving only one white man, a Malay, a
-Cingalese, and two semi-civilized black boys to look after the station
-and store I had established on the lonely Calvert River, in the
-south-western corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
-
-Now a bushman had just arrived at Normanton who had passed my place on
-the Calvert a few days before. He told of a sorry state of affairs. My
-men had run out of rations and, what was worse, powder and shot. They
-were now subsisting on a little rice, what few fish they could
-catch in the swollen river, 'possums, iguanas, and snakes. This was
-certainly pretty near bed-rock; but people in the Gulf country in
-those days did not trouble much about their bill of fare; it was the
-blacks, flies, and fever that concerned them most, and the blacks near
-my place just then were particularly bad. They had come down in a body
-some days previously, killed two or three of my remaining horses, and
-tried their level best to get at my men. Fortunately, after a ruinous
-consumption of powder and shot, they had been driven off.
-
-There was only one thing for it--I must get to my station at any cost,
-and that at once. To have it left to the mercy of the blacks was to
-have it looted and burned to the ground, and all my schemes knocked on
-the head.
-
-More important, still, there were my men. I knew that if they
-attempted to go eastward they would find themselves hemmed in by the
-great creeks, and must be drowned or perish for want of food. I did
-not take two minutes to make up my mind. I was young, of a girth that
-is denied to most men, and the love of adventure ran hot in my blood.
-It was now late in the evening, but I would start before sunrise in
-the morning, and some time on the following day, if I had luck, would
-reach my place. I had swum dozens of swollen rivers before, with a
-horse and without a horse; and as for the blacks, I had got used to
-them like the flies, and I had my Colt.
-
-Next morning, while it was yet grey-dark, I strapped a small knapsack
-on my back, containing a quart bottle full of powder, some small shot,
-and other essentials, and prepared to start out. I told my partner to
-push round to the Calvert River with the schooner as soon as the gale
-abated, and was rowed to the eastern bank of the river in the dinghy.
-The landing was bad, and here I had my first accident; for while the
-man who rowed the boat was throwing after me the packet of bread and
-meat that was to sustain me on my sixty-odd miles walk, it fell short
-and splashed into the river. Back to the boat for more I would not go;
-there was a considerable vein of old Highland superstition deep down
-in my composition somewhere. I had gone, on more than one occasion,
-without food for two or three days; I could surely do it now for
-some thirty-six hours or so, even although I had not troubled about
-breakfast before starting.
-
-Sixty-odd miles of partially-flooded country infested by niggers! It
-hardly gave me a thought in those days. My revolver was in my belt,
-the cartridges were waterproof, the load on my back was light, and had
-it not been for the thought of those poor chaps on the banks of the
-Calvert my heart would have been still lighter.
-
-I had traversed that uncertain track before on horseback, and, being
-a fairly good bushman, there was not much danger of my losing it. I
-wended my way through a gloomy pine-scrub, but as the rain had packed
-the sandy soil the walking was fairly good, and I did my first few
-miles as easily as if I had been walking on a macadamized road. Then I
-came to an open patch of lightly timbered country, and sat down on the
-crooked stem of a ti tree for a few minutes to fill and light my pipe.
-
-A sickly, wan light had by this time appeared in the eastern sky.
-A laughing jackass crashed into the tender spirit of the dawn, and
-startled me for the moment by shrieking hysterically from a high gum
-tree. A pale lemon glow showed over the tree-tops to the east, spread
-upwards and outwards, and then gave place to a tawny yellow; the few
-faint stars went out one by one, like lights in a great city at break
-of day; a little bird among the boughs called sleepily to its mate,
-and in another minute a noisy flock of parrakeets flew screeching
-past. It was a wet, melancholy world, and when the sun showed behind
-the trees like a great white quivering ball of fire, and a thin,
-gauze-like mist arose from the damp sandy soil, I knew that the fierce
-tropical day had once more set in.
-
-I stepped gaily out again. Dangers? Why, the walking was almost as
-good and pleasant as it was in any settled part of the country. Then,
-all at once, my feet went splash! splash! into what seemed to be a
-large pool of water; still on I went. In a few yards the water was
-over my ankles; some fifteen or twenty yards more, and I realized
-that it was up to my knees--fresh, warm, pellucid rain-water with dead
-leaves and forest _débris_ floating through it. It was heavy wading,
-and I paused for a moment to gain breath and look around.
-
-There was water everywhere; it spread out like a great carpet over
-the fairly level ground, and only the fine points of the very highest
-grasses could be seen. Soon the flood was up to my armpits, and then
-I began to swim. Even had I not been a strong swimmer, I could hardly
-have been drowned, for all I had to do was to climb into a tree and
-rest in the branches. In a few minutes more I came to a comparatively
-open space and was swimming among the shaggy, drooping heads of
-Pandanus palms. Then, all at once, I found I was being carried away by
-a powerful current. I must get across that creek, wherever it was,
-or else my strength must necessarily give out. Luckily my light
-linen trousers and cotton shirt did not impede me much; my watertight
-knapsack was but a trifling inconvenience; it was my boots that were
-tiring me. I did not want boots, anyhow, in that sandy soil. I swam
-hand over hand to a gum tree that reared its head above the water,
-and, grasping a strong limb, drew myself up. I left my boots, tied
-together by the laces, dangling over a bough, and was descending
-the limb when, to my consternation, I saw just beneath me one of the
-largest tiger-snakes I ever in my life had the good or ill fortune
-to meet. It had doubtless been coiled round one of the upper branches
-when I first came to the tree, and, being as much afraid of me as I
-now was of it, had again made for the trunk, only to find its retreat
-cut off. There was no time to cut a stick and have a sportive five
-minutes; besides, I had but scanty footing and room to fight nimble
-tiger-snakes, and so there was only one thing for it. The reptile,
-when I threw a small piece of dry wood at it, positively refused
-to budge. I took one last disgusted look at its gleaming, mottled,
-sinuous coils and flat, repulsive head, from which its black, wicked,
-basilisk eyes looked dully out, and flopped into the water from my
-perch, a distance of some ten or twelve feet. At one place the current
-resembled a mill-race; this was doubtless the creek proper. In ten
-minutes more I touched bottom with my feet, and soon, to my great joy,
-I was stepping along on the firm sand again. I soon found the track,
-but on it I also found what I least desired to see--the tracks of
-savages going in the same direction as myself. I kept a sharp look-out
-after that.
-
-The sun shone out all through that long, arduous day with a fierce,
-intense heat, but there was no time for rest. I swam several creeks,
-which carried me hundreds of yards down stream at a pace which meant
-certain death if I ran against the business end of a snag; and I waded
-and swam for many hundreds of yards at a stretch along the track in
-places where it was flooded. By drinking copiously of the lukewarm
-water I kept off the cravings of a healthy hunger. My pipe had slipped
-from my pouch, and, anyhow, my tobacco and matches, which I carried
-inside my hat, had got wet when I dropped from the tree; and this, to
-me, was the greatest drawback of the situation. The sun rounded slowly
-towards the west, and it was fast becoming dark, when suddenly I heard
-the jabbering of blacks at some little distance. To climb into a thick
-pine tree and conceal myself in its branches was the work of a few
-minutes. I had hardly done so before a straggling mob of blacks passed
-slowly underneath; the bucks, or warriors, went first with spears
-and boomerangs in their hands, and the gins followed, carrying the
-piccaninnies and household goods slung in numerous dilly-bags over
-their backs. A few wretched half-tame dingoes brought up the rear,
-snarling and fighting with one another. It seemed strange to me that
-these savages should be journeying along the track, for at other times
-they were rather anxious to avoid it. Perhaps they did it for the
-sake of the novelty of the situation, naturally supposing that their
-enemies, the whites, would not be travelling during the wet season.
-There might have been fifty or sixty of them altogether in the band.
-To my intense annoyance they went on about a couple of hundred yards,
-and halted, to camp for the night, on what was evidently a drier piece
-of ground than usual. There was no help for it--I should have to pass
-the night in that tree. It would be folly to wander about in the dark;
-besides, I was dead tired and could hardly keep my eyes open.
-
-[Illustration: "WHEN I THREW A PIECE OF DRY WOOD AT IT, THE REPTILE
-POSITIVELY REFUSED TO BUDGE."]
-
-I unslung my knapsack, wedged myself into a sitting position among the
-close, dense boughs, and, in spite of the proximity of danger and a
-few stray mosquitoes, was asleep in two minutes. Had I descended the
-tree and camped on the ground, sleep must have been almost impossible
-on account of the insects. The blacks lit numerous tiny fires, or
-"smudges," to drive them off.
-
-I awoke about an hour before dawn, stiff and chilled to the bone on
-account of my cramped, airy position, strapped my knapsack on my back,
-and descended the tree. There was a silence as of death in the blacks'
-camp. Taking my bearings, I made a wide detour and passed round them
-safely. After that I avoided the track as much as possible. I must
-have walked nearly thirty-five miles on the previous long day, but
-it should be borne in mind that it was one of continuous, determined
-toil.
-
-I walked on steadily all that day, hardly pausing to rest, swimming
-flooded creeks and wading in places up to my armpits, but my progress
-was better than on the preceding day. I felt the pangs of hunger more
-keenly, but I continued drinking large quantities of water, and this,
-as I had often found before, to a certain degree stood me in good
-stead. At noon I came to a wild, broad water-course called Scrubby
-Creek, and I knew I was now within fifteen miles of my destination.
-I had been speculating all day as to the state of affairs at my
-camp--wondering if my men had deserted it, and if I should find it
-in the possession of the savages. If so, I should have to be wary in
-making my approach; I should have to follow the river down towards the
-sea and wait and starve until the boat came round. The prospect was
-not cheerful, but still I never for one moment allowed it to affect
-the course I was pursuing. If I failed, then I had done my level best
-to do what I could, and at least no soul-harrowing reflections would
-be mine.
-
-I was just about to step into the swirling, hurrying current of
-Scrubby Creek when, happening to glance round, I saw something that
-made my heart throb wildly and arrested my further progress in an
-instant. A large number of savages were following me up, and there
-was not one of them but carried a spear or weapon of some sort in his
-hand. I wheeled about in an instant and drew my revolver, resolved to
-give them something more than they bargained for.
-
-The blacks stopped short when they found they were discovered, and
-spread out in the form of a semicircle; then they closed in until,
-with their _wimmeras_, they could make sure of throwing their spears
-with precision and effect. I waited until I also could make sure of
-my man, and then, as one of them drew back his arm to lever his spear
-home, I raised my revolver and fired. He dropped all of a heap, like a
-bullock that has been knocked on the head with an axe. A spear whizzed
-past me and buried itself in the thick bark of a ti tree close to my
-head. My blood was up, but I took deliberate aim, and the savage who
-had thrown it also bit the dust. At eighty yards my Colt was almost as
-deadly as a rifle. Somewhat taken by surprise, the blacks retired, and
-I emptied the remaining chambers of my revolver at them with effect. I
-even made to follow them up, reloading as I walked, and they actually
-broke and ran before me.
-
-This was exactly what I wanted, and I seized my opportunity. I
-turned and dived into the brown, tawny-crested creek, and by vigorous
-side-strokes made for a narrow, island-like strip of wooded land that
-stood right in the middle of the stream. I had all but passed it when
-I caught hold of an overhanging bough and drew myself into a thick
-clump of reeds and undergrowth. I stood up to the arm-pits in water.
-There was now some seventy yards between me and the bank I had just
-left--about half the distance I had yet to accomplish. As I expected,
-the blacks, who had rallied, now appeared on the scene. Quick as
-thought I placed my soft-felt hat brim downwards on the water, and
-away it went sailing down that boiling torrent. The blacks saw it, and
-thought they had me now safely enough; they directed spear after spear
-at it, but I noticed that none of them took effect; they ran along the
-bank in a great state of excitement, shouting and skipping, and in a
-few minutes more were out of sight. If my hat would only continue to
-float it might lead them quite a nice little goose-chase.
-
-I waited for some time, and was just about to strike out for the
-opposite shore when, to my no little surprise and chagrin, two of the
-savages returned. They went for some little distance up-stream, and
-then made straight for my little island. Evidently they had thought
-there was something suspicious about my hat. Only my mouth, eyes,
-nose, and my revolver-hand were above water now, and I waited for them
-to come on.
-
-And what a wait that was! Every moment seemed an eternity. I could
-hardly control the intense longing that possessed me to be up and at
-them. But I knew I must bide my time and make sure of both, otherwise
-they could easily elude me in the water, attract the attention of the
-other blacks, and then it would be all up with me. I knew the chances
-of my coming out of that creek alive were very slight indeed; but
-life seemed sweet just then. Every now and again a little wave would
-unexpectedly dash over my face, and I would be nearly suffocated. Were
-these savages never going to reach me? The suspense was too terrible.
-
-They reached my island and came down the narrow strip, prodding the
-undergrowth with their spears. In another second they were within a
-few yards of where I was ambushed. Both of them saw me at the same
-instant, and up went their spears. Fortunately, one was almost behind
-the other, and this interfered with their concerted action. I fired
-point-blank into the grinning face of the foremost savage, and he
-dropped where he stood; I saw the little round hole my bullet had
-made right in the centre of his forehead. The flint spear-head of the
-second black ripped open my shirt and made an ugly gash in the fleshy
-part of my arm. He was within six feet of me, and I levelled my
-revolver at him and pulled the trigger. To my dismay the weapon
-snapped uselessly, and I realized that my last cartridge had been
-fired. In another moment that savage and I were wrestling together
-in deadly grips. Once he had me under water and I experienced all the
-first horrors of drowning, with the waters thundering in my ears. It
-was surely all up with me now! But by one supreme effort I pulled the
-rascal down, and then it was my turn. When I had done with him I knew
-he would give me no more trouble. Next I tore off part of my shirt
-into a long strip and bound it tightly round my injured arm in a
-rough-and-ready but effectual fashion. Then, with only one arm
-which was of any real use, I essayed to cross the remaining strip of
-hurrying flood. In a few minutes more I was on the other side, more
-dead than alive. Thank God! It was the last creek I had to cross.
-
-[Illustration: "HE DROPPED WHERE HE STOOD."]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: THE ROMANCE OF WILD ANIMAL CATCHING.]
-
-By Harold J. Shepstone.
-
-    An interesting article describing how Mr. Carl Hagenbeck, the
-    famous animal dealer, collects his curious merchandise. Often,
-    to secure specimens of some particularly valuable species,
-    special expeditions have to be organized. These are frequently
-    away for many months, traversing thousands of miles of
-    practically unexplored country and meeting with all sorts of
-    exciting adventures.
-
-
-A little way outside the busy shipping port of Hamburg is the pretty
-little suburban village of Stellingen. Here is located the largest
-wild-animal exchange in the world--the one place where strange and
-curious beasts from the four quarters of the earth are received and
-housed until wanted by the great zoological gardens and menageries. It
-is hardly necessary to add that this unique establishment is presided
-over by Mr. Carl Hagenbeck, famous as the most successful animal
-dealer the modern world has ever seen, and as the creator of a
-decidedly original zoological garden.
-
-At Mr. Hagenbeck's great depôt there may be seen at any time the
-finest and rarest collection of animals in the world. When the writer
-was in Stellingen recently the value of the wild beasts gathered there
-was put down at fifty thousand pounds, and they certainly included
-almost every living creature one could name, among them being many
-very rare species.
-
-Naturally, the most romantic part of the whole business is the way
-in which the animals are captured in their native wilds and
-brought--sometimes thousands of miles--to the depôt, and the object
-of the present article is to describe this side of a strange yet
-fascinating trade.
-
-There is a vast difference between the hunter who kills for pleasure
-and the hunter whose business it is to capture his quarry alive. The
-former merely seeks his quarry, shoots it, secures a skin or horn as a
-trophy, and then returns. True, he meets with many adventures and has
-often exciting stories to tell of fights with enraged beasts. But
-the collector stands on a different plane; his mission is not
-to exterminate, but to preserve for the education and benefit of
-civilized man. He may rightly be described as the humane invader of
-the forest, jungle, desert, and plain, for he never kills unless it is
-necessary for self-preservation. He sets out with the determination to
-bring back typical specimens of the wild life of out-of-the-way parts
-of the earth, so that those who pursue more peaceful callings at home
-may obtain some idea of the characteristics and habits of the curious
-beasts that inhabit the more inaccessible parts of the globe.
-
-Needless to say, the animal-catcher's task is much more difficult than
-that of the ordinary hunter; from first to last every quest is one
-long period of anxiety. The simplest part of the work, in many cases,
-is the capture of the beasts. Thereafter his chief concern is their
-welfare. He has to attend to their many and varied wants, doctor them
-when they are sick, and transport them safely for many thousands of
-miles--often across trackless and practically unexplored country.
-Not only must he know how to deal with the savage beast, but with the
-savage man as well, for to accomplish his purpose he has frequently
-to rely upon the natives to assist him, and he can only do this
-efficiently by knowing how to handle them. Indeed, there are few
-callings demanding more qualifications than that of the seeker after
-live wild animals. The modern collector is a hunter, explorer, and
-zoologist rolled into one.
-
-Naturally, it is the rarer species, such as the rhinoceros,
-hippopotamus, giraffe, and zebra, that the dealers most prize. And
-here a word of explanation is necessary. A traveller returning from
-the wilds of Africa will tell you how he detected hippos floating down
-the streams and spotted giraffes on the horizon; he will also relate
-to you how many had been shot in the district only a short while
-before by some famous sportsman. Yet, if you wished to procure a live
-rhinoceros to-day, you would probably have to give as much as eight
-hundred pounds for it, and almost as much for a hippopotamus. Why,
-one may well ask, this enormous price for a single specimen of these
-creatures, when they appear to be fairly plentiful in the land of
-their birth? The reason is easily explained.
-
-[Illustration: ELEPHANTS AND BABIES--THE LATTER WERE BORN ON THE WAY
-TO EUROPE FROM SIAM.
-
-  _From Photographs._]
-
-To-day no hunter would dream of trying to capture a full-grown hippo
-or rhinoceros. Indeed, it would be practically impossible to hold such
-an animal, and, even were it possible to entice one into a cage, it
-would probably only kill itself in its frenzied efforts to escape, or
-refuse to eat, and so die of starvation. What the hunter endeavours
-to do, therefore, is to secure the young ones. This he does by hunting
-along the river banks until he happens to discover a hippo and her
-young. The thing then is to capture the calf.
-
-Mr. Hagenbeck's hunters, or rather the natives engaged by his men,
-resort to two methods in catching the hippopotamus. The so-called
-Hawati, or water-hunters, of the Soudan, all of whom are excellent and
-daring swimmers, harpoon their victims at the noon hour, when they are
-sunk in deep slumber. Then they pull them to the bank by means of a
-cord attached to the harpoon, and there make them fast. The hunters
-use for this a special kind of harpoon, made in such a way that it
-does not make a deep wound. Fully three-quarters of the hippopotami
-exhibited in Europe have been captured in this way.
-
-[Illustration: NEWLY-CAPTURED ELEPHANTS ENJOYING A BATH IN THE SEA OFF
-THE COAST OF CEYLON.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-[Illustration: TRANSPORTING WILD ANIMALS DOWN A RIVER IN NORTHERN
-ASIA.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-Hippopotamus hunts are also conducted on land. There advantage is
-taken of the fact that the female hippopotamus makes her young walk
-in front of her. The reason for this is that the beast, being well
-protected in the rear by its abnormally thick skin, prefers to have
-its offspring in front, where it can guard them better against danger.
-But, in spite of its affection for its children, the mother hippo has
-no particular desire to meet danger when it comes. So the hunters
-dig large pits in the forest, cover them over until they are
-fully concealed, and then lie in wait near by. Presently a female
-hippopotamus comes along with her child trotting before her. Suddenly,
-without warning, the young one disappears before its mother's eyes.
-This is too much for the old animal. She dashes away leaving the
-little one at the mercy of its enemies.
-
-A fence is built at once around the pit and the captive is ensnared,
-thrown to the ground, and securely tied. Then it is placed on a sort
-of litter and carried by native carriers through the dense forest
-to the hunter's camp. This is arduous work, as a two-year-old hippo
-weighs from 1,000lb. to 1,200lb.
-
-[Illustration: A HUNTERS CARAVAN ON THE MARCH--THE OUTFITTING OF
-THESE EXPEDITIONS IS A VERY COSTLY BUSINESS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Having secured the object of his mission, the next thing the hunter
-has to do is to feed his prize. Now, a baby hippo will drink thirty
-pints of milk a day and bellow for more, so that the question of an
-adequate supply is very important. The nutriment is supplied by goats,
-which have to be brought along with the expedition. This means, of
-course, that the hunter's caravan is an unwieldy affair, and can only
-move across country very slowly. Every step it advances it increases
-in size, being continually added to, for in addition to collecting
-live animals the collector also gathers skins and other things of
-value to the dealer.
-
-All the great animal collectors are agreed that the finest hunters in
-the world are the natives themselves. They know how to frighten and
-confuse the parent animals, and are quick at seizing an opportunity
-for snatching up the young, a thing which has to be done quickly
-and without the slightest hesitation, or the consequences may prove
-serious.
-
-In catching giraffes the hunter engages only natives who are expert
-horsemen; he may recruit as few as a dozen or a corps of a couple of
-hundred. Scouts are sent out until a herd is sighted, and then off go
-the natives on their speedy Abyssinian ponies. Having come up with the
-herd, with yells and shouts they dash towards the animals. Frightened
-out of their wits by the din, the long-necked creatures turn and bolt
-for dear life. For some time the chase is kept up at furious speed,
-until one by one the young ones fall behind exhausted. Instantly they
-are cut off from the others by a couple of men on horseback and headed
-towards the camp, soon becoming entirely exhausted and falling an easy
-prey to their captors. Halters are then fastened round their heads and
-they are led and driven back to the camp. They are fed principally on
-goats' milk, corn, and various kinds of green stuff.
-
-It would be practically impossible to secure a full-grown giraffe,
-for if you managed to corner one you could not hold it. This animal
-is more plentiful now than it was a few years ago, on account of the
-opening up of the Egyptian Soudan. Indeed, between the years 1880 and
-1900 only three giraffes were imported into Europe, two coming from
-South Africa and one from Senegal. "I have had rather bad luck with
-giraffes lately," said Mr. Hagenbeck. "Out of six recently sent to us
-from the interior of Nubia, only one arrived alive; the remainder all
-died on the way. Last year, out of eight, only two reached Hamburg."
-
-A more hardy animal, and one that is decidedly more plentiful, is the
-zebra--that is to say, the common mountain kind. Certain species of
-this beautifully-striped African horse, however, are getting very
-scarce, including the Grévy and Burchell. Zebras are caught by
-"drives." First of all, the hunter builds a large stockaded enclosure
-with a kind of funnel-shaped opening. As many as three to five
-thousand natives are then called into requisition. Some of them come
-mounted on their swift ponies, the majority, however, being on foot.
-Each man carries a harmless-looking little flag on the end of a stick.
-Scouts are sent out in various directions, and when they report the
-presence of a herd the army of natives quietly files out of camp and
-for hours tramps over the ground, spreading out in the form of a vast
-semicircle, measuring perhaps five miles across at its widest part. In
-this way they manage to surround the unsuspecting zebras. Then, at
-a given signal--generally a pistol-shot--they commence shouting and
-beating tom-toms, moving meanwhile towards the animals.
-
-The frightened zebras retreat at once, dashing towards the stockade.
-As they approach it other animals are surprised, including, perhaps,
-antelope, eland, deer, buffalo, and perhaps a giraffe. The one aim of
-the four-footed fugitives is to get away from the cordon of yelling
-natives, which now surrounds them on every side. There is only one
-outlet, which leads into the stockade, and into this they plunge
-panic-stricken. Once inside, the entrance is immediately closed. At
-a recent drive, organized by one of Mr. Hagenbeck's hunters in German
-East Africa, fully four hundred zebras and a large number of antelopes
-and other animals were surrounded in this way. As the corral was not
-large enough to hold such a number the greater portion were allowed
-to escape, and finally eighty-five zebras and fifteen antelopes were
-secured.
-
-When first captured the zebra is very wild, dashing about the stockade
-at lightning speed, but in a few days he recognises that it is
-hopeless to try to escape, and philosophically accepts the situation.
-In German East Africa the settlers often tame these newly-caught
-zebras and ride them like horses.
-
-Curiously enough, the big cats--such as lions, tigers, and
-leopards--do not give the hunter so much trouble as some of the hoofed
-animals. In the case of lions they are now only taken when cubs. This
-work is done by the natives; the collector merely tells them that he
-is wanting lions, and in a short time they return with the desired
-number. These men track the lioness to her den, rushing in suddenly
-and raining spears upon her till she is dead. The little ones are then
-wrapped up in pieces of cloth and handed over to the hunter at
-the camp. They are fed on goats' milk--which they drink out of a
-bottle--and pieces of fowl until they are old enough to travel, when
-they are sent down to the coast in little wooden boxes on the backs of
-camels and shipped to Europe.
-
-Occasionally when the cub-hunters visit a den they find both parents
-away, and then their task is easy. Should the mother return, however,
-there is at once a fierce fight, and unless she is quickly overpowered
-it goes hard indeed with the natives. There is no creature more fierce
-than one of these big cats when it comes to protecting her young, and
-the cries of the infuriated mother will sometimes bring her mate to
-the scene, and an enraged male lion strikes terror into all but the
-stoutest hearts.
-
-Abyssinia is now the great lion-hunting ground. The best lions were
-those obtained from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, but this
-species is now practically extinct. At Mr. Hagenbeck's depôt there are
-at present some forty-six lions of all ages. They have come from the
-Congo, from the Egyptian Soudan, from Senegal, and from South and
-East Africa. Some of these animals are worth as much as three hundred
-pounds apiece. In the same section there may also be seen some
-twenty-two tigers, representing several very rare species. There
-are some, for instance, from Siberia, magnificent creatures, with
-beautifully-striped coats, and worth over two hundred pounds apiece.
-
-Tigers are captured as cubs and also when fully grown; often the
-animal hunter, to the delight of the natives, will entrap some
-much-dreaded man-eater. Tigers are caught in large pitfalls, and
-various methods of securing the animals when once they are in the pit
-are adopted. In some cases a strong wooden trap is fixed in the pit,
-and when the animal falls through the lightly-covered mesh at the top
-it traps and cages itself automatically. In others it merely falls
-into a big hole, and has to be secured and dragged out by ropes. In
-certain parts of India the natives are so daring that they will place
-a collar, from which hang a number of twenty-foot ropes, round the
-neck of a newly-caught tiger. To the end of each a man will hang on
-for dear life, and by pulling against each other guide the infuriated
-brute along the path they wish it to follow. In this way they
-literally walk the tiger to market.
-
-[Illustration: A HERD OF DIMINUTIVE WILD HORSES FROM ASIA--THEY COST
-MR. HAGENBECK TEN THOUSAND POUNDS TO OBTAIN.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Everyone knows how they catch elephants in India--by driving them into
-a kheddah or stockade, and then sending in trained elephants to subdue
-their newly-caught brethren--so that no description of this method
-need be given here. Naturally, no dealer would ever dream of
-organizing an expedition to hunt this great creature, save, perhaps,
-the African variety, which is now very rare and valuable. In the
-course of a single year Mr. Hagenbeck will dispose of as many as
-thirty to fifty elephants. On one occasion he received a cable
-ordering thirty, and they were duly shipped by the next steamer.
-
-[Illustration: A CARAVAN HALTED FOR REST.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Some few years ago the famous dealer had a remarkable experience
-with an African elephant, which stood eight feet in height and was a
-magnificent creature of its kind. It was sold to the proprietor of
-an American circus, who was then touring in Europe. Mr. Hagenbeck's
-instructions were to send the animal by rail from Hamburg to Dresden.
-A special wagon was ordered to convey the creature, and when all was
-ready it was walked from the depot down to the station.
-
-"He went as quietly as a lamb," said Mr. Hagenbeck. "Arriving at the
-station, I fixed a stout rope to one of his forelegs, in case the
-animal should get a little nervous or excited. The elephant was
-just about to enter its wagon when an express train ran through
-the station, blowing its whistle rather loudly as it did so. This
-frightened the creature. He commenced to trumpet, spread out his long
-ears, and then, with a twist of his foot, smashed the rope as if it
-had been a piece of thread. Realizing he was about to bolt I jumped
-up and clung to one of his ears, hoping by this means to prevent the
-beast from dashing away and causing endless damage everywhere.
-
-"I had hardly grasped his ear, however, before he started off. I had
-no option then but to hang on, for if I had dropped I should probably
-have been trampled upon, so to the animal's ear I clung for dear life.
-At the bottom of the railway yard was a large iron gate. When we
-first came through we had closed it behind us, and I thought that this
-barrier, perhaps, might stop the elephant's mad career. But it did
-nothing of the kind. The brute simply charged it full force with his
-head, without in the least slackening speed, and the stout gate was
-smashed, portions of the iron bars being hurled a great distance.
-
-[Illustration: THE MONARCH OF THE FOREST IN AN UNUSUAL POSE.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-
-
-[Illustration: A GENERAL VIEW OF THE ZEBRA STOCKADE, ERECTED TO HOLD
-NEWLY-CAPTURED SPECIMENS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-"Out into the busy streets of Hamburg bolted the elephant, trumpeting
-madly and frightening both horses and pedestrians as he rushed along.
-Past electric trams and carriages he dashed, with me still dangling
-from one of his ears. He went straight back to the depôt, the same way
-as he had come--by a road which he had never travelled before. When
-he arrived at the depôt the iron gate there was closed, but this was
-quickly broken down and the creature dashed into his stable. Entering
-the latter, he stood still for a second or two, and then jumped on to
-the platform where he had been in the habit of standing and commenced
-eating hay as if nothing had happened!"
-
-Here is an interesting instance of the famous dealer's enterprise.
-When the Russian traveller, Prjevalsky, startled the zoological world
-a few years ago by the announcement that he had seen in the deserts of
-Sungaria, in Central Asia, a new species of wild horse, Mr. Hagenbeck
-decided to secure some specimens, and an expedition was at once
-organized. His travellers penetrated to the northern border of the
-Gobi Desert, where they found themselves in the land of the Kirghiz,
-a tribe noted for its horses and expert horsemanship. Engaging the
-services of nearly two thousand Kirghiz riders, and taking with them
-fifty brood mares in foal, the collectors sought the desert home of
-the wild horse. After a series of exciting adventures the travellers
-succeeded in capturing fifty-two young colts of the wild horse
-species.
-
-These were mothered by the domesticated mares that had been taken
-along with the expedition for that purpose, and then, after a rest,
-the long and arduous homeward journey was begun. It took three months
-for the caravan to reach the Siberian Railway and depart for Hamburg.
-During the trip twenty-eight of the wild colts succumbed, and only
-twenty-four reached Hamburg alive. The expedition was in the field
-nearly eighteen months, and its expenses totalled some ten thousand
-pounds.
-
-When I was in Stellingen Mr. Hagenbeck was daily expecting the return
-of an expedition which he had dispatched to Northern Siberia. His men
-were bringing him home some rare deer, bears, wolves, pheasants, and a
-host of other creatures. Another hunter was on his way back from West
-Africa with some young gorillas and other interesting creatures,
-while yet another was bringing home elephants from Ceylon, and still a
-fourth Polar bears and young walruses from Spitzbergen.
-
-These collectors journey far into the wilds and literally take their
-lives in their hands. They never know what danger awaits them. On one
-occasion a caravan was quietly making its way along the dry bed of a
-stream in Central Asia, the chief hunter happy in the knowledge that
-his mission had been successful, and that he was bringing home a
-really valuable collection of wild beasts. Suddenly the heavens
-grew dark and loud peals of thunder were heard, followed by vivid
-lightning-flashes. The hunter knew what it meant--unless he got out of
-that river-bed soon he and his men and their valuable freight would be
-washed away. He hastened them forward with all speed, but before they
-could find a track up the steep sides the waters were upon them,
-and in a few minutes what had previously been a smooth roadway was a
-roaring torrent, with men and horses, mixed up with all kinds of wild
-creatures, fighting for their lives Most of the men managed to escape,
-but three-fourths of the valuable animals were lost.
-
-[Illustration: TRANSHIPPING CAMELS FROM SHIP TO SHORE.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-[Illustration: A SPECIAL CONSIGNMENT OF "ASSORTED WILD ANIMALS" FOR
-MR. HAGENBECK'S DEPÔT.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-To describe how every beast one sees in a well-organized zoo is caught
-would naturally occupy a great deal of space. The various species of
-Siberian deer are taken when young. A herd is driven by the natives
-into deep snow, into which the young ones sink and are unable to
-extricate themselves. Most of the bears, too, are also secured when
-mere cubs. In the case of the giant Polar bear, the cubs are taken
-from their mothers, dumped into barrels, and brought across the ocean
-in ships to the dealer, often arriving in a very sorry plight. The
-Indian hunter will catch snakes for you by setting fire to the grass
-where they are known to exist, and securing them in nets as they try
-to escape. Those of the boa-constrictor type are taken either when
-they have gorged themselves with food, and are more or less lifeless,
-or else secured in traps.
-
-The whole business is vastly exciting, and Mr. Hagenbeck can narrate
-many adventures he has had while handling his strange merchandise.
-When a young man he often went out himself hunting animals. While
-bringing home a large consignment once from Africa a full-grown lion
-got loose on board ship. It was very early in the morning, and the
-dealer was asleep in his cabin at the time. He was quickly roused by
-the captain, who was very much frightened, as were also the members
-of his crew. Placing a "shifting den" in position, the dealer took his
-large whip and sought the lion. He found him in a crouching position,
-his eyes glaring, and in no mood to be played with. Cracking the whip
-several times, by a series of man[oe]uvres he managed to get behind
-the beast and slowly drove him forward. It was very tricky work, and
-several times it looked as if the big revolver would have to be drawn
-and the animal shot. Then, as sometimes happens, the animal suddenly
-lost heart, bolted into his cage, and was safely secured.
-
-In Suez, once, a full-grown giraffe ran away with Mr. Hagenbeck, who
-held him by a rope twisted round his wrist. Not being able to free
-himself he was dragged along the streets and fearfully knocked about.
-When he did get loose he was so exhausted and bruised that he had to
-lie quite still for a quarter of an hour without moving. On another
-occasion, while unloading a hippopotamus, the animal got loose and
-started after him. He ran into its den, and managed to escape through
-the bars at the other end just as the beast was upon him.
-
-[Illustration: SOME OF THE GIRAFFES IN MR. HAGENBECK'S ANIMAL DEPÔT.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Animals sometimes start fighting among themselves, and to separate
-them is exceedingly dangerous. Perhaps the queerest encounter ever
-witnessed at this remarkable animal exchange was that which took
-place between a hippopotamus and a kangaroo. "The latter," said Mr.
-Hagenbeck, "was the largest kangaroo I ever had in my possession;
-it was over six feet high, and a very powerful animal. It occupied a
-stable close to that of the hippo, and one night the kangaroo jumped
-over its fence into the hippo's pen. The kangaroo landed in the
-hippo's tank, which was empty.
-
-"It was two o'clock in the morning when the incident occurred, and
-when I arrived on the scene I could not help smiling, the whole affair
-being so comical. There stood the monster hippo with his enormous
-mouth open, snapping at the kangaroo down in the tank below. The
-moment the hippo moved down towards the tank the kangaroo sprang into
-the air and smacked his opponent in the face with his great forefeet.
-When the hippo got too venturesome, by endeavouring to walk into the
-tank despite the blows, the kangaroo took a mighty leap upwards and
-struck his enemy with his hind feet, inflicting terrible scratches
-with his claws.
-
-"Try as he would the hippo could not get into that tank to attack
-the kangaroo. To separate the combatants was a puzzle. We did it
-ultimately by fixing up an arrangement by which we dropped a large
-seal net over the kangaroo, and then, drawing in the cords, secured
-him. To divert the hippo's attention, the moment the net was lowered
-over the kangaroo one of my men pretended to enter the cage. The ruse
-succeeded, and the kangaroo was safely released and taken back to his
-proper quarters.
-
-"I could tell you many more adventures," said Mr. Hagenbeck, as we
-shook hands on parting, "but the fact is I have just written a book in
-which I have given a complete story of my life, and I have embodied
-in it the little adventures I have had while hunting, collecting, and
-handling my strange merchandise." That book certainly ought to make
-good reading.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-HOW WE CAPTURED THE REBEL CHIEF.
-
-BY E. F. MARTIN, LATE OF THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY'S SERVICE.
-
-    A powerful native chief was stirring up trouble against the
-    white man, and the order went forth that he was to be arrested
-    and brought in for trial. The author was in charge of the
-    expedition, and here relates the thrilling happenings that
-    befell his little band ere the "wanted" rebel was safely caged
-    at head-quarters.
-
-
-It was the month of July, in the year 1898, and we were kicking our
-heels in idleness about Asaba, waiting for the return of the Chief
-Justice to decide an important local matter, when the senior executive
-officer of the district requested me to take political charge of a
-mission into the Hinterland, to bring in the paramount chief of a
-great secret organization, which was the cause of grave unrest in the
-territory behind Benin, its members having vowed to drive the white
-man out of the country. Overjoyed at the news, I ran across to the
-bungalow of Lieutenant Townsend, the officer commanding the local
-detachment of the Royal Niger Constabulary, and handed him the order
-to accompany me with an escort of fifty men. After luncheon we mounted
-the Maxim gun belonging to the station on Townsend's veranda, and
-practised, in turn, on logs floating down the great sluggish Niger,
-which passes in a wide sweep by the foot of the slope on which Asaba
-nestles.
-
-Our target-practice over, we set to work to review the light column
-that had, meanwhile, been getting ready to accompany us on the morrow
-on our adventure into the unknown. The fifty Hausa soldiers looked
-wonderfully smart and keen in their light khaki marching-kit.
-
-At daylight next day we set out, our transport consisting of sixty
-coolie carriers. The dreary pattering of the rain on the myriad
-leaves of the forest trees, and the splash, splash of many feet on
-the flooded pathway, provided a melancholy accompaniment to the hushed
-whispers of the men and our own serious thoughts.
-
-We passed round the native town to the right and plunged up to our
-waists in muddy water, through which the pathway led right into the
-darkness of the forest. For several hours it rained incessantly; the
-whole land was dank and sodden, and reeked of wet, rotting vegetation.
-Later on the rain ceased, and on one occasion, when we emerged from
-the depths of the forest into open farm lands, we were bathed in a
-blaze of sunshine, only to plunge into the cool of the forest glades
-again. We pitched camp at Openam, where far into the night I lay
-awake, listening to the many strange noises of that strange land.
-The beating of the corn for next day's meal sounded like the possible
-building of stockades by some malignant enemy preparing to entrap us,
-and the cries of the night-birds and prowling beasts seemed like so
-many uncanny voices of woodland spirits, warning us of some impending
-doom.
-
-We were early astir, and after a quick light breakfast set out towards
-our goal--the town of Issèlé. At Issèlé M'patimo we were stopped by a
-stockade, and it was only after much persuasion and many assurances of
-friendship that we were allowed to pass through--not, however, before
-every soul in the place had disappeared. Not a house was to be seen.
-We entered a great clearing completely fenced in by impenetrable
-barriers of living trees, whose leafy branches interlaced in
-inextricable folds. Somewhere behind these barriers were the houses.
-We could see no trace of the hundreds of eyes that we felt--we
-_knew_--were staring at us from all sides; no inkling of the countless
-black muzzles of the Long Dane guns that were covering us. Nobody
-appeared, however, and we marched through this silent clearing without
-mishap. But we had hardly got beyond the confines of this curious city
-of the woods before heavy firing broke out in our immediate rear. We
-felt certain that we were in for it, but our guide reassured us,
-saying that the townspeople were only giving vent to their feelings of
-relief at our not having molested them.
-
-That night we camped in a village outside Issèlé, and on interviewing
-the chief found that he had with him a daughter of the man we wished
-to capture, and persuaded her to come with us next morning into
-Issèlé.
-
-On reaching that town we drew the men up in square before the King's
-house--a lofty building of enormous circumference, painted or washed a
-pink colour--and demanded to see His Majesty. After a lot of parleying
-I entered the building, leaving Townsend outside, but taking my
-interpreter and four soldiers with me as a body guard. I was shown
-into a large courtyard, surrounded on all sides by a veranda, whilst
-in the centre stood a kind of idol on a rude column. Overhanging the
-palace outside, an enormous cotton-tree rose some two hundred feet
-into the air. Not a leaf or a vestige of bark adorned its mournful,
-lonely majesty. From every branch, however, hung some ghastly offering
-to the ruling fetish of the place--here a dead fowl, there a skull
-dangling by a matted bunch of hair, and many another gruesome thing.
-It cast a shadow and a hush of Death over everything; the people
-seemed to live in continual fear of some unknown terror. As I
-waited in this strange courtyard with my five companions, I took the
-opportunity to get my bearings. The doorway by which I had entered led
-out into the square by some steps, and was about six feet above the
-level of the ground outside. Its heavy, iron-studded wooden door stood
-ajar. The only other entrance to the courtyard was opposite this one,
-and led into the private apartments of the palace. The middle of
-the courtyard was some two feet below the level of the surrounding
-veranda.
-
-Suddenly the private door flew open, and a swarm of men entered, armed
-with guns, spears, swords, and bows and arrows. At a sign from me my
-men quietly fixed bayonets. Then the King came in, gorgeously robed in
-red velvet, and sat down on a chair near me, after shaking hands and
-indicating another chair that had been brought for me. I then, through
-my interpreter, explained my mission. As the King proved to be on bad
-terms with Ozuma Munyi, the man I sought, he was quite willing to give
-me a free hand, but did not dare to take any open action himself, as
-Ozuma was head of a very powerful party and might prove nasty later
-on. He, however, agreed to send a messenger to call him. We waited for
-fully half an hour, not knowing whether the rebel chieftain would come
-or not. Needless to say, that half-hour was one of poignant anxiety,
-as on that message depended the success or failure of our expedition.
-The messenger was told to say that Ozuma's daughter was with us, and
-that if he himself would not come we should return to Asaba with her.
-Meanwhile I called Townsend in, and we arranged that, as Ozuma's party
-entered, Townsend and twelve men should manage to intermingle with
-them, and thus, unnoticed, get into the courtyard. We felt that to
-fill the place with soldiers beforehand might frighten our man.
-
-Soon the messenger returned with the good news that Ozuma Munyi was
-coming, and shortly afterwards a body of men, armed to the teeth,
-entered from the square outside, accompanied by Townsend and some of
-his men. When Ozuma and I had shaken hands the tug-of-war began. He
-was an enormous, powerfully-built man, and nothing that I could say
-would move him to accompany us. At last, seeing that persuasion was
-useless, I glanced across at Townsend and nodded. He uttered one word
-that had the result of an explosion. A flash of bayonets and a rush
-of khaki-uniformed men from behind the veranda columns, and the
-whole place was in an uproar. The King and his followers promptly
-disappeared through the inner doorway, and Ozuma's men were kept at
-bay by the bayonets of my four Hausa guards, whilst our rebel himself,
-and the twelve men told off to capture him, rolled and tumbled and
-fought all over the courtyard--one man against twelve--amid Ozuma's
-frenzied shouts of "The King has sold me! The King has sold me!" Then,
-crash! out through the doorway he hurtled, with five men on top of
-him. By the time Townsend and I reached the bottom of the steps,
-however, the struggle was over, and half the column was sitting on the
-prostrate body of our prisoner.
-
-[Illustration: "OUT THROUGH THE DOORWAY HE HURTLED, WITH FIVE MEN ON
-TOP OF HIM."]
-
-Having called the men off and pinioned his arms securely, we lost no
-time in forming up into marching order and setting out for home, as
-our surroundings began to take on a threatening aspect. Hundreds
-of armed blacks were gathering from all sides, wondering at
-the happenings which were being enacted in the shadow of their
-mystery-tree.
-
-We decided to give the Ozuma party the slip by getting out of the
-place by a different route to that by which we had come, and, once
-clear of the town, set off at the double. That was the hardest and
-most desperate race I have ever run. At every few yards great trees
-had been thrown across the track, and we had to scramble over these,
-or, wherever practicable, dive underneath. We ran for some miles along
-this tangled forest path, and then called a halt at the foot of
-a short hill, crowned by a town called Nburu-Kitti. Forming up we
-marched to the summit, and halting in the marketplace sent for the
-King. His Majesty refused to come, so we informed him that, on a
-second refusal, we would fire into his house. Then he came quickly
-enough. We told him that all we wished him to do was to promise that
-we should not be molested by his people, and this promise he readily
-gave. I then took the head of the column, followed by five or six
-men; then came the Maxim gun and our prisoner and his escort, followed
-immediately by Townsend and the rest of the force. As we were passing
-the last row of huts the crack of a musket rang out. I turned,
-thinking that some soldier had let off his rifle by mistake, but
-before I could ask what it was that had happened the whole column was
-blazing away right and left. Going back to the Maxim, I had it fixed
-up and trained on the town, whence a heavy fire had been opened on
-us through the doors and windows and from behind the walls of the
-compounds. It was obvious that the local King meant to do his best to
-rescue his friend, Ozuma Munyi.
-
-[Illustration: "WE RUSHED IN AMONGST A FRIGHTENED CROWD OF SAVAGES."]
-
-I had barely taken my seat behind the gun when my helmet was shot away
-by a slug that tore a slight flesh wound over my right temple. I had
-the satisfaction, however, of seeing a whole section of wall crumble
-away under my first sweeping fire with the Maxim, and five dark forms
-fall across the ruins. Then a blinding rush of blood poured down my
-face, and almost simultaneously the gun jammed. Wiping the blood from
-my eyes, and getting a Hausa to tie a handkerchief round my head,
-I turned to call Townsend to have a look at the weapon, when, to my
-consternation, I saw him lying on the ground, with two men bending
-over him. Several others had also fallen. The fire from the houses was
-getting heavier each second, and I realized that unless we mastered it
-speedily we might find ourselves in a serious position. So, snatching
-up Townsend's sword and brandishing my revolver in my left hand, I
-called on some of the men to follow me and help clear the compounds.
-Twenty at once volunteered, and with a yell we dashed straight for the
-wall that had crumbled under the Maxim fire. Leaping over the foot
-or two remaining, we rushed in amongst a frightened crowd of savages,
-who, astonished at the sudden onslaught, tried to retreat through
-a narrow inner doorway. With bayonets and rifle-butts, bullets and
-sword-thrusts, we hacked and hammered at the seething mass of yelling
-blacks. Out of twenty-five that made for the exit, only seven got
-through, three of whom fell to my revolver before getting any farther.
-Shouting to the men to follow me, I next ran back into the roadway,
-ordering the native sergeant-major to form square, with the prisoner
-in the middle, and await further instructions. Then, with my
-volunteers, I made for the King's house, where we battered down the
-door and rushed in. As we appeared the folk inside, dropping their
-weapons, ran away through various huts and doorways. Some we shot
-down, others were bayoneted. I and a native N.C.O. went after the
-chief. Through some huts, and around others, dodging in and out
-between mud walls and partitions of matting, we followed him until at
-last we cornered him, as we thought, in a house that seemed to close
-all exit from the compound in that direction. The King dashed in, I
-after him, and the N.C.O. at my heels.
-
-The house was divided into three rooms, cutting it into three equal
-parts. When we reached the third room, the farthest from the entrance,
-we came to a standstill, for it was pitch dark, and there seemed to be
-no windows. The heavy wooden door that led into the place stood ajar,
-and the N.C.O. pushed past me and rushed into the darkness. Fearing
-treachery, I tried to stop him, but did not succeed in doing so. Just
-then there was a noise behind me like the banging of a door. I turned,
-but some instinct seemed to hold me where I stood. A dead silence had
-fallen on the place, and I must confess to a feeling that something
-uncanny was in the air. I could hear through the silence, as though from
-miles and miles away, faint shouts, and now and then a distant shot, but
-in the rooms around me absolute stillness prevailed. What had become of
-the fugitive King and my too eager N.C.O.?
-
-At last, overcoming the strange feeling of apathy that like a spell
-had come over me, I called to my companion, inquiring where on earth
-he had got to. The sound of my voice rang hollow and strange in that
-gloomy place, and seemed to echo faintly, but there was no reply.
-Feeling certain now that some kind of treachery was at work, I felt in
-my tunic for a match, but found that I had either dropped my only box
-or my orderly had relieved me of it that morning, for some reason best
-known to himself. The solitary window in the middle room, where I had
-come to a full stop, was shuttered--actually nailed up. The only light
-that came in filtered through the chinks. I tried to burst the shutter
-open, but it resisted all my efforts. Then, bethinking me of my
-revolver, I went to the entrance of the innermost room once more, and,
-aiming at the floor, fired. The flash revealed the interior to me for
-an instant. It seemed absolutely empty! Where were the two men who
-had entered? Had they gone out, by any chance, through the roof, I
-wondered? Yet there was no sign of daylight anywhere to indicate an
-exit under the palm-thatch, and there was no doorway visible in the
-farther walls. There was nothing in the room, with the exception of a
-few mats lying in the middle of the floor. With the intention of going
-round outside the house and trying to discover for myself what the
-solution of the mystery could be I turned on my heel and retraced
-my steps, crossed the middle room once more, and passed through the
-doorway into the first of the three rooms.
-
-Then I started back, nearly suffocated. A great rolling cloud of
-thick yellow smoke met me and completely enveloped me. In an instant I
-realized what it meant--the house was on fire! Making a wild dart for
-the shuttered window of the middle room, I banged and hammered at it
-with all my might and main, using both the hilt of Townsend's sword,
-which I carried, and the handle of my revolver, but all to no purpose.
-There was no doubt about it: I was completely trapped. But, meantime,
-what had become of all my men--the twenty enthusiastic volunteers
-who had smashed in the door of the compound and rushed in along with
-me--where had they got to? A smell of hot smoke filled the room,
-and from outside the roaring as of a mighty wind, accompanied by the
-crackling of musketry, was all the sound that I could hear. Then it
-suddenly dawned upon me that the crackling was not that of musketry,
-the roaring not that of wind--but of the town and compound on fire
-and fiercely blazing like the house I was entrapped in. There was
-no mistaking those ominous red gleams that now began to be reflected
-through the imperfectly-fitted shutter. Suddenly the roar became
-deafening, and a great lurid tongue of flame shot across the room,
-accompanied by a blast of heat that nearly choked me. I had barely
-time to make a dash for the third chamber before the fire took
-complete possession of the middle one. The heat and the smoke were
-terrible. I made a spring for the farther wall in order to try to
-force my way through the roof, which at this, the extreme, end of the
-house had not yet caught alight. Three times did I make the attempt,
-but each time fell back, unable to get a hand-hold on the top of the
-wall. At the third attempt, on staggering back, my foot got entangled
-in one of the mats that were lying on the floor and I tripped and
-fell, half fainting from the terrible smoke and heat. As I went down
-the mats seemed to give way, and with great force the lower half of
-my body--my left hip and leg--struck against the side of some kind of
-cavity, into which I found I had half fallen, for, whilst I had come
-on the floor with my hands, the rest of me swung into space. In that
-moment I understood, to some extent, why that house held such strange
-echoes.
-
-The roaring flames overhead and the dense, stifling smoke, that,
-but for the excitement of my fall, would already have rendered me
-unconscious, now precluded any possible thought of making my escape
-through any of the rooms of the house, and so I turned my attention
-to my latest discovery, hoping against hope that it would enable me
-to save my life. The sides of the well seemed to be made of smooth,
-hardened earth, and were damp and covered with slime. Using all my
-strength, I let myself down to the full length of my arms until I hung
-well below the level of the floor. Here I managed to draw one of the
-mats over my head, and clung to the walls of that gloomy pit like a
-beetle. Kicking against the sides with the toes of my boots, I managed
-to make holes in the hard clay, large enough to allow of my resting my
-feet sufficiently to take off some of the strain from my fingers and
-arms. What my thoughts were at that time I do not pretend to know; I
-do not think I had any. For the time being I was no better than any
-other beetle, clinging desperately to the side of the pit, of the
-depth of which I had no idea. A cold, damp draught of foul air seemed
-to blow up from below me, and a mouldy stench sickened my nostrils.
-
-Suddenly my dulled senses were awakened by a tremendous crash,
-accompanied by much hissing and spluttering, and the red light above
-the mat covering my head went out. As I looked up, wondering what this
-could mean, something fell upon the mats, forcing the one directly
-over me inwards and sending it floating down past me into the darkness
-beneath. The falling object also crushed my right hand at the same
-time, and the sudden pain caused me to loose my hold, so that for one
-awful moment I dangled helplessly, suspended only by my left hand,
-over that reeking pit.
-
-Having secured another hand-hold, I stared anxiously up through the
-smoke. The cause of all the commotion, I discovered, was a burning
-rafter, all blackened and charred, which had toppled down when the
-roof collapsed. The fall of the thatch appeared to have temporarily
-quenched the fire, and it seemed as good an opportunity of escape as I
-was likely to get, so, drawing myself up by my left hand, I managed to
-get my right arm round the still smouldering beam and, with a supreme
-effort, dragged myself out of the mouth of the well once more, getting
-astride of the charred and smoking beam, and thence on to the floor.
-Bruised and scorched, with my clothes burning and my helmet gone, I
-managed to clamber up the wall of the room by means of the many pieces
-of blackened and half-burnt bamboo that had come down with the roof,
-and flung myself recklessly over the farther side. I fell on my back,
-and by rights ought to have had some bones broken, but somehow I
-escaped with a few severe contusions. Picking myself up, I rushed
-through the flaming compound, with red-hot ashes swirling about my
-face, acrid smoke filling my lungs, and my eyes streaming water from
-the fearful heat. Escaping by a miracle more than once, as a roof
-collapsed or a wall fell out with a crash across my path, and leaping
-over the bodies of natives at every turn, I eventually emerged into
-the market-place more dead than alive.
-
-The troops were formed in square as I had left them. Men were issuing
-from the burning compounds, singly and in twos and threes. All firing
-had ceased, and not a native of the place was to be seen anywhere.
-As I approached the square at a staggering trot I ran a great risk of
-being shot, for--as I learnt subsequently--the men were so startled
-at my appearance that they were seriously thinking of putting a bullet
-through me. They told me afterwards that I looked more like a devil
-than anything they had ever seen, and they took me for the fire-spirit
-that lived in the flames. Some of the coolies even started to bolt,
-until reassured by their companions and by the sound of my voice.
-
-I ordered the "Fall in" to be sounded, so as to collect my scattered
-volunteers, and then set about seeing what I could do to ease the
-horrible pains of my burns. This I accomplished, to some extent, with
-various ointments that I found in the medicine-chest we had brought
-with us. I then turned my attention to Townsend. On examining him
-I found that he had been hit in the shoulder. He had swooned at the
-time, but was now quite conscious again. We concluded that it was
-nothing very serious, did what we thought best at the moment, and
-bandaged the wound up well. Then, with Townsend in a hammock, and
-carrying our wounded coolies along with us--no soldiers had been
-hit--we set out for Asaba once more with our prisoner.
-
-[Illustration: A LETTER FROM THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY TO THE AUTHOR
-THANKING HIM FOR HIS CONDUCT OF THE EXPEDITION.]
-
-After half an hour's marching we met a friendly native, who told us
-that we were to be ambushed some quarter of a mile farther on. On
-receipt of this cheerful piece of information we retraced our steps;
-we had had our fill of fighting for that day, especially as our
-instructions were to avoid bloodshed if we could possibly do so.
-The alternative route we determined to take added five miles to our
-journey, and I shall never forget the weariness and uncertainty of
-that long _détour_. The knowledge that, at any moment, a stealthy and
-wary enemy might suddenly start blazing away at us from five yards on
-either side of the path, which was shut in with dense undergrowth to
-right and left, surmounted with towering trees, made the journey seem
-endless, and the strain on our nerves was terrible. We marched for
-hour after hour in a gloomy twilight; not a single ray of sunlight
-filtered through the thick leafy canopy overhead. Then, all at
-once, the path opened out, and to our unutterable joy we entered the
-principal avenue of Openam. We were in friendly country once more--or
-as nearly friendly as anything in the Hinterland of Asaba could be.
-
-Here we rested for half an hour, while I attended to Townsend and our
-other wounded. We then set out on our final march, and without further
-incident reached Asaba at 8.30 p.m., all utterly tired out, but happy
-in the consciousness that we had accomplished our mission.
-
-The N.C.O. who had so mysteriously disappeared at Nburu-Kitti, and
-whom I had given up for lost, arrived at Asaba a few hours after the
-column. He came to my bedside and woke me from my well-earned sleep,
-whereupon I stared at him in utter amazement. On asking him to prove
-that he was not a ghost, he explained that, when he rushed into that
-end room in pursuit of the flying chief, he pitched headlong down the
-well and nearly broke his neck. The bottom, however, consisted of oozy
-mud, which considerably softened his fall. After lying stunned for how
-long he could not tell, he began to explore the pit, and discovered
-a tunnel about five feet from the bottom of the well. Crawling into
-this, he followed it without difficulty until he emerged into another
-compound beyond that of the chief's. It is to be supposed that the
-fugitive King must have made his escape in the same manner, but, as
-the N.C.O. naively said, he did not wait to inquire.
-
-
-
-
-ROUND THE WORLD WITH A BILLIARD CUE.
-
-BY MELBOURNE INMAN, BRITISH BILLIARD ASSOCIATION CHAMPION.
-
-    In this amusing article the well-known professional describes
-    some of the curious experiences that befell him during his
-    recent tour round the world--a tour on which his "only visible
-    means of support" was his cue. He met all sorts and conditions
-    of men, and--what was more important--all sorts and conditions
-    of billiard-tables, but, as this narrative shows, managed to
-    extract not a little amusement from his misadventures.
-
-
-The hundred and one minor accidents which occur in the average
-globe-trotter's journeyings were, in my case, added to and enlarged by
-the fact that to a certain extent my tour depended upon the amount of
-patronage I received. To travel round the world with a billiard cue
-and case as one's only visible means of support is an undertaking
-which requires a considerable amount of doing. That I succeeded so
-well I put down to the fact that the Britisher abroad is a sportsman
-of the best sort, and will do anything and pay anything to see one of
-the Mother Country's champions playing his game, no matter what that
-game may be. During my journey I went completely round the world,
-visiting Ceylon twice, Australia three times, New Zealand twice,
-Tasmania, China, the Straits Settlements, India, and Burma, the total
-distance covered being close on a hundred thousand miles, and the time
-occupied by the tour over eighteen months.
-
-[Illustration: MR. MELBOURNE INMAN, BRITISH BILLIARD ASSOCIATION
-CHAMPION.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-My chief difficulties were the tables which were provided. I did not
-expect to meet with absolutely correct ones, but sometimes I would
-be led into a room and introduced to some bedraggled wreck on four or
-five legs and blandly informed that _that_ was the thing upon which I
-had to show my powers as a billiard-player! The only thing which saved
-me from a sudden and total loss of reputation was the fact that my
-opponent usually did a great deal worse than _I_, and my efforts to
-avoid the unorthodox pitfalls, such as open gaps in the cloth,
-grooves at the pockets, and so forth, were seen and appreciated by the
-habitués of the place who used the table themselves, and were only too
-familiar with its peculiarities.
-
-My first really amusing adventure occurred at Colombo, Ceylon. I was
-booked to play a Mr. G----, who was a well-known personage, being
-sub-editor of the local paper, and had to give him eight hundred start
-in a game of twelve hundred up. The match took place at the Globe
-Hotel, and when I entered the room I saw that a good crowd of natives
-had gathered to watch the game. They were evidently very anxious to
-see their champion win, and chattered away volubly while the game was
-in progress. Now silence is indispensable if good billiards is to
-be played, but I stuck to my work until suddenly dull thuds began to
-sound on the ceiling above. The lights over the table quivered and
-danced with the reverberations, and presently, in despair, I called
-the proprietor to one side and asked him what on earth was happening
-up there.
-
-"Oh, that's all right," he said, cheerily. "There's a troupe of
-dancing girls come here to practise every evening, and they are doing
-it now!"
-
-With a stifled groan I went back to my task, but the din grew louder
-and louder, and at last became so continuous that I could not hear
-the marker's voice registering the score, while the vibration was
-positively alarming. At last, feeling I could endure it no longer,
-I went over to the marker and informed him that I was going to stop.
-Handing him my cue, I told him to put it away in my case, as I would
-play no more.
-
-He took my cue from me and, turning to the spectators, cried,
-stolidly:--
-
-"There will be an interval of ten minutes for refreshments."
-
-The cool way in which he gave out this announcement tickled me, and I
-forgot my annoyance. Presently, the landlord having prevailed upon the
-nautch girls to cease their gyrations, the game was continued.
-
-I was in the middle of a decent "break," and rapidly overhauling my
-opponent, when I noticed a black shadow whizzing about the table legs
-and flashing up and down among the spectators. Now, anyone who plays
-billiards will know that the light on the table makes it extremely
-difficult for the eyes to follow movement in the shadows around the
-room, and it was not until the thing brushed against my legs that I
-stopped playing and looked around.
-
-The audience was standing up, wildly excited. I thought at first that
-it was my play which made them do this, but the flattering idea
-was quickly dispelled. I saw a lean brown arm sweep down and a
-wildly-spitting, furry object swung across the room and shot out of
-the window.
-
-"What on earth was that?" I asked, startled.
-
-"It's all right, Mr. Inman," replied the marker. "A wild cat has been
-rushing around here for the last ten minutes, but one of the gentlemen
-has just pitched it out of the window!"
-
-I succeeded in winning the game all right, but did not finish until
-long after one o'clock in the morning. As we started at 9 p.m. and
-the heat during the whole four hours was terrific, it may be imagined
-that, what with interruptions from nautch girls and wild cats, I
-considered I had earned my fee, and a trifle over.
-
-I came across something really unique in the way of rules in an hotel
-at Newara-Eliya, where I was booked to play. In the billiard-room,
-immediately opposite the table, where everyone could see it, hung a
-card bearing the following announcement:--
-
-  Gentlemen cutting the cloth will pay--
-
-  For first cut           100 rupees.
-  Second cut               50 rupees.
-  Third cut                20 rupees.
-  Any subsequent cut       10 rupees.
-
-Judging from the appearance of the cloth, I should think that
-table must have been a veritable gold-mine to its proprietor, if he
-collected all the fines. Evidently his motto was "Cut and come again."
-
-[Illustration: "JEST PUTTIN' THINGS TO RIGHTS A BIT."]
-
-While staying at Wellington, New Zealand, I was invited to play at the
-Tararua Club, Pahiatua, some hundred and twenty miles away. I accepted
-the offer and, assuming that my stay there would be very short, left
-my wife at Wellington and travelled up to Pahiatua alone. I was met
-at the station by a number of gentlemen, and, after the usual liquid
-refreshment, went along to see the table on which I had to play. When
-I entered the room I saw a long, thin man squatting cross-legged in
-the centre of the table, stitching away at the cloth for all he was
-worth. Somewhat surprised, I introduced myself, whereupon the man
-explained that he was the local tailor, "jest puttin' things to rights
-a bit" for me.
-
-[Illustration: "A WILDLY-SPITTING, FURRY OBJECT SWUNG ACROSS THE
-ROOM."]
-
-[Illustration: THE TARARUA CLUB, PAHIATUA, N.Z., WHERE MR. INMAN MET
-WITH SEVERAL AMUSING EXPERIENCES.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The table itself wasn't at all bad, but when I looked at it closely
-I noticed that the billiard spot (the black spot on the table which
-indicates where the red ball is usually placed) was at least three
-inches too far to one side.
-
-I had become fairly hardened to trying conditions by this time, but
-to attempt to play with the red ball inches out of its recognised
-position was more than I dared do.
-
-"What's the matter with that spot?" I asked. "It isn't right, is it?"
-
-The man of the needle slued around on the cloth and squinted at the
-spot.
-
-"Seems sorter crooked," he agreed, slowly; "but the fac' of the
-matter is that we change the position of that yere spot once a week.
-Otherwise it'd work a hole in the cloth!"
-
-That beat me. I fled for the hotel and sought out the gentleman who
-had invited me to come there. He listened to my tale of woe and then,
-asking me to wait for a moment, disappeared.
-
-I don't know whether they balloted or not, but the spot was moved into
-its right place, and the situation--so far as I was concerned--saved.
-
-I had been told when I arrived there that, although there were no
-passenger trains from Pahiatua to Wellington at that hour of the
-night, I should still be able to get to Wellington when the game was
-over, as a goods train, known locally as the "Wild Cat," stopped at
-Pahiatua some time about midnight on its way down-country.
-
-When the game was over, however, and I got back to the hotel, I found
-that the "Wild Cat" was a very doubtful kind of train and only stopped
-at Pahiatua when it thought it would! This particular night, it soon
-appeared, was one of its "off" nights--it never showed up at the
-station at all!
-
-[Illustration: "THE 'UMAN RACE STARTED FROM MONKEYS--AND DON'T YOU
-FORGET IT!"]
-
-Everybody was very kind to me and made me as comfortable as possible.
-While I sat in the bar, waiting for the train which never came, I
-noticed in a corner a couple of men with their heads together, talking
-very earnestly. One of them was an old squatter, the other an obvious
-new-comer, and their argument seemed so heated and absorbing that I
-gradually edged my way along the seat towards them to try and hear
-what it was they found so engrossing.
-
-I half expected it would be sheep, or land values, or old-age
-pensions, but when I came within hearing distance the squatter was
-saying:--
-
-"I tell you, sonny, the 'uman race started from monkeys--and don't you
-forget it!"
-
-Darwin's theory in the back-blocks of New Zealand! I went straight to
-bed after that. To run up against a philosophical tailor, a movable
-billiard spot, a train with ideas of its own, _and_ Darwin's theory,
-all in the same afternoon, was putting too severe a strain on a mere
-perambulating billiardist.
-
-Even then, however, I had not finished with Pahiatua. In the small
-hours of the morning I awoke and saw that the room was filled with
-a dense, pungent mist. It would clear away for a moment, and the
-daylight would filter into the room; then down would come the fog, and
-the same peculiar smell would rise to my nostrils again. I lay still,
-watching this peculiar phenomenon for some time. I had seen so many
-strange things happen in the country that I accepted this as another
-of them.
-
-Presently I heard heavy footsteps crossing my room.
-
-"Who's that?" I asked.
-
-"Only me, Mr. Inman," answered the voice of one of my friends of the
-previous night. "I've just come along to tell you not to be scared.
-The fire is nearly out."
-
-[Illustration: "FIRE! I JUMPED FROM THE BED AND RACED TO THE WINDOW."]
-
-Fire! I jumped from the bed and raced to the window. Immediately
-opposite the hotel I saw a huge pile of blackened wood, from
-which thick clouds of smoke were slowly curling. The mournful heap
-represented all that was left of a huge store, whose proprietor I had
-met and chatted with some eight hours before.
-
-[Illustration: THE GRAND HOTEL, THURSDAY ISLAND, WHERE THEY HAVE
-EARTHQUAKES "ONLY ABOUT THREE TIMES A WEEK!"
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-I turned to my friend and saw that he was fully dressed.
-
-"How long have you been up?" I asked.
-
-"Three or four hours," he replied. "You see, the flames were coming
-over this way, and we all lent a hand to get it under."
-
-"But, bless my soul," I said, "why on earth did you let me sleep on
-here?"
-
-"Oh, you were all right," he returned, airily. "We didn't want to
-disturb you till the last minute. You've a long journey before you."
-
-I knew that it was kindly meant, but at the time, at least, I did not
-quite appreciate it. I had been a sort of unconscious Casabianca for
-the best part of the night, and that "last minute" might have been a
-very exciting one. Yes, Pahiatua is one of the places I shall _not_
-easily forget.
-
-I suppose one does get used to these little eccentricities of Nature.
-I remember, when I visited far-away Thursday Island, the landlord
-of the Grand Hotel, who had arranged a match for me, said in a
-confidential aside to me just as I landed on the quay:--
-
-"I don't think you will find the table very straight, Mr. Inman. We
-had a bit of an earthquake here last night, which shook it up a bit!"
-
-"That's nice, cheerful news," I said. "How often do you have
-earthquakes?"
-
-"Well, we're not so bad as some places," he answered. "They only
-happen about three times a week!"
-
-My stay at Thursday Island lasted exactly twenty-four hours; I am not
-anxious to acquire an intimate knowledge of earthquakes. I brought
-away with me as a souvenir a copy of what is proudly claimed to be
-"the smallest newspaper in the world," the _Thursday Island Pilot_, a
-facsimile of which is here reproduced. It is a single sheet, measuring
-about fourteen inches by eight.
-
-On one occasion I "put my foot in it" fairly. It happened in Southern
-India, at a place where I was booked to play at the local club. The
-journey took twelve hours by boat, and when I arrived I was told that
-a gentleman was waiting for me. I thought that he was bound to be
-the secretary of the club, who had arranged all details with me, and
-chatted to him as we made our way towards the village.
-
-Presently we passed a ramshackle-looking building, the walls of which,
-as far as I could judge, were made out of empty biscuit-tins and
-soap-boxes. It straggled over half an acre of ground, and troops of
-hungry dogs were sniffing around it.
-
-[Illustration: THE "THURSDAY ISLAND PILOT," WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE
-THE SMALLEST NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD.]
-
-I thought that I might venture on a little humour just to liven up the
-conversation, so, pointing to the building, I said:--
-
-"A cow shed, I suppose?"
-
-He followed the direction of my outstretched finger, and a pained look
-came into his eyes.
-
-"That's the hotel you're going to stay at," he said.
-
-I gasped, but blundered on.
-
-"What a horrible-looking hole!" I cried. "I shall never be able to get
-my wife to stay there."
-
-"It's not so bad inside," was the reply, in rather a peculiar tone of
-voice.
-
-The rest of our tramp was finished in a strained silence. I thought
-that, perhaps, as secretary of the club, my new friend was afraid that
-the accommodation would not please me. On the steps of the club I was
-met by a dapper little gentleman, and my companion, nodding to both of
-us, turned on his heel and disappeared.
-
-"I am Mr. ----, Mr. Inman," said the man on the steps, and mentioned
-the name of the secretary with whom I had been in communication.
-
-"Then who was that gentleman I have just left?" I asked, in surprise.
-
-"That is the landlord of the hotel!" he explained.
-
-Then, of course, I saw my mistake, and, when I met mine host again,
-hastened to make my apologies and patch things up as best I could. I
-am sure, however, that, deep down in his heart, my thoughtless words
-rankled. Both my wife and I took it in turns to praise everything
-whenever we saw him listening, but, alas! to the very end of our stay
-he wore a look of anxiety and care. Only when we stood on the deck
-of the little steamer and waved our farewells to him did the faintest
-suspicion of a smile flicker on his brown face. It may have been the
-fact that he was seeing the last of us that conjured the smile up, but
-I hope not.
-
-One other little incident, and I have done. While playing at
-Kalgoorlie, Australia, I was approached by a resident and asked to
-call at his house to give a few lessons to his wife. The terms he
-offered were so high that I could not refuse, and so, when I had a few
-hours to spare, he and I went to his home.
-
-I was introduced to his wife--a charming woman with all the true
-Colonial hospitality and kindliness--and we sat down in what was
-obviously the best room in the house and chatted for about half an
-hour. Finally, thinking that I ought to be up and doing something for
-my money, I suggested that, if the lady was quite ready, we ought to
-adjourn to the billiard-room, so that the lessons might commence.
-
-"_This_ is our billiard-room," said my host.
-
-I looked round in amazement. "But where is the table?"
-
-[Illustration: "THAT'S THE HOTEL YOU'RE GOING TO STAY AT."]
-
-He went to one corner of the room, lifted a small three-feet-by-six
-miniature table top, and placed it on the dining-table in front of me.
-
-"This is our table," he said, proudly.
-
-I felt as though it was taking money under false pretences to try to
-teach billiards on such a makeshift affair, and said as much, but the
-old gentleman would have none of it, so I set to work and did my best.
-But it was an ordeal which I have no wish to repeat, for cue, balls,
-and everything else were in proportion to the size of the table. In
-fact, I believe that the old fellow could do more on the thing than
-I could. Anyhow, he seemed a little hurt at my inability to run up a
-three-figure break on it, and on the way back to town again regaled
-me with yarns of what several of his squatter friends could do on that
-table in the way of piling up centuries.
-
-We parted good friends, but I don't think he thought quite so much
-of my billiard-playing then as he had done at first. He was pained,
-perhaps, to find that it had limitations, and that a three-feet-by-six
-table was one of them!
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: When "Tenderfeet" Go Hunting Bears.]
-
-    "Tenderfeet," as our readers probably know, is the expressive
-    term applied out West to new-comers, or greenhorns. When
-    such men meet Bruin, or Bruin meets them, there is apt to be
-    trouble sometimes ending in tragedy, sometimes in the
-    broadest comedy. The instances here given belong to the latter
-    category, and will be found extremely amusing.
-
-
-
-
-AN EVENING CALL.
-
-BY ERNEST LAW.
-
-
-It was June, 1906, and I was working at a small portable sawmill near
-Armstrong, British Columbia. George (the boss), Frank, "Texas," Jim,
-and myself made the entire crew. "Texas" was so called because of
-his frequent references to the State of his birth. For myself, being
-English, I was dubbed "Charlie," though it wasn't my proper name.
-
-We had rigged up a fairly decent shack, and, with Jim at the head of
-the culinary department, managed to make ourselves pretty comfortable.
-The country round was well settled and we were only about six miles
-from Armstrong, a rapidly-growing town. There was plenty of bush-land
-about, however, some of it very rough, and deer, coyotes, and cougars
-were frequently seen, but seldom a bear.
-
-On the evening I am writing about Frank had ridden into town directly
-after supper to "have a good time," as he expressed it, and we didn't
-expect him back till early morning. The rest of us were sitting around
-telling yarns. "Texas" was giving us something extra fine concerning
-his good work with a gun. He could usually hold his own at
-story-telling, could "Texas," but Jim, in particular, always openly
-doubted him. On this occasion he related how he had once bagged a doe
-and two fawns with a single shot. Jim guffawed incredulously, and was
-rewarded with a look of mild reproach.
-
-"Any o' you fellers seen them bear tracks t'other side the creek?"
-asked George, suddenly.
-
-No one had.
-
-"When did you strike them, George?" asked "Texas."
-
-"Just this morning, when I was waterin' the cayuse. They looked kind
-of fresh, too."
-
-Now, George was a quiet sort of fellow, but I fancy he knew as much
-about hunting as the rest of us put together, and wasn't taking much
-notice of the boasting.
-
-"What do you say to a hunt, Jim?" I ventured.
-
-"No, sir; not me," replied Jim, hastily. "I ain't lost no bear."
-
-"You're not scared of a brown bear, surely, Jim?" observed the Texan,
-with a grin.
-
-"Well," said Jim, "if there were three bears I'd maybe look around
-and have a plug at them, but I don't waste no shell on just one ornery
-bear."
-
-"No, I guess not," said "Texas," dryly.
-
-"D'you ever _see_ a live bear?" pursued Jim, offensively.
-
-"Well, I guess I've shot more bear than _you've_ ever seen, Jim,"
-retorted the American.
-
-"Maybe you'll hunt this one for us, then," suggested Jim,
-sarcastically. "We're all dead scared to sleep here."
-
-"If I run across him at all, I guess there'll be a dead bear around
-mighty quick," replied "Texas."
-
-Jim was silent for a moment, then he looked up quickly, struck by a
-sudden idea. "Say, Texas," he cried, "s'pose the bear comes around
-here, will you take a shot at him?"
-
-"You betcher life!" snapped "Texas."
-
-Thereupon Jim rose, with a look of determination on his face, and
-proceeded to set fire to a few sticks. Next, going indoors, he brought
-out some sugar, which he threw on the blaze. I had heard somewhere
-that the smell of burnt sugar attracted bears from a long distance,
-and began to understand what he was about.
-
-Meanwhile, "Texas" looked on cynically, suggesting that if Jim were
-to whistle it would have just as much effect. But Jim only said, "You
-wait a bit."
-
-Well, we waited a bit, discussing the approaching festivities in
-town on the 1st of July (Dominion Day) until the others, I think, had
-forgotten all about the bear. About nine o'clock we turned in. We had
-bunks fixed up at the end of the shack farthest from the door--three
-in a row a little way above the floor, and two more above them. The
-table stood right in the centre of the room, and the stove in a corner
-by the door.
-
-About eleven o'clock I woke with a start, aroused by an unholy racket
-outside. My first thought was that the bear had arrived, but soon I
-distinguished the husky tones of Frank, expostulating with the cayuse
-while he was taking his saddle off. In a few minutes he stumbled in,
-leaving the door wide open, and after a muttered conversation with the
-lantern managed to get it alight. By this time all of us were awake,
-and we could see that our companion had been imbibing heavily. He had
-brought a bottle of whisky back with him, and now, rolling it on the
-floor, he started to show us how they rode logs "back home."
-
-After one or two futile attempts to balance himself on the bottle, he
-collapsed miserably in a heap, just as Jim flung a heavy logging-boot
-at him. He missed Frank, but smashed the lantern, leaving us in the
-dark. Frank was grunting and cursing on the floor, trying to strike
-the wrong end of a match.
-
-[Illustration: "WHEN HE LOOKED UP AND SAW THE BEAR HE LET OUT A YELL
-LIKE A REDSKIN WAR-WHOOP."]
-
-George had just scrambled out of bed to close the door when we heard
-a rattling among the old cans and general _débris_ outside the shack,
-and a moment later we saw in the doorway, a black blot against the
-dark-blue sky, the bear himself! At that critical moment Frank struck
-a light. When he looked up and saw the bear he let out a yell like a
-redskin war-whoop, and I think he got sober on the spot. Anyway, when
-the brute started to come inside Frank knew enough to go round the
-other side of the table. Thence he dodged out of the doorway and off
-down the road at terrific speed.
-
-Meanwhile, the bear went sniffing along on the other side to where
-our bunks were, while George, Jim, and I cleared out hurriedly. It was
-quite dark inside the hut, and we all thought "Texas" was with us. Jim
-was certainly scared. Once outside, he picked up an axe and went away
-down the road so fast that the tail of his nightshirt flew out stiff
-behind him. He must have flung the axe away after a while, to expedite
-his flight, for we found it quite a long way off in the morning.
-
-Now, "Texas," it subsequently appeared, had slept right on till Frank
-gave his yell. Then he sat up, rubbed his eyes leisurely, and caught
-sight of the bear. Then he in turn let out a yell or two. Mr. Bear,
-somewhat startled, went to the other end of the hut. While he stood
-there, sizing up "Texas," and while "Texas" was wishing he was in
-mid-ocean, or on a cloud, or some place where there weren't any bears,
-George crept in and grabbed his rifle.
-
-Fortunately, he kept his head and didn't fire, or "Texas" might have
-got hit, for it was impossible to distinguish objects plainly inside
-the shack. Instead of shooting, he started to throw all the small
-articles he could lay hands on in the direction of the snuffling and
-grunting, and finally the bear went out again. During the latter part
-of these proceedings "Texas" had been trying to tear a hole in
-the roof, and, standing on his bunk--one of the top ones--had been
-successful in ripping off a shingle or two.
-
-Directly Bruin got clear of the shack George let drive. He must have
-hit him in the leg, I think, for the brute seemed to limp afterwards.
-I was up a tree at the time, and when the next cartridge jammed
-I fully expected to see George have a lively time. According to
-precedent the bear should have got savage on being hit and made things
-interesting; but he must have known better, for he just walked calmly
-into the bush and we lost sight of him.
-
-When we tried to get into the shack again we found that the door
-wouldn't open. We hammered and yelled, while George showed his mastery
-of English idiom, and after a while we heard "Texas" inside moving
-one or two pieces of furniture away. You can imagine how sheepish
-he looked when we went in, but nobody said a word as we put back the
-table and things.
-
-Frank was sitting outside on a pile of stove-wood, ruminating deeply.
-I think he had an idea he had seen an imaginary bear, for he vowed
-eternal teetotalism for about ten minutes on end. Jim came in last,
-shivering with cold, for the evenings in that part of the country are
-chilly for a promenade in one's nightshirt.
-
-We all climbed into our bunks again and went to sleep, and I don't
-think any of us felt inclined to boast about our evening's work.
-George was the only one who had kept cool. But the figure "Texas" had
-cut, after all his boasting, was lamentable. He left us a day or two
-after, and none of us heard any more of him.
-
-We followed up the bear's tracks next day, but lost them in the thick
-bush after a few hundred yards. I think, however, that it was "our"
-bear a Siwash Indian shot a little while afterwards about half a
-mile off. This tale has now been improved beyond recognition in the
-neighbourhood, but mine is the correct version.
-
-
-
-
-TWO "GREENHORNS" AND A BEAR.
-
-BY A. WRIGHT.
-
-
-In Chatham Straits, Alaska, only a stone's throw from the mainland,
-there is a little island called Kilasnoo. It boasts of a tiny Indian
-village named after the island, and a factory where they turn out
-fish-oil. At a little wharf belonging to the factory, in the summer of
-1895, lay the United States survey steamer _Patterson_, on board which
-Charles Henderson, a native of Gefle, Sweden, and myself were able
-seamen. We were fast friends, and had agreed to be sporting companions
-whenever we got the opportunity. Up to the present time we had never
-done any hunting, although we owned two guns. The only things we had
-shot at so far were condensed milk cans, which we threw into the water
-and fired at from behind a bush, at a distance of about fifty feet. I
-regret to add that we never hit one. It was our first year up there,
-and so far we had had no chance of showing what we could do against
-big game, but the chance came along rather sooner than we expected.
-
-One Saturday afternoon, seated in a canoe, Henderson and I paddled off
-to the opposite shore. Landing just above a large inlet called Hood's
-Bay, we hauled our canoe up into the edge of the wood, and then,
-taking our fishing-tackle and guns, we started off along a trail which
-brought us, after a three-mile tramp through the wood, to the shores
-of a lake where we intended to fish for trout. Although we had
-brought our guns, we knew that no game had been seen around there
-for years--at least, so the Indians told us. We carried our guns,
-therefore, but there was no likelihood of them being required, and I
-believe in our hearts we were both glad of it--I know I was, at any
-rate.
-
-Presently, tramping steadily through the woods, we arrived at a
-clearing or flat at the head of the lake, where, for a space of about
-twenty yards, from the edge of the forest to the water, the ground was
-bare, save for a solitary dead tree in the middle. We were crossing
-this barren stretch when, all of a sudden, a sight met our gaze which
-brought us to a standstill. There, coming round the corner of the
-clearing, was a bear! I had seen one before at a zoo, and knew at once
-what it was, only this bear looked about three times as big as the
-beast at the zoo.
-
-I will not speak for Henderson, but if I could have moved just then I
-should have taken a header into the lake. When we got our breath after
-the first shock of surprise, my companion shouted excitedly, "Shoot!
-Shoot!" He yelled so loud that the bear stopped in surprise, had
-a good, comfortable look at us, gave what sounded like a grunt of
-disgust, and then turned tail and quietly trotted off along the trail
-in the direction we had come from. Directly he had disappeared we
-unslung our guns and consoled each other by declaring that the reason
-we had not fired at the bear was not because we were scared, but
-because we were fascinated by our first sight of a real wild bear.
-Nevertheless, it was remarkable how quickly and with what touching
-unanimity we climbed up that dead tree in the middle of the flat,
-in case Bruin should take it into his head to return. Seated in its
-branches we at least felt more comfortable, until Henderson suddenly
-remembered that bears could also climb. To make matters worse for
-us, it was now getting late in the afternoon, and the sun had already
-dipped behind the mountains. The thought of sitting up in that tree
-all night was no joke; but, still, we considered it better than going
-back through the woods, with thick undergrowth on both sides of the
-trail, in which countless bears could lie in wait for us.
-
-[Illustration: MR. A. WRIGHT, ONE OF THE "GREENHORNS" WHO HERE RELATES
-HIS AMUSING ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Presently Henderson suggested lighting a fire.
-
-"All right," I replied. "You get down and collect the sticks; I'll
-keep watch up here."
-
-But this brilliant suggestion found no favour with my companion.
-
-"No," he said; "let's toss for it." So we did, and I won. Henderson
-got down--not so quickly as he got up, however--and began to look
-round for sticks, circling warily round and round the tree at arm's
-length. He did this two or three times, and then suddenly he shouted
-out loudly, "There are no sticks down here." The yell so scared me
-that I lost my balance and toppled down off my perch, landing with
-a crash on the ground. When I picked myself up, fortunately unhurt,
-Henderson was half-way up the tree, and I soon followed suit. Neither
-of us had the pluck to descend again, so all night we sat perched up
-in the tree, afraid to sleep lest we should fall, and shaking with
-cold, fear, and hunger. The night was terribly dark, and the stillness
-all around us was something that could almost be felt. The man who
-says he never knew fear when spending his first night in the primeval
-forest can have no respect for the truth. It is not excitement or
-nervousness, but absolute fear of the unknown, and I know it from
-experience, for Henderson and myself killed many a bear and spent many
-a night in the forest after that first one. But we never experienced
-the same sensation again.
-
-When daylight arrived we clambered stiffly down from our perch,
-crouching in a hollow at the foot of the tree, and held a
-consultation. We finally decided to wait until the sun was well up
-above the trees before making a move, as otherwise we might lose the
-trail.
-
-We had sat there chatting and smoking for about half an hour, when
-suddenly I heard the sound of breaking twigs. It sounded rather faint
-at first, but gradually got louder. "The bear!" I whispered excitedly
-to Henderson, and we both grabbed our guns and knelt upon a little
-stump ready to fire, our hearts beating like steam hammers behind our
-ribs.
-
-We had not long to wait. Within a couple of seconds we saw Bruin's
-head between two trees, about a hundred yards in front of us: he was
-coming along at a quiet trot, with his shaggy head swaying from one
-side to the other. He did not look half so large as he had done the
-night before; perhaps it was because we were not so scared. "You cover
-his head and fire first," whispered Henderson.
-
-[Illustration: "JUST AT THAT MOMENT HE FELL OFF THE STUMP AND HIS GUN
-WENT OFF."]
-
-Well, I did my best to cover his head, but speedily discovered that,
-though I could have covered anything the size of Ireland, I could
-tackle nothing smaller; I was shaking like a scarecrow in a gale. "Let
-him get right in front of us before we fire," said I, unwilling to
-confess my weakness. My companion did not answer, for just at that
-moment he fell off the stump on to his face and his gun went off. The
-report scared poor Bruin so badly that he stopped, bellowing loudly.
-Thereupon I fired three shots at his head, or as near as I could get
-to it. By this time Henderson had scrambled up in a mighty hurry, and
-Bruin started off at a gallop. We fired about twelve rounds at him
-before he disappeared into the bush, but did not go to see if he
-was wounded or dead, because we shrewdly suspected he had not been
-touched. He was moving too lively when we last saw him to have been
-hit--unless he dropped dead with fright at the noise we made.
-
-When the bear had vanished we decided to let well alone and cleared
-out for the ship, which we reached without accident. We told no one on
-board of our adventure--simply said we had seen a bear's fresh tracks,
-and had waited all night to have a shot at it in the morning. "You're
-hunting mad," growled the boatswain. "Never mind," said I, sagely;
-"there's no sport like it."
-
-
-
-
-A NIGHTMARE ADVENTURE.
-
-BY G. BENNETT.
-
-
-The Arctic Red River, a stream which has its source on the east side
-of the Rocky Mountains and flows in a series of rapids and treacherous
-falls into the Mackenzie, has tempted many a band of adventurous
-spirits to brave its difficulties in the hope of finding that elusive
-"mother-lode" which every miner is convinced exists to supply the rich
-alluvial deposits that have made the fame of the Klondike fields.
-
-A little band of three had struggled about two hundred miles up the
-stream in the face of apparently insurmountable difficulties,
-having to unload their boat and "portage" the whole of their year's
-provisions over rocky, precipitous banks, which were often densely
-wooded, or tow her up rapids, under the fierce Canadian sun, when the
-strain on the rope must not be relaxed for a single moment lest the
-bows of the boat should be wrenched round by the current and the
-towers jerked backwards into the boiling waters.
-
-They camped at last on a part of the bank that was low and grassy
-and clear of the eternal spruce trees for a short distance. Here
-they built a rough shack, laid up the boat, and took a spell of
-prospecting. Into their camp on the second day limped a tattered,
-woe-begone, helpless-looking individual, a Swede, who explained in
-broken English, almost on the verge of tears, that he and his friends,
-seeing the business-like way in which the others had prepared to meet
-the difficulties of the river, had come to the conclusion that they
-were old hands, and followed at a safe distance, hoping to be able to
-keep modestly in the background till those in front had made a find,
-and then, as the Yankee of the party put it, they were ready to "whirl
-in and get the pickings of a right soft job." However, they had been
-forced to come into undue prominence because their boat had become
-hopelessly jammed between two rocks in a rapid and they could not move
-her without help. He ended his tale of woe and stood looking from one
-to the other of the three disgusted men who faced him.
-
-"Well, of all the derndest cheek!" said the Yankee. "To explain so
-nicely how they planned to jump us, and then expect help so's they can
-do it!"
-
-"We must sho'ly lend a ha-and," drawled the Southerner.
-
-"Oh, yes," said the Englishman, the youngest of the party. "Of course
-we must help the poor beggars."
-
-It was arranged at last that Bantling and Fox, the two Americans,
-should go to the rescue, while Rogers, the Englishman, kept camp.
-
-They had dinner, and then, with the Swede as guide, started off down
-the river bank to the rapids.
-
-Left alone, Rogers washed up the dinner-things, put up some grub, got
-his blanket and a rifle, and set off into the scrub. The day before,
-when getting wood, he had come upon the track of a moose, and was
-determined to try for a shot at him, picturing to himself the delight
-of the other two when they returned, to find a store of fresh meat.
-He followed the trail through a thicket of ground alder and willow,
-stumbling into muskegs and bursting through tangled undergrowth. It
-was frightfully hot, for this was the Canadian summer, and when he at
-last reached a small clearing, through which ran a little stream from
-a "sienega" or small lake higher up, he thankfully camped there for
-the night.
-
-The next morning, having had some breakfast, he found the trail of
-the moose clear and straight before him, and decided to return to the
-shack for more food before setting out on a hunt that might last days.
-So, leaving his blanket and rifle behind, he set out. It was much
-easier going back, as he had forced a fairly clear path and knew the
-way. He was surprised how quickly he found himself once more at the
-edge of the clearing round the camp, and was just about to cross the
-open to the shack, when a curious, exasperated, whining growl made
-him draw quickly back into the shadow of the trees, wishing, too late,
-that he had brought his rifle with him. At the foot of one of the slim
-pines upon which they had built the platform for their "cache" stood
-an immense "cinnamon" bear, nearly as large as a fair-sized bull,
-stretching his enormous fore-legs as far as possible above his head in
-a vain endeavour to reach the dainties he could smell above him. But
-though he could reach twelve good feet, the "cache" was up fifteen,
-and the trees that supported it were young and slim, so that, when he
-tried to get a grip to climb, his fore-paws overlapped; and no bear
-can climb a tree unless it is bigger than the circle of his arm, so
-that he can grip it with his claws.
-
-If he had not been in such an awkward predicament, Rogers would
-have been immensely tickled at the antics of the big brown beast. He
-stretched himself upon tip-toe in his efforts to reach the platform,
-giving little jumps, for all the world like a small boy in a jam
-cupboard. Then he backed slowly away, staring at the unattainable with
-grunts and whines, shaking his great heavy head from side to side.
-
-Next he squatted on his haunches, as if thinking deeply; then made a
-sudden rush at one of the trees and, clasping it, shook it viciously,
-but finding that of no avail lost his temper completely, and gave it
-an angry slap with his heavy paw, tearing off a great strip of bark.
-
-Then he turned his back as if disgusted and, ambling to a sasketoon
-bush, took the branches between his paws and pulled off the berries,
-which are like bilberries, with his mouth, as daintily as a girl
-eating raspberries.
-
-But the stores upon the platform drew him once more. He tried each
-tree in turn for a grip, scoring great grooves with his claws, and
-rocking stiffly on all four feet in sullen anger at his failure.
-Finally he started on a reconnoitring tour round the "cache," which
-brought him near the tree behind which Rogers crouched, weaponless
-save for a pocket-knife.
-
-To the man's horror the bear stood suddenly still, and, throwing up
-his head, sniffed suspiciously, looking round him meanwhile. Then,
-with a curious twitch, he tilted the end of his great nose up and
-back, thus lifting the upper lip clear of the great white fangs--an
-unpleasant and terrifying trick he shares in common with the "huskie"
-dog.
-
-The perspiration streamed from every pore of the man behind the tree,
-and with some vague idea of selling his life as dearly as possible he
-was beginning to fumble stealthily for his pocket-knife, when, to his
-inexpressible relief, the bear swung round in his tracks and trotted
-back to the "cache."
-
-[Illustration: "TO THE MAN'S HORROR THE BEAR STOOD SUDDENLY STILL,
-AND, THROWING UP HIS HEAD, SNIFFED SUSPICIOUSLY."]
-
-Here he found an empty beef tin, which he eagerly seized upon, tucking
-it securely into the crook of one arm, while he investigated inside
-with the other paw. Holding it between both paws, he licked the
-inside, his long, red tongue worming into every crevice. Before
-finally discarding it, he held it up before him on one paw, gravely
-considering it.
-
-The effect being so ludicrously like a woman taking in the points of a
-new bonnet, Rogers would have found it difficult not to laugh, had not
-the bear at that moment ungratefully smashed the tin flat with his paw
-and, getting purposefully to his feet, started off once more towards
-Rogers's sheltering tree.
-
-The strain was beginning to tell, and the man could have shrieked
-aloud for very terror. The sweat poured down his face, blinding him,
-and he dared not lift a hand to wipe it away for fear of making some
-tell-tale sound. On came the bear at a curious jog-trot, his heavy
-head wagging to the motion, saliva dripping from his jaws.
-
-He came within twenty feet of the tree; then, as if deliberately
-playing with his victim, once more swung round and went back to the
-"cache." He made no more futile attempts to reach the platform, but,
-squatting on his haunches at the foot of one of the trees, appeared
-to sink into a profound meditation upon the difficulties of the
-situation.
-
-There they were, the bear and the man, each crouching against a tree,
-each mind busily scheming how to obtain the unobtainable--the man his
-rifle, and the bear the stores.
-
-Suddenly Rogers realized that he was hungry, and smiled grimly as he
-saw that this was another point of similarity between them; the bear
-was also very hungry.
-
-The day was wearing on, and the clouds of mosquitoes that always come
-with the sunset found in Rogers a victim powerless to resist. The
-first cloud sounded the glad news in the shrill trumpeting buzz that
-has no counterpart in sound, and clouds more came hurrying gladly to
-the attack.
-
-He was just beginning to think that if he did not die of bear he would
-of mosquito, and that on the whole the bear might be the lesser evil,
-when to his delight he heard, faint in the distance, the voices of the
-returning rescue party.
-
-The bear heard them too, and with many grunts and backward looks at
-the "cache" rolled off into the scrub.
-
-It was now perfectly safe for Rogers to cross the open to the shack,
-but so shaken were his nerves that he could not have left the shelter
-of the tree for all the gold in Canada.
-
-He waited till he could see the figures of the returning men moving in
-the scrub, and then sent forth a long hail.
-
-"Boys! Oh, boys! Come quick and bring a gun!"
-
-A figure halted, listened, then started at a run towards him, slipping
-cartridges into a Winchester as he came. It was Fox, the Southerner,
-and as he caught sight of Rogers his natural ironical speech slipped
-from him.
-
-"Why, sonny," he said, "you are sho'ly playing touchwood."
-
-And Rogers realized with something of a shock in what a limp,
-nerveless manner he was clinging to that friendly pine. He
-straightened himself up with a shaky laugh.
-
-"No," he said, "it's been puss-in-the-corner, with the biggest
-cinnamon I have ever seen. He went off there to the right when he
-heard you coming. For Heaven's sake, try for a shot at him."
-
-But Fox was already off through the scrub, murmuring to himself as he
-hurried, "Puss in-the-corner! My sakes! An' whatever ha-ad the young
-fool done with his gun?"
-
-Rogers crossed over to the shack, where he found Bantling anxious
-to hear the trouble, but casting a concerned and hungry eye round in
-search of the supper that should have been awaiting them, and was not.
-However, a fire of dry pine-knots was soon lit, a frying-pan put on
-with cold pork and beans, tea made, and they exchanged accounts of
-adventures as they ate.
-
-It seemed that Fox and Bantling had been led by the Swede about two
-miles down the river bank, over very bad ground full of muskegs, which
-are patches of slimy bog and water. When they reached the scene of the
-catastrophe, they found three men calmly sitting round a fire they
-had built on the bank, smoking their pipes and staring at their boat,
-which they had left forlornly wedged between two rocks, not far
-out from the bank, without even attempting to unload her. It was a
-queer-looking craft, like an enormous punt, with a great square sail,
-heaped untidily with a mixed pile of stores without any attempt at
-balance. The wonder was that they had managed to get so far.
-
-It was a typical case of incompetence expecting to succeed in a
-country that will only consent to accept the best that every man has
-to give. Men start off to venture up the unknown reaches of these
-Arctic rivers without the slightest knowledge of what is before them.
-They will vaguely announce that the only essential is "grit," and
-deem such things as a knowledge of carpentry and shipbuilding and a
-smattering of geology entirely superfluous.
-
-Such a party were these four men, all their boasted grit taken clean
-out of them, by hardship, sitting down before their stranded boat,
-trading on the unwritten law of the wild that each man must help his
-brother.
-
-Bantling and Fox set them to work unloading, which they did with much
-grumbling; then yoked them into the tow-lines and set them to haul,
-while they stood up to their waists in water levering up the boat with
-spruce poles. When she at last floated it was with several seams badly
-sprung, which meant she had to be beached and caulked.
-
-Having seen to this, and feeling they had done enough, the two
-Americans started back, having been away nearly two days.
-
-Bantling had just finished the account of their labours, and he and
-Rogers had had supper and been back to the other clearing to fetch
-the latter's blanket and rifle, when Fox strode disgustedly up to the
-fire.
-
-"Get him?" he repeated scornfully, in reply to their eager inquiries.
-"Never got a sight of him. If you hadn't been so unmistakably scared
-limp, Rogers, I should think you'd been pulling my leg."
-
-Rogers, in proof of good faith, recounted his harrowing experience
-once more.
-
-"But you never left your gun behind along with your blanket?" demanded
-Fox.
-
-"Well," said Rogers, hesitatingly, "you see, it was so hot, and I was
-only just coming back to see everything was all right and get some
-grub. It seemed so useless to bring it up here just to lug it back."
-
-"An' you air supposed to know the country!" was the Southerner's
-comment upon these excuses, delivered in tones of deepest scorn.
-
-For the rest of the evening, smoking round their glowing fire, the
-three men raked over their memories in search of queer experiences
-with which to cap the events of the day.
-
-They turned in at last about ten o'clock. Fox and Bantling had bunks
-on either side of the shack beyond the stove. Rogers's was across the
-end, opposite them. He was just slipping into that moment of exquisite
-rest before sleep comes when it is positive pain to be roused, when a
-drawling voice said:--
-
-"Oh, sonny, next time you go out walkin' in this little ol' country
-don't use rifles to prop trees with; it's quite likely to come
-expensive. An' don't get dreamin' of bears--if you can help it," he
-added, with a chuckle.
-
-A disgusted grunt was the only answer, as Rogers dived still deeper
-under his blankets. "Bang!" Bantling awoke with a start and felt for
-his revolver, with a vague idea of Indians. "Bang!" Something fell
-with a crash and a rattle. "It's the stove-pipe," thought Bantling.
-"Bang!" And he heard the thud of a bullet entering wood.
-
-The Yankee collected his scattered wits and lit a candle. By its light
-he discovered the Southerner sitting up in bed, his usually calm,
-lean, brown face working with excitement, blazing wildly in every
-direction.
-
-Rogers had bolted from his bunk and was crouching in the farthest
-corner. A large flake of wood chipped from a log above him had fallen
-on his pillow, and lay there to show what had awakened him to the
-dangers of the situation. The sheet-iron stove-pipe which carried
-off the smoke through the roof hung limply in two, a shot having
-undermined the strength of the joint at the elbow, and, as Bantling
-was taking in all this, a tiny looking-glass that one of them had hung
-on the wall fell in a tinkling shower of splinters from another shot,
-while Fox muttered wildly:--
-
-"Mind that bear! Don't let him get away on you. I've hit him once in
-the shoulder."
-
-To be shut up in a shack fourteen feet by ten with a man afflicted by
-nightmare in the form of imaginary bears to be shot is not an enviable
-situation, and for Rogers it was an extremely dangerous one, as Fox
-was shooting straight at him. Bantling slipped from his bunk and,
-striding across the hut, seized the dreamer's wrist in a paralyzing
-grip. With the touch Fox's eyes, which had been wide open all the
-time, lost their unseeing stare. He turned a bewildered gaze from the
-hand on his wrist to the angry face above him.
-
-"There was a bear," he explained, mildly. "Did I get him?"
-
-"Get him!" said Bantling, wrathfully. "You fool! You nearly got
-Rogers! And look at the damage you've done!"
-
-As the situation dawned on Fox his dismay knew no bounds.
-
-[Illustration: THE HUT WHERE THE NIGHTMARE INCIDENT HAPPENED, WITH
-ROGERS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-"I'm real sorry, you fellows," he said. "I guess I've had a touch of
-the worst kind of nightmare. Bantling, you'd better take charge of my
-six-shooter."
-
-"You bet your life!" replied Bantling, briefly, but with immense
-feeling, as he took possession.
-
-"I'm real sorry," said Fox again, turning to Rogers, "to have given
-you such a time. It appears it isn't me who ought to tell folks not to
-dream about bears, and I guess it'll be as well for the health of you
-fellows, if not my own, that I shouldn't eat quite such a hearty meal
-in future just before turnin' in."
-
-
-
-
-The Life of a Steeplejack.
-
-BY WILL LARKINS.
-
-    In this impressive article, =Mr. W. Larkins=, the well-known
-    steeplejack, of Bow, London, sets forth some of his most
-    exciting experiences in the way of felling chimneys and
-    repairing steeples--a form of "high art" which has perils
-    peculiarly its own. The striking photographs which accompany
-    the text lend additional realism to a straightforward
-    narrative.
-
-
-I come of a race of steeplejacks. My father earned his living at the
-business, and met his death at it, falling from a church spire at
-Dumbarton, in Scotland.
-
-Strictly speaking, the work is not really and truly so extraordinarily
-hazardous as people seem to think--that is to say, if a man takes
-proper precautions. Steeple-climbing is very much like mountaineering
-in this respect: it is the foolhardy folk who get hurt, and those who
-are inexperienced or careless.
-
-Look at myself, for instance. I have been climbing since I was seven,
-and am now past thirty, and I have never met with an accident. But,
-then, I am a life-long abstainer and non-smoker, and I take no risks
-that forethought is able to provide against.
-
-Narrow escapes I have had in plenty, but they hardly count in my line
-of business. All dangerous trades involve risks to those following
-them.
-
-A rotten coping; a puff of wind, coming up unexpectedly from nowhere
-in particular; a loose brick, or a piece of decayed ironwork--any one
-of these may easily spell death.
-
-Then, too, there are what, for want of a better term, I may call
-"outside risks": outside the regular run of our hazards, that is to
-say. For example, I once came very near to losing my life through
-being attacked by a swarm of bees while repairing a tower at
-Culmstock, in Devonshire. I had to descend very quickly, but I
-returned at two o'clock in the morning and asphyxiated the lot while
-they were asleep. Incidentally, I secured for myself thirty pounds
-of very excellent honey. The insects had been there for years,
-having found their way into the interior through a cavity left by a
-scaffold-pole used in erecting the edifice.
-
-Another nasty experience that befell me occurred so recently as
-October, 1908. I was engaged to fell two lofty stacks at Millwall.
-They were each about a hundred feet high, and were known locally as the
-"leaning chimneys," being about four feet six inches out of the
-perpendicular.
-
-This peculiarity made the task of cutting into their bases a somewhat
-ticklish one, since it was difficult to say, even approximately, when
-they were going to fall. Also, of course, I had to perform the work on
-the side to which they were inclined.
-
-[Illustration: THE AUTHOR, MR. W. LARKIN, OF BOW, LONDON, WHO HERE
-RELATES SOME OF HIS MOST REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES.
-
-  _From a Photo. by F. W. Pickford._
-]
-
-However, the first one toppled over all right, the "groaning" of the
-undermined mass, as it swayed ever so slightly to its fall, giving
-me timely warning of what was about to happen. But the second one
-collapsed far more suddenly, with the result that the "heel" of the
-falling portion actually "kicked" me clean off the base that remained
-standing! I fell fifteen feet, turning a complete somersault and
-alighting on all fours. I was somewhat shaken, but quite uninjured.
-
-The biggest job I have undertaken up till now has been the decorating
-and repairing of the Nelson column in Trafalgar Square. This was my
-Matterhorn, so to speak.
-
-I carried out the decorations to the order of the Navy League. It was
-the year 1905, the centenary of the great Admiral's crowning victory
-and death, and it was determined to do the thing in style. Nearly
-forty tons of laurel were used, and the greater portion of this had to
-be carried aloft and fixed to the column at varying heights right up
-to the top.
-
-My orders as to not damaging the memorial in any way were most
-stringent; no nails or spikes of any kind were to be driven into it.
-This meant devising an altogether new method of ascent.
-
-I thought out many plans, but eventually decided to lash ladders to
-the structure by means of ropes passed round and round it. It was a
-ticklish, trying job, but it was accomplished without hitch or mishap
-of any kind.
-
-[Illustration: MR. LARKINS AT THE SUMMIT OF THE NELSON COLUMN IN
-TRAFALGAR SQUARE.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Two sets of ladders were used, placed opposite to one another. This
-was necessary, as the column measures forty feet in circumference--too
-far to pass a rope round with ease. The most difficult part of the
-ascent to negotiate was the cornice at the top of the column. This is
-the heaviest projection for "throw-back" work in England, and I had
-to climb up and over it with my back to the ground, for all the world
-like a fly on a ceiling.
-
-[Illustration: FELLING A CHIMNEY AT PIMLICO.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by The Sport and General
-          Illustrations Co._
-]
-
-I am not ashamed to confess that I breathed more freely when I had
-rounded the obstruction, and was able to cautiously slide myself on to
-the platform which supports the statue. From below this appears flat,
-but it is really bevelled, with a sharp slope outwards. I found it,
-too, covered with an inch-thick layer of greasy soot; so that to walk
-about on it was exceedingly risky. However, once I got the life-line
-secured to the statue all was plain sailing.
-
-I discovered a crack in the hero's arm, which I afterwards repaired.
-When I tell people this they not infrequently ask, on the spur of the
-moment, "Which arm?" Of course, the figure has only one.
-
-By the way, I have read many accounts of the statue, professing to
-give its size and dimensions, and they are nearly all wrong. The
-exact measurements, as taken by my assistant, and afterwards carefully
-verified by myself, are as follows.
-
-The figure itself is seventeen feet four and a half inches in height,
-and it measures five feet three inches across the shoulders. The sword
-which hangs by its side is seven feet nine and a half inches long.
-
-Besides repairing the statue I also re-pointed the column from top
-to bottom. It is a splendidly-executed piece of work, solid granite
-throughout, and should have lasted for centuries, but the authorities
-have allowed an underground railway station to be excavated right at
-its base, and this must undoubtedly have weakened the foundations.
-I do not wish to pose as an alarmist, but I should not be greatly
-surprised if, owing to this cause, the memorial suddenly collapsed
-some day, like the Campanile at Venice.
-
-Speaking of statues, I had the task of repairing that of the first
-Duke of Sutherland. It stands out in my memory as the very coldest
-and most uncomfortable piece of work I ever undertook. The memorial
-is situated on top of Ben Bhragie, a mountain more than twelve hundred
-feet high, near Golspie, Sutherlandshire. The figure is of colossal
-size--thirty-three feet six inches from heel to head--and the pedestal
-on which it stands measures ninety feet from base to summit.
-
-[Illustration: THE BEGINNING OF THE END--A STACK JUST BEGINNING TO
-FALL.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by Gale & Polden, Ltd._
-]
-
-The time was mid-winter; there was five feet of snow on the mountain,
-and gale followed gale with irritating persistency. Ladders and gear
-froze solid during the night, so that it became necessary in the
-morning for me to chop my way to the top through the ice that had
-accumulated meanwhile. The ascent and descent of the mountain, too,
-proved so long and arduous that I could only put in about two hours'
-work in a day. Altogether, I was not sorry when the job was completed.
-
-[Illustration: CUTTING INTO THE TOOTING CHIMNEY--THIS STACK FELL
-UNEXPECTEDLY, ACTUALLY GRAZING MR. LARKINS'S SCALP AS HE SLIPPED FROM
-UNDER IT.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by The Sport and General
-          Illustrations Co._
-]
-
-Personally, I consider there is more risk in felling chimneys and
-such-like structures than in climbing them; that is to say, when they
-are felled in "my" way. The old-fashioned method was to undermine
-the base and prop it up with timber. This was then saturated with a
-mixture of oil and tar and set on fire. When it burnt through, down
-came the chimney.
-
-The other way, which I may truthfully lay claim to have invented, is
-to cut away the bricks without under-pinning, keeping a sharp look-out
-aloft meanwhile. Sometimes I stand a small, straight twig upright in
-the gash. When this bends ever so little it is a sign to me that the
-thousand tons or so of masonry above me is inclining away from the
-perpendicular, and that its collapse is imminent.
-
-One has to be very careful and very agile. I remember felling a shaft
-at Summerstown, near Tooting. It was brick-built and circular, a
-hundred and forty feet high, and weighed about eight hundred tons.
-Experience has taught me that this kind of chimney can usually be cut
-about halfway through at the base before it shows signs of giving way.
-
-On this occasion, however, the collapse came when I was barely a third
-of the way through, and with scarcely any warning. I leapt aside, but
-the descending stack grazed my scalp as I slipped from under. I was
-able to realize then something of the feelings of Marmion when he
-galloped out of Tantallon Castle across the rising drawbridge, and
-felt the falling portcullis bars "raze his plume."
-
-There were probably not far short of a thousand people present, and in
-the silence that followed the fall of the stack they sent up, as with
-one voice, a loud cry of horror. I was completely hidden from view by
-the clouds of dust that always arise on these occasions, and they were
-quite sure I had been killed. All I lost, however, were my tools and
-cap and jacket, which were buried under the mass of masonry. They are
-there now.
-
-It transpired afterwards that the chimney had been built too close
-to the banks of the Wandle River, so that its foundations had become
-undermined--hence its premature collapse.
-
-One reads not infrequently of fights with madmen in mid-air. I used
-to regard these as fiction pure and simple, until such an adventure
-actually befell myself.
-
-It happened at Deptford, about two years ago. I had been engaged to
-repair the outside of the top of the shaft at the waterworks there.
-The fires were not drawn, and the heated fumes and smoke that were
-continually being belched from the mouth of the chimney made the job
-a far from pleasant one, especially as the day happened to be
-exceptionally warm, with scarcely a breath of air stirring.
-
-Still, a "jack" takes but little notice of these things, and I and my
-two assistants worked steadily on for some hours. I was just thinking
-of giving the word to knock off for dinner, when the man nearest me
-suddenly stopped of his own accord, threw down his tools, straightened
-himself up on the coping, facing inwards, and clasped his hands above
-his head, like a man about to take a dive--which was, in point of
-fact, precisely what he was going to do. Only, it was not into water
-that he intended plunging, but straight down the reeking chimney, to
-be presently incinerated by the flaming furnaces far below!
-
-I think the two of us that were left divined his intention at the same
-moment. "Quick! Grab him!" I cried, and we both dashed at him. Only
-just in time, for his head and shoulders were disappearing within the
-mouth of the shaft as we clutched him by the legs. It was a wonder
-that he did not drag us down with him, for he struggled fiercely. But
-it was two to one, and eventually we overpowered him and hauled him
-out on the coping.
-
-There he lay, limp and gasping, half choked with the fumes, while we
-bound him hand and foot with a ladder-rope. Then, with assistance, we
-managed to lower him to the ground. The doctors said that the heat of
-the sun had temporarily affected his brain.
-
-Another nasty turn I had was while I was engaged in repairing the
-steeple of a church in Wiltshire. I was sitting in a cradle under a
-coping, while my man was standing on the projection immediately above
-my head. He leaned over to ask me a question, lost his balance, and
-the next thing I knew was that his body was hurtling downwards past me
-through the empty air. I nearly followed him, so sick and unnerved was
-I at the sight.
-
-[Illustration: THE WALLINGFORD CHIMNEY--OWING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF
-THE GROUND THIS HAD TO BE THROWN UPON ITS CORNER.
-
- _From a Copyright Photo. by The Sport and General
-         Illustrations Co._
-]
-
-[Illustration: THE WALLINGFORD CHIMNEY FALLING--IT WILL BE NOTICED
-THAT THE BRICKWORK IS STILL ALMOST INTACT.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by The Sport and General
-          Illustrations Co._
-]
-
-[Illustration: ONE OF THE ALDERSHOT CHIMNEYS FALLING, WATCHED BY AN
-IMMENSE CROWD--THIS STACK AND ANOTHER FELL EXACTLY UPON THE LINES
-MARKED OUT FOR THEM.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by Gale & Polden, Ltd._
-]
-
-This may sound strange, but I think any man who has done much climbing,
-whether on mountains or on steeples and other high artificial erections,
-will bear me out when I say that to witness an accident of this kind,
-and to know oneself impotent either to prevent or assist, is one of the
-most terrifying experiences that it is possible to conceive. Whymper has
-left it on record how, when during his most memorable ascent Lord
-Frederick Douglas and his friend fell to their deaths, he was so utterly
-unnerved for the time being that he could only cling to the face of the
-precipice, trembling and crying, unable to move a step one way or the
-other.
-
-Luckily the end of my little adventure partook rather of the nature of
-comedy than tragedy. When I mustered up courage to look down, I saw
-my mate sitting on the corrugated iron roof of a building far below,
-vigorously rubbing that portion of his anatomy upon which schoolboys
-are popularly supposed to be birched.
-
-He had fallen squarely upon it, and the resilient roof, acting like
-a spring mattress, had broken his fall, bouncing him up and down some
-half-a-dozen times with continually decreasing momentum until at last
-he came to rest. He was much bruised and shaken, but no bones were
-broken, and after a few days' rest was as fit as a fiddle again.
-
-Most jobs a steeplejack has to undertake are hard ones; hard, that
-is to say, from the point of view of manual labour. Occasionally,
-however, one drops across one that is ridiculously easy.
-
-For example, I was called to Truro because the vane on top of the
-steeple of its famous cathedral refused to work. Residents were making
-obvious jokes about its being a weather_hen_, and not a weathercock at
-all, because it "sat so tight."
-
-I travelled three hundred miles on the level, and then climbed four
-hundred feet into the air, with visions of displaced masonry and
-fractured ironwork before my eyes, only to find that the socket in
-which the vane worked was badly in need of oiling. I rather think
-that that is a record in big efforts for little objects. Three hundred
-miles by rail, four hundred feet by ladder--and all to grease a
-weathercock!
-
-This, by the way, was the highest steeple I ever climbed, also
-the most southerly, except the French Cathedral, Jersey. The most
-northerly was that which surmounts Dornoch Cathedral. This is Mr.
-Andrew Carnegie's regular place of worship, and quite close to his
-residence, Skibo Castle.
-
-[Illustration: FELLING A CHIMNEY A HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OLD--IT
-STOOD TWO HUNDRED FEET HIGH AND WEIGHED TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED
-TONS--THIS AND ANOTHER CHIMNEY WERE THROWN WITHIN AN HOUR.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-[Illustration: THE OLD-FASHIONED METHOD OF BURNING PROPS--APPLYING THE
-MATCH TO THE MATERIAL. WHEN THE SUPPORTS HAVE BURNT THROUGH DOWN COMES
-THE CHIMNEY.
-
-  _From a Copyright Photo. by The Sport and General
-          Illustrations Co._
-]
-
-"I suppose," I remarked to some of the local residents, "that Mr.
-Carnegie is pretty generous round here?"
-
-"No," they replied; "he has made it a rule not to give anything to any
-charity that is situated within twenty miles of Skibo."
-
-At the time I thought this was hard, not to say foolish. On further
-reflection, however, I can see he is wise; he does not want his
-demesne to become a magnet, drawing hospitals, almshouses, and what
-not to its immediate vicinity from the uttermost ends of the earth.
-
-When I am given a job, I usually keep quiet about it beforehand. It is
-no use attracting a crowd, and that is precisely what happens if the
-news gets spread abroad. The work of a steeplejack seems to exercise a
-quite extraordinary fascination over all sorts and conditions of men.
-
-Thus, at Aldershot recently, some twenty thousand people assembled
-to see me throw two chimneys. They flocked to the scene from the
-surrounding neighbourhood, and Aldershot itself made high holiday of
-the occasion, most of the big works being closed.
-
-The authorities kept the ground clear, although I must say that the
-crowd showed no disposition to invade the immediate proximity of
-the stacks, when once we had got fairly to work on them. Even the
-dwelling-houses within a possible radius of the falling masses were
-deserted, and one family erected a tent in a neighbouring field and
-camped out in it until all danger was at an end.
-
-They need not have been scared, however, for the stacks fell exactly
-upon the lines I had chalked out for them. Outsiders can rarely be
-made to understand how comparatively simple it is for a steeplejack
-who knows his business to make a chimney fall precisely where he wills
-it to.
-
-In many instances exactitude in this matter is the first essential. In
-the case of the great Par stack, in Cornwall, for example, I was under
-forfeit of two hundred pounds not to deviate more than a yard either
-way from the space marked out for it, which was only a foot or two
-wider than its own diameter.
-
-This insistence was quite reasonable, for the chimney was surrounded
-with cottages, and stood close alongside the main line of railway.
-Officials and populace were alike alarmed, and the former begged of me
-to desist. When I declined, they held up the traffic as a measure of
-precaution until I had completed the job. As a matter of fact, not
-even a window in the cottages was broken nor a shilling's-worth of
-damage done to the railway line.
-
-People are always asking me to take them with me to the tops of shafts
-and steeples. Usually I decline, but I have to make exceptions. I have
-piloted some scores of clergymen to the summits of the steeples of
-their own churches; and once I escorted the reverend incumbent's
-daughter, a sprightly girl of eighteen. I was rather nervous about it,
-but I need not have been. She was the steadiest and coolest climber,
-for an amateur, that I ever had any dealings with.
-
-I cannot end this article without speaking about what I always call
-"my most romantic climb." This was at Athenry, in County Galway.
-A steeple had been struck by lightning and knocked out of the
-perpendicular. After this it had been taken down--an easy job--but
-nobody could be found who could put it up again. When several other
-steeplejacks had failed I was sent for as a forlorn hope, and
-succeeded. The romance of the climb, however, lies not in this feat,
-but in the fact that it was from the spire, after its replacement,
-that I first caught sight of the young lady who is now my wife.
-
-[Illustration: THE DOMINICAN CHURCH, NEWRY, IRELAND--A PORTION OF THE
-SPIRE WAS BLOWN OFF IN A GALE. A TELEGRAPH WAS SENT TO MR. LARKINS,
-AND THE FOLLOWING DAY THE SPIRE WAS "LADDERED" AND WORK IN FULL SWING.
-
-  _From a Photo. by H. Allison & Co._
-]
-
-
-
-
-THE LONGEST CHASE ON RECORD
-
-BY VINCENT M. HEMMING.
-
-    Being the strange experience of Detective Albert Brissard, who
-    searched France, England, Belgium, and America for a "wanted"
-    man, finally landing his quarry by accident ten months after
-    the search began and seven and a half years after the crime
-    was committed.
-
-
-Never in the annals of police history has a detective officer been so
-long engaged in the search for a fugitive from justice as in the case
-I am about to relate. There have been and are many men "wanted" for
-whom warrants are held indefinitely, but never before has an officer
-spent ten entire months with but one aim--to "get his man," and that
-after an interregnum of more than seven years. On June 3rd, 1900, the
-Baroness de Martigny, of Paris, took into her employment as footman
-an intelligent, good-looking young man, who had previously been in the
-service of General Pellissier, of the French army. The Baroness, the
-grand-daughter of a famous soldier who had been one of Napoleon's
-closest friends, lived in a beautiful hotel in the Avenue du Bois de
-Boulogne, and also occupied a villa for the season each year at Nice.
-Her collection of jewels was the envy of the ladies of the French
-aristocracy, and she had times without number been offered enormous
-sums for them by dealers and collectors. Many of the ornaments had
-once belonged to the Queens of France, and one pearl necklace was even
-said to have at one time adorned the person of an Egyptian princess
-famous in history. These jewels were always kept in a leather-covered
-steel box, made expressly for the purpose. When not deposited at her
-bankers', this box was in the keeping of a trusted maid, who was in
-turn guarded by a "valet de pied" at times when the Baroness might
-have occasion to take her jewels with her when travelling.
-
-In December, 1900, the Baroness, accompanied by two maids and the
-valet engaged some months before, was to travel to London for a few
-days' stay in the capital on a visit to friends. She seldom carried
-all her jewels with her, but on this occasion she did so, as an august
-personage had expressed a desire to see them. Two servants of
-the bank, under the eye of a sub-manager, had delivered the
-morocco-covered box to the Baroness in person, and she in turn gave it
-over to her maid, Marcelle.
-
-All the luggage had gone on ahead, and the brougham was at the door
-to take the Baroness to the Gare St. Lazare Station, when the maid,
-Marcelle, came running into the lady's presence and attempted to
-speak. Her tongue refused to move, however, and there the girl stood,
-her eyes almost out of her head, shivering from head to foot. When
-at last she gained control of herself she stammered, "Madame--the
-jewel-case--it is gone!"
-
-The Baroness tried to get the girl into a rational frame of mind,
-saying the box could not have been removed from the house; Marcelle
-must have placed it somewhere else than in its accustomed place.
-No; the girl was positive she had put the treasure-box on milady's
-dressing-table just for a moment while she had gone for her hat and
-coat. When she returned the case was gone!
-
-Orders were at once given to lock the doors, and all the servants were
-called together and questioned, but no one knew anything at all about
-the matter. Had anyone entered the house? Had anyone left it? Only
-Henri, milady's valet. He was at the door with the brougham. "Let
-him be called," ordered the Baroness. One of the servants went to the
-door. The brougham was there, as was also the coachman, but Henri was
-nowhere to be seen.
-
-"Henri has gone to the station," said the coachman. "Yes, he had a
-leather bag or box with him." This information was duly transmitted to
-the Baroness.
-
-"Very unusual for him to do such a thing," she commented; "but perhaps
-he was anxious about the jewels."
-
-Thereupon the trustful lady sent them all about their business, got
-into her brougham, and was driven to the station. But where was Henri?
-Well, to cut a long story short, Henri had not gone to the station,
-and the noble lady, now disillusioned, at once postponed her London
-journey, and set the machinery of the law in motion to discover
-the young man who had ten thousand pounds' worth of jewels and five
-hundred pounds in cash in his possession. No sooner were the police
-notified than the criminal quarters of Paris were literally "turned
-inside out." The Baroness de Martigny was not only a lady of great
-prominence and influence, but she offered enormous rewards for the
-recovery of her property. The intrinsic value of the jewels was a
-secondary consideration, their romantic associations and the fact of
-their having been family heirlooms making them priceless in the lady's
-eyes. Every possible loophole of escape was watched, and Herculean
-efforts were made by the police; but for the moment the thief had
-made good his escape, leaving no clue behind him, and three long weeks
-elapsed before anything tangible manifested itself. Then, one morning
-the bell rang at the Baroness's house in the Bois de Boulogne, and a
-gentleman presented himself, asking that his card should be taken to
-the Baroness. It read, "Monsieur Albert Brissard--Agent." The caller
-was asked to state his business, and answered by saying, simply,
-"Henri Dessaure." This gained him the desired audience, and half an
-hour later M. Brissard left the house, having induced the loser of
-the steel box and its precious contents to place the whole matter
-unreservedly in his hands.
-
-[Illustration: "MADAME--THE JEWEL-CASE--IT IS GONE!"]
-
-M. Brissard, who was known among his intimates as "The Ferret," had
-left the French detective service some time previously and started an
-inquiry agency of his own. In starting work upon this jewel-case he
-followed the idea usually worked on by detectives in such cases, at
-least on the Continent--"Look for the woman," and succeeded where
-several other officers, working on the case officially, had hitherto
-failed. He found the woman.
-
-In the Rue de Mesrominil there was a little _brasserie_, or
-public-house, much frequented by servants of the upper class. This
-place was owned by a man named Edouard Morant, whose daughter, a girl
-of eighteen, had been the sweetheart of Henri Dessaure, the absconding
-footman. This girl, learning that Dessaure had been false to her, made
-it her business to find out who had supplanted her in the affections
-of her sweetheart, and discovered that Dessaure had been seen very
-often in the company of a dancing-girl from the Bal Boullier, and also
-that this girl had left Paris only a few days ago, having purchased a
-second-class ticket to New York. She further ascertained that the girl
-had been somewhat in debt, but that shortly before leaving she had
-discharged her obligations, and also purchased a large amount
-of clothes and finery. All this the jealous Mlle. Morant told M.
-Brissard. It was now Saturday, and the dancing-girl had sailed for
-America on Wednesday. M. Brissard at once communicated with the
-American police, and when the French Line steamer _La Touraine_
-arrived at New York a certain young lady, a second-cabin passenger,
-was closely followed when she left the ship. No one was at the docks
-to meet her, but after her luggage had passed the Customs inspection
-she engaged an express wagon to convey her trunks and bags to an
-address in First Avenue, near Twelfth Street, giving the address to
-the driver from a card on which it had been written, no doubt for her
-guidance. One detective followed the luggage, while a second kept
-his eye on the girl. Calling a cab, she again showed the card and was
-driven off, followed by Officer O'Brien, whose colleague, Kernohan,
-remained with the express wagon. Arrived at her destination, the
-girl, looking up to make sure of the number, ascended the stairs of a
-four-storey brick building, the ground floor of which was occupied
-by a small French restaurant. The cab waited, and shortly a young
-man came down, who proceeded to pay the driver. The young man exactly
-answered the description sent over from Paris of the missing Henri
-Dessaure!
-
-After paying the cab fare he returned into the house, while Officer
-O'Brien called a policeman and instructed him to telephone to
-head-quarters. So it happened that just about the time Detective
-Kernohan appeared with the express-man, a third detective arrived on
-the scene with a provisional warrant, granted by the magistrate at
-Jefferson Market police-court, for the arrest of Dessaure on suspicion
-of being a fugitive from justice.
-
-The express-man proceeded to unload his wagon, having first rung
-the door-bell, and once again the young man who bore so striking a
-resemblance to the Baroness de Martigny's late valet came to the door.
-This time he was confronted by two officers, who promptly informed him
-that he was under arrest.
-
-"We believe you to be Henri Dessaure, late of Paris," said Detective
-O'Brien.
-
-The accused turned pale, then, pulling himself together, answered in
-French (in which tongue the detective had addressed him), "That is my
-name. It is no use my trying to deny it. Surely you have something to
-work upon, or you would not be here."
-
-The officers next searched the rooms occupied by Dessaure, but found
-only some fifteen hundred dollars in American money and a few French
-franc pieces.
-
-"Come," said Officer Kernohan, "you may as well give up the jewellery.
-It will save you much unpleasantness."
-
-"I know of no jewellery," replied Dessaure. "I have come to America to
-be married; I have done no wrong."
-
-Seeing that the man could not be induced to speak he was taken to
-police head-quarters, and the next morning, having been formally
-charged with being "wanted" by the French authorities, he was remanded
-and the French police notified. Ten days later two detectives from
-Paris arrived with a servant from the household of the Baroness
-for the purpose of identifying the prisoner. This accomplished, his
-extradition was asked for. Dessaure protested his innocence, and it is
-quite likely would have succeeded in resisting successfully, had not
-for a second time a woman proved his undoing. The detectives arrested
-the dancing-girl as an accomplice, and she at once turned informer,
-saying that Dessaure had told her in Paris that he had safely stored
-away "enough jewels to give us every comfort for life." Believing him,
-she had come to America, Dessaure having given her two thousand
-five hundred francs for that purpose, and to purchase some necessary
-things. Confronted with this statement, the ex-footman assumed an air
-of bravado, saying, "You have got me, but you'll never get what it
-took me many hours of thought to annex. Now let us see just how clever
-you are."
-
-Dessaure returned to Paris some days later in the company of the
-French officers, the girl having been released. Once in the French
-capital, he was lodged in the Santé Prison to await his trial, and
-meanwhile every effort was made to get some clue as to the whereabouts
-of the steel box and its contents; but the police could make no
-impression on Dessaure, who absolutely refused to speak. Promises and
-threats were alike useless, and finally he was brought to trial. The
-newspaper notoriety given to the matter had completely turned the
-ex-valet's head, and he imagined himself a hero. He entered the
-court-room with a smiling face and answered questions in a most
-flippant manner. Even at this late stage the Baroness de Martigny
-offered to withdraw the prosecution--at least, so far as she was
-concerned--if he would divulge the hiding-place of the gems. But
-Dessaure merely folded his arms and said: "Whatever happens, you
-cannot kill me. You were clever enough to capture me; now find the
-jewels."
-
-Evidence was given by a housemaid who had seen the footman in milady's
-rooms and the coachman who had noticed him leave the house with the
-morocco-covered box in his hand, carrying it openly by the handle as
-though sent out with it. It was also proved that Dessaure had changed
-a thousand-franc note at the little _brasserie_ in the Rue Mesrominil
-on the evening of the day of the robbery; and, lastly, Detective
-Brissard came forward with a small antique necklet--the property
-of the Baroness--which Dessaure had given to the daughter of the
-_brasserie_ keeper. On this evidence Dessaure was found guilty and
-sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, the judge remarking that
-on his release, no doubt, such a close watch would be kept on his
-movements that a further charge would be made should the prisoner at
-any time be found in possession of the stolen jewels.
-
-The prisoner took his sentence most coolly, and, as the officers were
-leading him away, turned towards the persons in the court-room and,
-bowing low, said, "Until then, gentlemen, _au revoir_!"
-
-For some months Dessaure was left to serve his sentence in peace, the
-detectives believing that a taste of prison life might have a salutary
-effect on him, or at least induce him to confess where the stolen
-jewels were. True, no promises could be made to him, but at the same
-time it certainly would not _add_ to his sentence should he divulge
-the hiding-place of the Baroness de Martigny's jewels. Detective
-Brissard had several long talks with the convict, but they all ended
-in the same way, Dessaure saying, "I will serve my sentence and then
-enjoy what I have earned; you will not catch me a second time."
-
-Spite of this uncompromising attitude the detective worked
-assiduously, doing his utmost to locate the jewels, the hiding-place
-of which one man alone knew. Finally, however, M. Brissard was
-obliged to consider the case closed, for the time being, and gave his
-attention to other matters.
-
-So time went on, until Dessaure had but a few months more to serve.
-Then one day he wrote a letter, in which he asked the person to whom
-it was addressed, for old times' sake, to supply him with a new suit
-of clothes and other articles of wearing apparel, saying he would
-repay the kindness a hundredfold. This letter came back to the
-prison, the addressee--Mlle. Morant, daughter of the _brasserie_
-keeper--having removed several years back. This upset Dessaure
-greatly, and he asked and received permission to write another letter,
-which was addressed to the girl's father. Again the letter came back,
-marked as before. Dessaure's excitement was now great; he cursed and
-cried in turn. The warders reported that he did not sleep at night,
-and ate scarcely any food.
-
-At last came the morning of his release. The liberated man left the
-prison almost a wreck from mental anguish. He was met at the gates by
-an aged aunt, who gave him a few francs and took him home with her to
-her house in the environs of Paris. Dessaure could not be induced to
-eat, and he would not sit down quietly, but walked about the small
-house, gazing continually out of the window. No sooner was it dark
-than he left the place, looked quickly about him, then hurried to the
-nearest point whence he could get an omnibus cityward. Mounting to the
-top of the vehicle, he looked about him every few moments to see if
-he was being followed. He left the bus at the Madeleine; then, cutting
-through the back streets, made his way to the Rue de Mesrominil. He
-walked on the right-hand side of the street until he came to the place
-where the _brasserie_ of M. Morant had been located. Yes, there was
-still a business of the same kind there, but the place had changed
-hands.
-
-Dessaure crossed the street and entered the little wine-shop, the
-floors above which were rented out to lodgers, as formerly. In the
-basement was a long room used as a dining-room for the guests of the
-house; behind this was a kitchen, and to the left, at the end of a
-short passage, a small yard which was used to store empty casks and
-bottles. Dessaure called for a drink and ordered some food; then,
-as though an old customer thoroughly familiar with the place, he
-deliberately went down into the basement. The cook had received
-Dessaure's order, and the latter stood in the doorway chatting to her.
-After a moment or two he slowly walked through the passage and stood
-in the yard whistling. The cook was busy getting his meal ready and
-offered no objection to his proceedings. One stealthy backward glance,
-and Dessaure swiftly crossed the yard. Taking a short iron bar,
-flattened at one end, from his pocket, he pushed it deeply into the
-ground exactly in the corner of the yard, next a brick wall. Again and
-again he did this; then, in a frenzy, he tore up the earth to a depth
-of two feet, but nothing rewarded his efforts. Jumping to his
-feet, shaking with rage, he shrieked out, "All for nothing! All for
-nothing!" Then, like a wild man, he rushed up the steps and out of the
-place, knocking over a waiter in his headlong flight.
-
-The half-crazed man made his way to the Seine embankment, where he
-walked up and down, trying in vain to think calmly. When he left the
-Baroness de Martigny's house with the stolen jewel-case he had made
-direct for the _brasserie_ in the Rue de Mesrominil, in accordance
-with a plan he had thought out. He hid the jewel-case as much as
-possible under his long servant's coat, and, after having a drink,
-went down into the yard described and buried the jewels with the
-aid of a shovel he had previously placed there in readiness. Then,
-covering the case over, he stamped the ground down solidly, threw
-some earth and stones on the spot, and returned upstairs. Dessaure,
-however, as transpired later, had not taken the precaution to
-ascertain whether anyone was watching him from the windows overlooking
-the yard. It was obvious to him now that someone must have seen him
-bury the gems, or else have discovered them subsequently. And now
-they were for ever lost to him! Covering his face with his hands, the
-heart-broken man repeated to himself the words, "All for nothing! All
-for nothing!" Suddenly he pulled himself together, and, walking
-toward the embankment balustrade, stood there for a moment gazing
-hesitatingly into the waters of the Seine. Then a hand was placed on
-his shoulder, and a voice said:--
-
-"Don't do it, Dessaure! Life is all too short in any case."
-
-The startled man wheeled round, to behold Detective Brissard at his
-elbow! Dessaure was about to speak, when the officer anticipated him.
-
-"I have watched you ever since your release this morning," he said.
-"Come, don't be a fool. We will go to my place and have a talk."
-
-Dessaure, unnerved by the loss of the jewels, for the sake of which
-he had served those long years of imprisonment, was as a child in the
-hands of the shrewd Brissard, and very soon the two men were talking
-the matter over in Brissard's rooms. Dessaure now told the entire
-story of how he had stolen the jewels, and the detective in turn
-informed him that the large reward offered for their recovery was
-still open, and that, if Dessaure cared to assist him, they might
-yet obtain possession of them and return them to their owner. The
-ex-valet, eager to obtain revenge against the unknown who had annexed
-"his" property, readily agreed. So the curious situation arose of
-"setting a thief to catch a thief."
-
-Next morning Detective Brissard made diligent inquiries as to the
-movements of the Morant family, and these inquiries led to what
-developed into the longest chase on record. Just one year after
-Dessaure's conviction, it appeared, the former wine-shop proprietor
-had sold his business in the Rue de Mesrominil and removed with his
-wife and daughter to London, where he opened a restaurant in Greek
-Street, Soho, but, curiously enough, under another name. He had been
-in business there for some months, when one day a former customer
-at the Paris wine-shop entered and recognised M. "Martin," the
-proprietor, as Morant. He thought nothing of this, as people often
-change their names for business purposes when in other countries. But
-what _did_ strike the customer was the fact that Mme. "Martin" was
-wearing a pair of earrings of very great value. Now where did Morant,
-who had owned only a third-class wine-shop in Paris, get possession
-of jewels worth at least several thousand pounds--for madame wore also
-several costly rings and a brooch? The customer jocularly remarked
-that M. "Martin" must have "backed a winner." The latter, instead on
-answering in like manner, turned pale, and gruffly told his former
-patron to mind his own business. Within three days the little
-restaurant in Greek Street had changed hands, and the "Martin" family
-disappeared.
-
-[Illustration: "HE RUSHED OUT OF THE PLACE, KNOCKING OVER A WAITER IN
-HIS HEADLONG FLIGHT."]
-
-All this Detective Brissard learnt by judicious inquiries in Soho,
-London. Then the search for M. Morant began in real earnest. Dessaure
-made friends with many of the French people in this part of London,
-ever seeking information. The owner of the restaurant formerly run
-by "Martin" was not the man who had purchased the place from him.
-His predecessor, however, was, and could be found at an address in
-Brussels. To this city Detective Brissard now went, leaving Dessaure
-in London. Yes; the Belgian knew where M. "Martin" had gone, for a
-trunk was left behind which he had sent to a house in Houston Street,
-New York City, U.S.A. Also, the daughter of M. "Martin" was living, he
-believed, in Brussels, she having married a travelling jeweller.
-
-Brissard cabled to America, and received an answer from the American
-police to the effect that the address given was the office of a
-transfer company, and they were looking over the books to see what
-disposal had been made of the trunk. Brissard next began a search
-for the former Mlle. Morant in Brussels. As, however, there were some
-hundreds of jewellers in that city, this was no small undertaking.
-Successful detectives often admit that "luck" is a potent factor in
-their work, and the French detective now experienced a little good
-fortune. The various cities prominent as diamond markets are possessed
-of clubs at which congregate buyers and sellers of precious stones,
-and which also serve the purpose of a market where the members do
-business among themselves. With the assistance of a Belgian official,
-Brissard was introduced into such a club in Brussels, and here
-he learnt that a young Belgian--not a member, but a good judge
-of stones--had married a French girl named Martin. The fact was
-remembered because the young man had, shortly after his marriage,
-become possessed of several uncommonly valuable emeralds and diamonds.
-This man's address was given to M. Brissard, who at once called
-there--first, however, changing his appearance as a measure of
-precaution.
-
-The jeweller was not at home, he learnt; he was in Amsterdam, but was
-returning on the morrow. M. Brissard, posing as a brother jeweller,
-said he would call again. The lady of the house now came forward, and
-asked if there was anything she could do. One glance was enough for
-the detective--she was the daughter of the man Brissard was searching
-for! But he still was a long way from M. Morant himself, as after
-events proved.
-
-Calling the next day in company with a Belgian detective officer, M.
-Brissard was ushered in and presently the jeweller came into the room.
-The detective briefly made known his business, informing the jeweller
-that it rested with him whether he would be arrested or not, for it
-was known that some of the stolen jewels had been in his keeping.
-Thereupon the man told a most straightforward story to the following
-effect.
-
-He had been to London on business, and took his meals as usual in the
-locality frequented by his compatriots, dining at "Martin's." There
-he met his present wife, they fell in love with each other, and he was
-accepted as a prospective son-in-law. Being an authority on the value
-of precious stones, M. "Martin" confided to him that an aged sister
-had left him a few heirlooms, her husband having been a wealthy man.
-Would his future son-in-law appraise them? He had done so, greatly
-surprised at their value and size, and had further, shortly after
-his marriage, undertaken to sell several unset stones for his
-father-in-law. His wife was absolutely ignorant of all this, and
-not until that moment did he know that her real name was other than
-Martin.
-
-The young woman was called and questioned, and it soon became evident
-that she knew nothing of her father's affairs. He had changed his name
-and impressed upon her that under no circumstances must she use the
-name of Morant, and thus she had been led to deceive even her husband.
-The gems given him for disposal, the jeweller added, had been sold in
-Amsterdam to a buyer there, a Mr. H. Van Kloof, for twenty thousand
-francs (eight hundred pounds). He had not heard from his father-in-law
-for two years, his last address being in Second Avenue, New York City.
-M. Brissard, convinced of the truth of this story, took his leave,
-after having given certain instructions to the Belgian detectives.
-
-On his return to his hotel he found the following cablegram awaiting
-him: "Trunk forwarded Martin, Second Avenue; receipt signed 'Mrs.
-Martin.'"
-
-Brissard now communicated with the American authorities, only to learn
-that no such person as Martin had resided at the number in Second
-Avenue in the memory of the present tenant, the place being a French
-boarding-house.
-
-The detective now returned to London, where Dessaure met him,
-frantically excited. He had found a countryman who had seen Morant
-in New York, where he held the position of _chef_ at a prominent and
-fashionable hotel. This was only six months ago, but the man could not
-remember the name of the hotel, having lost or mislaid the card Morant
-had given him. One thing he _did_ remember, however--Morant was going
-under the name of "Melin."
-
-M. Brissard, believing that Morant was still in New York and that he
-could expedite matters by going there himself, promptly took passage
-with Dessaure. It struck him as peculiar that a man who was in
-possession, or had been in possession, of what was practically a small
-fortune should seek employment; but the officer did not know, perhaps,
-that the position of _chef_ in a large hotel is a most lucrative one.
-The two searchers arrived in due course in New York and rooms were
-taken in the French quarter of the city, both men posing as wine
-merchants. Dessaure, who had been in America before, took rooms in a
-house much frequented by cooks, while Brissard lived in a small French
-hotel near by. For several weeks the two worked with untiring energy,
-making careful inquiries. Brissard himself visited every hotel of
-prominence in New York and Brooklyn, inquiring there of the hotel
-detectives for a M. Melin, and being quietly taken into the kitchen to
-look over the various staffs. Not until three long months had passed,
-however, did they come upon even the semblance of a clue. Then, one
-evening, as M. Brissard and Dessaure were sitting at a small table in
-the bar-room of Brissard's hotel, there entered a young man whom the
-detective knew. He had at one time been a pastry-cook in the household
-of a French diplomat, and had been an habitué of Morant's wine-shop in
-Paris. Greetings were exchanged, and after some conversation Brissard
-casually remarked, "I wonder what became of old Morant?"
-
-The young Frenchman looked up sharply. "It's strange that you should
-speak of him," he said. "Only two weeks ago he took rooms at the house
-where I am living. It happened that I was going out just as he came
-in. I greeted him, but he refused to recognise me, and, stranger
-still, after paying a month's rent in advance he never came near the
-house again."
-
-Here, at last, was something to work on--Morant was still in New York.
-Brissard now began what was practically a house-to-house search, for
-every place patronized by foreigners was visited, the detective taking
-one district and Dessaure another. It was tedious work, but Morant was
-somewhere in New York and Brissard meant to find him, his assistant
-being perhaps even more eager than himself. For two more weeks the
-pair searched for many hours each day; but it was Dessaure who got the
-first tangible evidence as to Morant's whereabouts, and this was in
-the identical house where Dessaure had lived on his first visit to
-America some years before! Dessaure himself had quite forgotten this,
-and when the ring of the bell was answered by a maid, he politely
-asked if "M. Melin" was living there.
-
-"No one of that name is known here," was the answer. Dessaure, as
-usual, then produced a photograph of Morant.
-
-"Ah," said the girl; "that is M. Martin, who has been here some
-four weeks. He and madame left only yesterday. They are returning to
-France."
-
-Dessaure at once looked up Brissard and told him of his discovery.
-Together they returned to the house, and Brissard succeeded in gaining
-admittance to the rooms only just vacated by the Morants, where every
-scrap of paper in the rooms and wardrobe was carefully collected.
-Brissard had an interview with the proprietor of the place, and
-then hurried to police headquarters, from where men were sent to the
-different steamship offices to look over the bookings. The French
-authorities were notified, and the ships which had sailed the day
-before and on that day were communicated with by wireless telegraphy.
-
-Meanwhile, Brissard had found the expressman who had removed Morant's
-belongings, taking them to the docks of the French line of steamers
-labelled for the ship sailing on the following day. This was
-getting close. With the assistance of the American police it was now
-ascertained that the luggage and its owners were booked under the name
-of "Martin," and a man was detailed to watch the trunks in case M.
-"Martin" changed his mind about sailing. Next morning, M. Brissard,
-Dessaure, and two American detectives, armed with a provisional
-warrant, awaited the appearance of the much-wanted man. The ship was
-to sail at noon, and shortly after ten a well-dressed woman walked
-slowly into the receiving dock and inquired the way to that portion of
-the pier where was located the letter "M" (all luggage being collected
-under the initial of its owner). She was directed some distance ahead,
-and, arriving at the location, inspected some of the luggage.
-
-Evidently satisfied that everything belonging to her was there, she
-slowly walked away and out of the dock, apparently not caring to board
-the ship so early.
-
-Detective Brissard watched this woman closely, but not quite closely
-enough. It was Mme. Morant, and she had seen him and recognised him,
-having been sent by her husband to see if the coast seemed clear for
-their flight. On reaching the street she took a handkerchief from
-a bag hanging at her waist and passed it across her face, an action
-which M. Morant observed from the window of a restaurant opposite,
-where he was anxiously watching. Brissard, not knowing he had been
-recognised, or that Morant had heard of the inquiries being made about
-him, followed Mme. Morant to the Elevated Railway. As she had still
-some two hours before sailing-time the detective naturally supposed
-she was going to meet her husband.
-
-Mme. Morant left the train at Forty-Second Street, and made her way to
-the Grand Central Railway Station. There she turned round suddenly, as
-if looking for someone, and the detective instinctively felt that the
-woman knew she was being followed. Throwing discretion to the winds,
-Brissard now deliberately approached, and, raising his hat, said:--
-
-"Good morning, Mme. Morant."
-
-The woman smiled sweetly. "I seem to know your face," she replied,
-"but for the life of me I cannot recall your name."
-
-"I will assist you, madame," said the officer. "I am M. Brissard, of
-Paris, detective agent."
-
-Without showing the least perturbation, Mine. Morant held out her
-hand. "Ah, yes," she replied. "It is so long since I have been in
-Paris; I had forgotten. How do you do?"
-
-M. Brissard assured the lady he was enjoying the best of health, and
-in turn asked after madame's husband.
-
-"Ah, poor Morant!" was the answer. "He has been dead some years; I
-have married again."
-
-Brissard sympathized with her. He was extremely sorry to trouble her,
-he said, but a certain event in the life of the late M. Morant was
-being looked into by the police, and he, Brissard, was afraid that
-madame would have to accompany him--simply to answer a few questions.
-The woman kept remarkably cool, only the pallor of her face giving
-evidence of the emotion she was trying so hard to control.
-
-"Certainly I will go," was her reply. "Only you must excuse me for a
-moment."
-
-M. Brissard gently pointed out that this was impossible, a cab was
-called, and Mme. Morant was driven to police head-quarters. Now,
-American police methods may be somewhat strenuous, but in ninety-nine
-cases out of a hundred they are successful. American officers brook no
-nonsense, treating criminals as they should be treated, and it must be
-admitted they seldom make mistakes. Madame was at once searched by
-a female attendant, and then she was asked a few questions by a
-detective inspector.
-
-The "strenuous method" bore good results, for the Frenchwoman admitted
-that Morant was very much alive. When it came to divulging his
-whereabouts, however, she remained adamant. The trunks were now
-brought up from the docks and searched, but absolutely nothing was
-found in any way bearing on the missing jewels. Madame herself wore
-three very fine rings and a bar brooch containing two large diamonds,
-but all these were in modern settings, and, if they were part of the
-Martigny jewels, had been reset. But, careful as she and her husband
-had evidently been, they had not been quite careful enough, for madame
-was wearing a small watch encrusted with pearls, on the inside of
-which was inscribed, "12 Avril, 1877. C. J. de M."
-
-This was evidence absolute, but Mme. Morant now resolutely refused
-to say another word, and the search for the erstwhile keeper of the
-little wine-shop in Paris had to be renewed. Meanwhile legal machinery
-was set in motion which resulted in Mme. Morant being extradited as
-an accessory, and shortly she was taken back to Paris in custody.
-Brissard and Dessaure were now assisted in their man-hunt by the
-authorities, and again several weeks went by uneventfully. Then M.
-Brissard heard from Brussels to the effect that Morant's daughter had
-gone to Paris to visit her mother, and also that she had paid several
-visits to Ostend. Following immediately on this came word to Dessaure
-that Morant had been seen in London and also in Ostend. Then came
-another piece of conclusive evidence. A man named O'Keefe, who
-travelled to and from Tilbury Docks in charge of cattle, was arrested
-in New York for creating a disturbance while under the influence of
-liquor. On him was found a valuable unset emerald. O'Keefe admitted
-stealing the jewel from a man who had worked his passage over on
-a cattle-boat, saying the stone had been dropped by this man. He,
-O'Keefe, had picked it up and kept it. He described the man, and
-beyond question it was Morant. Brissard and Dessaure at once crossed
-the Channel and looked up Dessaure's informant in London. The latter
-told them he had seen the wanted man in a restaurant, where
-he received a letter addressed to him. The proprietor of the
-eating-house, on being questioned, remembered the letter, and also
-that it bore a Belgian stamp. Furthermore, he said Morant had looked
-up the time of the boat-trains, and he was certain that he had gone to
-Ostend. Thither the searchers now went, and one of the first persons
-they saw after arriving was M. Morant's daughter. She was taking the
-train for Brussels, and M. Brissard at once went up to her. "Madame,"
-he said, "you will at once tell me where your father is, or I must
-have you arrested."
-
-The young woman staggered and would have fallen had not the detective
-assisted her. "Believe me, I do not know," she answered, piteously.
-"My mother sent me here with a message. I was to meet my father at
-the station. I have been here all day and have not seen him, so am
-returning."
-
-Brissard hurriedly spoke to Dessaure, and then boarded the train which
-carried the young woman to Brussels. Dessaure now wore a full beard,
-and was not recognised by his former sweetheart. He went to a small
-hotel and had some food, then returned, as he had been told to do, to
-the railway station, to await word from M. Brissard at the telegraph
-office.
-
-At a late hour this arrived, telling Dessaure to go on to Paris at
-once. This he did, meeting the detective the next day at the latter's
-rooms. Brissard seemed in very good spirits. "Our man is here
-in Paris," he said; "he is human, and has followed his wife. The
-son-in-law is an honourable fellow, and, although he has helped his
-father-in-law, is desirous of putting an end to all this. He will
-induce Morant to give himself up. I have every faith in him."
-
-"But what about the reward?" asked Dessaure.
-
-"We will see to that," replied the detective, confidently.
-
-At nine o'clock the two men walked down the boulevards to the
-Montmartre district. Arriving in the vicinity of a wine-shop there, M.
-Brissard stationed himself directly opposite. Dessaure did not quite
-understand all this, nevertheless he did as he was told. Looking up
-casually toward a cross street, he saw approaching on the opposite
-side a man whom he thought he recognised. The man wore a light
-overcoat and a straw hat, and seemed to be looking for someone. With
-a cry Dessaure, unable to restrain himself, rushed across the street,
-and grasping the man by the throat struck him repeatedly in the face.
-It was the long-sought Morant! The men were separated by Morant's
-son-in-law, who had been waiting for him, and who upbraided M.
-Brissard for being there. He said he had given his word that he would
-bring Morant to the police, and that Brissard had broken faith with
-him.
-
-"You are quite welcome to carry out your agreement," replied the
-detective. "All I want is the jewels this man has in his possession,
-and I thought it advisable to get them in case--well, in case he
-decided to leave them elsewhere before giving himself up."
-
-The four men now proceeded to the Prefecture of Police, where Morant,
-on being searched, was discovered to have on his person more than half
-of the twice-stolen jewels.
-
-He now told his story. How his wife, sitting at a third-storey window,
-drying her hair after a shampoo, had been an interested spectator of
-Dessaure's man[oe]uvres in burying the box, and after his departure
-had informed her husband. Morant had promptly dug the case up and, on
-discovering what it contained, at first intended to hand it over to
-the police. Then greed overcame him, and, despite the protestations
-of his wife, he decided to keep them. He narrated how he reburied the
-jewels in another spot, in case Dessaure should divulge their original
-hiding-place to the police, and how he waited for some months alter
-Dessaure's conviction before selling his _café_. Then he departed
-for London and opened a restaurant there. He knew the detectives in
-America were searching for him, he said, and so took a situation
-as _chef_ in another name. The jewels had proved a curse to him
-throughout. Morant's story was listened to by the Prefect, and he was
-then placed under arrest as an "accessory after the fact."
-
-He was tried some weeks later, convicted, and sent to prison for a
-term of three years. His nerves had been completely shattered by his
-long ordeal, however, and five weeks after his reception at the Santé
-Morant died in the prison hospital.
-
-[Illustration: "GRASPING THE MAN BY THE THROAT, HE STRUCK HIM
-REPEATEDLY IN THE FACE."]
-
-
-
-
-THE LAND OF SUPERSTITION.
-
-[Illustration: HOLDING A BOY OVER "ST. JOHN'S FIRE," IN THE BELIEF
-THAT IT WILL CURE HIP-DISEASE.]
-
-BY FREDERIC LEES.
-
-    Nowhere in France are curious beliefs so rife as in Finistère,
-    the Morbihan, and the Côtes-du-Nord, where most of the
-    little-known facts contained in the following pages were
-    collected. As to the photographs by M. Paul Géniaux, the
-    well-known authority on Breton folk-lore, they are unique,
-    since they represent for the first time a number of the
-    superstitious ceremonies to which the Bretons, in spite of the
-    spread of education, still pin their faith.
-
-
-We were cycling through Brittany--my Breton friend and I--and the turn
-of the road suddenly brought us within sight of a typical Finistère
-village, with its picturesque grey cottages surrounded by verdant
-orchards. Slackening speed, we began to look about us, and it was then
-that, glancing to my right down a narrow side road, I beheld a scene
-that made me dismount and call to my companion.
-
-"I say, Géniaux, whatever are they doing to the little chap?" I cried.
-"Are they grilling him for supper?"
-
-My friend's only reply was a chuckle and the click of the shutter of
-his camera, which, on coming to me, he had instinctively swung into
-the right position for a snapshot. Not until the photographic record
-had been obtained and the plate had been changed did he vouchsafe to
-give me an explanation of what we saw before us. In the middle of the
-road a small bonfire was merrily crackling. Over it a boy of six
-or seven was being held by a man and a woman, whilst three other
-peasant-women and some children looked on with solemn faces. What
-could be the meaning of this extraordinary proceeding, which looked
-for all the world like a human sacrifice?
-
-"No; he's not being prepared for supper," replied Paul Géniaux,
-with another chuckle. "That boy has something the matter with his
-leg--hip-disease, I should say; and these good people think they are
-going to effect a cure by holding him over a bonfire on St. John's
-Day. I hope they'll succeed. Poor little chap! We are lucky to have
-seen the ceremony and got a photograph, for this is one of the most
-curious of our Breton superstitions. I'd quite forgotten that to-day
-was the 'Jour de Saint-Jean.' Many a bonfire will be lit in Brittany
-to-night, and many a cripple will be submitted to this ordeal of
-fire."
-
-Whilst my friend was speaking the ceremony had come to an end and the
-little boy had been handed over to his mother, who departed on her
-way, probably rejoicing. As the other members of the group were about
-to disperse we drew near, with the usual salutations, and entered into
-conversation. Though I knew that my fellow-traveller's knowledge was
-quite equal to that of these simple peasant folk, I was anxious to
-learn something from their own lips, and above all to judge for myself
-of their sincerity. At first they were decidedly shy, but when my
-friend spoke a few words to them in their native Breton they became
-quite open, and evidently no longer regarded us as "strangers."
-
-[Illustration: THE TOMB OF ST. YVES--HUNCHBACKS COME FROM FAR AND NEAR
-TO CRAWL THROUGH IT AND SO GET THEIR DEFORMITY REMOVED.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-"Yes; we were quite right," explained the man. "The boy was suffering
-from hip-disease; and as all the doctors in the district had failed
-to do him any good they were trying a remedy in which they had every
-faith. It was a great pity that the mother had not resorted to it
-sooner. But she was a young woman, full of all sorts of new ideas,
-and she had preferred to waste her money on the doctors. _He_ was
-a believer in the old remedies. He had known a 'feu de Saint-Jean'
-perform miracles. But to be thoroughly effective it was essential that
-the two people who held the child should concentrate their thoughts on
-the work and have perfect faith. Nothing could be done without faith."
-
-There was such a ring of sincerity in his voice that we two sceptics
-were disarmed. It was useless to try to disillusionize the man, so we
-asked him further questions and obtained the additional information
-that a "feu de Saint-Jean" was good for other things besides
-complaints and diseases. A horse, for instance, that had been passed
-through the fire was rendered proof against illness, and would perform
-its work much better than one that had not undergone the ordeal. This
-chance meeting with an interesting example of Breton superstition
-prompted an idea. We determined that whilst on our journey through
-Brittany we would collect as many similar examples as we could, so as
-to form the nucleus of a book on the folklore of that part of France.
-And wherever we went we found something to add to our records, as the
-following examples will show.
-
-A very large number of the superstitions of Brittany apply to
-ailments. Poor food, the excessive use of alcohol, and profound
-ignorance of the laws of health make the Bretons subject to numerous
-complaints, which they endeavour to cure by means that were adopted by
-their forefathers as far back as the fourteenth century. On reaching
-a little village near Tréguier we were advised to see the tomb of
-St. Yves in the church-yard, and on going there found an old woman--a
-hunchback--creeping through a narrow aperture with which that
-beautiful monument is pierced. Though she had been deformed since
-childhood, she was quite convinced that the saint, who had been
-renowned during his life-time for the miraculous healing of the sick,
-might still be able to do something for her. This "Hunchbacks' Hole"
-in the tomb of St. Yves had already cured quite a number of _bossus_,
-in accordance, legend said, with a promise made by the holy man. He
-himself, in his youth, had been hunchbacked. Remembering this when on
-his death-bed, he gave instructions that his tomb should be fashioned
-in the particular form in which it is to-day, at the same time
-promising that every cripple who crept through it should have the
-benefit of his prayers in heaven.
-
-[Illustration: A CURIOUS CURE FOR WARTS--DROPPING HARICOT BEANS ONE BY
-ONE DOWN A "HOLY" WELL.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The minor troubles to which poor humanity is subject are also "cured"
-by the carrying out of certain other peculiar ceremonies. When
-a Breton girl suffers from warts, for instance, she has herself
-blindfolded, takes a handful of haricot beans, and feels her way to
-the nearest well, into which she must throw the beans one by one, at
-the same time wishing. Should the well be a holy one--and most
-wells in Brittany have been blessed by the priests and are therefore
-considered to be "holy"--all the better; for her warts will disappear
-the very next day. In the case of an ordinary well, however, they will
-not be "charmed away" anything like so rapidly. Still, in the end the
-sincere wisher will get rid of them. To combat acute forms of headache
-a very curious method is employed near Billiers, in the Morbihan. The
-sufferer pricks his or her forehead with a needle until blood flows;
-then, with the same needle, he or she pricks a certain cross that was
-erected in 1874 near the village. By this means it is believed that
-the headache is made to "enter the wood," where it will remain for at
-least a fortnight. This "cure" is attributed to the intervention of
-the Virgin Mary, who is said to have appeared in the above-mentioned
-year where the cross is erected, with a promise that she would perform
-miracles "to prove her descent at that spot." Adjoining the cross for
-curing headaches is another that is reputed to be of great service in
-the cure of diseases of the scalp. All that the sufferers need do is
-to come and pray there, leaving their bonnets or caps behind them,
-attached to a forked branch stuck in the earth.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-    HOW TO REMOVE A HEADACHE--HAVING PRICKED YOUR FOREHEAD WITH A
-    NEEDLE TILL BLOOD FLOWS, YOU STICK THE NEEDLE INTO THE CROSS
-    ON THE RIGHT. THE SECOND CROSS IS HELD IN HIGH REPUTE FOR
-    CURING SCALP DISEASES.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-[Illustration: UNLESS ONE OF THE HIVES OF A DECEASED PEASANT IS
-IMMEDIATELY COVERED WITH CRAPE THE BEES WILL FLY AWAY AND SEEK ANOTHER
-MASTER!
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-When, in the case of serious ailments, a cure is not effected by one
-or other of these means, the sufferer considers that he has received
-a very bad sign. Everyone must die sooner or later, and he recognises
-that he has received a warning. Sometimes the "warning" is a very
-definite one, as we were told on passing through a place called
-Muzollac. A candle is seen to float out through the church door and
-fall down the chimney of the house of the sick person! Death is not
-far off when that phenomenon is observed, and one of the first things
-that the relatives do, should there be bees in the garden, is to cover
-one of the hives with crape. If this is not done they believe the bees
-will all fly away and seek another master!
-
-There are all sorts of superstitions in Brittany connected with
-candles and death. On the occasion of a marriage, for instance, the
-bride and bridegroom take great care to give an extra large tip to the
-choir-boy whose duty it is to light the candles on the altar and see
-that they burn well throughout the ceremony. For, should one of the
-candles begin to flicker and go out, it is certain that someone is
-going to die within a year. If it is one in front of the bride, then
-she is to be the victim; if it is one opposite the bridegroom, then
-the misfortune is to descend upon him.
-
-[Illustration: DIVINATION BY NEEDLE--IF THE GIRLS' NEEDLES FLOAT
-TWICE OUT OF THREE TIMES THEY WILL SECURE A HUSBAND. SOME UNSCRUPULOUS
-INQUIRERS "SQUARE" THE ORACLE BY GREASING THEIR NEEDLES!
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The majority of the strange beliefs of ancient Brittany apply,
-however, not to so gloomy a subject as death, but to the joyful one of
-love and marriage. Especially are the maidens of that part of France
-believers in signs and portents. They begin at the age of sixteen or
-seventeen with the floating needle superstition. In little parties of
-three to six they set out for a walk in the country, choosing a day
-when there is not much wind, for there must be hardly a ripple on the
-surface of the pool where they intend to question the future.
-
-When, in the beautiful, orchard-covered suburbs of Quimper, we met one
-of these bright-faced, laughing groups of lasses, the object of whose
-journey was evident from the plaster statuette of St. Catherine which
-one of them carried in her arms, we asked to be allowed to accompany
-them. Hearing that their portraits were to be taken they willingly
-consented. So we set off across the fields together and soon arrived
-at a shaded pool of clear spring water.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-    ANOTHER METHOD OF "QUESTIONING ST. CATHERINE"--THE STATUETTE
-    OF THE SAINT IS AFFIXED TO A TREE AND A HEAD-DRESS PLACED
-    UPON IT. IF IT FALLS TO THE RIGHT THE GIRL WILL MAKE A HAPPY
-    MARRIAGE; IF TO THE LEFT, SHE WILL BE AN OLD MAID.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The statuette of St. Catherine--the patron saint of old maids--was
-then placed on one of the banks, and the girls, taking out their
-needles, began to see if they would float on the surface of the water.
-If they succeeded twice out of three times in making them float,
-then the saint had answered in the affirmative; they were to have
-a husband, and perhaps before many months had gone by. But if the
-needles went to the bottom, then they would remain spinsters all their
-lives. In the eyes of the Breton girl this is a terrible fate; and
-Géniaux told me, as we continued on our way towards the ancient
-cathedral city, that sometimes those who go on needle-floating
-excursions do not play fair: they take care to grease their needles
-well, so that they cannot do anything else but float!
-
-In other parts of Brittany, especially in the northern departments,
-another method of questioning St. Catherine is adopted. The statuette
-is affixed to a tree in an orchard. One after the other the girls then
-arrange a head-dress above the saint's head. If the wind blows the
-_coiffure_ down to the right, it is regarded as proof that the girl
-to whom it belongs will make a happy marriage; but if it falls to
-the left, she will be an old maid all her life. To the girls in the
-Côtes-du-Nord this is an absolutely reliable test, and no amount of
-argument will make them believe that St. Catherine does not control
-the wind in such a manner that it answers "yes" or "no."
-
-[Illustration: IN SOME PARTS OF BRITTANY IT IS BELIEVED THAT NO
-MARRIAGE WILL TURN OUT WELL UNLESS THE YOUNG MAN DEPOSITS A CERTAIN
-SUM OF MONEY WITH HIS INTENDED--IF THE MAN BREAKS THE ENGAGEMENT HE
-LOSES HIS MONEY.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-[Illustration: THE VILLAGERS OF BILLIERS PUT LARGE CROSSES IN
-WHITEWASH OVER THEIR DOORS TO PROTECT THE HOUSES FROM LIGHTNING.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-Before leaving the subject of marriage superstitions, I must not omit
-to mention the belief that is common around Pont-l'Abbé to the
-effect that no marriage will turn out a happy one unless the _fiancé_
-deposits a sum of money, varying from fifty to five hundred francs,
-according to his social position, with his intended. Parisians are
-well acquainted with this custom in the case of their tailors, who,
-when a customer is not very well known, insist on a deposit. "On est
-prié de laisser des arrhes" is a common notice in the shops of French
-_tailleurs_; but until I went to Brittany I was not aware that it was
-also observed in the marriage market. The money is deposited, as I have
-said, in order to assure a happy union; but should no marriage take
-place, and this through the fault of the _fiancée_, the sum must be
-returned. If the engagement is broken off by the man, then he loses his
-deposit. When at Pont-l'Abbé we were told an amusing story in this
-connection.
-
-A certain shrewd Breton maiden, whom the inhabitants of the little
-town still called "the perpetual _fiancée_," got herself engaged no
-fewer than seven times in succession, and each time she succeeded
-in forcing her _fiancé_ to break the engagement. In this way she
-collected close on one thousand francs. After the seventh young man
-of Pont-l'Abbe had been cast aside she could not succeed in finding
-an eighth, for everybody fought shy of her. One day, however, the
-announcement went forth, to everybody's amazement, that "the
-perpetual _fiancée_" was to be married. The fortunate, or unfortunate,
-bridegroom turned out to be a sailor of the neighbouring port of
-Loctudy, who had been away on a long voyage, and to whom, people said,
-the girl had been engaged all the time. During his absence she had
-simply been collecting a little dowry for the man of her heart!
-
-As will be seen, superstition enters so largely into the daily life of
-the Breton that wherever you go you are sure to find instances of it.
-The millers of Pont-l'Abbé and district nail a pair of sabots to their
-water-wheels in order to make them turn well and grind the corn to
-perfection.
-
-Even the sportsmen, whom you would think would depend entirely on
-their skill, are superstitious. Near Billiers we came across one of
-them who was busily engaged in searching for the pellets with which he
-had killed a fine hare. After a good deal of difficulty he found three
-or four. He then proceeded to fill some new cartridge-cases, putting
-one of the used shot into each case; for this, he said, was an
-absolutely certain means of killing every time that he raised his
-gun to his shoulder. This was, perhaps, the strangest of all the
-superstitions encountered during our wanderings through ancient
-Armorica.
-
-The inhabitants of Billiers put a large cross in whitewash over the
-doors of their cottages, so as to protect them against lightning; they
-stretch cords over their huge iron stew-pots, and sit watching them
-for hours to see if they are vibrated by some unseen power--vibration
-being a sure sign that those who take part in the experiment are to be
-happy for the remainder of the year; and on the fish-women receiving
-the first proceeds of a sale they fall down on their knees to make the
-sign of the cross, which will ensure them having a profitable day's
-work.
-
-[Illustration: ON RECEIVING THE PROCEEDS OF THEIR FIRST SALE THE
-FISH-WOMEN FALL DOWN UPON THEIR KNEES TO MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS,
-WHICH ENSURES A PROFITABLE DAY'S WORK.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-
-
-
-THE WIDE WORLD: In Other Magazines.
-
-[Illustration: AN OLD WHEEL OF FORTUNE IN BRITTANY.]
-
-In the village church of Comfort (near Pont-Croix), in Western
-Brittany, is a very good specimen of the now rare "Wheel of Fortune."
-It is made of wood, with a row of bells on its outer rim and
-pivoted between a couple of rough beams--altogether very primitive
-workmanship. By means of a cord attached to a crank the wheel can be
-made to revolve and set all the bells a-jangling. The peasants believe
-that it has miraculous power of healing when rung over the head of
-a sufferer who has placed a sou in the box to which the rope is
-padlocked.--"THE STRAND MAGAZINE."
-
-
-THE AUSTRALIAN WAS CONVINCED.
-
-The negro attendant in the cloak-room of a palatial establishment of
-this sort in San Francisco was uncommonly sharp. Several prominent men
-in Australia had come to Tasmania to inspect the irrigation Colonies
-there, and amongst them was the Premier of Victoria. He was told
-during his visit that this particular negro could, without a moment's
-hesitation, hand out the right hat to every visitor. The colonial
-statesman was a little incredulous at such a statement, and was
-determined to put the man to the test. So he went up to the counter
-and asked the man for his hat, which he turned over and over, as if in
-doubt, and regarded critically. At last he said, "Are you sure this is
-my hat?" "No, sah," was the instant response; "I don't know whose hat
-it is, but I do know you gave it me." The Ethiopian scored, and the
-Australian was convinced.--"TIT-BITS."
-
-
-NEW YORK'S LATEST CRAZE.
-
-New York is just now passing through a roller-skating craze which
-threatens to attract the attention of the police. The skating is
-not confined to rinks, but is indulged in on the streets by boys and
-girls, men and women, who fly along, brushing by innocent pedestrians,
-and not infrequently bowling them over. The pavements are rendered
-unsightly by the marks of the skates and the dropping of the oil from
-the "ball bearings," and at last householders have complained, and the
-police have been ordered to arrest skaters who pursue their pastime in
-certain sections of the city.--"WOMAN'S LIFE."
-
-
-WINTER IN KABUL.
-
-Winter, beginning early in October and continuing until March, renders
-life in Kabul difficult and uncomfortable. Charcoal is the chief
-fuel; and as the houses, owing to numerous doors and windows, are very
-draughty, the supply of wood very limited, and coal unobtainable,
-it is necessary to wear, even in the house, treble thicknesses of
-clothing, and the longest, warmest, and thickest of fur coats outside
-the doors. Meal times, under such rigorous conditions, are a distinct
-misfortune. All food-stuffs freeze solid; bread has to be chopped with
-an axe and drinking water broken with a hammer. Pickles, sauces, jams,
-and ink are better put away till the spring. Joints must be
-served piping hot from the fire and lying over a pan of glowing
-charcoal--even then the centre will probably be unthawed; while the
-matutinal cup of tea or the nocturnal cup of cocoa must be gulped
-rapidly if it is not to freeze before it is swallowed.--"THE SUNDAY
-STRAND."
-
-
-A BEAUTIFUL EASTERN PLANT.
-
-The annexed photograph, which depicts a very fine specimen of a
-Kentia in full bloom, will be especially interesting to those who have
-travelled in Eastern countries and have had the privilege of seeing
-it growing in its native wilds. Unfortunately, our climate is too
-inclement for this beautiful plant, and it is very rarely, if ever,
-that a specimen is to be seen in bloom in this country.--"COUNTRY
-LIFE."
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-Odds and Ends.
-
-    A Piscatorial Acrobat--An Extraordinary Juggling Feat--The
-    Fakir's Couch, etc.
-
-
-The striking photograph below depicts "Abe Ruef," a piscatorial
-acrobat who lives in a fountain in St. James's Park, San Jose,
-California, and his trainer and friend, Charles Riley. "Abe Ruef" is
-a carp about a foot long, and his master claims that he is the only
-trained fish in the world. The education of "Abe" was begun a year ago
-by Riley, who is one of the gardeners in the park, and has been kept
-up continuously, so that now "Abe" prances around his little sphere
-of action with all the alertness and agility of a trapeze artiste.
-Whether the fish can hear the commands which are given him or not, he
-certainly understands what is wanted of him and performs his "tricks"
-promptly and with exactness. One of his favourite pranks is to wriggle
-over the edge of the porcelain bowl of the fountain into Riley's
-hands. The picture here reproduced was taken just as he was coming
-over the edge one day, and the photographer made seventeen attempts
-before he succeeded in getting the picture. "Abe" will also squirm
-over or under a stick held in the water, will crawl between Riley's
-fingers, will go half-way under and then back out, and will swim
-backward around the tank at the word of command. He takes particular
-delight in swimming up to the surface of the water and having his
-back stroked by his master. Riley is an animal trainer of considerable
-efficiency, and at his home he has the dog and cat, and even the cow,
-trained to do tricks; while a number of chickens will beg for food and
-jump over sticks at their master's order.
-
-[Illustration: A GARDENER IN THE PARK AT SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, HAS
-TAUGHT A CARP TO PERFORM ALL SORTS OF CURIOUS TRICKS--THE FISH IS HERE
-SEEN WRIGGLING OVER THE EDGE OF THE BASIN INTO HIS TRAINER'S HANDS.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-[Illustration: THE "SKULLERY" AT NATERS, IN THE RHONE VALLEY--BODIES
-OCCUPY GRAVES IN THE VILLAGE CEMETERY FOR A LIMITED PERIOD ONLY, BEING
-AFTERWARDS DUG UP AND THE BONES STACKED AS HERE SHOWN.
-
-  _From a Photograph._
-]
-
-The photograph reproduced above shows the "skullery" at Naters, in the
-Rhone Valley. At this village, and at various others in Switzerland, a
-curious custom prevails in connection with burials. One is not allowed
-to rest peaceably in one's grave for ever, as is the practice in
-this country; the grave is permanent, but the occupation of it is a
-strictly temporary tenancy, and when needed for a later arrival the
-previous occupant is disinterred and his bones are stacked away in the
-"skullery," as here seen.
-
-It is not uncommon, both in China and India, to see conjurers
-going about from place to place, reminding one of the peripatetic
-scissor-grinders who abound in our own country. All the paraphernalia
-with which they perform their many and varied tricks is carried in two
-boxes, suspended from the ends of a long pole resting on the shoulder,
-and for a very small sum they will give a performance lasting an
-hour or so. Besides the common sleight-of-hand tricks, such as the
-appearance and disappearance of balls, artificial flowers, jars full
-of water, live fish, etc., and the spinning and throwing of crockery,
-balls, and knives, there are certain other feats which require more
-than mere dexterity of hand. For instance, a sleigh-bell is swallowed,
-and can be heard tinkling in the stomach as the "artiste" jumps about.
-Then a sword is thrust down the throat, and can be heard to strike
-against the bell. The bell, needless to say, is later recovered. But
-the special and rather disgusting feat illustrated by the striking
-pictures on the opposite page, and performed by a Chinese juggler,
-seems to outrival anything else of the kind. It consisted in threading
-two snakes up the nostrils and out through the mouth! The conjurer
-performed this feat at the house of a WIDE WORLD reader living
-near T'ungchou, about fourteen miles from Peking, China. The first
-photograph shows him standing behind one of the long round boxes which
-contain his outfit. On the top of the box is a basket containing a
-number of live snakes, from which he selects two of the smoother
-and more docile ones, though he afterwards confessed that one of the
-snakes had several times bitten him as it passed through the nose.
-These snakes were a foot and a half long, and about as large round as
-a man's little finger. By the conjurer's side stood a small boy who
-acted as his assistant. In the second picture the conjurer is seen at
-work, threading the head of the first snake into his nostril. Needless
-to say, this is a delicate operation, and even the little assistant
-seemed interested. The bringing back of the head of the snake, after
-penetrating the nasal passages and beginning to pass down into the
-throat, is accomplished in the following manner. The performer puts
-two fingers far back into his mouth, the approach of the fingers and
-the arrival of the snake naturally bringing on a muscular spasm of the
-throat, which throws forward the head of the reptile and enables it to
-be grasped, drawn from the mouth, and allowed to dangle several inches
-away from the lips. In the third and fourth pictures the conjurer has
-succeeded in accomplishing the feat, having forced the second snake into
-as uncomfortable a position as the first. In these photographs the heads
-of the two snakes are clearly seen hanging from the man's mouth, while
-the squirming tails, for convenience, are snugly curled about his ears!
-Self-control and resignation fairly beam from the countenance of the
-poor fellow, as he seeks to assume an attitude favourable for the
-photographer, and yet affording a modicum of comfort to himself. The
-development of this conjurer's throat was remarkable. Long practice in
-sword and bell swallowing had evidently not only enlarged the muscles,
-but also toughened the membranes. Otherwise, it would seem impossible
-for a man to endure, without serious inconvenience, the wriggling and
-crawling of snakes in this most sensitive part of the anatomy.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-  _From Photographs._
-
-  SELECTING THE SNAKES.
-
-  A TICKLISH OPERATION.
-
-  THE FEAT ACCOMPLISHED.
-
-  ANOTHER VIEW OF THE FINAL
-  PHASE.
-]
-
-We have published several photographs of religious mendicants in
-India, showing the extraordinary penances they inflict upon themselves
-to gain merit--and incidentally the alms of the faithful--but none
-more striking than that here reproduced, which shows a fakir at
-Jubbulpore seated on a couch of sharp-pointed nails. Here, with
-eyes closed, wrapped in profound meditation, he sits all day long,
-apparently oblivious to the pricking of the spikes. There is no
-deception about the business; the nails are quite sharp, but probably
-long usage has hardened the fakir's epidermis to such an extent that
-the discomfort is hardly felt.
-
-[Illustration: AN INDIAN FAKIR SITTING ON A COUCH OF SHARP-POINTED
-NAILS.
-
-  _From a photo. by H. Hands._
-]
-
-Twenty years ago, when the villagers living on the borders of Reigate
-Heath, Surrey, had no place of worship nearer than the parish church,
-a service was held in a schoolroom close by, and was so well attended
-that the authorities looked around for a suitable permanent building.
-The erection of a church was out of the question, but there stood
-on the Heath the remains of an old mill, a picturesque feature in a
-beautiful bit of landscape. Inspection showed that once the rats were
-got rid of a comparatively small outlay would furnish and render the
-mill fit for public worship, and soon it was opened as the Chapel of
-the Holy Cross. The circular brick walls of this odd chapel are mostly
-ivy-clad, and as the entrance is reached the vestry is seen on the
-left. Originally it is reputed to have been a carpenter's shed, and,
-except that a few pegs and chairs have been added, its primitive state
-is well preserved. The interior of the chapel arouses interest. Four
-buttresses, four feet thick by six feet in height, serve as rests for
-two massive beams, which cross each other in the centre and support
-an upright shaft, cracked with age and strongly bound with iron bands.
-The roof slopes down from the vertex of the shaft to the circular
-wall, and consequently the building, though no more than thirty feet
-in diameter, is of considerable loftiness. The buttresses make four
-natural alcoves. The entrance door stands in one, and immediately
-opposite is the altar; the harmonium is placed in a third, and the
-bell-ringer sits close beside it and rings his bell; the fourth is
-occupied by the congregation. The chairs are arranged so as to leave
-an aisle from the doorway to the altar, down which only one person can
-pass at a time. Above the altar and the doorway are the windows. The
-light is fairly good, but there are glass lanterns filled with candles
-in the alcoves, and a candelabrum holding nine lights hangs in front
-of the altar. All the seats are free, and as many as fifty people can
-be accommodated. There is no pulpit, the preacher standing between the
-prayer-desk and the lectern. A nominal rental of a shilling a year is
-paid to the owner of this curious church.
-
-[Illustration: A SURREY WINDMILL WHICH IS USED AS A CHURCH.
-
-  _From a Photo. by View and Portrait Supply Co._]
-
-[Illustration: A GOLD COAST FETISH, USED TO KEEP EVIL SPIRITS AWAY
-FROM THE HOUSE--IT IS SAID TO BE COVERED WITH HUMAN SKIN.
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-
-The horrible-looking head seen in the photograph below is a fetish
-which was, until quite recently, in use among the natives of Sierra
-Leone. It is said to be covered with human skin, and the gruesomeness
-of its appearance was intentionally exaggerated, as it was intended
-to act as a kind of household god and a defence against evil spirits.
-These superstitions, it is interesting to note, are gradually becoming
-extinct under the pressure of British civilization.
-
-[Illustration: OUR DUSKY ADMIRER--A ZULU BELLE LOOKING AT THE PICTURES
-IN "THE WIDE WORLD."
-
-  _From a Photograph._]
-]
-
-The photograph reproduced on this page was taken on the station
-platform at Ginginhlovu, in Zululand. The young Zulu girl here seen
-was waiting for a train, and had picked up a WIDE-WORLD MAGAZINE which
-had been inadvertently left behind by some passenger--no doubt much to
-his sorrow. Although the vast majority of the natives cannot read or
-understand English, they are very fond of looking at pictures, and
-this Zulu belle was much interested in her find.
-
-[Illustration: THE MAP-CONTENTS OF "THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE," WHICH
-SHOWS AT A GLANCE THE LOCALITY OF EACH ARTICLE AND NARRATIVE OF
-ADVENTURE IN THIS NUMBER.]
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 132,
-March 1909, by Various
-
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE, MARCH 1909 ***
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