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of  lite 

^luiucrsitu  of  (Lorouta 


l!rs.   Eric  E.  Ryerson 


y 


THE  WIDE   WORLD    ALAGAZINE 


No\i;mi!KR.    1900,    TO    ArkiL,    1901. 


r  H  E 


WIDE   WORED 


nv. 


MAGAZINE 


AN  ILLUSTRATED 

MONTHLY 

OF 

TRUE  NARRATIVE 

ADVENTURE 

TRAVEE 

CUSTOMS 

AND 

"'  lUITH  IS 
STkANCr^R 

SPORT 

Tn.\\i 

FICTION" 


Vol,  VI. 

NO\'EMBER 

1 900. 

TO 

LONDON. 

A  1^  R I  E  GEORGE  NE IVNES,    L  TD. 


I  90 1 


SOUTHAMPTON  ST. 
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"GO    IT    SLOW   W. 


......i,    '....l^TKIDGKS,    BOVS;    WE    HAD    A    PRIiTTV    TOUGH 

JOB  GETTING   THEM   OVER  THE   CHILCOOT." 

(see  i'age  6.) 


5 


The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


Vol.  VI. 


NOVEMBER,   1900. 


No.  ^i. 


l\\y  Unsuccessful  Bear  Hunt. 

By  Alexander  Macdon.\ld. 

The  author  is  an  adventurous  young  Scotsman  who  has  seen  a  good  deal  of  exploring  work  in 
Westralia  and  Arctic  Canada.  Rushing  out  from  camp  to  pursue  a  wounded  bear,  he  got  lost  and 
benighted  in  the  Alaskan  forest,  and  was  in   great   peril  of  being  frozen  to  death.     Photos,   of  himself 

and  his  companions  are  reproduced. 


OWARDS  the  end  of  October,  1897, 
my  party  arrived  at  a  point  on  the 
Stewart  River,  about  a  hundred 
miles  distant  from  its  junction  with 
the  Yukon.  My  comrades,  Mac 
and  Stewart,  were  men  of  much  experience  and 
great  strength  ;  they  were  known  in  and  around 
Dawson  as  Macdonald's  Bodyguard,  so  closely 
did  they  adhere  to  me  at  all 
times  when  strife  was  rife. 
Their  description  here,  how- 
ever, is  unnecessary,  as  they 
do  not  figure  largely  in  this 
narrative. 

We  had  crossed  from 
Skookum  Gulch  on  the 
Klondike,  intending  to  pro- 
spect the  then  entirely  un 
known  creeks  flowing  into 
the  Stewart  River.  WV- 
reached  our  oestination  early 
in  the  afternoon,  and  pitched 
our  camp  well  among  the 
timber,  so  as  to  receive 
every  possible  shelter  from 
the  elements.  The  ther- 
mometer at  that  time- 
occasionally  dropped  to 
4odeg.  below  zero.  Much 
difficulty  was  experienced 
in  penetrating  the  great 
forest  that  extends  from  the 
river  bank  northwards  into 
the  mountains,  and  we  were  very  thankful 
to  arrive  safely  after  having  been  three  days  on 
the  trail. 

We  had  just  got  our  canvas  home  arranged 
comfortably  and  were  partaking  of  our  mono- 
tonous midday  meal,  when  a  violent  shaking  of 
the  ridge  pole  made  us  hasten  out.  What  we 
saw  was  distinctly  surprising.  There  before  us 
was  an  enormous  bear,  rubbing  his  furry  neck 
on  the  guy-rope  with  evident  pleasure.  He 
bolted  immediately   he  saw    us,    however,    and 

Vol.  vi.— t. 


THE  AUTHOK,  MK.  ALEXANDER  MACDONALD. 

Froiita Photo,  by  The  Falk Studio,  Sydney,  N.S.  U 


with  a  shout  to  my  companions  that  I  would  be 
"  back  in  a  minute,"  I  seized  my  rifle  and  gave 
chase.  Mac  roared  out  some  warnings  which  I 
did  not  hear,  being  too  intent  on  the  pursuit. 
My  quarry  led  me  through  the  heavy  brush- 
wood that  grows  directly  beside  the  river,  and 
on  into  the  large  wooded  plateau  that  extends 
for  many  miles  in  the  vicinity. 

I  ought  to  have  re- 
membered our  great  diffi- 
culty in  penetrating  this 
forest  earlier  in  the  day  and 
restrained  my  ardour  ;  but, 
no,  I  thought  only  of  the 
bear,  and  he  kept  crashing 
through  the  timber  seem- 
mgly  but  a  few  yards  ahead. 
At  length  I  reached  a  break 
in  the  forest.  A  small 
white  plain  spread  before 
me,  and  in  the  centre  was 
Bruin  shuffling  over  the 
snow  with  rapid  steps.  I 
quite  forgot  that  my  snow- 
shoes  were  left  in  camp. 
My  first  step  in  the  open 
plunged  me  deep  into  the 
vapoury  snow — right  up  to 
the  neck.  I  scrambled  out 
hurriedly,  and,  lying  flat, 
took  two  shots  at  the  bear, 
who  was  now  disappear- 
ing in  the  wood  beyond. 
The  reports 
by     a     hoarse, 

the  urgainly  brute  stagger  and  then  stumble 
wildly  into  the  sheltering  copse.  I  must  have 
hit  him  pretty  badly.  My  dum-dums  usually 
brought  down  whatever  they  struck,  and  if  I 
could  only  work  my  way  over  the  snow-patch  I 
would  probably  find  my  enemy  hors  de  combat. 

I  gingerly  got  on  to  my  hands  and  knees 
and  very  cautiously  crawled  over  the  powdery 
surface,  moving  as  if  on  eggs.      Several  times  I 


of     my     rifle     were    answered 
angry    bellow,     and      I     saw 


THE    WIDl':    WOKl.l)    .MACiAZINE. 


\vc)U  under,  bul  1  w.is  not  to  W-  deterred  ;  I 
must  **  K\;i  "  that  l>ear.  The  open  was  crossed 
at  bst,  and  close  to  the  forest  were  several  great 
blood  splashes  — but  no  IxMr.  A  crimson  track 
led  me  into  the  densest  \xin   oi   the   thicket, 


wrong.  1  had  not  reached  the  open  patch 
which  1  had  crossed  before,  and  I  needed 
il  to  correct  my  course. 

I  changed  my  route  sligluly  and  kept  up  the 
run  ;  the  light  was  fast  failing,  and  I  stumbled 


then  off  at  a  different  angle,  and  I  followed. 
First  this  way,  then  that,  the  blood-stains 
directed  my  way.  A  little  later  they  became 
less  frequent,  and  finally  ceased  altogether. 
Then  it  dawned  upon  me  that  I  was  alone,  and 
many  miles  from  camp — horribly  alone  in  an 
unknown  forest,  so  that  even  the  companionship 
of  a  very-much-alive  bear  would  then  have  been 
welcome. 

1  looked  at  my  watch  ;  it  was  three  o'clock, 
■jeen  two  hours  away  from  camp,  and  had 
iioi  noticed  the  distance  travelled.  "  Rather 
hard  luck,"  I  .soliloquized,  as  I  shouldered  my 
rifle  and  started  to  go  back.  Then  an  awful 
truth  flashed  u|X)n  me  :  darkness  came  on  at 
four,  and  I  would  be  lost,  indeed,  unless  I 
succeeded  in  reaching  camp  ere  that  time.  I 
cursed  my  stupidity ;  the  country  was  flat  save 
for  a  gentle  undulation  that  rolled  to  every  point 
of  the  compass.  I  remembered  how  often  rny 
course  had  been  altered,  and  now  I  was  hope- 
lessly confused — not  even  having  my  compass 
to  obtain  an  approximate  bearing.  I  guessed 
out  rapidly  the  position  of  the  camp,  and 
started  off  at  a  run,  intending  to  cut  off  the 
angles  traversed  on  my  outward  journey.  About 
a  quarter  of  an  hour's  exertion  sufficed  to 
con\-ince   me   that   my   reckonings    had    been 


repeatedly  over  fallen  trees  anu  floundered 
wildly  in  snow  wreaths  that  I  might  have  avoided 
had  my  energy  been  less  and  my  brain  cooler. 
At  length  I  ceased  my  endeavours  and  sat  down 
in  the  snow  to  think.  I  ought  to  have  thought 
sooner — and  so  might  have  escaped  my  un- 
I)leasant  predicament.  The  weather  was  well 
under  zero,  temperature,  and  towards  evening  the 
cold  always  became  more  intense.  Icicles  had 
already  formed  on  my  chin,  and  my  moustache 
was  frozen  solid.  Assuredly  a  night  in  the  forest 
would  kill  me  ;  that  I  reasoned  out  without  any 
loss  of  time.  Then  I  started  up  and  discharged 
four  shots  into  the  air  at  regular  intervals.  I 
hoped  that  my  companions  would  hear  and 
understand.  I  listened  intently,  but  no  answer- 
ing report  came.  I  felt  utterly  miserable. 
I  had  only  one  more  cartridge  in  the  magazine, 
and  that  I  must  keep  in  case  of  attack  from 
any  wild  beast. 

Why  did  I  not  follow  my  tracks  back  ? 
That  is  what  I  blamed  myself  for,  but  I  had 
imagined  that  I  could  steer  a  more  direct  course 
to  the  camp,  and  therein  I  was  much  mistaken. 
It  was  almost  dark  now,  but  perhaps  not  yet  too 
late.  I  started  back,  tracing  but  dimly  in  the 
sun  the  imprints  of  my  moccasins.  How  slow 
it  was  !     I  could   not   for  a  moment   raise   my 


MY    UNSUCCESSFUL    BEAR    HUNT. 


eyes  lest  I  should  fail  to  find  the  track  again, 
and  so  I  manoeuvred  back  over  the  erratic 
course  I  had  steered — back  seemingly  for  many 
miles,  and  when  I  reached  the  point  where  I 
had  lost  the  bear  darkness  had  completely 
closed  over  and  around  me. 

My  progress  now  became  painfully  slow — I 
literally  felt  for  'the  snow  depressions,  working 
onwards  in  a  half-stooping,  half-kneeling  position. 
At  one  juncture  I  was  puzzled  by  cross  tracks 
I  could  not  understand.  Surely  I  had  not 
traversed  my  own  track  twice !  I  had  one 
treasure  in  my  pocket  in  the  shape  of  a  box 
of  matches ;  I  struck  a  light  and  minutely 
examined  the  different  markings^^'w  was  a 
fresh  bear  track  ! 

This   was  a  danger   I   had    not    much   con- 


and  howls  of  the  various  animals  around  made 
me  feel  somewhat  nervous.  The  coyote's 
melancholy  wail  resounded  incessantly,  and  this 
was  broken  at  intervals  by  the  harsh  guttural 
voicings  of  the  bear  tribe.  Even  the  crow  was 
there,  with  hideous,  rasping  squawk,  and  that  I 
disliked  more  than  any  other. 

I  dreaded  an  encounter  with  the  lynx,  too — 
that  long-haired,  cat-like  creature  that  might 
drop  from  the  trees  at  any  moment  and  tear  me 
with  its  awful  claws.  My  rifle  was  clutched 
closely  to  my  side  as  I  laboriously  picked  out 
the  tracks.  Twice  I  followed  bear  imprints  for 
some  distance  before  noticing  my  mistake.  A 
bear's  track  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  a 
moccasined  foot,  the  only  difference  being  the 
presence  of  a  feathery  trail  made  by  the  claws 


From  a 


1\IR.    MACDONALD    WITH    HIS    TWO   COMRADES,    MAC       AND    STEWART. 


[Photo. 


sidered ;  now,  however,  I  unstrapped  my  rifle 
and  placed  the  only  cartridge  in  the  barrel. 
I  was  afraid  to  feel  for  the  markings  further, 
in  case  I  might  follow  some  animal's  trail  that 
had  crossed.  I  started  lighting  the  matches 
one  by  one.  They  flamed  and  flickered  out, 
and  each  time  I  would  make  a  scramble  of 
some  yards. 

After  what  seemed  an  age  I  reached  the  open 
patch,  and  in  my  haste  floundered  again  to  the 
neck  in  the  chilly  wreaths.  I  really  swam  over 
that  hundred  yards  or  so,  with  my  eyes  close  to 
the  hoary  surface,  trying  to  trace  the  track  by 
starlight  alone.  Then  the  forest  again  en- 
shrouded me,  and  the  match-lighting  process 
was  renewed. 

And  now  the  growls  and   shrieks  and   moans 


of  the  monster  as  he  drags  along  his  cumbrous 
limbs  ;  this,  however,  was  not  easily  discernible 
by  match-light.     Ages  seemed  to  have  passed. 

My  matches  had  all  been  used  but  three,  and 
I  tried  hard  to  save  them  for  an  exceptional 
emergency,  so  I  writhed  my  way  over  the  snow, 
trying  to  trace  my  way  by  its  reflection  alone. 
But  after  many  failures  I  began  to  despair  of 
ever  reaching  camp  ;  how  far  it  was  off  now  I 
could  not  imagine — not  far,  surely,  but  too  far 
for  me,  who  could  go  no  farther. 

At  this  stage  I  was  almost  mad.  All  hope 
had  gone  from  me,  and  I  was  resigned  to  the 
worst.  My  fingers  were  stiff  and  my  face  frozen 
completely  over  ;  yet  I  did  not  feel  cold.  I 
was  dangerously  past  the  first  stage  of  freezing 
to  death,  and  I  knew  it.     I  have  faced  the  grim 


THK  \\\in:  WORLD  mac;azine. 


plutUom  many  times  and  have  grazed  it  more 
llun  oncx* ;  but  never  did  the  ordeal  so  unnerve 
me  as  it  ilid  in  that  Alaskan  forest.  I  wondered 
how  my  com|»anions  would  fare  without  their 
leader — the  leader  lost ;  the  idea  was  amusing, 
though  the  reality  had  little  humour. 

I  lit  my  three  remaining  matches,  and  got 
onwards  ai>out  another  hundred  yards.  Then  I 
felt  around  for  a  tree  on  which  to  pass  the  night, 
although  I  had  a  fairly  sure  knowledge  that  I 
Would  be  frozen  stiff  long  before  morning. 

"  I  won't  need  that  cartridge  any  longer,"  I 
viid,  rememl)ering  that  I  had  still  one  dumdum 
in  the  Iwrrel.  "so  here  goes."  The  report  seemed 
to  be  the  loudest  I  had  ever  heard.  The  sharp 
l»ark  of  the  exploding  cordite  lengthened  out 
into  great  rolling  volumes  of  sound  that  rever- 
Ix'rated  as  mighty  thunder  among  the  trees  ; 
and  I  waited,  eagerly  listening  until  the  last  faint 
echo  had  trembled  into  stillness,  but  there  came 
no  welcome  reply. 

Wearily  I  started  to  climb  a  much-gnarled 
tree,  and  had  reached  one  of  its  lower  limbs 
when  a  series  of  rifle-shots  crashed  through  the 
air  with  a  suddenness 
tlial  startled  and  terri- 
fied me.  yet  thrilled  me 
with  joy  and  relief.  I 
dropped  from  the  tree, 
gripped  my  rifle,  and 
ran  towards  the  sound. 
Far  in  the  distance  I 
could  hear  men's 
voices.  As  I  drew 
nearer  I  recognised 
Nfac's  stentorian  shout 
— "  Whaur  did  it  come 
frae?  Lx)ad  up  again. 
Stewart."  Another 
volley  shattered  thc 
stillness  of  the  night. 
and  then  a  medlev 
of    shouts    and     rifle 


shots  was  kept  up  with  barely  a  break.  I 
got  over  the  distance  with  alacrity,  and  very 
soon  could  see  the  blaze  of  the  fire,  which  we 
always  kept  up  to  ward  off  wild  animals, 
glimmering  through  the  trees.  Then,  with  a 
sigh  of  satisfaction,  I  slowed  my  pace  to  a 
more  dignified  mode  of  progression,  and  arrived 
among  them  as  my  worthy  compatriots  were 
bombarding  the  night  with  all  the  fire-arms  in 
our  arsenal. 

They  were  so  much  engrossed  in  their  occu- 
pation that  they  did  not  notice  my  approach 
until  I  spoke  :  "  ( lO  it  slow  with  tho.se  cartridges, 
boys  ;  we  had  a  pretty  tough  job  getting  them 
over  the  Chilcoot." 

"  Whur  ye  no  lost  ? "  bellowed  Stewart,  in 
astonishment. 

"  Of  course  not,"  I  replied,  satirically  ;  "  only 
been  having  a  constitutional  in  the  night  air." 

However,  my  frozen  proboscis  belied  my 
words  in  very  evident  fashion,  and  my  body 
generally  required  thawing.  My  companions 
had  followed  my  tracks  for  a  long  way,  and  then 
returned,  thinking  I  might  have  reached  camp 

by  a  more  direct  route. 
They  had  been  pre- 
paring to  start  out  again 
when  they  heard  my 
solitary  signal. 

Mac  does  not  yet  be- 
lieve that  I  could  really 
have  been  lost.  "  Nae 
fear  o'  that,"  says  he. 
"  A  hae  wandered  \vi' 
him  ow'r  mony  (Godfor- 
saken kintrasand  never 
seen  him  'bushed'  yet." 
He  will  read  this,  per- 
haps, amid  his  desert 
surroundings  in  AVest- 
ern  Australia,  and  pon- 
der the  puzzling  doings 
of  that  eventful  night. 


.i:K    A'.  IH'jj<    A-    HI-;    I.IJOKI.IJ     . 
/■>0»t  a]  IN    THE    FROZEN 


I  v'.ll'''Ii:J    lOH    TKAViiLLl.N(v 
NORTH-WEST.  \Photo. 


A  Climatic  Miracle  in  California. 

By   Charles   Frederick   Holder,   of  Pasadena,    Cal. 

Ocean  bathing,  picking  oranges  and  roses,  and  snowballing — all  in  one  day.  A  curious  demon- 
stration arranged  and  carried  out  in  the  lovely  Californian  resort  of  Pasadena,  to  show  that  climatic 
conditions  existed  there  which  could  be  equalled  nowhere  else  in  the  world.  A  photographer 
accompanied  the  party  and  recorded  each  stage  of  the  proceedings.     His  photos,  are  here  reproduced. 


ALIFORNIA  has  obtained  a  reputa- 
tion for  big  things.  It  has  the  tallest 
mountains  of  any  State ;  the  largest 
and  oldest  trees  in  America ;  it 
produces  the  largest  fruit ;  its  vine- 
yards, orchards  and  orange  groves  are  the  most 
extensive  in  the  world;  it  is  the  greatest  gold 
producer;  has  more  and  a  greater  variety  of 
mineral  springs  than  any  other  section;  its  State 
parks  are  larger  and  grander ;  its  game  fish 
bigger  than  those  elsewhere,  and  .finally  it  boasts, 
and  with  some  reason,  more  varieties  of  climate, 
nearer  together,  than  any  land  under  the  sun 
populated  by  a  highly  civilized  people. 

So  much  has  been  said  and  written  about  the 
climate,  so  many  jokes  told  at  its  expense,  that 
Californians  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  sensitive 
about  the  subject,  and  have  fallen  into  a  habit 
of  expecting  sunshiny  weather  every  day  in  the 
year.  Some  years  ago  a  Californian  author 
wrote  an  article  on  the  peculiar  climatic  condi- 
tions, and  ended  by  saying  that  a  resident  of 
Pasadena  could,  with  very  little  difficulty,  enjoy 
all  kinds  of  climate  from  the  level  of  the  sea  to 
6,oooft.  above  it  in  on  eday  ;  and,  more  than 
that,  could  pick  oranges  in  the  morning  at 
Pasadena,  lunch  at  the  seashore  and  take  a  sea 
bath  in  water  not  too  cold,  and  before  dinner, 
or  dark  of  the  same  day,  enjoy  a  sleigh  ride 
through  the  snow  at  back  of  Pasadena,  thus 
having  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  summer  and  the 
sports  of  winter  all  in  one  day.  And  at  no 
time  need  the  resident  be  more  than  twenty 
miles  from  Los  Angeles,  a  city  of  110,000 
inhabitants. 

This  statement  was  greeted  by  the  Eastern 
Press  as  one  of  the  Californian  "  big  things," 
and  was  told  and  retold  as  an  example  of  the 
kind  of  stories  manufactured  in  California  under 
the  influence  of  the  climate,  which  appeared  to 
be  both  expansive  and  exhilarating.  Finally  a 
resident  of  the  East,  who  had  visited  the  San 
Gabriel  Valley,  saw  the  articles,  and  came  out 
with  a  letter  offering  to  wager  any  of  the  critics 
any  amount  that  he  would  go  to  California 
and  prove  the  snow,  strawberry,  and  orange 
story.  His  proposition  was  that  he  was  to 
pick  and  eat  a  pint  of  strawberries  (grow- 
ing out  of  doors),  pick  a  half  -  bushel  of 
oranges  from  the  trees  of  Pasadena,  gather  ten 
or  twenty  different  varieties  of  roses  and  wild 
flowers,  take  an  ocean  bath,  go  for  a  sleigh  ride, 
and  indulge  in  a  game  of  snowball— all  on  the 
same  day,  either  in  January,  February,  or  March, 


the  start  to  be  made  from  Pasadena,  which  is 
about  twenty-seven  miles  from  the  sea,  and  the 
return  to  be  there.  There  were  no  takers  to 
this  wager,  and  the  doubters  were  for  the  time 
silenced. 

This  and  other  incidents  of  a  similar  nature 
in  all  probability  suggested  to  someone  in 
Pasadena  the  idea  of  demonstrating  beyond 
question  that  the  thing  was  possible.  It  was 
discussed  in  the  local  papers,  pro  and  con,  and 
finally  the  Board  of  Trade  took  official  action,, 
and  it  was  decided  to  pick  oranges  and  roses, 
bathe  in  the  Pacific,  and  go  snowballing  on  the 
1 6th  of  January,  thus  demonstrating  to  the 
world  that  Pasadena  possessed  all  the  extra- 
ordinary possibilities  that  had  been  claimed ;. 
at  the  same  time  hurling  confusion  at  her 
detractors. 

Pasadena,  it  might  be  explained,  is  a  beautiful) 
town  of  12.000  inhabitants,  situated  at  the  head 
of  the  San  Gabriel  Valley  in  Southern  California. 
It  is  on  the  hills  of  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains,, 
and  was  founded  by  a  committee  of  citizens- 
from  the  State  of  Indiana  about  twenty-five 
years  ago.  The  location,  which  is  very  beautiful, 
was  selected  after  a  carelul  examination  of  all 
Southern  California.  Its  claims  for  health, 
beauty,  and  other  good  things  are  not  without 
merit.  On  the  west  of  the  town  extends  a  deep 
gorge — the  Arroyo  Seco.  To  the  north  the 
Sierra  Madres  rise  to  a  height  of  6,Gooft.,. 
not  four  miles  distant ;  while  some  of  the 
peaks  back  in  the  range  attain  a  height  of 
i2,oooft.  From  the  hills  of  Pasadena  the 
blue  Pacific  can  be  seen,  twenty-seven  miles- 
away  ;  while  the  range  of  mountains  on  Santa 
Catalina  Island,  thirty  miles  out  to  sea,  is  also 
distinctly  visible. 

The  site  of  Pasadena  was  known  as  early 
as  1 54 1,  when  Cabrillo,  the  Spanish  explorer,, 
saw  the  poppies  on  the  foothills,  and  called  it 
"Terra  del  Fuego,"  the  land  of  fire— the  fire  being 
the  blaze  of  the  poppy,  Copa  del  Oro,  whose 
wonderful  colour  had  been  observed  thirty  miles 
distant.  From  Pasadena  a  view  of  the  entire 
San  Gabriel  Valley  is  obtained;  and  in  winter,. 
when  the  summits  of  the  Sierras  are  white  witb 
snow  and  the  bed  of  the  valley  is  a  glorious 
garden,  the  scene  is  grand  and  impressive,  semi- 
tropic  summer  and  winter  being  face  to  face  and 
not  a  mile  apart.  It  is  little  wonder,  then,  that 
Pasadenians  have  made  great  claims  for  their 
town,  which  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
places     for     its     size     in      the    whole    world. 


cS 


TH1-:    WIDK    W0RI.1>    ma(;azixe. 


f-  *  ^rft  a  I  'U-IO.  i'\\ 


K'T      1  II  r 


j„i,    MOUNTAINS. 


[//;. 


tita,  Cal. 


Pasadena  is  governed  by  a  Board  of  Trustees 
elected  by  the  people  ;  but  it  has  a  Board  of 
Trade,  composed  of  several  hundred  influential 
citizens  who  have  the  best  interests  of  the  town 
at  heart.  On  the  i6th  of  J'inuary  referred  to 
the  directors  of  the  board  were  James  H. 
Adams,  Walter  A.  Edwards,  H.  H.  Hertel, 
Kdwin  Stearns,  Warren  J.  Richardson,  Colin 
Stewart,  and  Horace  M.  Dobbins.  Its  officers 
were  Herman  H.  Hertel,  president ;  Edwin 
Steams,  vice  -  president ;  Frank  P.  Boynton, 
secretary :  and  P.  M.  Green,  treasurer. 

The  directors  agreed  to  put  to  a  test  the 
question  of  the  climatic  possibilities  of  Pasa- 
dena, and  it  was  further  agreed  that  the 
committee  should  be  compo.sed  of  the  directors, 
representatives  of  the  Press,  and  an  official 
photographer:  the  journalists  to  be  the  historians 
of  the  trip,  and  the  latter,  by  effective  pictures,  to 
prove  the  experiment  at  every  stage.  All  could 
not  go,  but  the  president  of  the  Board,  Mr. 
Hertel,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Pasadena ;  the 
vice-president,  Mr.  Stearns  ;  the  city  editor  of  a 
local  paper ;  Mr.  Boynton,  the  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  and  one  of  the  directors,  Colin 
Stewart  ;  a  capitalist,  Warren  J.  Richardson  ; 
Charles  A-  Gardner,  editor  of  the  Pasadena 
Star,  and  Mr.  Hill,  official  photographer  of  the 
"Board,  constituted  the  committee,  several  other 
gentlemen  joining  the  party  at  various  stages 
of   the  expedition.      Xo  sooner  was   the   plan 


announced  than  it  attracted  much  attention. 
Reporters  from  Los  Angeles  papers  were  detailed 
to  it,  and  the  directors  were  the  subject  of 
much  discussion,  and  attained  a  notoriety  which 
astonished  them. 

Pasadena  in  winter  is  a  great  health,  fashion, 
and  tourist  resort,  and  its  hotels  and  the 
surrounding  country  arc  filled  with  strangers 
from  all  over  the  world.  Naturally,  the  demon- 
stration attracted  much  notice.  The  i6th  of 
January  is  midwinter  in  Southern  California, 
but  no  one  would  suspect  it.  The  annual 
Tournament  of  Roses  had  occurred  only  two 
weeks  previously.  The  air  was  filled  with  the 
perfume  of  the  orange  blossom,  and  the  trees 
were  weighted  down  by  golden  fruit.  The  song 
of  birds  was  heard  on  every  side,  while  the 
mocking-birds  made  music  all  night.  So  long 
as  one  kept  his  eyes  upon  the  ground  it  was 
semi-tropic  summer  ;  but  did  one  raise  them, 
the  great  wall  of  the  Sierras  was  seen  to  be 
white  with  snow;  and  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
San  Antonio,  one  of  the  sentinels  of  the  range, 
the  snow  could  be  seen  blowing  up  and  off  into 
the  summerland  below  in  great  feathery  clouds. 
The  day  was  bright  and  beautiful,  not  a  cloud 
in  the  sky,  and  the  temperature  in  the  shade  at 
ytdeg.  The  party  met  at  the  appointed  hour 
and  walked  to  the  terminal  depot.  The  plan 
had  been  carefully  laid  out,  and  was  as 
follows  :   First,  an  illustration   of  the  wealth   of 


A    CLIMATIC    MIRACLE    IN    CALIFORNIA. 


TIME    to  A.M. — PICKING   ROSES   AT   MR.    ANDREW    MCNALLY  S, 

From  a  Photo,  by  Hill.,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


flowers  out  of  doors  at  Pasadena  in  winter  ; 
second,  the  picking  of  oranges,  illustrating  the 
wealth  of  fruit  and  the  possibility  of  citrus 
fruit  in  January  ;  third,  illustrating  the  possi- 
bility of  bathing  in  the  ocean  in  Southern 
California  in  January,  with  an  ocean  temperature 
sim'lar  to  that  of  the  Atlantic  in  July  ;  fourth, 
illustrating  the  possibility  of  enjoying  sleighing 
and  snowballing  the  same  day  as  the  oranges 
were  picked.  The  directors  took  the  terminal 
railway  to  Altadena — a  suburb  of  Pasadena,  and 
three  or  four  miles  distant.  Here  they  entered 
the  grounds  of  Mr.  Andrew  McNally,  the 
Chicago  publisher — a  typical  Pasadena  home 
surrounded  by  a  wealth  of  roses  of  the  rarest 
kinds.  The  above  photograph,  taken  by  Mr. 
Hill,  shows  the  party 
picking  roses.  The  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  McNally  is 
seen  in  the  background  ; 
behind  it  rise  the  Sierra 
Madre  Mountains,  the 
snow  line  showing  dis- 
tinctly. To  the  right  of 
the  picture  is  Mr.  Hertel, 
the  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  and  all  of  the 
party  are  picking  roses  or 
holding  those  they  have 
just  gathered.  It  was  now 
lo  a.m.,  and  when  the 
photograph  was  taken  Mr. 
McNally  led 
into  an 


Here  were  the  famous 
Washington  navels, 
or  seedless  orange  ; 
the  Mediterranean 
sweet  ;  the  tangerine, 
and  many  more.  In 
the  next  photo,  the 
party  is  seen  eating 
the  fruit  of  the  seed- 
less Washington  ; 
time,  10.15.  T"he 
golden  fruit  stood  out 
in  high  relief  against 
the  dark  green  foliage, 
while  the  starry  blos- 
soms filled  the  air 
with  fragrance.  This 
is  a  peculiarity  of  the 
orange  tree  —  that  it 
bears  fruit  of  all  sizes 
and  blossom  at  the 
same  time.  On  the 
right  of  the  photograph  is  seen  a  date  palm — 

of   the 


a   common    tree   here,    and 


suggestive 


tropical  flora  in  a  temperate  zone. 

If  the  average  reader  should  have  been  told 
that  one  hour  and  a  quarter  later  these  gentle- 
men would  be  enjoying  a  game  of  snowball, 
knee-deep  in  snow-banks,  and  some  of  them  on 
snow-shoes,  surrounded  by  great  Alpine  trees, 
he  would  naturally  think  the  storyteller  a  modern 


guests 


orange 


his 

grove  ad- 
jommg  the  rose  garden 
and  invited  them  to  help 
themselves    to    the    fruit. 

Vol.  vi.— 2. 


AT    10.15. — TEN    MINUTES    FOR   REFRESHMENT    UNDER   THE  ORANGE   TREES. 
From  a  Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


lO 


rm;   widk   worid   macazinl:. 


Munchausen.   Vet  this  is  exactly  wli.it  happened, 
and  tnc  diretrtors  did  not   travel  to  the  Arctic 
zone  on  thi-  lamous  tlyinj;  horse  of  the  Arabian 
Nights.,  or  the  wonderiiil  carpet  that  carried  its 
owner  wherever  he  desired.     Xo  ;    they  merely 
walked  out   of   the  '^tow,   boarded  an   electric 
car,  and  went  spinning  up  over  the  .slopes  of 
the  mountains,  crossing  a  vast  bed  of  golden 
poppies,  which  carpeted  the  earth,  and  entered 
Kut»io  Canyon,  a  deep  gulch  in  the  range.  Then 
they  skirted   the    precipice,    rising    higher   and 
htgher,    finally   coming    out    at    the    station    of 
the  great  incluie  of  Mount  Lowe.     "All  aboard 
(or    Kcho     Mountain    and    the    snowfields  !  " 
shouted    the    conductor :     and    the    directors, 
with  their  photogra[)her,   mounted  a   step   and 
entered   a   white    chariot  or  car,   which   rested 
at  the  foot  of  the  incline  on  a  pavilion  which 
s^uns  the  l>ed  of  a  mountain  stream,  cro.ssing 
the  entire  canyon  and  holding,  besides  the  foot 
of  the  road,  an  hotel  as  well.     The  conductor 
toui  hed  a  wire  with  a  wand,  and  immediately  the 
lowt-r  world  appeared   to  drop  away   from   the 
directors   as    they   rose    into    the    clouds     and 
toward  the  snow  above  them  at  the  rate  of  five 
miles  an  hour.     Xo  motion  was  experienced  as 
vihta  after  vista  of  grand   scenery  appeared — a 
mar\ellous  and  realistic  panorama.      Up    they 
went  :  now  at  a  grade  of  48  per  cent.,  now  62, 
hauled  by  a  cable  of  iron  which  had  been  tested 
to  a  hundred-ton  strain.     Eight  minutes  slipped 
away  ;  the  car  glided  on  to  a  platform,  and  the 
conductor    again 
'.houted,    "  Echo 
Mountain' 
,?. 500ft.   above 
the  sea  !    CJentle- 
men.    you     have 
ascended  1.300ft. 
in  eight  minutes.' 
It  wa-i  now  10.45 
o'clock. 

The  scene 
which  stretched 
before  them  was 
wonderful.  Pasa- 
dena Lay  at  their 
feet  ;  the  grove 
of  oranges  they 
had  just  left 
looked  like  a 
checker  board  : 
and  so  clear  wa'- 
the  atraospheT' 
that  they  coul! 
see  the  ocean 
breaking  on  the 
beach  at  Santa 
Monica,    nearly  ^'  '-.s-akkival  ok  th..  ,.ar,v  us 


thirty  miles  distant,  a  line  of  white,  where  they 
were  soon  to  bathe.  Beyond  was  the  blue  Pacific 
and  the  islands  of  Southern  Califcnnia,  resting 
like  sea-monsters  on  its  surface,  fifty  miles  away. 

"  All  aboard  for  Mount  Lowe  !  "  said  the  con- 
ductor ;  and  the  party  stepped  into  another  car, 
run  by  electricity,  and  went  whirling  up  the 
slopes  of  Mount  Lowe.  Flowers  were  about 
them  still,  but  in  a  few  minutes,  or,  to  be  exact, 
at  1 1.5,  they  left  them  behind,  and  snow 
appeared  in  the  secluded  places.  Then, 
suddenly,  as  the  car  turned  a  point  and 
came  upon  the  north  side  of  the  mountain,  so 
far  as  appearances  went,  the  directors  were  in 
the  Arctic  regions,  for  mountains  and  canyons 
were  fairly  white  with  snow.  "  Five  minutes  for 
photographing  !  "  said  the  conductor,  calmly,  as 
he  brought  the  car  to  a  stop  ;  and  the  party, 
now  wearing  heavy  coats,  and  some  provided 
with  snow-shoes,  stepped  off  into  the  snow, 
where  they  were  photographed  at  11. 15  by  Mr. 
Hill,  as  seen  in  the  accompanying  photo.  The 
range  of  the  Sierras  was  before  them,  with  the 
great  peaks  of  Disappointment  and  Brown  all 
covered  with  the  mantle  of  ermine,  and  the  tall 
firs  standing  out  like  huge  pom-poms  of  purest 
white.  The  grade  of  this  road  did  not  exceed 
7}4  per  cent.,  and  the  speed  was  rapid.  They 
wound  about  steep  canyons,  the  drop  being 
hundreds  of  feet ;  now  over  trestles,  showing 
remarkable  engineering  skill. 

Exactly  at  11.30,  or  one  hour  and  a  quarter 


THE   MOLNT    LOWE   ELECTRIC   CAK,    4,500FT.    ABOVE    PASADENA. 

Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


A    CLIMATIC    MIRACLE    IN    CALIFORNIA. 


11 


AT    11.30. — 1HE    PARTY   SNOWBALLING    IN     IHE   GRAND   CANYON    ON    .MOUNT    LOWE    RAILWAY 

From  a  Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


after  picking  oranges,  the  conductor  called  out, 
"  Alpine  Tavern,"  where  the  directors  jumped 
off  into  a  snowbank  and  walked  through  the 
Grand  Canyon.  All  about  were  firs  and  other 
trees  bowed  down  with  snow ;  and  here  the 
sport  began.  Snowballs  were  rolled,  and 
the  directors  pelted  each  other  with  all  the 
enthusiasm  and 
enjoyment  they 
had  shown  when 
picking  oranges 
and  roses.  It 
was  winter  in  all 
that  the  term 
implies.  The 
party  had  all 
donned  their 
overcoats  and 
ulsters,  which  had 
been  brought  for 
the  purpose,  and 
during  the  height 
of  the  frolic  the 
above  photo,  was 
taken,  showing 
President  Hertel 
and  the  other 
directors  bom- 
barding each 
other,  the  one  in 
advance  being  on 
snow-shoes.     In 


the  rear  are  the 
newspaper  men, 
taking  mental 
notes  of  the 
strange  scene. 
The  snow  was  so 
deep  that  the 
labourers  had 
been  ,  shovelling 
it  all  the  morning 
so  that  the  sleigh 
could  make  the 
run  3,500ft. 
higher  to  the 
summit  of  Mount 
Lowe.  But  the 
visitors  did  not 
care  to  go  so  high  ; 
they  had  found 
winter  here,  and 
after  making 
some  snowballs 
to  carry  down,  to 
toss  into  the  gar- 
d  e  n  s  as  they 
passed  through 
Pasadena,  they 
re-entered  the  car  and  began  the  descent.  In 
a  few  minutes  overcoats  were  thrown  aside,  and 
at  Echo  Mountain  the  odour  of  flowers  greeted 
the  party  once  more.  Eight  minutes'  more 
dropping  downward  over  the  tops  of  trees  into 
a  mighty  canyon,  and  they  were  in  Rubio,  enter- 
ing the  waiting  car  to  go  flying  down  the 
incline  which  follows  the  sides 
of  Rubio  Canyon. 

"  All      aboard      for     Santa 

Monica  !  "     And   riding   down 

to  Pasadena  the  party  changed 

cars  leisurely,  taking  the  niid- 

or    the    town    of 


CROWDED   BEACH   AT   SAN  lA    MONICA— A    SWIFT   CHANGE 

From  a  Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


THE    EXFEDITIO 


I.' 


THK    \V11>K    W OR  1.1)    MAGAZINE. 


AT    3.30    r.M. — THE    I'AKTV    BATHING    IN    THE    I'ACIHC    AT   SANTA    MONICA. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


SaiiLi  Monica,   a  favourite   resort    both   winter 
and  summer.     This  they  reached  in  less   than 
an   hour  and  a  half,  and  by  three  o'clock  the 
directors  were  walking  down  to  the  long  beach, 
greeted  by  the  roar  of  the  surf.      Here  the  air 
is  mild,  the  sun  warm,  and  everything  suggestive 
of  summer ;  and  yet  only  a  few  hours  before 
they  were  snowballing.      The   beach  has  large 
pa\-ilions   and   a  vast   array  of  bathing-houses. 
In  summer  five  thousand  or  more  people  bathe 
here  daily.     At  3.30  the  directors  hired  bathing 
suits,  and  in  the  above  illustration  we  see  them 
on  the  beach,  having  had  a  swim  in  the  invigo- 
rating    surf,     posing     for     their     photographs. 
The     mountains 
at  back  of  them 
are  a  spur  of  the 
Sierra    Madres, 
the  Sierra  .Santa 
Monica     range  : 
and  from   where 
they     stand     on 
the     shining 
sands    they    can 
see    the    white 
domes      of    the 
mother    moun- 
tains which  they 
have  recently  left. 
By   four    oclock 
the    bath    was 
complete,    and 
before   dark    the 
directors  stepped 
from  the  train  at 
Pasadena,  having 
between  half-past 
ten  in  the  morn- 
ing and  dark  of  '"'^'•'  """^  ''*"'  '^*'  succEssPur 

*-"  Front 


the  same  day 
passed  from 
tropical  verdure 
to  icy  winter  and 
hack,  bathed  in 
the  ocean  on  a 
mid  -  winter  day 
and  returned  to 
the  orange  groves 
of  Pasadena.  On 
reaching  the 
latter  town  they 
were  driven  to 
the  residence  of 
one  of  the  party,* 
and  seated  on  the 
lawn,  surrounded 
by  orange  trees 
and  roses,  we  see 
them  reading 
congratulatory  telegrams  on  the  success  of  their 
trip.  Such  are  the  possibilities  in  the  land  of  the 
setting  sun — all  due  to  the  remarkable  climatic 
conditions  which  obtain  here.  The  maximum 
temperature  for  January,  for  twenty  years  was 
76deg.  ;  the  minimum,  34deg.  The  February 
maximum,  ygdeg.  ;  minimum,  36deg.  The 
maximum  for  the  hottest  month  (September), 
97deg.  ;  the  minimum,  49deg.  It  will  be 
seen  from  this  that  the  boast  of  Californians 
that  they  have  an  almost  perfect  climate  seems 
to  be  justified  by  the  facts.  It  is  not  perfect,  it 
is  true  ;  but,  such  as  it  is,  it  is  unique,  and  has 
been  the  means  of  prolonging  thousands  of  lives. 


LY   ACCOMPLISHED — REAOING    CONGRATULATORY   TELEGRAMS. 

a  Photo,  by  Hill,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


Twelve    Years   of  ''Snake    Terror"  in    Queensland. 


By  Mrs.  Henry  Lucas,  of  Grandchester,  Queensland. 

This  lady  has  simply  jotted  down  all  the  snake  alarms  that  stand  out  most  vividly  in  her  mind  after  a 
long  residence  in  the  tropical  Colony.  The  mother  of  a  family  in  the  "  back-blocks  "  of  Queensland  must 
needs  be  a  person  altogether  without  timidity,  for  her  little  ones  frequently  have  terribly  narrow  escapes. 


H  :  what  a  snake  yarn  !  "  is  a  com- 
mon saying  among  Colonials, 
when  hearing  an  exaggerated 
account  of  anything.  But  the 
snake  yarns  I  am  going  to  write 
of  are  absolutely  true,  and  happened  in  my  own 
home,  a  cattle  station  in  the  Queensland  bush. 
Why  we  were  pestered  so  much  by  these 
uncanny  and  unwelcome  visitors  evidently  lay 
in  the  fact  that  the  house  was  close  to  a  large 
river,  whose  beautiful  banks  afforded  shelter  to 
all  kinds  of  snakes — so  much  so,  in  fact,  that 
eventually  we  had  a  good  deal  of  the  luxuriant 
growth  cut  away. 

The  garden  ran  down  the  slope  almost  to  the 
water's  edge.  One  day  I  was  pick- 
ing grapes,  and,  in  reaching  up  for 
a  particularly  tempting  bunch,  I  saw 
to  my  horror  the  outstretched  head 
and  neck  of  a  browny-green  monster, 
with  its  horrible  two-pronged  tongue 
protruding,  the  rest  of  its  body  being 
hidden  by  the  leaves,  and  exactly  the 
colour  of  the  stem  of  the  vine. 
Naturalists  say  this  colour  is  given  to 
certain  snakes  for  their  protection  : 
but  I  pause  and  vainly  ask,  "  Where 
do  human  beings  come  in  ?  "  Experi- 
enced snake-killers  tell  you  if  you  see 
a  snake  always  to  "  keep  your  eye  on 
it,"  and  by  so  doing  it  will  not  move 
until  someone  comes  to  kill  it  or 
brings  you  something  to  kill  it  with. 
But  it  is  difficult  to  command  your- 
self sufficiently  to  "  keep  your  eye  " 
on  a  deadly  reptile,  especially  if  only 
a  few  inches  from  your  head.  At  any 
rate,  unlike  Mrs.  Gamp  I  did  not  feel 
"dispoged"  to  do  it,  but  dropped 
my  basket  and  fled. 

I  was  braver  on  other  occasions, 
however  —  for  example,  when  my 
husband,  together  with  the  young 
Englishman  who  had  come  out  to 
learn  "  Colonial  experience,"  and  all 
the  men  were  miles  away  muster- 
ing cattle.  The  maids,  too,  were 
at  their  dinner ;  I  was  sewing,  and  my  two 
little  children  were  playing  about  the  room. 
I  thought  I  heard  the  baby  wake,  and  so  I  said 
to  my  little  girl,  "  Run  and  see  if  that  is  baby 
crying " ;  but  she  had  hardly  left  the  room 
when  she  commenced  to  scream.  I  rushed  out 
and   saw   an    enormous    black    snake    on    the 


veranda,  coming  straight  for  one  of  the  open 
doors.  I  ran  for  a  long-handled  hoe  (which 
was  always  kept  in  a  corner  of  the  veranda  as 
being  a  handy  "snake"  weapon),  made  a  sudden 
and  frantic  dive  at  the  snake  with  it,  and  to  my 
amazement  cut  it  nearly  in  two. 

To  this  day  I  am  sure  I  hit  at  it  with  my 
eyes  shut  ;  but  though  feeling  decidedly  limp, 
after  disabling  the  enemy,  I  felt  eaten  up  with 
pride  at  my  achievement — especially  as  black 
snakes  are  among  the  most  deadly  of  Australian 
varieties.  While  the  back  is  a  shining  black, 
the  underside  is  a  bright  carmine — a  beau- 
tiful colour,  but,  oh  I  so  poisonous-looking ; 
and    I     believe    during     the     latter     part     of 

summer,  when 
they  are  rearing 
their      young     and 


I    MADE    A    SUDDEN    AND    FRANTIC    DIVE   AT   THE    SNAICE    WITH    THE    HOE. 


are    more   vicious,  the   colour   grows  a  deeper 
red. 

Shall  I  ever  forget  having  one  of  those 
loathsome  things  in  my  bedroom  ?  ,  I  had  got 
out  of  -bed  and  was  putting  on  my  slippers, 
when  I  saw  something  dark  sticking  out  from 
between    the    wall    and     the    dressing  -  table. 


M 


TH1-:    WIDE    WORLD    >rAGAZINE. 


Another  glance  showed  it  to  be  a  huge  black 
snake,  which  stayed  where  it  was,  fortunately, 
while  my  huslxind  got  his  gun  and  shot  it. 
The  most  thrilling  jxut  was  that  my  dear  baby 
had  toddled  across  the  room  a  short  time 
before.  She  slept  in  a  cot  by  my  side,  and  I  had 
lifted  her  out  when  she  woke  to  run  through  to 
the  nurser)-,  which  was  the  next  room.  Our 
hearts  fell  cold  to  think  of  the  risk  she  had  run. 
It  was  easy  for  a  snake  to  come  into  the  house 
at  night,  for  it  was  built  bungalow  fashion,  with 
glass  doors  opening  on  to  the  veranda ;  and 
these  were  left  oj^Hjn  in  summer. 

It  is  wonderful  the  small  space  a  snake  can 
get  through,  especially  the  long,  thin  ones.  One 
day  I  heard  a  furious  barking  in  my  room,  and 
found  our  little  terrier  had  a  green  snake  at  bay 
under  a  table.  In  another  instant  it  had  glided 
under  the  door,  which  did  not  fit  quite  close  to 
the  floor.  I  rushed  after  it  to  see  it  gliding 
round  and  round  the  nursery  bath,  in  which 
n?v     of    mv    children    was     sitting,    the     nurse 


'  THE  SNAKE  WAS   GLIDING   ROU.VD   AND   ROVND   THE   BATH,    THE 

WITH   TERROR." 


paralyzed  with  terror.  I  snatched  the  child  up 
and  looked  round,  but  the  snake  had  dis- 
appeared in  a  twinkling,  probably  under  the 
door  and  into  the  veranda,  and  search  as  we 
might  we  never  found  it.  In  running  round 
the  bath  I  believe  it  was  trying  to  find  a  way  to 
escape  from  the  terrier,  who  came  through  the 
door  with  me. 

These  green  snakes  never  grow  very  large. 
They  are  a  light  yellow  underneath,  and  are 
supposed  to  be  non-poisonous,  though  I  never 
heard  of  anyone  letting  himself  be  experi- 
mented upon  in  the  way  of  offering  himself 
for  a  bite  !  Some  brave  hero  May  do  so  some 
day  for  the  sake  of  science,  but  I  doubt  it. 

We  had  another  fright  once  through  the  same 
sort  of  snake.  My  husband's  brother  was  stay- 
ing with  us,  and  we  were  all  on  the  veranda  after 
dinner,  enjoying  the  cool  breeze  that  generally 
follows  the  setting  of  the  sun  in  Queensland. 
All  at  once  we  heard  my  husband  call  out, 
"  Look  out,  Fred,"  and  saw  him  jump  up  and 
tip  his  brother  out  of  his  chair,  round  the  leg 
of  which  was  coiled  a  green  snake.  My  brother- 
in-law  then  suggested  we  should  go  into  the 
house.  After  this,  as  may  be  supposed,  we 
carefully  examined  the  veranda  chairs  before 
sitting  on  them  in  the  evening. 

The  wide  verandas  of  most  bush-houses  are 
naturally  very  much  used  in  summer,  and  they 
generally  extend  all  round  the  building.  One 
evening  my  children  were  having 
their  tea  on  ours,  when  the  young- 
est would  not  eat,  but  kept  looking 
overhead.  "Come,  drink  your 
milk,  baby,"  the  nurse  kept  saying, 
but  baby  would  do  nothing  but 
throw  back  her  head  and  gaze  up- 
ward. She  was  too  young  to  speak. 
Suddenly  it  was  discovered  that  the 
attraction  was  a  snake,  which  was 
coiled  in  a  ring  between  the  rafter 
and  shingled  roof,  just  over  the 
children's  heads,  and  evidently 
asleep;  it  was  easily  dispatched. 

The  space  between  the  rafters 
and  roof  seemed  to  be  a  favourite 
resting  -  place  for  our  persistent 
visitors.  The  bath-room  was  built 
in  the  corner  of  the  veranda ;  and 
one  day  I  was  startled  by  my  boy 
(who  was  then  about  six)  rushing 
up  the  hall,  in  Nature's  garb,  pallid 
with  fear.  He  clung  to  me,  crying, 
"  Snake,  snake,  in  the  bath-room." 
The  poor  little  fellow  had  turned 
on  the  water,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
getting  into  the  bath,  when  he  saw 

NURSE  PARALYZED  °i  i       >      i  i  ,  i      . 

the  snake  s  head  and  neck  hangmg 


TWELVE    YEARS    OF    "SNAKE    TERROR"    IN    QUEENSLAND. 


15 


over  him,  the  rest  of  its  body  being  coiled  up 
under  the  rafters  of  the  roof.  It  was  one  of  the 
largest  black  snakes  we  had  seen,  and  I  shall 
never  forget  its  angry  "  hiss  "  when  we  went  into 
the  room.  Doubtless  it  had  been  asleep,  and  the 
running  water  from  the  tap  had  disturbed  it. 

My  boy  had  another  narrow  escape  when  a 
few  years  older.  He  was  climbing  over  a  fence 
and  jumped  down  literally  on  top  of  a  brown 
snake — a  most  deadly  kind  ;  how  he  escaped 
being  bitten  is  a  marvel.  Indeed,  it  «eem.s 
wonderful  how  few  people  are  bitten,  in  com- 
parison with  the  number  of  snakes  come  in 
contact  with  in  the  bush  during  the  hot  months. 

The  whip  snake  is  another  dangerous  kind  ; 
it  is  very  long,  rather  thin,  and  has  just  the 
appearance  of  the  lash  of  a  whip,  colour  and 
all.  But  the  different  kinds  of  snakes  are 
legion.  I  must  mention  the  diamond 
snake,  however.  It  is  terribly  poison- 
ous, but  its  skin  is  beautifully  and  won- 
derfully marked,  in  exact  and  even 
diamonds.  Then  there  is  the  carpet 
snake,  marked  exactly  like  a  carpet,  in 
white,  cream,  black,  and  grey.  This 
species  is  of  the  boa-constrictor  kind  ;  it 
crushes  its  prey,  so  its  bite  is  not  deadly. 
They  are  enormous  in  size,  and  these 
are  the  snakes  which  the  so-called 
"  snake-charmers  "  and  circus  people 
twine  round  their  necks  and  arms. 

Some  people  are  averse  to  killing 
non-poisonous  snakes,  as  they  do  good 
in  barns  and  outbuildings  in  keeping 
down  rats  and  other  pests.  But,  give 
me  the  rats  !  Most  bush  people  have 
enough  of  snakes  and  frights  to  make 
them  murderous  towards  all  the  tribe. 
Picture  to  yourself,  dear  reader,  a 
creature,  at  least  8ft.  in  length,  and 
as  thick  as  the  top  of  a  big  man's  arm, 
going  about  the  premises. 

We  were  staying  once  at  a  neigh- 
bouring station,  and  were  taken  out  to 
a  picnic  on  the  edge  of  the  scrub.  The 
cloth  was  spread  on  the  ground,  the 
eatables  put  on,  and  we  were  just  about  to  begin 
when  one  of  the  party  discovered  a  carpet  snake, 
coiled  in  a  ring  (which  looked  as  large  as  a  round 
bath-tub)  behind  a  small  bush,  and  not  3ft.  from 
one  end  of  the  tablecloth.  Immediately  everyone 
ran  to  collect  sticks  and  weapons  to  kill  it  with. 

"  What  are  you  all  doing  ?  "  cried  our  host. 
"I  would  not  have  it  killed  for  anything.  Think 
of  the  good  it  does  me  in  killing  kangaroo-rats 
and  bandicoots,  that  live  on  the  grass." 

So  the  snake  was  left  in  peace,  and  lunch 
proceeded  with.  I  noticed,  however,  that  nearly 
everyone,   myself    included,   crowded    down    to 


the  end  of  the  table-cloth  farthest  from  the 
bush  !  Afterwards  we  found  our  bugbear  had 
slipped  away  without  a  sound.  The  noiseless 
movement  of  these  reptiles,  by  the  way,  is  one 
of  the  things  most  dreaded  about  them  ;  no 
matter  how  near  they  are,  there  will  be  no 
sound  till  roused,  and  then  comes  the  never- 
to-be- forgotten  "hiss." 

It  is  strange  the  liking  these  reptiles  have 
for  milk  ;  and  so  they  are  often  found  about 
dairies.  Our  cook  once  saw  one  in  the  very  act 
of  drinking  out  of  a  pan,  and,  poor  thing,  she 
never  got  such  a  "  turn  "  in  her  life. 

If  one  walks  or  rides  in  the  bush  in  summer, 
taking  dogs  with  them,  the  latter  will  often  hunt 
out  a  snake  from  fallen  logs  or  long  grass,  and 
quite  enjoy  keeping  it  at  bay  till  someone  helps 
them  to  kill   it.      Dogs  are   often  too  venture- 


w 


OUK  COOK  ONCE  SAW  ONE  IN  THE  VERY  ACT  OF  DRINKING  OUT  OF  A  PAN  OF  MILK. 


some,  though,  and  forfeit  their  lives  for  their  fun. 
Twice  we  lost  favourites  in  this  way,  and  their 
sudden  deaths  brought  home  to  us  more  vividly 
than  anything  the  fatality  of  a  snake- bite. 
They  do  not,  it  seems  to  me,  bite,  but  strike  at 
their  victim  with  their  upper  jaw,  in  which  the 
poison  fangs  are  secreted.  These  fangs  are 
hollow,  and  in  the  act  of  striking  the  poison, 
which  lies  under  the  fang,  is  forced  up  into  the 
wound.  The  more  poisonous  snakes  have  but 
two  fangs ;  those  which  leave  four  or  six  punc- 
tures are  not  nearly  so  dangerous.  They  strike 
with  wonderful  force,  as  the  following  will  show. 


I6 


THK    WlDl':    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


a    bep.utiful 


1  and  inv  chiKiren  wore  one  day  walking  in 
a  luddock  alx^ui  a  qiinrier  of  a  mile  from  the 
house.  Suddenly  the  two  dogs  we  had  with  us 
routed  out  a  black  snake  from  a  log.  One  on 
each  side,  they  snapped  and  barked  at  it,  at  the 
same  lime  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance,  but 
disregarding  our  efforts  to  call  them  away. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  fury  of  the  reptile. 
Raised  in  ihc  air.  almost  on  its  tail,  with  its 
horrible  head  and  neck  flattened  out,  and  its 
whole  body  quivering  with  rage,  it  waited  its 
chance. 

All  at  once  the  smaller  do, 
civker  spaniel,  ventured  closer. 
With  one  bound  the  terrible  thing 
was  on  him  and  had  fastened  its 
fangs  in  his  neck.  The  poor  little 
dog  yelled  and  howled,  trying  to 
shake  it  off,  but  to  no  purpose. 
He  then  started  running  towards 
us,  and  as  he  ran  he  i/riij^,i;C(/  the 
snake  with  him,  so  firmly  were  its 
fangs  fastened  in.  and  it  was  as 
much  as  he  could  do  to  drag  the 
heavy  reptile  along.  At  last,  the 
snake'sfell  purpose  accomplished, 
it  let  go,  and  poor  little  Dash 
stopped  howling,  but  shivered  and 
trembled  as  with  an  ague.  We 
hurried  home  with  him,  poured 
spirits  down  his  throat,  and 
bathed  his  poor  neck  (though  on 
account  of  his  hair  being  so  thick 
and  long  we  could  not  find  the 
puncture)  with  every  antidote 
we  could  get  in  the  hurry 
•'.le  moment,  but  it  was 
.ill  to  no  purpose:  he  died 
in  about  ten  minutes,  shivering 
all   the  time,   but   in   no  apparent   pain. 

Some  years  after  my  youngest  girl  found  our 
fox-terrier  lying  by  the  steps  of  the  veranda. 
"Oh,  jxjor  Rally  must  be  sick,"  we  heard  her 
call  out,  but  he  was  quite  dead.  AVe  should 
never  have  known  what  caused  his  death  had 
not  a  man  seen  him  fighting  a  snake  in  the 
paddock,  and  the  man  killed  it  with  a  stick, 
little  knowing  that  poor  Rally  had  received  his 
death-wound,  to  which  he  succumbed  almost  as 
quickly  as  our  other  poor  dog. 

Experience  Uught  us  jn  time  that  cats  about 
the  house  kept  snakes  away  ;  so  we  encouraged 
the  cats  to  good  purpose.  It  seems  almost 
incredible  that  a  cat  should  attack  so  for- 
midable a  creature.  They  do  not  rouse  it 
impetuously  as  a  dog  would,  but  lie  in  wait 
quietly,  till  certain  of  succeeding.     Then  they 


make  a  sudden  spring  on  its  neck,  close  to 
its  head,  and  shake  it,  as  a  terrier  would  a 
rat,  till  its  back  is  broken.  One  summer  the 
only  snake  we  saw  was  one  brought  in  dead 
by  a  cat  to  her  kitten.  She  laid  it  on  the 
veranda  witli  the  air  of  a  conqueror,  and  she  was 
quite  exhausted,  poor  thing,  after  her  fight,  and 
stood  panting,  while  we  patted  and  praised  her. 
These  experiences  of  mine  lasted  over  a  period 
of  twelve  years.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that  we 
werejighting  snakes  all  the  time,  or  that  all  the 
Queensland  bush  is  so  infested  with  snakes  as 
was  our  station  for  the  first  years  we  were  there. 


WE   SAW   ONE    BROUGHT   IN    DEAD    HV  A  CAT    TO    HER    KITTEN. 


We  are  living  now  near  the  metropolis,  and 
snakes  are  never  heard  of,  much  less  seen,  but 
still  I  often  long  to  be  back  in  our  bush  home. 
It  is  strange,  but  true,  that  those  who  have  once 
had  a  taste  of  the  bush  never  lose  the  love  of 
the  life.  "Fiee,  unconquered,  lonely,"  there  is 
a  something  inexpressible  that  constitutes  the 
charm  ;  and  though  after  long  years  the 
memory  of  it  may  fade,  perhaps  just  the  scent 
of  eucalyptus  in  honey -laden  bloom,  a  whiff 
of  the  wattle  blossom,  or  the  crack  of  a 
stock-whip  in  the  distance  brings  it  all  back. 
Oh,  the  calm,  quiet  days ;  the  hush  of  the 
beautiful  nights,  with  ever  and  again  the  soft 
"  mo-poke "  of  the  owl  in  the  distance  ;  the 
weird  cry  of  the  curlew  ;  the  splash  of  the 
platypus  from  the  river  bank,  and  over  all  a 
"  silence  too  great  for  speech." 


A  Lady  Missionary  in  China. 

Bv  Rachel  Clemson. 

Here  is  an  article  mainly  prepared  from  the  diary  of  a  lady  missionary  of  the   C.M.S.     She  tells 

exactly  what    she    saw    and    experienced,    how    the    extraordinary    life    of  these    inscrutable    people 

struck  her,  together  with  the  humours  and  dangers  of  a  missionary  career  in  the   interior  of  the 

Empire.     The  photos,  will  be  found  unusually  interesting. 


HAVE  no  doubt  that  many  persons 
will  be  glad  to  learn  something  more 
about  China  than  they  already  know, 
especially  now,  at  this  time,  when  the 
eyes  of  all  Europe  are  so  anxiously 
turned  towards  that  great  empire,  which,  as  is 
well  known,  covers  an  area  fifteen  times  bigger 
than  (jreat  Britain  and  Ireland  put  together, 
and  is  estimated  to  contain  400,000,000 
people.  In  the  various  provinces  and  districts 
there  are  great  differences 
in  speech,  in  the  way  of 
living,  in  dress,  and  in 
many  other  respects.  To 
describe  these  differences 
in  detail  would  be  beyond 
my  powers,  so  I  shall 
confine  myself  chiefly  to 
the  province  I  know  best, 
Fuh-kien,  in  South  China. 
Foo-chow,  the  registered 
port  name  of  the  capital, 
which  is  situated  near  the 
mouth  of  the  beautiful 
River  Min,  is  a  treaty 
port,  and  here  in  1850 
the  Church  Missionary 
Society  commenced  work 
in  Fuh  -  kien.  For  ten 
years  its  emissaries 
laboured  with  no  apparent 
result,  and  it  was  not  until 
186 1  that  the  first  con- 
verts were  baptized.  And 
so,  slowly  and  surely,  the 

work  of  the  devoted  missionaries  progressed  in 
Fuh-kien  until  now,  under  Archdeacon  Wolfe 
and  his  fellow-labourers,  the  mission  in  that 
province  is  one  of  the  most  thriving  in  connec- 
tion with  the  C.  M.S.,  there  being  about  20,000 
native  Christians. 

Fuh-ning,  a  walled  city  near  the  sea  coast  on 
the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  is  about  four  days' 
Journey  from  Foo-chow,  and  the  route  generally 
taken  is  partly  by  land  and  partly  by  water. 
Speaking  broadly,  there  are  no  horses  in  the 
province  except  those  kept  by  the  mandarins 
and  the  English  and  other  communities  for 
sporting  purposes ;  and  the  journey  overland 
is  accomplished  by  means  of  chairs  borne 
by  coolies,  who  will,  on  an  average,  carry  a 
passenger  thirty  miles  in  a  day.  There  are 
three  coolies  to  each  chair,  and  each  man 
takes  a    turn    to  walk  along   and   secure  some 

Vol.  vi.— 3. 


measure  of  rest  and  relief  while  the  other  two 
carry  the  human  burden.  The  vehicles  are, 
in  appearance,  something  like  a  Sedan  chair. 
The  one  shown  in  the  photograph  of  Mrs.  T.  de 
Clare  Studdert,  wearing  adapted  dress  (of  which 
more  presently),  is  a  very  fair  specimen  of  those 
used  by  the  missionaries  for  rough  country 
travelling. 

This    chair    is    made    of  cane,   the   poles    of 
bamboo,    and   the  cover   of    waterproof    cloth 


\M 


.MR.-..    STLDDERT,    A;,U    I  lit   CIIAIK   IN    Wil.CH    SHE    HAS   TRAVELLED    MANV    HUNDREDS   OF   MILES   IN 


From  a\ 


THE   INTERIOR. 


[Photo. 


painted  royal  blue.  It  has  glass  windows,  which 
slide  open,  and  it  is  carried  by  the  coolies  on 
their  shoulders.  The  chairs  used  by  the  Euro- 
peans for  paying  visits  and  going  short  distances 
in  the  town  are  much  lighter,  and  more  elegant 
and  ornamental. 

Naturally,  to  an  Englishman,  or  even  more  so 
to  an  American,  this  mode  of  progression  seems 
extremely  tedious  ;  but  one  might  almost  say 
that  the  Chinese  motto  is  "Slowly,  slowly!"  And 
as  the  roads  are  for  the  most  part  mere  sheep- 
tracks  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  take 
wheeled  conveyances  along  them,  unless  one 
were  willing  to  make  use  of  a  wheelbarrow,  and 
even  this  would  not  answer  on  the  mountain 
paths,  which  generally  consist  of  a  succession  of 
rough,  uneven  steps. 

In  the* cities  there  are  chairs  for  hire  just  as 
there  are  cabs  in  England,  and  you   make   a 


iS 


THE    WIDi:    WOkl.D    MAGAZINE. 


bargnin  with  the  proprietor.  ICvon  supposing 
one  travels  a  great  ileal,  it  is  not  ailvisable  to 
keep  private  ehair-coolies,  because  if  ihey 
are  idle  for  a  little  time  they  speedily  get  out  of 
training,  whilst  the  public  chair-caniers  are 
always  in  good  condition,  so  to  speak. 

At  I"uh-ning  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
has  cstablishetl  a  llourisliing  boarding  school 
for  nati\e  girls,  'i'he  children,  in  number  about 
forty,  including  a  few  day  scholars,  are  under 
the  care  of  two  (sometimes  three)  English  ladies, 
who,  I  believe,  (ind  their  pupils  very  interesting 


/•'.';«  a] 


r.ATlVK   SCHOOI.-CfUI.S    DKM.I.ING    AT   THIi   C..M.S.    SCHOOL    IN    KUH-NING. 


and  tractable.  I  have  seen  it  stated  on  good 
authority  that  Chinese  parents  refuse  to  send 
their  girls  to  the  mission  schools  unless  assured 
that  the  principal  will  find  them  suitable 
husbands:  iJut  Miss  Clarke,  the  lady  who 
has  until  recently  acted  as  principal  of  the 
school  named,  assures  me  that  this  is  not  so  in 
Euh-kien,  as  most  of  the  girls  are  already 
betrothed  when  they  come  to  school,  and  not 
once  in  her  exjjerience  of  nearly  seven  years  has 
she  been  asked  to  i)lay  the  part  of  a  match- 
maker. 

Marriage  is  purely  a  matter  of  business  with 
the  Chinese.  Men  either  buy  their  wives 
themselves  through  a  middle-man  or  else 
they  are  bought  for  them  by  their  parents. 
Frequently  a  boy's  parents  will  pay  a  sum  of 
money  to  another  couple  as  the  f)rice  of  a 
small   daughter    to    be    their   son's  wife  when 


both  arrive  at  a  marriageable  age.  By  making 
the  purchase  in  infancy  the  bride  is  obtained  at 
a  much  cheaper  rate  ;  but  the  bargain  is  a  specu- 
lative one,  for  the  i)urchasers  have  to  take  all 
risks ;  and  as  death  sometimes  claims  their 
property,  it  is  not  an  uncommon  case  to  come 
across  a  forlorn  young  bachelor  who,  having 
thus  been  cheated  of  the  bride  his  parents 
acquired  for  him,  is  too  poor  to  buy  another,  and 
thus  has  to  spend  a  prolonged  period  of  single 
blessedness  while  he  is  scraping  together  suffi- 
cient cash  to  replace  the  dear  departed — whom 

he  has  probably 
never  seen. 

As  may  easily 
be  understood, 
this  system  is 
largely  responsi- 
ble for  the  fact 
that  so  many  girl 
babies  are  left  to 
die,  for  if  the 
supply  were  too 
plentiful  good 
prices  could  not 
be  obtained,  and, 
therefore,  many 
are  sacrificed  to 
keep  the  market 
up.  Once,  on 
their  travels, 
some  mission- 
aries came  across 
an  isolated  village 
which  was  inha- 
bited solely  by 
men  —  there  was 
not  a  woman  in 
the  place.  On 
being  asked  the 
reason  for  this,  one  of  the  natives  replied  that 
they  were  all  too  poor  to  buy  wives,  so  they  had 
resolved  to  live  without  any. 

It  is  obvious  that  women's  work  is  a  real 
necessity  in  connection  with  missionary  effort. 
For  in  China,  as  in  all  Oriental  countries,  it  is 
only  women  who  can  come  into  direct  personal 
contact  with  those  of  their  own  sex.  And  in 
the  past  it  has  often  been  found  that  the  native 
women,  with  their  ignorant  prejudices,  were  very 
great  hindrances  to  the  spread  of  Christianity  ; 
for  although  \iomen  occupy  such  a  subordinate 
position,  and  in  puljlic  the  Celestial  usually 
speaks  contemptuously  of  his  wife  as  "  the  old 
horse,"  she  can  on  occasion  make  things  as 
lively  for  him  as  a  scolding  wife  of  any  other 
nationality. 

Miss  Clarke  is  very  enthusiastic  about  her 
work  in  Fuh-ning,  and  speaks  most  highly  of 


{Photo. 


A    LADY    MISSIONARY    IN    CHINA. 


J9 


the  people.  In  that  district  there  are  over  two 
hundred  baptized  native  Christians  and  nearly 
seven  hundred  catechumens  ;  and  Miss  Clarke 
and  her  companion,  Miss  Rosamond  Clemson 
(now  Mrs.  Studdert),  in  addition  to  their  work 
at  the  girls'  school,  found  many  opportunities  of 
teaching  the  people  and  ministering  to  them. 
In  Fuh-ning  city  the  C.M.S.  has  also  established 
a  very  successful  hospital,  which  was  originally 
under  the  auspices  of  Dr.  Taylor,  the  founder, 
who  trained  several  Christian  young  men  to  be 
his  assistants. 

The  Rev.  H.  M.  Eyton-Jones,  M.A.,  had 
general  charge  of  the  work  in  a  large  district 
known  as  the  Fuh-ning  Prefecture ;  but  within 
the  last  year  or  two,  however,  Irish  clergymen 
and  doctors,  as  well  as  several  other  mission- 
aries, have  been  sent  out  there  by  Trinity  College, 
Dublin;  and  I  I)elieve  the  whole  staff  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Dublin  University's  Fuh-kien 
Mission.  The  accompanying  photograph  shows 
the  interior  of  the  chapel  at  the  girls'  school. 


Occasionally  during  vacations  Miss  Clarke 
and  her  comj)anions  undertook  itinerating  work, 
when  they  became  objects  of  much  curiosity 
to  the  natives  of  the  villages  they  passed 
through,  many  of  whom  have  scarcely  seen  a 
foreigner.  Despite  the  coolies'  unflattering  but 
well-meant  assurances  that  their  passengers  are 
"nothing  good  to  look  at,"  crowds  often  assemble 
to  see  the  "  foreign  children  "  and  sadly  impede 
their  progress.  And  when  they  put  up  at  the 
wretched  village   inn   food   is  partaken    of   and 


toilets  are  made  under  fire  from  a  battery  of 
curious  eyes  glued  to  every  chink  from  which 
they  can  possibly  (^ommand  a  view.  It  is  not 
advisable  to  be  too  reserved  with  them,  or  they 
will  regard  you  in  the  same  light  as  a  cow 
which  seems  inclined  to  give  chase  and  be 
spiteful,  and  the  Chinese  word  they  will  use 
in  describing  you  is  identical  with  that  which 
they  would  use  in  the  case  of  the  ill-natured 
bovine. 

Therefore  the  English  ladies  betray  no 
surprise  even  when  the  natives  crowd  into  the 
room  where  they  are  eating  and  handle  and 
examine  their  food.  Bread  is  an  article  of 
diet  which  excites  much  wonderment,  as  it  is 
rarely  seen  among  the  Chinese  of  this  province, 
boiled  rice  being  their  staple  food.  Here  is 
one  phase  of  travelling  in  China,  as  described 
by  Mrs.  Studdert  :  — 

"  We  left  Fuh-ning  on  a  Friday,  crossed  the 
bay  in  the  Relief  {xhc  mission  boat),  and  arrived 
at  Lo-nguong  on  Saturday  at  midday,    to  find 

all  the  people  fled,  some 
to  Sharp  Peak  and  some 
to  Kuliang.  We  had  a 
very  pleasant  journey  so 
far,  but  on  Sunday  it 
commenced  raining  ;  so 
we  stayed  at  Lo-nguong 
for  Sunday.  We  started 
at  six  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  it  soon  poured 
again,  and  the  coolies  and 
our  cook  got  very  wet. 
We  hoped  to  have  reached 
Leing-kong  and  slept 
there,  but  about  4  p.m. 
we  had  to  stop  at  a  native 
inn,  because  the  coolies 
refused  to  go  farther.  We 
heard  that  the  flood  was 
out  a  few  miles  farther  on, 
so  we  had  to  fix  up  for 
the  night  there.  But  not 
a  wink  of  sleep  could  we 
get.  On  three  sides  were 
coolies  and  pigs  grunting 
and  snoring  ;  on  the  other, 
frogs  in  a  gutter  croaking  ;  on  the  roof  were 
rats  killing  and  eating  young  birds  ;  and  inside, 
mosquitoes  and  spiders.  What  more  could  the 
heart  desire  ? 

"  We  were  very  glad  to  start  again  next  morn- 
ing, and  arrived  at  the  flood,  hired  a  tiny, 
rickety  boat,  and  were  pushed  up  a  swollen 
river  for  about  an  hour  with  bamboo  poles. 
Arrived  at  Leing-kong  we  had  dinner,  hired 
another  boat,  crossed  another  flooded  river, 
were    carried    for   a    short    time    through    the 


[/'//<./,.. 


20 


riu-:  wiDi:  world  mac.aziNE. 


wntor  covcrinj;  the  pdily  -  Ileitis,  aiul  on 
Tucsilay  ni^lu  ri.nlK-d  Kaunj;  l.ui.  wluro  we 
slept  that  iiiglu  in  our  chairs  in  the  eliapel  in 
prclercncc  to  another  nati\e  inn. 

"Wc  had  to  wait  until  eleven  till  the  steam 
launch  staited  for  I'oo-chow,  so  a  young 
tueviieal  student  of  Pr.  Rigij's  i-ame  to  look  us 
up  and  took  us  to  his  house.  He  has  ojiened 
a  chennsl"s  shop  and  doctors  people  himself."' 

The  foregoing  extract,  however,  does  not  refer 
to  an  itinerating  tour,  but  to  the  journey  to 
Kuliang,  a  hill  .sanatorium  to  which  many  of 
the  l-'uhkien  missionaries  repair  for  a  few  weeks 
during  the  height  of  summer  when  the  heat  is 
intense.  The  Kuliang  Hills  are  seen  in  the 
I  background  of  the  phoU)graiih  which  shows 
Ii»o-chow  and  the  River  Min. 


first  itinerating  trip,  and  liad  some  queer 
(.'X[)eriences.  We  have  been  sleeping  in  all 
kinds  of  dirty,  horrible  places.  I  wish  1  could 
describe  some  of  them. 

"The  last  night  was  spent  at  a  place  called 
Sua-dong,  in  a  tiny  room  with  a  mud  floor.  The 
window  was  merely  a  hole  in  the  mud  wall 
(some  rooms  have  no  window  at  all  and  are 
quite  dark  except  for  the  holes  in  the  roof)  ;  and 
the  bed  was  just  boards  and  trestles.  'l"he  one 
other  piece  of  furniture  was  a  huge  tub  of  some 
kind  of  grain  ;  so  we  had  supper  and  breakfast 
on  the  bed.  The  roof  and  walls  were  black 
witli  the  accumulated  soot  of  years. 

"One  day  we  passed  some  criminals  being 
taken  down  to  I'oo-chow  to  be  tried  :  they  were 
carried  in  wooden  cages  something   like  poultry 


-ij   nil-.  i;r\i::u  .min.  wnii  thk  ki  ;  i 


{Photo. 


Though  ordinary  bread  is  not  eaten  by  the 
Chinese,  when  entertained  by  them  at  a  feast 
one  is  often  offered  little  round  cakes  with 
holes  in  the  middle,  somewhat  like  muffins  or 
pikelets.  And  the  Emperor  eats  a  kind  of 
steamed  bread  almost  like  boiled  pudding. 
Whether  you  are  host  or  guest  it  is  strictly  in 
accordance  with  Chinese  etiquette  to  rise  imme- 
diately you  have  finished,  but  you  must  not 
hurry  your  companions,  and  therefore  you  invite 
them  to  '•  slowly,  slowly  eat.' 

Speaking  of  her  first  itinerating  trip,  in  1897, 
before  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Studdert  says  :  — 

"■  La-st  week  I  went  with  Miss  Clarke  for  my 


crates.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  justice  in 
China:  the  mandarins  don't  know  the  meaninc; 
of  the  word.  If  a  man  has  money  he  gets 
'justice,'  if  he  has  not  he  doesn't.  And 
criminals  are  most  cruelly  treated.  They  cut 
their  ears,  burn  their  backs,  and  so  on.  Last 
year  a  coolie  stole  75dols.  belonging  to  Miss 
Clarke.  Some  people  wanted  her  to  have 
him  sent  to  the  mandarin,  but  she  wouldn't, 
because  these  officials  are  so  frightfully  cruel. 
The  man  had  bought  a  dose  of  opium  strong 
enough  to  kill  him,  and  this  he  intended  taking 
should  he  be  arrested,  as  he  preferred  death  to 
being  taken  to  the  mandarin's  yamen. 


A    LADY    MISSIONARY    IN    CHINA. 


21 


THE    FOREIGN    CLUB   AT    FOO-CtlOW- 

From  a\ 


■IT   CONTRASTS   STRONGLY   W 
BUILDINGS. 


"  One  day  we  reached  the  foot  of  a  hill  about 
4  p.m.,   and  of  course  intended  going  up  for 
coohicss,  but  tlie  coolies  who  were  carrying  our 
Sedan  chairs  said  it  would   be  dark   before  they 
reached  the  top.     We  knew  they  were  wrong, 
and   told    them    so.      Then    we   had   a   grand 
argument.       Each   coolie   in   turn,    and    in    his 
loudest  voice,  gave  his  opinion  on  the  subject; 
then  a  chorus,   and   all   would  join   in.      Miss 
Clarke  stood    calmly  fanning    herself   till    they 
had   to    stop   for   want   of 
breath.       Then    siie    pro- 
ceeded to  give  her  view  of 
the  case  ;  but  it  was  of  no 
use,  they  would  7Jot  go,  so 
we  had  to  sleep  in  a  tiny 
native  inn.   You've  no  idea 
what   those  inns  are  like. 
I  should  infinitely  prefer 
sleeping    in    any    English 
stable  ;  our  harness-room 
at   home  is   palatial  com- 
pared with  the  bedrooms 
in  these  wretched  places. 
Nobody    but    those   who 
have  seen  them  ca?i  ever 
imagine  anything  so  utterly 
comfortless     and      filthy. 
Pigs  wander  in  and  out  at 
their  own   sweet  pleasure. 
There  is  no  chimney,  and 
all    smoke  has   to   escape 
through  the  door  or  holes 
in  the  roof.    Then  beetles, 


spiders,  centipedes, 
mosquitoes,  rats,  and 
other  vermin  all  add 
their  quota  to  the 
general  unpleasant- 
ness ;  and  the  smells 
are"  quite  indescrib- 
able." 

Mrs.  Studdert 
writes  enthusiasti- 
cally of  the  scenery 
through  which  she 
passed  at  this  stage 
of  her  journey.  In 
some  places  bamboo 
groves  fringe  the 
banks  of  the  River 
Min,  great  hills  form 
a  stately  background, 
and  great  waterfalls 
sparkle  in  the  bril- 
liant sun.  Near  Foo- 
chow  stands  the 
curious  isolated 
temple  seen  in  our 
photograph.  It  is  built  on  a  rocky  islet  in  the 
River  Min.  When  Mrs.  Studdert  reached  the 
coast,  however,  her  enthusiasm  for  Chinese 
scenery  grew  less. 

"  One  part  of  our  journey  was  acr(jss  an 
inland  sea,  or  rather  bay,  which  only  takes  twelve 
hours  to  cross.  We  went  on  board  a  native 
boat  on  Friday  night,  and  oug,ht  to  have  reached 
the  other  side  by  four  o'clock  on  Saturday  after- 
noon. The  sailors,  however,  overslept  themselves 


ITU    THE    NEIGHBOURING   CHINK^i; 

\Photo. 


Front  a\ 


A    PICTURESQUE    RIVER   TEMPLE    NEAR    FOU-CHOW. 


{Photo. 


TEIK    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


.:*      ^ 


ings  ! 


hrctn  a\ 


A   COMMLNITV    lldUSE-UOAT   AM)    NAl  IVE    BOATS    NKAK    FOO-CHOW. 


[Photn. 


and  missed  the  night  tide,  so  we  calmly  reposed 
on  a  mud-!>ank  all  day  and  started  again  in  the 
evening,  only  to  cast  anchor  after  a  few  hours' 
pitching  about  in  a  typhoon.  On  Sunday  we 
were  exactly  where  we  were  on  Friday.  Tfie 
native  boats  have  arched  bamboo  roofs,  which 
don't  allow  us  to  stand  up  at  all,  so  the  only 
thing  is  to  lie  down  all  the  time  on  the  hard 
Ixiards.  We  got 
very  tired  of  this, 
so  determined  to 
get  ofT  through 
the  mud  when 
the  tide  went  out 
and  go  to  Hi- 
luang  to  a  native 
service.  I  slipped 
one  leg  into  the 
mud,  laughing  at 
Miss  Clarke  des- 
cending from  the 
boat  on  a  narrow, 
shaky,  slippen,- 
wet  plank.  It 
was  pouring  with 
rain,  and  the 
narrow  paths 
were  simply 
streams,  so  it 
ended  in  my 
attending  Divine 
ser\ice  with  bare 
feet,  as  I  had  to 
wring  my  stock- 


!  Don't  be 
shocked:  in 
China  men  and 
women  never  sit 
together ;  so  only 
a  few  girls  saw 
them. 

"All  day  on 
Sunday  it  was 
typhoony,  so  we 
did  not  get  in 
until  Monday; 
and  we  were  very 
glad  indeed  to 
leave  the  boat 
with  its  many 
attractions, 
shouting  sailors, 
and  the  odour  of 
the  opium  which 
ihcy  smoke  inces- 
santly." A  good 
idea  of  these 
quaint  arched- 
roofed   boats    to 


which  Mrs.  Studdert  refers  is  given  in  the  photo. 
"  At  one  village  we  were  hooted,  and  a  crowd 
of  men  and  boys  made  a  rush,  shouting, 
'  Foreign  devils  !  Foreign  devils  ! '  That  is 
their  favourite  term  of  endearment,  and  we  get 
quite  used  to  it.  Their  hatred  simply  arises 
from  superstition,  of  course.  How  superstitious 
they  are   may  be    seen    in    the    photograph    of 


^rm 


■•ii 


-i^ 


.^SCii.. 


A    ROW   OF   CHINESE-COFIIN    IIOUSR^ 


WITH    COFFINS   V. 

From  a  flio. 


A        I.LCKY    DAY       TO    BE    r.fKIED. 


A    LADY    MISSIONARY    IN    CHINA. 


23 


From  a\ 


VIEW   AT    KUSHANG    MONASTERY. 


[Photo. 


the  coffin -houses  which  I  .secured.  In  these 
quaint  sheds  the  coffins  are  deposited  to  await  a 
'  lucky  day  '  for  burial.      That  day  may  come 

tomorrow,    or   it     

may  be  a  case  of 
several  years  ! 

"  We  were  also 
on  another  tiny 
boat,  but  only  to 
be  taken  across 
an  inlet.  0 11  r 
bedding  basket 
was  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the 
boat,  and  Miss 
Clarke  sat  on  one 
half  and  I  on  the 
other.  We  thus 
propi^ed  each 
other's  backs, 
while  our  feet 
dangled  over  the 
edge  of  the  l)as- 
ket.      The  Bible- 


woman  sat  at  the  end  of  the  boat  and  made 
a  very  good  figure-head.  She  was  not  satis- 
fied with  our  rate  of  progress,  and  tried  to 
instruct  the  '  captain  '  (?),  but  he  wouldn't 
be  instructed. 

"  She  is  a  very  plucky  little  thing.  One 
day  on  our  tour  she  got  the  room  cleared 
for  us  to  have  our  dinner  in  peace  by  the 
following  movement  (of  course  we  always 
get  crowds  of  people  staring  at  us).  She 
addressed  the  throng  as  follows :  '  Well, 
what  are  you  waiting  for?  What  do  you 
want  to  see  ?  What  the  Kuniongs  eat,  eh  ?  ' 
(all  unmarried  women  are  called  Kuniongs). 
'  Yery  well,  here  is  fish,  here  is  rice,  here  are 
eggs,  and  here  is  fruit.  Now  look,  look, 
look  closely,  and  you  will  see  that  the 
Kuniongs  have  mouths  and  eyes  and  hands 
just  like  you  ;  so  there's  nothing  more  to 
see,  and  you  may  go.' 
•  "  She  and  Aliss  Clarke  preached  the 
Gospel  to  hundreds,  as  wherever  we  went 
every  inhabitant  must  come  to  see  the 
'  foreign  devils.'  When  a  crowd  assembled 
they  told  them  the  '  old,  old  story.' 

"  At  one  fishing  village  on  the  east  coast 
the   work  is  going  on   sjjlendidly.       They 
have  collected  among  themselves  2oodols. 
to  build  a  church,  which  they  are  hoping  to 
get  this  year.     They  say  they  are  going  to 
build   a  comfortable  room  for  us,  so  that 
we  may  often  go  to  see  them  ;  no  foreigner 
lives  there.     I  really  think  that  the  Buddhist 
monastery  will  have  little   cause  for  exist- 
ence before  long. 
"  One    photograph     shows    the    picturesque 
flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  monastery  referred 
to ;  while  the  other  is  of  a  party  of  visitors  from 


/''mill  n\ 


PAUT   OF    KUSUANC;    MONASTENV,    WHICH    c;i)\l.\INS    Hl.M)KI•.l)^ 


[Photo. 


^4 


rill'     WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


a  forcii;n  .miii-bo.it  who  wore  'taken  "  within  the 
very  monastery  walls.  In  this  building,  by  the 
way,  are  thousands  of  idols,  greatly  revered  by 
the  followers  of  lUiddha. 

"One  young  fisherman  takes  his  IJible  out 
with  him  in  his  boat  and  reads  to  the  men  and 
also  at  the  Customs.  The  men  on  the  other 
boats  like  to  hear  the  hymn-singing,  so  they 
invite  him  to  their  boats,  and  then  he  can  talk 
and  tell  them  of  the  'good  tidings  of  great  joy.' 

"  One  day  going  over  a  hill  my  coolies 
dropped  me  and  my  chair  four  times.  Once 
we  all  went  over  together  sideways— chair, 
coolies,  and  myself  inside.  I  luul  to  scramble 
out  through  the  front  in  a  most  undignified 
manner :   and    we    mii^ht    have    rolled    down   a 


/■rem  a\ 


TlUi    I1IN(,-HL'A    l'A<;(il).\    I.\    SllLlH    CHJN 


ravine.  As  it  was,  I  escaped  with  nothing 
worse  than  thorns  in  my  hands  and  wrath  in 
my  heart.  I  did  so  want  to  scold  the  coolies, 
but  couldn't,  as  my  knowledge  of  Chinese  wasn't 
equal  to  it.  At  the  same  time  I  wanted  to 
laugh  so  badly,  for  I  must  have  looked  a  'sight' 
crawling  out  on  all  fours  as  in  an  obstacle  race  ; 
but  I  had  to  laugh  inwardly  lest  the  men  should 
see  me,  as  they  were  inclined  to  giggle  too." 

An  Englishwoman's  waist  causes  many  rude 
remarks,  and  is  spoken  of  by  many  as  an 
argument  for  continuing  foot-binding,  so  for 
these  reasonsmany  of  the  China  Inland  mission- 
aries wear  native  costume.  This  is  seldom 
done  by  the  ladies  of  the  Church  Mission- 
ary' Society,  but  in  remote  country  places  and 


when  travelling  they  often  wear  loose  blouses 
without  any  waists,  and  this  "adapted  dress"  is 
shown  in  the  photograph  of  Mrs.  Studdert, 
before  referred  to. 

Alas  !  that  there  should  be  another  side  to 
the  picture.  Readers  of  The  \\\\ni  World 
Mac.azink  will  remember  that  in  the  issue  of 
April,  1899,  a  very  graphic  descrijjtion  was 
given  of  the  massacre  of  the  Rev.  R.  ^V. 
Stewart,  his  wife,  two  children,  the  nurse,  and 
si.x  other  lady  missionaries,  the  article  being 
entitled  "  The  Martyrs  of  Ku-cheng."  This 
awful  scene  of  violence  and  bloodshed  took  place 
in  the  same  province  of  Inih-kien  to  which  I  have 
been  referring,  and  at  Foo-chow,  where  the  vic- 
tims were  buried, 
a  beautiful  monu- 
ment is  erected 
to  their  memor\'. 
Our  photograjih 
shows  a  town  in 
the  lovely  pro- 
vince of  Fuh- 
kien,  and  gives  a 
good  idea  of  the 
fertility  and  the 
beauty  of  scenery 
thereabout. 

Even  in  Fuh- 
ning  proclama- 
tions have  once 
or  twice  been 
posted  up  saying 
that  the  church 
was  to  be  pulled 
down  and  the 
catechist  killed, 
and  many  of  the 
Christians,  both 
native  and  Euro- 
irhoto.  peaUj'have  had  a 
price  set  upon 
their  heads.  Sometimes  the  city  has  been 
invaded  by  a  body  of  armed  men  threatening 
to  kill  the  foreigners  and  burn  their  buildings. 
Twice  to  my  knowledge  this  has  happened,  and 
in  each  instance  the  mvasion  was  due  to  a 
persecution  case.  For  example,  a  young  village 
Christian  was  much  persecuted  at  the  instigation 
of  a  literary  man  living  in  the  same  village,  and 
the  case  came  before  the  mandarin.  Fearing 
lest  the  latter  should  give  judgment  for  the 
{)ersecuted  man,  his  tormentors  armed  and 
came  into  the  city,  threatening  the  mandarin's 
yamen  as  well  as  the  missionaries'  houses.  But 
on  this,  as  on  the  other  occasion,  the  mandarin 
acted  very  well  and  promptly  for  the  protection 
of  the  foreigners. 


Tzintzuntzan    and   Its   ''Titian.*' 

MY  ADVENTURES  WHEN  TRYING  TO  PHOTOGRAPH  IT. 

By  R.  Bruce  Johnstone. 

This  gentleman,  hearing  of  the  superb  "  Entombment,"  by  Titian,  so  jealously  guarded  by  the 
fanatical  Indians  of  Tzintzuntzan,  in  Southern  Mexico,  set  out  to  see  and  photograph  it  one 
day  in  i8go.  He  nearly  lost  his  life,  and  his  photographic  plates  were  destroyed.  The  trip  is  safe 
enough    now,    however,    and    anyone     may    see    the    picture.      The   interesting    photos,  illustrate    Mr. 

Johnstone's  journey,  and  are  by  Waite,  of  Mexico  City, 


AR  down  in  the  rich,  copper-bear- 
ing State  of  Michoacan,  Southern 
Mexico,  there  is  a  large  lake,  known 
as  the  "  Lago  de  Patzcuaro."  This 
lake,  at  an  elevation  of  over  8,oooft. 

above  sea  level,  is  one  of  the  highest  navigable 

bodies    of  water   on   the   globe.     Clustered   all 

along   its    banks    are    hundreds  of  small    huts, 

adobe-built,  and  thatched  with  straw  and  J>a////as. 

In    these   the  Indian   fisher-folk    live.     One    of 

these  little  hamlets  is  called 

"Tzintzuntzan  "   (meaning 

"  humming  -  bird  "),    and     its 

huts  are  built  in  the  shadow 

of  a  great  grey  church.      It  is 

with  Tzintzuntzan     and    this 

same  old  ruined  grey  church 

that  my  adventure  deals. 
While     the      old     church, 

Moorish-domed,  moss-grown, 

and    more    than    half-ruined, 

is   in   itself  fully  worthy  of  a 

visit,    there    are    many    more 

churches  almost  exactly  like 

it   in    Mexico  -the   work   of 

devoted  Jesuits  and  Francis- 
cans,   who    laboured,    during 

the    fifteenth    and     sixteenth 

centuries,  with   the  barbarous 

Indians  of  Mexico.    But,  from 

an  interior  point  of  view,  there 

is    nothing     like     it    on     the 

Western    Hemisphere.       For, 

hung  on  the  crumbling  wall 

of  this  old  church,  in  a  light 

that  would  drive  an  artist  to 

distraction,  is  one  of  the  priceless  treasures  of 

the  world  :    a  treasure  that  princes  and  bishops 

and  millionaires  have  in  vain  attempted  to.  buy 

from    the    simple     Indians  —  an    undoubtedly 

genuine  "  Entombment  "  by  Titian  ! 

For  many  years  I  had  known  of  this  picture, 

hidden    away    in    an     obscure    church,    in   an 

obscure  fishing-town  of  Mexico,    and    guarded 

jealously,    night  and  day,    by   adoring   Indians. 

For  years,  also,   I   had  endeavoured  to  arrange 

Vol.  vi.  — 4. 


MR.     R.     BRUCE    JOHNSTONE,    \VHO 

ADVENTURE. 
Front  a  r/ioiogra/i/i 


my  plans  so  as  to  visit  the  little  village,  and  see 
with  my  own  eyes  the  great  picture  so  long  lost 
to  the  outside  world. 

Many  circumstances  prevented  me,  however, 
and  it  was  not  until  I  was  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Mexico  that  an  opportunity  finally  occurred. 
Remotely  situated  as  Tzintzuntzan  was,  and  is, 
I  found  that  by  taking  advantage  of  "  Holy 
Week  "and  the  attendant  holidays  I  could  get 
to  the  town  of  Patzcuaro,  on  the  lake  of  the 
same  name ;  thence  cross  to 
^Fzintzuntzan,  either  by  boat 
or  by  horseback  around  the 
lake  ;  have  a  look  at  the  great 
[)icture,  and  then  return  to  my 
starting-point,  Mexico  City— 
and  all  within  one  week.  You 
can  imagine  the  alacrity  with 
which  I  packed  up  my  camera 
— for  I  was  determined  to  get 
a  good  photograph  of  the 
painting  —  and  included  as 
many  extra  plates  as  I  dared 
take  ;  also  sketching  materials 
and  a  couple  of  revolvers. 

Generally  speaking,  I  had 
found  the  Indians  of  Mexico  a 
very  pacific  folk;  courteous, 
too,  and  very  hospitably  in- 
clined toward  travellers.  But 
friends  who  were  in  a  position 
to  know  assured  me  that, 
firstly,  during  Holy  Week  all 
Indians  were  more  or  less  on 
the  "rampage";  and  secondly, 
that  the  Indians  of  Michoacan 
were  not  pacifically  inclined — on  the  contrary, 
that  they  would  as  soon  make  things  unpleasant 
for  a  white  man  as  not ;  and  that,  thirdly,  it 
was  7iof  a  safe  thing,  under  any  circumstances, 
to  visit  Tzintzunt/an  and  the  "Titian."  More 
than  one  traveller  (I  was  told)  had  been  escorted 
back,  under  threat  of  death,  from  the  adobe 
walls  of  the  remote  hamlet,  without  a  sight  of 
the  picture,  and  widi  no  encouragement  to 
return  again  for  a  look  at  it.     There  was  a  dark 


RELATES     THIS 


I-Hi:    WID1-:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


tale,  told  me  by  reputable  Mexicans,  of  some 
enterprising  Yankees  who  had  formed  a  syndicate 
to  steal  the  noble  {viintini;.  and  resell  it  "  for 
some  high  figure ""  in  New  York.  Their  plans, 
to  put  it  mildly,  had  gone  astray.  I  asked  what 
bccanie  of  the  promoters,  and  my  friend  shrugged 
his  shoulders  indifferently. 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  he  murmured.  "  I'here  were 
three  of  then>,  all  'white  men,'  and  armed  tooth 
and  nail.  All  the  same,  they  never  came  back, 
either  to  ^at^cuaro  or  Mexico  City.  Of  course, 
we  tried  to  unravel  the  mystery  ;  we  sent 
jXTsonal  search  parties,  and  the  (lovernment  did 
what  it  could  to  find  the  men.  Never  was  hair 
or  hide  of  them  found.  Perhaps,  if  the  lake 
could  be  dragged,  we  could  learn  more  about 
things.     lUjt  until  that  is  done " 

From  all  accounts  it  was  not  going  to  prove 
a  "walk-over"  to  visit  the  ''Titian."  Many 
"Job's  comforters,"  indeed,  prophesied  that  I 
would  never  return  in  l/ie  fJes/i,  and  even  Todos 
Santos  murmured  rebelliously — like  the  man  in 
the  Bible,  "  begging  to  be  excused."  I  must 
explain    that  Todos    Santos    was    my  niozo,   or 


of  T/.int/.untzan  :  they  were  all  bastanie  malos 
(or  bad) ;  and  if  the  senor  desired  to  journey 
among  such  sin  veri^uenzas  (shameless  ones)  he, 
Todos,  desired  permission  to  remain  meanwhile 
in  the  town  of  Patzcuaro,  wherein  peace  and 
order  were  to  be  had,  and  there  were  gendarmes 
at  every  street  corner. 

However,  the  scruples  of  Todos  Santos  were 
overcome  long  before  we  reached  Patzcuaro 
town,  a  silver-laced  sombrero  proving  a  potent 
factor  ;  and  so  it  was  not  mozo-less  that  I  pre- 
pared, in  Patzcuaro,  for  a  final  fifteen-mile  ride 
around  the  lake  to  Tzintzuntzan  and  the  mys- 
terious "  Titian."  Todos  Santos  had  begged 
permission,  however,  to  carry  botli  a  revolver  and 
his  beloved  "  throwing-knife."  Knowing  that 
he  could  do  little  damage  with  the  former,  and 
that  the  latter  might  be  of  use,  I  made  no 
objections.  Little  did  I  think  that  it  was  to 
this  same  knife  I  should  later  on  owe  my  life  ! 

Li  Patzcuaro— a  quaint,  beautiful,  old-world 
city — I  hastened  to  engage  horses,  provisions, 
etc.,  for  the  trip.  We,  of  course,  could  have 
boated  across  the  lake,  but  one  glance  at  the 


I- Ton,  a  /■Hctn.  ly\  the   TcW.-;    <jI-    I'AiZCL AHil,    THE    FIRST   STAGE   OF    MR.    JOHNSTONKS  JOURNEV.  [ll-'aite,  MexicO. 


personal  attendant.  His  name,  interpreted, 
means  "All  the  Saints,"  and  he  was  so  called 
by  his  godfathers  and  godmothers  in  baptism 
because  of  the  fact  that  they  could  not  agree 
upon  any  one  saint  after  whom  to  name  him  ; 
hence,  as  a  compromise,  he  was  christened 
"  All  the  Saints." 

Todos  announced  that  he  knew  Patzcuaro,  it 
being  his  tierrn  (or  birthplace) ;  also  he  knew 
the  Indians  of  that  place,  as  well  as  the  Indians 


queer,  flat-bottomed  Indian  boats  decided  me 
to  have  nothing  to  do  with  them  !  For  these 
craft  are  anything  but  safe.  Besides,  the 
Lake  of  Paizcuaro  is  a  very  frisky  and  breezy 
body  of  water,  and,  in  short,  I  concluded  that 
horses  would  provide  an  entirely  safe  mode  of 
locomotion  ! 

On  a  somewhat  weedy  pair  of  beasts,  there- 
fore, we  started  at  dawn,  I  "  packing  "  my  large 
camera  with  me,  and  'Podos  Santos  caring  for 


TZINTZUNTZAN    AND    ITS    "TITIAN/' 


27 


LANDING    AT    TZINTZUNTZAN — THE    LAKE   AND   11^    i.'^  hA  K,    1  LAI-C'J 

From  a  Photo,  by  Waite,  Mexico. 


the  food  :  that  is  to  say,  at  such  times  as  he 
was  not  muttering  fervent  ''Padre  Nuestros" 
and  praying  to  his  namesakes,  the  saints,  to 
preserve  our  souls  from  the  genie  malo  (bad 
people)  of  Tzintzuntzan  I 

The  road  lay  close  to  the  shores  of  the  lake, 
and  wound  about  through  beautifully  fresh 
green  country.  Cool  lake  breezes  fluttered  the 
leaves  of  trees.  Huge  white,  scarlet,  and  V:>lue 
creepers  flaunted  themselves  almost  in  our  very 
faces,  and  on  all 
sides  there  were 
the  twittering 
and  chirping  of 
song-birds.  At 
almost  every 
step  we  had  ex- 
quisite views  of 
the  lake  :  I  took 
several  photo- 
graphs of  it,  as 
well  as  of  the 
road  itself,  with 
the  lake  and 
towering  moun- 
tains in  the  back- 
ground. 

Midway  on 
the  journey  we 
began  to  come 
up  to  and  pass 
group  after  group 
of  festively -clad 
Indians,  who, 
carrying   liuge 


crates  of  pottery 
on  their  backs, 
were  on  their 
way  to  Patzcuaro 
for  the  fiestas. 
None  of  them 
responded  to 
my  friendly 
"  Buenos  dias  " 
(good  morning), 
but  trotted  sul- 
lenly forward, 
their  dark  faces 
stern  and  un- 
friendly. "  I 
told  you  so, 
sen  or,"  mur- 
mured my  mozo, 
spurring  up 
closer  to  my 
side  ;  "  these  are 
very  ugly  Indios. 
They  may  yet 
give  us  trouble!" 
On  the  top  of  the  next  hill  Todos  pointed 
out  a  speck  of  white,  surrounded  by  groves  of 
dark  green  ;  this  he  announced  to  be  the 
church  inside  which  hung  the  "  retrato,"  or 
picture.  Incited  thereby  to  fresh  efforts,  1 
whipped  up  my  jaded  horse,  with  orders  to 
Todos  also  to  hasten  his  beast.  Then,  plan- 
ning in  my  own  mind  how  best  to  secure 
several  really  good  photographs  of  the  paint- 
ing,   I    was    trotting   briskly    onward,   my    eyes 


From  a  Photo,  by  Waite,  Mexico. 


rS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


fjxcil  eaijerly  on  the  white  dot  of  a  church. 
when  I  heard  a  wail  behintl  nic  of  "  Palron  ! 
{xitron  !  "  (master). 

It  was  Todos  Santos,  of  course,  and  in 
irouhle  —  equally  of  course.  His  horse  was 
limping  painfully,  evidently  badly  lamed,  and 
I  gallo|>ed  back  to  lliul  out  how  much  was 
wronj:.  1  soon  .saw  that  the  horse  could  not 
possibly  keep  up  with  me,  and,  in  fact,  must 
travel  "very  slowly.  For  myself,  if  I  intended 
to  get  good  views  of  the  "  Titian  "  before  the 
noon  light  waned,  it  behoved  me  to  press  on 
ahead  of  my  unlucky  mozo,  allowing  him  to 
follow  as  the  horse's  lamed  leg  permitted.  Tell- 
ing him,  therefore,  to  meet  me  at  the  church,  I 
galloped  along  briskly  alone,  followed  by  Todos's 
anxious  importunities  to  "  have  much  care " 
once  I  should  be  in  the  village. 

As  I  drew  nearer  the  little  town  I  began  to 
notice  occasional  queerly-clad  figures  crawling 
along  the  road  wliich  I  was  following  —  the 
figures  of  Indian  men  and  women,  attired  in 
rags,  and  each  one  croivned  with  thorns!  I 
wondered  mightily,  until  it  finally  occurred  to 
me  that  these  were  penitents,  who,  for  either 
real  or  fancied  sins,  were  making  the  journey  to 
Tzintzuntzan  and  the  great  picture  on  their 
knees,  without  food,  and  their  skulls  crowned 
with  cruel,  piercing  thorns.  All  these  pilgrims 
covered  their  faces  as  I  approached,  but  I  could 
-See  the  bruises  on  their  poor,  worn  bodies,  as 
well  as  the  travel  stains,  traces  of  blood  and 
flagellations  which  their  self-ordered  penances 
had  imposed.  And,  still  pondering  on  the 
fanaticism  which  rendered  these  crazy  perform- 
ances possible,  I  galloped  up  to  the  walls  of 
Tzintzuntzan.  My  pilgrimage  was  ended  at 
last,  and  noiv  for  the  famous  and  mysterious 
"  Titian  "  ! 

It  seemed  difficult  to  believe,  as  I  clattered 
u|»  the  narrow,  adobe-lined  street,  that  this 
deserted  Indian  town  had  once  been  an  im- 
porLint  city  of  40,000  souls  ;  the  head-(|uarters 
of  a  great  Spanish  bishop,  whose  see  was  in  the 
old  church  of  San  Francisco,  dating  back  to 
the  fifteenth  century.  Whatever  had  been  the 
splendour  of  Tzintzuntzan  three  hundred  years 
ago,  "  Irhabod ''  could  now  have  been  written 
over  its  crumbling  adobe  portals.  Verily  had 
its  glor)-  departed  ! 

Pigs,  burros  (as.ses),  and  hungry-looking  pariah 
dogs  haunted  the  narrow  yards  and  deserted 
streets,  and  I  began  to  wonder  where  were  the 
"bad  Indians  "  regarding  whom  Todos  Santos 
had  made  so  many  dour  prophecies.  I  was  on 
the  point  of  concluding  that,  like  Ephraim,  they 
were  "  not,"  when  a  turn  of  the  narrow  street 
gave  me  a  full  view  of  a  shady  place,  in 
which    were    numerous    tents    and    booths,  all 


thronged  with  Indians  in  holiday  attire,  eating, 
drinking,  and  making  merry.  The  buzzing 
sound  of  many  voices  filled  the  air,  and 
there  was  music  made  by  queer  stringed 
iiistruuiciits  and  the  sound  of  dancing.  I 
had  forgotten  that  it  was  "  Holy  Thursday," 
and  that,  consequently,  the  town  would  be 
en  fete  !  Having  prayed  and  fasted  early  in  the 
morning  they  were  now  eating,  dancing,  and 
drinking  (especially  drinking!).  By  night,  if 
'i'odos  Santos's  predictions  were  of  value,  they 
would  be  crazily  drunk  and  murderously  in- 
clined—  men,  women,  and  children  alike  ! 

In  truth  no  pleasant  or  friendly  looks  greeted 
me  as  I  rode  along  the  edge  of  the  plaza. 
Dark  faces  scowled  and  glared  at  me,  and 
guttural  Indian  words  followed  me,  as  with  a 
creepy  feeling  in  my  back  I  hurriedly  made  for 
the  church.  There,  as  I  hoped,  I  would  find 
the  priest,  who  would  both  protect  me  from  un- 
pleasantness and  make  arrangements  for  me  to 
see  and  photograph  the  "  Entombment." 

Passing  through  a  sunken,  rusty  iron  grating 
I  found  myself  in  a  delightful  old  orchard, 
planted  with  centuriesold  olive  trees,  still  green 
and  lovely,  though  their  huge  trunks  were  white 
and  gnarled  with  time.  Here  I  tied  my  horse, 
rested  for  a  brief  moment,  and  then,  unpacking 
my  camera,  made  my  way  towards  a  flight  of 
broken  stone  steps,  which  I  judged  to  be  the 
entrance  to  the  priest's  apartments.  As  I  went 
I  stopped  for  a  moment  to  examine  the  bells, 
which,  queerly  enough,  were  suspended  from  a 
sort  of  scaffold  outside  the  church  !  Three 
larger  bells  were  hanging  side  by  side,  and  uj) 
in  a  lonely  corner  dangled  a  small  one,  all  of 
them  with  their  respective  ropes  sweeping  the 
ground.  Reaching  up  to  examine  the  dates 
and  legends  graven  into  their  copper  rims 
(they  were  cast  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
under  the  direction  of  good  Pishop  Quiroga), 
I  caught  a  glimpse  of  many  white-clad  Indians 
stealing  furtively  through  the  same  gate  which  I 
had  entered,  and  making  iheir  way  towards  the 
back  of  the  church.  I  must  confess  that  my 
heart  beat  rather  quickly  as  I  watched  their 
stealthy  movements,  and  unwelcome  recollec- 
tions crept  into  my  mind  of  the  unfortunate 
Americans  who  had  been  mysteriously  lost  in 
this  same  place,  and  to  recover  whom  //  niig/it 
be  ?ieeessary  to  drag  the  hike  !  And  yet,  I  had 
my  two  good  revolvers  and  a  belt  full  of  cart- 
ridges. Remembering  these,  and  the  priest, 
who  would  of  a  surety  protect  even  foreign 
visitors,  I  laughed  at  my  nervous  foreboding, 
and  made  my  way  briskly  toward  the  padre's 
supposed  residence. 

Passing  through  the  crumbling  entrance  I 
found  myself  in  a  dreary,  stone-paved  corridor. 


TZINTZUNTZAN    AND    ITS    "TITIAN." 


29 


Flickering  rays  of  light  stole  in  through  a  high 
octagonal  window,  from  which  the  stained  glass 
had  long  since  fallen.  Lizards  sunned  them- 
selves on  its  broken  facings,  and  bats  and 
mysterious  birds  flapped  about  in  the  arched 
dome.  A  heavy  smell  of  incense  hung  about 
the    place,    from    which    I    assumed    that   the 


Nevertheless,  I  said  I  wished  to  see  the  painting 
which  hung  in  the  sacristy. 

As  I  anticipated,  my  friend  shook  his  shock 
head  and  closed  his  eyes,  with  a  pained 
expression.  "  Oh,  no  ;  it  was  impossible  !  No 
estranjeros  were  admitted  withm  the  sacristy. 
The  entire  village  would  rise  in  wrath  were  their 

great    rttrato   shown   to  a 
stranger  and  a  heretic  !  " 

Curbing  my  wrath,  and 
observing  the  cunning 
gleam  in  his  l)loodshot 
eyes,  I  quietly  drew  out 
of  my  pocket  a  five- 
dollar  bill,  and  laid  it  on 
the  rickety  wooden  table 
near  me.  His  evil  face 
shone,  and,  with  a  furtive 
glance  about,  he  picked  it 
up  and  hid  it  in  his 
blouse.  Then,  in  a  pur- 
posely loud  voice,  he 
began  to  dally  with  me. 


give 


"Would    the 
cinco     pesos 


stranger 


IN    THE   CHDkCllVARD    AT    TZ1.NT/;U.N  i  ZAN — I  HE   BELLS    ARE  "  SUSPE.NDER  FROM  A  SORT  OF   SCAFFOLO 

From  a  Photo,  iy]  outside  the  church."  [H'aite,  Mexico. 

church,   or  a   small  chapel   of  it,   adjoined   this         remained      entirely 
corridor. 

My  knock  remained  unanswered  for  several 
minutes,  although  I  plainly  heard  the  sound 
of  sandalled  feet  and  whispering  voices.  Im- 
patient, I  knocked  more  loudly.  Immediately 
a  peon  lounged  lazily  down  the  corridor  towards 
me,  grunting  insolently  in  answer  to  my  greeting, 
and  puffing  cigarette  smoke  into  my  very  face. 
He  was  a  wicked-looking  customer,  with  bad 
eyes  and  a  cruel  mouth,  and  I  felt  an  over- 
powering desire  to  kick  him,  which  I  restrained, 
however,  and  inquired  calmly  for  "■  el  padre." 

On  the  padre  had  my  faith  been  pinned. 
Judge,  therefore,  of  my  dismay  when  I  was 
informed  by  this  evil-eyed  \illain  that  "<?/ 
padre  "  was  absent.  When  would  he  return  ? 
Plies,  he  (the  villain)  did  not  know.  Qnien 
sahel  Perhaps  to-morrow — perhaps  the  day 
after.  Meanwhile,  he  (the  villain)  was'  the 
sacristan,  and  had  charge  of  the  place.  "  What 
did  the  '  white  man  '  want  ?  " 

Now,  this  was  a  [)icce  of  bad  luck,  to  be 
sure.  Still,  I  was  in  for  it,  and  inasmuch  as  I 
had  travelled  all  this  way  to  see  the  "  Titian  "  I 
might  as  well  make  one  last  effort,  even  though 
I  lelt  sure  I  could  do  nothing  with  this  ruffian. 


(five 
dollars)  to  the  poor  of 
the  parish,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  risk  which  he 
(the  sacristan)  assumed 
through  letting  a  Pro- 
ieslanlc  into  the  sa^rario  ? 
No?  Plies,  Hen:  it 
impossible.  ^Vithout  a 
donation  to  the  poor  no  one  could  be  admitted 
to  look  at  the  picture  of  '  el  Crista.'  " 

The  dallying  ended  by  my  passing  over 
another  bill  to  this  sin  vet^s^nenza,  even  though 
I  knew  I  was  being  fleeced  at  a  great  rate ;  after 
which,  still  carrying  my  camera,  I  was  insolently 
beckoned  down  another  crumbling  hall-way, 
ending  in  a  gloomy  corridor,  where,  built  into 
an  arch,  were  two  crazily-swinging  wooden  doors. 
Through  these  we  passed,  the  villain  crossing 
himself  diligently  the  while,  and  praying  steadily 
that  the  Virgin  and  the  saints  might  forgive  his 
sin  in  thus  admitting  a  stranger  and  a  heretic 
into  this  sacred  place. 

The  room  was  large  and  bare,  and  lighted  by 
one  heavily-barred  window.  It  was  furnished 
only  with  a  large  round  table — and  the  "Titian." 
For  there  it  hung,  the  no!)le  painting,  work  of  a 
master,  and  his  present  to  a  King.  By  the  latter 
it  had  been  sent  to  "  His  Most  Beloved  Country 
of  Old  New  Spain,"  and  now  it  was  the  idol  of 
the  still  half-barbarous  Indians  of  Tzintzuntzan  ! 
For  the  first  time  I  forgot  the  many  petty 
annoyances  which  had  attended  my  journey,  and 
also  my  desire  to  kick  and  pound  the  insolent 
villain,  who  was  even  then   puffing  his   tobacco 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


smoke  into  my  face.  I  even  felt  that  the  ten 
dollars  of  which  I  had  been  fleeced,  "  for  the 
I>enerit  of  the  poor."  were  ten  dollars  expended 
in  a  good  and  worthy  cause.  Amicably  inclined 
even  towards  my  scamp  of  a  guide,  I  put  down 
my  camera  on  the  table,  seated  myself  alongside 
it.  and  prepared  to  worship  steadily  at  the  shrine 
of  this  great  picture,  which,  with  its  strange  and 
almost  incredible  story,  possessed  doubly  great 
Hiscinations  for  me. 

Eew  people  are  unacquainted  with  this  greatest 
of  Titian's  paintings,  "  The  Entombment."  and 
I  do  not  propose  here  to  enter  upon  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  undoubtedly  genuine  example  at 
T/intzuntzan  beyond  saying  that  many  noted 
artists  agree  that  this  painting  is  undoubtedly 


Francisco,  in  Tzintzuntzan.  There,  on  the  wall 
of  the  great  church,  this  painting  was  placed, 
over  300  years  ago,  and  in  that  same  spot  it 
has  glowed,  and  "  wasted  its  sweetness  on 
the  desert  air,''  through  earthquakes,  floods, 
revolutions,  and  piratical  attempts  to  tear  it 
secretly  from  its  place  !  And  for  as  many  more 
years  it  is  likely  to  remain  there  if  the  Indians 
who  worship  it  have  their  say.  Because,  when 
archdeacons,  bisho[)s,  and  even  Popes  (so  it  is 
said)  are  not  allowed  to  buy,  it  is  hardly  prob- 
able that  other  efforts  for  the  [possession  ot 
"The  I'^ntombment  "  will  succeed  ! 

At  what  time  my  scoundrelly  guide  dis- 
appeared ;  how  long  I  sat  motionless,  gazing  at 
the   picture,   wondering  at  the   freshness   of  its 


lll'nOGKAl'H    <il-     THH   JliALUL  SLV-CU  AK  M   :.    j  ,  _  .  .  HE  — IT    IS   COMPARATIVELY   EASY   FOR    VISM'ORS   TO   SEE    IT    .\U\V. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Waitc,  Mexico. 


by  Titian.  Certainly  none  but  a  master  hand 
could  have  produced  so  marvellous  a  work. 

It  may  not  be  amiss,  however,  to  state  briefly 
the  legends  accounting  for  the  presence  of  this 
"  Entombment  "  in  so  obscure  and  out-of-the- 
world  a  place  as  Tzintzuntzan. 

When  Titian  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame  and 
glor>-  (so  the  stor>-  goes)  the  fanatical  Philip  II. 
reigned  on  •  .ne  of  Spain.      To  convert 

the  Indians  01  nis  distant  possession,  Mexico, 
this  monarch  sent  over  his  own  specially  beloved 
friend,  Bishop  Quiroga,  and,  as  a  token  of 
affection,  Titian's  masterpiece  also  crossed  the 
ocean,  given  by  the  King  to  the  See  of  San 


colours,  and  breaking  over  and  over  again  the 
commandment  which  forbids  covetousness,  I 
have  now  no  idea.  It  must,  however,  have 
been  for  over  an  hour,  for  when  I  came  back  to 
reality  I  saw  that  the  shadows  of  the  noonday 
sun  were  lengthening,  and  that  if  I  wanted  to 
get  some  good  photogrnphs  of  the  picture  I 
had  best  get  to  work  rapidly. 

Still  half  dreaming,  I  set  up  my  camera  at  the 
proper  distance  :  focused  it  properly  :  drew  the 
black  cloth  over  my  head,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  squeezing  the  bulb,  when  a  heavy  struggling 
mass  precipitated  it.self  on  me — a  mass  that 
smelled  of  vile  teguila,  and  jabbered  in  guttural 


TZINTZUNTZAN    AND    ITS    "TITIAN/' 


31 


unknown  dialect — I,  with  my  head  still  en- 
veloped in  the  black  cloth,  was  borne  to  the 
stone  floor,  against  which  my  head  struck  with 
a  stunning  bang.  I  heard  the  crash  of  breaking 
glass,  and  then  things  grew  faint  and  inthstinct. 
My  last  recollection  is  of  the  trickling  of  some- 
thing warm  over  my  face  and  neck.  Then  a 
sickening  sensation,  and  after  that — nothing  I 

When  I  regained  consciousness  I  found 
myself  lying,  bound  hand  and  foot,  in  a  dark, 
damp,  unpaved  place,  with  the  odour  of  a  tomb. 
Straggling  rays  of  light  filtered  in  through  a 
high  old  Spanish  window,  enabling  me  to  make 
out,  in  some  degree,  the  dreariness  of  my  sur- 
roundings :  while  from  all  sides,  in  the  darkness, 
came  the  pattering  of  tiny  feet  (doubtless  mice), 
and  high  overhead  I  heard  the  flapping  and 
squeaking  of  bats. 

I  felt  very  sick  and  faint.  My  head  seemed 
to  be  splitting,  and  my  arms  and  legs  ached 
cruelly  from  their  tightly-wound  bonds.  For  a 
moment  or  two  I  could  not  realize  what  was 
wrong.  Then,  with  a  sudden  flash  of  memory, 
I  recollected  all.  I  had  been  overpowered  in 
the  act  of  photographing  the  "  Titian  " ;  this 
was  doubtless  the  mysterious  subterranean 
passage  cut  from  Tzintzuntzan  to  the  lake,  of 
which  1  had  heard  so  much.  I  was  a  prisoner 
thercMi,  and  probably  intended  by  the  Indians 
for  either  starvation  here  or  drowning  in  the  lake  ! 

Struggling  against  and  overcoming  a  feeling 
of  despair  and  nausea,  I  managed  to  sit  up. 
My  feet  were  tied  tightly  together,  but  it 
occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  possible  to 
gnaw  asunder  the  lighter  ropes  that  twisted 
around  my  hands.  I  therefore  set  to  work  with 
all  my  might.  I  would  not  submit  willingly  to 
be  tortured  by  these  demons  of  Indians. 

Suddenly  I  heard  uncertain  noises  coming 
toward  me  in  the  darkness  ;  also  the  stumbling 
of  sandalled  feet.  'I'hen  — oh,  joy  !— I  heard 
the  voice  of  Todos  Santos,  raised  purposely,  and 
discussing  loudly  with  another  Indian  the  pros 
and  cons  as  to  my  disposal.  Should  I  be  left 
to  starve  here  with  the  skeletons  of  the  other 
(Iringos,  or  would  it  be  best  to  drown  me  in  the 
lake?  My  heart  sank:  was  it  possible  that  my 
faithful  mozo  had  turned  faithless,  too,  or  was 
he  talking  merely  for  effect?  I  listened  breath- 
lessly. Then  it  occurred  to  me  to  stretch  myself 
out  motionless,  pretending  not  to  have  regained 
consciousness.  Perhaps  Todos  had  a  plan  of 
some  sort. 

The  two  were  close  upon  me,  and  I  could 
hear  my  mozo  upbraiding  the  other  Indian  for 
not  having  brought  the  torch.      "  In  such  black- 


ness, amtgo  7nifl,  it  is  not  possible  to  see  whether 
the  white  devil  is  here  or  not.  Vava,  tjo  and 
get  a  light ! "  he  entreated. 

Grumbling  drunkenly,  Todos's  companion 
staggered  back  to  get  a  light ;  I  sat  up  and 
called  cautiously,  and  the  next  moment  my 
faithful  servant  was  at  my  side. 

"  Senor,"  he  whispered,  "  I  am  going  to  place 
my  knife  underneath  you.  Take  it,  as  soon  as 
the  time  is  safe,  and  cut  your  bonds — I,  with 
this  otTier  Indian,  will  be  here  to  guard  you 
until  midnight,  when  they  intend  to  drown  you  I 
Vou  can  take  the  knife  in  your  teeth  and  use 
it.  Meanwhile,  1  will  make  my  companero 
drunk  with  mescal :  he  will  sleep  soundly,  and  I 
will  appear  to,  so  that  they  will  not  suspect  me. 
When  we  sleep  make  your  escape  :  I  have  left  a 
trail  of  white  paper  all  along  the  secret  passage  ; 
follow  that,  and  it  will  take  you  out  close  to 
where  I  have  tied  your  horse.  His  mouth  is 
gagged,  and  his  feet  are  wrapped  in  trapos 
(cloths).  Make  haste  to  Patzcuaro,  senor,  for 
the  love  of  the  Virgin  :  if  they  get  you,  once 
you  have  escaped,  they  will  torture " 

He  hurried  noiselessly  back  to  the  other 
Indian,  who  now  was  heard  coming,  with  his 
torch.  I  shut  my  eyes  and  lay  motionless  while 
the  two  examined  me  to  see  if  I  was  still  safely 
bound.  Satisfied  that  I  could  not  move,  they 
settled  themselves  with  a  torch  and  a  bottle  of 
mescal  at  the  far  end  of  the  passage.  They 
were  to  guard  me  until  midnight,  but,  as  Todcs 
Santos  drunkenly  hiccoughed,  that  was  no 
reason  why  they  should  not  console  themselves 
with  a  few  copitas  (drinks). 

It  was  not  half  an  hour  until  they  were  both 
snoring  drunkenly,  and  you  can  imagine  that  I 
lost  no  time  in  getting  Todos's  sharp  knife 
between  my  teeth  ;  the  cutting  of  my  ropes  was 
then  an  easy  matter,  and,  stealthily  following 
the  trail  of  white  paper,  easily  distinguished  in 
the  greyish  darkness,  I  soon  found  myself  once 
more  in  the  open  air.  To  the  sound  of  music 
and  shouting  in  the  plaza  I  stealthily  guided  my 
horse  around  the  deserted  streets  and  back  to 
the  Patzcuaro  trail.  Then  I  made  the  record 
ride  of  my  life  to  Patzcuaro,  which  place  I 
reached  in  safety  early  next  morning. 

There  Todos  Santos  joined  me  late  that  same 
day,  full  of  glee  in  having  outwitted  the  si7i 
vergiie?izas  who  had  planned  to  kill  me  for 
photographing  their  idolized  picture.  Naturally, 
he  had  not  been  suspected  in  connection  v,-ith 
my  escape ;  and,  in  fact,  I  believe  it  was  laid  at 
the  door  of  that  friend  of  all  heretics—///^ 
Devil ! 


A    Murder  Case   in   Kano. 

By  T.  J.  Tonkin. 

Doctor    Tonkin    accompanied    the     Hausa    Association's    Expedition    to    Kano     in     1894,    which    was 

conducted     by    the     Rev.     Charles     Robinson,    now    Hon.   Canon  of    Ripon.      This    sketch    illustrates 

the    peculiar    course    of   criminal    justice   in    the    recently-acquired    British    territory    on    the    Niger, 

and  also  shows    the  respect   paid  by  the    Mohammedans  of  those   regions  to  insanity. 


AXXA-SHi:  Hanna-shi:^'  (Stop 
him!  stop  him!)  "Shi  ya  kasshi 
mutum  !"  (He  has  killed  a  man  !) 
\\"hv  .'^liould  I  stop  him  ?  It  was 
no  affair  of  mine.  Killed  —  had 
he?  Well,  he  had  not  killed  me,  so  I  edged 
my  horse  out  of  the  way  and  let  the  fugitive 
pass. 

It  was  a  hot  January  afternoon,  and  I  was 
riding  into  Kano  market  with  the  Sherif  Braima 
Bin  es  Souf.  \\c  were  slowly  forging  our  way 
through  the  seething  crowds  that  packed  the 
narrow  passages  between  the  palm-thatched 
sheds  when  we  became  aware  of  a  commotion 
approaching  us.  I  thought  of  the  career  of  a 
fire-engine  through  the  streets  of  a  civilized 
town.  Tlie  Soudanis,  ahvays  keen  to  scent 
death  in  disorder,  rapidly  melted  away  into 
hitherto  invisible  holes  and  corners,  and  the 
road  was  left  clear  for  the  row. 

The  main  actors  held  the  stage.  Ri"ht  down 
the  centre  of  the  road  there  tore  a  man,  foaming 
at  the  mouth,  with  clothes  streaming  out  behind, 
and  fear  of  death  graven  on  his  face.  At  his 
heels  was  a  guetic  of  excited  pursuers,  panting, 
yelling,  screaming.  They  had  nearly  caught 
him,  were  reaching  out  to  him,  could  almost 
touch  him.  In  their  frenzy  they  were  calling  to 
all  and  sundry  to  stop  him  :  to  the  wary  native 
trader  disappearing  down  a  side  alley,  to  Bin 
es  Souf,  to  me.  'J'he  shouts  came  short  and 
sharp,  through  the  clouds  of  dust,  between  the 
ixints.     They  fell  on  the  ear  like  blows. 

But  /,  of  all  people,  why  should  /  stop  him  ? 
I  did  not  know  then  that  for  some  time'  Kano 
had  been  wanting  a  murderer;  that  an  impor- 
tant citizen  had  been  stabbed  to  death  in  the 
compound  of  his  own  house;  and  that  Kano, 
after  looking  for  the  criminal  with  mui.h  anxiety 
and  for  several  weeks,  had  at  length  found  him. 
I  did  not  know  this,  so  I  let  him  pass. 

But  not  so  Bin  es  Souf.  Swinging  his  horse 
round  on  his  hind  quarters,  he"  dropped  his 
heavy  spear  on  the  beam  of  the  shed  in  front  of 
him  and  barrc-d  the  way.  The  wretched  man, 
blind  with  terror,  dashed  against  the  barrier.    It 


caught  him  across  the  chest  and  hurled  him 
backwards.  His  pursuers  closed  on  him  like 
wild  beasts.  They  grabbed  him  by  any  hold 
that  came  handy,  and  a  moment  later  he  was 
being  dragged  away  over  the  rough  ground, 
bump — bump — bump— to  the  jilace  of  the 
governor.     We  followed. 

Passing  by  the  edge  of  the  pool  Jakara  and 
the  piece  of  land  next  to  the  lines  of  the 
slaughter-houses,  and  crossing  the  road  that 
leads  to  the  Woman's  Gate,  we  came  to  a  build- 
ing solid  and  strong  ;  its  heavy  walls  and 
massive  pillars  gleaming  darkly  in  the  afternoon 
sun.  It  was  the  "  Wurin  Sariki,"  or  place  of 
the  governor.  We  dismounted  at  the  back, 
and  leaving  the  horses  with  our  servants  made 
our  way  round.  \Vhat  had  happened  was  by 
this  time  widely  known,  and  the  building  was 
embedded  in  a  crowd  like  a  fly  in  amber.  But 
we  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  through.  We 
shoved  in  at  the  outside  edge.  The  people, 
looking  round  to  see  who  pressed  them,  and 
catching  sight  of  well-known  faces,  speedily 
made  way. 

"  Wuri  !  Wuri  !  "  (Room  !  room  I)  "Wuri  ! 
ma  Ba  Turawa  ! "  (Room  for  the  white  men!) 
With  a  gesture  of  thanks  we  entered.  The 
court  had  just  arranged  itself.  In  the  centre, 
squatting  on  a  ram's  skin,  was  the  governor. 
He  was  a  fine-looking  man  of  about  forty,  with 
a  scar  over  his  brow  and  a  slightly  grizzled 
moustache.  He  was  pleasant  of  countenance 
and  richly  dressed.  He  wore  a  robe  of  native 
silk,  red  and  embroidered.  His  broad,  sinewy 
hands  were  clasped  over  one  knee.  His  feet 
were  bare,  l)ut  a  pair  of  morocco-leather  slippers 
lay  by  his  duzii  (skin).  By  him  sat  his  scribe, 
with  paper,  ink-horn,  and  reed  pens.  Around 
him  were  his  personal  attendants  and  advisers, 
suitably  dressed,  yet  less  richly  than  he.  On 
either  side  were  the  guards,  in  groups — tall, 
muscular  countrymen  with  short,  kilt-like 
shirts,  sandals  dangling  from  their  elbows, 
knives  buckled  on  to  their  wrists,  and  broad, 
gleaming  spear-blades  fully  half  a  head  taller 
than  themselves. 


A    MURDER    CASE    IN    KANO. 


33 


"S-.VINGING    HIS    HORSE    ROUND,    HE   UROI'I'EU    HIS    HEAVY   SPEAK    AM)    HAUHED   THE    WAY.' 


^Ve  passed  over  to  the  governor  and  saluted. 
"  Sanu,  Sariki ;  Sanu."     (Good-day,  governor ; 
good-day.) 

"Sanukade."     (Good-day  to  you.) 
"  Kana  lafia  ?  "     (We  hoped  he  was  well.) 
"  Lafia  lau."     (He  was  quite  well.) 
"  To  !  mun  gode  !     Mun  gode  Allah  !  mun 
gode!"      (Ah!   that    was   a   relief!     We    were 
thankful    to  hear  that  !      Thankful   to  God   to 
hear  it.) 

We  had  come,  we  .said,  to  see  this  thing 
that  he  was  just  about  to  attend  to.  The 
pleasure  of  permitting  us  to  do  so  was,  he 
assured  us,  so  great  that  he  doubted  not  it  had 
come  to  him  direct  from  Allah. 

That  was  all  right — we  were  happy — it  was 
well — To  !*^ — and  covering  our  retreat  with 
thanks  and  amiable  smiles  we  shufifled  away  to 
the  side  wall,  tucked  our  robes  under  us,  and 
sat  down.  We  had  saluted  the  governor;  the 
case  might  proceed. 

The  prisoner  was  brought  forward.  He  was 
in  a  pitiable  condition.  His  clothes  were  torn  ; 
he  was  smothered  with  dust ;  one  of  his  knees 


Vol,  vi.— 5 


*  Native  expression  of  satisfaction. 


was  bleeding.  He  was  a  man  in  the  prime  of 
life,  tall,  straight.  His  teeth  were  stained  brown 
(the  natives  of  Hausaland  chew  snuff),  and  he 
wore  a  silver  ring.  The  wretched  man  fumbled 
about  aimlessly  with  his  waist-belt,  produced 
his  snuff  case,  gazed  at  it,  then  let  it  drop  from 
his  nerveless  fingers.  It  was  picked  up  and 
laid  before  the  governor,  who  gravely  opened  it 
and  helped  himself  to  a  mouthful.  Up  to  this 
not  a  word  had  been  spoken.  The  prisoner, 
who  was  quite  grey  with  terror,  now  suddenly 
stiffened  himself  up,  and  remained  for  a  moment 
rigid  in  every  muscle,  with  eyes  protruding  and 
jaws  clenched.  We  had  hardly  grasped  the  new 
phase  of  affairs  before  he  was  down,  tossing  on 
the  ground,  with  lolling  tongue  and  working 
limbs.  It  was  the  result  of  fright  and  shock — 
a  fit. 

Merely  remarking  that  it  was  the  work  of  a 
devil,  the  court  waited  for  him  to  come  round. 
Presently,  when  he  had  ceased  working,  he  was 
hauled  to  his  feet,  stupid  and  dazed,  and  the 
parody  of  examination  was  begun.  The 
questions  were  answered  for  him  ;  he  took  no 
part  in  the  proceedings.     With  absent  eye  he 


34 


'riiK   wini':   woki.d   ^rAGAZINE. 


looked  from  one  lo  anotlK-r  of  the  solid  circle 
of  faces  as  if  tryiiij^  lo  make  out  what  it  was  all 
about.  He  was  held  erect,  but  his  limbs  hung 
loose,  his  head  waggled   from  side  to  side  like 


the  son  in  whose  company  the  old  man  had  last 

been  seen. 

"What  have  you  done  with  our  father?" 
Ke  told  his  tale — to  his  mother  and  brethren 


'the  i'risonkk  suddenly  stiffened  up,  with  eyes  protruding  and  jaws  clenched. 


the  head  of  the  little  porcelain  mandarin  of  the 
toy  shop  ;  he  dribbled  at  the  mouth. 

He  was  Halledu,  son  of  Yusuff,  son  of 
Mommadu,  a  Maalam  of  Karrango,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Khadeja.  That  is  to  say,  he  had  been 
born  at  Karrango.  He  was  nosv  living  in  Kano, 
in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  town,  near  the 
house  of  the  Turaki.  The  Turaki  was  the  man 
who  had  been  murdered.  He  was  an  official,  a 
collector  of  taxes  in  the;  city  of  Kano.  He  was 
thought  to  be  rich.  He  was  known  to  be 
careful,  and  many  people  supposed  he  had 
stores  of  silver  dollars  buried  in  his  compound. 
I  dare  say  he  had. 

One  night  he  (the  Turaki)  had  been  talking 
with  one  of  his  sons.  About  ten  o'clock,  or 
thereabouts,  the  old  man  left  the  hut.  He 
usually  spent  th^  night  there,  but  on  this  occa- 
sion he  d;  return.  There  were  lots  of 
other  huts  in  l.'jc  compound,  and  his  son,  think- 
ing he  had  gone  in  to  somebody  else's,  did  not 
trouble  about  him,  but  went  to  bed.  But  next 
morning  he  was  found  dead,  stabbed  through 
the  heart,  and  lying  by  a  roughly  excavated 
hole,  with  a  cap  and  the  short,  sharp  implement 
used  for  digging  on  the  ground  beside  him. 
The  alarm  was  raised,  and  the  family  turned  to 


and  to  the  outside  world.  No  one  believed 
him.  He  would  most  certainly  have  been 
punished  on  suspicion  but  that  he  was  an 
influential  man.  As  it  was,  matters  were  allowed 
to  drift  for  a  bit.  But  day  by  day  public 
opinion  got  more  dead  against  him,  and  it  is 
almost  certain  that  eventually  he  would  have 
been  brought  to  book  for  his  supposed  crime 
had  not  a  lucky  circumstance  intervened. 

He  was  one  day  thinking  over  the  business 
(he  had  done  little  else  ever  since  the  murder), 
when  it  flashed  upon  him  that  when  his  father 
left  him  he  had  been  bareheaded,  whereas 
when  he  was  found  there  was  a  cap  beside  him. 
For  a  moment  he  was  staggered,  then  he  rushed 
to  the  hut  which  contained  his  dead  father's 
belongings  and  got  that  cap.  Alas  !  it  told  him 
nothing ;  but,  stay — what  was  this  ? — a  thick  lump 
in  the  hem.  Surrounded  by  every  creature  in 
that  compound,  he  ripped  the  stitches  and 
tore  out  the  kernel.  It  was  a  charm,  a  few 
lines  of  writing  on  tre-lune  paper,  inclosed  in 
a  leather  case.  It  was  unrolled.  The  writing 
referred  to  the  merciful  and  compassionate 
nature  of  the  deity  ;  but  at  the  bottom,  under 
some  cabalistic  hieroglyphics  that  formed  the 
body,  were  these  words  :   "  Laiya-n  Halledu  Dan 


A    MURDER    CASE    IN    KANO. 


35 


Karrango."  (The  charm   of  Hallcdu,    native  of 
Kariango.) 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  pause  while  the 
company  took  in  the  information  and  reckoned 
what  it  meant ;  then  with  one  accord  and  with 
a  yell  :  "YaHalledu!  Dan  Karrango!"  they 
rushed  to  the  compound  of  the  now  convicted 
man  and  began  that  chase  which  ended  so 
disastrously  for  the  quarry  against  the  beam  of 
Braima's  spear. 

This,  then,  was  the  march  of  events  I  gathered 
from  the  medley  of  statements,  relevant  and 
otherwise,  that  formed  the  "evidence"  taken  by 
the  court  of  the  governor.  The  story  of  the 
crime,  so  far  as  I  could  piece  it  together,  seemed 
to  be  as  follows  : — 

The  compounds  of  Halledu  and  the  murdered 
man  (the  Turaki)  were  adjoining.  On  the 
night  of  the  tragedy  the  Turaki  went  away  to 
that  part  of  the  compound  over  against  the 
dividing  wall,  and  began  to  dig  a  hole.  Halledu, 
wandering  about  in  his  compound,  and  hearing 
the  sounds,  ran  away  and  got  a  ladder  to  look 
over  the  wall.  He  got  there  just  in  time  to 
see  —as  well  as  it  was  possible  to  see  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night — the  Turaki  covering 
something  up  with  earth.  Now,  Halledu  thought 
it  was  silver  that  was  being  buried,  and  the 
temptation  was  too  strong  for  him.  Slipping 
over  the  wall,  he  stuck  the  unsuspecting  old 
man  fairly  and  squarely  through  the  ribs  with 
his  knife,  and  then  began  to  poke  about  for  the 
treasure. 

It  appeared  at  the  trial  that  the  Turaki,  a 
tidy  old  gentleman,  sharing  to  the  full  the 
prejudice  among  upper-class  Hausas  against 
having  their  compounds  littered,  had  merely 
dug  that  hole  with  the  object  of  burying  some 
refuse,  so  that  what  Halledu  found  did  not 
come  up  to  his  expectations.  It  is  safe  to  con- 
jecture that  he  regained  his  compound  a 
saddened  as  well  as  an  unrewarded  man  ;  but 
he  left  his  cap  behind. 

Now,  it's  a  little  theory  of  my  own,  but  I 
don't  think  that  cap  was  on  Halledu's  head 
when  the  deed  was  committed.  I  think  that 
Halledu,  when  he  peered  over  the  wall,  removed 
his  cap  so  that  its  colour  should  not  betray  him, 
and  sticking  it  loosely  in  his  pocket,  or  holding 
it  in  his  hand,  laid  the  foundation  of  the-  clue 
that  ultimately  undid  him. 

"Allah  uk-a-bar." 

The  sun  had  set  and  the  Alkalis  from  the 
mosques  were  calling  the  faithful  to  prayer. 

"  Allah  uk-a-bar." 

Allah  !  was  it  as  late  as  that  ?  How  time 
had  passed.  The  prisoner  was  hurried  away  to 
the  gaol  while  the  court  hastily  prepared  to 
perform  the  usual  ablutions. 


I  snatched  the  opportunity,  while  the  governor 
was  arranging  his  skin  for  prayer,  of  compli- 
menting him  on  the  success  of  his  examination, 
and  expressing  the  hope  that  I  should  have 
the  0[)portunity  of  witnessing  the  outcome  of 
his  .sagacity.  The  ways  of  the  enlightened  of 
Allah,  I  assured  him,  were  always  of  the 
deepest  interest  to  me.  A  smile  of  gratified 
pride -lighted  up  his  countenance. 

"Sai  ka  gani  Legita."     (You  shall  see.) 

Picture  to  yourself  a  long,  narrow  courtyard  ; 
the  high  walls  built  of  sun-dried  brick,  rough 
and  brown,  the  early  morning  sun  just  peeping 
over  one  of  them,  and  making  a  sort  of  hard, 
straw-coloured  margin  along  the  top  of  the 
other,  and  you  will  get  some  idea  of  the  State 
prison  of  Kano,  in  which  I  found  myself  on  the 
morning  following  the  events  just  chronicled. 
A  low,  groined  arch  formed  the  gateway,  and 
three  or  four  men,  armed  with  swords,  the 
guard.  There  were  fourteen  prisoners  within. 
All  except  two  were  heavily  ironed.  Most 
of  the  prisoners  had  bound  fragments  of 
cloth  round  their  ankles  to  prevent  their 
fetters  galling  them  ;  but  some  had  bad 
wounds  in  spite  of  this  precaution.  In 
some  cases  the  chains  connecting  the  ankles 
were  so  long  that  the  wearers  could  not  walk 
about  without  lifting  the  slack  off  the  ground. 
This  they  managed  by  passing  a  strip  of  cloth 
round  the  chain  and  suspending  it  from  their 
necks.  In  some  cases  they  had  not  a  long 
enough  strip  to  do  it  this  way  ;  then  they  had 
to  hold  it  in  their  teeth  instead.  One  man 
evidently  took  a  pride  in  his  bonds  —  he  had 
polished  them  ! 

Halledu  was  one  of  the  prisoners  who  was 
not  ironed.  He  was  sitting  at  the  top  of  the 
yard  in  the  same  clothes  that  we  had  seen  him 
in  the  day  before.  His  feet  were  still  dusty  ; 
his  beard  was  beginning  to  grow.  I  spoke  to 
him. 

"  Halledu  ! " 

He  took  no  notice. 

•'  Do  you  not  hear  me,  Halledu  ?  Is  there 
anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?  " 

He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground. 

"  Have  some  '  goro '  ?  " 

Now,  "  goro "  is  the  cola  nut,  which  the 
native  loves  to  chew. 

There  was  no  word  of  response,  no  lifting 
of  the  eyes ;  but  a  grimy  hand  was  thrust 
forward  and  dry,  claw-like  fingers  closed  on  the 
kernel. 

"  And  why  wasn't  he  shackled  ?  "  I  asked  the 
guard — "  a  murderer  ?  " 

"No  need.  O,  my  master.  '  Ya  hauka.'"  (He 
is  mad.) 


36 


VHL    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


A    '-.RIMV    HAND    WAS   THRUST    FOKWARD    AM)   CLAW-LIKE    IINC.EKS   CLOSED   ON'    THE    KERNEL. 


nan  ! "      (Good-day, 


Ab  ■*  -  '.veek  later — nine  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing— ine  seated  in  the  reception-room  of 
the  Grand  Vizier's  house.     A  friend  hailed  me. 

"  Sanu     Legita,     kana 
Legita  ;  you  here  ?) 

"  Ina  nan  abokina."     (I  am  here,  my  friend.) 

"  Va-i-kean,  gidan  Halledu  yai-zua."  (You're 
just  in  time  :  H"''    '•'^  people  are  coming.) 

I    knew    it,    .  it    is   why    I    was    there. 

Presently  a  message  came  from  the  Vizier 
asking  me  to  go  inside.  I  went  in  and  saluted 
him. 

"  Salaam  !     Alckun  es  Salaam  ! " 

The  business  he  was  about  that  morning,  he 
told  me,  was  the  allotment  of  Halltdu's  house- 
hold as  slaves. 

It  apj>ears  that  all  his  goods  had  been  con- 
fiscated— about  three-quarters  of  them  having 
been  absorbed  by  tht:  Crown,  whilst  the  re- 
mainder passed  over  to  the  family  of  the 
'  lered  man  as  compensation.  And  now 
....  household,  wives,  servants,  and  children 
remained  to  be  disposed  of,  and — ah  !  here 
they  were. 

From  a  narrow,  square-arched  doonvay,  one 
by  one,  there  filed  into  the  room  ten  or  twelve 
women,  with  several  children,  the  eldest  a  boy 
about  fourteen  years  of  age. 


"  To  !  "  The  boy  would  do  for  the  King- 
beautifully — for  a  page.  "  Mohammed  "  (to 
his  major-domo),  "  stand  him  on  one  side." 

"For  the  King?" 

"  For  the  King." 

Then  there  was  one  of  the  young  women,  a 
really  beautiful  girl,  wath  aquiline  features,  a  tiny 
mouth,  and  long,  sweeping  lashes  veiling  a  pair 
of  the  most  dog-like  eyes  it  has  ever  been  my 
fortune  to  look  upon  either  on  this  side  of  the 
world  or  the  other.  She,  also,  was  reserved  for 
the  King,  and  .several  more  ;  then  the  rest  were 
swept  into  a  heap  under  the  head  of  "com- 
pensation." For  the  injured  family,  the  Vizier 
explained  to  me  ;  but  doubtless  one  or  two  of 
them  would  find  their  way  into  his  own 
establishment,  as  also  would  some  of  those 
allotted  to  the  King. 

They  were  removed.  One  by  one  they 
passed  back  through  the  little,  square-arched 
door,  then  the  curtain  fell,  and  the  House  of 
Halledu  "was  not." 

There  is  but  one  scene  more,  and  that  one 
illustrates  a  distinctive  peculiarity  of  Moham- 
medan beliefs.  Loss  of  reason  is  a  calamity 
attributed  to  the  direct  action  of  the  deity.  If 
a  man  be  mad,  that  is  enough  ;  he  is  treated 


A    MURDER    CASE    IN    KANO. 


with  a  degree  of  respect  which  in  all  probability 
he  had  never  commanded  in  his  saner  moments. 
Even  when  insanity  comes,  or  is  beheved  to 
come,  as  punishment  for  crime,  the  result  is  the 
same — the  case  is  lifted  out  of  human  hands, 


turban,  I  and  my  Ishmaelitish  friend  were  picking 
our  way  to  our  sheds. 

In  a  bay,  which  afforded  some  slight  pro- 
tection from  the  eddying  human  stream,  there 
stood    a    man,    old,    with    bowed    back    and 


^    K'K>l-;ia  KD    l-OK    THE     Is 


and  the  regard  which  the  man  may  have  forfeited 
by  his  deeds  is  granted  to  him  again  as  an 
e.xample  of  the  handiwork  of  Allah. 

It  was  so  with  Halledu ;  this  superstitious 
tolerance  was  the  last  stage  of  his  debacle.  I.et 
me  give  my  last  glimpse  of  him. 

I  will  ask  you  to  imagine  again  the  scene  on 
the  edge  of  the  market  where,  a  few  weeks 
before,  the  collar  of  Braima's  spear  had  rattled 
on  the  barrier  of  the  shed.  Once  more  the 
crowds  were  surging  along  in  the  stifling  air  and 
the  blinding  sunlight,  and  again,  in   robe  and 


shrunken  limbs.  He  stared  blearedly  at  the 
passers-by  ;  the  horses  caught  his  wandering 
gaze,  and,  steadying  for  a  moment  his  staggering 
frame,  he  thrust  forward  a  calabash. 

"An  alms  !  For  Mohammed's  sake,  an  alms  ! 
An  alms  ! " 

The  face  is  familiar,  and  the  voice  :  it  is  the 
Malaam  of  Karrango. 

"What,  alive,"  I  .said,  "and  free?" 

Yes,  alive  and  free — but  mad  ! 

God  had  avenged  his  crime  ;  what  need  was 
there  for  man  to  interfere  ? 


The    Hot  =  Water   Ordeal   of    the   Shintos 

Hv    \yA      i'MKOnORA    OZAKI,    (^F     lOKIO. 

"The  Wide  World"  has  already  published  several  illustrated  articles  by  this  able  little  Japanese 
ladv.  who  lives  in  a  ruined  Buddhist  temple  in  Tokio,  and  is  a  professor  of  English.  She  has 
exceptional  facilities  for  procuring  photos,  and  special  interviews  on  such  remarkable   subjects  as  these. 


I.A.'^r  year  in  the  December  number 
oi  Thk  Wide  World  appeared  a 
-imple  description  of  the  wonderful 
tire -walking  ceremony  that  takes 
jilace  at  the  half-\  early  festivals  of 
the  Ofi/dlr,  or  Houshi  Siiinshukyo  Temple,  in  the 
district  of  Kanda,  Tokio.  The  fire-walking  is  the 
most  impressive  of  the  so-called  Shinto  miracles. 
'Ihese      may      be 


boiling- 


■^^^ 


4«, 


divided  into  two 
distinct  classes. 
Of  the  major 
miracles,  which 
are  demonstrated 
to  the  public  at 
the  great  festivals 
in  honour  of  the 
god  Otitakt\  there 
are  three  :  the 
Yubana,  or  ordeal 
by  boiling  water  : 
the  Hi-lViitari,  or 
fire-crossing, 
round  which  most 
interest  centres  ; 
and  the  Tsurugi- 
U'afari,  or  ordeal 
by  climbing  the 
ladder  of  sword 
blades. 

On  the  first  day 
of  the  "  Matsuri  " 
(or  festival),  which 
lasts  sometimes 
two,  at  other 
times  three,  days, 
the  simplest  of 
the  three  great 
rites— the  Itt/^awa, 
or  boiling  water 
ordeal  —  takes 
place.     I  of 

minor  inicrcsi  when  compared  with  the  fire- 
walking,  I  propose  in  this  paper  to  give  readers 
of  The  WiDL  World  some  idea  of  the 
cuiious  spectacle  which  I  witnessed  on  the  8th 
of  April  last. 

The  chief  priest,  Yoshimura  Seisai,  sent  me  a 
printed  invitation  or  circular  to  inform  me  that 
the   festival   of  the   Ontake  Temple   would    be 


^m."^^' 


y^: 


"H 


THIS   IS   A    FACSl.MILE   OF   THE   INVITATION   TO   THE   CEREMONY    WHICH 
MISS   OZAKI    RECEIVED. 


celebrated  on  the  8th,  9th,  and  loth  of  A[)ril. 
Accordingly,  with  his  kind  permission  I  arranged 
to  take  the  photograi)hs  that  accompany  this 
description. 

Like  the  fire-walking,   the   Yubana  or 
water  ordeal  is  preceded  by  long  and   elaborate 
religious  services,  in  which  from  twenty  to  thirty 
gorgeously   attired    priests   and    devotees    take 

part ;  and  second- 
ly, there  is  an 
ablutionary  per- 
formance accredi- 
ted with  purifying 
power,  in  which 
the  devotee  who 
is  to  pass  the 
ordeal  works  him- 
self into  an  ecstatic 
frenzy. 

When  I  reached 
the  temple  at  1 1 
a.m.  the  prepara- 
tions had  already 
been  made  for  the 
approaching  rite. 
An  area  was 
marked  off  before 
the  temple  be- 
tween the  two 
porches.  At  the 
corners  of  this 
square  bamboos, 
with  their  pyra- 
midal heads  of 
leaves,  had  been 
stuck  in  the 
ground.  From 
frond  to  frond 
a  hempen  rope 
was  stretched 
high  in  the 
air.  From  this 
rope  at  different  intervals  were  suspended 
clusters  of  white  paper  strips.  Beneath  this 
again  the  area  was  marked  off  by  strong  bamboo 
poles  to  keep  out  the  crowd.  The  green 
bamboos  at  the  corners  were  pleasing  to  the 
god,  I  was  told,  and  the  line  of  rope  hung  \vith 
paper  was  an  arrangement  to  keep  away  the 
devils  or  evil  influences. 


^    %    %    "^ 


THE    HOT-WATER    ORDEAL    OF    IHE    SHINTOS. 


39 


In  the  middle  of  this  square  stood  two  great         about  seventeen   priests  and  devotees   into  the 
iron  cauldrons,  towards  which  many  wondering         temple. 
eyes  besides  mine  were  turned.  The  youngest  devotee  was  a  lad  of  about  ten, 


!■  roil!  a\ 


lEMl'LE    IN  WHICH   THE   STRANGE  ORDEAL   TOOK    PLACE. 


{Photo. 


Banners  fluttered  in  the 
throbbed  on  the  Kagura-do ; 
of  tiny  booths,  each  under 
huge  oil  -  paper  umbrella, 
stood  --ound  the  courtyard  of 
the  temple  selling  their  wares 
of  cakes  and  cheap  and 
grotesque  toys  to  the  children 
who  pattered  in  and  out  of 
the  courtyard  oblivious  and 
careless  of  the  strange  cere- 
monies that  were  taking  place 
within  a  few  steps  of  their 
favourite  toy  stalls.  The  little 
ones  formed  an  incongruous 
setting  to  the  whole  picture. 

The  morning  passed 
quietly.  As  I  sat  in  the 
large  guest  -  room  of  the 
temple  the  sounds  of  chant- 
ing reached  me  from  the 
temple  close  by,  and  when 
the  priest  fluttered  in  in  his 
robes  I  ventured  to  ask  him 
what  was  going  on  that  was 
heard  and  not  seen.  He 
told  me  that  several  of  his 
disciples  were  receiving  dip- 
lomas for  successful  candi- 
dateships  in  the  priesthood. 

At  two  o'clock  the  services 
began.  The  High  Priest 
arrayed  in  white  brocade, 
with  sprays  of  gold  glinting 
through  its  snowy  folds, 
headed     the    procession    of 


wind.       A    drum 

and  the  owners 

the  canopy   of  a 


From  a  Photo, 


dressed   in    white,   and   with    the    upper    robe 

patterned  with  large  crests  in  gold. 

While  the  priests  and  devotees  were  sti.l  on 
bended  knees  before  the 
altar,  offering  a  banquet  of 
many  courses  (each  on  a 
white  wood  tray)  to  the  god 
Ontake,  four  coolies  in  dark 
blue,  patterned  with  white, 
and  wearing  yellow  crape 
scarves  as  a  distinguishing 
mark,  were  filUng  the  iron 
vessels  with  water  from  the 
well  and  bringing  in  large 
fagots  for  the  fire.  The 
wood  they  lighted  under 
each  pot  between  three  and 
four,  and  in  an  hour  or 
so  the  cauldrons  were  boil- 
ing over,  causing  the  fire  to 
hiss  and  splutter  angrily. 

The  courtyard  of  the 
temple  was  full,  and  there 
were  numerous  Europeans 
and  Americans  watching 
from  the  room  and  veranda 
above.  We  sat  there  till 
five  o'clock,  nearly  smoked 
out  of  our  places,  for  the 
stokers  kept  up  the  fires, 
ever  and  anon  taking  off 
the  hds  of  the  seething 
cauldrons.  The  afternoon 
was  well  on  the  wane  when 
our  patience  was  rewarded 
by  the  sight  of  a  white-clad 


»o 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THE   GAl  HEKING   OF    I'RIESTS   AND    DEVOTEES    BEFORE   THE  OKDEAL. 

From  a  Photo,  by  S.    Takebayashi,   Tokio. 


figure.  He  had  been  praying  and  washing 
for  an  hour  in  the  holy  bath-house  hard  by, 
preparing  for  the  ordeal ;  for  among  the  Shintos, 
as  among  the  Christians,  cleanliness  and  godli- 
ness seem  to  go  together. 

As  the  devotee  entered  the  square  he  clapped 
his  hands  by  way  of  summoning   the  notice  of 


the  god  in  whose  faith  he  was  about  to  perform 
the  miracle.  Then  he  proceeded  to  make  the 
circuit  of  the  boiling  cauldron  on  our  left, 
solemnly  stopping  at  the  cardinal  points  to 
pray.  Round  again  he  went,  this  time  stopping 
midway  between  the  points  of  the  compass. 
(This  man,  Kano  by  name,  is  the  son-in-law  of 


THE   FOUR   COOLIES   HAVE   .         .     ■        ,        ; .1^    III.Llr.G   THE  CAULDRON'S   AND   BRINGING   IN    THE    FAGOTS. 

Fiorji  a  Photo,  by  S.   Takebayashi,   Tokio, 


THE    HOT-WATER    ORDEAL    OF    THE    SHINTOS. 


41 


THE   CEREMONIES   CmiMENCE — NOTICE   THE   OFFEKINGS   OF   SALT   ROUND   THE    RI.MS   OF   THE   CAULDRONS. 

From  a  Photo,  hy  S.    Takebayashi,   Tokio. 


the  chief  priest ;  he  is  stirring  the  cauldron  on 
the  right  in  the  photo.) 

An  older  man  now  appeared,  also  dressed  in 
a  white  cotton  "  kimono  "  and  "  hakama,"  and 
took  possession  of  the  cauldron  on  the  left.  He 
Went  through  exactly  the  same  performance, 
saying  his  prayers  north,  south,  east,  and  west. 


This  round  of  prayers  finished,  they  both 
vanished  to  reappear  with  saucers  full  of  salt. 
Then  both  made  the  round  of  the  cauldrons 
again,  marking  off  with  a  pinch  of  salt  the  outside 
edge  of  the  cauldron,  north,  south,  east,  and 
west.  A  second  time  this  was  done,  the  salt 
being  deposited  at  the  vice-cardinal  points,  so 


Vol  vi.  -6 


A   LITTLE    LATER— YAMASAKI    AND    KANO    STIRRING   THE   CAULDRONS. 

From  a  Plwto.  by  S.    Takebayashi,   Tokio, 


4-' 


THF.    WIOK    WOKF.n 


lAdAZlNE. 


thu  there  were  eiuht  pinches  of  salt  round  the  in  the  photograph.  All  these  preliminaries  took 
vessels  when  iheyliad  finished.  (The  sail  may  a  very  long  time,  and  were  irksome  to  those 
!>;.•   ciearlv   seen 


in    the     photo 
graph.) 

A  flint  an<: 
steel  were  now 
i  n  t  r  o  d  u  c  e  ci . 
Sparks  w  e  r  e 
struck  olT  over 
tlie  steaming 
pots,  north, 
south,  cast,  and 
west.  This  pro- 
cedure was  also 
duplicated. 
Then  the  holy 
(i  o  /i  c  i\  t  h  e 
sacred  wand  to 
which  zigzaLi 
strips  of  paper 
are  suspended. 
was  brought 
from  a  stand 
outside  the 
mystic  square, 
and  each  man  studiously  stirred  his  boiling 
cauldron  at  the  cardinal  and  vice  -  cardinal 
points   with    the    Gohei    he    held. 


THKSK    AKK    TlIK   WHISKS    WITH    \VHICE£    THE    DEVOTKES    DRENXHED   THEMSELVES   WITH 

Ffoin  a  rhoto.  by\  the  uoiling  water.  \.S.  Takebayashi,  Tokio. 


who  were  only 
looking  forward 
to  the  so-called 
miracle.  The 
patience  of 
m  any  in  the 
crowd  was 
somewhat  ex 
hausted.  The 
ubiquitous  and 
t  rou  blesom  e 
Japanese  stu- 
dent lifted  up 
his  voice  in 
protest  —  calling 
out  to  them  to 
hurry  up.  But, 
not  the  leasi  im- 
pressed by  this, 
the  men  con- 
tinued the  stir- 
ring more  slow- 
a  n  d  solemnly 
than  before. 
As  round  succeeded  round  the  two  men  seemed 
to  grow  more  and  more  engrossed  in  what  they 
were  doing.     The  prayers  and  salt-dropping,  the 


THE   LAST   SCENE— T; 


.      .    :  III.        ..).;  'i  .(,'.'..,  i  1 .1;   11:,     1  lUiik 
I'luiH  11  I'lioto.   by  S.    Tti/cibayaski,    Tokio. 


iiijiJiES  WITH  Tin;  i;.\Mr.oo  uranche.';. 


My  next  photo,  was  taken  during  this  part  of 
the  ceremony.  The  Gohei  were  whisked  round 
so  rapidly  that   they  show  but  very  indistinctly 


flint-striking,  and  Gohei-stirring  formed  an  ex- 
ceedingly curious  and  pantomimic  spectacle,  but 
it  was  to  be  followed  by  a  more  grotescjue  finale. 


THE- HOT    WATER    ORDEAL    OF    THE    SHINTOS. 


43 


The  two  men  now  appeared  with  branches  of 
bamboo  tied  tightly  together,  and  reminding  one 
of  pictures  of  birch-rods.  Holding  these  high 
over  their  heads  they  stood  a  moment  before 
indulging  in  the  scalding  shower-bath.  Then 
they  began  in  earnest.  The  bamboo  staff  was 
plunged  into  the  boiling  water  at  all  the  four 
points  of  the  compass  and  the  hot  water  was 
flunc?  over  each  man's  head  and  shoulders. 
This  was  done  a  countless  number  of  rounds. 
The  older  man,  Yamasaki  (on  the  left),  seemed 
afraid  at  first,  but  the  younger  man,  the  chief 
priest's  son-in-law,  became  like  one  possessed. 
He  ceased  to  walk  round  the  cauldron  ;  he 
danced,  lashing  the  bamboo  madly  over  his 
head,  the  scalding  liquid  falling  over  him  in 
showers.  He  flung  himself  madly  first  to  one 
side  and  then  to  another  of  the  square,  sprink- 
ling the  bystanders  and  alarming  not  a  few. 
The  front  row  of  spectators  were  convulsed  with 
laughter.  He  made  for  them,  striding  with  one 
great  step  over  the  pole  that  marked  off  the 
square — and  waved  his  bamboo  staff  maniacally 
over  their  heads  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
sprang  back  to  the  cauldron  and  went  his 
round  again. 

By  this  time  the  older  man  had  warmed  up, 
and  the  two  now  whirled  round  the  cauldrons 
like  wild  creatures,  whisking  their  bamboo 
staves  (each  man  had  one  in  each  hand)  in  and 
out  of  the  water  and  over  their  heads  like 
lightning. 

Not  content  with  drenching  themselves,  they 
liberally  lashed  each  other.  The  fires  under- 
neath hissed  and  sputtered  ;  volumes  of  steam 
began  to  hide  the  men  from  view.  Only 
by  the  scattering  of  the  water,  the  angry 
hissing  of  the  fire  as  it  was  gradually  quenched, 
and  the  rising  steam  could  one  tell  that  the 
two  men  were  still  there  and  active.  (I  had 
several  snap-shots  taken  at  this  stage,  but  they 
turned  out  mere  clouds.)  At  last  this  strange 
rite  came  to  an  end,  and  the  two  men  stood 
forth,  drenched  to  the  skin  and  as  red  as  the 
sun  which  was  then  setting,  but  otherwise  none 
the  worse  for  their  wild  capers  and  their  strange 
game  with  the  scalding  douches.  The  ground 
where  they  stood  was  a  pool,  the  iron  cauldrons 
were  emptied,  and  the  fires  were  out.  They 
disappeared  and  were  seen  no  more  that  day. 

When  asked  the  reason  of  these  performances 
the  High  Priest,  Yoshimura  Seisai  (the  surname 


comes  first  in  Japanese),  told  me  that  he  held 
them  at  his  temple  to  confute  the  theory  of 
materialism,  which  denies  the  existence  of  any- 
thing but  matter. 

"  I  am  the  enemy  of  materialism,"  he  said. 
"  Everything  has  two  parts — matter  and  spirit. 
The  spirit  of  the  thing  is  its  active  potency. 
When  the  spirit  of  the  fire  is  drawn  out  it 
becomes  '  baka '  (a  fool)  and  is  harmless. 
When  the  spirit  is  drawn  out  of  the  boiling 
water  my  disciples  can  throw  it  over  themselves 
without  being  scalded. 

"^Vhat  happens  to  you  when  your  spirit 
leaves  your  body?  You  die,  do  you  not?"  he 
asked  me.  "  So  it  is  with  the  fire  and  the 
water.  When  the  spirit  is  drawn  away  from 
both,  though  both  the  fire  and  the  water  are 
■  materially  present,  they  have  no  power  to  burn." 

When  asked  how  the  spirit  of  the  fire,  which 
he  assumed  rose  from  the  fire  into  the  water 
when  it  boiled,  was  drawn  out,  Yoshiniura  Seisai 
attributed  it  to  the  power  of  his  god.  And  the 
object  of  the  Yiibana  and  Hi-Watmi  rites, 
besides  showing  that  everything  was  composed 
of  spirit  as  well  as  matter,  was  to  manifest  to 
the  unbeliever  the  existence  of  the  god. 
"  For,"  continued  the  priest,  "  as  the  God 
(Kami)  cannot  be  seen,  people  cannot  easily 
believe  he  exists  without  some  proof;  and  my 
proof  is  that,  after  long  prayer,  the  god  takes 
away  the  spirit  of  the  fire,  and  of  the  hot  water, 
so  that  they  are  harmless  to  believers." 

So  far  the  priest's  explanation.  To  scientific 
investigators,  putting  aside  the  usual  popular 
assumption  of  mere  trickery,  there  must  be 
some  other  reason  why  the  devotees  can  pass 
over  burning  coals  and  throw  boiling  water 
over  their  bodies  without  harm.  Talking  the 
matter  over  with  a  friend — who  has  been  a 
long  time  in  Japan  and  has  gone  into  this 
matter — he  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  was 
su-igestion  together  with  a  thick  skin  that  brought 
them  scatheless  through  the  fire  and  the  hot  water. 

There  is  the  record  of  one  scoffing  foreigner 
who  crossed  the  fire  and  was  laid  up  with  burnt 
feet  for  several  weeks.  I'he  stream  of  Japanese 
who  passed  with  him  on  the  same  day  were 
unhurt. 

Kano,  the  man  on  the  right  in  the  last  photo- 
graph, told  me  he  felt  absolutely  nothing  the 
whole  time  he  went  through  these  wild  per- 
formances 


The  lliiitor-Cyclist  of  Colwich :  His  Mission,  and  What  Came  of  it 

V,\  Wii.i.is  H.   Powell,  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

Mr     Powell    was    editor  of   the    "Colwich    (Kan.)    Courier"     a    remarkable    journal    with    interesting 

readers      Going  into  an  adjacent  township  to  collect  "copy"  for   his  paper,  he  was   handed   a  package 

of    money,   which    he    was    soon    afterwards   called    upon    to    "  stand   and    deliver "   under    sensational 

circumstances.     Let    him    tell   how    he   outwitted  the    emigrant    robbers. 


HIS   incident  I  am  about  to  relate 
occurred   in   the   flill  of  i88S,    near 
t  olwich,      in      Sedgwick      County, 
xansas.    Colwich 

• ■  was    a    "  boom  '" 

iDwn  — that  is  to  say,  a  place 
where  good  farm  land  is 
sjx)i!ed  by  sjx-culators  cutting 
it  up  into  town  lots.  There 
was  no  possible  excuse  for 
starting  a  town  there  except 
that  a  railroad  ran  throui^h 
the  territory.  I  believe  that 
Colwich,  at  the  height  of  its 
pros|)erity,  could  boast  of  276 
inhabitants,  a  town  windmill, 
250ft.  of  fire-hose,  a  bank,  an 
hotel,  three  stores,  a  black- 
smith's shop,  and  the  Colwich 
Calorific  Brick  Company, 
Incorporated.  Now,  the 
brickyard  was  the  mainstay 
of  the  town. 

I  was  publishing  a  paper 
there.  It  was  called  the 
Coi'ivick  Courier.  I  knew 
as  much  about  running  a 
paper  as  a  Kiowa  Indian  about  theosophy.  I 
was  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  fresh  from 
'"■■•  malaria  -  infected  district  of  Northern 
a;  in  fact,  I  was  a  "tender-foot."'  I  had 
run  away  from  home  and  come  West.  I  was  now 
endeavouring  to  emulate 
some  dime  -  novel  fancies. 
Fate  was  against  me,  and 
some  kind  citizens  tried  to 
make  a  man  of  me — and  an 
editor  at  the  same  time.  I 
was  given  the  office  at  Col- 
wich, also  a  bonus  of  25odols., 
and  then  I  was  told  to  wade  in 
and  I  world  that  Col- 

wich wj:>  me  coming  Metro- 
polis of  the  West ;  and  that 
if  the  people  didn't  invest  in 
town  lots  at  once  they  would 
lose  the  golden  opportunity 
of  their  lives.  As  "  the  erratic 
kid  editor  "  I  was  a  success. 
All  this,  however,  didnt  hurt 
my  appetite,  and  the  fact  that 
I  was  not  shot  was  that  the 
bullet  went  wide  of  its  mark ; 


THE   AUTHOR,    MR.    WILLIS    B.    I'OWELL,    OF 

F>o/>!  a  F/toto.]      BROOKLYN.  [by  W'ooUett. 


MR.       I'OWKI.L     ANI>     THE       lOKNTICAL       MACHINE 
(taken  ADOU'l    IHE  TIME  OI"  THIS  ADVENTURE). 

Ftoiii  a  Photo. 


and  why  I  wasn't  hanged  was  because  kind 
friends  interfered,  and  the  drunken  cowboy 
who  would  have  strung  me  up  was  arrested. 

My   boon   companion   was 

Mr.  B.  P.  M .    More  fully 

than  this  I  will  not  state  his 
name.  It  does  not  signify, 
anyhow.  He  was  cashier,  and 
one  of  the  stockholders  of  the 
local  bank.  We  lodged  to- 
gether at  the  same  house,  and 
the  fact  that  I  was  pretty  in- 
timate with  Mr.  M made 

my  adventure  possible. 

I  rode  a  bicycle  in  those 
days — one  of  those  tall  affairs 
— 6oin.  high.  I  was  an  expert 
in  following  prairie  roads, 
which  are,  to  say  the  least  of 
them,  peculiar.  The  roads 
are  more  like  ditches.  The 
high  winds  carry  off  the  sand, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  year 
or  so  a  foot  or  more  of  the 
road-bed  has  been  scattered 
to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 
It  was  a  practice  of  mine 
on  pleasant  ^^'ednesday  evenings  to  wheel  over 
to  Maize,  six  miles  to  the  east,  to  "round  up" 
news  for  my  Thursday  paper.  Maize  was  only  a 
corn  and  cattle  station,  with  a  general  merchan- 
dise store  and  a  blacksmith's  shop.  I  made  this 
store  my  head-quarters.  It 
was  run  by  the  Tapp  Brothers, 
who  sold  almost  everything, 
and  accommodatingly  bought 
anything  that  the  farmers  or 
ranchers  round  about  had  to 
sell.  It  was  here,  then,  that  I 
gathered  my  news.  The 
f;irmers  would  congregate  at 
the  store  every  night  and  talk 
about  the  crops  and  the  herds ; 
and  they  were  a  vast  fund  of 
current  information.  In  no 
time  I  would  have  my  note- 
book full  of  such  absorbing 
items  as:  "John  Jones  is  the 
[oroud  father  of  a  bouncing 
l)oy,"  or  "  Miss  Sally  Skinner 
entertained  her  beau  last 
night."  This  reads  like  rub- 
bish, but   I  can  assure  you  it 


THE    EDITOR-CYCLIST    OF    COLWICH. 


45 


%. 


pleased  the  paper's  patrons,  and  they  would  lose 
sleep  waiting  for  the  Coia-ier  to  come  out  with 
their  names  in  print. 

As  I  wheeled  into  Maize  one  evening  I 
passed,  about  three  miles  out  from  Colwich,  a 
long  string  of  "  prairie  schooners."  A  prairie 
schooner,  I  should  tell  you,  is  a  waggon  covered 
with  a  muslin  hood.  The  train  had  pulled  up 
for  the  night  along  a  high,  untrimmed  hedge 
fence  that  skirted  the  roadway  on  one  side. 

There  were  twelve  waggons  in  the  train.  To 
the  end  gate  of  each  waggon  was  a  feed  box, 
and  hitched  to  each  gate  were  two  mules.  There 
was  a  savoury 
odour  of  bacon 
and  eggs  and 
coffee,  for  it  was 
supper  time  in 
camp,  both  for 
man  and  beast. 
Picketed  on  the 
prairie  close  by 
were  ihirty  or 
forty  Texas 
ponies,  taken 
along  for  trading 
purposes. 

I  noticed  all 
these  points,  but 
didn't  give  the 
train  more  than  a 
passing  thought, 
for  every  night 
trains  camped 
there,  as  emi- 
grants were  con- 
tinually passing 
overland,  either  to 
or  from  die  West, 
and  many  a  tin^e 
they  strung  out 
for  nearly  a  mile. 

I  went  about  my  business  at  Maize, 
probably  hurrying  through  it,  as  the  low 
bank  of  clouds  in  the  west  seemed  to  presage 
a  coming  storm  — one  of  those  storms  that 
hang  on  the  horizon  until  they  gather  force 
and    then    rush   forward   like  a  tornado. 

I  was  about  to  mount  my  bike  and  skim 
homeward  when  Mr.  Tapp  suddenly  called  me 
into  his  little  office,  and  said,  in  his  abrupt 
way  : — 

"  Look  here,  Powell,  I  have  a  commission  for 
you  to-night.  In  this  envelope  is  a  sum  of 
money.  I  got  it  in  a  farm  deal  to-day — spot 
cash,  and  too  late  to  bank.  Something  tells 
me  there  is  trouble  brewing.  I  don't  like  the 
looks  of  that  last  emigrant  gang  who  are 
camped    below  us.     Several  of   the  men  have 


been  hanging  around  here  all  the  afternoon.  I 
haven't  a  safe,  and  the  safe  at  the  railroad 
station  was  blown  sky-high  the  other  night,  as 
you  well  know.     Here  is  the  package.     Will  you 

take  it  and  deliver  it  to  Mr.  M to-morrow 

morning  ?  Never  mind  how  much  there  is  in 
it.  It  would  make  no  difference  to  you  whether 
there  is  5dols.  or  soodols.  in  it.  Will  you  take 
it  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  I.     "  Hand  it  over." 
I    placed    the    bulky    package    in    my  inside 
coat-pocket,  buttoned  the  coat,  and  was  about 
to    leave,   when    I   asked   for  another  envelope 

and  put  my  news  notes  in 
it  and  sealed  that  one,  too, 
and  placed  it  in  an  outside 
coat-{)ocket.  I  did  this  for 
no  otlier  purpose  than  to 
keep  the  notes 
intact  and  free 
from  rain  if  the 
storm  came  up. 

Then  I  started 
off.  The  crowd 
of  loafers  shouted 
a  "  Be  good  to 
yourself "  as  I 
pedalled  down 
the  road  leading 
to  the  only  high- 
way to  Colwich. 
I  waved  a  fare- 
well, and  the 
store  was  soon 
lost  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  moon 
was  up,  and  the 
wind  was  rising 
and  dead  against 
me.  I  estimated 
that  I  would  have 
to  make  haste  in 
order  to  beat  the 
storm  into  Col- 
wich. I  bent  low 
over  the  handle- 
bars and  endea- 
voured to  race 
along.  I  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  outlines 
of  the  waggons  of  the  campers,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  began  to  think  over  Mr.  Tapp's 
fears.  If  atta'cked  I  should  be  helpless 
against  such  odds,  for  I  had  no  weapon,  and 
to  turn  back  would  be  useless.  They  would 
certainly  be  mounted  on  their  fleet  ponies, 
sure-footed  as  mountain  goats,  while  I  had 
to  pick  out  every  foot  of  my  road,  and  the 
danger  was  increasing  every  moment,  as  fleet- 
ing clouds  were  no\v  obscuring  the  moon. 


BENT  LOW  OVER  THE  HANDLE-BARS  ANU 
ENDEAVOUKED  TO  RACE  ALONG." 


I 


4tJ 


THK    WIDK    WORLD    MAC.AZINE. 


I  hesitntcd.  I  thought  of  tiiakinj;  a  wide 
detour  round  the  lanipcrs.  watiing  lliroiigh  the 
prairie  grass.  Tlien  1  reah/ed  that  if  they  were 
"laying  '"  for  me  they  would  he  ready  to  thwart 
any  move  of  mine,  so  I  sliook  off  my  fears  and 
jKxialled  as  bravely  as  I  eould  lowanls  the 
camp.  Cold  sweat  \va>  streaming  over  my  lace, 
and  I  had  a  regular  dose  of  "  tender-foot 
chills." 

I  made  a  desperate  elTort  to  spurt,  when  there 
rang  out  on  the  air  the  startling  command  :  — 

"Stop,  or  you  are  a  dead  man  !  " 

The  commaml  was  heeded,  not  by  will,  hut 
hy  force.  A  rope  stretched  across  the  roadway 
had  tripped  me  up,  and  I  got  a  painful  fall, 
with  the  old  wheel  on  to|i  of  me.  There  was  a 
concerted  rush  towards  me  by  a  score  of  men, 
who  terrorized  me  wiiii  their  curses  and  jMstol 
shooting. 

*■  Where  is  that  money  that  was  handed  you 
to-night?"  roared  the  leader. 

I  saw  that  my  movements  had  been  watched, 
and  that  the  gang  were  fully  aware 
that  I  had  been  handed  the  money. 
My  life  was  more  valuable  than  the 
jxickage ;  and,  furthermore,  it  had 
been  given  me  as  a  hazardous  risk. 
Vet  I  thought  I  might  yet  outwit  them. 

The  storm  was  now  bearing  down 
upon  us,  with  a  roar  that  could  be 
heard  miles  away.  The  air  was  op- 
pressive— as  a  breath  from  a  furnace. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  I,  to  gain  time, 
•'  there  is  no  use  denying  that  1  have 
been  given  a  sum  of  money  to  deliver 
to  the  bank  at  Colwich.  liut  this  is 
taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  a  mere 
boy — thirty  of  you  against  one,  loo. 
Here  it  is,  but  I  assure  you  that  1 
shall  report  you,  and  you  can  never 
get  safely  out  of  the  State  witli  all 
these  waggons." 

"Well,"  said  one  of  them,  with  a 
sneer,  "someone  will  have  to  discover 
you  flr^t  before  you  can  tell  tales. 
Now,  be  quick  with  the  package." 

I  knew  that  I  was  to  be  bound  and 
g3gged,  and  left  to  the  mercy  of  the 
storm,  but  I  began  to  gain  courage, 
seeing  that  the  gang  meant  no  actual 
violence  to  me. 

"Well,  fellows,"  said  I,  passing  to 
the  ringleader  my  news  notes— on 
the  condition  of  the  Maize  hog  and 
grain  market—"  here  is  the  envelope. 
Now,  don't  sfx;nd  this  swag  in  riotous 
living." 

It  was  all  done  as  a  huge  bluff,  this 
passing  of  the  wrong  envelope  to  the 


leader.  Detection,  1  felt  sure,  woukl  follow 
before  they  left  me. 

lUit  at  that  moment,  as  fate  would  have  it, 
the  storm  broke  upon  us  in  all  its  fury.  There 
came  a  mighty  blast  of  sand  that  cut  and  stung 
like  a  thousand  whips,  'i'he  air  was  laden  with 
all  manner  of  small  twigs,  while  myriads  of 
weeds  came  bowling  towards  us  like  a  phalanx 
of  demons.  The  clouds  seemed  to  engulf  us. 
They  were  highly  charged  with  electricity,  and 
belclied  forth  continuous  flashes  of  lightning. 
The  thunder  now  drowned  the  roar  of  the  wind, 
and  the  elemenls  were  at  their  worst. 

Suddenly  the  frightened  ponies  stampeded  ; 
the  mules  l)egan  pulling  at  their  halters,  and,  in 
the  excitement  of  the  moment,  the  gang  forgot 
me  and  rushed  towards  their  animals.  But  it 
was  too  late.  They  were  gone,  the  picket 
stakes  being  like  mere  toothpicks  to  them  in  the 
madness  of   their  terror. 

'I'he  cloud  of  weeds  bore  down  upon  the 
frei'izied  mules,  and  in  another  second  .there  was 


Too    FlilGHTENED   TO    MOVE,    ANIJ    I.AV    Wlll-.KE    I    HAD    FALLEN." 


THE    EDITOR-CYCLIST   OF   COLWTCH. 


47 


a  scene  of  wild  confusion.  The  mules  dashed 
this  way  and  that  way  to  break  loose  from  their 
halters,  and  the  ropes  cut  deep  into  their  necks. 
The  waggons  began  to  gain  momentum  under 
the  strain,  and  soon  they  were  following  the 
wild  plunges  of  the  animals.  As  the  forward 
running  gear  was  uncontrollable  the  waggons 
described  all  kinds  of  circuits,  and  one  after 
another  was  overturned.  Each  moment  the 
terror-stricken  animals  grew  more  violent.  The 
campers  were  [)owerless  to  do  anything,  and 
dodged  here  and  there  out  of  the  way  of  the 
swaying  vehicles.  Here  was  a  mule  down, 
dragged  about  by  his  companion  ;  there  a 
violent  collision  between  two  waggons  ;  and  in 
yet  another  place  two  teams  were  inextricably 
mixed  up.  Everywhere  the  waggons  were 
dropping  their  contents,  and  over  this  wreckage 
the  teams  plunged  madly.  The  lightning 
flashed,  the  thunder  roared,  and  the  wind  blew 
a  perfect  hurricane. 

As  for  myself,  I  was  too  frightened  to  move  a 
muscle,  and  lay  where  I  had  fallen  instinctively. 
Time  after  time  I  was  within  an  inch  of  death, 
and  could  feel  the  graze  of  a  flying  waggon-wheel 
or  a  mule's  hoof  For  five  minutes  the  animals 
plunged  about  in  a  small  space.  Then  one 
team  got  its  bearings  and  headed  for  the  open 
prairie,  and  was  soon  lost  to  view.  Others 
followed,  and  soon  all  was  quiet  except  for  the 
groans  of  the  injured  men. 

At  last  I  felt  free  to  rise.  At  each  flash 
of  lightning  new  scenes  of  horror  were  revealed 
to  me.  It  was  simply  indescribable.  It  would 
take  a  war  correspondent  to  picture  correctly 
that  strange  battlefield. 

I  examined   my  machine  and   found  it   intact 
with    the   exception   of    a    broken    handle  -  bar. 
Picking  my  way  through  the  debris  I  mounted, 
intending  to  hasten  to  Colwich  and  get  help  for 
the  injured.       1  promptly  ran   up  the  embank- 
ment    and    wns 
thrown.        Time 
nfter     time      I 
mounted,      only 
to  be  again  and 
again  thrown.     I 
had     lost     my 
nerve.      Accord- 
ingly   I    walked, 
or     rather     ran, 
into    the     town, 
where    I   sought 
my      CO  w  boy 
friends,  and  beg- 
ged   of    them, 
after    briefly    re- 
lating my  adven- 
tures, to  organize         From  a\        THE   MAIN   STUEET  OF  COLWICH- 


a   relief  corps  and  go  to  the  succour  of  those 
fallen  in  the  stampede. 

I  remember  well  the  reply  I  got :  "  Let  them 
go  hang  !  You  can  bet  that  by  this  time  the 
gang  have  got  a  team  or  two  quiet,  and  are  now 
'marking  time  '  for  the  Indian  territory.  Leave 
them  alone.  I'hey  have  had  enough  punish- 
ment ;  and  it  will  save  the  county  the  expense 
of  feeding  the  gang  in  prison  and  attending  to 
the  wounded  in  the  hospital." 

Next   I  went   up   to    our    lodging-house   and 

handed    to    Mr.    M- ■   the   package   of    bills. 

There    was    3,8oodols.   in    the   package,  and    I 
was  heartily  glad  to  be  rid  of  it. 

At  daylight  we  went  out  to  my  would-be 
robbers'  camp  site. 

The  wreckage  was  gathered  up  by  the 
"  bachelor "  ranchers,  and  many  a  "dug-out" 
dwelling  got  its  first  furniture  and  kitchen  outfit 
from  that  camp;  while  the  blacksmiths  got 
enough  carriage  iron  and  wheels  and  good  oak 
timber  to  last  them  a  year  or  so.  The  grass 
was  laid  low  for  a  half-mile  square. 

Seven  mules  had  to  be  shot  then  and  there, 
two  recovered  from  their  injuries,  and  two  lay 
dead.  Of  the  men,  blood  on  the  grass  told  the 
story  of  many  a  wound.  How  many  limbs 
were  broken  in  that  mad  stampede  we  never 
knew. 

I  recovered  a  few  of  my  news  notes,  and 
the  Cokvich  Courier  went  to  press  that  day 
with  a  pretty  good  story  of  adventure  into  the 
bargain.  The  Tapp  Ihothers  remembered  me 
handsomely,  and  I  got  salvage  from  the  live 
mules.  Altogether  it  was  a  very  profitable 
night  and  fairly  full  of  excitement,  but  I  should 
not  care  to  go  through  it  ngain. 

The  gang  was  never  heard  of  afterwards. 
It  is  supposed  that  they  broke  up  at  once, 
and  met  again  somewhere  in  the  border 
lands    of    the    territory. 


THE   CROSS   SHOWS   THE   OFFICE   OK    MR.    POWELL's    PAPER.         [Fhoto 


Pioneers    of    the    Year    on    the    Matterhorn. 


\)\    Gl'ORGK    \).    Ar.RAHAM. 


The    well-known  climber    of    Keswick    tells    how  h 
provides    some    of  his   own    picturesque 

V  all  the  imuiiuaiiis  in  the  (ireat 
IVmiine  Alps  perhaps  none  pos- 
sesses such  subtle  charms"  for  the 
!  mountaineer  as  the  Matterhorn. 
.Situated  among  the  most  shapely 
jKuks  in  the  Alps,  it  rears  its  snowy  crest  above 
its  sluiK'ndous  ridges  and  precipices  in 
such  complete  isolation  and  dignity, 
as  jX'eply  to  impress  even  the  most 
afxithetic  or  "  fashionable  "  visitors  to 
the  Zermatt  \"alley. 

Though  thousands  of  admiring 
tourists  gaze  from  the  valley  on  its 
lo.ooofi.  of  ''sheer  precipice"  and 
talk  with  bated  breath  of  the  "  fearful 
price "  denianded  of  those  who  risk 
their  necks  to  scale  the  giddy  summit, 
still,  only  those  who  have  "  rubbed 
shoulders  and  shaken  hands  "  with  the 
great  peak  can  appreciate  its  full 
majesty. 

Hut  not  always  is  the  Matterhorn 
IK-ak  visible  to  visitors,  for  in  the  early 
summer  of  1898  it  was  seldom  to  be 
seen  from  Zermatt,  and  the  {)atient 
and  anxious  guides  were  losing  their 
^5  a  peak  day  by  day.  So  the 
would-be  climber  had  to  fall  back  on 
some  of  the  sights  of  the  valley,  of 
which  the  (lorner  (Jorge  is  by  no 
means  the  least  interesting.  The 
photograph  here  reproduced  gives  a 
good  idea  of  this  wonderful  chasm, 
which  has  been  curiously  worn  in  the 
solid  rock  by  the  flowii>g  water.  The 
walk  along  the  narrow  staging  with  the 
torrent  gurgling  and  bubbling  sixty 
feet  below  in  inky  darkness  is  (juite 
exciting  enough  for  many  of  the 
ordinary  tourists.  Some  of  the  lower 
mountain  passes  are  also  available  even 
in  bad  weather,  and  to  those  who  tire 
of  the  brass  bands  and  other  up-to- 
date  luxuries  of  Zermatt,  the  walk  over 
the  Adler  Pass  to  Saas  is  most  en- 
joyable. 

Sna"  Fee  is  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ys    in    Switzerland,    and    the 
pnoiograph  of  the  "  Old  Chapel  "   on  the  next 
page  shows  one  of  the  mountaineers'  favourite 
resorts  on  an  off  day. 

Being  one  of  a  party  of  four  climbers  who 
had  been  compelled  to  resort  to  these  pleasures 
by  reason  of  the  continued  bad  weather,  I  found 


e    ascended    the   giant   of  the    Zermatt    Valley,    and 
photographs    to    illustrate    his    narrative. 

myself  alone  early  in  July,  my  friends  having  of 
necessity  to  return  to  England,  growling  as 
Britons  only  can  at  their  failure  to  conquer,  or 
even  see,  the  great  Zermatt  Peak.  Three  fine 
days  had  been  passed  in  climbing  and  exploring 
the  glaciers  above  Zermatt  ;  and  our  next  illus- 


,,',1, —      A    WONUKKl' L  1.    CHA-,.M,    CIRHIUSLY    U  '  )i, 
ROCK    HY   THE   FI-OWING   WATEK." 

/''row  a  Photo,  by  G.  D.  Abraham,  Kesn'/'ck. 


;■.■     1  iii;    SOLID 


tration  shows  the  great  ice-fall  on  the  Corner 
Cilacier,  with  the  leader  cutting  the  steps 
rendered  necessary  by  the  steepness  of  the 
ice. 

Farther  up  the  glacier  becomes  complicated 
by     a     network     of    crevices     which     tax     the 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    YEAR    ON    THE    MATTERHORN. 


49 


THK   OI.IJ   CHAIEL    AT   SAAS  f£e— THE   MOUNTAINEERS'    KAVOUKITE 

ON    AN    OFF    DAY. 

From  a  Photo,  by  G.  D.  Abraham,  KesT.vick. 

capabilities  of  the  climbers.  During  these 
excursions  the  upper  snows  of  the  Matterhorn 
had  been  thundering  down  in  avalanches  on  to 
the  glaciers  round  its  base.  Nevertheless,  I  was 
both  surprised  and  delighted  when  the  two  well- 
known  guides,  Adolf  and  Joseph  Schaller,  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  try  the  first  ascent  of  the  great 
Zermatt  Peak  for  1898  in  my  company. 

As  a  result  of  this  interesting  invitation,  next 
morning  three  heavily-laden  climbers  were 
making  tiieir  way  lazily  up  the  lower  slopes  and 
through  the  pine  forests,  passing  bravely  en  route 
all  the  allurements  of  the  bier-halles  and  tea 
gardens.  At  the  Schvvarz  See  Hotel,  lying  at 
the  foot  of  Hornli  Ridge — which,  roughly  speak- 
ing, forms  the  north-east  ridge  of  the  Matter- 
horn — a  long  halt  was  called,  and  the  guides 
made  those  devotional  exercises  in  the  little 
Catholic  church  close  by  without  which  they 
said  no  climb  of  importance  could  ever  be  safely 
attempted.  Our  intention  was  now  well  known 
in  the  Zermatt  Valley,  and  many  jokes  were 
made  at  our  expense  for  attempting  to  scale  the 
Matterhorn  under  such  bad  conditions. 

We  were  fully  aware  of  the  difficulties  to  be 
overcome,  and  to  obviate  somewhat  the  danger 

Vol.  vi.-7. 


of  being  carried  down  in  an  avalanche, 
our  leading  guide  loaded  me  up  with  150ft. 
of  spare  rope  and  some  "  pitons  "  to  fix  in 
case  of  necessity.  The  other  members  of 
the  party  were  heavily  laden  with  firewood 
and  provisions. 

Leaving  the  Schwarz  See,  we  made  our 
way  along  the  lower  Hornli  Ridge,  with  the 
great  peak  right  in  front;  and  some  short 
halts  were  made  whilst  Adolf  screwed  him- 
self and  my  pocket  telescope  into  awkward 
and  amusing  attitudes  with  a  view  to 
inspecting  the  entire  route.  After  weary 
flounderings  through  soft  snow,  into  which 
one  of  the  guides  plunged  up  to  his 
neck,  we  safely  reached  the  climbers'  hut 
(10,700ft.),  beautifully  situated  at  the  foot 
of  the  final  peak.  Here  all  comparative 
luxury  came  to  an  end.  On  this  occasion 
the  hut  was  quite  blocked  up  with  ice  and 
snow,  so  a  vast  deal  of  hacking  and  cutting 
through  its  wintry  casing  had  to  be  done 
with  the  ice-axes  before  we  could  enter  its 
chill  and  damp  interior. 

We  were  truly  thankful,  however,  to  find 
the  stove-pipe  comparatively  free  from 
snow,  and  our  wood  fire  soon  began  to 
thaw  everything,  so  that  some  agility  was 
needed  to  dodge  the  melting  icicles  and 
snow  which  bespattered  us  unmercifully 
"  from  the  ceiling.  After  partaking  of  a 
mysterious  concoction — by  way  of  com- 
pliment called  soup — and  a  hasty  inspection  of 
the  weather  in  the  cold  evening  air,  we  were 
soon  uncomfortably  ensconced  between  damp 
blankets,  an  ominous  fog  filling  the  hut  as  our 
warm  bodies  began  to  dry  our  coverings. 

Despite  the  unfavourable  conditions  we  slept 
as  only  climbers  can,  and  at  midnight  had  been 
astir  some  time  and  finished  another  mountain 
meal.  The  roping  together  was  done  in  the 
hut,  and  Adolf  led  us  off  over  the  first  snow 
in  high  spirits,  for  the  weather  seemed  most 
promising,  and  we  were  able  even  to  dispense 
with  the  lantern,  as  the  moon  was  rising  slowly 
behind  the  highest  speak  of  Monte  Rosa  on 
our  left.  The  view  was  truly  magnificent.  But 
more  practical  matters  soon  occupied  our  full 
attention,  as  Adolf  led  the  way  at  a  furious  pace 
up  the  first  rocks  along  the  ledges  to  the  left  of 
the  n>ain  ridge. 

After  crossing  some  ice-covered  rocks  we 
soon  reached  the  side  of  the  great  "  Stone 
Couloir,"  the  scene  of  so  many  minor  accidents 
and  hairbreadth  escapes  from  falling  stones 
which,  in  the  season,  seem  to  choose  such 
inopportune  times  to  scare  the  unwary  climber. 
From  this  point  nearly  all  was  steep,  hard  snow; 
and,  getting   on    to    the   east    face    by  kicking 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    xMAGAZINE. 


steps  in  llie  snow,  we  made  good  progress  as 
far  as  the  Old  Cabane,  which  is  now  fallen  into 
ruins.  U'e  had  all  been  casting  longing  looks 
at  the  riick-sack  containing  the  eatables,  so 
here,  at  2.45  a.m.,  we  partook  of  early  breakf:xst 
by  moonlight,  and  listened  with  some  mis- 
givings to  the  high  wind  whistling  around  the 
upper  ridges. 

The  fading  of  the  stars  on  the  eastern  horizon 
reminded  us  of  the  value  of  time,  so,  after 
plunging  up  a  snow  couloir  and  across  some 
steep  ice-slopes  where  holds  for  both  hands  and 
feet  had  to  be  cut  with  the  ice-axe,  we  had  to 
take  to  the  rocks  of  the  main  ridge.  The 
photograph  on  the  next  page  is  a  near  view  of 
these  rocks,  with  the  climbers  ascending  the 
lower  portion.     It  was  here  that  we  first  got  a 


'  K-FAI.I.   OF    THE   GORNER    GLACIER. 

Iroiii  a   J'hoto.  by  G.  D.  Abraham,  Keswick. 


foretaste  of  what  "  Old  Boreas  "  had  in  store  for 
us  higher  up.  The  wind  was  intensely  cold, 
and  we  soon  sought  shelter  by  climbing  more  on 
the  left  or  eastern  face  of  the  mountain,  where 
our  progress  was  more  comfortable,  though  less 
speedy,  until  the  great  Snow  Shoulder  was 
reached. 

From  here  to  the  top  we  must  climb  well  on 
the  ridge,  and  it  was  obvious  that  a  lively  time 
was  in  store  for  us.  So  in  order  to  dispel  the 
glum,  uncertain  looks  of  the  guides  I  suggested 
a  third  breakfast,  and  forthwith  we  made 
internal  as  well  as  external  preparations  for  a 
severe  battle  with  the  wind,  which  howled  and 
shrieked  along  the  ridge  only  a  few  yards 
above  us. 

Every  available  piece  of  clothing  was  brought 
into  use,  and  with  a  loud 
yell  of  derision  in  the  face 
of  the  blast,  Adolf  led 
the  way  on  to  the  ridge. 
The  pale  blue  moonlight 
was  now  fading  rapidly 
before  the  brighter  glow 
of  dawn,  until  i, 000ft. 
above  me  the  snowy 
peak  of  the  Matterhorn 
suddenly  caught  the 
golden  glow,  and  a  long, 
delicate  streamer  of 
golden  silk  appeared  to 
fly  out  from  the  summit 
as  the  wind  whisked  off 
the  loose  snow  from  the 
highest  point. 

This  was  now  our  posi- 
tion. We  were  astride 
the  narrow  ridge,  and 
with  over  4,000ft.  sheer 
drop  on  either  side.  The 
contrast  between  the  glit- 
tering golden  peak  above 
and  the  dark,  dismal, 
bottomless-looking  depths 
below,  with  the  howling 
wind  enfolding  us  in  its 
icy  clasp,  was  quite 
enough  to  make  even  the 
stoutest  feel  just  a  twinge 
of  nervousness.  All  these 
impressions,  however, 
soon  vanished  before  the 
climbing  difficulties,  and 
our  attention  was  fully 
needed  to  preserve  our 
balance  and  slowly  work 
our  way  along  the  crest 
of  the  ridge  to  the  foot 
of  the  final  peak. 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    YEAR    ON    THE    MATTERHORN. 


51 


'Twas  a  welcome  sight  to  see  that  the  ropes 
fixed  here  were  available,  and,  with  a  huge  grin 
of  delight,  Adolf  led  off  up  the  rope-hung  rocks 
at  a  pace  only  permissible  with  the  end  in  view 
of  keeping  up  the  natural  heat.  It  was  just  here 
(500ft.  below  the  top)  that  the  full  force  of  the 
blast  was  felt.  The  weather  was  truly  terrific  ; 
not  a  word  could  be  heard  between  us,  great, 
dense  clouds  of  snow  were  being  torn  off,  hurled 
up  the  north  face,  and  then  carried  far  out  over 
the  summit. 

We  were  very  soon 
literally  caked  in  ice. 
and  the  finer  particles 
of  snow  seemed  to 
find  their  way  every- 
where, for  my  pockets 
were  soon  full  and 
little  streams  of 
melted  snow  com- 
menced a  cold  trickle 
down  my  back  and 
chest.  Our  progress 
was  stopped  looft.  or 
so  higher  up  by  the 
giving  way  of  the  fi.xed 
rope  ;  and  the  expres- 
sive look  on  our 
leader's  face  spoke 
louder  than  words,  or 
even  the  storm.  Hand 
and  foot  holds  seemed 
principally  conspicu- 
ous by  their  absence 
here,  so,  to  reach  a 
higher  ledge,  Adolf 
mounted  on  my  back, 
and  after  what  seemed 
a  never-ending  grind 
of  his  ponderous 
"  hob-nailers  "  into  my 
tender  shoulder  blade, 
he  managed  to  reach 
a  hold  and  swing 
himself  up  into  a  tiny 
square  recess. 

The  expression  of 
his  smiling  face, 
beaming  through  the 
driving  snow  like  a 
red  signal  lamp,  told 
us  all  was  well,  and 
with  practical  help  from  the  rope 
gained    his    level.       Difiiculties    soon 


AT   WORK    ON    THE    ROCKS   OF   THE   MAIN    RIDGE 

From  a  Photo,  by    G.  D.  Abraham,  Keswick. 


we    soon 
vanished 

after  this,  and  a  hurried  rush  up  the  final  snow- 
slope  brought  us  at  last,  about  7  a.m.,  as  near 
the  snow-corniced  summit  as  discretion  would 
allow — 14,705ft.  above  the  sea. 

Any  chance  of  a  view  was  hopeless.     It  was 


quite  impossible  even  to  open  one's  eyes  sufii- 
ciently  to  see  farther  than  the  near  foreground 
— even  if  the  mist  had  permitted.  I  only 
remember  a  delicate,  feather-like  snow-ridge 
.forming  the  outline  of  the  summit ;  and  then 
we  were  quickly  speeding  down  the  snow  to  the 
rocks.  The  top  of  the  Matterhorn  was  just 
now  visible  from  Zermatt,  and  our  movements 
had  been  closely  watched  through  the  big 
telescope    by   those   who   could   shake   off  the 

chains  of  gentle 
Morpheus  as 
early  as  7  a.m. 

They  told  us 
afterwards  how 
surprised    they 
were  to  see  us 
travelling    so 
rapidly  on  such 
apparently 
dangerous 
ground;  but  the 
difference      be- 
tween   the    top 
of  the    Matter- 
horn  in  a  fearful 
blizzard  and  the  top  of 
the  Matterhorn  through 
the  Zermatt   telescope 
in    warm    sunshine    is 
obvious.       Down    and 
down  we  went,  sliding 
over  the  icy  ropes  and 
rocks   until    a    sheltered    place 
was  reached.      Here  we  threw 
off  the  riick-sacks  and   set   to 
work  to  thaw  our  frozen  fingers 
and    clear   the    ice   from    our 
faces    whilst     the     warm     sun 
somewhat    softened     our     icy 
garments.     The  discovery  was 
here   made  that  the   wine-bag 
was  frozen  into  an  almost  solid 
mass,  and  our  amusing  efforts 
to  thaw  it  by  hugging  it  affec- 
tionately were  more  picturesque 
than  effective. 

Dense  black  clouds  now 
began  to  gather  from  the  south, 
so  our  melting  operations  had 
to  be  suspended,  and  we 
rattled  down  the  remaining 
rocks  on  to  the  shoulder  at  our  utmost  speed. 
Great  care  was  now  needed,  as  the  snow  had 
become  very  soft  and  liable  to  give  way  with 
undue  pressure.  By  hanging  on  to  the  sharp 
snow-ridge  with  our  left  arms,  and  working  along 
and  downwards  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
ridge,  we  at  last  reached  the  welcome  shelter  of 


52 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  rocks.  NN'c  were  now  comparatively  out  of 
the  clutches  of  the  wind  and  "  jack  Frost,"  and 
very  soon  our  hungry  condition  reminded  us 
that  ••  Nature  abhors  a  vacuum/'  and  we  had  no 
sufficiently  scientific  member  in  the  party  to 
dispute  the  matter. 

Accordingly  the  reserve  lu.xuries  of  the  day, 


the  ridge  and  rushing  across  loose  snow 
couloirs  in  utter  disregard  of  the  laws  and 
rules  so  dear  to  certain  orthodox  authorities  on 
mountaineering. 

Only  one  place  gave  us  much  trouble,  and 
here  Adolf,  who  was  leading,  got  stranded  on 
an    ice-slope   covered    with    loose    snow.      No 


THE    KA;.10US    village   of    ZERMATT,    with    the    MATTEliHORN    I'EAK    IN    IHE    llAClvGROUN  D. 

From  a  Photo,  hy  G.  D.  Abraham,  Kes-au'ck. 


in  the  shape  of  three  cold  and  ice-bound 
chickens,  were  brought  out.  Very  soon  a  con- 
tinuous stream  of  well-explored  chicken  bones 
began  to  fall  from  our  narrow  ledge  on  to  the 
glacier  3,000ft.  below.  By  way  of  amusement, 
for  us,  a  large  bird  of  the  hawk  tribe,  far  below, 
was  performing  marvellous  feats  of  gymnastics 
by  swooping  down  on  the  falling  morsels,  and 
it  soon  had  a  rare  meal  collected,  though  a 
falling  stone  upset  by  the  guides  almost  rendered 
further  meals  unnecessary. 

The  startling  swish  of  a  newly- forming 
avalanche  on  our  right,  and  its  augmented 
thunderings  far  beneath,  reminded  us  of  our 
position  ;  and  ere  long  we  were  hurrying  down 


doubt  he  would  have  accompanied  the  avalanche 
so  started  down  to  the  glacier  below  had  not  a 
timely  pull  from  the  rope  rescued  him  from  his 
dangerous  position.  The  slope  was  obviously 
unsafe  for  us  to  cross,  so  we  turned  back  a 
short  distance  and  thus  gained  an  easy  rock- 
ridge  leading  down  to  our  previous  route  near 
the  Old  Cabane.  In  two  hours  more  we  arrived 
safely  at  the  "  New  Hut,"  and  after  gathering 
up  the  luggage  plunged  downwards  through  the 
soft  snow,  until  in  an  hour's  time  we  were 
receiving  our  friends'  congratulations  at  the 
Schwarz  See  Hotel,  and  the  hitherto  untrodden 
upper  snows  of  the  Matterhorn  were  prepared 
for  the  coming  climbers  of  the  year. 


A   Big=Game   Trip   to  Somali  land. 


Bv  Sir  Edmund  Lp.chmkrk,  Barj-. 

Tnis   well-known   big-game   hunter    gives    an    account    of    one   of   his    shooting   trips    in    North-East 
Africa,  concluding   with    practical   hints    to    sportsmen    who    may   follow    in   his    steps.      The   photos. 

were  taken  by  the  party. 


N  the  ist  of  January  last  my -wife 
and  I,  accompanied  by  an  English 
servant,  left  London  for  another  big- 
game  expedition  to  Western  Somali- 
land.  Thougi),  owing  to  recent 
disturbances,  the  country  was  practically  closed 
to  sporting  parties,  I  had  obtained  special  per- 
mission to  shoot  in  certain  districts ;  and, 
arriving  on  the  i8th  at  Berbera,  I  found  my 
caravan  of  twenty-four  camels  and  twenty  men, 
the  latter  of  whom  I  had  armed  with  Snider 
carbines  in  case  of  trouble,  awaiting  me.     \Ve 


Jnoin  a]       THE   twenty    men    ok    sir    EDMUND    LECHMEKE'S    WESTERN    SOMALILAND    EXPEDITION. 


proceeded  at  once  to  the  interior,  reaching 
Mandera  on  the  21st,  and  here  I  stayed  two 
days  both  to  rest  the  camels  and  also  to  get  a 
specimen  of  the  lesser  koodoo,  which  I  had  not 
been  able  to  obtain  on  a  previous  occasion.  I 
was  successful  in  getting  a  very  good  pair '  of 
horns  the  first  morning  of  our  arrival,  but  I  saw 
no  other  specimens  except  females. 

The  country  here  consists  chiefly  of  bush  and 
aloe  jungle,  with  karias  or  native  villages 
scattered  sparsely  in  the  district.  Leaving 
here,  we  made  a  long  and  very  rough  and  stony 
march    to    Argaan,    pitching   our  tent   under  a 


magnificent  tree  with  branches  drooping  almost 
to  the  ground.  Here  I  hoped  to  get  a  specimen 
of  the  great  koodoo  antelope,  and  next  morning 
started  at  daybreak  in  quest  of  my  quarry.  After 
a  long  and  hot  climb,  for  the  koodoo  live  chiefly 
in  the  most  stony  and  inaccessible  parts  of  the 
Golis  Ranges,  we  came  on  a  small  herd,  but 
these  being  all  females  I  did  not  attempt  to 
stalk  them. 

About  an  hour  afterwards,  on  reaching  the 
top  of  a  ridge,  we  made  out  another  small  herd 
of    females    accompanied   by  a   bull,   with  very 

fine  horns,  feed- 
ing at  the  bottom 
of  a  gully.  They 
made  us  out, 
however,  before 
I  could  get  a 
shot,  and  started 
off"  at  a  trot  round 
the  base  of  the 
hill.  It  was  a 
long  shot  —  200 
yards — but  I  got 
a  clear  broadside 
shot  at  the  bull, 
who  was  running 
some  fifty  yards 
in  front  of  the 
others.  By  great 
good  luck  I 
dropped  him 
stone-dead,  the 
bullet  from  the 
•303  entering 
behind  the  right 
shoulder  and 
passing  out  on 
the  other  side. 
Going  home  we  came  across  a  troop  of 
baboons  sunning  themselves  on  a  mountain 
slope.  Some  were  as  big  as  collie  dogs,  with 
fine  silver  manes.  From  Argaan  we  went  on  to 
Jalelo,  and  on  the  way  I  saw  an  ostrich,  which  I 
did  not  get,  and  also  shot  two  gazelle,  which 
were  welcome  as  we  were  nearly  out  of  meat. 

Jalelo  is  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  the 
site  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  we  camped  in  a 
charming  spot  surrounded  by  beautiful  trees 
and  creepers.  There  are  lesser  koodoo  about 
here,  and  also  oryx  and  "  gerenuk,"  as  the 
Somalis  call  the  Waller's  gazelle. 


[Photo. 


54 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    iMAGAZINE. 


From  a]         HERE  IS  an  excellent  snap-shot  of  a  wounded  oryx  antelope.  [Photo. 


get  no  news  of  the  where- 
abouts of  the  camel,  so 
I  kept  one  of  them  a 
prisoner  in  camp  for 
several  days  until  the 
animal  was  brought  back, 
which  was  done  some 
days  later,  and  then  the 
man  was  released.  Leav- 
ing here  we  went  on  to 
Daborlok,  where  another 
camel,  finding  things 
rather  tame,  I  suppose, 
relieved  the  monotony  by 
tumbling  down  a  dry  well, 
from  which  he  was  extri- 
cated by  means  of  ropes, 
quite  unhurt,  and  seem- 
ingly delighted  with  the 
success  of  his  adventure. 
We  got  to  Medda  a 
day  or  two  later,  and  here 
I  received  news  of  the 
man-eating    lion     I     was 


r    r 

i 


\\"e  stayed  here  several  days,  and  then 
went  on  to  the  native  town  of  Hargeisa. 
On  the  way  I  shot  an  oryx  antelope  and  a 
lesser  koodoo  with  very  fine  horns.  This 
was  a  great  piece  of  luck,  as  we  were 
following  the  tracks  of  the  oryx,  which  was 
wounded,  when  the  koodoo  jumped  up  in 
thick  bush,  and  stopping  under  a  tree  to 
look  round,  gave  me  a  splendid  shot  at 
looyds.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  on 
we  found  the  oryx,  which  had  dropped 
after  going  that  distance.  I  may  mention 
that  the  horns  of  the  best  oryx  I  got  in 
Somaliiand  measured  35/^ in.  ;  the  best 
Soemmering's  mohr  20)^ in.  At  Hargeisa  a 
native,  who  had  quarrelled  with  some  of 
my  men,  tried  to  poison  the  well  at  which 
we  watered  our  camels  and  obtained  our 
supply  for  the  camp.  Fortunately  he  was 
caught  in  the  act,  and  I  took  prompt 
measures  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  such 
a  dastardly  act  in  the  future. 

There  are  plenty  of  leopards  about  here, 
but  one  seldom  sees  them  in  the  daytime  ; 
and  the  best  way  of  getting  them  is  to  tie 
up  a  goat  and  sit  up  over  it  at  night,  a  very 
uncertain  and  not  very  good  form  of  sport  ! 
At  my  next  stopping-place,  Haraf,  we 
heard  of  a  man-eating  lion,  and  also  had 
one  of  the  camels  stolen ;  the  occupants 
of  a  neighbouring  village  driving  it  off 
and  obliterating  the  tracks  by  dragging  a 
calico  tohe  after  it. 

I  caught  the  thieves  next  day,  but  could 


IN    DURANCE   vile"   (tHE    NATIVE   WHO    STOLE   THE    CAMEL   AT    IIARAk). 
Prom  n  Plioto. 


A    BIG-GAME    TRIP    TO    SOMALILAND. 


55 


anxious  to  try  conclusions  with.  One  morn- 
ins;  at  breakfast  a  native  came  in  in  a  state 
of  great  excitement,  saying  that  the  lion  had 
taken  a  sheep  out  of  the  next  village.  We  lost 
no  time  in  getting  to  the  spot,  finding,  as 
usual,  that  not  only  had  slieep  and  goats  been 
driven  all  over  the  tracks,  but  that  two  men  had 
followed  the  lion  for  some  miles  on  ponies. 

We  soon  found  the  tracks,  however,  and 
followed  them  through  thick  bush  about  4ft. 
high  for  some  miles,  and  at  last  a  magnificent 
black-maned  lion,  closely  followed  by  another, 
sprang  out  of  the  bushes  and,  giving  me  no 
chance  to  fire,  bounded  off,  clearing  the  low 
bush  in  splendid  style.  Following  up  as 
quickly  as  we  could,  we  found  one  of  them  had 


where  I  was  shooting  last  year,  was  moving  in 
our  direction,  I  thought  it  better  not  to  keep  too 
far  from  the  coast,  and  we  retraced  our  steps  to 
Hargeisa,  shooting  oryx,  gerenuk,  and  gazelle 
almost  every  day  along  the  route. 

At  Debis  we  were  joined  by  my  brother,  who 
had  come  out  for  the  trip  and  to  get  what  shotting 
he  could  in  a  month's  stay.  Debis  is  a  charming 
camp,  and,  though  game  is  not  abundant,  there 
is  ample  variety.  During  the  time  we  were 
there  we  got  great  koodoo,  oryx,  wild  ass,  klip- 
springer,  gazelle,  gerenuk,  warthog,  and  striped 
and  spotted  hyenas,  and  here,  too,  I  got  another 
lion. 

We  had  followed  the  tracks  for  more 
than    twenty    miles    before   we   came   up    with 


From  a\ 


SIR  Edmund's  triumph  over  the  redoubtable  man-eater. 


[Photo. 


taken  refuge  in  a  thick  piece  of  bush  some 
acres  in  extent.  Jumping  off  my  pony,  and 
followed  by  my  man,  carrying  my  second  rifle,  I 
made  my  way  into  the  scrub  ;  but  so  thick  was 
it  that  I  had  to  get  within  fifteen  yards  of  where 
the  lion  was  crouching,  when  I  dropped  him 
with  a  -577  express  bullet  in  the  thick  of  the 
neck.  He  proved  to  be  the  redoubtable  man- 
eater,  and  was  recognised  by  his  thick  black 
mane.  He  was  a  very  fine  beast,  8ft.  5in. 
before  skinning.  On  our  way  home  we  en- 
countered clouds  of  locusts,  which  whirred  up  in 
swarms  as  we  moved  towards  camp. 

Hearing  that   the   Mullah,   who  was    causing 
trouble   on   the   other  side  of  the  Toyo  plain. 


them,  for  there  were  two.  My  wife  was  riding 
one  of  our  trotting  camels,  and  these  I  posted 
in  a  river-bed,  thinking  she  would  be  out  of 
all  danger  from  the  lions,  which  had  taken 
refuge  in  a  dense  piece  of  jungle,  should  either 
of  them  charge. 

Entering  the  scrub  with  my  man,  we  got 
close  up  to  the  lions,  and  I  fired  at  one  as  he 
moved  through  the  bushes,  hitting  him  rather 
high  up  behind  the  shoulder.  The  thud  of  the 
bullet  and  a  tremendous  roar  told  their  tale, 
and  a  moment  later  an  imirjense  lion  sprang 
clear  of  the  bushes  and  charged  straight  down 
on  the  camels  in  the  river-bed.  I  called  to  my 
man  to  fire  mv  second  rifle  if  he  could  see  the 


rHE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


lion,  and  he  did  so,  hitting  him  a  second  time, 
but  without  apparent  efl'ect. 

The  brute  cliarged  straight  out  of  the  jungle 
to  where  my  wife  was  on  the  camel,  and  then 
crouched  down  a  few  yards  off,  snarling  savagely 
and  lashing  his  tail  from  side  to  side.  'l"he 
men    with    her   got   their  carbines  ready,  fully 


expecting  a  charge,  but,  changing  his  mind,  the 
lion  dashed  back  into  the  jungle  to  where  I  was 
trying  to  force  rny  way  through  to  the  camels, 
and  I  dropped  him  dead  at  six  yards  with  a 
bullet  through  the  head.  He  was  a  very  heavy, 
thick-set  beast,  8ft.  6in.  in  length.     The  Uoness 


got  away.  On  our  return  I  found  that  my 
brother,  who  had  unfortunately  left  camp  before 
we  found  the  lion  tracks,  had  been  lucky  enough 
to  bag  a  fine  koodoo,  so  that  we  were  all  well 
satisfied  with  the  result  of  our  day. 

This  was  the  end  of  my  shooting,  as  two  days 
later  we  started  for  the  coast,  and  I  had  a  sharp 
attack  of  malarial  fever,  which  did 
not  leave  me  till  we  were  nearly 
half-way  to  India,  whence  we 
returned  home  later. 

Travellers  intending  to  shoot  in 
Somaliland  should  go  to  Berbera 
by  a  steamer  which  leaves  Aden 
weekly,  and  start  from  there. 
The  passage  occupies  sixteen  to 
forty-eight  hours,  according  to 
whether  the  steamer  goes  direct 
or  stops  at  intermediate  ports. 
Camels  and  men  should  be 
engaged  beforehand  through  one 
of  the  merchant  firms  at  Aden. 
Tents,  weapons,  ammunition,  and 
stores  should  be  taken  out,  and  the 
tents  should  be  of  green  rot-proof 
canvas,  with  double  roof  to  keep 
out  the  sun  or  rain.  Personally, 
I  have  never  had  any  trouble  with 
the  natives ;  if  treated  well  and 
firmly,  and  clearly  given  to  under- 
stand from  the  beginning  who  is 
master,  they  are  generally  good 
fellows  enough.  I  always  found 
them  willing  and  honest  as  a  rule. 
My  own  battery  consists  of  a 
double  '303,  a  10'  bore  Cosmos 
carrying  ball  or  shot  (a  most 
useful  weapon  for  stopping  a 
charge),  a  '577  magnum  express, 
and  a  "300  rook  rifle  with  inter- 
changeable shot  barrel.  The  water 
is  bad,  and  a  good  filter  is  abso- 
lutely necessary. 

Another  good  route  is  over  the 
Toyo  plain  and  into  the  Haud, 
where  we  went  last  year,  and  here 
various  game  including  rhino,  can 
be  got ;  but  all  species  of  game 
common  to  Somaliland,  or  nearly  all,  except 
elephant  and  rhino.,  are  to  be  found  in  the  locali- 
ties described  in  this  article.  The  weather  from 
November  to  March  is,  as  a  rule,  perfect,  and 
a  cool  wind  generally  tempers  the  heat,  which, 
however,  is  not  extreme  at  that  time  of  year. 


How  the  Avalanche  Struck  Us  at  Laurie, 


By  Mrs.  Agnes  Porritt,  of  Laurie,  B.  C. 

The  writer  is  the  wife  of  an  English  gentleman  in  charge  of  a  large  silver  mine  near  Laurie,  in 
British  Columbia.  During  the  winter  months  Mrs.  Porritt  is  the  only  woman  in  a  region  sixty  miles 
in  extent,  for  then  the  mines  cannot  be  worked  owing  to  the  cold  and  snow.  She  here  describes 
the  avalanche  or  .snow- slide  which  devastated  her  home  on  March  loth  last,  and  illustrates  her 
article  with  photos,  specially  taken  by  herself  and  her  husband. 

being  my  little  girl,  aged  five,  whom  we  dress 
more  like  a  boy,  so  as  to  avoid  petticoats, 
which  harbour  the  snow. 

At  8  a.m.  on  March  loth,  while  we  were 
at  breakfast,  we  heard  a  terrible  sound  at 
the  back  of  our  house,  and  to  our  horror 
saw  an  avalanche  of  snow  from  the  upper 
mountain  peaks,  over  4,000ft.  high,  sliding 
down  rapidly  and  spreading  in  all  directions. 
My  husband  said  but  one  word — "  Fly  !  "  He 
seized  the  little  girl  in  his  arms,  and  I  took 
my  boy's  hand  and  fled  out  of  the  house 
down  the  slopes  towards  the  railway  station. 
Turning  back,  to  watch  the  fate  of  our  little 
home,  we  saw  a  big  snow-slide  gliding  down 
the  cliffs  in  a  direct  line  for  our  house.  As 
it  came  steadily  on  it  tore  down  masses  of 
large   fir   trees,  which   fell  with   a  deafening 


T 


MKS.    HORRITT   AND   HER   CIMLDREX    ON    THE   VERANDA   OF   THE 
J^rom  a]  THREATENED    HOUSE.  {Photo. 


'^WCT 


E  live  near  Laurie,  in  the  northern 
part  of  British  Colun:ibia,  near  the 
giant  Selkirk  Range.  My  husband, 
Mr.  Eyre  Porritt,  is  manager  of  some 
silver  mines  belonging  to  an  English 
firm;  but  owing  to  the  great  height  of  the  n>oun- 
tains  and  the  extreme  cold  the  men  can  only 
work  for  seven  months  in  the  year,  from  about 
April  to  October  or  November.  The  miners 
are  swung  in  baskets,  suspended  by  ropes,  up 
nearly  perpendicular  heights,  and  in  winter  the 
place  is  deserted.  During  the  five  and  a  half 
winter  months  I  am  the  only  woman  in  a  dis- 
trict sixty  miles  round,  the  only  other  female 

Vol.  vi.-8. 


HIR.    EYRE   PORRITT,    WHOSE   PRESENCE   OF   MIND   PROVED   SO 

Ffom  a]  VALUABLE.  IPhoto. 


i 


5S 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


yrciii  a\ 


A    bKOKEN    SNllU-SHKl)    NEAR    I.ALKIE,    VIEWED    FROM    ACROSS   THE    K1\EK. 


roar.  There  is  no  noise  that  I  can  compare 
to  the  shriek  and  uproar  of  those  wrenchecl-off 
branches  and  flyini^  trunks  of  uprooted  trees. 
In  breathless  suspense  we  paused  to  see  if  these 
masses  of  timber  would  crash  down  on  our  poor 
little  shanty ;  but  that  disaster  was  happily 
averted  by  the 
sheds  and  out- 
houses, which 
formed  a  sort  of 
barrier. 

In  order  to 
reach  the  station 
we  had  to  wade 
knee  -  deep 
through  the  thick 
snow — which  was 
just  beginning  to 
melt  after  the 
long  winter.  After 
some  hours  of 
tramping  through 
blinding  storms 
of  rain  we  be- 
came quite  ex- 
hausted. My  boy 
was  terribly 
frightened,  but 
the  little  girl,  in 
her  father's  arms, 
seemed  quite  un- 
concerned, and 
said:  "Why,  dad- 
dy, this  row  must 


be    like    the    Boers' 
war  !  " 

For  eight  terrible 
hours  we  tramped 
onwards,  to  the  tune 
of  a  forest  moaning 
in  pain,  as  the  torn- 
off  branches  flew 
through  space  with  a 
terrific  rush.  On  the 
level  parts  the  snow- 
slides  were  6ft.  deep, 
and  by  noon,  on  the 
slopes,  9ft. 

I'he  snow-sheds, 
85ft.  long,  at  Laurie 
were  smashed  in,  and 
the  great  timbers  of 
the  bridges  sent  flying 
in  all  directions.  The 
destruction  every- 
where was  awful. 
There  was  not  a 
living  soul  within  six 
miles  of  us,  and  as  I 
am  the  only  woman  who  has  been  seen  in  or 
near  the  railway  lines  and  the  miners'  village 
for  nearly  six  months  we  could  neither  get 
assistance  nor  borrow  any  dry  clothes. 

By  sunset  we  reached  the  office  and  shed  on 
the  railway,  where  we  took  shelter  for  the  night, 


{Photo. 


THE  EROKE.V  EKIDGE  AND  FALLEN  TREES. 


THIS  ILLUSTRATES  THE  HAVOC  WROUGHT  BY  THE  SNOW-SLIDE, 

from  a  Photo, 


HOW  THE  AVALANCHE  STRUCK  US  AT  LAURIE. 


59 


c 

t 

\  ^^^^"^^^^^^^ 

L* 

9^       \J! 

ft      --'^L 

^>*^ 

A 

.id.  J   M 

li      - 

©. 

■ 

From  d\ 


MRS.    FOR K ITT  S   HOUSE,    AS   SHE   LEFT   IT   THAT    MEMOKAULE    DAY. 


[Photo. 


and  next  day  my  husband  went  back  to  the 
house  and  returned  with  food.  Day  by  day  he 
brought  clothing  and  bedding  and  strips  of 
carpet,  with  the  aid  of  a  man,  who  out  of  three 
miners  was  saved  from  the  wreck  caused  by  the 
snow-shdes. 

Fortunately  there  were   three   rooms  in   the 
railway  office,  where  we  took  refuge,  and  here 
we  remained  till  the  snow  melted  and  the  line 
was  once  more 
clear. 

The  climate 
here  in  summer 
is  perfect  and 
the  scenery 
glorious,  but  in 
the  depth  of 
winter,  being  so 
far    north,     the 


sun  disappears  completely  for  two  months. 
You  can  imagine  my  joy,  therefore,  when  June 
and  July  come,  and  I  can  leave  this  scene  of 
magnificent  solitude  for  places  farther  south, 
where  I  enter  civilization  again  and  meet 
members  of  my  own  sex. 

A  friend  in  Portsmouth  sends  us  The  Wide 
World,  which  is  a  great  delight  to  us  here,  and 
we  pass  it  on  to  the   miners.     1  thought,  Mr. 

Editor,  that  you 
might  like  to 
see  the  photos, 
and  hear  the 
experiences  of  a 
lonely  woman  in 
the  very  wildest 
and  coldest  part 
of  the  great 
North-West. 


MRS.    PORRITT  AND    HER   CHILDREN    IN    THE   SNOW,    INSPECTING  THE  SCENE   OF 

T'rovta]  THE  disaster.  [t /loto. 


An     Indian     Blood     Feud. 


Bv  "Onk  Who  Investigated  It." 

The  following-  may  serve  to  convey   a   fair  idea  of  the  work  done  by  our  Civil  and  police  officials  in 
India.      It  is^'written  by  an  official  of  Abbottabad,  and   is   the  more  interesting  in  that  many  phases 

of  the  investigation  are  illustrated  by  actual  photographs. 

of     Abbottabad, 


showed 

signs 

ot 

putting 

on 

Its 

\v  h  i  t  e 

winter 

garment. 

J-rom  a\ 


AllUOTTABAU    l.\    Ul.N TEN. 


HE  morning  of  Sunday,  January  the 
14th  of  this  year,  broke  cold  and 
dismal,  and  thick,  leaden  clouds  hung 
over  the  little  town  of  Abbottabad,  a 
military  station  on  the  north-west 
frontier  of  the  Punjab.  I'or  days  rain,  hail, 
sleet,  and  snow 
had  been  enga- 
ged in  a  fierce 
and  persistent 
struggle,  but  it 
now  seemed 
evident  that 
snow  would  win. 
I)own  the  pine- 
clad  hills  sur- 
rounding the 
pretty  canton- 
ment it  was 
slowly  but  surely 
creeping  lower 
apd  lower,  till 
even  the  Brigade 
Circular  Hill, 
that  conical  little 
mount  which  is 
the     landmark 


The  District 
Superintendent 
of  Police,  after 
issuing  some 
orders  for  the 
day  to  his  men, 
drew  near  his  fire 
and,  taking  up 
the  newspaper, 
remarked  to  his 
wife,  with  a  sigh 
of  content :  "  No 
touring  for  us  at 
present,  I  fancy." 
"That  will  be 
delightful,"  she 
replied  ;  "and  I 
do  hope  we  shall 
be  able  to  give 
ourselves  a  real 
good  rest,  as  the 
servants  seem  to  think  we  are  in  for  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow." 

At  this  moment  Baddu  Ram,  the  old  bearer, 
silently  appeared  at  the  drawing-room  door,  and 
intimated  that  the  Munshi  was  outside  and 
wished  to  read  a  very  urgent  report  to  the  sahib. 


[_Photo. 


Wl^^f 


\ 


/ 


(s^ 


:/y!t*:4 


From  a] 


THE   BlilGADE   CIUCUI.AK    HILL   AS    IT    LOOKS    IN    THE   S.NOW, 


[I'/u-tC. 


AN    INDIAN    BLOOD    FEUD. 


6i 


liAUDL    IvAM,    UHO    ANNOUNCED    llllC    BEAUEK    OK    THE    lHjI.'.us 

Fro7n  a  Photo. 

The  Superintendent  was  annoyed  ^t  having 
his  Sunday  rest  disturbed,  so  it  was  with  no 
good  grace  that  he  rose  from  his  comfortable 
seat  and  made  his  way  to  the  private  office 
adjoining  the  house,  in  the  veranda  of  which 
the  vernacular  reader  awaited  him.  The  man, 
having  saluted  and  followed  his  chief  into  the 
room,  then  sat  down  cros.s-legged  on  the  floor 
and  proceeded  to  read  the  following  communi- 
cation in  Hindustani : — 

"Early  on  the  morning  of  the  nth  inst.  the 
hamlet  of  Chapri,  on  the  frontier,  was  raided 
by  a  band  of  two  hundred  trans-border  men. 
Twelve  of  the  inhabitants  were  killed,  a  large 
number  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  carried  off,  a 
quantity  of  grain  destroyed,  and,  finally,  the 
houses  were  burnt  to  the  ground."  Mr.  Close 
put  a  few  (piestions  to  the  reader,  and,  having 
satisfied  himself  that  he  understood  the  facts, 
his  language  became  rather  forcible. 

"  I  must  go  over  at  once  to  the  Deputy- 
Commissioner,"  he  said,  presently,  "  and  find* 
out  what  he  has  heard.  This  is  a  serious 
case,  and  one  never  knows  how  far  a  raid  like 
this  may  go  or  what  the  ending  is  likely  to  be. 
Let  me  know  immediately  if  any  further  in- 
formation is  brought  in." 

The    Munshi  saluted  and  departed,   leaving 


tonga 
morning  ?  " 


Close  to  make  his  way  over  to  the 
Deputy-Commissioner's  bungalow,  only 
a  short  distance  from  his  own. 

"  Halloa,  Millar  !  "  he  exclaimed,  on 
arrival  at  that  young  bachelor's  estab- 
lishment, "  have  you  heard  anything 
about  that  raid  at  Chapri  ?  " 

"  C)h,  yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  heard 
something  about  one  ;  I  suppose  it's 
not  a  very  serious  business,  is  it?  " 

"  Serious  !  I  should  think  it  was. 
\Vhy,  you  and  I  will  have  to  be  off 
to-morrow  morning  to  look  into  it." 

"Good  heavens  !  you  don't  mean  to 
say  you  think  I  shall  have  to  go  to  that 
beastly  place  in  this  weather?  Why, 
it's  over  forty  miles  from  here,  and 
right  up  in  the  hills.  We  shall  be 
snowed  up." 

"  Of  course  you  must  go.  There 
would  be  no  end  of  a  row  if  anything 
further  occurred  and  you  had  not  been 
to  inquire  into  the  affliir." 

"Oh,  I  shall  have  to  go,  I  suppose, 
but  it's  an  infernal  nuisance.  I'en  to 
one  we  shall  never  get  through  the 
snow.  But,  at  any  rate,  I'll  go ;  and 
I  suppose  I  had  better  make  the 
arrangements,  as  you  won't  want  to 
take  your  servants  away  from  Mrs. 
Close.  AVhat  time  shall  I  order  the 
to     come    round    for    us     to-morrow 


"  Eight  o'clock  sharp  at  my  house,  and  then 
I  can  call  for  you.  We  will  drive  as  far  as 
Shinkiari,  at  a  push,  so  I  will  send  on  a  pony 
there  to-day  to  ride  up  to  Ahl,  where  there  is  a 
bungalow  in  which  we  can  spend  the  night,  and 
the  following  morning  we  will  go  over  to  Chapri 
and  back  to  see  what  the  real  state  of  affairs  is. 

"  Mind  you  are  ready,  though,"  concluded 
the  Superintendent,  "and  I  would  advise  you 
to  take  plenty  of  warm  things,  for  we  shall  have 
to  spend  at  least  two  nights  and  a  day  up  in  the 
snow.  Oh,  and  by  the  way,  I  think  it  would  be 
just  as  well  if  you  send  a  wire  to  Oghi,  and 
order  the  Subadar-Major  and  twenty-five  men 
of  the  Border  Military  Police  up  to  Chapri  to 
quiet  the  people,  and  possibly  prevent  things 
happening." 

The  remainder  of  Sunday  passed  uneventfully. 
Then  in  the  cold,  dark  night  slowly  the  snow 
drew  near  and  soft,  feathery  flakes  fell  silently, 
covering  the  bare  earth  with  its  beautiful  mantle. 
Punctually  at  eight  o'clock  a  tonga  carried 
Close  off  to  the  Deputy-Commissioner's  house, 
where  the  former  received  quite  a  shock  ;  for 
when  Millar  came  forth  dressed  for  the  journey 
his  usually  slim  figure  was  hardly  recognisable. 


62 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Tllli    BoKUKlc    .MIHTAKY    POLICE  AT   FOKT   OGIII. 


In  his  efforts  to  follow  the  advice  given  him  the 
day  before  he  had  put  on  an  absurd  quantity 
of  clothes,  so  that  he  looked  a  perfect  Daniel 
Lambert. 

A  short  time  later  away  sped  the  tonga 
towards  the  town  of  Mansehra,  both  passengers 
wearing  fur  coats  and  almost  smothering  them- 
selves in  their  thick  poshteen  rugs  (sheep-skins 
embroidered  with  silk  outside).  The  travellers 
were  very  disgusted  when,  on  nearing  Shinkiari, 
it  began  to  rain  heavily.  Thunder  growled 
ominously  in  the  distance,  and  on  looking  back 
they  observed  that  the  sky  in  the  direction  of 
Abbottabad  was  as  black  as  night.  They 
learned  later  that  a  terrific  storm  of  hail,  rain, 
and  snow  had  broken  over  the  station,  and  that 
the  lightning  had 
struck  one  of 
the  trees  in  the 
bazaar,  doing 
great  damage. 

At  Shinkiari 
the  baggage 
mules  and  ser- 
vants were  in 
waiting;  also  the 
guard  of  the 
Border  Military 
Police,  which 
had  that  morn- 
ing marched 
down,  through 
snow  over  a  foot 
deep,  from  A  hi, 
a  distance  of 
twelve  miles,  to 
meet  and  escort 
the  officers.  Of 
the  regular  police 


at  this  place,  the 
Deputy  Inspector 
N  a  n  a  k  C  h  a  n  d 
and  two  con- 
stables had  gone 
on  to  the  scene 
of  the  raid,  so 
only  two  more 
constables  were 
selected  by  the 
Superintendent 
to  accompany  the 
present  party. 

At  2.45  p.m. 
all  were  ready, 
and  the  cavalcade 
started  in  the 
pouring  rain  up 
[P/ioio.  the  Konsh  Glen 
for  the  village  of 
Ahl,  proceeding  at  first  along  a  level  road  and 
fording  the  River  Siran,  through  whose  icy 
waters  the  natives  calmly  waded,  laughing  and 
talking  good-naturedly.  About  five  miles  from 
Shinkiari  the  road  began  gradually  to  ascend, 
and  a  short  distance  farther  on  the  incline 
became  steeper.  Meanwhile  the  rain  had 
changed  to  snow,  and  half-way  up  to  Ahl  the 
ground  began  to  appear  white.  On  and  on 
the  men  and  -animals  trudged,  the  snow 
growing  thicker  and  thicker  with  every  step, 
until  the  whole  landscape,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see,  was  one  white  mass  of  untrodden 
snow.  No  road  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  only 
tracks  to  guide  the  party  were  the  footprints  of 
the  villagers  who  had  passed  up  or  down   the 


From  a] 


THE  GUARD   OF    MILITARY    POLICE   AT   SHINKIARI. 


[Photo. 


AN   INDIAN   BLOOD   FEUD. 


63 


Frovt  a]        the  kciad   10  ahl,  as  it  ai'i-eaks  in  summer, 


hill.  Rapidly  night  drew 
and  sombre  pine  trees  re 
the  greater,  and  liad  it 
not  been  for  the  light 
thrown  up  by  the  snow 
the  weary  travellers  would 
have  fared  very  badly. 
As  it  was  the  animals 
slipped  and  stumbled  over 
the  hidden  inequalities  of 
the  ground,  and  the 
cheerful  chattering  of  the 
natives  almost  ceased. 

"  How  much  farther  is 
it?"  Close  asked  the  guard, 
exasperated  and  tired  with 
his  pony's  stumblings. 

"  Oh,  quite  near,"  they 
answered,  briskly — "  only 
about  a  mile  and  a  half." 

This  good  news  cheered 
the  riders  greatly,  and 
Millar  whistled  away  joy- 
fully, thinking  that  the 
unpleasant  journey  would 
soon  be  over. 


in,  the 

ndering 


"  I  suppose  we  have  nearly  reached  Ahl 
now  ? "    he   incjuired,  when  the    party  had 
j^^  proceeded  about  two  miles  farther  on. 

"  Yes,  only  two  miles  more,"  answered 
the  men,  in  the  same  cheerful  tone. 

"  Isn't  it  extraordinary,"  Close  remarked, 
"  how  natives  have  no  conception  of 
distance  ?  Here  are  these  men  who  have 
this  morning  marched  down  from  Ahl,  and 
yet  they  have  no  idea  how  far  it  is." 

"  No,  they  just  go  on  till  they  arrive  at 
their  destination,  never  taking  any  notice  of 
the  road  or  the  distance,"  replied  Millar, 
and  again  he  whistled  a  merry  tune. 

Just  after  nine  o'clock  the  benumbed  and 
weary  officers  reached  the  little  rest-house  at 
Ahl,  and  found  it  consisted  of  one  small 
room,  1 6ft.  by  14ft.,  and  a  bath-room  open 
all  round  to  the  outer  air.  However,  they 
were  only  too  thankful  to  have  a  roof  over 
their  heads,  so  they  set  to  work  making 
themselves  as  comfortable  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  The  chimney,  however, 
smoked  so  much  that  they  were  nearly 
suffocated.  The  hardy  policemen  arrived 
as  fresh  as  though  they  had  just  tumbled 
out  of  bed,  and  now  began  to  help  unload- 
ing the  animals,  carrying  baggage,  and 
generally  making  themselves  useful  in  the 
most  surprising  manner. 

After    breakfast    the    following    morning 
[r/ioto.      Millar  and  Close,  accompanied  by  some  of 
the  guard,  proceeded  to  Euttal,  on  the  way 
heavy  clouds         to  Chapri,  being  met  half-way  by  Arbab  Murad 
darkness  all         Khan,  the  Subadar-Major  of  the  Hazara  Border 


J'rom  a]     THE  KEST-HOUSE  at  ahl  which  the  weary  OFFlCERi  WEKE  .-^O  GLAl;  lu  KEACH, 


\r,'wto. 


64 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


y;v^;;.jj 


THE    I'OLICE   libCOKT,    WHO    I'KOVEU   SUCH    USEFUL    MEN. 


Military  Police,  and  Nanak  Chand,  the  Deputy 
Inspector  of  the  Regular  Police.  Only  four 
miles  had  to  be  traversed  between  the  villages 
ol  Ahl  and  Buttal,  but  the  snow  was  so 
heavy  that  progress  was  slow,  and  it  took  the 
party  over  an  hour  and  a  half  to  cover 
the  distance.  On  arrival,  Bahram 
Khan,  the  chief  of  Buttal,  courteously 
received  the  officers,  and  invited  them 
into  his  "  serai,"  where  they  learnt  the 
fullest  details  of  the  recent  raid  and 
the  cau.se  of  it.  It  trans[)ired  that  the 
hamlet  of  Chapri,  on  the  border,  about 
six  miles  from  Buttal,  was  a  small 
place  consisting  of  five  houses.  It 
was  the  home  of  some  Parsawal 
"gujars  "  (shepherds),  who,  under  their 
leader,  Mian  Dad,  had  been  driven 
out  of  independent  territory  and 
settled  within  the  British  border. 

The  reason  of  this  flight  was  a 
between  these  shepherds  and 
a:io:a'jr  clan  known  as  the  Chichai 
gujars,  who  also'  lived  across  the 
frontier.  The  enmity  between  the 
two  factions  originated  in  this  wise  : — 

A  Chichai  gujar,  Ghazi  by  name, 
stole  a  sheep  from  a  relation  of  Nur 
Jamal,  the  chief  of  the  Chichais,  for 
which  theft  Xur  Jamal  raided  Ghazi's 
hou.se  and  burnt  it  to  the  ground, 
his  wife,  children,  and  cattle  perishing 
in  the  flames  —  a  big  price  to  pay  for 
a  sheep.  The  man  himself  escaped, 
and,  collecting  a  band  of  Chichai 
gujars,  including  Tor  and  Imam  Dir, 
and  some  Parsawals,  with  Mian  Dad 
at  their   head,  he  attacked  in  return 


Nur  Jamal's  house,  killing 
him  and  most  of  his 
family,  besides  destroying 
his  property  by  fire. 
Luckily,  Nur  J'^iiial's  two 
eldest  sons  did  not  reside 
with  their  father,  as  it  is 
a  custom  among  these 
shepherds,  who  are  con- 
stantly at  feud  with  one 
another,  to  send  their  sons 
to  live  in  different  villages, 
so  that,  in  case  of  any 
_  sudden  onslaught,  some 
of  the  family  at  least  may 
escape  to  punish  the 
enemy.  Accordingly,  when 
Churah  and  Shahkhela, 
Nur  Jamal's  two  surviving 
sons,  heard  of  their  father's 
untimely  end  they  swore  a 
mighty  oath  that  they  would  never  rest  till 
they  had  encompassed  the  destruction  and 
downfall  of  I'or  and  Imam  Dir  and  all  belong- 
ing to  them. 

Tor  and  Imam  Dir  were  greatly  alarmed,  as 


Vl'hoto. 


liAHKA.M    K11A.\    oi 


Jioin  a  J'/ioto. 


;-.--l.-l  A.NCE. 


AN    INDIAN    BLOOD    FEUD. 


they  knew  Nur  Jamal's  sons  to  be  men  as  brave 
as  they  were  unscrupulous  ;  and,  casting  about 
how  to  appease  their  wrath,  they  hit  upon 'the 
plan  of  assembling  a  band  of  Chichais  to  raid 
the  Parsawals,  notably  the  leader  Mian  Dad 
and  a  man  named  Lakhmir.  I'his  attack  on  the 
opposite  faction  would,  they  hoped,  deceive  the 
two  brothers,  and  possibly  lead  them  to  suppose 
that  it  was  Mian  Dad  and  the  Parsawals  alone 
who  had  committed  the  outrage  on  Nur  Jamal, 
while  they.  Tor  and  Imam  Dir,  were  innocent 
of  the  offence.  They  pretended  also  to  show 
their  friendliness  for  Churah  and  Shahkhela  by 
giving  out  that 
they  were  anxious 
to  punish  the  old 
man's  murderers. 

Meanwhile  the 
Parsawals,  hearing 
what  was  likely  to 
occur,  and  being 
only  a  small  and 
much  weaker  clan, 
fled  into  British 
territory,  some 
taking  up  their 
abode  at  Chapri, 
while  others  went 
on  to  Kagan  and 
even  as  far  as 
Cashmere.  The 
leader,  Mian  Dad, 
remained  at  Cha- 
pri, but  this  hamlet 
proved  to  be  not 
nearly  far  enough 
removed  from  the 
enemy,  and  some. 
few  weeks  later 
these  unfortunate 
refugees  were 
suddenly  attacked 
while  asleep, 
before  the  dawn 
of  the  nth  of 
January,  by  a 
raiding  party  From  a 
approaching      the 

houses  from  two  different  directions.  Mian 
Dad,  when  asked  by  the  Superintendent  to 
give  an  account  of  what  took  place,  related  the 
following  story  :  — 

"Sahib,  five  days  ago,  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  it  was  still  dark,  I  was  sleeping  with 
my  family  at  home,  when  all  at  once  I  was 
aroused  by  the  sound  of  a  shot  fired  ;  it  seemed 
to  nie,  in  the  direction  of  the  Musjid.  I  sat  up 
immediately  and  listened,  for  I  feared  that  some 
harm  had  happened  to  my  sons,  who  were  both 

Vo'.  vi.-9. 


the  right 


MIAN    DAD   AND    HIS   TWO   SONS. 

THE 


passing  the  night  there.  I  heard  a  great  noise 
as  of  many  people  gathered  together,  and 
started  up,  for  all  at  once  it  came  into  my  mind 
that  our  foes,  the  Chichais,  were  upon  us. 
Without  losing  an  instant  I  woke  my  wife,  and 
bade  her  take  the  children  and  creep  out  of  the 
house  at  the  back.  Next  she  was  to  make  her 
way  to  Buttal  with  all  speed.  I  then  seized  my 
sword  and  rushed  out  into  the  courtyard  in 
front.  Here  I  almost  ran  full  tilt  into  the  arms  of 
my  enemy.  Imam  Dir,  but  luckily  I  recognised 
him  in  time,  and  stepping  back  a  pace  avoided 
the    thrust    of   his    spear.      Then    with   all    my 

strength  I  slashed 
at  him,  wounding 
him  in 
side. 

"  I m a m  I) i r 
cried  out  loudly 
for  help,  and  some 
of  his  followers 
ran  up  in  hot 
haste.  I  found 
myself  nearly 
surrounded  and 
greatly  out  -  num- 
bered, so  I  fled, 
my  servant  follow- 
ing me.  In  the 
half  darkness  we 
miscalculated  the 
width  of  my  field 
and  both  fell  head- 
long down  a  steep 
incline  ;  over  and 
over  we  rolled,  our 
enemies  in  full 
pursuit.  When  at 
last  we  reached 
the  bottom  I  saw 
my  servant  quickly 
pick  himself  up 
and  run  on  ;  but 
I  am  an  old  man 
and  I  had  no 
breath  left  in  my 
bod)'.  In  f e a r 
and  trembling  I 
crawled  stealthily  along  the  ground  and  at 
length  drew  myself  under  a  bush,  hoping  to 
escape  my  pursuers.  On  they  came,  however, 
or  at  least  some  of  them,  for  the  rest  had 
remained  round  the  houses  to  set  fire  to  them, 
and  they  searched  hither  and  thither,  almost 
trampling  me  under  foot  in  their  hurry.  Sud- 
denly catching  sight  of  the  dim  form  of  my 
servant  on  ahead,  they  mistook  him  for  me, 
and  passed  swiftly  onwards,  crying,  'There  he 
goes  ! 


HE   TOOK    A   VEKY    I'KOMINEKT 
VENDETTA. 


fAKT    IN 

[Photo. 


there  he  goes  ! ' 


66 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZIiNE. 


"  My  poor  servant,  he  was  overtaken  a  mile 
l;irtlK'r  on  and  cut  to  pieces.  For  a  long  time 
i  kept  quite  still,  for  I  could  hear  the  voices 
of  the  men  who  were  following  my  servant  on 
the  one  side,  and  up  the  incline,  near  my 
house,  there  was  a  terrible  tunmll.  Above  the 
shouts  and  yells  of  the  raiders,  who  hurried  to 
and  fro  pillaging  and  destroying  everything,  1 
could  distinguish  the  crackling  of  fires,  the 
piercing  shrieks  and  screams  of  helpless  women 
and  children,  and  the  noise  of  the  cattle,  as  half 
maddened  with 
fear  they  stam- 
peded, bellowing 
loudly.  These 
sounds  filled  me 
with  horror,  for 
I  did  not  know 
whether  my  wife 
and  children  had 
been  able  to 
make  good  their 
escape  to  Buttal, 
and  I  felt  sure 
that  my  house 
was  in  flames 
and  niy  cattle 
slaughtered.  But 
as  no  good  could 
be  done  by  re- 
turning to  the 
hamlet    alone    I  ^''^  -y-uiuiu.;  u,.  ilk.sl..nc.  iak. 

crept  silently  and 

cautiously  away  for  some  distance ;  then  standing 
up  once  more  I  ran  as  fast  as  my  legs  would 
carry  me  into  Buttal." 

^Iian  Dad's  house  and  live  stock  were  of 
course  destroyed,  and  his  neighbour  Lakhmir 
suffered  still  more  heavily.  This  man  had  also 
been  aroused  by  the  shot,  but  on  trying  to 
escape  fiom  his  house  he  found  it  barred  by  the 
raiders.  So  returning  inside  he  slipped  out 
through  a  hole  in  the  wall  at  the  rear ;  and  to 
prevent  himself  being  recognised  he  actually 
mingled  with  the  enemy,  a/id  assisted  tke»i  in 
firing  his  oivn  property.  His  wife,  mother-in- 
law,  three  sons,  and  a  daughter  were  inside  and 
were  burned  to  death,  the  cattle  meeting  a 
similar  fate.  Lakhmir  then  took  himself  off  to 
the  hills,  right  glad  that  he  himself  at  any  rate 
had  escaped  with  a  whole  skin. 

When  the  shot  which  had  alarmed  the  hamlet 
was  fired  an  inoffensive  stranger  passing  the 
night  at  the  Musjid  was  killed,  but  Mian  Dad's 
two  sons.  Said  Khan  and  ^Iisri,  had  dashed 
through  the  Chichais,  and,  dodging  the  enemy 
in  the  darkness,  had  hastened  to  the  village  of 
Sharkul,  praying  for  a  "chigha,"  or  pursuing 
party,    to  come  to  the  aid  of  Chapri.      Mean- 


while other  inhabitants  of  the  hamlet  had  raised 
the  alarm  at  Buttal,  the  villagers  of  which  place 
also  turned  out  in  hot  haste,  armed  to  the  teeth. 

The  relieving  party  from  Sharkul,  under  the 
leadership  of  Said  Khan  and  Misri,  arrived  first 
on  the  scene  of  action. 

Discouraged  at  the  fall  of  two  of  their  men, 
the  party  left  the  cattle  they  had  stolen  and  fled. 
The  Buttal  "  chigha  "  at  the  same  time  followed 
closely  on  the  heels  of  the  marauders  going 
north-west,   but  these  had   unfortunately  had  a 


SENT    OUT    UxO.M    l.LliAL    <.)\    THE    HEl-.L.-j 

From  a  Photo. 


good  start  and  managed  to  escape,  carrying  off 
one  hundred  goats  and  sheep  with  them.  When 
the  enemy  had  been  driven  off  and  inquiries 
made  as  to  the  extent  of  damage  done,  it  was 
found  that  the  houses  of  Mian  Dad  and 
Lakhmir  had  been  completely  destroyed  by 
fire,  six  women  and  children  perishing  in  the 
flames.  Three  men  had  been  killed  and  one 
wounded  in  the  fight,  while  forty  head  of  cattle  ' 
and  some  grain  were  destroyed  ;  the  raiders,  as 
has  been  mentioned  before,  possessing  them- 
selves of  one  hundred  sheep  and  goats. 

All  these  details  Millar  and  Close  ascertained 
at  Buttal,  and  they  further  heard  that  since  the 
raid  had  taken  place  the  snow  had  made  the 
road  between  Buttal  and  Chapri  impassable. 
Moreover,  as  all  the  people  of  the  hamlet  were 
collected  at  Buttal,  and  no  additional  informa- 
tion could  be  obtained  by  proceeding  to  the 
scene  of  the  disaster,  it  was  decided  not  to  pro- 
long the  journey.  The  Khan  of  Buttal  very 
hospital)ly  ordered  Chinese  tea  with  biscuits 
and  chu{)attis  for  his  visitors,  the  sahibs,  who 
afterwards  returned  to  Ahl,  very  thankful  at 
having  been  spared  a  longer  and  more  tedious 
ride  to  the  frontier  and  back. 


A  Lady  Guest  at  the  Bear=Raising  Ranch 


Bv  Helen  Grev,  of  Berkeley,  Cal. 


Mr.  Bog  Kenny,  finding  that  the  bears  destroyed  his  stock,  decided,  with  true  Western  originality,  to 
cultivate  bears  instead  of  hogs,  etc.  The  bears  run  wild  on  his  vast  ranch,  and  Mr.  Kenny  makes  five 
thousand  dollars  a  year  out  of  their  skins,  fat,  cubs,  etc.,  besides  giving  his  friends  admirable  sport. 
Mrs.    Grey    shot    one    of  the  bears   herself,    and   here   tells    us    all    about    her    host    and    the   peculiar 

industry  he  is  engaged  in. 


ALIFORNIA  is 
the  land  of  ex- 
pedients, but 
B02;  Kenny's 
ranch,   where   he 


■'  raises  "  and  preserves  bears 
— making  it  pay,  too — is  the 
expedient  of  expedients.  His 
ranch  is  also  the  Mecca  of 
the  city  hunter's  desire,  and 
an  invitation  to  shoot  over 
Bog's  sixty  miles  of  preserve 
is  as  eagerly  accepted  as  if 
he  were  a  Royal  personage 
rather  than  just  a  man  and 
a  hunter. 

His  ranch  lies  away  up 
in  the  highest  of  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains  in 
Mendocino  County,  just  on 
the  borders  of  Humboldt  and 
along  the  skirts  of  the  red- 
wood belt,  five  days'  journey 
from  San  Francisco.  One 
travels  one  day  by  the  "  ramshackle  "  narrow- 
gauge  road,  through  the  farming  and  Ihdian 
lands,  and  the  other  four  days  are  one  half 
by  stage  and  by  horseback  the  other  half 
— when  the  roads  permit. 

It  is  a  country 
of  strange  tales 
and  great  sheep 
ranches,  and  the 
king  of  all  the 
country  is  the 
stage  -  driver  as 
he  lumbers  along 
the  rough  roads 
rolling  a  quid  in 
one  side  of  his 
mouth  and  a  tale 
in  the  other 
about  a  hold-up 
here  and  an  upset 
coach  there  ;  an 
Indian  massacre 
in  the  sixties 
down  in  a  hollow 
to  the  right,  or 
of  a  little  "  un- 
pleasantness" be- 
cause  of    a    big 


fire  only  a  few  years  ago.  The 
"little  unpleasantness"  w-as 
the  death  by  rope  of  a 
stranger  near  the  burning 
district.  He  may  have  caused 
the  fire  and  he  may  not ;  he 
surely  will  never  do  it  again, 
and  strangers  will  be  more 
careful  of  their  fires  in  the 
future  in  a  land  where  the 
greatest  curse  are  the  terrible 
fires  that  sweep  over  the  hills 
in  the  dry  season. 

I'he  driver  was  particularly 
attentive  to  me,  because  Bog 
had  told  him  I  was  coming 
up  as  his  guest.  By  the  way. 
Bog  had  enlisted  in  the  8th 
Californians  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Spanish  War,  but  he 
never  got  any  farther  than 
Oakland,  when  the  company 
was  mustered  out  of  service. 
Thus  Bog  wasted  good 
mountain-born  patriotism  among  the  sandhills 
of  Camp  Merritt  washing  dishes.  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  doing  him  a  service,  and  in  his 
gratitude  he  gave  me  an  invitation  to  visit  his 
ranch  and  shoot  a  bear.     And  thus  it  was  that 


LADV   (iLENT,       MKS.    IlllLION    GK1,\. 

From  a  I'hoto. 


I  AGE   CO.\CH    IN    WHICH     THE    AUTHORESS    TRAVELLED    l 

From  fi  Photo. 


.\^^     lOWAKDS   THE    RANCH. 


68 


THK    WIDE    WORLD    MA(^.AZINE. 


H    WHITE    I-OG-UKAITHS    HOVERING    IN    THE   SWEEPING   KED-WOOD    BELTS. 


in  the  soft  davs  of  November  I  was  ridins;  over 
a  level  stretch  under  the  mossy-trunked  tan-bark 
oaks  and  the  straight  cathedral  pines  in  such 
weather  as  the  gods  might  have  dreamed  of, 
with  the  Pacific  a  whitish-blue  line  away  to  the 
westward  and  with  white  fog-wraiths  hovering  in 
the  sweeping  red-wood  belts,  and  all  around  the 
solemn  hush  of  the  high  mountains.  Bog  him- 
self was  telling  me  how  he  came  to  be  a  bear 
rancher.     A  strange  industry,  truly. 

"We  set  out  to  raise  pigs  and  sheep  like 
everyone  else,  but  the  bears  were  so  thick  that 
they  carried  off  the  profits,  and  at  length  I 
saw  that  they  were  the  only  crop  that  would  pay 
while  there  was  so  much  waste  land  about. 
Therefore,  I  set  about  making  them  pay  for 
their  keep,  if  they  intended  to  stay  on  our 
land."  This  was  the  way  he  put  it.  A  less 
simple  man  would  have  told  of  the  hardships 
of  an  unopened  wilderness,  but  I  do  not  believe 
that  Bo^  or  his  mother  ever  considered  how 
they  had  conquered  where  most  would  have 
been  conquered. 

His  mother  had  crossed  the  plains  in  49, 
mosifly  on  foot,  with  her  husband  and  a  train  of 
"  movers."  They  kept  the  first  tavern  where  is 
now  the  city  of  Sacramento,  at  the  ford  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  where  Mrs.  Kenny's  seven 
children  were  born.  It  was  the  first  outpost 
of  civilization  the  returning  miner  came  to ;  and 
his  call  of  "Ferry"  was  as  often  answered  by 
Mrs.  Kenny  and  the  boat  as  by  her  husband. 
It  was  not  unusual  for  the  Kennys  to  take  in 
500  dollars  in  gold  dust  before  .their  children 
had   eaten    breakfast.       About   the   only   good 


thing  her  husband 
ever  did  was  to  die, 
and  then,  knowing 
too  well  the  sad 
hereditary  inclination 
of  the  children,  Mrs. 
Kenny  sold  out  the 
tavern  and  moved  to 
Humboldt  Co.  Here 
she  was  prospering  on 
a  dairy  ranch  when 
the  Indians  came. 
She  noticed  at  night 
after  the  milking  that 
the  cows  would  not 
leave  the  calves  as 
usual,  but  hung  about 
and  lowed  as  the  dark- 
ness fell.  She  knew 
it  meant  "  Indians," 
more  by  intuition 
than  by  any  other 
faculty  ;  and  she  did 
not  undress  the  chil- 
dren, but  let  them  sleep  on  the  floor  before  the 
fire  which  she  sent  blazing  out  of  the  throat  of 
the  wide  fireplace.  She  also  took  up  the  secret 
board  of  the  floor  which  concealed  her  supply 
of    powder    and    shot,    got   out    her   store   of 


{I'hoto. 


I 


.%Ui.    I;Ou    KE.NNV, 
From  n\ 


THE    WAN    WHO    I.UICEUS    UEAKS-ON    HIS    KANCH 
INSTEAD   OF    CATTLE.  \FlwiO. 


A    LADY    GUEST    AT    THE    BEAR-RAISING    RANCH. 


69 


SOME   OK    BOG    KKNNYS   NElCilllJOUKS.        A.\   I.NDIAN    CllUil'    O.N     1  HE    LEI- 

From  a.\      on  the  right,     he  was  wounded  by  mks.  kenny  in 

ammunition,  and  looked  to  her  gun.  Scarcely 
was  it  dark  when  her  barn  wa.s  burning,  and  she 
started  out  with  her  family  of  little  children. 
The  eldest  boy  carried  the  baby,  while  she 
covered  their  retreat  over  four  miles  of  rough  road 
to  the  house  of  the  nearest  neighbour,  fighting 
back  the  savages  and  killing  three  of  them.  She 
was  herself  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  became  so 
weak  from  loss  of  blood  that  she  fell  in  a  faint 
over  the  threshold  of  the  refuge  she  sought. 
Bog  Kenny  was  that  boy  who  carried  the  baby, 
who  has  now  grown  to  womanhood,  and  it  is 
her  photograph  which  was  taken  with  the  baby 
bear  who  would  try  and  run  away,  and  therefore 
had  to  be  chained.  All  the  other  children  have 
gone  to  homes  of  their  own  but  these  two,  and 
both  are  very  dear  to  the  white-haired  old 
woman,  who,  if  she  took  time  to  moralize,  would 
say  that  they  were  the  compensation  which 
balanced  her  life  of  work  in  the  home  which 
she  made  in  the  wilderness  on  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  where  the  bears  were  so  thick  in  the 
old  days  that  they  came  prowling  round  her 
garden,  so  that  she  watched  her  little  brood  lest 
the  brutes  should  carry  them  off  into  the  woods, 
as  well  as  the  sheep  and  hogs. 

As  we  rode  along  Bog  told  me  of  the  years 
he  spent  there,  and,  looking  up  at  the  trees,  he 
said,  "  There  is  a  splendid  mast  this  year '' — 
and  mast  means  fat  hogs  and  sheep,  deer  and 
rattlesnakes,  plenty  of  bear,  and  fat  purses  for 
the  ranchers. 


'T,  AND    HIS    1>KI.\1E    .MI.NISTER 
A    FIERCE    FIGHT.  [Plioto. 


"  I  have  been  keeping 
a  bear  for  you,"  Bog  said. 
"  You  will  be  the  first 
woman  who  has  ever  shot 
one  of  my  bears,"  he 
added. 

We  were  approaching 
his  preserves,  winding  up 
and  up  a  narrow  trail,  and 
in  thickets  we  heard  the 
quail  calling.  From  the 
tall  trees  the  squirrels 
scolded  at  us,  and  we  saw 
occasionally  a  deer  on  its 
way  to  the  brook.  It 
would  stand  startled  to 
look  at  us,  and  then  race 
away  into  the  woods. 

For  miles  we  heard  the 
distant  "  hoo,  hoo"  of  the 
dogs  as  we  approached 
through  a  series  of  gates, 
each  with  its  own  peculiar 
style  of  fastening  of  Bog's 
own  invention.  One  fifty 
feet  of  road  was  unfinished. 
He  had  begun  it  at  both 
ends,  and  the  meeting-places  were  about  that 
distance  out,  and  he  had  never  been  able  to 
make  up  his  mind  which  end  he  wai>ted  to 
make  over.  At  last  (and  I  was  stiff  from  our 
long  ride)  we  came  in  sight  of  the  cabin  through 
an  opening  in  the  trees.  My  horse,  a  broncho 
with  an  Irish  disposition,  nearly  dismounted 
me  without  any  invitation  before  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  cause  of  his  rebelling 
against  government.  When  I  saw  no  fewer  than 
ten  half-grown  bears  and  twice  as  many  dogs 
fawning  over  Bog,  and  another  huge  bear  stand- 
ing on  his  haunches,  I  cannot  say  how  relieved 
I  was  when  a  white-haired  woman  caught  the 
broncho's  bridle  and  held  him  while  I  jumped 
down,  the  old  lady  meanwhile  assuring  me  the 
bears  were  as  harmless  as  kittens  ;  nevertheless, 
I  was  glad  to  see  a  chain  behind  Bruin,  with 
one  end  at  his  collar  and  the  other  round  a  tree. 
Mrs.  Kenny  was  too  hospitable  to  laugh  till  we 
were  better  acquainted,  and  even  then  she  never 
did  laugh  without  chiding  Bog  that  he  had  not 
forewarned  me  of  the  bears. 

Not  less  than  6ft.  high,  Mrs.  Kenny  is 
seventy-two  years  old.  Her  hair  is  white,  but 
she  walks  over  the  rough  trails  among  the 
mountains  as  flat-backed  and  as  strongly  as  a 
vigorous  young  man.  Up  there  near  the  sky  she 
seems  to  have  some  eli.xir  of  youth  which  keeps 
the  fire  and  the  laugh  in  the  clear  grey  eyes  and 
the  determination  and  enthusiasm  in  the  sweet 
old  face.     She  has  never  bowed  her  head  to  fate 


70 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Fioiit  a] 


r.OG    KENiNVK    NANCH    iluLSE. 


or  known  that  she  could  bow,  and,  like  her 
original  son,  she  will  be  a  child  all  her  days. 
They  have  little  respect  for  "  city  folk  "  out  of 
their  own  environs.  Bog  is  a  Czar  in  his 
domains,  and 
there  is  no  ap- 
peal from  his 
law.  A  dog 
which  would 
notice  a  deer  or 
a  quail  would  be 
tolerated  on  the 
place  no  longer 
than  a  man  who 
would  shoot  a 
doe  or  a  year- 
ling. If  a  mother 
bear  be  killed, 
her  young  ones 
must  be  found 
and  carried 
home  to  be 
raised  by  hand; 
and  out  of  its 
season  no 
animal  may  be 
killed  except  the 
rattlesnake  and 
the  coyote.  The 
bears  which 
Bog  Kenny  kills 
must  have  at- 
tained a  certain 


growth,  when  the 
beast  is  of  the  greatest 
market  value.  From 
October  to  March 
Mr.  Kenny  gathers 
his  remarkable  crop. 
Each  bear  yields  him 
about  5cdols.  net, 
and  in  a  good  season 
he  counts  on  from 
I20  to  150  bears.  He 
cores  the  pelts  care- 
fully, rubbing  the  soft 
parts  with  the  brains 
of  the  bear  and  deer; 
the  pelts  bring  him 
from  lodols.  to 
5odols.  each  accord- 
ing to  the  beauty  of 
the  skin.  A  yoolb. 
bear  will  yield  about 
3odols.  worth  of  oil 
and  bear  steak,  which 
is  good.  There  are 
besides  the  gall  and 
the  claws,  and  also 
from  ten  to  twenty  cubs  (delightful  little  "cusses"), 
which  he  carries  to  San  Francisco.  On  the  whole 
he  averages  about  5,ooodols.  a  year  from  his  crop 
of  bears,  and  has  the  pleasure  of  harvesting  it, 


{Photo. 


BRAVE   OLD   I.IKS. 

From  a) 


KKN.SY   bli  IIM,    UNDER    A    TREE.        THOUGH    SEVENTV-1W(J    SHE    LOOKS   AT    LEAST 

TWENTY   YEARS    YOUNGER.  [F/loto. 


A    LADY    GUEST    AT    THE    BEAR-RAISING    RANCH. 


71 


dog,  so  he  set  about  making  one.    The 
result  —  ugUer  than  sin  is  painted — is 
a  dog  that  stalks  bear  and  cuts  off  his 
retreat  by  worrying  him  and  calling  for 
help.     The  dog  is  a  mixture  of  blood- 
hound,   collie,    and    bull.       Not   one 
puppy  in  ten  is  worth  raising,  but  those 
Mr.    Kenny  selects  to    bring    up  and 
train  are  the  finest  bear  dogs  that  can 
be  had,  and  he  could  sell  as  many  as 
he  would  for  loodols.  each.     He  has 
few  to  part  with,  however,  for  every 
season  he  loses  some  dogs,  which  are 
either   killed    by    the    bears    or   have 
their    spirit    broken.     The  latter  Bog 
shoots  if  they  cannot  be  cured,  for  they 
are  useless  in  breeding  and  set  a  bad 
example  to  the  young  dogs. 

Starting  out  early  one  morning  during 
my  visit.  Bog  took  from  six  to  ten  dogs, 
coupled  with  Pansy,  his  pride,  and 
the  leader.  Bog  held  back  the  dogs, 
keeping  them  in  hand  till  Pansy's 
distant  "ah-hooing"  told  him  she  had 
a  trace.  Uncoupling  the  dogs,  they 
flew  away   into   the  chaparral,   which 


rmS   IS  ONE  OF   bog's   finest  beaks.      he  sold    it  when   VOUN' 
TO   A   hLEASL'KF.   KKSORT  OF   SAN    FRANCISCO. 

Frovi  a  Photo. 

which  many  a  rich  man  would  pay  a  big  price 
for.  He  always  invites  friends  to  stay  with  him 
for  a  few  days'  hunting,  and  gives  them  the 
finest  of  sport.  But  woe  indeed  to  the 
uninvited  guest !  He  receives  food  only  if 
necessary  to  prevent  actual  starvation  on  the 
journey  back  whence  he  came,  with  a  strong 
hint  that  Bog's  sight  is  not  good  enough  for 
him  to  distinguish  between  a  bear  and  a  stranger. 
He  would  shoot  a  human  intruder,  I  fear, 
almost  as  quickly  as  a  four-footed  one,  and  no 
jury  up  there  would  do  aught  else  but  acquit 
him,  and  congratulate  him  in  the  bargain,  for 
the  mountaineers  do  not  welcome  the  race  of 
wanderers,  but  no  more  kindly  people  exist 
where  their  friends  are  concerned. 

Besides  his  bears  and' hogs  and  sheep,  Bog 
Kenny  has  his  dogs,  and  if  he  could  be  vain 
of  anything  it  would  be  of  those  same  dogs. 
To  hunt  bear  he  found  no  suitable  breed  of 


From  a\ 


"DELIGHTFUL   LITTLE    '  Cl-^SF-^  '    '-NEW   ARRIVALS   OUT  OF 

^ENNV   NURSERY.  VfllOlO. 


THE    WIDK    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


MK.  KENNY  S  FAVOURITE  DOG,  WHO  HAS  EDUCATED  SO 

From  a\    manv  of  his  fellows  in  hear  hunting.     [Photo. 


seemed  to  open  of  its  own  volition  for  Bog  to 
pass,  wliile  I  followed  among  the  tangle  of 
underbrush  and  limbs  of  trees  as  fast  as  I  could, 
hiving  the  howling  and  yelping  as  a  guide. 

When  I  got  near  there  were  ten  dogs,  with  Bog 
intently  watching  the  top  of  a  high  sugar-pine. 
Bog  was  holding  one  dog  by  the  collar,  while 
it  struggled  and  whimpered  to  escape.  The 
other  dogs  sat  on  their  haunches  emitting  short, 
frequent  howls  of  excitement. 
Bog  had  carried  my  rifle,  and 
smiled  as  he  saw  me  looking  at 
the  bear,  which  was  two -thirds 
the  way  up  the  tall  tree,  panting 
from  its  run  and  rolling  its  big 
liead  from  side  to  side.  The  brute 
was  looking  down  at  us  with  a 
confident  air  of  safety,  and  almost 
defied  us  to  attack  her  if  we  could. 
I  knew  Bog's  law  that  a  bear  must 
be  shot  in  the  head,  and  I  knew, 
too,  that  a  missed  mark  was  liable 
to  mean  a  lapsed  friendship,  so 
I  took  careful  aim  at  the  rolling 
ugly  head,  and  I  missed.  Bog 
did  not  say  a  word  and  the  dogs 
looked  surprised,  first  at  me  and 
then  at  Bog,  asking  what  it  meant 
that  the  bear  was  not  brought 
down.  I  fired  again,  and  the  huge 
body  came  bumping  down  from 
the  tree,  bringing  branches  with 
it  as  it  fell  among  the  howling 
dogs,    which    rushed    at    it    and 


seemed  to  glory  in  its  downfall.  Leaving  the 
bear  on  the  ground,  we  set  about  finding 
licr  cubs,  and  it  was  a  long  search,  for  the 
l)ear  had  been  browsing,  and  the  dogs  led 
us  over  a  wide  course  in  the  chaparral  till  we 
found  two  little  cubs  crying  like  human  babies. 
Bog  put  them  both  in  his  coat-pocket  and  took 
them  home  for  ]VLiry  to  raise  on  milk  till  they 
were  old  enough  to  fend  for  themselves.  When 
they  are  three  years  old  they  are  killed,  and  all 
that  are  cared  for  by  Mary  are  hers.  Many  of 
the  best  hides,  by  the  way,  bear  her  initials  when 
in  the  spring  Bog  hauls  them  down  to  the 
railroad. 

They  were  delighted  at  the  cabin  that  I  had 
killed  the  bear,  and  when  Bog  brought  home  its 
hide  they  admired  it  without  stint.  It  is  a  real 
beauty — a  rug  now  with  a  tail,  if  I  may  say 
so,  and  a  dark  cinnamon  brown  tail  at  that. 
Scientists  class  the  Mendocino  bears  in  two 
groups,  the  black  and  the  cinnamon,  but  Bog 
says  they  are  one  species— often  children  of  one 
mother.  He  ought  to  know,  for  he  has  hunted 
and  raised  them  for  nearly  thirty  years,  and 
knows  the  individual  marks  they  make  as  high 
as  they  can  reach  on  the  tree  trunks.  He  has 
personal  friends  among  the  bears  whom  he  has 
known  for  years,  and  who  know  him  ;  these  he 
will  not  shoot,  because  he  likes  to  feel  "  they 
are  there."  One  of  them  outwitted  him  so 
cleverly  in  a  long  chase  thai  she  gained  his 
admiration,  and  though  he  will  not  let  the  dogs 
worry  her  he  steals  her  cubs,  but  takes  care  that 
she  does  not  catch  him  with  a  baby  in  his  arms. 


MAkV    kKN\^•    I.noKS    AFTER    HER    DELIC.VTE   BE.\K   BABIES. 


[Photo. 


Mow  Mrs.    Porter  Outwitted   the  Apaches. 


(Described  by   Her  to  Mrs.  L.  M.  Terry,  of  Mexico.) 

Mrs.  Porter  is  now  living  in  Arizona,  and  she  here  relates  how  she  was  visited  by  a  party  of  frantic 

Apaches  on  the  war-path,  who  found  her  alone  and  unprotected.     They  met  a  terrible  death   at 

Mrs.  Porter's  hands  in  a  way  which  even  they,  cunning  as  they  are,  never  expected. 


T  the  time  of  this  narrative  I  was  a 
young  woman  of  twenty -six,  Hving 
with  my  husband  (who  was  a  mining 
man)  in  Western  New  Mexico,  just 
where  that  territory  bounds  Arizona, 
and  uncomfortably  close  to  the  Ute,  Navajo, 
and  Apache  Indian  Reservations.  With  these 
latter  Indians  (the  terror  at  that  time  of  the 
entire  South-West)  my  adventure  deals  ;  and  I 
think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  no  woman  ever 
had  a  more  terrible  experience. 
Our  little  log-cabin,  with  its 
four  rudely-partitioned  rooms, 
was  very  remotely  situated, 
almost  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  MogoUon  Mountains.  Few 
hunting  parties  had  penetrated 
so  far  west  at  that  time,  where- 
fore game  was  more  than  plen- 
tiful all  around  us.  Bears, 
pumas,  and  mountain  lions 
wandered  fearlessly  up  to  our 
very  door ;  coyotes  and  wolves 
nightly  howled  us  to  sleep  ; 
the  woods  were  full  of  wild 
turkeys  and  quail ;  and  a  big 
silvery  stream  that  ran  within 
half  a  mile  of  our  cabin  was 
alive  with  beautiful  speckled 
trout. 

So  you  see  that  some  few 
advantages  attached  them- 
selves to  our  life  in  the 
wilderness  —  not  the  least  of 
which  was  the  fact  that  the 
great  ledge  which  my  husband 
and  his  two  partners  were  ex- 
ploiting was  within  plain  view 
of  our  cabin  door.  A  pistol- 
shot  at  any  time  brought  all 
three  men  in  case  danger 
threatened,  and  I  considered 
myself  as  safe  as  any  woman 
could  be  in  that  wild  region. 

As  I  said  before,  the  Apache 
Indians  were  then  the  terror 
of  both  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  The  Utes  also  had 
been  on  the  war-path  for  several 
months,   and   more   than  one 

Vol.  vi.— 10. 


YOUNG-\VO.MAN-Wl  IH 
OF-THE-EVENING — ' 
SOME  6ft. 


small   village  had   been  the   scene  of  their  de- 
predations.     But    remote    mining   people,    like 
ourselves,     had    never     been    harmed    in    the 
slightest.     In  fact,   more  than  once  I  had   fed 
and    entertained   to   the    best    of    my    ability 
wandering  groups  of  red   men,   who,   with  the 
exception    of    stealing    my  mirror  and  all   the 
tobacco  and   whisky  that  we  had  within  view, 
proved  very  tractable  and  even  amusing  callers. 
Like  all    "  tender-foot "    women,   however,   I 
lived  in  constant  terror  of  these 
Indians.      But  after   our   first 
visit    from     a    deputation    of 
Navajo    braves    I    ceased    to 
have  any  dread  of  them,  and, 
in  fact,  rather  looked  forward 
to  the  coming  of  our   Indian 
callers,     among    whom     were 
sometimes  included   an   occa- 
sional squaw  or  so.     To  them 
my  hair  (yellow  at  that  time), 
the  manner  in  which  I  dressed 
it,   my  small  hand-mirror,  and 
our  music-bo.x,  were  things  that 
occasioned  great  wonderment. 
They   were    like    children    in 
their    unconcealed   admiration 
of  strange  things,  and  my  awe 
of  them  was   soon    overcome 
to  such  an  extent  that  I  was 
beguiled  into  hiring  as  cook  a 
Navajo   maiden    some    6ft.  in 
height,    who    rejoiced    in   the 
lengthy   name  of  "Young- 
Woman  -  with  -  Eyes  -  like  -  the  - 
Star-of-the-Evening !" 

The  engaging  of  the  damsel 
took  place  in  early  spring,  and 
I  must  say  that  she  proved  a 
source  of  much  help  and  great 
amusement  to  me.  Like  the 
immortal  Barkis,  she  was  "  will- 
ing" to  the  last  extent,  and 
very  quick  to  learn  new  ways. 
I  will  never  forget  one  morning 
when  she  gravely  brought  in 
breakfast,  attired  in  her  usual 
blanket  and  the  skirt  which  I 
-EVEs-LiKE-THE-sTAR-  Insistcd  upou  hcr  wearing,  but 
[^  HEiGH^r°' ''^""'''  with  her  stiff  black  hair  wound 


74 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


From  a\ 


A   GKOUi-  OK   lYI'ICAI.    Al'ACIIE    BKAVKS. 


[P/ioio. 


tightly  into  my  kid  curling-strips !  "  Young- 
^\"oman-\vith-Eyes  like-the-Star-of-the-Evening  " 
had  no  false  modesty  or  pride  about  her.  All 
was  fish  that  came  to  her  net,  and,  like  a  child 
or  a  magpie,  anything  new,  bright,  or  glittering 
look  her  imnrrediate  fancy,  after  which  "  she 
was  never  happy  until  she  got  it  I " 

-Dropping  the  subject  of  my  first  Indian 
handmaiden,  however  (about  whom  I  could 
write  whole  books,  did  opportunity  offer),  I  will 
proceed  to  the  matter  of  my  adventure,  >vhich 
occurred  about  a  year  after  "  Young  \\'oman  " 
came  to  me. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  a  rich  streak  of  gold 
had  been  discovered  by  one  of  our  prospectors, 
in  a  gulch  at  least  five  miles  away  from  our 
cabin.  My  husband  was  very  anxious  to 
exploit  this  new  "  find,"  so  early  on  the 
morning  of  April  15th  (I  am  not  likely  to 
forget  the  date)  he  packed  up  a  small  assay- 
ing furnace,  with  various  chemicals,  and  accom- 
panied by  both  assistants  and  a  substantial 
lunch,  started  off  for  an  investigation  of.  the 
streak.  He  would  not  return  before  nightfall, 
he  thought,  but  in  any  event  I  would  be  per- 


fectly safe,  with  the  protection  of  "  Young 
Woman  "  and  a  double-barrelled  shot-gun, 
which  I  kept  always  loaded  in  the  rack 
against  the  wall.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this 
gun  was  rarely  used,  and  then  only  for  bear. 
The  thought  of  danger  from  either  wild 
beast  or  man  never  occurred  to  me,  and 
it  was  with  perfect  equanimity  that  I 
waved  good-bye  to  the  men,  who  were 
ahiKjst  out  of  sight  on  the  mountain  trail  ; 
then  I  turned  to  go  back  into  the  house. 
It  was  a  lovely  spring  morning,  and,  as  I 
■y  stood  for  a  moment  on  the  edge  of  the 
mm  great  forest  so  close  to  our  house,  I  con- 
"  gratulated  myself  on  my  free,  beautiful 
surroundings,  so  much  to  be  preferred,  in 
spite  of  their  wildness  and  remoteness,  to 
the  noise,  dust,  and  heat  of  brick  -  built 
cities  !  As  I  stood  gazing  into  the  vast, 
solemn  forest,  with  its  magnificent  trees, 
waving  ferns,  fragrant  creepers,  and  thou- 
sands of  sweet,  humble,  wild  flowers,  I 
could  hear  only  the  song  of  forest-birds, 
the  occasional  call  of  a  deer  10  its  mate, 
with  sometimes  the  stealthy  tread  of  a 
puma  or  other  forest  animal,  and  now  and 
then  a  meditative  "  grunt,  grunt,"  which 
indicated  that  Bruin  was  hunting  an  early 
breakfast  of  grubs  or  juicy  young  roots.  It 
was  all  so  peaceful  and  quiet  that  the  long, 
low  hoot  of  an  owl,  evidently  from  a  dis- 
tance (for  it  was  barely  audible),  made  me 
tremble  nervously.  For  the  call  of  this 
night-bird  is  hardly  ever  heard  in  bright 
daylight,  and  unfamiliar  sounds  rarely  fail  to  call 
the  attention  of  forest-dwellers.  As  I  listened, 
the  hoot  came  again — then  again  and  again.  I 
shook  off  a  faint  superstitious  feeling  that  crept 
over  me,  telling  myself  that  in  the  dimmest 
recesses  of  the  forest  it  could  be  hardly  light 
yet,  at  this  early  hour,  and  the  cry  of  an  owl  was 
no  serious  matter,  anyway.  Then,  with  thrifty 
thoughts  of  some  sewing  I  had  planned  for  the 
morning,  I  went  briskly  back  to  the  house,  got 
out  my  small  sewing  machine  and  materials, 
and  prepared  for  a  diligent  forenoon. 

I  had  been  sewing  peacefully  for  perhaps  an 
hour  when  "  Young  Woman  "  appeared,  with 
fishing-rod  and  bait ;  also  with  the  request  that 
she  might  be  allowed  to  go  down  to  the  trout 
stream,  for  there  was,  she  stated,  urgent  need  of 
fish  for  dinner.  I  hesitated  a  moment,  for  it 
was  very  lonely  in  the  little  cabin,  with  no 
human  soul  near,  and  I  felt  a  queer  presenti- 
ment that  I  ought  not  to  remain  alone.  But 
one  cannot  expect  an  Indian  to  remain  indoors, 
especially  when  there  is  fishing  to  be  done. 
"Young  Woman,"  I  should  say,  was  a  devout 
angler,  and  I  perforce  gave  an  unwilling  consent. 


HOW    MRS.    PORTER    OUTWITTED    THE    APACHES. 


75 


telling  her,  nowever,  that  she  nmst  return  when 
the  Indians'  clock  (the  sun)  told  her  that  it  was 
noon. 

The  morning  wore  away  slowly  after  her 
departure.  I  cut  and  sewed  away  steadily,  the 
hum  of  my  small  machine  dispelling  my  very 
unusual  nervous  fears,  and  I  soon  forgot  to 
wonder  what  could  be  keeping  "  Young 
Woman,"  who  had  vowed  to  return  long  before 
noon  with  many  fish.  The  tap-tap  of  my 
machine  and  a  crooning  papoose  song  which 
"Young  Woman"  had  taught  me  drowned  all 
other  noises.  My  thoughts  were  miles  and 
miles  away,  so  you  cannot  be  surprised  when  I 
say  that  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  hideous, 
grinning,  dark  face,  all  streaked  with  red  and 
crowned  with  huge  feathers,  close  to  my  own, 
brought  me  to  my  feet  with  a  shriek  of  terror. 
Indians  !  The  cruel  devils  had  come  at  last  to 
kill  me. 

My  room  was  small,  and  at  first  sight  I 
thought  it  full  of  barbarously-attired  savages ; 
but  as  I  gave  another  terrified  glance  around, 
holding  to  the  wall  for  support,  I  saw  that  there 


ONE    LOOK    SHOWED   iME    THAT    THESE   GKINNING,  PAINTED  CREATURES  WERE  ON  THE  WAR-IATH 


were  only  five.  And — oh,  merciful  Providence  ! 
— they  were  all  Apaches,  the  "  demon-people," 
as  even  the  other  Indian  tribes  called  them  !  I 
had  never  seen  Apaches  before,  but  one  look 
sufficed  to  show  me  that  these  grinning,  painted 
creatures  were  on  the  war-path.  The  paint 
smeared  on  their  tawny  bodies  ;  the  "  war 
feathers"  stuck  through  their  stiff,  black  hair; 
the  evil,  cruel  faces,  as  they  jeered  at  me,  and, 
above  all,  the  drying,  stiffening  scalps  which 
dangled  from  their  waists,  told  that  only  too 
plainly !  One  of  the  scalps  was  that  of  a 
woman,  with  long,  fair  hair.  .  .  .  Fancy  what 
a  sight  it  must  have  been  to  me,  a  woman, 
alone  and  unprotected,  at  the  mercy  of  these 
savages  ! 

Far  worst  of  all,  they  had  been  drinking 
veritable  "fire-water" — that  awful  maddening 
compound  of  whisky,  pepper,  and  "  marihuana- 
herb."  A  vile  odour,  worse  than  that  of  a 
dozen  bar-rooms,  filled  my  little  room  as  I 
gazed,  fascinated  with  terror  and  aware  that  I 
could  do  tiothing!  No  display  of  bravery, 
hospitality,  or  anything  else  would  .save  me,  for 

a  peaceful,  call  -  paying 
Indian  brave  never  comes 
attired  in  war-paint,  with 
scalps  decorating  his  belt ! 
It  seems  now  that  I 
must  have  leaned  against 
the  wall,  ill  and  weak  with 
helpless  terror,  for  hours, 
yet  it  could  have  been 
only  for  a  moment.  For, 
with  a  significant  gesture 
towards  both  mouth  and 
stomach,  one  of  the  bucks 
reached  over  and  shook 
me  roughly.  "  Squaw 
catch  fire  -  water,  tobac', 
eat"  he  grunted,  fiercely, 
still  clutching  my  arm. 
"Si-we-ka — Apache  braves 
—will  eat  ! " 

Now,  indeed,  a  faint 
thought  of  escape  dawned 
within  me,  and  I  stood  up, 
trying  to  gather  together 
my  dulled  senses.  Perhaps, 
I  thought,  I  could  put 
their  food  before  them, 
give  them  whisky,  and 
then  steal  out  of  one  of 
the  doors  —  oh,  merciful 
Providence  !  — surely  I 
could  escape  somehow  ? 
Surely,  after  all  these 
years,  I  was  not  to  die 
at  the  hands  of  Indians — 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


people  wliom  I  had  fed,  and  given  presents  and 
been  kind  to  ! 

Buoyed  up  by  the  ihouyht  of  Hight,  I  nodded 
my  head  with  some  degree  of  coohiess,  and 
answered  briskly  :  — 

"  How,  Apache  braves  !  Here  is  tobacco, 
seat  yourselves  and  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace. 
Rest,  brave  men,  until  the  white  squaw  can 
prepare  and  bring  you  food  !  " 

At  this  they  laughed  uproariously,  and  the 
head  man,  a  wicked-looking  young  buck,  slapped 
my  arm,  and  then  pushed  me  into  the  kitchen, 
whence  the  only  means  of  egress  was  a  door,  in 
which  he  seated  himself,  gazing  at  me  steadily 
the  while,  and  playing  purposely  with  the  fair- 
haired  scalp.  Of  course,  they  divined  my 
thought  of  escape,  and  would  prevent  it.  My 
heart  sank,  and  I  could  have  screamed  and  torn 
my  hair,  but  still  I  would  not  give  up.  They 
were  laughing  and  making  remarks  about  me, 
the  import  of  which  I  easily  inferred  ;  still,  I 
must  not  lose  heart.  Drunken  savages  that  they 
were,  I  might  yet  find  means  to  outwit  them.  I 
would  keep  my  courage ;  give  them  some  good 
food  and  whisky  to  make  them  stupid;  perhaps 
then  they  would  sleep,  or  forget  me  for  a  moment 
or  two,  when  I  could  either  escape  or  get  my 
hands  on  the  gun.  Then,  with  the  shotgun,  or 
even  my  own  small  revolver,  I  would  igive  them 
a  fight,  woman  though  I  was  ! 

Meanwhile  I  set  to  work  to  prepare  food  for 
my  captors.  There  was  slight  chance  of  my 
treacherous  maid's  return,  and  no  doubt  she 
had  all  along  been  in  league  with  these  same 
Apaches.  I  carefully  and  slowly,  for  every 
moment's  delay  gave  me  more  time  for  thought, 
prepared  eggs,  bacon,  biscuit,  and  coffee,  even 
stirring  up  batter  for  hot  cakes.  And  all  the 
while  my  head  whirled  and  my  \'ery  senses 
reeled.  How  could  I  get  away  ?  \Vhat  was  to 
become  of  me  ? 

I  was  given  little  time  to  think,  however,  for 
loud  yells  were  issuing  from  my  sitting-room  ; 
"  the    brave  young   men  of   the   Apaches  had 

hunger,  and   wished   to   eat  ! " Other 

sounds  there  were,  also,  the  smashing  of  fur- 
niture ;  and  then,  to  my  anger,  thcT  piteous 
crying  of  three  kittens  of  which  I  was  par- 
ticularly fond.  Forgetting  my  own  safety  in 
the  desire  to  rescue  these  little  creatures,  I 
darted,  with  a  dish  of  food  in  my  hands,  into 
the  dining-room,  closely  followed  by  my  Indian 
guard.     And  what  a  sight  met  my  eyes  ! 

Sideboard,  chairs,  and  table  had  been 
smashed  into  kindling  wood,  which  was  piled  in 
heaps  about  the  room.  It  was,  then,  their 
intention  to  burn  the  house  down,  evidently. 
And  in  the  centre  of  the  floor  lolled  four  of  the 
bucks,     smoking     furiously,     and     yelling     in 


drunken  mirth  at  the  antics  of  my  poor 
kittens,  whom  they  had,  with  the  usual  Indian 
refinement  of  cruelty,  plastered  with  syrup  from 
the  sideboard,  and  then  dropped  into  a  mass  of 
feathers  from  a  ruined  feather-bed  !  .  .  .  With 
a  heart  full  of  desperation  and  hopeless  fury  I 
went  backwards  and  forwards,  bringing  all  that 
the  Apaches  demanded,  watched  steadfastly  the 
while  by  the  youngest  buck.  Sprawled  about 
on  the  floor,  the  savages  ate  ravenously,  dipping 
their  painted  hands  into  the  various  dishes,  and 
gulping  eagerly  all  the  various  bottles  of  highly- 
spiced  condiments.  Even  in  the  midst  of  my 
now  almost  benumbed  terror  I  marvelled  as  I 
watched  these  Indians  swallow  mouthfuls  of 
Worcester  sauce.  As  for  the  little  whisky  which 
they  found  in  a  small  bottle  on  the  sideboard,  it 
was  as  mere  water  to  them  ! 

As  soon  as  food  had  been  placed  before 
them  the  Apaches  had  ordered  me  to  sit  on  the 
floor  with  them.  My  refusal  was  met  with  such 
terrible  menaces,  and  such  a  volley  of  guttural 
threats,  that  I  ceased  to  resist,  and  placed 
myself  in  a  corner  near  them.  Occasionally 
food  was  handed  to  me,  which  I  steadily  refused, 
and  once  I  was  forced  to  swallow  some  whisky, 
which  mercifully  dulled  my  brain  to  the  horror 
of  my  situation.  Escape,  I  well  knew,  was 
impossible.  I  would  merely  have  to  die  with 
the  best  grace  I  could — nothing  else  could  be 
done. 

As  they  ate,  drank,  and  smoked  the  bucks 
grew  noisier  and  yelled  for  more  fire-water. 
To  their  demands  I  would  only  shake  my  head. 
I  knew  that  a  stone  jug  in  my  husband's 
assaying-room  was  half-full  of  whisky,  but  what 
need  to  niake  these  savages  any  drunker  than 
they  already  were  ?  Even  as  I  thought,  in  a 
half-dulled  way,  of  this  stone  jug,  a  sudden 
idea  struck  me,  which  cleared  my  brain  as 
nothing  else  could  have  done.  Another  stone 
jug  in  the  assay  ofiice,  side  by  side  with  the 
whisky  jug,  was  full  to  the  mouth  of  cyanide 
solution,  a  spoonful  of  which  would  probably 
kill  even  an  elephant  ! 

The  young  brave,  Si-we-ka,  now  shook  me 
savagely,  an  evil  glitter  in  his  horrible  red  eyes. 

"  Fire-water,  squaw  !  Apache  warriors  will 
kill  white  squaw  if  no  find  fire-water  !  " 

I  rose,  pretending  great  reluctance,  and 
casting  angry  glances  at  the  bucks,  at  which 
they  yelled  jeeringly,  with  motions  toward  the 
dried  things  hanging  at  their  belts.  As  for 
Si-ke-wa  (who  was  fully  aware  of  my  intention 
to  escape  at  the  earliest  opportunity),  he 
lurched  unsteadily  behind  me,  one  great 
painted  hand  on  his  hatchet,  steadying  himself 
with  the  other  against  the  wall  as  he  followed 
close  at  my  heels. 


HOW    MRS.    PORTER    OUTWITTED    THE    APACHES. 


77 


The  little  room  which  my  husband  used  for 
the  storage  of  his  assaying  and  chemical  materials 
had  no  window,  but  merely  one  door ;  and 
seeing  that  there  was  no  means  of  egress  for 
me,  Si-ke  \va  leaned  stupidly  against  the  door, 
completely  blocking  it  up  with  his  towering 
form,  his  eyes  turned  sleepily  towards  the 
four  other  bucks,  who  were  now  amusing 
themselves  by  singeing  the  feather-coats  of  the 
disconsolate  kittens  —  a  performance  which 
seemed  to  amuse 
them  not  a  little  I 
Now  was  my  time 
at  last,  thank  God  ! 

Side  by  side 
stood  the  two  jugs, 
one  marked  plainly 
"  Cyanide  Solution 
—  Poison,"  the 
other  "Whisky." 
With  trembling 
hands  I  hurriedly 
slipped  out  the 
cork  of  the  cyanide 
jug,  and  removing 
the  stopper  of  the 
one  containing 
whisky,  poured 
one-half  of  the 
jugful  of  poison 
into  the  whisky-jug, 
only  stopping  when 
the  liquid  reached 
the  mouth  of  the 
jug.  Don't  think 
that  I  did  this  re- 
morselessly ;  I  do 
not  believe  that 
anyone  can  wil- 
lingly administer 
such  an  awful  form 
of  death,  even  to  a 
savage.  But,  I  ask 
you,  what  else  was 
to  be  done  ? 


I    POURED   ONE-HALF   OF   THE    POISON    INTO    THE   WHISKV-JUG. 


I  had,  meanwhile, 
pulled  about  bottles  with  my  left,  or  unoccupied 
hand,  so  that  Si-ke-wa  would  not  suspect.  Even 
as  it  was,  I  was  dragging  forward  the  filled  jug, 
seemingly  with  much  reluctance,  when  he  turned 
to  me  with  a  threatening  movement,  saying  that 
the  white  squaw  had  better  hurry  ;  for  Apache 
lords  did  not  wait  on  the  pleasure  of  women, 
who  were  but  slaves. 

With  shouts  of  joy  the  braves  greeted  my 
entry  with  the  heavy  jug  of  "  whisky."  I  watched 
as  they  tasted  it ;  probably  they  feared  trickery. 
But  they  only  nodded  their   feathered   heads. 


The  colour,  of  course,  was  paler  than  ordinary 
whisky,  but  the  taste  had  not  been  changed. 
In  sixty  seconds  the  savages  had  partaken  of  it 

to  their  fill Well,  I  would  prefer  not  to 

describe  the  scene  that  followed.  Sometimes 
I  wake  in  an  agony  of  terror  at  night  with  the 
whole  thing  again  before  me  :  I  can  never  forget 

it  as  long  as  I  live 

As   the  last  writhing  form   straightened  out, 
stiff  and  lifeless,   on  the  floor,   I   was  on  the 

point  of  fainting. 
You  will  agree  with 
me  that  I  had  been 
through  a  scene 
calculated  to  make 
the  stoutest  heart 
quail  and  sicken. 
But  I  knew  that 
other  Apaches  were 
also  on  the  war- 
path. What  more 
likely  than  that 
they  would  follow 
these  head  men  ? 
I  must  at  least  pre- 
vent the  bodies 
being  found  ! 

With  a  strength 
born  of  despair  I 
pulled  and  tugged 
until  I  got  one 
dead  Indian  after 
another  into  a 
more  or  less  secure 
hiding-place.  How 
I  did  it  I  will  never 
know  I  I  have  a 
faint,  indistinct  re- 
collection of  despe- 
rately hauling  and 
tugging  at  heavy, 
painted  things,  that 
made  awful  faces 
at  me,  and  whirled 
hatchets  over  my 
head  —  things  that 
mouthed  at  me,  and  swore  to  haunt  me  for 
evermore  !  And  that  is  all  !  I  must  have 
fainted  away  soon  after  sunset,  and  was  found, 
apparently  lifeless,  by  the  returning  prospectors, 
to  their  great  horror. 

Search  upon  their  part  revealed  the  five  dead 
Indians  hidden  away  and  other  traces  of  the 
awful  experience  through  which  I  had  safely 
passed.  Yet  not  altogether  "  safely,"  for  I  was 
brought  back  to  my  senses  only  to  lose  them  in 
raging  brain  fever,  from  which  I  did  not  recover 
for  weeks.- 


Aiy  Journey  to  the  Holy  City  of  Meshed, 

Bv  J.  A.   Lee. 

Being  the  narrative  of  a  journey  from  Teheran,  the  capital  of  Persia,  to  Meshed,  second  only  to  Mecca 

itself  in  importance  and  sanctity.     Illustrated  with  photographs.     Mr.   Lee  not  only  travelled  in  this 

remote  region,  but  has  an  eye  for  the  picturesque,  and  can  describe  the  strange  scenes  on  the  way. 


T  is  getting  towards  dusk  as  we  pass 
out  of  the  city  gate.  From  the 
great  square  comes  the  strain  of 
discordant  music,  the  clashing  of 
cymbals  and  beating  of  tom-toms,  a 
cubtoni  dating  back  to  .the  worship  of  the  sun. 
Avoiding  the  crowds  of  townspeople  returning 
from  Shah  Abdul 
Azim,  a  minor 
place  of  pilgrim- 
age some  few 
miles  distant,  at 
the  entrance  to 
whose  shrine  the 
late  Shah  was 
assassinated,  we 
press  forward  to 
the  distant  range 
of  hills  to  join 
the  upper  pilgrim 
road.  We.  form 
a  small  party  of 
three:  the  writer, 
Abdullah  the 
servant,  and  the 
postilion  ;  for  at 
the  last  moment 
I  have  decided 
to  travel  post, 
instead  of  adopt- 
ing the  slower, 
but  more  com- 
fortable, caravan. 
I  bear  the 
usual  "  tezkera," 
or  passport,  set- 
ting forth  my 
name  and  desti- 
nation,  and 
directing  the  postmasters  to  furnish  me  with 
horses  at  the  rate  of  one  keran  (nominally 
one  franc)  per  "  farsakh  "  (three  and  a  half  to 
four  miles)  for  each  hor.se.  A  high  Government 
official  has  kindly  added  a  note  thereto  (which 
1  notice  loses  effect  in  like  ratio  as  we  get 
farther  from  the  capital)  commanding  all  and 
sundry  to  render  me  every  assistance.  Travel- 
ling post  necessarily  means  travelling  as  lightly 
equipped  as  possible ;  and  if  the  traveller  can 
also  avoid  clashing  with  the  State  couriers,  who 
have  first  call  on  the  horses,  and  if  by  dint  of 
hard  riding  he  keeps  ahead  of  any  others  who 


THE   .AUTHORS    "  TEZKEKA," 


may  be  using  the  same  road,  he  will  fare  pass- 
ably well. 

Distances  between  the  post-stations  vary ; 
but  roughly  speaking  they  average  about  twenty- 
five  miles ;  the  horses  are  changed  at  each 
station,  and  returned  to  their  original  starting- 
place  by  the  postilion,   who  ^cts   as  guide  and 

sees  that  the 
animals  are  not 
over-ridden.  My 
equipment  is  of 
the  most  meagre 
description  —  a 
rug  on  which  to 
rest  and  sleep, 
a  canvas  bag 
w  h  i  c  h ,  w  h  e  n 
filled  with  straw, 
does  duty  for  a 
mattress,  a  water- 
bottle,  a  little 
tea,  sugar,  rice, 
dried  biscuit  and 
raisins,  a  small 
samovar  (tea 
urn),  several 
copper  cooking 
pots,  a  bottle  of 
quinine,  and  a 
few  odds  and 
ends.  These 
necessaries  are 
distributed 
among  the  three 
horses. 

The  horses  at 
the  time  I  am 
speaking  of  were, 
almost  without 
exception,  veritable  "  crocks  " — broken-kneed, 
broken-winded,  frequently  vicious,  and  afflicted 
with  loathsome  sores  caused  by  the  chafing  of 
the  saddle,  the  result  of  incessant  work,  over- 
loading, and  reckless  riding.  The  lessees  of  the 
post-houses  excused  themselves  by  saying  that 
the  Government  maintenance  allowance — none 
too  liberal  in  the  first  instance — is  eaten  up 
before  it  reaches  them,  and  consequently  they 
are  unable  to  provide  Jsetter  animals. 

The  post-house — sometimes  in  the  heart  of  a 
town  or  village,  sometimes  standing  alone  in  a 
howling    waste  —  is    constructed    of    four    mud 


OR    I'ASSrOKT,    WII.H    THE    SPECIAL 
ADDED   OX    THE    LEFT. 


iiECO.MMENDATION 


MY    JOURNEY    TO    THE    HOLY    CITY    OF    MESHED. 


79 


AT    AUADAN - 


From  a  Photo. 


walls  surrounding  a  large  courtyard,  with  a 
square  tower  rising  above  the  gateway,  and 
towers  at  each  corner  ;  the  whole  resembling 
a  miniature  fort.  The  rooms  above  the  gate- 
way, poetically  called  the  "  Mehman  Khana " 
(guest-house),  are  destitute  of  furniture  —  but 
not  of  insects.  They  have  no  window  frames, 
and  in  winter  are  about  as  draughty  as  the 
rigging  of  a  ship. 
Even  if  there 
were  no  caravans 
and  detached 
parties  of  pil- 
grims and  mer- 
chants coming 
and  going,  it 
would  hardly  be 
possible  to  mis- 
take the  track, 
for  countless  feet 
have  clearly  de- 
fined it.  The 
country  generally 
is  sterile  and  un- 
speakably mono- 
ton  o  u  s .  The 
towns  and  vil- 
lages are  few  and 
very  far  between, 
and  one  feels  that 
the  Scottish  tra- 
veller must  have 


had  this  route  in 
mind  when  he 
said  that  the 
whole  land  is 
divided  into  two 
portions  — one 
being  desert  with 
salt,  and  the 
other  desert  with- 
out salt. 

We  had  not 
ridden  many 
stages  before  we 
realized  that  the 
Khorasan  farsakh 
is  a  king  among 
farsakhs.  Ab- 
dullah tells  me 
that  a  farsakh, 
correctly  speak- 
ing, is  the  dis- 
tance a  laden 
mule  can  walk  in 
an  hour,  but  that 
the  devil  must 
have  measured 
the  Khorasan  far- 
sakh to  turn  the  pilgrim's  thoughts  from  things 
divine. 

Passing  over  the  preliminary  stages  we  arrive 
at  Aradan,  the  subject  of  our  first  photograph — 
a  picturesque  citadel  now  uninhabited,  and 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  great  artificial  mound 
of  clay.  It. forms  one  of  a  group  of  such-like 
structures  of  which  Lasgird,  some  miles  farther 


.kKAT. ARTIFICIAL    MOUND   OF    CLAY. 


From  a] 


THE    HUGE    "  iMAN-KOOST       OF    LAbGlRL). 


[PI:, I.' 


So 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


on,  is  the  most  interesting.  This  "  man-roost," 
for  by  no  other  word  can  one  describe  it,  is 
inhabited.  Inside  is  a  staircase  leading  to  a 
double  storey  of  mud  hovels  built  on  the  very 
top  of  the  outer  wall.  Outside  these  hovels 
are  ledges  or  balconies  constructed  of  wood 
plastered  with  mud,  and  it  is  a  curious  sight 
from  the  distance  to  see  the  dwellers  squatting 
on  the  balconies,  for  all  the  world  like  huge 
birds.  To  prevent  the  children  falling  over  the 
balconies,  or  slipping  through  the  gaps  between 
the  beams,  the  little  ones  are  secured  by  ropes 
round  the  waist.  Abdullah  calls  it  "  Filth 
Castle,"  and  from  a  personal  inspection  I  can 
vouch  for  the  fitness  of  the  name. 

Our  ne.xt  photograph  is  a  general  view  of 
Semnan,  showing  the  entrance  to  the  mosque, 
as  well  as  the  mud-built,  dome-roofed   houses. 


!■  rem  a\ 


SEMNAN  —  ".NOTKIi    iul,     lls<jARI 
AND   IRRITA'IING    DIALECT. 


and  the  fine  minaret.  Semnan  is  noted  for 
its  gardens,  tea-cakes,  beautiful  women,  and 
irritating  dialect.  No  one  I  have  met  has  ever 
tasted  the  famous  tea-cakes.  One  traveller,  who 
asked  for  them,  was  blandly  told  that  the  in- 
habitants had  run  out  of  them,  owing  to  the 
enormous  local  consumption  and  export.  He 
was  further  informed  that  hard  times  had  caused 
a  deterioration  in  their  excellence.  A  traveller 
once  bought  .some  tablets  resembling  these  cakes, 


but  could  not  eat  ihem  for  the  most  excellent 
reason  that  they  were  composed  of  fuller's  earth, 
clay,  orpiment,  and  other  choice  ingredients — in 
short,  they  were  nothing  more  or  less  than  the 
depilatory  used  by  the  Persians  !  As  regards 
the  local  dialect,  it  has  been  likened  to  the  rattle 
of  a  number  of  pebbles  in  an  empty  gourd. 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  city  at  night  the 
muezzin's  voice  rang  out  impressively  from  the 
minaret  the  invocation:  "Allah  ho  Akbar" 
(mighty  is  God).  "  I  bear  witness  there  is  no 
God  but  God.  I  bear  witness  that  Mohamed 
is  the  Prophet  of  God.  I  bear  witness  that 
Ali,  the  commander  of  the  faithful,  is  the  friend 
of  God."  Which  sent  the  pious  Abdullah  into 
a  train  of  religious  thought. 

Damghan,  the  reputed  site  of  Hecatompyl^e 
(the  city  with  the  hundred  gates),  is  passed,  and 

Shahrud  next 
claims  our  atten- 
tion, for  one-half 
of  the  journey 
of  560  miles  is 
accomplished. 
It  is  a  place  of 
great  import- 
ance, for  here 
converge  the 
roads  leading 
from  Meshed, 
Teheran,  Yezd, 
Astrabad,  and 
Mazandera  n. 
Some  three  and 
a  half  miles  N.E. 
of  the  town  is 
Bostam,  of  which 
we  give  a  fine 
photograph.  It 
is  a  place  of  great 
sanctity,  for  here 
is  buried  the 
famous  Sultan 
Bayazid,  and 
near  the  mosque 
is  a  striking  min- 
aret similar  to 
that  of  Ispahan. 
Had  we  been 
travelling  by  caravan  we  should  have  had  to  avail 
ourselves  of  the  caravanserais  en  route ;  and,  in 
fact,  I  prefer  them  to  the  post-houses  because 
of  their  ever  -  changing  life  and  movement. 
Erected  by  pious  men  to  shelter  the  rich  and 
poor  alike  free  of  charge,  they  merit  a  description. 
Picture  to  yourself  a  vast  square  or  rectangular 
structure  of  brick  or  stone,  resembling  a 
mediaeval  fortress,  with  projecting  towers  at  the 
angles,  and  entered  -by  a  strong  gate.     We  enter, 


)KNS,    'lEA-CAKIiS,    liliAUTIFUI.    WO.MKN, 

VPlwio. 


II 


MY    JOURNEY    TO    THE    HOLY    CITY    OF    MESHED. 


Si 


fe: 


From  a\ 


IHJi    HOLY    J'LACK   OK    liOSTA.M,    WITH    ITS    Al  AGN  Il-ICENT   OLI)    MINAKET. 


Mecca  and  prays.  Near  the  gate  a  heated 
controversy  is  going  on  between  a  picturesque 
desert  Arab  and  the  gatekeeper.  Their  voices 
rise  and  fall  in  vehement  anger  :  they  clench 
their  hands  ;  their  eyes  flash,  and  there  is  a 
wealth  of  gesticulation  and  abuse.     It  is  not 

the  smartof  some 
deep  wrong  that 
moves  them  thus, 
nor  a  blood  feud, 
but  the  burning 
question  of  a 
copper  coin 
equivalent  to  an 
English  farthing. 
T  h  e  w  o  r  d  y 
conflict  looks 
like  ending  in 
bloodshed,  when 
a  sedate  mer- 
chant intervenes, 
calmer  counsels 
prevail,  and, 
fmally,  a  corn- 
pro  m  i  s  e  is 
effected  by  the 
gatekeeper  re- 
turning   some- 


{I'Loto. 


and  passing  the  "  seraidar  "  (the  keeper  of  the 
serai),  we  see  running  all  round  the  building 
a  number  of  recesses  or  cells  raised  some  3ft. 
above  the  ground.  Behind  these  are  the 
stables,  access  to  which  is  gained  by  entrances 
at  the  corners.  In  the  centre  of  the  court- 
yard there  is  usually  a  raised  dais  or 
platform.  Taking  possession  of  one  of  these 
cells,  after  it  has 
been  swept,  we 
look  out  on  the 
busy  scene  before 
us.  Strings  of 
camelsand  mules 
heavily  laden 
come  and  go 
with  a  tinkling 
and  booming  of 
bells  ;  the  mule- 
teer sings  as  he 
rubs  down  his 
mules ;  the  mer- 
chant gravely 
and  contentedly 
smokes  his  water- 
pipe  after  the  toil 
and  hardship  of 
the  day,  or  on 
bended  knee 
turns    towards 

Vol.  vi.-ll. 


thing  between  a 
farthing  and  nothing.  Peace  and  quietness 
reign  once  more,  and  the  wily  Arab,  in  seeming 
absent-mindedness,  helps  himself  to  a  handful 
of  the  gatekeeper's  dried  apricots  to  sweeten  the 
bitterness  of  the  compromise  aforesaid.  Stray 
donkeys  and  cows  stroll  in  from  the  neighbouring 
village  with  a  sort  of  "just  having  a  look  round  " 
air,  but,  in  reality,  bent  on  stealthily  attaching 


/■'inll!  a]         THIS    IS    TllK    I'EKSIA.N    C.\KA\ANS 


ERAl   WHICH    THE   AUTHOK    UESCKIliES   SO    PICTUKESf^UEI.V.         [Photo- 


82 


1HE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


themselves  to  some  Civoured  group  of  animals 
and  lielping  them  witli  their  barley  or  straw. 
Or  perchance  in  comes  a  long  string  of  animals 
carrying  corpses  packed  in  rough  boxes  or  felt, 
and  all  bound  for  their  final  resting  place  in 
sacred  soil  at  Meshed.  The  spell  is  then  broken, 
and  the  traveller,  if  he  be  wise,  will  move  on. 

Our  route  now  traverses  the  "  Four  Stages  of 
Terror,"  and  we  think  of  the  time  when  the 
man-stealing  Turkomans  swept  this  tract  of 
country  like  a  devouring  fiame.  Dotted  all 
round  are  the  little  towers  where  the  shepherds 


flew    for    refuge :    the    caravanserai 


gates 


still 


show  the  bullet  marks  of  those  exciting  times. 
Travellers  have  recorded  with  what  fear  and 
trembling  these  stages  were  negotiated,  and 
with  what  anxiety  the  stragglers  in  the  soldier- 
escorted  caravans  would  ask  of  them,  "  Where 
is  the  gun  ?  "' — the  all-powerful  gun  :  although 
it  usually  happened  that  the  anuiiiunition  had 
been  left  behind  ! 

Passing  Sabzevar,  an  important  town,  we 
reach  Nishapur,  and  proceed  to  visit  the  cele- 
brated turquoise  mines  some  thirty  six  miles 
oft' — the  mines  from  which  the  world  draws 
practically  its  whole  supjjly  of  these  beautiful 
stones.  The  greater  number  of  the  gems  are 
found  in  the  alluvial  debris.  The  photograph 
shows  the  natives  engaged  in  this  work  close 
to  one  of  the  shafts.  Digging  and  blasting  are 
also  employed,  and  the  latter  [)rocess  is  respon- 


From  a\         AT  THE   riKQUOlsE    MINES 


si  hie  for  many  stones  being  so  badly  broken 
as  to  be  useless.  Let  not  the  traveller  delude 
himself  into  the  belief  that  at  the  mine  he  will 
be  able  to  buy  stones  cheaply.  Not  only 
are  the  turquoises  not  cheap,  but  the  tricky 
native  "fakes"  them  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
particularly  as  regards  the  colour,  and  it  is  not 
at  all  unusual  for  a  purchaser  to  see  the 
beautiful  blue  colour  change  gradually  into  a 
cabbage  green. 

Even  the  dealer  in  turquoises  never  buys 
off-hand,  but  carries  the  stone  several  days  in 
order  to  test  the  durability  of  the  colour ;  and 
to  secure  the  right  colour  in  the  first  instance  he 
matches  it  with  a  small  perfect  one  set  in  his 
signet-ring.  I  could  not  even  procure  in  Meshed 
what  were  once  so  common — fiat  pieces  of 
turquoise  with  Koranic  words  and  phrases 
engraved  thereon  in  gold  characters,  following 
and  thereby  concealing  the  flaws  and  veins. 
Nishapur  itself  is  a  veritable  Eldorado  for  the 
numismatist,  and  many  fine  coins  have  I  seen 
there,  chiefly  of  the  time  of  Alexander  the 
Oreat.  On  one  occasion  a  peasant  offered  to 
sell  me  several  exquisite  little  gold  images, 
which  he  averred  he  had  dug  up  in  Hamadan. 

Our  next  photograph  is  that  of  Kadam  Gah 
(the  place  of  the  step),  the  tradition  being  that 
Imam  Reza,  the  patron  saint  of  Meshed,  halted 
here,  and,  to  convince  the  local  fire-worshippers 
of  his  superiority,   left  the   imprint  of  his  foot 

upon  a  black 
stone.  The 
little  groups  of 
"  saiyids  ''  (de- 
scendants of  the 
Prophet)  about 
the  mosque 
scowled  upon 
ine,  so  I  re- 
frained f  r  o  m 
attempting  to 
see  the  stone. 
Abdullah,  who  is 
somewhat  of  a 
sceptic,  tells  me 
that  instead  of 
being  a  foot  it 
is  nearer  a  yard 
in  size.  The 
stately  pines  are 
well  worthy  of 
notice ;  nowhere 
else  in  Persia 
have  I  seen 
pines,  and  the 
village  grey- 
beards say  that 
the   seed    cones 


Ol    MSHAl'UR— NAT  IVE   WOliKEKS   NEAR   ONE    OF   THE    SHAFT.S.  iPhotO. 


MY    JOURNEY    TO    THE    HOLY    CITY    OF    MESHED. 


83 


THE    MOSi.LI-,    ..t 


Ai^ii.>iL>    -.ihi — Ai.iKol     JHI':   ONLY    H.ACK 

FroJit  a  I'hoto. 


ItKSIA    UH1-.KI-,    rlM-.     1  Kl-ES    GROW. 


were  brought  400  years  ago  by  a  pilgiim  from 
the  Himalayas. 

Leaving  Kadam  Ciah  we  press  on  all  through 
the  night,  for  in  night-travelling  lies  a  charm 
that  the  day  cannot  give.  The  glorious  moon 
rises  and  tones  down  the  harshness  of  the  dis- 
tant hills,  the  barren  rock.s,  and  the  glitter  of  the 
sand.  The  air,  too,  is  cool  after  the  day's  intense 
heat,  and  exhilarating  to  an  incredible  degree. 
'J'he  dried  herbs  emit  aromatic  perfumes  under 
the  horses'  hoofs ;  and  the  whole  scene  is 
plunged  in  silence. 

We  are  now  nearing  our  destination,  for  even 
if  I  were  not  cognizant  of  that  fact  the 
demeanour  of  Abdullah  would  have  informed 
me.  Generally  lax  in  religious  observances,  he 
has  now  become  a  paragon  of  piety  and  con- 
sideration for  others,  especially  when  his  fellow- 
pilgrims  are  present.  Three  times  a  day  he 
lifts  his  voice  in  prayer,  and  the  night  finds  him 
repeating  portions  of  the  Koran  with  irritating 
monotony. 

'I'o  the  request  of  the  little  bands  of  pilgrims 
whose  faces  are  turned  homewards,  "  We  sup- 
plicate your  prayers,"  he  answers,  with  studied 
politeness  and  unctuousness,  "  Ba  Chashm  !  " 
(Upon  my  eyes  be  it !)  He  even  alights 
from  liis  horse  and  adds  a  stone  to  the 
numerous  heaps  raised  by  the  willing  hands 
of  countless  devotees  along  the  wayside,  and 
also  attaches  a  rag  to  one  of  the  many  bushes 
already  covered    with    a  varied    assortment   of 


many  colours.  He 
says  that  by  so 
doing  the  Imam 
will  plead  for  him 
in  Paradise.  I  ask 
m  y  s  el  f,  w  i  t  h  a  m  a  ze- 
ment,  if  this  is  the 
selfsame  Abdullah 
of,  say,  but  two 
days  ago  ?  Is  this 
the  Abdullah  who 
told  a  poor,  totter- 
ing, decrepit  pil- 
grim from  far-off 
^lazanderan  that 
the  caravanserai 
was  quite  close, 
when  he  knew  we 
had  left  it  some 
four  hours  pre- 
viously, and  when 
I  remonstrated 
with  him  for  the 
deception,  blandly 
said,  "  It  is  better 
to  give  pleasure  by 
lying  than  cause 
despair  by  speakiijg  the  truth."  Is  this  the 
Abdullah,  I  wondered,  who  induced  a  whole 
tribe  of  pilgrims,  parched  with  thirst,  to  alight 
and  drink  at  a  stream  which  he  knew,  by  bitter 
experience,  was  undrinkable,  and  then,  because 
they  complained,  made  unkind  references  touch- 
ing their  female  relatives  ? 

Descending  from  the  hills  that  give  on  to  the 
plain  we  see  before  us  with  gladness  of  heart 
the  sacred  city  of  Khorasan — Meshed,  the 
place  of  the  martyrdom,  with  its  golden  domes 
and  minarets  bright  and  flashing  under  the 
eastern  sun,  a  rich  gem  in  a  rare  setting  of 
bright  green,  in  striking  contrast  to  the  surround- 
ing waste.  Entering  by  one  of  the  city  gates — 
for,  like  all  towns  and  villages  coming  within 
the  sphere  of  Turkoman  raids,  it  is  surrounded 
by  mud  walls  with  turrets  at  intervals — we  are 
struck  by  the  diversity  of  races  and  costumes 
and  the  dense  mass  of  humanity  rolling  on 
in  an  endless  stream  through  the  principal 
thoroughfares.  There  are  the  fierce,  well-armed 
Afghan  ;  the  gaunt  Turkoman,  with  his  big  fur 
cap  ;  the  wild-eyed  Bedouin  ;  the  turbaned 
Hindu  ;  the  elegant  Persian  ;  the  Turk  ;  the 
negro;  the  Mongol ;  the  Tajik  ;  the  picturesque 
Dervish,  with  his  leopard-skin  and  battle-axe 
and  gourd  for  the  collection  of  alms — a  scene 
of  never-failing  interest. 

Approaching  the  Great  Mosque,  the  resting- 
place  of  the  saint  whose  martyrdom  made 
Meshed  famous    for    all    time,   we   cannot    but 


84 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


admire  the  splendid  Mosque  of  Gnuhar  Shah, 
forming  one  of  the  group  of  buildings  whose 
richness  surpasses  the  most  noted  of  tombs  to 
which  the  Mohammedan  world  pays  tribute  and 
homage.  The  monument  of  Imam,  lying  to  the 
left  of  the  "  Sahn,"  or  courtyard,  is  inlaid  with 
gold  inside  and  out.  The  walls  are  resplendent 
with  jewels,  plumes,  shields,  etc.,  all  studded 
with  gems  of  great  value.  In  spite  of  the 
vicissitudes  through  which  it  has  passed,  the 
inroads  of  predatory  Uzbegs  and  Afghans,  the 
place  is  still  one  great  treasure-house  into 
which  the  feet  of  no  infidel  or  hated  "  Ferin- 
ghee  "  dare  enter. 


THE   f.KEAT    MMSV'-K    IN    'I  UK    lliil.V    ClI  V    (JK    Ml'.SIlIvlJ— AI.I,    THE    K 
/■•onia]  KEPKESE.NTEL)    HEKE,    AND   THE   I'LACE   IS   A   SANCTUARY 


The  massive  gates,  one  of  which  is  shown  in 
my  next  photograph,  are  covered  with  inscriptions 
from  the  Koran  in  Kufic  lettering,  engraved  in 
gold,  and  set  with  beautiful  inlaid  tiles.  The 
boundary  line  of  the  precincts  of  the  mosque  is 
marked  by  a  chain,  beyond  which  none  but 
the  faithful  must  go.  The  revenues  of  the 
shrine  in  money  and  kind  are  enormous,  besides 
which  it  possesses  landed  property  all  over 
Persia. 

Meshed  is  noted  as  being  a  city  like  in 
character  to  the  Scriptural  cities  of  refuge. 
Once  within  the  "Bast,"  or  sanctuary,  in  the 
mosque,  the  fugitive  fleeing  from  justice  is  safe, 

and    no    one    can    drag 

him   forth    not    even    by 
Royal  command. 

There  seems  little 
doubt  that  the  average 
pilgrim  goes  to  places  of 
pilgrimage  for  the  sake 
of  having  what  he  would 
call  a  good  time,  and 
for  the  material  pleasures 
and  advantages  which  it 
confers.  The  marriage 
laws  are  very  accommo- 
dating as  regards  the 
number  of  wives  a  man 
may  have,  and  special 
facilities  and  allowances 
are  granted  in  this  re- 
spect to  pilgrims  when 
in  Mecca,  Kerbela, 
Meshed,  and  Nejef. 
Then  again,  if  the 
journey  be  undertaken 
during  the  month  of 
Ramazan,  they  are 
exempt  from  fasting. 
The  pilgrim  matri- 
monially inclined  can  be 
provided  by  the  "  mul- 
lahs "  or  i)riests  with  a 
spouse  on  the  shortest 
notice. 

The  pilgrim  to  Meshed 
can  prefix  "  Meshedi  "  to 
his  name,  or  "  Kerbelai  " 
if  he  visits  Kerbelai,  and 
"  Hajji,"  the  highest  title 
of  all,  if  he  makes  the 
"  Haj  "  or  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca. 


ACES   OF    THK   OUIENT   AKK 
FOR   CRllUNALS.  \_PllotO 


How  a  Land=slide  was  Fought  with  a  Steam=hose, 


By    J.    J.    S.    LiNDBERG.    OF    BERKELEY,    CaL. 

An  interesting  instance  of  railway  ingenuity  and  resourcefulness  in  California.      A  land-slide  having 

blocked    the    track   and    proved    incapable    of  removal  by  ordinary  labour,  a   steam-hose    was    lowered 

into  the  river  and  supplied  by  four  engines.       In  a  few  days  the  vast  mass  was    literally  melted   away 

by  the  tremendous  energy  of  the  jet  of  water  directed  with  wondrous  skill  by  an  old  "  placer  "-miner. 


T  the  very  foot  of  beautiful  snow- 
crested  Mount  Shasta,  in  California, 
there  springs  from  among  a  mossy 
and  flowery  bed  a  brisk  and  noisy 
stream.     It  leaps  and  bounds  down 

a  deep  canyon,  and  grows  rapidly  in  a  few  miles, 

fed  by  innumerable  springs,  all  literally  bursting 

from  the  mighty  pedestal  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 

on  which  Mount  Shasta  rests  as 

the  crowning  monument. 

The  slopes  of  the  canyon  on 

which  this  stream  lives  its  glad 

young  life  are  covered  with  tall, 

straight    firs    and    pines,   and  in 

summer  the  air  is  heavy  with  the 

scent  of  flowering  azaleas.     The 

bed    of   rocks,    over   which    the 

stream  plays,  is  a  favourite  abode 

for   trout    in    great    abundance. 

The   stream   grows   and    grows, 

and    by  the   time  it   leaves  the 

narrow  confines  of  the  canyon, 

and  enters  the  open,  flat  country, 

it  is  a  river.     Then  it  joins  with 

other  rivers,  grows  sluggish  and 

dirty,    and    we   will    leave   it   to 

find  its  own  way  into  the  Pacific 

Ocean. 

The  stream    is   the  far-famec'. 

Sacramento.     Now  the    railroad 

connecting    California    with    its 

northern  neighbour,  Oregon,  and 

named  after   both  States,  has  a 

hard  time  in  getting  through  the 

canyon  through  which  the  young 

Sacramento  River  frisks  so  gaily. 

It  follows  the    windings  of  the 

river    closely,    crosses   it   about 

twenty  times,  and  delves  through 

more    than    a    dozen     tunnels. 

Above  the  track  tower  the  mighty 

pines,  growing  straight  and  stately 

on    the    mountain    sides    in    the 

light   covering  of  soil  made  by 

their  own    debris    during    many 

yeans,  when  no  engine  whistle  dis- 
turbed these  silent  canyons,  and 

long  before  the  lumber-man  cast 


his  covetous  eyes  on  them  and  calculated  them 
up  into  cubic  feet.  In  half-a-dozen  places  there 
boils  out  of  the  ground  delicious,  cold,  effer- 
vescent soda-water,  of  Nature's  own  make,  some 
of  it  of  great  commercial  value  for  bottling, 
and  in  other  places  used  locally  in  connection 
with  summer  resorts.  When  the  railroad  was 
being  built  it  was  necessary  to  cut  a  shelf,  as  it 


THE    LAXD-SLIUE    NKAk    I  HE    1  L  N-'-'EL— <^E.M:;UAI.   VIEW    FKOJl    ACROSS  THE  KIVEK. 

From  a  Photo. 


86 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


were,  on  the  canyon  side,  to  put  the  track  on. 
Nature  did  much  here,  hut  did  not  provide 
mucli  in  the  way  of  facilities  for  a  raihoad. 
\\"lienever  the  slope  is  very  steep,  and  the  top 
soil  is  over  a  layer  of  clay,  resting  immediately 
on  the  rocky  side  of  the  canyon,  then  trouble 
begins  for  the  railroad.  A\'hen  the  snow  melts 
the  water  softens  the  clay  and  loosens  it  from 
the  rock,  so  tliat  in  course  of  time  the  whole 
mass,  subject  to  these  conditions,  commences 
to  move  down.  'J'he  extent  of  a  land-slide,  of 
course,  depends  on  the  angle  of  the  rocky 
foundation  ;  also  on  the  fineness  of  the  clay 
and  its  extent  on  the  place  where  the  water 
soaks  in,  whether  high  up  or  low  down  the 
slope.  And,  finally,  its  extent  depends  on  the 
amount  of  water  that  enters. 

There  are,  of  course,  other  conditions  that 
may  cau.se  land-slides,  but  the  j)rinciple  is  the 
same,  and   the  event   with   which  we  will  deal 


the  railway  officials  during  the  heavy  winter  of 
1889-90,  but  the  largely-increased  labour  gangs 
kept  these  places  open  for  the  trains  in  most 
cases  without  any  great  delay. 

In  the  last  week  of  January,  1890,  however,  a 
slide  was  reported  at  the  north  end  of  the  above- 
mentioned  tunnel.  It  was  a  new  place  for  a 
slide,  but  it  took  a  lead  amongst  its  brethren  at 
once.  Measured  along  the  track  it  was  about 
250ft.,  and  covered  the  north  end  of  the  tunnel, 
and  part  of  tlie  slush  extended  into  it.  The 
break  on  the  slope  was  about  400ft.  above  the 
track,  and  this  huge  mass  had  moved  down, 
slopped  over  the  track,  and  now  rested 
(piietly  with  its  base  on  a  narrow  slip  of 
overflow  border  of  the  river.  The  depth  of 
the  slide  covering  the  track  was  about 
2Sft.  The  whole  slope  had  come  down  very 
quietly,  as  but  few  of  the  trees  growing  on 
the  moved  surface  were  disturbed ;  and  although 


;i-I'LY  TKAIN   IS  SHOWN   o:,    WW.   LI,. 


.ul.N    AMj   CAivlS   AT    WOKK    IN    THE    DISTANCE. 


From  a  Plioto. 


was  just  caused  in  this  way.  Half-way  up  the 
canyon,  coming  from  the  south,  a  bridge  crosses 
the  river  on  a  curve  to  the  right  ;  and  nearly 
immediately  ahead  of  the  bridge  is  a  tunnel 
through  one  of  the  many  spurs  of  the  moun- 
tain which  turns  and  twists  the  river  into  a 
snake-like  course.  After  you  leave  the  tunnel, 
through  its  north  end,  the  track  curves  sharply 
to  the  left.  There  had  been  a  number  of  places 
where  land  slides  on  a  small  scale  had  l)f)thered 


they  had  slid  altogether  some  50ft.  down- 
ward, they  stood  erect,  and  apparently  solid  as 
ever.  Of  course,  a  few  at  the  bottom  of  the 
slide  had  toppled  over  and  were  covered  more 
or  less  by  the  moved  earth.  Owing  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  ground  it  would  be  very  difificult  to 
transfer  passengers,  as  they  would  have  to  walk 
around,  not  only  the  slide,  but  also  round  the 
spur  of  the  mountain  through  which  the  tunnel 
ran.  'I'o  build  a  track  around  w.is  (juite  impossible. 


HOW   A   I.AND-SLIDE   WAS    FOUGHT   WITH   A   STEAM-HOSE. 


87 


The  largest  settlement  and  the  division  head- 
qaarters  was  a  small  town  called  Uunsmuir, 
picturesquely  located  in  the  same  canyon  about 
twenty  miles  farther  north.  From  this  place, 
however,  there  was  no  help  to  be  had.  All  the 
idle  hands  that  the  different  lumber  camps 
could  muster  up  had  already  been  entered  in  the 
regular  section  gangs.  So  several  hundred  men, 
together  with  scrapers,  mules  and  horses,  dump 
carts,  and  other  necessaries,  were  sent  post- 
haste from  Sacramento,  and  work  begun  to  clear 
off  the  track,  which  was  vigorously  prosecuted 
day  and  night.  Dozens  of  engine  head-lights 
enabled  the  night  force  to  work  very  well.  The 
weather  had  been  propitious.  There  was  but 
little  snow  on  the  ground  to  melt,  and  for 
several  days  there  \vas  no  rain,  but  this  did  not 


all  necessary  fittings  in  the  way  of  steam  pipes, 
etc.  Four  freight  engines  were  also  brought 
down  from  Dunsmuir  and  set  out  on  a  spur 
track,  right  above  where  the  pumps  were 
being  put  up  about  600ft.  from  the  slide. 
The  suction  pipes  were  dropped  into  the 
river ;  the  steam  for  the  pumps  was  supplied 
from  the  four  engines;  a  i2in.  discharge  pipe 
was  laid  to  the  land-slide  ;  a  hydraulic  nozzle 
connected  ;  and  then  this  strangest  of  "  hydro- 
pathetic  cures  "  started.  It  was  a  success  from 
the  beginning.  There  was  no  stoppage  until 
the  immense  mass  was  literally  washed  off  the 
track  ;  also  from  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel ;  and 
all  the  covering  soil  from  the  rocky  mountain 
side,  so  that  there  could  be  no  more  slide 
at    that    point.       In    order    to    facilitate    the 


rni-.iU-'.    WAS    NO    srolTAGE    UNTIL 


THE    IMMENSE    MASS   WAS    LITERALLY    WASHED   OFF   THE   TKACK. 

From  a  Photo. 


last.  Steady  rain  soon  set  in,  and  as  fast  as 
the  carts  moved  the  dirt  away  a  new  sujiply  slid 
down  to  take  its  place.  Other  difficulties  were 
added  to  this.  Pieces  of  rotten  rock,  boulders, 
and  stone  rolled  down  continually,  and  made  it 
dangerous  for  the  men  and  animals  to  work. 
Moreover,  the  dirt  got  so  soft  and  sticky  that  it 
would  not  slip  the  shovels.  Time  was  precious  ; 
something  had  to  be  done. 

Water  "had  caused  the  trouble  and  water 
should  cure  it.  A  clever  Western  mind 
promptly  decided  on  an  original  and  unex- 
pected course.  Twelve  steam  suction  pumps 
were   brought  from  Sacramento,  together  with 


moving  of  the  dirt  from  the  slope,  after  the 
track  had  been  practically  cleared,  wooden 
chutes  were  constructed  leading  down  below 
the  level  of  track,  and  discharging  into  tlie  river. 
In  this  way  a  tolerably  fair  road  was  obtained 
leading  by 'the  slide,  so  as  to  allow  of  the  transfer 
of  passengers  and  even  light  freight.  And  still 
the  work  of  washing  down  the  land-slide  went  on 
uninterruptedly  day  and  night  through  the  chutes. 
The  hydraulic  nozzle  orifice  was  6in.,  and  with 
the  tremendous  power  with  which  the  twelve 
pumps  driven  by  the  four  engines  sent_  the 
water  thrcrugh  the  i2in.  supply  pipe  to  it,  it 
was    no  wonder    that    the   execution    was    tre- 


88 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    iMAGAZINE. 


mendous  —  a  peculiar  war  of  the  elements, 
indeed.  Of  course,  a  great  deal  of  the  effect 
was  due  to  the  experienced  liand  that  guided 
tiie  nozzle.  It  was  an  old  "placer"-mining  man 
who    handled    the    hose,  and  it  was  a  pleasure 


he  was  as  deft  and  clever  to  speed  it  on  its  way 
through  the  chutes  to  the  river  in  the  form 
of  licjuid  mud,  so  that  it  should  not  clog 
there.  Along  those  chutes  men  were  stationed 
with   long  shovels   to   intercept  the    stone  and 


From  d\ 


"  IT    WAS   AN    OLD    '  I'LACER '-MINING    MAN    WHO    HANUl.EU    THE   HOSE.' 


[PJioto. 


to  see  how  he  kept  the  enormous  and  melting 
slide  moving.  With  straight  shots  he  would 
.bore  holes  round  a  certain  part  that  might  be 
slow  in  moving.  Then  he  would  change  the 
angle  of  the  stream  and  gently  spray  the  whole 
mass.  Finally  selecting  a  point  right  above  it, 
he  would  pour  in  over  it  for  a  while  a  strong, 
continuous  stream,  that  never  failed  to  bring 
the  quarry  down.     When   the  mass   had  fallen 


pieces  of  rock  so  as  not  to  burden  or  dam  the 
river. 

In  ten  days  this  immense  mass  of  earth, 
which  even  under  favourable  circumstances 
could  not  have  been  moved  by  hundreds  of 
shovels  in  hundreds  of  days,  was  cheaply  dis- 
posed of,  melted  and  dispersed,  and  the  moun- 
tain had  its  face  so  thoroughly  washed  that  it 
will  never  forget  it. 


The  Fate  of  the  Pearler  ''Ethel.'' 

V>\  (iEORGE    StACV,    of    PeKTH,   W.A. 

The  author  is  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the   "  West  Australian,"  Perth,  and  he  reported  the  whole  of 
the  evidence  of  the  case.      He    personally  interviewed   many  of  the  actors  in  this  lurid  drama. 


Jl 


^idSpi-- 


^-W^ia^  *'  ^ 


From  a  Photo.  by\ 


A    FLEET   OF    WESTRALIA.V    TEAKLING    LLGGERS. 


\D>:  E.  Black,  of  Perth. 


T  was  a  peaceful  night,  late  in 
Octol)er,  1899,  when  the  brigantine 
Ethel,  employed  in  the  pearling 
industry  on  the  nor'-west  coast  bf 
Western  Australia,  weighed  anchor 
in  Roebuck  Bay,  and  set  forth  on  a  visit  to 
the  fleet  of  luggers  stationed  at  La  Grange 
Bay  (otherwise  known  as  the  Ninety-mile 
Btach),  a  locality 
about  that  distance 
to  the  south  of 
Broome,  the  centre 
of  pearling  opera- 
tions. It  is  from 
the  luggers  that  the 
divers  descend  in 
search  of  the  valu- 
able pearl-shell  and 
its  occasional  con- 
tents, the  much  more 
valuable  "  gems  of 
ocean."  The  Ethel 
— celebrated  among 
pearlers  for  her  man- 
o'-war-like  neatness, 
her  polished  brass- 
work,  and  snowy, 
holy-stoned  decks — 
acted  as  tender  to 
the  fleet  of  luggers, 
visiting  them  periodi- 
cally to  supply  them 
Vol.  vi.— 12. 


with  stores,  and  to  carry  away  from  the  pearl- 
ing station  the  accumulated  results  of  the 
labours  of  the  divers  and  their  assistants. 

When  the  Ethel  set  sail  there  was  in  com- 
mand her  owner.  Captain  J.  A.  Reddell,  to 
whom  also  belonged  the  fleet  of  luggers  about 
to  be  visited.  Leslie  H.  Reddell  accompanied 
his   father  as  ship's  clerk,  and  these  two,  with 


'IHE    ILL-FATED 


ETHEL       AT   EB 

From  a 


B  tide;  captalv  reddell  stands  just  ijelow  the  .MAIN-.%L\M'. 
Photo,  hy  Dr.  F.  Black,  0/ Perth,  W.A. 


90 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  ship's  carpenter  (J.  S.  Taylor),  were  the  only 
Europeans  on  board.  The  crew  consisted,  as 
is  usual  in  pearling  vessels,  of  coloured  men, 
who  numbered  eighteen  all  told.  Included  in 
that  number  were  Filipinos,  Malays,  Japanese, 
an  Australian  aboriginal,  a  Chinese  cook,  and 
a  cabin-boy  of  the  same  nationality. 

Captain  Reddell  was  a  kindly,  but  withal  a 
gruff,  old  sea-dog.  His  Chin.'ese  cook  said  of 
him,  '•  He  makee  plenty  noise  with  he  moot'-- 
no  stlikee  any  man  ! "  Honest  as  the  day  in  all 
his  dealings,  whether  with  white  or  coloured 
men,  he  was  universally  respected.  His  bark 
was  worse  than  his  bite.  Say  rather  that  he 
had  no  bite,  for,  unlike 
many  men  in  his  posi- 
tion, he  refrained  from 
all  acts  of  violence 
towards  those  whom  he 
employed.  His  hurri- 
cane roar,  though,  was 
enough  to  make  wrong- 
doers tremble.  Captain 
Reddell's  long,  flowing 
white  beard  and  gener- 
ally benevolent  appear- 
ance accounted  for  his 
being  affectionately 
nicknamed  "  Father 
Christmas."  He  had 
at  one  time  been  a 
skipper  in  the  P.  and  O. 
service  and  in  that  of 
the  Eastern  and  Austra- 
han  S.  N.  Co.  Later 
he  became  a  Torres 
Straits  pilot,  but  for  a 
dozen  or  so  years  before 
his  death  he  had  |been 
largely  interested  in  the 
pearling  industry.  Some 
sea  -  captains  seek  to 
increase  their  wealth 
by  encouraging  the 
members  of  their  crews 

to  spend  their  earnings  at  the  slop-chest ;  but  this 
was  a  practice  that  the  old  man  discouraged, 
seeking  rather  to  induce  his  men  to  practise 
thrift.  His  son — known  to  the  crew  as  "Jack" 
— was  also  a  popular  young  fellow.  Taylor,  the 
carpenter,  was  a  steady  -  going  man,  and 
apparently  stood  well  with  the  mixed  lot  that 
worked  as  seamen  on  the  brigantine. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  with  her  course 
shaped  for  the  southward,  the  Ethel  at  midnight 
lay  '"a  painted  ship  upon  a  painted  ocean." 
The  moon  was  full,  the  night  calm  and  clear, 
when  one  of  those  sea  tragedies  with  which 
fiction  abounds,  but  of  which  so  few  authenti- 


INSPECTOR    ?ARLEV,    OV    THE   WESTRALIAN        C.I.D., 

WHO     INVESTIGATED     THE     AFFAIR     AND     OBTAINED     THE 

EXTRADITION. 

From  a  Photo,  by  G>ccnhatii  &^  Evatis,  of  Perth,  IV.  A. 


cated  records  are  extant,  was  enacted.    In  a  few 
moments  the  captain,  his  son,  and  the  carpenter 
were  savagely  murdered  by  a  mutinous  gang  of 
the    coloured    crew.     The  first   intimation   that 
anything  had  gone  wrong  was  the  failure  of  the 
£//ie/  to  arrive  at  La  Grange  Bay.     It  was  at 
once  surmised  that  the  crew  had  mutinied,  mur- 
dered the  white  men  on  board,  and  then  made 
off  with  the  vessel.    This  surmise  was,  to  a  certain 
extent,  strengthened  by  the  report  of  the  captain 
of   the   schooner   Nellie.      He   stated   that   he 
had    sighted    the   Ethel  steering  north    in    the 
vicinity  of  the  Lacepede  Islands.     The  Western 
Australian    Government    thereupon    communi- 
cated with  the  authori- 
ties   at    Singapore    and 
those    of     the     Dutch 
Colonies  in  the  Celebes 
Islands.    Requests  were 
made    that    a    look-out 
should  be  kept  for  the 
missing  brigantine  and 
her  crew.     Captains  of 
vessels    trading   in    the 
Archipelago   were   simi- 
larly requested  to  report 
any  trace   of  the  Ethel 
that  came  to  their  notice. 
The  captain  of  the  Sul- 
tan,  a   steamer   trading 
between  Singapore  and 
Fremantle,     went    con- 
siderably   out     of     his 
course    in   the   hope   of 
learning    something    of 
the  Ethel — vainly,  how- 
ever,     as     it     proved. 
Those     on    board    the 
brigantine    who    feared 
capture  strove  to  protect 
themselves    by   altering 
the   appearance  of  the 
craft — quite  in   accord- 
ance     with     the     best 
precedents      of     sensa- 
tional   "pirate"    fiction.      She    was    painted  a 
sombre  black  from  rail  to  water-line,  and  a  stay- 
sail added  to  somewhat  alter  the  appearance  of 
her  rig.       But    this  was  done  too   late.      The 
captain  of   the  Nellie  had   identified   the  run- 
away craft. 

Two  months  passed.  There  then  came  a 
notification  from  the  Dutch  at  Macassar  that 
certain  members  of  the  crew  of  the  Ethel  were 
then  lying  in  gaol  in  that  port.  Inspector  Farley, 
chief  of  the  Criminal  Investigation  Branch  of 
the  Police  Department  of  \\'estern  Australia, 
with  several  constables,  was  dispatched  to  the 
Celebes,     returning    a    few    months    later    with 


THE    FATE    OF    THE    PEARLER    "ETHEL." 


91 


Sebia  Garcia. 


Jean  Baptiste.  Maximino  Royaz. 


Hugo  Magdologo.  Itler  Perez.  Pedro  de  la  Cruz. 

From  a  Photo.  by\  the  Filipinos  who  were  charged  with  the  murders.  {Greenham  i^  Evans. 


Peter    Perez,    Pedro    de    la    Cruz,    Maximino 

Royaz,    Sebia   Garcia,    Hogo    Magdologo,    and 

Jean    Baptiste — all  natives   of   the    Philippine 

Islands.      These    men    were 

all   put    upon  their    trial   for 

the      murders      of     Captain 

Reddell,     his    son,    and    the 

carpenter ;     while    the    first 

two    were     further    charged 

with  murdering  an  aboriginal 

known    as    "  Jacky "    and    a 

Japanese  named  Ando. 


Poo  Ah  Ming,  the  Chinese 
cook,  and  Abdullah  Ben  Ali, 
a  Malay  seaman,  told  the 
history  of  those  awful  hours 
aboard  the  little  vessel.  The 
former  was  asleep  in  his  bunk 
in  the  galley  when  he  was 
awakened  by  the  sound  of 
footsteps.  ''They  are  putting 
the  vessel  about,"  he  thought, 
sleepily,  but  he  was  to  know 
better  soon.  A  quarter  of 
an  hour  later,  Jean,    Hogo, 


POO   AH    MING, 

From  rt] 


the  ch 

"  El  H 


and  Ma.ximino  came  with   Peter  and   Pedro  to 

the  galley,  the  door  of  which  Maximino  opened. 

Jean    stood   at   the   door  carrying   a    sword    or 

cutlass,   and  called,  "  Cook  ! 

cook  !  follow  me." 

The  terrified  cook  arose, 
and  asked,  "  What's  the 
matter  ?  " 

The  reply  checked  further 
questions  :  "  Don't  say  too 
much,  but  follow  me.  You 
know  all  bimeby." 

Poo  Ah  Ming  followed. 
When  he  reached  the  deck 
Maximino  put  a  long,  sharp 
knife  to  his  throat  ;  but, 
Jean  saying  something  in  the 
Filipino  language,  Maximino 
withdrew  the  weapon.  All 
the  Filipinos  were  armed, 
and  Pedro  and  Peter  were 
covered  in  blood.  After 
some  little  conversation 
among  the  Filipinos  Poo 
Ah  Ming  was  allowed  to 
return  to  his  galley,  whence 


inese  cook  of  the 

EL."  [Photo. 


92 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    .MAGAZINE. 


\    I   -IKAIJAN    TKAKLKK — Ol'KMNG    TllK    SHKI.I.S    IN 

From  a  Photo,  by  Dr.  E.  Black,  of  Perth,   IV. .-i. 


he  watched  the  mutineers  divest  themselves  of 
their  blood-stained  clothes  and  then  wash 
themselves.  An  hour  later  the  cook  was  again 
sent  for.  Peter  told  him  to  have  no  fear,  and, 
pointing  to  the  closed  cabin  door,  asked,  "  You 
want  to  see  your  master  ?  " 

Poo  Ah  Ming,  not  knowing  what  dreadful 
thing  lay  behind  that  closed  door,  declined  to 
look,  and  once  more  returned  to  the  galley. 
Poor,  frightened  wretch  !  Half  fearing  that  he, 
too,  would  share  the  fate  which  he  instinctively 
knew  had  befallen  his 
master,  he  craved  sym- 
pathy and  companion- 
ship. 

"I  welly  fliten,"  he 
said,  plaintively,  in  court. 
"I  want  tell  Tan  Ah 
Que,  captain's  boy.  He 
down  fo'c's'le.  Hogo 
and  Sebia  in  fo'c's'le,  too. 
I  think  I  tell  him  jump 
in  water  swim  away.  Me 
too.  Him  an'  me  swim 
away."  But  a  Httle  con- 
sideration showed  the 
futility  of  such  a  step. 
After  a  while  Tan  Ah 
Que  came  on  deck.  He 
went,  as  was  his  wont, 
into  the  galley  for  the 
captain's  morning  coffee. 
"I  tell  him.  No  more 
captain.        Peter    killem 


captain,'  "  said 
Poo  Ah  Ming. 
"Then  Tan  Ah 
Que  welly  fliten, 
he  wantee  jump 
in  water.  I  tell 
him  No  !  Bimeby 
tellee  pliceman 
catchee." 

The  remainder 
of  the  crew  went 
about  their  work 
as  usual,  none 
daring  to  set 
themselves 
against  their  new 
masters,  whose 
certificates  of 
authority  were  a 
sharp  knife  and 
a  quick  hand. 
During  the  morn- 
ing Hogo  came 
to  the  cook  and 
told  him  how  the 
captain  had  died.  He  was  reading  a  chart 
when  Peter  entered  the  cabin,  unnoticed, 
and  struck  at  him  with  a  long  knife.  Wounded 
as  he  was,  the  old  man  essayed  some  sort 
of  resistance,  but  Peter  lifted  the  right  arm 
of  his  victim  and  stabbed  home..  The  captain 
fell  dead,  his  long,  snowy  beard  crimsoned  with 
his  own  blood.  Almost  simultaneously  his 
son  and  the  carpenter  were  struck  dead. 
How  they  died  only  the  murderers  could  say. 
Hogo  claimed  to  have  slain  young  Reddell,  and 


THF.    SCIIOij.\l-,l< 
From  a\ 


AND    HliK    CKKW.      Sll?:    AXCHOKED   Cl.OSli    TO   THE 
THK   MURDERS. 


SOON    .-MTEK 

[Photo. 


THE    FATE    OF    THE    PEARLER    "ETHEL. 


93 


Pedro  announced  himself  to  be  the  killer  of  the 
carpenter. 

During  the  morning  Peter  declared  himself 
captain.  He  and  the  other  mutineers  remained 
aft  drinking  spirits  which  they  had  taken  from 
the  store  into  which  they  had  broken.  About 
8  a.m.  the  anchor  was  let  go,  but  another  pearl- 
ing vessel,  the  Alto,  anchoring  not  far  off,  the 
Ethel's  cable  was  slipped  some  two  hours  later 
and  the  vessel  headed  to  sea.  Tiiose  on  board 
the  Alio  could  not  have  noticed 
the  method  of  getting  under  way, 
or  doubtless  they  would  have 
thought  there  was  something 
amiss,  for  Captain  Reddell  was 
not  the  man  to  needlessly  cast 
away  any  of  his  vessel's  gear. 
Perhaps  it  was  as  well  for  those 
on  board  the  Alto  that  they  made 
no  attempt  to  investigate  ;  for 
the  mutineers  were  prepared  to 
repel  the  advances  of  the  crew  of 
the  Alto  with  fire-arms  had  they 
approached. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon Peter  ordered  the  crew  aft 
to  remove  the  bodies  from  the 
cabin.  They  were  laid  on  the 
deck.  Those  of  the  carpenter  and 
Jack  Reddell  were  lashed  breast 
to  breast  with  chains,  the  captain's 
feet  being  bound  to  those  of  the 
others  by  another  length  of  chain. 
A  lugger's  anchor  was  then  at- 
tached, and  Pedro  having  shown 
his  contempt  for  the  corpses  by 
kicking  them,  they  were  thrown 
into  the  sea.  Water  was  drawn 
and  the  deck  and  cabin  cleansed. 

It  soon  began  to  dawn  on  the 
murderers  that  they  had  better 
give  some  explanation  to  the  crew. 
Peter  therefore  told  a  circum- 
stantial story  of  having  been  attacked  by  the 
"  old  man  "  while  on  deck,  and  that  the  captain 
had  fired  at  him  with  a  revolver,  wounding  him 
in  the  side.  Peter  snatched  the  revolver  and  shot 
the  captain.  Jack  and  the  carpenter  had  then 
come  with  revolvers  and  a  gun  to  avenge  the 
murder  of  the  captain,  and  wanted  to  shoot 
everybody  ;  but  Pedro  had  hit  them  with  his 
fist  and  they  fell  dead.  This  was  the  pretty 
fiction  that  was  to  be  told  by  everyone  if  the 
police  asked  any  questions. 

Thus  ran  the  story  of  Poo  Ah  Ming.  Tan 
Ah  Que,  still  quaking  with  fear  of  the  fiends 
with  whom  he  had  so  long  been  shipmates 
during  that  tragic  voyage,  told  much  the  same 
tale.     Abdullah   Ben  AH   narrated   how  he  was 


on  watch  that  awful  night  when  he  heard  two 
shrill  screams  from  the  cabin.  He  and  Sogo, 
another  seaman,  ran  aft,  and  were  met  by  Pedro, 
who  threatened  them  with  the  blood-stained 
tomahawk  he  carried  in  his  hand  and  ordered 
them  for'ard.  Later  on  Hogo  brought  Abdullah 
some  brandy.  Fear  compelled  him  to  swallow 
his  scruples  (he  is  a  Mohammedan),  and  he 
drank.  Fear,  too,  kept  him  sleepless  for  the 
remainder  of  that  nisiht. 


THIS   CHART   SHOWS   THE   KOUTE    TAKEN    BY    THE   MUTINEEKS. 
PREPARED    FOR   THIS   ARTICLE. 


IT   WAS   SPECIALLY 


The  Ethel  sailed  on  'and  on,  ever  drawing 
nearer  "  the  Malay  country."  The  lust  for  blood 
in  the  hearts  of  Peter  and  Pedro  only  slumbered. 
Jacky,  the  aboriginal — •"  Black-fellow  "  is  the 
term  used  colloquially  in  Australia — gave  way 
to  that  craving  for  liquor  which  he  had  deve- 
loped by  association  with  the  white  man.  This 
weakness  angered  Peter,  who  on  the  seventh 
day  after  the  murders  of  the  whites  walked 
forward  to  the  galley  outside  which  Jacky  sat 
eating  his  midday  meal. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  no  get  drunk?"  asked 
Peter,  and  without  further  ado  fired  a  revolver 
at  the  poor  black.  The  shot  was  not  fatal,  for 
Jacky  cried,  "  No,  Peter  !  "  meaning,  doubtless, 
"Spare  me."      But   Peter   was   not   one  of  the 


94 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


sparing  sort  ;  and,  firing  again,  poor  Jacky 
rolled  over  dead.  The  burial  at  sea  was  but  a 
repetition  of  those  a  week  before.  A  length  of 
rope,  an  anchor — and  overboard  ;  but  not 
before  Pedro,  as  before,  had  spurned  the  poor, 
lifeless  clay. 

The  afternoon  wore  on.  A  little  before  four 
o'clock  Ando,  the  Japanese,  was  drawing 
drinking-water  from  the  tanks  in  the  hold.  As 
he  stooped  Pedro  approached  him,  and,  appar- 
ently without  motive,  struck  him  on  the  head 
with  his  ever-ready  tomahawk,  the  edge  of  which 
he  had  that  morning  sharpened  with  an  oil-stone. 
Ando  saw   the   blow   falling  and   attempted   to 


replace  that  lying  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
hundreds  of  miles  away,  it  -Aas  dropped  in  sixty 
fathoms.  The  two  whale-boats  were  launched 
and  the  ship's  compass,  chronometers,  and 
[)apers,  together  with  a  number  of  rifles  and  the 
contents  of  the  ship's  safe — about  ;^2oo  in 
West  Australian  bank-notes  and  gold,  and  other 
valuables — also  some  food  and  water,  were  placed 
in  them.  Then  the  crew  took  to  the  boats, 
which  were  laid  alongside  their  mother  vessel, 
and  the  work  of  scuttling  began.  Peter  to  star- 
board, Pedro  to  port,  with  tomahawks  they 
hacked  holes  in  the  hull  of  the  doomed  vessel, 
along   the  water-line.     Soon   the   water   poured 


V 


THE   WHAkVts   Al     MACASSAR,    IN'    THE    DUTCH    INDIES.      (THE    MUTINEERS   WERE    KIKST   IMPKISONED    HEKE.) 

From  a  Photo. 


ward  it  off,  but  was  only  partially  successful. 
He  fled  aft  along  the  deck,  Pedro  in  hot  pursuit. 
Near  the  wheel  stood  Peter,  to  whom  the 
terrified  Japanese  clung  for  protection.  But 
Peter  pushed  away  the  suppliant,  and  Pedro 
struck — once,  twMce — burying  the  keen  weapon 
in  the  Asiatic's  skull.  As  before,  a  rope,  an 
anchor,  a  splash  overboard,  and  the  last  of  the 
Ethel  murders  was  an  episode  of  the  past. 

Still  the  brigantine  pushed  her  nose  nearer 
and  nearer  "  the  Malay  country."  Three  weeks 
after  the  murders  of  the  captain,  his  son,  and 
the  carpenter  land  was  sighted.  No  one  on 
board  knew  what  country  they  saw.  In  that 
impulsive  manner  with  which  they  had  acted 
throughout  the  mutineers  made  preparations  for 
landing.  The  vessel's  sails  were  furled,  and,  an 
anchor  having  been   shackled   to   the   cable  to 


into  the  wounds  made  in  the  vessel's  side.  The 
boats'-crews  rowed  away,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  Ethel  sank,  to  rest  400ft.  below  the 
surface  of  the  sea. 

The  boats  were  rowed  shorevvards.  Before 
an  attempt  was  made  at  landing  the  master 
mind  of  Peter  had  fabricated  the  story  which 
all  were  to  tell.  They  were  to  say  they  were 
shipwrecked  mariners  and  produce  the  necessary 
proof  in  the  ship's  papers.  The  captain  and 
others  had  been  drowned.  The  story  was 
plausible,  but  useless  at  the  spot  they  had 
reached,  which  they  learned  later  was  Selaru, 
the  southernmost  island  of  the  Tenimber  group, 
situated  about  500  miles  west  of  the  nearest 
point  of  New  Guinea.  The  inhabitants  were 
savage  and  inhospitable,  so  the  "  shipwrecked  " 
mariners,  not  daring  to  land,  coasted  along  until 


THE    FATE    OF  THE    PEARLER    "ETHEL. 


95 


they  reached  a  spot  called  Adeout,  a  Dutch 
trading  station  to  the  nor'ard.  Here  resided  a 
solitary  Dutch-Colonial  official,  his  title  Post- 
holder,  and  his  duty  to  represent  his  Govern- 
ment at  the  station,  at  which,  at  intervals,  a 
trading  steamer  called.     Before  landing   Peter 


to  go  and  inform  the  authorities  of  the  murders 
as  soon  as  the  steamer  berthed  at  the  wharf. 
Louis  accordingly  reported  to  the  Government 
Resident  while  Poo  Ah  Ming  watched  the 
movements  of  the  six  Filipinos.  The  official 
here     had     received     from    his     superiors     ar 


nil       lilt.    MLKDKKhKS    WKKli    I  .M  ri;l  SO.\  1 1 1, 

From  a  flioio.  by  E.  F.  F.dvtutids,  Perth. 


varied  his  fiction,  this  time  instructing  the  crew 
to  declare  that  the  captain  had  been  killed 
because  he  was  a  bad  man.  On  arrival  at 
Adeout  this  story  was  told.  But  Poo  Ah 
Ming's  chance  had  come.  He  took  service  with 
the  Post-holder  as  cook.  Telling  the  story  in 
court,  with  many  graphic  gestures,  he  said :  "One 
day  I  call  Post-holder  into  kitchen.  'S-s-sh!' 
I  say  " — he  placed  one  finger  on  his  lips  and 
with  the  other  hand  outstretched  continued : 
"  I  say  to  Post-holder,  '  I  tell  you  somet'ing. 
No  tell  Manila  man.'"  Then  he  told  the 
official  of  the  tragedies  on  the  Ethel.  The  Post- 
holder,  doubtful  how  to  act  in  the  emergency 
that  had  arisen,  sent  a  prahu — a  Malay  sailing 
vessel  —  to  a  brother  official  at  Sjarra,  some 
distance  along  the  coast.  After  a  lapse  of 
seventeen  days  Peter,  Pedro,  and  Jean  followed 
the  prahu,  the  rest  of  the  crew  remaining  at 
Adeout.  At  Sjarra  Peter  told  the  same  story  he 
had  told  at  Adeout,  whither  he  and  his  two  com- 
panions shortly  returned.  Thence  the  whole 
crew  were  sent  by  steamer  to  Banda,  one  of  a 
group  of  islands  about  4deg.  S.,  i3odeg.  E.  Here 
was  stationed  a  higher  official,  known  as  the 
Government  Resident.  The  day  before  the 
steamer  reached  Banda  Poo  Ah  Ming  arranged 
with  another  member  of  the  crew,  Louis  Pereira, 


Macassar  the  information  cabled  by  the  Western 
Australian  Government.  The  six  Filipinos 
were  therefore  arrested  by  his  orders  and  sent 
to  Amboina,  a  town  in  the  Island  of  Ceram, 
one  of  the  Moluccas.  From  Amboina  they 
were  transferred  to  the  gaol  at  Macassar  till  the 
necessary  formalities  demanded  by  the  Dutch 
Colonial  Government  could  be  complied  with. 
For  nearly  three  months  Inspector  Farley 
gathered  information,  prepared  documents,  and 
fought  the  stolid  Dutch  officials  with  a  patience 
only  greater  than  the  apathy  of  those  with  whom 
he  had  to  deal.  Eventually  the  inspector 
triumphed.  The  six  prisoners  were  extradited 
to  Western  Australia,  and  were  in  due  course 
tried  at  Perth,  the  capital  of  the  Colony,  for  the 
several  murders  that  had  been  committed.  All 
the  prisoners  except  Sebia  Garcia  were  found 
guilty  of  the  murder  of  Captain  Reddell,  and 
were  sentenced  to  death. 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  grimmest  tragedies  of 
the  sea  that  have  happened  of  late  years,  though 
the  scene  of  the  crimes  has  the  reputation  of 
being  the  theatre  of  many  such  bloodthirsty 
outrages,  which  the  proverbial  silence  of 
dead  men  and  the  loose  control  of  the  Dutch 
Government  have  combined  to  leave  unre 
corded. 


Odds  and  Ends. 


The  Thieves'  Market  in  Mexico  City —A    Rattlesnake  about    to    Strike     Feeding  the  Dead  in  China-  - 

The  Mariners"  Pulpit— Before  and  After   a    Bush    Fire     Some    Chinese    Snap-shots     A  Water-cart    in 

Northern  Russia— A  Pitfall  for  American  Troops — Where  Saints  are  Made,  etc.,  etc. 

Perhaps  the  queerest  and  drollest  market 
in  the  world  is  the  one  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying   photo.  —  the    "  Thieves'    Market  " 
of  the  City  of  Mexico.     In  this  market  one 
can  purchase    very   nearly  anything,   from   a 
diamond    ring    down    to    a    hair-pin.      Here 
you  will  encounter  ancient  books,  bound  in 
vellum,    and    worth    their    weight    in    gold ; 
queer  old  relics  of  the  days  of  the  Viceroys, 
and,  for  that  matter,  relics  of  Montezuma's 
time  !     As  for  modern  articles,  you  can  pur- 
chase everything,  from  a  Yankee  egg-beater 
to   a    modern    street-car,    and    every   single 
I     article    has    been    stolen.      The    peons    of 
Mexico  are,  perhaps,  the  greatest  thieves  on 
earth,    and    there    is    a    tale    told    of   some 
enterprising  rogues  who,  after  much  labour, 
actually  succeeded  in  getting  a  street-car  off 
its  track  and  into  this  same  thieves'  market, 
where    it    was    offered    to    the    highest    bidder. 
The  weekly  sales  take  place  on  Sundays,  and 
they   are    generally   well    attended  ;    for   every 
householder    who    has     been    robbed     during 
the   preceding   week   knows  that   by  attending 
the    "  thieves' "    Sunday    auction    he    is   quite 


1. — A    UtAlON    INXENTED    SOLELY    F(_)K     THE     IXKIDSE    OF    EVADING 


From  a\ 


A   VEXATIOUS   DECREE. 


[Photo. 


<^m 


OME  time  ago  stabbing  affrays  were 
of  such  frequent  occurrence  amongst 
the  Bavarian  peasants  that  the 
paternal  authorities  of  that  country 
were  compelled  to  forbid  the  carry- 
ins^  of  large  pocket-knives,  and  the  gendarmes 
had  orders  to  search  any  person  suspected  of 
carrying  a  knife,  and  to  confiscate  it  when 
found.  In  order  to  avoid  being  compelled  to 
give  up  their  cherished  weapons  the  peasants 
adopted  implements  such  as  the  one  shown  in 
our  photo.  At 
one  end  is  a 
wooden  case,  , 
containing  three 
little  instruments 
used  in  farriery — 
harmless,  neces- 
sary things,  which 
of  course  cannot 
be  confiscated.  At 
the  other  end, 
however,  is  a  blade 
large  enough  and 
strong  enough  to 
do  a  considerable 
amount  of  damage 
in  a  fight.  The 
invention  of  a 
weapon  solely  for 
the  purpose  of 
avoiding  a  vexa- 
tious decree  is 
surely  unique. 


sure    of    locatina:     his 


property,    and 


buying  it  back  again  at  merely  nominal  prices. 
That  such  a  market  exists  speaks  volumes 
for  the  state  of  law  and  order  in  the  City  of 
Mexico. 


2. — THE    illlEiE^ 


El     IN    MEXICO    CITV,    WHEIiE   STOLEN    I'RorERTV   IS    BOUGHT   AND    SOLD. 

From  a  Photo,  hy  C.   B.    Waite,  Mexico. 


OUDS    AND    ENDS. 


97 


Here  is  a  rattlesnake's  head  with  four  fully- 
developed  fangs.  'J"he  Crotalus  horridus  is 
one  of  the  most  dangerous  of  the  deadly  rattle- 
snake family.  All  rattlesnakes  have,  beside 
the  poison  -  fangs, 
two  rudinientary 
ones,  which,  if  the 
poison-fangs  are  lost 
in  any  way,  develop 
and  supply  their 
place.  But  the 
peculiarly  deadly 
specimen  whose 
head  is  here  photo- 
graphed has  the 
second  pnir  of  fangs 
fully  developed 
while  the  first  pair 
is  still  strong  and 
vigorous.  He  was 
a  very  large  snake, 
and,  after  being 
killed  in  the  hills  of 
Helotes,  about 
twenty  miles  from 
San  Antonio,  in 
Texas,  was  sent   to 

Dr.  R.  Menger,  who  prepared  the  fangs  so  as 
to  show  their  relation  to  the  poison  glands. 
The  photograph  was  taken  by  the  doctor,  and 
supplied  by  Mr.  Arthur  Inkersley,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Here  we  have  a  photograph  (taken  by  stealth) 
of    that    very    unicjue    custom,    the    feeding    of 


j. — A    K.M  ILliS.NAKr.  -s    i;i-:aIi,    SHI 

From  a  Photo  by  Dr.  R. 


food,  bags  of  rice,  and  pots  of  tea.  Wondering, 
we  followed  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen. 
In  one  small  remote  corner  of  the  graveyard 
are  the  graves  of  the  Chinese  dead,  each  grave- 
stone marked  with 
Chinese  characters  ; 
selecting  each  a 
grave,  the  China- 
men proceeded  to 
pour  upon  it,  in 
solemn  silence, 
quantities  of  rice, 
tea,  and  other 
comestibles,  ^^'c 
asked  of  one  of  the 
Celestials  (our  own 
wash  -  boy  for  the 
past  seven  years) 
permissi(jn  to  take 
a  photograph  of  the 
(jueer  scene  ;  he 
refused  with  more 
positiveness  than 
grace.  A\'hereupon 
we  retreated  to  our 
own  carriage  and, 
aided  by  an  um- 
brella and  carriage -robe,  got  several  surrepti- 
tious snap-shots,  of  which  the  Chinamen  were 
totally  unaware.  Chin,  the  wash-boy  alluded 
to,  explained  afterwards  that,  until  the  bones  of 
his  compatriots  could  be  taken  back  to  China, 
they  were  '  velly  much  hungry,'  not  being  able 
to    rest    in    the     '  Mellican's '    land,    for    which 


n\IM,    TFiF.     l-lll.l.V-DKVfl.OPKl)    lANO 

Menger,  San  Antonio,  Texas. 


f' 


/  rovt  a\ 


NEW   ME.VICO. 


{Photo. 


the  dead  by  the  Chinese  I  "This  picture  was 
obtained,  unknown  to  the  Chinamen  participat- 
ing in  the  queer  ceremony,  in  the  cemetery  at 
Silver  City,  New  Mexico.  At  the  time  we 
happened  to  be  driving  on  the  road  to  this 
place,  our  camera  fuitunately  with  us,  when  we 
encountered  divers  groups  of  elaborately  attired 
Chinamen,    all    carrying    waiterfuls    of    cooked 

V„l.  vi.— 13. 


reason   they  are  fed,   in   the   manner  shown,  at 
stated  intervals." 

One  of  the  sights  not  to  be  missed  in  Japan 
is  a  funeral,  especially  if  it  be  that  of  a  person 
who  has  occupied  some  high  position  ;  the 
brilliancy  of  the  colours  of  the  dresses,  the 
magnificence  of  the  floral  tributes,  and  the 
of    the     procession    giving   it 


immense    length 


98 


■['HE     WIDE     WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


more  the  nppearance  of  some  great 
f</c-  than  the  sombre  ^vvAV''  tt)  which 
English  people  are  aetustomed. 
Nearly  all  the  flowers  are  arranged 
in  pyramid  fashion  on  long  poles, 
and  each  person  carries  his  own 
tribute  in  the  procession.  As  in 
everything  connected  with  Japanese 
life,  gorgeously  coloured  jiaper  lan- 
terns play  an  important  part  at  a 
funeral,  and  the  ashes  of  the  body 
—  which  has  previously  been  cre- 
mated —are  carried  in  an  urn  on  a 
magnificent  bier.  The  priests  walk 
on  each  side,  the  immediate  rela- 
tives of  the  deceased  following 
behind. 

A  church,  steam  laundry,  and 
reading-rooms  under  one  roof  is 
surely  a  curiosity.  One  of  the  most 
curious  churches  in  the  world  is 
the  Mariners'  Church  of  San  Francisco.  The 
lower  part  of  the  building  is  a  steam  laundry, 
while  the  upper  part  contains  reading-rooms  for 
sailors  and  a  church.  The  pulpit  of  tlie 
church  is  also  very  remarkable.  It  is  built 
exactly  like  the  stern  of  the  clipper  ship  io/n^:-^ 
America,  and  has  a  taffrail,  dead-lights,  rudder, 
and  steering-wheel  ;  the  last  serving  as  a 
reading-desk.  On  the  wall  behind  the  puli^it 
and  above  it  are  the  words  from  St.  Luke, 
chap,  v.,  verse  3,  "He  taught  the  multitudes 
out  of  the  ship."  The  church  is  built  on  piles, 
and  is  continually  settling  in  the  soft  mud. 
The  lower  floor  of  the  church  is  occupied  by 
the    Contra  Costa    Laundry    Company,    which 


From  a\ 


5. —  ;\    FUNERAL   PROCESSION    IN   JAPAN. 


[Photo. 


6.— ISTEKIOK    OF    Dili   .MAKI.VEKS'   CHURCH    AT   SAN    FRANCISCO— THE 

Frmn  a\  si  ern  ok  a  ship. 


is  an  enterprising  corporation.  The  rent 
from  the  laundry  com[)any  helps  to  keep 
the  church  going.  After  the  Sunday  services 
are  over  tea  is  provided  for  the  sailors  by 
ladies,  who  prepare  and  serve  it  in  the  gallery, 
which  is  provided  with  tables  and  culinary 
utensils.  Adjacent  to  the  church  are  three 
reading-rooms,  one  for  English-speaking  sailors, 
another  for  those  who  speak  French,  and  a 
third  for  Germans.  The  pastor  is  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Rowell,  who  has  been  in  charge  since 
1858.  The  photograph  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Arthur  Inkersley,  of  San  Francisco. 

The  photograph  reproduced  at  the  top  of  the 
opposite  page,  taken  by  an  American  ofificer  now 

at  Manila,  shows  a 
cleverly  -  constructed 
native  pitfall  in  the 
Philippine  Islands. 
Failing  to  defeat  the 
American  troops  in 
open  battle,  the  Fili- 
pinos have  fallen 
back  upon  harassing 
guerilla  warfare,  which 
looks  like  lasting  for 
years.  The  United 
States  soldiers  have 
constantly  to  contend 
with  all  manner  of 
ambuscades  and 
snares,  and  in  this 
photo,  we  see  a  typical 
insurgent  trap.  An 
old  stone  culvert 
bridging  a  deep  ravine 
was  selected,  and  the 
centre  of  the   bridge 


PULPIT   IS   EXACTLY   LIKE   ThIC 

iPhoto. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


99 


7._A    DANGKROUS    PITr-Al.L    WHICH    TME    FILU'IMIS    CON- 
STRUCTED  TO   TRAP    THE   AMERICAN    TkOOI'S. 

From  a  Photo. 

taken  riglit  out,  leaving  a  chasm  about 
8ft.  wide  right  across  the  road.  In  the 
ground  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  were 
driven  a  number  of  sharpened  stakes,  so 
as  to  impale  those  who  fell  through  ; 
while  the  chasm  itself  was  cunningly 
hidden  with  bamboo  strips  covered  with 
matting,  grass,  and  earth  so  as  to  re- 
semble the  rest  of  the  roadway. 

A  Chinese  "  squeeze  "  boat  is  a  curious- 
looking  object,  'riiis  photograph  shows 
the   stern    of    one    of    these    unwieldy 


boats,  which  are  used  on  the  West 
River  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  rice 
past  the  "  Likin,"  or  native  Customs 
station.  These  are  situated  at  various 
points  along  the  river,  and  they  levy 
duty  on  everything  that  passes.  When 
the  "  squeeze  "  boats  are  loaded  the 
whole  of  the  swelling  hull  is  hidden 
below  water,  and  the  boat  appears  to 
be  less  than  half  her  former  size  and  to 
possess  not  half  her  carrying  capacity. 
As  the  usual  way  of  measuring  loaded 
boats  is  to  take  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  deck  and  to  push  a  long  lance 


8, 
From  a\ 


THIS   CHINFSE    UOAT   WAS   SPECIAM.Y    Hfll.T    FOR    SWINDLING   THE   CUSTOMS 

AUTHORITIES.  \_Photo. 


y.  — Tin,  rixL'i.iAi^  i)kac;i)n  boat  festival  in  china. 
From  a  Photo. 

into  the  cargo  to  ascertain  the  depth, 
it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  artful 
boatman  really  pays  duty  on  about 
one-half  of  his  cargo. 

Every  year,  on  the  fifth  day  of  the 
fifth  Chinese  moon,  the  "  Dragon 
Boat  "  Festival  is  celebrated  through- 
out China  wherever  there  is  a  suital)le 
stream.  From  early  morning  until 
night,  long,  narrow  boats,  containing 
from  thirty  to  sixty  rowers,  race  up  and 
down  the'river.  The  boats  are  gaily 
decorated  with  flags,  and  the  bow  of 
each  is  ornamented  with  the  head  of  a 
fierce  dragon.  In  the  centre  of  the 
boats  men  sit  beating  gongs  and 
drums,  exciting  the  rowers  to  greater 
exertions,  and  in  the  bow  stands  a 
"man  giving  the  proper  stroke  by  means 
of  a  'flag  which  he  waves  alternately 
from  side  to  side. 


lOO 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAOAZTKK. 


H-.    luK    AcK.s    l-uk.>i:.lJ    A    NATtKAU     1  RAl'    HU.:    U  11.  U    A.M.MALS. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Ilcyn,  Laramie,   Wyo. 


The  photo,  next  shown  was  taken  by  a  resi- 
dent of  Wyoming,  and  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able natural  wonders  in  a  country  noted  for 
curiosities  of  this  kind.  It  is  situated  about 
twentv-five  miles  west  of  Laramie,  and  is  locally 
known  as  the  "  Lion's  Den."  It  is  a  large  cir- 
cular room  or  vault  in  the  solid  rock  about  50ft. 
across  at  the  bottom,  and  having  a  round  open- 
ing at  the  top  about  15ft. 
in  diameter.  This  cave  has 
for  ages  formed  a  natural 
trap  for  wild  animals,  who 
have  fallen  into  it  in  great 
numbers.  The  floor  is 
literally  paved  with  horns 
and  bones  of  deer,  elk, 
buffalo,  and  other  animals. 
'I'hese  can  be  noticed  in 
the  photo.,  which  was  taken 
from  the  outside  down 
through  the  opening. 

During  the  eight  months 
of  winter  in  Northern 
Czarland,  when  the  rivers 
and  lakes  are  ice-beund 
and  covered  with  snow. 
tiie  supply  of  water  is 
a  matter  of  much  con- 
cern to  householders. 
Hot-water  springs  occur  in  some  places  ;  but 
where  Nature  has  not  solved  the  difficulty 
recourse  has  to  be  made  to  some  such  a 
contrivance  as  is  shown  in  the  accompanying 
photograph.  A  barrel  is  fixed  upon  runners 
drawn  by  a  pony  or  reindeer  ;  in  the  case  of 
the  former,  often  with  no  more  elaborate 
harness  than    a    cord   tied   to    the    tail    of   the 


animal  and  held 
in  the  driver's 
hand.  A  hole  is 
cut  with  a  saw  in 
the  thinnest  part 
of  the  ice — which 
is  often  from  3ft. 
to  6ft.  thick— and 
the  water  trans- 
ferred to  the 
barrel  by  n)eans 
of  a  long  ladle. 
In  this  way  the 
richer  folk  have 
their  water 
brought  to  their 
door;  their  poorer 
neighbours 
merely  melt  down 
snow  in  a  great 
iron  pot  heated 
with  fir  timber. 
These  ice-holes  aiso  give  the  younger  folk  an 
opportunity  of  winter  fishing.  To  catch  navaga 
— a  little  fish  of  the  cod  tribe— the  young  angler 
has  merely  to  tie  his  bait  crosswise  on  a  piece  of 
string  and  jerk  the  greedy  fish  up  on  to  the 
surrounding  ice.  Sterlet  can  also  be  caught,  but 
for  them  a  hook  baited  with  earthworms  must 
be  used,  they  being  toothless  ground  feeders. 


II.  —  HOW   THE   WELL-TO-DO    HAVF.   Till- IK    V.A'iF.l;    SUPI'LY    EUOUGHT   TO   THEIK    DOOIi    IN 


F}Oin  d\ 


MIRIHEKN    RUSSIA. 


[Photo. 


The  next  two  photos.,  "Before  and  After  a 
Bush  Fire,"  almost  tell  their  own  story.  In  the 
first  one,  one  walks  or  drives  over  fresh  ground 
probably  every  time,  so  vast  is  the  forest, 
altb.ough  near  to  civilization.  It  is  simply  called 
"  the  Forest,"  in  what  is  known  as  "the  Western 
District,"  in  Victoria,  Australia.  The  "track" 
through  the  trees  is  all  that  those  children  have 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


lOl 


F>  nm  a] 


:  OKF,    THE    r.USH    HKE   (WESTERN    UlSTIilCT,    VICTORIA). 


had  to  guide  them  in  reaching  the  spot  where 
they  are,  and  it  would  be  small  wonder  if  they 
should  lose  their  way  in  returning.  In  the 
distance  one  can  trace  the  devastation  of  some 
former  fire  by  the  trunks 
of  trees  lying  prone  and 
the  tops  of  those  still 
standing  burnt  down 
low.  "After  the  Fire" 
shows  a  scene  of  living 
solitude,  converted  into 
the  peacefulness  of 
death.  A  bush  fire,  or 
(as  in  this  case)  a  real 
forest  file,  once  begun, 
may  continue  for 
weeks.  Last  year  for 
quite  a  fortnight  the 
burning  of  fires  was 
smelt  a  hundred  miles 
away;  and  the  previous 
year  (when  these  photo- 
graphs were  taken) 
coasting  steamers  were 
unable  to  go  their  usual 
excursions  down  the 
bay,  so  black  and  dense 
was  the  smoke  from 
fires  all  round,  yet  the 
seat  of  the  conflagration 
was   miles    and    miles       Fromn\ 


away.      The    men   in   this 
picture   have  contrived  to 
save    a     portion    of    their 
dwelling,  but  the  outstand- 
ing frame-work  is  all  that 
remains  to   them   of  their 
"larder."     Unless  one  has 
experienced  it,  it  is  almost 
impossible    to    realize    the 
feeling    of   being  amongst 
such  gigantic  burning  trees. 
No  one  can  say  which  way 
they  will  fall,  and  the  heat 
from  such  a  fiie  has  been 
felt  and  smelt   more  than 
forty  miles  away.   Cattle  lay 
about  charred  where  they 
lay,   some  on   their  backs, 
presenting  a  horrible  spec- 
tacle.    The  white    masses 
are    still   white-hot    ashes, 
and  the  smoky  effect,  which 
made  it  a  struggle  to  get 
the    photograph    (so 
"  choky  "    was    it),  is  well 
shown  in  the  general  ha/e. 
This  is  the  kind  of  place 
young     men      from     I^ng- 
land    go    to    to    make    a    living.       There    are 
two   men  near  this  spot  trying  to  live  on  vege- 
tables,  taking   them  to  market    in    a  dray  and 
selling  them.     Imagine  what  they  went  through. 


\Photo. 


13. — AFTER    THE    BUSH    FIRE. 


I  Photo. 


102 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


From  rtl 


Here  is  a  pliotograph   of  the  three-year-old 
son  of  one  of  our  frontier  otticers  in  Uahichistan. 
Strapped  into  the  little  wooden   seat  in  front  of 
the   driver,    he    travels     from    camp     to    camp 
through    the    wilds    of    Baluchistan    while    his 
father  is  on  tour.     A  really  good  riding    camel 
will    I  o \' e r    as 
many  as   six  or 
seven    miles   an 
hour,   and   this, 
in  a  part  of  the 
country   where 
there    are    no 
roads,  hut  often 
m  e  r  e  1  y    long 
stretches   of 
"  put  "  (desert) ; 
or,    again,    dififi- 
cult  passes  (ko- 
tals),  which  even 
a  camel  finds  it 
hard  to  cross.  It 
is  almost  like  a 
scene   from  the 
Arabian    Nights 
to  see  the  "  Chota  Sahib  "  starting  off  in  the  early 
morning  upon  a  fifteen-mile  march,  accompanied 
by  an  escort  of  long-haired,  picturesque,  rough- 
looking  men,  armed  to  the  teeth  ;  or  to  watch 
him   in  camp  playing  with  the  small  son   of  a 
Sirdar :    the  fair,   sunny  face  beneath  a  broad 
white  hat,  and  the  dark,  turbaned  head  of  the 
little  Kurd  bent  close  together  as  their  owners 
lose  themselves  for  the  hundredth  time  in   the 
absorbing  interest  of  following  the  adventures 
of  "Gollywog  in  War." 

For  more  than 
twenty  years  locusts 
had  not  been  seen  in 
South  Africa,  and  it 
was  thought  that  the 
scourge  had  passed 
away.  For  some  years 
past,  however,  they 
have  come  back  and 
done  very  great 
damage.  Often  the 
swarms  are  very  small. 
but  frequently  there 
are  immense  ones 
which  devastate  every 
living  green  thing 
before  them.  Some- 
times the  volume  of  a 
swarm  and  the  count- 
less myriads  that  com- 
prise it  are  incredible 
and  incalculable.  A 
swarm  in  one  district 


has  been  known  to  be  constantly  passing  for 
seventeen  days,  extending  over  a  width  of  miles. 
Thirty-eight  hands  were  employed  all  that  time 
in  driving,  to  divert  the  insects  from  the  culti- 
vated lands.  It  is  impossible  to  keep  them  off 
any  very  large  area  when  they  are  flying  ;  but  to 

prevent  them 
j^-y  from  settling  on 
.^ii  n.  i)et  piece  of 
garden,  or  some 
special  crop,  fires 
of  straw,  etc., are 
made,  as  the 
smoke  keeps 
them  off  to  a 
great  extent,  and 
prevents  their 
settling  in  the 
immediate  vici- 
nity. The  natives 
collect  them  in 
sacks  and  dry 
them  in  quan- 
tities which  last 
for  many  weeks. 
They  are  then  ground  into  powder  and  made 
into  a  sort  of  cake. 

Visitors  to  Norway  must  have  noticed  the 
remarkable  intelligence  of  the  carriole  and 
stalkjuerre  ponies.  Here  is  an  instance  : 
Between  Christiansand  and  the  Komsdal 
Valley  lies  the  River  Sundal,  a  river  which  is 
very  popular  with  anglers.  The  pony  seen  in 
the  photo,  on  the  next  page  has  crossed  the 
river   twice    daily,    Sundays   excepted,    for   the 

last  twenty-five 
years.  \\'  h  e  n  he 
reaches  the  other 
side  he  is  harnessed 
to  a  small  "  kariol  " 
and  takes  the  farmer's 
butter  and  milk  to  a 
village  some  miles  off. 
returning  and  re  cross- 
ing the  strean:  in  the 
evening.  Sometimes 
when  the  river  is  in 
flood  the  boat  requires 
\ery  careful  handling, 
and  the  pony  seems 
fiuite  to  understand 
this,  helping  to 
balance  the  frail  craft 
in  a  most  intelligent 
manner. 

At  the  time  of  King 
Frederic  the  Great  of 
Prussia  there  lived  a 
certain    butcher   in 


-SMOKING   THE    LOCUST   SWARMS    IN    SOUTH    AFI.ICA. 
l''roiii  a  Photo. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


103 


IC.  —  ■■  UHF.X     1 

From  a\ 


IlK    NIVKK    IS    l.\    FLlHil)     Illli    IIDAT    KIi<,)UIKES  CAREFUL  HANDl,IiN(; 
AND   THE    I'ONY   SEEMS   TO    UNDEFJSTAND   TH?S."  VPhoto. 


clever  idea,  put  a  chair  covered  with  a 
white  apron  outside  the  shop,  and  the 
people  in  time  became  used  to  this 
announcement  of  ^'frische  Wiirsie  " 
(fresh  sausages).  This  is  the  orij^in  of 
the  quaint  shop  si<in  seen  in  our  snap- 
shot— a  sign  which  must  have  puzzled 
thousands  of  foreigners  in  Germany. 

■The  barrow  -  trundling  milkman  of 
London  is  not  seen  in  Spain.  His 
place  is  taken  by  a  man  with  a  herd  of 
erratic  goats,  and  it  is  probable  that 
after  a  few  days  in  the  country  visitors 
will  not  appreciate  the  change.  The 
accompanying  photo.,  which  was  taken 
in  Gibraltar,  shows  a  milkman  on  his 
round,  followed  by  his  queer  "  cows." 
These    he    milks   as   required    at    the 


P.erlin.  He  invented  a  new  way  of 
making  "  fresh  sausages,"  and  his 
pleasecl  customers  wislied  to  have  a 
dinner  of  them  as  often  as  there 
were  fresli  ones  available  during  the 
week.  On  these  particular  days  the 
butcher  then  placed  himself,  clothed 
in  a  white  apron,  at  the  door  of  his 
shop,  so  as  to  be  seen  by  the  passers- 
by,  and  especially  in  order  to  let 
them  know  by  this  quiet  sign  that 
there  were  to  be  got  "  frischc 
Wi'irstc  "  to  day.  The  people  soon 
became  used  to  this  living  advertise- 
ment. One  day  the  butcher  hap- 
pened to  be  ill,  and  he  did  not  know- 
how  to  announce  the  fresh  sausages. 
Suddenly    his    wife,    taken     with     a 


l3._n(1\V   THE    MILKMAN    GOES    HIS    ROUNDS    IN    SPAIN. 


[P/io/o. 


17.  — THE    MYslEICIiil's    SI.'.N    OF    "  FRESH    SAUSAGES 

From  a  Photo. 


customer's  door,  so  freshness  and 
freedom  from  water  are  assured. 
His  hands  are  not  always  clean, 
however,  and  when  one  learns  that 
on  their  way  round  the  town  the 
goats  act  as  most  efficient  scaven- 
gers, one's  fondness  for  afternoon 
tea  seems  to  be  less  strong  than  it 
was  at  home. 

In  the  St.  Ulrich  (Tyrol)  work- 
shop one  can  see  the  various  stages 
that  go  to  the  making  of  a  life-size 
saint  — for  saint  and  toy-making  are 
the  industries  of  this  lovely  valley. 
One  man  stands  blocking  out  the 
rough  figure,  and  it  strikes  a 
stranger  with  awe  to  watch  the 
energy  with  wiiich  he  pounds  and 
chisels  away  without  any  sort  of 
model.      A    small    photograph    is 


I04 


TIIK     WIDE    WORI,I~)     MA(;AZIXE. 


10.— IN    A    .SAIN  r-.MAKlN(,    W  l.)KKSIlUl'    LH'     bl 


generally  the  only  "guide"  used.  Another 
t\-orkman  is  putting  the  final  touches  to  a  grave, 
bearded  St.  Anthony,  complete  to  his  cross  and 
bell ;  a  third  is  busy  with  a  half-finished  bust. 
The  hours  of  work  are  long — from  early  morning 
until  eight  or  nine  at  night ;  and  for  wages  a 
carver  earns,  according  to  his  ability,  from 
IS.  9d.  to  7s.  a  day.  Painting  the  figures  and 
decorating  them  with  gold-leaf  is  another  branch 
of  the  trade;  a  painter  earns  from  is.  gd.  to 
5$.  6d.  a  day.  Walking  through  the  village 
one  often  sees  rich  and  glowing  saints  and 
angels  put  out  in  the  gardens 
or  on  the  walls  to  diy.  The 
figures,  by  the  way,  are  nearly  all 
ordered  in  advance.  In  one  large 
atelier — Joseph  Rifesser's — twenty 
workmen  are  employed.  There  is 
no  school  of  carving  in  St.  Ulrich  ; 
the  boys  start  as  apprentices  and 
work  their  way  up. 

It  is  indeed  surprising  how  the 
development  of  Canada  has  grown 
of  late  years,  and  more  especially 
as  regards  her  sporting  charms.  In 
some  sections  colonies  of  cottages 
have  been  built,  and  Canadians, 
Americans,  and  people  from  more 
distant  countries  join  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  fishing  and  hunting,  the 
lakes  and  the  rivers,  the  moun- 
tains and  the  valleys.  The  Thou- 
sand Islands  of  the  magnificent 
St.  Lawrence  are  known  the  world 
over,  but  in  the  Georgian  Jiay 
district  there   are  30,000  islands. 


of  all  sizes,  ranging  from  a  lone 
rock  to  ten  acres  in  extent.  'I'he 
route  taken  is  through  what  is 
known  as  the  ''  inner  channel," 
and  all  along  the  scenery  is  mo.st 
picturesque.  It  is  ever  changing, 
and  the  eye  has  a  least  that 
delights  the  soul.  It  is  mar- 
vellous how  the  steamer  wends- 
her  way  in  and  out  about  the 
islands,  the  majority  of  them 
densely  wooded.  In  tli^  streams 
brook  trout  are  to  be  found  ;  and 
trout,  bass,  and  maskinonge  de- 
light all  who  fish.  In  the  woods, 
deer,  bear,  fo.\,  and  partridge  wait 
for  the  hunter  —  a  fact  made  appa- 
rent by  7,000  hunters  journe)ing 
there  last  year.  This  large  influx 
of  men  with  guns  would  incline  the  sports- 
man to  think  the  stock  of  deer  must  become 
depleted ;  but  the  Canadian  license  system  is 
strict,  and  the  law  is  enforced  by  wardens  who 
see  to  it  that  the  open  and  close  seasons  are 
recognised.  In  addition  to  thi.s,  the  dense 
undergrowth  that  is  replacing  the  cleared  tracts 
of  land  afford  s[)lendid  protection  for  the  deer. 
Our  photograph  shows  a  party  of  Canadian 
sportsmen  camped  out.  It  was  taken  just 
before  they  got  up  to  start  on  a  shooting 
expedition. 


\riioto. 


20. —A   QUAINT    I'HOTO.    OF    A   Sl'OKTIXG   CAMP   ON    THE    ST.    LAWRICNCE. 


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The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


V'ol.  VI. 


DECEMBER,   1900. 


No.  32. 


Peter  Nissen's  Holiday  Experience. 

THROUGH    THE    WHIRLPOOLS    AND    RAPIDS    OF    NIAGARA. 

By  Orrin  E.  Dunlap,  of  Ni.\gara  Falls,  N.Y. 

Mr.  Dunlap,  as  our  readers  know,  is  on  the  spot,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  all  the  sensation- 
seekers  who  gravitate  towards  the  wonderful  Niagara  River,  with  its  Falls,  Rapids,  and  Whirlpools. 
Here  is  the  latest  Niagara  feat    fully  described  and  illustrated  with  photographs. 


O  Peter  Nissen,  of  Chicago,  must  be 
"iven  credit  for  the  finest  small-boat 
trip  ever  made  through  the  Whirl- 
pool Rapids  of  Niagara.  It  was, 
indeed,   a   remarkable   voyage,    and 

the  one  who  planned  it  and  carried  it  out  was 

actuated  by  a  desire  for  thrilling  adventure  un- 
equalled even  in  the  exciting  Niagara  region. 

Nissen  reached  Niagara  Falls  on  Saturday,  the 

3olh  of  June  last.     Previous  to  leaving  Chicago 

he  had  shipped  his  boat  over  the  Grand  Trunk 

Railway  to  Niagara  Falls,  N.Y.,  but  on  arriving 

there  he  found  he  would   be  unable  to  lower 

it   into    the    river    on 

that  side  of  the  stream, 

so  he  had  it  returned  to 

the  Canadian  side.     It 

was  then   his  troubles 

commenced.     When 

Nissen    arrived    at 

Niagara    he   gave   the 

name  of  F.  M.  Bowser, 

frankly  stating    it  was 

not  his  right  name,  but 

that    he    intended    to 

assume  that  name  for 

the  trip.     In    all    that 

was  done    by  him   he 

was  called  Bowser,  but 

after   he  had  success- 
fully    performed     the 

startling  feat  credit  was 

given  to  him  under  his 

right    name,    and    for 

this  reason  he  will  be 

called  Nissen    in    this 

article. 

The    day    following 

Nissen's  arrival  at  the 

Falls     was      Canada's 

Dominion   Day,  which 

was  celebrated  on  the 

Monday   following. 

This,  with    the   Satur- 
day half-holiday,  made 


Vol.  vi.— 14. 


FF.TEK    NISSEN,   V.li-'-^l     I;( 
I'lOiit  a\ 


practically  three  days  in  which  Nissen  could  not 
do  business  with  the  Customs  on  the  Canadian 
side,  for  after  shipping  his  boat  from  Chicago, 
an  American  city,  to  the  port  of  Niagara  Falls, 
and  then  sending  it  into  Canada,  he  was  forced 
to  come  in  contact  with  Her  Majesty's  Customs 
authorities  before  he  could  get  his  boat  free. 
He  was  striving  hard  to  make  the  trip  on  July 
4th,  Independence  Day,  and  on  Tuesday  suc- 
ceeded in  freeing  his  boat  from  the  Customs  on 
payment  of  25dols.  duty.  This  much  accom- 
plished, he  felt  confident^of  being  able  to  make 
the   trip   on   July   4th.     But   there   had    been 

rumours  that  the 
authorities  in  Niagara 
Falls,  0<it.,  would  in- 
terfere with  his  putting 
his  boat  in  the  river  on 
that  side,  and  all  kinds 
of  threats  were  made. 
However,  Nissen  was 
determined.  He  won 
the  personal  favour  of 
the  officials,  but  their 
authority  was  held 
over  him  in  all  its 
assumed  awful  n  ess, 
for,  truth  to  tell,  in  the 
light  of  past  successful 
rapids  trips  they  can 
hardly  arrest  a  person 
on  the  ground  that 
such  a  trip  means  sui- 
cide. But  the  presence 
of  adventurers  here 
and  there  was  at  least 
annoying,  and  the  dig- 
nity of  Niagara  must 
be  maintained. 

But  Nissen  kept  on. 
After  paying  the  duty 
he  found  that  the  rail- 
way officials  had  tele- 
graphed advices  from 
Chicago  that  his  boat 


ICI.t. 


II. ED    IX    THIS 

{Photo. 


loS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MACIAZINE. 


had  been  wrongly  rated,  and  that  the  freight 
bill  should  be  nearly  4odols.  instead  of  lydols. 
This  Nissen  felt  was  an  injustice,  but  he 
deposited  the  full  amount  of  the  claim  under 
protest,  and  it  may  be  remarked  here  that  the 
day  after  he  had  made  the  trip  the  overcharge 
was  returned  to  him,  and  he  was  about  lydols. 
in  pocket.  After  payment  of  the  freight  bill 
Nissen  set  out  to  get  a  dravman  to  haul  the 
boat  to  the  Maid  of  t/w  Mist,  landing  near  the 
l-alls.  Ten  dollars  secured  a  promise  of  help, 
but  the  authorities  frightened  the  drayman  off, 
and  none  of  the  draymen  in  Niagara  Falls,  Ont., 
would  touch  the  boat.  The  world  wondered 
what  had  come  over  the  people  of  the  Niagara 
locality  in  thus  turning  down  good  hard  cash. 
But  so  it  was. 

This  was  a  new  feature  of  Niagara  life,  and 
so  Nissen  met  it  by  once  more  sending  his  boat 
to  the  New  York  side  on  a  railway  car.  Then 
it  was  taken  from  the  railway  and  placed  over- 
night in  a  barn  on  the  river  bank.  Nissen  had 
engaged  a  drayman  of  Niagara  Falls,  N.Y.,  to 
carr)'  the  boat  to  the  place  where  he  wanted  it, 
and  he  now  felt  sure  of  his  ground.  This  dray- 
man was  notified  that  the  boat  was  ready  for 
him,  but  he  gave  the  job  up,  and  once  more 
Peter  Nissen  sought  the  services  of  others.  In 
Michael  O'Rourk  he  found  a  man  of  nerve,  and 
lodols.  secured  the  services  of  Michael  with  his 
waggon  and  team.  Nissen  was  to  take  all  risk  of 
the  boat,  and  O'Rourk  was  to  run  the  risk  of 
damage  to  his  waggon.  The  strange  craft  was 
loaded  on  to  the  waggon,  and  it  was  hauled 
across  the  steel  arch  bridge  to  the  Canadian  side 
and  to  a  point  near  the  Falls  where  a  roadway 
leads  down  to  the  water's  edge.  This  road  is 
quite  precipitous  and  at  points  very  narrow. 
■One  wheel  of  the  v.aggon  was  chained,  and  the 
descent  began.  All  were  hopeful  until,  when 
about  two-thirds  of  the  way  down,  the  reach  of 
the  waggon  broke  and  the  boat  capsized,  landing 
over  looft.  from  the  water.  - 

It  was  now  Saturday  night.  A  week  had  been 
spent  and  very  little  accomplished.  Nissen 
engaged  men  to  help  him  at  four  o'clock  on 
Sunday  morning,  hoping  to  get  the  boat  into  the 
stream,  in  order  that  he  might  make  the  trip  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  a  day  on  which  the  great 
majority  of  trips  through  the  rapids  have  been 
made.  Sunday  is  usually  selected  owing  to  the 
fact  that  each  .Sunday  in  summer  there  is  a  great 
influx  of  visitors  to  Niagara.  A  fierce  storm 
broke  on  Sunday  morning,  but  Nissen  and  his 
helpers  were  at  work.  They  laboured  until  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  police- 
oflicer  swept  down  upon  them  and  made  them 
stop  work  on  the  ground  that  they  were  violating 
the  Lord's  Day  Act,  which  prohibits  all   work 


excepting  that  of  actual   necessity   being  done 
in  the  Dominion  on  Sunday. 

The  boat  was  just  about  to  drop  off  the  dock 
into  the  water.  Later  it  was  announced  that 
Nissen  would  make  the  trip  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  4th  of  July,  and  that  afternoon  thousands 
of  people  had  gathered  on  the  river  banks  to 
see  the  feat  performed.  The  trip  was  not  made 
that  day,  and  all  were  disappointed.  Again  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  July  8th,  thousands  had  lined 
along  the  banks  to  see  Nissen  and  his  boat  go 
down  the  gorge,  and  once  more  they  turned 
away  disappointed.  Still,  all  appeared  to  take 
into  consideration  the  difficulties  under  which 
Nissen  was  labouring,  and  no  one  pro- 
nounced him  a  "  fake."  It  was  then  given  out 
that  Nissen  would  surely  do  it  on  the  first  after- 
noon after  he  succeeded  in  getting  his  boat  into 
the  river.  When  forced  to  stop  work  on  Sunday 
he  arranged  for  the  men  to  gather  under  cover 
of  darkness  that  night  and  push  the  craft  into 
the  water.  A  high  wind  had  been  blowing,  and 
this  had  had  the  effect  of  raising  the  water  so  that 
the  boat  could  easily  be  launched.  Nissen  went 
to  bed  that  night  full  of  confidence.  He  had 
hardly  closed  his  eyes  in  sleep  when  he  was 
called  up  on  the  telephone  to  learn  that  his 
boat  was  in  the  water.  He  went  back  to  bed 
and  fell  asleep,  to  dream  that  he  was  tossing  to 
fame  upon  the  dancing,  white-capped  waves  of 
the  beautiful  Niagara  gorge. 

Monday,  July  9th,  broke  with  a  threatening 
sky.  Deep  thunder  growled  as  though  in  warn- 
ing to  Nissen  to  refrain  from  the  trip.  The  sky 
was  overcast  with  clouds.  True  it  was  that  the 
boat  was  in  the  water,  but  Nissen  wasn't  yet  in 
the  boat.  The  morning  went  by,  and  the  people 
in  the  lively  cities  on  both  sides  of  the  awful 
chasm  wondered  if  Nissen  really  would  go  even 
if  nothing  interfered  with  his  plans.  That  after- 
noon, for  the  third  time  in  a  week,  thousands 
gathered  on  those  high  and  rocky  cliffs — the 
people  on  one  side  under  the  Union  Jack,  those 
on  the  other  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

About  two  o'clock  Nissen's  boat  left  the  dock 
on  the  Canadian  side  in  tow  of  a  row-boat, 
which  pulled  it  to  a  spot  on  the  New  York  bank 
below  the  big  flour  mills.  Near  here  Nissen 
descended  the  high  bank  on  a  ladder,  being 
afraid  to  enter  Canada  for  fear  the  authorities 
might  once  more  try  and  prevent  the  trip. 
From  the  water's  edge  he  was  carried  to  his 
craft  in  the  row-boat,  and  when  in  his  craft  it 
was  evident  there  was  no  longer  an  excuse  for 
delaying  the  voyage. 

Nissen's  boat  was  designed  by  himself.  It 
was  unlike  anything  that  had  ever  before  navi- 
gated the  waters  of  the  river,  and  there  were 
many  misgivings  as  to  how  it  would  stand  the 


PETER    NISSEN^S    HOLIDAY    EXPERIENCE. 


lOQ 


I-'?\'i!!  a\ 


SI1I1-:    \1K\\     iiF    NISSE.N  S    BOAT. 


trip.  In  length  the  boat  was  20ft.  It  had  a 
beam  of  6ft.,  and  the  boat  proper  was  4ft. 
deep.  With  the  exception  of  a  cock-pit  of 
small  dimensions,  the  deck  was  covered. 
There  were  two  air  compartments  in  the  for- 
ward end,  two  in  the  rear  end,  and  one  on 
each  side  of  the  cock-pit.  What  was  thought 
by  Nissen  to  be  a  valuable  feature  of  its  con- 
struction was  the  fact  that  suspended  from 
the  keel  of  the  boat  proper  there  was  an  iron 
keel  weighing  1,2501b.  This  iron  keel  or  rod 
was  held  by  five  iron  straps  and  lin.  bolts. 
Between  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  this  iron 
keel  there  was  a  rudder  and  a  propeller;  the 
latter  intended 
to  be  operated 
by  pedals  inside 
the  cock-pit. 
However,  when 
the  boat  was  cap- 
sized in  getting  it 
down  the  road- 
way it  bent  the 
keel  so  that  it 
interfered  with 
the  propeller 
blades  and  ren- 
dered it  useless. 
The  total  weight 
of  the  little 
vessel  was  about 
4,3001b.  Nissen 
was  advised  to 
provide  some- 
thing to  which 
he  could  hold 
fast  in  case  the 
boat  capsized, 
and  accordingly 
he  fixed  a  lin. 
Manila  rope 
about   the   keel- 


son. This  rope 
was  long  enough 
to  be  put  over 
his  shoulders 
like  braces.  He 
also  arranged  to 
w  ear  a  cork 
jacket  in  order 
that  he  might 
have  a  chance 
for  life  should 
he  be  thrown  out 
of  the  boat. 

It  was  just  four 
o'clock  when  the 
row-boat  pulled 
out  of  an  eddy 
midway  between  the  Falls  and  the  rapids,  the 
distance  to  the  rapids  from  this  startii>g-point 
being  about  a  mile.  W'hen  full  out  in  the  current 
of  the  river  the  oarsman  cast  Nissen  and  his  boat 
adrift,  and  they  were  at  the  full  mercy  of  the  cur- 
rents. Nissen  was  seen  moving  about  the  deck  of 
his  strange  craft  as,  with  oar  in  hand,  using  it  as 
a  paddle,  he  tried  to  keep  his  boat  in  the  centre 
of  the  stream,  in  order  that  he  might  be  caught 
in  the  suction  of  the  rapids.  Through  Swift 
Drift,  a  rapid  place  in  the  river,  the  boat  went 
flying.  Here  the  current  is  extremely  swift, 
and  it  looked  very  much  as  though  Nissen  was 
soon   to  be  in   the  rapids.      However,  after  he 


[P/ioto. 


I'' rout  a\ 


IN    CALMER    \VA  1  1-.], 


,i-,,r,  ,    A.MJ    ...o    i..'Al    AI  TER   A   TRIAL  TRIP. 


[Photo. 


I  lO 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


PETER    NISSEN'S    HOLIDAY    EXPERIENCE. 


1 1  r 


had  been  carried  almost  to  the  rapids  his  boat 
caught  in  an  eddy  on  the  Canadian  side,  and 
there  he  floated  until  the  row-boat  again  took 
him  in  tow  and  sent  him  out  in  the  stream. 
All  this  occupied  over  half  an  hour,  and  down 
the  river  there  were  rumours  that  Nissen  had 
landed  in  the  eddy,  made  his  boat  fast  to  a 
tree,  and  backed  out.  But  the  crowds  were 
patient,  and  shortly  before  five  o'clock  Nissen 
was  once  more  floating  towards  the  rapids. 

As  the  boat  was  swept  on  the  current  down 
towards  the  rapids  Nissen  showed  his  nerve  by 
waving  his  hand  to  the  people  who  had  come  to 
see  him  do  or  die.  When  he  was  dangerously 
near  the  rapids  he  hurried  into  his  cork  jacket 
and  took  his  place  in  the  cock-pit.  With  his  oar 
he  rescued  a  long-handled  feather-duster  from  the 
water,  and  putting  his  handkerchief  on  it  waved 
to  the  people  on  the  bridge  above.  By  this 
time  he  was  in  a  current  that  was  speeding  him 
to  fame  or  death  at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an 
hour,  and  the  rapids  were  but  a  half-minute 
away.  As  Nissen  and  his  boat  passed  under 
the  lower  steel  arch  bridge  the  scene  was  one 
never  to  be  forgotten.  His  boat  was  floating 
stem  on,  and  he  faced  down  the  gorge,  his  eyes 
taking  in  tlie  waves  that  were  tossing  so  tumul- 
tuously  before  him.  At  exactly  five  o'clock 
Nissen's  boat  rode  the  first  grand  long  swell  of 
the  rapids,  the  boat  acting  like  a  duck.  Its 
steadiness  was 
im  med  iately 
noted,  and  in- 
stantly from 
thinking  he  was 
going  to  be  lost 
a  feeling  that 
he  wo u  1  d  go 
through  in  safety 
sprang  up  among 
the  thousands  of 
people  on  shore. 
Nissen  would 
have  been 
cheered  at  this 
point,  but  there 
was  no  telling 
what  the  out- 
come was  to  be, 
and  the  tongues 
of  all  were  silent. 
In  less  time  than 
it  has  taken  to 
record  it  Nissen 
had  reached  the 
first  white- 
capped  wave  of 
the  gorge,  and 
had    bounded        Froma\ 


over  it  with  an  apparent  lightness  that  raised 
the  spirits  of  all  who  saw  him.  Then  a  second 
later  he  was  right  into  the  terrible  waves.  His 
boat  turned  sideways,  and  in  this  way  drifted 
right  into  the  whirlpool.  In  going  through  the 
rapids  wave  after  wave  broke  over  him  and  his 
boat.  They  came  so  fast  that  all  he  could  do 
was  to  hang  on  to  his  life-rope.  One  moment 
the  boat  would  be  deep  down  in  the  trough  of 
the  waves,  the  next  bounding  high  in  the  air. 
It  was  a  frightful,  thrilling,  and  terribly  exciting 
ride  for  the  spectators  to  witness,  and  the  equal 
of  It  has  never  been  seen  at  Niagara. 

In  two  minutes  after  his  boat  had  passed 
under  the  lower  steel  arch  it  shot  into  the 
whirlpool  and  floated  on  the  current  across  the 
surface  of  that  broad  and  strange  river  pocket. 
Hundreds  of  people  exclaimed  that  he  was  not 
in  the  boat — that  he  had  been  lost  in  the  battle 
with  the  waves.  But  it  was  not  so.  Soon,  when 
the  boat  reached  more  quiet  waters,  Nissen 
stood  up  in  the  cock-pit  and  swung  his  arms,  for 
the  day  was  an  exceedingly  cold  one  for  July, 
and  the  exposure  was  telling  on  him.  He 
drifted  around  the  whirlpool  four  times,  and  it 
was  58min.  after  he  entered  the  pool  that  he 
landed.  In  those  58min.  he  passed  more  time 
on  the  waters  of  the  Niagara  whirlpool  than  any 
human  being  is  known  to  have  spent  there 
before ;   and   the  scene  while   Nissen   and   his 


NHSEN-S    B'JAT    PASSING    OUT 


\^Photo. 


1 1; 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


boat    were    in    the    whirlpool    outrivalled    any 
similar  scene  ever  enacted  there. 

The  prevailing  high  water  had  brought  down 
vast  quantities  of  driftwood,  logs,  and  timber, 
all  of  which  had  lodged  in  the  river  pocket. 
And  so  there  was  a  remarkable  collection  of 
matter  there  when  Nissen  floated  into  the  pool  ; 
and  after  being  carried  on  the  current  along  the 
Canadian  shore  he  was  soon  swept  out  right 
into  the  midst  of  it.  Here  occurred  an  incident 
which  was  probably  far  more  thrilling  than  the 
trip  through  the  rapids.  As  Nissen  was  being 
swept  about  the  pool,  and  when  well  up  near 
Che  point  at  the  entrance  on  the  Canadian 
side,  he  observed  a  boy  sitting  on  a  rock  fish- 
ing. Nissen  had  a  line  with  him,  and  as  he 
neared  the  boy  he  cast  it  toward  him,  but 
it  dropped  short  and  fell  splashing  into  the 
Avater.  Then  the  boy  looked  up :  for  the  first 
time  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  Nissen  in  his  boat 
being  whirled  about  in  the  great  whirlpool  which 
seemed  about  to  suck  him  down,  and  he  plainly 
showed  he  was  frightened.  He  had  not  seen 
Nissen  and  his  craft  come  into  the  pool,  and 
•was  unmindful  that  the  trip  was  to  be  made  that 
day.  The  spectacle  of  a  boat  with  a  human 
occupant  swinging  around  helplessly  in  the 
awful  whirlpool  of  Niagara  is  not  witnessed 
every  day,  and  the  boy  stood  like  a  rock 
petrified  with  fear.  He  could  do  nothing  to 
help  Nissen,  who  by  this  time  was  again  out 
in  the  main  current  tumbling,  tossing,  whirling 
in  the  awful  maelstrom  of  the  Niagara,  sur- 
rounded by  debris,  which  formed  a  greater 
•element  of  danger  than  the  wild  waters  through 
which  he  had  passed. 

When  Nissen  started  on  his  trip  he  had  two 
oars.  One  he  used  as  a  paddle  up  to  the  time 
he  entered  the  rapids,  where  it  was  lost.  The 
other  was  fastened  by  four  nails  to  the  boat,  his 
intention  being  to  use  it  in  the  pool,  if  he 
stopped  there.  But  this  latter  oar  was  torn 
from  its  fastening  during  the  rapids  passage  and 
lost,  so  Nissen  could  only  go  where  the  wild 
current  carried  him.  But  here  is  Nissen's  own 
story  : — 

"  T  waved  my  hand  to  someone  at  the  elevator 
•  ic  Canadian  side,"  said  he,  "and  just  then 
a  wave  struck  me  full  in  the  face.  It  hit  me  an 
awful  blow,  like  a  hammer,  and  seemingly  I  was 
under  water.  My  lungs  filled  twice,  and  I  had 
to  cough  hard.  I  did  not  lose  consciousness, 
however.  When  I  came  up  again  I  watched 
the  waves,  and  prepared  myself  for  them  by 
drawing  long  breaths  and  ducking  my  head  as 
I  met  them.  I  never  suffered  after  that,  but 
they  hit  me  so  hard  that  I  was  afraid  they 
would  break  my  neck.  The  rapids  were  worse 
than  I  thought  them. 


"  When  I  got  among  the  debris  of  the  pool  I 
was  fearful  of  what  might  happen.  I  had  read 
stories  of  the  actions  of  logs  in  the  whirling 
waters  of  the  pool,  but  I  never  fully  realized 
the  extent  of  the  truth  of  it  until  a  great  log 
came  dancing  close  to  my  boat.  One  end 
was  heavy  and  water  soaked  ;  the  other  stuck  in 
the  air.  It  tossed  up  and  down,  and  I  felt  when 
it  came  so  high  above  me  that  it  might  fall 
right  down  upon  me  and  my  boat.  The  boat 
stood  on  end  several  times.  Among  the  debris 
in  the  pool  was  what  appeared  to  be  the  side  of 
a  bridge.  There  was  a  piece  of  cribbing  also, 
and  a  great  wedge-shaped  lump  of  timber  that 
got  too  neighbourly  to  suit  me.  This  struck  the 
boat  several  times,  and  each  time  my  craft 
quivered  as  though  it  would  break  in  two.  The 
old  logs  and  timbers  were  dancing  about  on  the 
waters  so  much  that  I  was  afraid  they  would 
pierce  my  boat,  and  I  felt  it  was  just  like  being 
among  a  lot  of  rocks.  Of  course,  I  watched 
the  wood  and  the  waters,  but  I  was  helpless, 
for  I  had  to  sit  quite  still  at  those  times  or  be 
thrown  out." 

This  was  as  Nissen  remembered  it  all ;  but 
from  his  position,  and  while  under  the  intense 
strain,  he  was  unable  to  make  as  good  a  record 
of  it  as  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
on  the  high  bank  over  the  pool  looking  down 
upon  the  scene.  The  whirlpool  was  like  a  toss- 
ing, heaving  sea  of  logs,  timbers,  etc.,  and  right 
into  it  all  Nissen  and  his  boat  pitched  headlong. 
The  logs  there  were  two  and  three  times  as  long 
as  the  boat,  and  they  were  swinging  in  all  direc- 
tions in  the  currents.  It  is  a  wonder  his  craft 
was  not  wrecked  there,  but  for  nearly  an  hour 
he  was  carried  about,  until  the  fourth  time  round 
he  swung  well  in  toward  the  Canadian  side.  As 
the  boat  approached  the  shore  three  boys  started 
to  swim  out  to  it,  and  they  soon  had  hold  of  a 
rope  that  Nissen  threw  to  them.  One  of  the  boys 
reached  the  boat  and  stood  upon  it  for  a  moment. 
It  was  not  long  then  before  Nissen's  boat 
grounded,  and  he  stepped  off  into  3ft.  of  water 
and  waded  ashore.  The  iron  keel  prevented  the 
drawing  of  the  boat  up  on  the  shore.  When 
Nissen  touched  land  he  was  shivering  with  cold. 
Fifty  people  stood  ready  to  help  him,  down  in 
that  dark  and  distant  point,  and  clothing  was  at 
once  thrown  about  him.  He  was  hurried  to  a 
bonfire  and  warmed,  after  which  he  was  helped 
up  the  high  bank,  placed  in  a  carriage,  and  taken 
to  his  hotel.  He  had  paid  his  board  bill  before 
he  left  to  make  the  trip,  and  now  he  opened  a 
new  account ! 

Next  morning  the  boat  was  found  adrift 
in  the  pool,  but  was  easily  recaptured.  How- 
ever, Nissen  had  no  notion  of  going  farther 
down  the  river  in  the  boat,  but  in  order  to  get 


PETER    NISSEN'S    HOLIDAY    EXPERIENCE. 


1 1 


From  a 


it  out  it  was  necessary  that  it  be  sent  out  of  the 
whirlpool  down  the  river  to  Lewiston  or  Queens- 
ton,  where  the  banks  are  not  so  high  and  the 
river  is  navigable.  Nissen  made  a  contract  with 
some  men  to  deliver  the  boat  to  him  at  a  dock 
in  the  navigable  portion  of  the  river,  and  on  the 
afternoon  of  Tuesday,  July  loth,  they  set  to 
work  to  carry  out  the'r  contract.  The  boat  was 
towed  along  the  Canadian  shore  round  to  the  out- 
let of  the  pool  at  Thompson's  Point,  where  it  was 
set  adrift  and  passed  out  of  the  whirlpool,  as 
pictured  in  the  illustration.  It  lodged  in  the 
Canadian  eddy  immediately  below  the  pool,  and 
all  the  afternoon  the  men  towed  it  against  a 
powerful  up-current  in  order  that  they  might  send 
it  on  its  journey. 

It  was  not  until  after  eight  o'clock  that  night 
that  they  succeeded  in  getting  the  boat  again  in 
the  down-current,  and  at  8.25  it  passed  through 
the  rapids  at  Foster's  Flats,  which  is  pro- 
nounced the  worst  bit  of  water  between  Lake 
Erie  and  Lake  Ontario.  There  the  boat  was 
capsized  repeatedly.  Telephone  messages  were 
sent  down  the  river  to  get  the  fishermen  to 
watch  for  the  boat,  but  morning  dawned  and 
the  craft  was  not  docked.  Employes  of  the 
Niagara  gorge  scenic  routes  reported  the  boat 
on  the  rocks  in  the  Devil's  Hole  eddy,  and 
a  wrecking  gang    hurried    there.     They   found 

Vol.  vi.— 15.  ' 


{Photo. 


the  boat,  which  had  pounded  on  the  rocks 
all  night,  and  the  iron  keel  was  missing.  The 
air  compartments  were  partly  filled  with  water, 
and  the  boat  listed  badly.  It  was  evident  that 
it  drew  too  much  water  for  the  shallow  places 
over  which  it  had  passed.  Had  Nissen  been 
carried  out  of  the  whirlpool  and  farther  down 
the  river  he  would  have  been  lost,  and  he  prac- 
tically admitted  this  himself  when  he  saw  the 
boat  while  it  was  on  the  rocks. 

After  a  couple  of  hours'  work  the  boat  was 
freed  from  the  rocks  and  eddy  and  put  in  the 
current ;  then  it  was  carried  to  the  navigable 
portion  of  the  river.  There  a  boatman  from 
Queenston,  Ontario,  put  out  and  caught  it, 
and  towed  it  to  the  dock.  Captain  Hugh  J. 
Mclntyre,  of  the  Ongiara,  then  took  the  boat 
in  tow,  and  it  was  taken  to  the  Lewiston  dock. 

If  Nissen  had  any  idea  of  making  other  trips 
his  hopes  were  destroyed  by  the  condition  of 
his  boat.  He  had  made  the  trip  in  order  to 
demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  a  boat-line  from 
the  Falls  to  the  whirlpool,  thinking  that  people 
would  enjoy  the  excitement  of  the  trip.  He 
has  changed  his  mind,  and  he,  at  least,  will  not 
promote  the  advancement  of  such  a  line  of 
boats.  Nissen  is  a  bookkeeper  by  occupation, 
and  his  trip  to  Niagara  was  made  during  his 
holidays. 


What    a    Foreigner    Saw    in    Ctiina. 

By  W.   HoPKVN  Reks. 

The  author  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  China  and  the  Chinese.  In  the  course  of  years  he  has: 
amassed  a  large  collection  of  photographs  illustrating  many  of  the  quaint  and  curious  phases  of 
Chinese  life  and  manners.     The  photos,  here  given  are  a  selection  from    Mr.    Rees's  collection,  with. 

a  description    of  each    from    the    traveller's  own   pen. 


'S  one  approaches 
Taku  by  steamer 
from  Shanghai  or 
Chefoo  one  can- 
not fail  to  notice 
several  huge  wind -sails  on 
land.  They  are  in  close 
proximity  to  the  raihvay 
station  and  shipping  wharves, 
and  a  mile  or  two  away  from 
the  forts,  which  were  cap- 
tured recently  by  the  Allied 
troops.  The  country  is  flat 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  and, 
its  soil  being  non-productive, 
nothing  can  be  seen  but 
grave  mounds,  common  huts, 
and  a  wide  expanse  of  mud- 
flats. During  the  summer 
the  whole  country  is  satu- 
rated with  tropical  rains,  and 
huge  tracts  are  covered  with 
water. 

The  Chinese  are  proverbially  industrious, 
however,  and  keen  to  find  cash  even  in  the  most 
unlikely  spots.  Now,  there  are  many  white 
patches  in  the  soil,  and  the  natives  have  found 


THE  AUTHOR,  MR.  W.  Hi 
THE  LONDON  M 

From  a  Photo,  by 


soil  "  (to  use  a  native  expres- 
sion)  is  worked  at  very  little 
labour,  as  these  wind-sails- 
revolve  incessantly,  and  needi 
no  attention  from  man  tO' 
keep  them  going.  From. 
Taku  to  Tientsin  is  a  dreary 
run,  either  by  boat  or  train. 
There  are  thousands  of  graves 
on  every  hand,  scores  of 
coffins  cast  adrift  on  the 
mud  plain,  and  vegetation  is 
scarce. 

The  first  picture  on  the 
next  page  will  convey  a  very 
good  idea  of  the  way  in- 
which  natives  try  to  cheat 
the  evil  spirits.  The  grave 
may  be  seen  in  the  centre,, 
and  on  all  sides,  save  one,. 
a  high  mud  wall  is  built  to 
keep  away  the  influences  of 
evil  spirits.    Should  the  spirit 

in  his   wanderings    come    near   this   grave   the- 

natives  believe  that  he  will  strike  against  the  wall,. 

and  move  off  on  the  other  side,  like  a  Levite. 

"  But,"  you  ask  the  simple-minded  Chinamau 


I'KYiV    REKS,    AN    AGENT    OF 
IS.SIONAKY   .SOCIETY. 

D.  Satoiv,  Shans-hai. 


from  a] 


niNU-SAILS    USED   AT   THE   SALT   WORKS    NEAR    THE   TAKU    FORTS. 


[Fho/0. 


them  productive  of  salt.  Therefore,  they  dig 
deep,  broad  trenches,  and  plant  enormous  wind- 
sails  on  the  high  ground,  whereby  the  very 
primitive    machinery    used    for     "  cooking    the 


"sui)posing  the  spirit  comes  from  the  opposite  ; 

I)oiiit  of   the  compass,   where    no    wall  exists,  \ 

What  is  thereto  prevent  his  entering  the  grave  \i 

and     upsetting    the    equanimity    of    the    dear  i 


WHAT    A    FOREIGNER    SAW    IN    CHINA. 


^15 


THIS   MUD   WALL   PROTECTS   THE    DEAD    KROM    EVIL   SPIRITS.      ONE   END 

From  a]  the  entrance  of  benign  influences. 


departed?"  The  all-sufficient  answer  is:  "The 
evil  spirits  never  come  from  that  side  ;  the  good 
spirits  alone  travel  from  that  direction  !  " 

Such  depth  of  learning  is  too  intricate  for  the 
foreign  barbarian.  Good  influences  and  gentle 
spirits  come  from  the  "  sunny  south,"  for  the  sun 
is  Yang,  the  active  principle  in  Nature.  Bad 
influences  come  from  the  north,  known  as  Yin, 
the  female  principle  in  Nature.  Poor  Eve  and 
her  sisters  have  a  big  debit 
account  even  in  a  heathen's 
ledger !  And  thus  the  natives 
maintain  that  a  wall  built  to- 
wards the  north  serves  as  a 
barrier  against  demons  ;  whereas, 
a  space  left  on  the  south  side 
permits  the  entrance  of  all 
benign  influences.  They  believe 
that  by  building  at  a  proper  angle 
the  good  will  stay,  while  the  evil 
will  fly  off*  at  a  tangent. 

Speaking  of  graves  naturally 
reminds  me  of  funerals.  Last 
April  I  witnessed  one  of  the 
most  gorgeous  and  expensive 
funeral  processions  ever  seen  in 
Tientsin.  An  old  lady  had  died. 
She  had  known  poverty  and  toil, 
but  her  son,  who  at  one  time 
had  been  either  a  cook  or  an 
ostler  in  a  prince's  house  in 
Pekin,  had,  through  means 
which  we  need  not  define  here. 


secured  affluence  and  a 
high  position.  Tao  Tai 
Chang  lives  in  the  largest 
and  most  handsome 
house  in  the  foreign 
settlement  of  Tientsin. 
He  is  manager  of  the 
railway  from  Shan  Hai 
Kuan — where  the  Great 
Wall  dips  into  the  sea — 
to  Pekin,  and  is  the 
managing  director  of  the 
Tang  Shan  mines,  which 
have  been  worked  on  the 
best  foreign  methods  with 
European  machinery,  and 
have  been  productive  of 
untold  wealth  to  the 
shareholders.  He  is  a 
man  much  respected  by 
a  certain  class  of  Euro- 
peans —  mostly  Conti- 
nental—  and  is  of  a 
generous  disposition.  It 
is  said  that  his  mother's 
funeral  cost  him  ^30,000. 
The  house  in  this  photo,  is  owned  by  H.  E. 
Chang.  The  animals  and  their  riders  are  not 
real,  but  are  made  of  paper  and  lacquer.  The 
living  strive  to  make  the  cheerless,  shadowy 
regions  of  the  other  world  as  comfortable  and 
cheerful  as  possible  for  those  who  have  gone 
before,  and  on  this  occasion  food  and  drink 
were  carried  on  elaborate  trays,  while  there  were 
also  provided  piles  of  paper  money  and  paper 


IS  left  open  for 

[Photo. 


a    funeral    procession    starting    i'JiO.M    the    house   of    his    EXCELl-r 

the   animals   and   their   riders   are   made   of    paper   and    LACi^UEli. 

From  a  Photo. 


II' 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


ANOTHER   VIEW    OF    THE   PROCESSION — THE    I'RIESTS   ARE    BLOWING 

from  a]  trumpets  and  intoning  prayers. 

clothes,  paper  houses  and  sedan  chairs,  paper 
opium  pellets  and  lamps  and  gambling  requi- 
sites ;  paper  animals  and  servants— everything, 
in  fact,  conducive  to  the  comfort  and  well-being 
of  the  dear  departed  lady,  besides  plenty  of  food 
to  appease  her  hunger  in  Hades.  AH  these 
were  burnt  at  the  grave,  and 
in  the  process  transformed  for 
her  use  in  the  other  world. 

Another  photo,  represents 
a  few  of  the  priests  who  were 
present  to  sing  prayers  for 
the  dead.  The  prayers  had 
been  going  on  day  and  night 
for  some  weeks  at  the  house 
of  the  deceased,  whenever 
any  friend  called  to  condole 
with  the  family.  These  friends 
brought  various  gifts,  as 
tokens  of  respect,  and  several 
hundreds  of  silk  umbrellas 
were  seen  in  the  procession, 
the  value  of  which  must  have 
aggregated  hundreds  of 
pounds.  The  priests  brought 
their  ceremonial  robes,  mis- 
sals, drums,  and  trumpets, 
some  of  the  latter  being  several 
feet  long,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  photograph.  Tables 
arrayed  with  idols  of  silver, 
incense,  and  sacred  utensils 
other  priests,  several  of  whom  had  been  sent  by 
the  Empress  Dowager  to  show  her  esteem  for 
the  son.      The  {)riests  howled  their  prayers  and 


blew   their   horns    in    monoto- 
nous intonation. 

The  third  of  the  series 
shows  the  crowds  of  bearers, 
picked  up  and  dressed  for  the 
occasion — a  motley  crowd  of 
street  -  Arabs,  all  under  the 
control  of  a  firm  of  undertakers, 
which  charges  the  family  heavy 
fees,  and  gives  a  miserable  pit- 
tance to  all  whom  they  hire. 
The  body,  dressed  in  its  best 
silks,  was  placed  in  a  coffin 
of  immense  size  and  thickness, 
which  had  been  lined  inside 
with  lime  and  oil,  and  coated 
on  the  outside  with  varnish. 
It  was  carried  on  the  bier,  with 
a  huge  canopy  embroidered 
with  silk  and  white  artificial 
flowers  thrown  over  it,  to  hide 
it  from  the  gaze  of  the  crowd. 
Tens  of  thousands  of  people 
were    congregated    along    the 

Taku  Road — now  in  ruins — and  the  City  Road  ; 

and  the  son,  although  of  such  high  rank,  had  to 

zva/k    behind    the    body,    clothed    in    common 

white  cotton  garments. 

The  grave   was   at   Tung   Chou,  near   Pekin. 

There  are  no  public  cemeteries  or  graveyards,  but 


ENORMOUSLY    LONG 
[P/lOtO. 


THE   COFFIN    AND 
From  a\ 


candles,    lamps, 
were   carried    by 


ITS   CANOPY   COME    IV    SI(,HT — THESE    FUNERALS   OCCASIONALLY 

COST   THOUSANDS   OF    POUNDS.  [PhotO. 

the  dead  are  buried  in  ground  owned  by  the 
family  or  relatives,  and  thus  the  whole  country,  the 
wayside,  and  fields  are  thickly  studded  with  the 
abodes  of  the  dead,  but  no  one  is  buried  inside 
a  town  or  city  wall.     The  accompanying  photo. 


WHAT    A    FOREIGNER    SAW    IN    CHINA. 


117 


_^ 

bi 

^  ^:=iii^£f*'~    vtrUm 

>  - 

■"""■■■■■■  ■  "■   "■  ^! 

F to  111  a\ 


CHOU,  NEAR  PKKIN,   IS  uNK  OF  THE  FINEST  IN  CHINA. 


[Photo. 


can  build  such  bridt^cs 
should  not  be  despised,  as 
it  undoubtedly  possesses 
great  skill  and  taste. 

Inside  the  Ha  Ta  gate 
of  Pekin  —  close  to  the 
Legations  —  hundreds  of 
camels  may  be  seen  carry- 
ing coal  and  lime  ;  and 
you  will  also  notice  thou- 
sands of  carts  —  mere 
bo.xes  placed  on  wheels — 
plying  for  hire  to  convey 
travellers  from  various 
parts  of  the  empire.  The 
roads,  though  broad,  are 
always  in  a  filthy  and  mal- 
odorous condition,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  the 
one  near  the  Legations, 
they  are  very  uneven,  the 
deep  ruts  being  often 
dangerous     to    travellers. 


shows  one  of  the  finest  pagodas  in  China,  that        especially   during   the   night. 

of  Tung   Chou,    near   which    Her   Excellency  In   the  next  picture  may   be   seen    a 

Lady  Chang  found  a  resting-place  after  a 

long  and  chequered  life. 

Pekin  is  near  Tung  Chou.  The  elevated 
Imperial  Road  connecting  the  two  cities 
has  been  constructed  of  huge  blocks  of 
stone,  but  the  ceaseless  tramp  of  genera- 
tions of  human  beings  and  animals,  and 
the  heavy  wheels  of  myriads  of  carts,  have 
worn  deep  ruts  into  the  road,  and  it  is  a 
painful  experience  to  travel  between  these 
two  cities  in  a  cart. 

Just  outside  Pekin,  during  the  winter 
months,  scores  of  sledges  may  be  seen,  the 
same  as  depicted  in  this  photo.  In  this 
way  hundreds  of  people  move  about  out- 
side the  city,  and  in  the  old  days  foreigners 
were  wont  to  go  a  -  picnicking  in  this 
fashion,  for  the  clear  sunshine  of  a  winter 
in  North  China  makes  a  "  day  out  "  a  most 
enjoyable  break  in  the  monotony  of  every- 
day life  in  the  great  city,  which  is  notorious 
for  its  evil  odours.  I  have  made  a  journey 
from  Tientsin  to  Tung  Chou,  a  distance 
of  eighty  miles,  on  one  of  these  sledges — 
a  far  quicker  and  more  comfortable  means 
of  locomotion  than  a  cart. 

The  tower  in  this  photo,  is  that  of  a 
corner  of  the  city  wall.  It  looks  formid- 
able, but  is  not  so  in  reality.  It  is  built 
of  brick,  and  is  a  solid  structure,  but  there 
are  no  cannon  within. 

One  of  two  remarkable  bridges  outside 
Pekin  appears  in  the  next  photo.  They 
are  very  ancient  and  artistic.   A  nation  that 


shop 


roWEK    »N    THE    WALLS   OF    PEKIN-THE    MOAT    IS    FROZEN,  AND    A   SLEDGE 

From  a\  WAY  be  seen  on  the  ICE.  \_fnoio. 


ii8 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


from  a] 


'  ONE   Of    THE    TWO    RE.MAKKAULE    L;KIL>GES   OUTSIDE    PEKIN. 


which  has  only  recently  been  opened.  It  is  a 
restaurant,  with  private  rooms  for  the  aristocracy 
upstairs ;  but  below  the  common  herd  may 
feed  in  sight  of  all  the  passers-by.  There  are 
thousands  of  these  in  Pekin.  Notice  the 
gaping  idlers  interested  in  the  despised 
foreigner's  attempt  to  photograph  the  shop. 
They  have  plenty  of  time,  and  are  never  in  a 
hurry,  except  when  trying  to  escape  from  their 
creditors  or  the  police. 

A  day's  journey  to  the  north  brings  us  to  the 
Great  Wall.  We  travel  either  in  an  ordinary 
Chinese  springless  cart,  which  inflicts  torture 
upon  the  unfor- 
tunates who 
have  to  go  along 
the  uneven 
roads,  or  in  mule 
litters  or  on 
horseback.  This 
wall  is  one  of  the 
great  wonders  of 
the  world.  It 
was  completed 
200  years  B.C., 
and  is  25ft.  thick, 
30ft.  high,  and 
over  1,000  miles 
long.  It  crawls 
up  mountains 
and  down  dales, 
and  in  one  place 
it  stretches  over 
the  top  of  a 
mountain  which 
is  more  than 
5,000ft.  high. 


In  the  next  picture 
may  be  seen  a  part  of  the 
British  Legation  grounds 
in  winter.  The  coolies 
are  sweeping  the  snow  to 
the  side  of  the  broad 
paths,  and  the  trees  are 
bare.  The  winter  is  in- 
tensely cold,  and  all  the 
rivers  are  held  in  the 
embrace  of  King  Frost; 
but  the  days  are  almost 
cloudless,  and  the  crisp, 
dry  weather  in  winter 
compensates  for  and  re- 
cruits the  bodily  strength 
after  the  enervating 
damp-heat  and  obnoxious 
odours  of  summer.  Here 
it  may  be  well  to  state 
that  the  natives  call  their 
capital  Fei  Chtng,  the 
ck  in  Ching  being  pronounced  like  the  English 
g  in  gin.  It  is  not  right,  therefore,  to  call  the 
city  Pekin  or  Peking,  as  the  hard  sound  of  k 
does  not  at  all  represent  the  way  in  which  the 
natives  pronounce  the  name.  It  is  not  /V-king, 
but  Fei  (northern)  and  Ching  (capital). 

Another  photograph  shows  a  group  of 
missionaries,  after  a  long  riv'er  journey  from 
Tientsin,  reaching  their  destination.  The  river, 
which  near  Tientsin  is  broad  and  deep,  grows 
more  narrow  and  shallow  as  we  approach  its 
source.  In  the  early  summer  the  natives  turn 
the  river  into  the  fields  to  save  them  the  trouble 


[Photo. 


From  u\ 


.\rjXKI)-CI.A 


K  E  -.  I  A  U  I<  A  .N  I'    I  N     f  K  KIN. 


i 


WHAT    A    FOREIGNER    SAW    IN    CHINA. 


119 


J-roin  a\ 


THt   liKEAT    WALL   OF   CHINA,    A-i    TIIK    IK  A\  lil.l.i:  K    SEKS    IT,    TO    THE    NORTH-WEST   OK    PEKIN. 


[Photo. 


of  irrigating  the  parched   earth,   in   which  the  There  are  three  boats  in  the  picture,  one  for 

wheat  is  waiting  for  the  "  early  rain."  each  family.     Boxes   and  baggage  and  baskets 


I'loiii  a  I 


A    WINTEK    SCENE    IN    THE   UROUNDS   OF    THE    BRITISH    LEGATION    IN    lEKlN. 


{I'hoto. 


120 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


F'^m  a\ 


.IC    BRITISH    LEGATIOX. 


{Photo. 


may  be  seen,  and  the  boatmen — a  quiet,  in- 
dustrious lot — are  discharging  the  cargo.  A 
missionary  is  sitting  on  a  box,  using  all 
his  eloquence  to  urge  the  men  on,  as 
night  is  drawing  nigh  ;  there  are  yet  four 
miles  to  the  British  compound,  and  highwaymen 
are  not  unknown  in  this  flat  and  poverty-stricken 
region.  The  boats  are  very  low.  A  small 
compartment  at  the  back  is  used  for  cooking, 
and  the  front  room  (sometimes  two  rooms)  is 
used  as  dining, 
sleeping. 


ing,  and 


wnt- 
draw- 
mg  rooms.  The 
passengers  have 
to  take  their 
bedding  and 
food  and  cook- 
ing utensils  with 
them.  Four  or 
five  men  pull 
the  boat  by 
"tracking" 
along  the  river 
bank  and  pull- 
ing a  rope  which 
is  connected 
with  the  top  of 
the  mast.  With 
no  wind  they 
travel  not  more 
than  three  miles  an  hour ;  with  head  winds  the 
speed  is  seldom  more  than  one  mile  an  hour,  and 
oftentimes  our  boats  have  been  tied  up  owing 
to  the  force  of  the  wind  for  a  whole  day  with- 
out moving  at  all. 

The  province  of  Chih-Li  is,  for  the  most  part, 
a  huge  plain,  and  you  may  travel  for  many  days 
without  coming  within  sight  of  even  a  hillock. 


A   PAKTY   K>t    -MlbblONAKlES   REACH   THEIR 

From  a 


But  in  Shantung  many  mountains  relieve  the 
monotony  of  the  landscape.  The  most  ancient 
sacred  mountain  in  China,  if  not  in  the  world, 
is  to  be  found  in  Shantung,  and  is  known  as 
the  Tai  Shan.  Here  may  be  seen  a  shrine 
built  in  honour  of  China's  sage,  Confucius, 
known  to  the  natives  as  Kung  Fic  Tzu,  and 
devotees  from  all  the  provinces  may  be  met 
with  who  have  come  to  pay  their  vows  or 
implore   the   benign   influence   of   the   sage   on 

their  behalf 

In  the  next 
photograph  you 
see  the  way  in 
which  foreign- 
ers and  well-to- 
do  natives  climb 
that  sacred 
mount.  They 
use  a  frail  and 
light  palanquin, 
very  easy  to 
carry  and  not 
uncomfortable. 
A  stone  from 
7ai  Shan  is 
considered  to 
be  most  potent 
to  ward  off  evil 
influences,  and 
I  have  seen  in 
Pekin,  Tientsin,  and  inland  towns  and  villages 
many  such,  as  it  is  believed  that  neither 
demon,  ghost,  nor  any  other  evil  agent  will 
come  near  a  stone  from  this  famous  hill. 
Alas !  good  and  bad  spirits  are  not  omnis- 
cient, and  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  find 
a  brick  from  the  neighbouring  kiln  plastered 
over  or  a  stone   from  an  adjoining  quarry  stuck 


DESTINATION    AFTER    A    LONG   JOURNEY. 

Photo. 


WHAT    A    FOREIGNER    SAW    IN    CHINA. 


121 


Again,  the  five 
hundred  dwindle 
to  four  hundred 
and  eighty  or 
four  hundred 
and  seventy  — 
the  bankers  pro- 
fiting by  the 
difference. 
These 
divided 
four  long 
two  short 
placed 


are 

i  n  to 

and 

rolls, 

on     a 


From  a] 


THIS    IS    HOW    ONE    MAKES   THE    AbL.L;,  r    ul-    Tllli    SACKED    .MOUNTAIN   TAI    SHAN. 


[Photo. 


board  cut  for  the 
purpose  to  fit 
the  size  of  the 
cash.  A  man 
then  takes  a 
piece  of  thin 
iron  with  a  hook 
at  the  end,  to 
which  is  attach- 
ed a  string.  As 
the    cash     have 


into  the  wall,  with  "  Tat  Shan  "  cut  therein,  and 
in  this  way  they  attempt  to  cheat  the  devil ! 
This  photo,  was  taken  in  front  of  a  shrine  erected 
to  the  god  of  rain,  and  the  idols  can  be  dis- 
tinctly traced.  In  times  of  drought — as  is  the 
case  this  year  in  North  China — the  god  is  taken 
outside  to  show  him  how  he  has  blundered  ! 

Near  my  home  there  are  several  headless, 
armless,  legless  gods  of  rain  (whose  temples  have 
crumbled  to  dust),  left  to  their  fate  by  the  T)eople 
because  some  years  ago  the  drought  was  so  great 
that  thousands  of  people  died  of  famine,  and  hun- 
dreds more  would  have 
died  but  for  the  timely 
aid  of  a  foreigner.  The 
idols  had  failed  the  in- 
habitants in  their  hour  of 
sore  distress,  and  they  were 
left  to  crumble  to  pieces. 

The  last  picture  would 
interest  any  Chinaman,  as 
it  concerns  "cash."  It  is 
truly  "filthy  lucre,"  as, 
after  handling  a  few  strings 
of  it,  one's  hands  have  a 
peculiar  odour,  resembling 
sulphur,  and  need  much 
cleansing.  In  inland 
China  no  other  coins  are 
used  or  known.  The  cash 
are  all  made  of  copper, 
of  poor  quality.  Five 
hundred  pieces  are 
counted  as  one  thousand. 

Vol.  vi.— 16. 


small  holes  in  the  centre  the  hook  pulls  the  string 
through  the  cash,  and  they  are  then  tied  up. 

The  men  on  the  left  and  in  the  centre  are 
counting  cash  ;  a  heap  of  uncounted  coins  is  in 
front  of  the  man  in  the  middle,  and  near  the  left- 
hand  man  the  wood  on  which  the  cash  is  placed 
after  counting  may  be  seen.  The  man  on  the 
right  is  "stringing  the  cash,"  and  the  table  below 
holds  the  strings  of  copper  coin  which  are  now 
ready  for  use.  The  English  value  of  a  string  of 
cash  is  elevenpence,  and  yet  you  can  buy  some 
things  with  only  one  cash! 


F)Oiu  a\      couNTiNc;  and  stki.ngin' 


EEREST  MONEY  IN  THE  WOKLD.  [PhotO. 


Alligator  =  Hunting  in  Florida, 

By  Athol  Maude. 

An  entertaining  account   of  a  fascinating  sport,  illustrated  with    remarkable   snap-shots,  and 
giving  many  practical  hints  to   sportsmen  who  may  wish  to  bag  a  few  ugly  "'gators"  in  the 

backwoods  of  the  lovely  State  of  Florida. 


HERE  is  nothing  more  delightful 
or  exhilarating  in  the  very  wide 
field  of  sport  than  a  fortnight's 
alligator- hunting  in  the  backwoods 
of  Florida.  A  combination  of  per- 
fect climate  and  wild  scenery,  spiced  with  just 
an  element  of  danger,  forms  an  efificient  tonic 
for  the  most  d/ase  of  sportsmen  in  search  of 
pastures  new. 

The  best  time  for  the  southward  flight  is  just 
after  Christmas,  when  the  balmy  Indian  summer 
of  St.  Augustine  comes  as  a  paradise  after  the 
icy  winds  and  snow-strewn  streets  of  New  York 
City.  You  cross  the  Desprossus  Street  ferry 
and  climb  into  the 
cars  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad 
Co.,  taking  care  to 
have  ordered  your 
sleeping  berth  and 
seat  in  the  drawing- 
room  car  before- 
hand, at  a  rate 
which  does  not  ex- 
ceed about  j^i6. 

This  journey,  if 
you  only  know  how 
to  do  it,  is  probably 
one  of  the  most 
comfortable  in  the 
world.  The  whole  secret  of  extracting  the  maxi- 
mum of  comfort  at  the  minimum  of  trouble  is  : 
"  Don't  carry  much  hand-luggage,  as  porters 
are  mostly  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  and 
rack  accommodation  is  limited.  Z>o;i/  over-tip 
the  car  stewards,  or  they  will  grow  careless ;  and 
do  see  that  your  various  berths  and  seats  are 
booked  by  the  conductor.'  Having  done  all 
this  and  settled  yourself  in  a  through  car  to  St. 
Augustine,  you  proceed  to  take  things  easily. 
Passing  through  Philadelphia  you  drop  into  the 
dining-car  for  lunch  ;  on  reaching  the  State  of 
Virginia  you  are  ready  for  dinner  and  bed, 
happy  in  the  knowledge  that  the  morning  will 
find  you  breakfasting  in  sub-tropical  Georgia. 


From  a\ 


WE   DRIVE   OFF    !N  THE   SCRUD   CART. 


Breakfast  next  morning  brings  with  it  the 
most  enjoyable  part  of  the  1,000-mile  trip.  At 
the  end  of  the  tram  de  luxe  is  the  observation- 
car — a  car  made  mostly  of  glass.  Here,  accom- 
panied by  whatever  form  of  tobacco  one  may  be 
most  attached  to,  one  sinks  luxuriously  into 
deck  -  chairs  temptingly  placed  with  a  full 
command  of  the  view — and  what  a  view! 
First  over  the  sand-strewn  plains  of  Georgia, 
where  the  railway  -  sleepers  drop  in  a  dead 
straight  line  over  the  far-distant  horizon  ;  past 
litde  log-wood  huts,  huddled  together  on  patchy 
oases,  looking  for  all  the  world  Hke  a  flock  of 
sheep  struggling  for  the  hmited  shade  of  the 

few  palmetto  scrubs 
that  stand  gaunt  and 
haggard  in  the  air. 

Niggers,  not 
changed  one  jot 
since  the  old  plan- 
tation days,  hoe 
stolidly  at  their  own 
particular  melon 
patches,  or  lean 
upon  broken  fences 
to  watch  the  train 
until  (and  probably 
for  a  long  while 
after)  it  disappears 
around  the  bend. 
Tiny  piccaninnies  scamper  at  a  futile  pace 
beside  the  rushing  train,  filling  the  heat- 
drenched  air  with  cries  of  "  Gib  cent,  one  dime, 
please."  Past  all  these  you  are  whirled,  until  at 
last  you  cross  the  border  of  the  promised  land 
—  which  border  can  be  recognised  by  the 
parched  deserts  giving  way  to  swampy  green 
undergrowths.  The  track  no  longer  runs  over 
sandy  plains,  but  is  banked  high  up  on  trestles 
overlooking  verdant  forests,  with  here  and  there 
a  peep  at  queer  animals  and  poisonous  reptiles. 

This,  however,  is  not  our  El  Dorado.  The 
inland  swamps  are  miasmatic  and  dangerous, 
whereas  the  backwoods  by  the  sea  are  as 
healthy  as  possible. 


[Photo. 


ALLIGATOR-HUNTING    IN    FLORIDA. 


123. 


In  America  you  don't  have  to  worry  about 
your  luggage,  as  there  are  several  large  com- 
panies who  collect  it  at  the  starting-point  and 
deliver  it  right  to  your  hotel  at  the  journey's 
end.  Hence  the  lack  of  porters  at  all  the 
railway  stations.  So,  having  reached  St.  Augus- 
tine, you  only  have  to  jump  into  the  private 
omnibus  of  the  hotel  at  which  you  intend 
staying  (in  my  case  it  was  the  Ponce  de  Leon, 
one  of  the  largest  and  smartest  hotels  in 
the  whole  of  the  States),  comforted  by  the 
thought  that  your  traps  will  be  waiting  for  you 
in  your  bedroom.  At  the  hotel  the  best  way  to 
live  is  en  pension,  at  a  cost  of  about  4dols.  or 
5dols.  a  day.  By  doing  this  you  can  stay  a  few 
days  and  prepare  for 
your  trip  up-country; 
and  then,  when  you 
do  go,  the  proprietor 
will  store  your  trunks 
for  you  free  of  charge 
until  you  return 
again. 

And  now  comes  the 
routine  work  of  en- 
gaging the  staff,  put- 
ting into  working 
order  the  commis- 
sariat department,  and 
buying  an  outfit ;  all 
of  which  are  most 
necessary  and  by  no 
means  devoid  of  in- 
terest. You  haggle 
with  the  nigger-cook 
as  to  whether  you 
shall  pay  him  50c.  or 
75c.  a  day,  though  he 
has  probably  made  up 
his  mind  beforehand 
that  he  will  not  get 
more  than  50c.,  and 
is  inordinately  sur- 
prised when  you,  in 
the  smallness  of  your 
experience,  give  him 
75c.  The  black  trapper  claims  more  than  the 
white  guide,  because  he  can  "  call  out "  the 
alligator  by  a  peculiar  throaty  grunt.  Being 
sworn  not  to  divulge  the  sum  received,  be  gets 
2dols.  a  day.  The  white  guide  claims  more 
than  the  black  trapper,  because  he  is  a  white 
man.  He,  being  also  sworn  to  secrecy,  receives 
a  couple  of  dollars  ;  so  each  is  happy  until  the 
end  of  the  trip,  when  pay-day  brings  them  each 
an  equal  substitute  for  an  equal  amount  of 
liquor;  and  the  one,  being  unable  to  get  more 
tipsy  than  the  other,  promptly  discovers  that 
their  payments  have  both  been  alike. 


From  a 


ON   THE   TRACK   OF   A     GATOR. 


Nor  must  the  sailing  boat  be  forgotten  which 
is  to  bear  you  to  the  head  -  waters  of  the 
Tolomato  River,  from  whence  you  strike  inland. 
You  will  want  her  for  a  fortnight  at  least,  for  she 
will  lie  up  there  and  act  as  a  sort  of  base  depot 
to  the  front ;  and  for  this  duty  her  skipper 
will  want  lodols.  a  week.  To  be  sure,  he  will 
come  himself  and  bring  his  rifle,  in  order  that 
he  may  amuse  himself  and  eat  your  rations. 
But  at  this"  you  cannot  grumble,  for  at  night 
round  the  camp  fire  he  will  enliven  you  with 
tales,  such  as  only  he  can  tell,  of  the  inter- 
family  feuds  of  Florida. 

So,  having  engaged  our  staff  of  trapper,  guide, 
skipper,   and  cook,   we  halt,   the  noble  army  of 

four,  and  turn  to  their 
equipment.  In  this 
department  they 
follow  their  own 
choice — or,  rather,  the 
choice  of  their  great- 
grandfathers. The 
iruide  shoulders  affec- 
tionately  an  obsolete 
Martini  -  Henry  ;  the 
trapper  pats  with 
pride  the  stock  of  a 
cross  between  a 
Brown  Bess  and  a 
flintlock.  As  to  my- 
self, a  light  sporting 
rifle,  with  a  couple  of 
favourite  guns  and  a 
supply  of  long-range 
cartridges,  are  more 
to  my  fancy. 

The  tackle  for 
catching  alligators 
alive  is  distinctly 
primitive,  and  consists 
chiefly  of  two  or  three 
long  poles,  some  20ft. 
in  length,  at  the  end 
of  which  stout  shark- 
hooks  are  attached, 
together  with  a  quan- 
tity of  hempen  rope  and  strong  boards.  The 
rope  does  double  duty  :  by  day  it  drags  the 
"  'gators "  from  their  holes  ;  by  night  it  is 
placed  in  a  circle  round  the  camp  to  keep 
the  rattlesnakes  away.  It  is  quite  a  curious 
experience  in  the  dead  of  a  backwood's  night 
to  hear  the  soft,  almost  noiseless,  sivish,  szvis/i 
of  the  snake  as  it  nears  the  rope,  and  then, 
after  it  has  touched,  to  hear  the  angry  "  rattle  " 
followed  by  a  rapid  retreat.  The  hairy  strands 
of  the  rope  seem  to  irritate  the  "rattler  "to  a 
considerable  degree— which  is  lucky  for  the 
camper-out. 


[Photo. 


124 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


The  camp  outfit  is  equal  in  simplicity  to  the 
trapping  tackle,  and  may  be  shortly  summarized 
as  follows  :  Two  woollen  army  -  blankets  for 
each  person,  one  sewn  together  at  the  bottom 
and  along  two  edges  to  form  a  sleeping- 
bag,  5dols.  ;  rubber  ponchos,  idol,  each  ; 
rubber  lop-boots,  with  thick  soles,  suitable  for 
ever}'  -  day  and  all  -  day  wear,  5dols.  a  pair ; 
one  perfectly  water-tight  matchbox,  a  tightly 
corked,  large-mouthed  bottle  is  perhaps  best ; 
mosquito-nets  ;  and  last,  but  by  no  means  least, 
a  reliable  compass.  This  latter  article  is  most 
important,  as  in  cloudy  weather  there  is  nothing 
to  guide  you  in  the  palmetto  scrub-woods  or 
amidst  grass  that  rises  high  above  your  head, 
while  the  few  watercourses  are  often  so  tortuous 
that  bearings  are  easily  lost.  The  whole  of  the 
above  equipment,  however,  sliould  not  cost 
more  than  about  2odols.  for  each  person. 


And  now  for  the  hunt.  The  black  trapper, 
accompanied  by  the  cook,  starts  the  day.  betore, 
with  the  scrub  cart  and  the  riding  ponies. 
Our  party,  including  the  skipper,  the  general 
tackle,  and  provender,  cast  off  at  the  jetty  head 
and  set  sail  for  the  head-waters  of  theTolomato. 
Here  everything  is  tumbled  into  a  couple  of 
canoes  and  piloted  up  a  near-by  creek  to  where 
the  horses  are  already  awaiting  us. 

The  first  thing  to  do  after  pitching  camp  is  to 
pick  up  the  trail  of  an  alligator  "  homeward 
bound."  Enters  upon  the  scene  the  blapk 
trapper  with  news  of  a  fresh  track  leading  away 
from  the  creek  ;  which,  being  translated,  means 
that  a  "  'gator,"  having  laid  upon  the  bank  all 
day  sunning  himself,  has  gone  towards  his  hole 
in  the  swamps.  So,  armed  with  heavy  stakes, 
we  follow  the  trail  through  scrub  and  long  grass, 
until  sure  enough  we  come  upon  the  hole,  half 


Fro»i  a\ 


"run  to  earth  "—digging  out  a  shv 


[P/ioto. 


.By  means  of  two  or  three  days'  work  the 
"business"  part  of  the  trip  has  been  arranged, 
and  it  now  remains  only  to  ask  the  guide  why, 
in  the  name  of  goodness,  he  wants  to  go  home 
before  starting.  After  much  humming  and 
hawing  he  confesses  that  he  has  left  his  chief 
mascotte  (the  tail  of  a  seven-ringed  rattlesnake) 
at  home.  It  would  be  suicide  for  him,  he  points 
ou^  to  go  without  it.  "  Look  at  One-eyed  Jim," 
he  instances,  wandering  off  into  a  lengthy  parable 
of  how  a  certain  man  left  a  certain  lucky  token 
behind  and  went  to  an  equally  certain  death ; 
so,  being  obdurate  upon  the  point,  away  he 
goes;  not  that  it  delays  us  much,  for  he  will 
meet  us  on  the  river  bank  half-way  up,  where  we 
can  put  off  the  dingey  for  him. 


hidden  amidst  the  prickly  leaves.  Good  !  he 
is  there,  for  the  marks  are  fresh.  But  we  don't 
want  him  yet.  We  would  sooner  get  the 
drudgery  done  first  and  settle  down  to  sport 
afterwards.  Besides,  now  is  the  time  to  catch 
our  prey  at  home — and  keep  him  there  !  We 
merely  drive  three  or  four  stakes  in  front  of  the 
hole  and  thus  effectually  block  the  'gator's  only 
means  of  retreat.  By  performing  this  opera- 
tion some  halfa-dozen  times  we  make  sure  of 
keeping  the  'gators  caged  and  ready  for  us  upon 
our  turning  out  of  camp  the  next  day  at  five 
o'clock. 

Alligator  No.  i  is  an  "  old-man  'gator." 
He  has  lived  the  two  hundred  odd  years  of  his 
life  wisely  and  well,  and  the  time  has  come  for 


ALLIGATOR-HUNTING    IN    FLORIDA. 


125 


him  to 'be  caught  and  carried  into  ignominious 
captivity,  where  the  wants  of  his  old  age  will  be 
seriously  considered  and  his  freedom  curtailed. 


No  wonder,  therefore,  that  he  snaps  angrily 
at  the  pole,  as  it  comes  cautiously  upon  him, 
like  the  tentacle  of  some  huge  octopus.     It  is 


From  a] 


WE   COMMENCE   TO    HAUL    HIM   OUT  (ONE   OF   THE    PARI  Y    IS   REAOV    FOR   EMERGENCIES). 


\_Photo. 


His  boundless  swamps  will  be  exchanged  for  the 
"  'Gator   Pool  "  of  the  little  museum  down  at 


St. 


Augustine. 


But  how? 


THE  SHY   ONE    APPEARS   AT   LAST,    DRAGGED   OUT   BY    MAIN    FORCE. 

From  a  Photo. 

It  is  easy  enough,  and  immense  fun  into  the 
bargain.  Out  come  the  posts  through  which 
he  has  already  had  the  last 
glimpse  of  his  ancestral 
home.  And  it  is  probably  this 
that  makes  him  so  grumpy ; 
for  he  crouches  his  12ft.  body 
far  back  into  a  corner  of  the 
water  -  covered  floor  of  his 
cavern,  and  angrily  watches 
the  pole  as  it  creeps  down  the 
tunnel.  When  he  built  the 
tunnel  loft.  long,  and  the 
cavern  at  the  end  of  it,  he 
'  thought  he  had  indeed  en- 
trenched himself  against  his 
implacable  foe,  man.  F>ovia\ 


not  to  be  borne,  he  argues,  snapping  viciously 
at  the  steel  hook.  The  hook  embeds  itself  in 
the  roof  of  his  mouth,  and  before  his  surprise 
is  over  he  is  being  pulled,  slipping  and 
sliding,  through  the  greasy  walls  of  his  den. 
At  the  entrance  a  hempen  loop  slips  easily 
over  his  head  ;  but  now  his  surprise  has 
evaporated,  and,  recognising  his  tormentors, 
he  commences  a  battle  royal  for  liberty  or 
life — he  knows  not  which. 

With  a  scornful  flick  of  his  head  he 
dislodges  the  hook  that  caught  him  un- 
awares, and  stands  stock-still,  peeping  out 
of  his  beady  eyes  for  somebody  to  fall 
upon.  He  takes  no  notice  of  the  black 
trapper  standing  right  in  front  of  him, 
noose  in  hand,  ready  for  a  favourable 
"  throw  "  at  his  tail.  Why  should  he  waste 
valuable  time  on  black  men  ?  Not  he. 
Such  an  insult  as  he  has  received  must 
be  properly  avenged,  he  thinks,  as  he 
makes  an  open  -  mouthed  rush  at  the 
captain  of  the  expedition. 

Two  more  yards  and  those  jaws  of  his  will 


iCEED    TO    BIND   OL'R    PRISONER. 


{Photo. 


126 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


meet  through  flesh  and  bone.  Six  more  inches, 
and  he  is  brought  straight  up  on  end,  to  fall 
with  a  backward  thud,  by  the  rope  around  his 
neck.  But  he  is  as  game  as  possible,  and 
swings  round  to  face  his  new  tormentor, 
forgetting  the  existence  of  the  captain  in  a  new 
rush  at  the  guide.  Again  he  is  brought  with  a 
crash  to  the  ground,  for  has  not  the  noose  two 
ends,  one  on  either  side  of  him  ?  Up  he  gets, 
fighting,  snapping,  and  foaming  at  the  mouth — 
dashing  this  way  and  that,  until  at  last,  hauled 
taut  and  half  strangled,  he  stops  to  recover  his 
breath.  The  lashing  tail  gives  the  black  trapper 
a  chance  to  loop  a  third  rope  round  that  ex- 
tremitv,  which  leaves  him  triced  between  the 
three  points  of  a  triangle,  as  it  were. 

There  comes  a  lime  when  even  the  bravest 
must  give  in  ;  and,  when  a  'gator  finds  himself 
so  hopelessly  surrounded  by  cords,  to  struggle 


Front  a  I 


[/  nolo. 


further  is  worse  than  futile — it  is  positively 
painful  ;  he  therefore  allows  his  tail  to  be 
dragged  around  and  fixed  to  his  snout.  He 
watches  with  apparent  apathy  as  you  place 
him  on  a  board  and  bind  him  to  it.  But  let 
his  tail  go  for  just  one  second,  and  a  broken 
limb  or  worse  will  be  your  reward.  For,  as 
Samson's  strength  lay  in  his  hair,  so  does  a 
'gator's  lie  in  his  tail  ;  and  more  men  than  one 
have  been  fatally  injured  by  that  sweep  which 
comes  upon  you  like  the  knife  of  a  guillotine. 
Get  near  those  gleaming  fangs  and  you  are 
lost,  for  through  bone  and  muscle  they  shear 
alike. 

He  is  bound  now  to  the  board,  with  mouth 
wide  open  ready  to  receive  whatever  comes  to 
hand.  Open,  an  alligator's  mouth  cannot  be 
forced  to  ;  closed,  and  your  finger  will  keep  it 


From  «] 


THE  CAPTIVE   IS   PUT   INTO  THE   CART. 


{Photo. 


so.  Therefore  we  give  him  a  stick  to  snap  at 
and  then  jerk  the  noose  close,  leaving  him  as 
harmless  as  the  board  upon  which  he  is 
stretched. 

'Gator  No.  2  has  gathered  wisdom  during 
his  twelvescore  years  and  ten.  He  has  built 
a  stronghold  after  his  own  fancy,  and  feels 
particularly  safe.  His  tunnel  turns  and  twists 
with  wondrous  cunning,  defying  all  efforts  on 
the  part  of  the  pole.  But  we  have  not  been 
paying  the  black  trapper  2dols.  a  day  for 
nothing.     With  a  leer  of  conscious  superiority 


SMOKING   OUT   A    SPECIALLY   OBSTINATE   SrECI.MF.;-'. 

Front  a  Photo. 


ALLIGATOR-HUNTlNCi    IN    FLORIDA. 


127 


at  his  white  rival 
he  make  us  all 
lie  still  as  logs 
for  fifteen  inter- 
minable minutes. 
The  ropes  and 
pole  are  ready 
placed  in  posi- 
tion, and,  after 
a  quick  glance 
round  to  see  that 
all  is  in  order, 
he  commences  a 
guttural  call. 
Suddenly  the 
water  at  the  edge 
of  the  burrow 
commences  softly 
to  lap  up  and 
down.  Mr. 
'Gator,  knowing 
water  to  be  a 
good  conductor 
of  sound,  has 
bobbed  his  head 
below  the  surface 

lo   listen ;   it   is   his   breathing   that 
causes  the  water  to  rise  and  fall. 

"Grunt,  grunt,"  says  the  trapper. 
"  Grunt,"  replies  the  'gator,  splashing 
his  way  out. 

Poor  old  chap  !     His  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  have  not  taught  him 
so   very   much   after  all,   for,   as   he  turns  the 
corner,  that  wretched  pole  rouses  the  devil  in 
him,  and  he  snaps  just  as  viciously  at  the  hook 
as  did  our  last  victim. 
The  fight  that  follows 
is   equally  heroic  and 
equally    futile   as    was 
the  preceding  one. 
Another     half  -  hour's 
keen  enjoyment,  which 
more  than  repays  the 
trouble    to    which    we 
may   have    been    put, 
and  victim  No.  2  joins 
victim    No.    i    in    the 
scrub  cart. 


So  it  goes  on.  Some  are  dragged  out,  some 
are  called  out,  and  some  have  publicity  thrust 
upon  them  by  being  dug  and  smoked  out.  The 
ways  are  merely  the  means  to  the  same  end. 
Occasionally,  of  course,  a  'gator  breaks  loose, 
and  then  there  is  a  scuttle  for  your  life.  But 
this  contingency  is  guarded  against  by  one  who 
always  stands  handy  with  the  rifle.  And  he 
who  carries  the  gun  must  indeed  be  reliable, 

mean   a  life  lost 


!.    l:.\M.  -   l:L    1  i;.o 
From  a  Photo. 


alligator  amuck  runs  faster  than  a  man.  Of 
narrow  squeaks  there  are  no  end.  One  is  illus- 
trated where  the  'gator  was  cornered  in  some 

long  grass  and  made 
his  rush  as  we  ap- 
proached. The  photo- 
graph was  snapped 
just  before  he  received 
a  death-wound  in  his 
shoulder. 

And  after  that,°who 
can  say  that  alligator- 
hunting  is  not  an  ex- 
citing and  novel  sport 
for  even  the  most 
blase  traveller  ? 


From  a\  A  nasty  customer  who  defied  us. 


[Photo. 


A    Church    on    Wheels. 

Bv  Arthur   Inkersley,  of   San   Francisco. 

It  belongs  to  Conanicut    Island,   in   Narragansett  Bay,   and    measures    i8ft.   by   27ft.  There  is    accorrt' 

modation  for  a  hundred  worshippers,  in  fourteen   pews  and  a  number  of  chairs;  the  aisle  is  3ft.  wide. 

The  interior  is  quite  luxuriously  decorated,  and  yet  the  church  has  to  be  hauled  by  oxen  along  rough 

country  roads.     It  is  worth  £600,  but  cost  only  half  this  sum,  thanks  to  the  generosity  of  the  public. 


^^oH 


\ 


Narragansett 


forming 


Bay,  and 
part  of  the  little  State  of  Rhode 
l.sland,  U.S.A.,  is  a  group  called 
the  Narragansett  Isles.  The  largest 
of  the  group  is  Conanicut  Island, 
which  is  so  named  from  Conanicus,  a  chief  of 
the  Narragansetts,  a  once  powerful  aboriginal 
tribe.  Conanicut  Island  is  opposite  to  and 
near  Newport,  and  is  on  one  of  the  routes 
between  those  two  fashionable  summer  resorts, 
Newport  and  Narragansett  Pier. 

Conanicut  Island  is  nine  miles  in  length,  and 
its  principal  village  is  Jamestown — an  active, 
bustling  little  place,  which 
possesses  the  only  hotel 
that  was  ever  moved  bodily 
across  an  arm  of  the  sea. 
"  The  Bay  Voyage,"  as  the 
hotel  is  named,  now  stands 
on  the  shores  of  Conanicut 
Island,  but  it  was  built  in 
Middletown,  on  the  Island 
of  Aquidneck,  distant  four 
or  fi\e  miles  across  Narra- 
gansett Bay. 

Now,  while  there  is  an 
abundance  of  churches  and 
parsons  in  the  more  popu- 
lous part  of  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island,  the  western 
half,  in  which  Conanicut 
Island  is  situated,  is  thinly 
peopled,  and  has  few  places 
of  worship.  In  order  to 
provide  the  summer  resi- 
dents and  the  dwellers  in 
the  outlying  district  with 
religious  opportunities  the 
Mission  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion was  organized  in  1893  at  Conanicut  Park, 
five  miles  from  Jamestown.  This  is  a  summer 
mission,  supported  and  attended  by  people 
staying  in  the  hotel  and  adjacent  cottages,  and 
the  services  are  held  in  a  "Union  Chapel." 
The  summer  visitors,  among  whom  are  a  good 
many  officers  of  the  United  States  Navy  with 
their  families,  come  chiefly  during  July  and 
August,  but  in  the  winter  only  seven  families 
live  at  the  Park  end  of  the  island. 

It  was,  therefore,  proposed  to  build  a  mov- 
able chapel  or  church  on  wheels,  which  might 
be   at    Conanicut    Park    during    the    summer 


iHE     KEV.     CHAKI.ES     E.    PRESTON,    ORIGINATOR    OF    THE 
CHURCH   ON    WHEELS.       HE  ALSO  SUPERINTENDED 

Froitt  a]  ITS  construction.  [P/io/o. 


season,  while  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  it 
mi"ht  be  taken  elsewhere  to  minister  to  the 
needs  of  a  framing  community.  Bishop  Clark, 
of  Rhode  Island,  strongly  favoured  the  idea, 
and  promised  to  aid  its  realization  in  every  way 
that  he  could.  Several  firms  and  individuals 
came  forward  and  supplied  parts  of  the  proposed 
chapel,  such  as  a  bell,  a  safe  for  the  communion 
plate,  an  oaken  altar,  etc.  These  articles 
were  deposited  in  an  old  horse-car  which  was 
used  by  the  workmen  employed  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  chapel.  That  nothing  might  be 
lacking,     permission    was    obtained    from    the 

wardens  and  vestry  of  St. 
Matthew's  Church,  James- 
town, to  build  the  chapel 
on  consecrated  ground. 

The  Chapel  of  the  Trans- 
figuration is  a  real,  practical 
church,  light,  cheerful,  and 
roomy,  having  fourteen 
pews,  space  for  twenty 
chairs,  and  an  aisle  3ft. 
wide.  While  the  chapel  is 
in  transit  the  running  gear 
is  exposed  to  view,  but, 
when  it  is  at  rest,  curtain- 
board  underpinning  is  put 
up  on  the  four  sides,  and 
the  tongue  is  replaced  by 
a  wide  flight  of  steps.  The 
pews,  prayer  -  desk,  altar, 
bishop's  chair,  etc.,  are  of 
oak.  On  one  side  of  the 
chancel  is  the  organ,  which 
is  fitted  together  with 
brass,  and  on  the  other  is  a 
robing  -  room,  with  closet, 
wardrobe,  toilet-case,  and 
mirror.  The  building  is  carpeted,  the  chancel  in 
red  and  the  body  of  the  chapel  in  straw  colour. 

The  Rev.  Charles  E.  Preston,  rector  of 
St.  Matthew's  Church,  Jamestown,  was  the 
originator  of  the  plan  of  the  chapel,  and 
its  construction.  The  chapel 
as  lightly  built  as  is  consistent 
so  as  to  be  easily  drawn  along 
But,  at  the  same  time,  it  is  well 
proportioned,  and  all  the  details  are  in  keeping 
with  its  size  and  purpose.  It  is  i8ft.  wide  (the 
wheels  being  19ft.  3in.  from  centre  to  centre; 
and    27ft.    long,   with   a  little    bay   window   2ft. 


superintended 
is,  of  course, 
with  strength, 
country  roads. 


A    CHURCH    ON    WHEELS. 


129 


''CH.\ii-i.  ui  '1  111.  1  I-a;.--- 

FIGURATION  "  AS  IT  AP- 
PEARS   FROM    THE   OUT- 
SIDE.     CROSS   AND    liEL- 
FRV  ARE  REMOVABLE. 

From  a  Photo. 


give 


deep,    to 
more     room    for 
the  altar.     From 
the  floor  (which 
is  on  a  level  with 
the  platform)  to 
the  ridge-pole  is 
18ft.,     but     the 
cross  and  belfry 
add  several   feet 
to     the     height. 
These  additions, 
however,  may  be 
removed    when 
the     chapel      is 
being     conveyed 
along    the   road, 
so   that    it    may 
pass   under  tele- 
graph  and    tele- 
phone wires.  The 
outside    is    grey 
and  of  somewhat 
plain    appear- 

Vol.  vi.— 17. 


ance ;    but   inside  the  decoration   is   quite 
handsome  and  the  arrangement  excellent. 

The  designer,  too,  has  contrived  to  give 
an  appearance  of  spaciousness  by  leaving 
the  interior  open  to  the  ridge-pole.  The 
pews  are  comfortable,  and  will  seat  a 
hundred  persons.  The  stained  glass  in 
the  windows  is  of  good  colour,  and  all 
appearance  of  crowding  has  been  avoided. 
The  chancel,  without  reckoning  the  little 
bay  window,  is  only  5ft.  by  8ft.  ;  but  the 
space  has  been  so  well  arranged  that  there 
is  plenty  of  room.  To  the  left  of  the 
chancel  is  the  organ,  a  small,  fine-toned 
instrument,  which  was  presented  by  the 
makers.  Between  the  organ  and  the  chancel 
is  a  brass  lectern,  and  opposite  this  a  read- 
ing-desk for  morning  prayers.  The  value 
of  the  entire  portable  church  from  belfry 
to  wheels  with  its  fittings  is  3,ooodols. 
(about  ;^6oo);  but  the  money  actually 
expended  in  constructing  and  fitting  it  was 
less  than  half  this  sum,  because  the  manu- 
facturers of  church  furnishings  gave  nearly 
all  that  was  required.  The  pulpit  and 
lectern,  the  safe,  and  many  other  articles 
were  given  in  this  way ;  while  the  robes 
for  the  priest,  the  cross  on  the  roof,  and 
many    other    things    were    presented     by 


From  a 


TABLE  AND  WELL  APPOI.NTEU. 


[Fhofo. 


'30 


THE   WIDE   WORLD    iMAGAZlKE. 


individuals.  The  oaken  altar  was  given  by  the 
Rhode  Island  branch  of  the  Women's  Auxiliary, 
in  memory  of  the  Rev.  Walter  Gardner  Webster, 
who  perished  on  the  ill-fated  steamer  Bourgo^ne. 
In  February,  1S99,  the  chapel  was  ready  to 
be  moved,  and  it  was  decided  to  take  it  to  its 
first  station  over  the  frozen  ground.  But  a 
bliz/ard  set  in,  and  the  work  of  moving  was 
postponed.  On  April  17th  open-air  services 
were  held  on  the  church  grounds,  and  the  flag 
presented  by  Elisha  Dyer,  the  Governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  was  raised.  Next  day  oxen  were 
brought  from  Middletown  and  the  northern 
part  of  the  island,  and  twenty  of  them  harnessed 


edifice  was  drawn  up  on  a  plot  of  ground  whence 
it  was  visible  for  miles  around  from  Narragansett 
Bay  and  Rhode  Island. 

The  first  service  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Trans- 
figuration was  held  on  April  23rd,  the  Sunday 
after  the  moving,  and  the  consecration  took 
place  on  June  3rd,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  McVickar, 
Coadjutor-Bishop  of  Rhode  Island,  ofiiciating. 

The  utility  of  a  movable  church  is  apparent, 
especially  in  America,  in  the  Western  States  of 
which  may  be  seen  churches  that  were  built 
when  a  considerable  population  had  settled  in  a 
particular  spot,  which  they  afterwards  deserted, 
leaving     the    church     absolutely     useless.      A 


EN-    ROUTE 

Frotn  a\ 


— THE   CHURCH   OM   WHEELS   MOVES   ON    INTO    THE 
MIDST  OF   ANOTHER   CONGREGATION.  \Photo. 


to  the  chapel-waggon.  The  rear  wheels  being 
slightly  elevated  on  planks,  as  soon  as  the 
brakes  were  off  the  building  moved  almost 
before  the  oxen  had  pulled  the  chain  taut. 
The  bell  was  rung  and  the  chapel  rolled  into 
West  Street,  and  thence  up  Cole  Street  into 
Narragansett  Avenue.  After  passing  Bay  View 
House  a  halt  was  called  while  a  guy-wire  was 
cut ;  and  later  it  became  necessary  to  remove 
the  cross  and  the  bell,  so  that  the  building 
might  pass  under  the  telegraph-wires.  Twice 
the  chapel  fell  into  pitt'alls,  but  was  successfully 
extricated.     After  a  stop  for  luncheon  the  sacred 


portable  church  was  constructed  in  Philadelphia 
and  sent  to  Jamaica  in  the  West  Indies  on  the 
British  steamer  Barnstaple. 

In  New  York  there  is  a  "  floating  Bethel," 
which  is  "high"  church  or  "low"  church 
according  to  the  state  of  the  tide.  The  Bishop 
of  North  Dakota,  whose  vast  diocese  is  very 
sparsely  peopled,  has  a  "cathedral  car,"  which 
is  taken  from  place  to  place  on  the  railroad. 
This  is  called  "The  Roaming  Catholic  Church"; 
and  similarly  the  Chapel  of  the  Transfiguration 
has  been  named  "  The  Chapel  of  the  Trans- 
migration." The  designer,  however,  calls  it 
"  The  Go-Chapel,"  because  it  so  literally 
carries  out  the  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature." 
But,  though  there  have  been  several  movable 
chapels,  the  church  on  Conanicut  Island  is  the 
first  complete  one  on  wheels. 


The    Lady  Anglers   of    Santa    Catalina. 

By  Professor  C.  F.  Holder,  of  Pasadena,   Cal. 

California  is  remarkable  for  the  great  size  of  its  game  fish,  but  these  are  not  monopolized  by  the 
male  anglers.  In  this  paper  the  well-known  Californian  writer  tells  us  how  the  ladies  catch  huge 
specimens  with  rod  and  line,  some  of  them  weighing    over    loolb.      The    photographs    show   some  of 

the    ladies  with    their   imposing  catches. 


common 


OME  of  the  largest  salmon  in  north- 
eastern Canada  have  been  taken 
by  the  wives  of  the  enthusiastic 
members  of  the  angling  guild,  and 
in  the  United  States  it  is  no  un- 
sight  in  summer  to  see  women 
whipping  a  trout  stream  with  all  the  skill  and 
devotion  of  men. 

Angling   as  a   woman's   sport    is   growing    in 
favour,  and  nearly  all  the  large  equipment  houses 
of  the  day  make  rods  designed  especially  for  the 
fair  se.x.     But  it  is  in  California  that  the  women 
have  made  records,  capturing  fish  weighing  up 
to  i6olb.    On  May  ist,  1899,  the 
tournament  of  the   Santa  Cata- 
lina Island  Tuna  Club  opened, 
the  day    being   remarkable   for 
some  notable  catches  by  ladies. 
Early  in    the    morning   a    large 
school  of  white  sea-bass  rushed 
into  the   little    bay  of   Avalon, 
which  was  soon   filled  with  the 
boats  of  anglers,  their  oarsmen 
vying  with  each  other    in   their 
efforts  to  secure  good  locations 
for   their  patrons.     Among  the 
ladies  was  Mrs.  F.  V.  Rider,  wife 
of  the    secretary  of   the   Tuna 
Club,  and  some  description  of 
the  boat  and  tackle  used  by  her 
may  be  of  interest.     The  boat 
was   a  wide-beamed   yawl,  with 
oars,    sails,    and    a    two-horse- 
power gasoline  engine.     Across 
the  stern  was  a  wide  plank  into 
which  were  fitted   two  comfort- 
able arm-chairs,  side  by  side,  so 
that  two  anglers  could  fish  at  one 
time  :  Mrs.  Rider  occupied  the 
left,  her  husband  the  right,  while 
the  boatman  and  gaffer  sat  for- 
ward.     The  rod  was  a  twelve- 
ounce  split  bamboo,   very  light 
but  very  strong,    and  not  over 
seven  and  a  half  feet  in  length. 
The    reel    was    a    large    silver 
and    rubber    affair,    made    especially    for    the 
Catalina   fish,    and    held     i, 000ft.    of    what    is 
known     as       a      21-thread      cuttyhunk      line. 
The    bait   was   a    live    sardine,    caught    in    an 
ingenious    manner.      The   white   sea-bass    had 


driven  sardines  into  the  Day  in  such  numbers 
that  they  formed  a  black  mass  about  5ft.  below 
the  surface,  and  it  was  only  necessary  to  toss  the 
line  and  empty  hook  among  them,  allow  it  to 
settle  and  then  jerk  it,  when  a  sardine  would  be 
impaled.  The  latter  would  at  once  rush  away, 
while  the  angler  unreeled  the  line,  constituting 
a  very  tempting  lure. 

The  angler  in  question  had  adopted  this  pro- 
cedure, when  suddenly  her  reel  began  to  sing, 
and  a  terrific  rush  came  on  the  line  as  a  big 
bass  struck  and  carried  it  out.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  stopping  such  a  fish,  and  the  first  cry 


MRS.     F. 


V.'     RIDER  S     CATCH 
YELLOWTAIL. 

/'';-(!;«  a  Photo,  by  Smenson. 


of  the  reel  became  a  long-con- 
tinued note  as  feet  and  yards 
of  line  ran  out.  At  least  500ft. 
were  taken  in  this  first  rush 
before  the  fish  was  stopped  with 
the  powerful  brake,  and  then 
began  as  exciting  a  contest 
between  a  woman  and  a  power- 
ful fish  as  was  ever  seen.  So 
skilfully  was  the  rod  handled  to  meet  the  rushes 
of  the  fish  that  anglers  in  other  boats  stopped 
fishing  and  became  spectators.  The  bass  made 
repealed  rushes,  which  took  all  the  line  gained, 
and  towed  the  boat  along  at  a  rapid  rate ;    now 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


out  to  sea,  aad,  when  turned,  coming  in  again, 
and  crossing  the  little  bay.  For  twenty  minutes 
this  contest  was  continued.  Then  it  was  evident 
that  the  fighting  tactics  of  the  angler  were 
winning ;  the  rushes  grew  less  severe,  and 
presently  the  bass  rose  to  the  surface  and  began 
to  circle  about  the  boat.  Catching  sight  of  the 
boat  the  fish  plunged  down  again,  taking  yards 
of  line,  but  the  merciless  reel  gradually  brought 
it  in. 

A  noble  fish  it  was ;  nearly  4ft.  long,  and 
still  bearing  off,  so  that  the  rod  bent  and  all 
the  angler's  force  was 
required  to  keep  the 
advantage.  Suddenly 
the  gaffer  slides  his 
weapon  beneath  the 
fish  ;  there  is  a  tremen- 
dous struggle,  and  amid 
flying  spray  and  foam 
he  lifts  it  in  as  the 
angler  unreels  and 
slacks,  while  the  look- 
ers-on wave  their  hats 
and  cheer.  A  moment 
later  the  oarsman 
weighs  the  fish :  "  Fifty- 
one  pounds,  ma'am  ! " 
— the  record  for  sea- 
bass  among  women. 
In  two  or  three  days 
nearly  one  hundred  of 
these  fish  were  taken 
with  rods,  nine  falling 
to  the  writer's  share, 
and  each  weighing  not 
less  than  501b.  During 
the  previous  season 
Mrs.  ^^'alter  Raymond, 
of  Boston,  distin- 
guished herself  by 
taking  a  tuna,  not  with 
a  rod,  as  do  the  men, 
as  this  is  believed  to  be 
impossible  for  a  lady, 
but  with  a  hand-line. 
The  method  of  fishing 

was  to  run  a  launch  through  a  school  at  full 
speed,  trolling  the  line.  In  this  way  Mrs.  Ray- 
mond got  her  strike,  the  fish  taking  many  feet  of 
slack  before  the  launch  could  be  stopped,  and 
making  a  terrific  fight.  But  the  plucky  fisher- 
woman  held  on  through  the  fierce  rushes,  and 
for  nearly  half  an  hour  she  played  the  fish  before 
it  began  to  give  out;  but  she  never  gave  up,  and 
gradually  brought  in  the  tuna,  which  was  found 
to  weigh  1301b.  This  was  the  first  leaping 
tuna  caught  by  a  lady. 

The  fish  is  a  cousin  of  the  bonito  and  macke- 


.MKS.    MANNING,    ANOTHER    LADY   CHAMPION   OF    THE    ISLAND. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Svjenson. 


rel,  and  isthe  most  active  fish  that  swims.  It  is 
capable  of  making  a  remarkable  fight,  and  so 
far  only  thirty  members  of  the  Tuna  Club  have 
taken  specimens  weighing  over  loolb.  with  rod 
and  reel,  yet  these  men  use  a  24-thread  line. 
Some  of  the  record  catches  are  :  C.  P.  More- 
house, 2311b.  tuna;  the  fish  was  played  three 
hours  and  a  half;  C.  F.  Holder,  1831b.  tuna, 
time  four  hours  ;  H.  St.  A.  Earlscliff,  i8olb. 
tuna.  This  fish  was  killed  in  five  hours,  and 
towed  the  boat  twenty  miles  before  it  came  to 
gaff.     Such   is  the  fighting  power  of  this  great 

game  fish,  which  is 
caught  nowhere  but 
at  the  island. 

Ranking  with  the 
tuna  in  size  and 
strength,  and  far  ex- 
ceeding it  in  weight, 
is  the  black  sea-bass, 
which  makes  its  home 
in  the  dense  kelp  beds 
which  surround  the 
islands  of  Southern 
California.  It  ranges 
up  to  40olb.  The 
largest  ever  taken  with 
a  rod  weighed  3801b., 
and  was  caught  by  Mr. 
T.  S.  Manning,  of 
Philadelphia,  in  1899. 
This  bass,  which  looks 
as  a  black  bass  might 
if  it  were  5ft.  long,  is 
taken  in  smooth  water 
30ft.  or  40ft.  deep, 
within  50ft.  of  the 
shore.  One  of  these 
monsters  was  hooked 
and  caught  by  Mrs. 
Henry  de  Long,  of 
San  Jose,  California. 
She  had  been  told 
that  it  was  impossible 
for  a  woman  to  take 
one,  but  she  an- 
nounced one  day 
her  determination  to  do  so  —  not  with  a 
rod,  but  with  a  hand-line.  With  her  husband 
and  a  boatman  she  went  to  the  location 
called  the  Fence,  which  is  at  the  back  of 
Avalon  and  famous  for  its  large  fish.  The 
bait  used  was  half  of  a  barracuda,  lowered 
to  within  3ft.  of  the  bottom  and  supported  by  a 
cork  float.  It  had  not  been  in  the  kelp  long 
before  the  float  began  to  bob  up  and  down  and 
then  disappeared.  The  angler  allowed  loft.  of 
line  to  slip  away,  and  then  struck  what  was 
probably  the  largest  fish  ever  successfully  played 


THE    LADY    ANGLERS    OE    SANTA    CATALINA. 


133 


iMKS.  JOHN  ODELL,  OK  CHICAGO,  A  iKlLI  L,L  uAl  1  F.R,  TOOK  A  PROMINENT  PART  IN  THE   TOURNAMEM. 

From  a  Photo,  iy  Siuenson. 


by  a  woman.  As  she  hooked  the  fish  the  boat- 
man cast  off  the  anchor,  and  the  boat  moved 
away  behind  the  fish,  which  turned  directly  sea- 
ward, making  for  a  bed  of  kelp  about  half  a 
mile  off  shore.  By  taking  a  turn  around  the 
bow  she  was  able  to  hold  the  line  during  a 
number  of  rushes  which  certainly  tested  her 
powers  of  endurance. 

The  fish  towed  the  boat  nearly  a  mile  before 
it  was  stopped,  and  then  it  became  a  struggle  to 
the  end.  But  the  lady  won,  bringing  the  bass 
to  the  surface,  where,  as  it  circled  the  boat,  the 
gaffer  slipped  his  hook  beneath  it  and  held  it  as 
the  fish  beat  the  water  into  foam  and  deluged 
the  occupants  of  the  boat  with  spray.  The 
catch  was  too  large  to  be  taken  into  the  boat, 
so  it  was  fastened  behind  and  towed  into 
Avalon  Bay,  where  the  angler  received  an 
ovation. 

The  game  yellowtail,  which  ranges  from 
T5lb.  to  4olb.,'  as  a  rule  affords  fine  and 
exciting  sport  for  lady  anglers,  many  of  whom 
have  made  records.  The  yellowtail  season 
usually  begins  in  April,  but  May,  June,  July, 
August,  and  November  are  the  best  months. 
The  yellowtail  is  essentially  a  fighter ;  the  reel 
screams  loudly  as  he  strikes,  and  few  women  have 
landed  one  with  a  rod  under  twenty  minutes,  the 
fish  fighting  until  it  is  safely  in  the  boat.  The 
writer  has  seen  one  spring  from  a  barrel  after  it 
had  been  landed  ten  minutes.  A  number  of 
ladies  distinguished  themselves  in  taking  yellow- 
tails  during  the  before-mentioned  tournament. 
For  example,    Mrs.    John    Odell,  of  Chicago, 


brought  to  gaff  a  twenty- 
pounder  in  eleven 
minutes.  Mrs.  Alexander 
Dick,  of  Wilkesbarre, 
captured  a  5  5/^  lb.  white 
sea-bass ;  Mrs.  R.  C. 
Porter,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
a  1 7 ^Ib.  yellowtail ;  and 
Mrs.  F.  V.  Rider,  of 
Pasadena,  landed  an  i81b. 
yellowtail.  All  these 
were  taken  with  rod  or 
reel,  and  without  assist- 
ance. Mrs.  T.  S.  Man- 
ning, of  Sierra  Madre, 
took  a  1 61b.  fish  ;  Mrs. 
R.  J.  Dyas,  St.  Louis, 
one  of  lylb.  ;  Mrs.  R.  A. 
Eddy,  of  San  Francisco, 
two  fish — i61b.  and  2olb. 
On  the  last  day  of  the 
tournament  ]\Irs.  Man- 
ning    and      Mrs.     Rider 


riu,  1,    wl     >EATTLE,    HOLDS    THE    TUNA    CLUB    RECOKU 
FOR    THE     LARGEST    YELLOWTAIL. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Sivenson. 


134 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


caught  with  light  rods  twenty-two 
yellowtails,  averaging  ijlb. 
Each  fish  was  reeled  to  the 
boatman's  gaft'  without   aid.     l"he 


a    prize 

caught 

to   Mrs. 

the  fish 


Tuna    Club    had   offered 
for  the   largest    yellowtai 
bv  a  ladv,  and  this  fell 
H.   M.   Hoyt,  of  Seattle, 
weighing  31121b. 

The  latest  triumph,  however, 
fell  to  the  rod  of  skilful  Miss 
Olive  Belle  Clark,  who  is  shown 
in  the  photograph  with  the  superb 
tuna  of  iiSlb.,  which  she  killed 
on  June  9th  last  in  ten  minutes 
under  the  hour.  Just  think  of 
ladies  being  able  to  vanquish  such 
monsters  ! 

Up  to  last  year  it  has  never 
been  deemed  possible  for  a  woman 
to  take  a  leaping  tuna ;  but  it  is 
the  impossible  that  often  happens, 
and  during  the  tournament  of  the 
Tuna  Club  of  1900  three  ladies 
took  these  fish  according  to  the 
rules  of  the  club.  Mrs.  J.  C 
Connor,  of  Colorado  Springs, 
caught  one  weighing  11 61b.  ;  Mrs. 
James  Gardner  one  of 
1301b.;  and  Miss  Olive 
Belle  Clark,  of  Los 
Angeles,  one  of  iiSlb., 
the  last  being  played 
for  fifty  minutes.  A 
photograph  of  IMiss 
Clark  is  shown  here- 
with, with  the  sturdy 
tuna.  Doubtless  the 
catches  will  long 
remain  unique  in 
the  annals  of  fish- 
ing. All  these  ladies 
played  their  fish  with 
great  skill,  for  all  were 
practised  anglers.  The 
scene  as  they  were 
taking  the  fish  in  was 
extremely  exciting,  and 
they  were  surrounded 
by    small     boats    and 


MRS.    KENDALL,    OK    PASADENA,  ALSO    HAS   A    FINE   SHOW. 

From  a  Photo,  by  S'wcnson. 


launches,  which  kept 
well  off,  to  give  them 
opportunity  to  play  the 
fish.  When  the  fish 
were  finally  brought  to 
gaff  the  cheers  were 
loud  and  hearty,  and 
the  fair  anglers  were 
given  a  rousing  wel- 
come by  the  Tuna 
Club  members  and  the 
anglers  of  Avalon,  who 
crowded  the  beach  to 
see  the  monsters 
brought  in  and  weighed 
by  the  judges  of  the 
tournament. 


MISS   OLIVE    BELLE   CLARk'    WITH    HER    SUI'EKl!   TUNA    OF    uSlB. 

From  a  Photo,   bv  Swenson. 


The  Story  of  Gomez  Gonsalves. 


ROBERT  ELLISON'S  LESSON  IN  NATIVE  SERVANTS 
By  Mrs.  C.  E.  Phillimore. 

This  lady  has  lived  many  years  in  India,  and  she  here  relates  for  us  an  amusing  and  instructive  episode 
of  a  too-perfect  native  servant  whose  master  kindly  appreciated  him  until  the  dramatic  end  came.  The 
episode   of  the  tombstone  is  well  known  in  Bombay,  as  indeed  are  all  the  incidents  of  the  narrative. 


OAIEZ,  Gomez,  look  alive,  boy,  if 
you  want  a  job  !  "  called  out  the 
European  manager  of  Watson's 
Hotel,  looking  down  over  the 
veranda   railings    at    a    group    of 

twenty  or  thirty  "  boys  " — as  they  are  called  in 

India,  although  some  of  them  were  grey  and 

wrinkled,  and  would 

never  see  forty -five 

again.     Not  exactly 

the    age    that   we 

call    men    boys    in 

England,    but   then 

things  are  managed 

differently     in      the 

East. 
"  Coming,    sahib, 

coming,"    Gomez 

answered,    hastily, 

putting   out    a   vile- 
smelling   cigarette 

that   he  was   smok- 
ing, and  giving  his 

iwhite    short    jacket 

a    pull   here    and 

'there  and  generally 

straightening      him- 
self up  as  he  hurried 

to  answer   the    im- 
perative    summons. 

Of  course  he  wanted 

work,   like    all    the 

rest  of  the  servants 

waiting     there     for 

English  sahibs ;  and 

as  they  waited  they 

lounged,     gossiped, 

and  smoked  on  the 

pavement  under  the 

cool  shelter  of  the 

hotel  verandas,   out 

of  the  blinding  sun- 
shine and  great  heat. 

But  what  Gomez 

wanted   (like    the 


LOOK    ALIVE,    l;OV,    IK    VOU    WANT   A   JOB,'    CALLED   THE   IMANAGF.lv. 


rest  of  his  fellows)  was  "a  Europe  sahib"  ;  he 
did  no/  want  one  who  knew  the  ways  and  doings 
of  Goanese,  Hindu,  and  Mohammedan  butlers. 
Nothing  of  the  sort;  he  wanted  a  sahib  just 
out — new  to  the  country — who  would  believe  all 
that  he  (Gomez)  told  him  ;  approve  of  all  that 
Gomez    bought  him ;   and    be    totally  ignorant 

of  the  peculiar 
manner  in  which 
Gomez  could  occa- 
sionally augment  his 
monthly  pay.  He 
did  not  want  a 
master  who  had 
"  Forbes's  Manual " 
at  his  finger  ends ; 
whose  temper,  if 
not  his  liver,  had 
suffered  from  the 
strain  of  a  tropical 
climate,  and  who 
never  listened  to 
any  excuse,  or 
allowed  constant 
deaths  in  his  boy's 
family  to  affect  his 
arrangements. 

Gomez  quickly 
appeared  upstairs 
on  the  veranda,  and 
made  a  profound 
salaam  when  he  saw 
the  '  gentleman  who 
sought  his  services. 

The  new  -  comer 
was  standing  talking 
affably  to  the  busy 
hotel  manager. 
Gomez  rightly  con- 
cluded that  he  had 
just  landed,  and  had 
never  been  in  India 
before  ;  and  his  con- 
clusions were  per- 
fectly correct. 


i3b 


rm-     WIDE    WORLD    ^iAGAZlNlL. 


'■  Here  is  a  boy  that  may  suit  you,  sir,"  the 
manager  said.  ''  \"ou  will  find  him  a  smart 
servant  :  only  keep  him  u|)  to  his  work.  He 
knows  a  fair  amount  of  English,  so  you  will 
have  no  trouble  with  him." 

"  Much  obliged,  I  am  sure,"  the  gentleman 
replied  ;  "  but  what  salary  will  he  require  ? 
And  what  other  arrangements  are  usually 
made  ?  A\'ill  you  give  me  a  little  more  in- 
formation, if  you  can  spare  a  few  moments?" 

*•  Oh  !  you  can  easily  settle  all  that  with  him 
yourself,"  replied  the  manager,  airily  ;  "  he 
understands  English.  I  am  afraid  I  must  be 
going  to  see  after  some  new  arrivals.  Any- 
thing else  that  I  can  do  for  you,  I  shall  be  only 
too  pleased,  sir,"  and  he  hurried  off  downstairs 
to  the  entrance  to  meet  a  party  of  American 
tourists  who  were  alighting  from  ticca-gharries, 
piled  high  with  luggage  and  bundles  of  rugs, 
sticks,  and  umbrellas.  "  Really,  new-comers 
are  rather  exasperating  at  times,  requiring  so 
much  attention,  particularly  on  a  mail  morning," 
thought  the  overworked  hotel  manager.  "  Surely 
to  goodness  he  can  engage  his  own  boy  ! " 

*'\\'hat  salary  do  you  require?"  Mr.  Ellison 
(as  we  shall  call  him,  though  it  was  not  his 
name)  commenced,  a  little  nervously. 

"  My  pay  forty-five  rupees  a  month,  sahib," 
was  the  glib  reply. 

A  mental  calculation  went  on  in  Mr.  Ellison's 
mind  as  to  the  equivalent  of  forty-five  rupees  in 
English  money ;  then  he  went  on  :  "  I  suppose 
you  have  travelled  before?  I  must  have  a  boy 
accustomed  to  travelling,  as  I  am  going  through 
India." 

"  Me  travel  much,  .sahib  ;  me  know  all  through 
India  as  sahib  says— all  through  country.  See 
my  chits,  sahib.  Me  travelled  with  bara  uncha 
sahibs,  and  got  great  characters  if  sahib 
read." 

A  roll  of  dirty  notes,  showing  much  usage,  was 
produced  and  handed  to  Mr.  Ellison,  who  took 
them  rather  reluctantly,  as  if  he  feared  microbes 
from  their  dirt  and  evil  smell.  However,  he 
waded  through  them,  and  read  of  the  extreme 
honesty,  the  splendid  qualities,  and  great  capa- 
bilities of  the  applicant.  They  were  signed  by 
Civil  servants.  Army  men,  and  others,  so  must 
be  well  worth  credence,  not  to  mention  several 
eloquent  effusions  from  grateful  globe-trotters. 
And  to  think  that  you  could  procure  all  this 
for  forty-five  rupees  a  month  1  It  could  not  be 
called  dear;  in  fact,  it  was  cheap  at  the  price. 
How  fortunate  to  be  suited  without  any  further 
trouble  '.  What  a  saving  of  time  to  bring  his 
references  in  his  pocket.  '  It  really  was  a  quick 
and  effective  way  of  supplying  one's  wants  at  a 
minimum  of  trouble. 

"  Very  well  ;  then  I   had   better  engage  you," 


said  Mr.  Ellison.      "When  can  you  commence 
your  duties?" 

"Abhi  (now),  sahib,"  assured  Gomez.  "Only 
take  little  time  after  tiffin  when  sahib  sleep,  but 
come  back  sharp.  Just  go  and  get  clothes." 
For  Gomez  had  made  up  his  mind  that  it  would 
be  simply  flying  in  the  face  of  a  kind  Providence 
unless  he  at  once  took  the  good  things  that  the 
gods  had  sent  him.  It  was  something  to  come 
across  a  sahib  who  did  not  demean  himself  by 
offering  less  pay  than  was  asked,  for  Gomez 
knew  by  experience  that  a  large  proportion  of 
even  the  "  heaven-born "  were  not  above  that 
meanness. 

After  one  day's  experience  Mr.  Ellison  was 
satisfied  that  he  had  found  a  treasure,  as  he  had 
never  been  so  well  served  before  in  all  his  life. 
He  had  not  a  want  or  a  desire  that  Gomez  did 
not  seem  to  anticipate;  his  valeting  and  table 
attendance  were  first-class. 

Mr.  Ellison  was  a  plain  man,  and  had  had  a 
very  frugal  bringing  up,  being  one  of  a  large 
family  in  a  Midland  town  ;  and  he  had  never 
been  used  either  to  luxuries  or  superfluities  in 
his  quiet,  commonplace  life.  One  day  the  firm 
he  served  wanted  a  traveller,  and  mentally 
scanning  over  their  employes  decided  that  out 
of  them  all  Robert  Ellison  was  far  and  away  the 
best  man  for  their  purpose.  He  was  an  un- 
married man,  which  was  decidedly  in  his  favour. 
So  that  was  how  it  came  about  that  Robert 
Ellison  landed  in  Bombay. 

He  stayed  on  for  two  months,  and  transacted 
business  profitably.  Then,  charmed  as  he  was 
with  the  Presidency  and  the  social  life  in  its 
capital,  he  decided  to  start  on  a  tour  through 
the  country.  This  decision  was  communicated 
to  Gomez,  and  the  order  given  to  "  pack  up," 
which  was  met  by  the  ready  response, 
"Achchha  (very  good),  sahib."  But  later  in 
the  day,  seizing  a  favourable  opportunity,  Mr. 
Ellison  was  informed  that  before  they  could 
leave  Bombay  there  must  be  a  warm  kit  pro- 
cured for  his  humble  servant,  Gomez.  The 
cold  of  the  hill-tops,  the  snows  of  Simla,  the 
chills  of  the  wind-sw-ept  plains,  were  a  very 
different  matter  to  the  moist,  hot,  zephyr-like 
breezes  of  Bombay  ;  but,  of  course,  the  sahib, 
being  a  new  sahib,  did  not  understand.  That 
was  the  custom  of  the  country,  however. 

Of  all  this  Mr.  Ellison  was  perfectly  ignorant, 
but  willing  to  be  instructed  ;  and  on  the  morrow 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  day  was  employed 
in  procuring  warm  clothes,  boots,  warm  bedding, 
and  other  such-like  comforts  for  their  trip. 
\Vhat  Gomez  said  was  this,  "  Buy  all  in 
Bombay,  sahib;  up  country  very  much  more 
money  ask.     Bombay  cheap." 

The   gentleman    was    willing   to  do  so,  and 


THE    STORY    OF    GOMEZ    GONSALVES. 


137 


yielded  a  ready  acquiescence  to  his  guide's 
superior  knowledge.  But  Robert  Ellison  was, 
like  Gilpin's  spouse,  possessed  of  a  "frugal 
mind,"  and  after  Gomez's  kit  had  been  fully 
(very  fully)  bought,  there  were  other  items  for 
himself — an  ice-box,  tififin  basket,  some  leather 
trunks,  sundry  makes  of  spirit -kettles  and 
lamps  for  providing  tea  and  hot  water  in 
the  train  and  dak-bungalows  ;  ugly  but  very 
expensive  helmets,  sun  umbrellas  to  ward  off 
sunstroke,  white  dinner  suits  supplemented  by 
silk  cummerbunds  in  startling  hues,  which  he 
might  or  might  not  want  on  his  tour,  but  which 
Gomez    impressed    on    him    were    "  de   rigor." 


important.  During  all  this  time  Gomez  had 
lived  up  to  his  reputation,  and  Mr.  Ellison  grew 
sincerely  attached  to  him,  and  felt  quite  grateful 
to  him  for  the  care  and  skill  he  manifested  in 
his  service. 

One  morning  in  Delhi  he  had  occasion  to 
appreciate  and  be  thankful  for  such  loyalty. 
He  had  risen,  and  was  lazily  lounging  in  a 
long  chair"  until  Gomez  brought  his  chota- 
haziri  (little  breakfast),  when  the  paragon 
burst  into  his  room,  dragging  a  sweeper 
whom  he  had  captured  red-handed  with  a 
pair  of  gold  studs  belonging  to  Mr.  Ellison 
in   his   possession.      The   previous   day,    when 


'GOMEZ    nURST    INTO   THE    ROOM,    DRAGGING    A    SWEEPER    WHOM    UK    HAD    CAPTURED    RED-HANDED. 


The  master  presently  began  to  count  up  what 
he  had  expended,  and  found  it  far  beyond  his 
expectations. 

He  therefore  informed  the  faithful  boy  firmly 
that  nothing  more  must  be  bought. 

"Just  as  sahib  wishes,"  was  the  dutiful 
answer. 

Next  day  they  started  from  the  Victoria 
Terminus,  and  were  fairly  off  on  their  journey. 
From  town  to  town  they  travelled,  sometimes 
only  staying  a  couple  of  days  in  a  place  ;  occa- 
sionally a  week  or  two  if  the  city  were  large  and 

Vol.  vi.— 18. 


dressing  for  dinner,  both  master  and  servant 
had  spent  quite  half  an  hour  hunting  for  these 
studs,  and  they  were  not  to  be  found.  That 
morning  Gomez,  tired  of  waiting  for  his  master's 
tray,  went  to  the  cook-house  to  hasten  matters, 
and  actually  found  the  sweeper  with  the  studs 
in  his  hands,  showing  them  to  a  fellow-servant, 
Gomez,  horrified  at  such  bare  -  faced  theft, 
seized  him,  studs  and  all,  and  being  a  much 
bigger,  stronger  man  (because  a  well-fed  one), 
he  dragged  him  into  his  master's  room  for  the 
sahib  to  see  his  wickedness  with  his  own  eyes. 


138 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


This  was  Gomez's  account  ;  possibly  the 
sweepers  would  have  been  very  difterent  could 
the  Englishman  have  only  understood  what  his 
version  was.  But,  of  course,  he  could  not.  The 
sahib  was  from  over  the  "  black  water,"  and  did 
not  understand  Hindustani,  let  alone  Mahratta  ; 
so  he  believed  Gomez's  account  entirely,  which 
made  it  bad  for  the  sweeper.  The  accused 
shook,  shivered,  and  wept  copiously,  begging  to 
be  heard,  but  he  could  not  get  in  a  word,  so 
fluent  was  Gomez's  righteous  indignation  with 
his  glib  Hindustani  and  broken  English,  In 
fact,  he  had  scarcely  any  breath  left  to  answer 
his  master's  questions,  being  so  busily  engaged 
holding  on  to  the  culprit  and  abusing  the 
latter's  female  relations  for  some  generations 
back.  Just  then  the  hotel-keeper  appeared, 
anxious  to  know  what  all  the  scuffling  was 
about.  Gomez  began  to  explain,  but  the  hotel- 
keeper  was  not  a  "  grififin,"  seeing  that  he  first 
saw  the  light  of  day  in  India  ;  consequently,  he 
peremptorily  checked  him  with  "  Chup  raho  " 
(be  silent),  and  inquired  of  j\Ir.  Ellison  what 
was  the  matter. 

That  gentleman  told  him  all  he  knew— which 
was  what  Gomez  had  told  him ;  but  that  vigilant 
servant  still  held  the  condemning  proofs,  the 
gold  studs.  These  were  shown,  proving  posi- 
tively the  sweeper's  guilt.  Things  began  to  look 
very  black  indeed  against  Mohammed  Ali. 

"  Send  for  the  police,  and  give  him  into 
custody,"  was  the  hotel-keeper's  advice. 

On  hearing  this  poor  Mohammed  Ali  redoubled 
his  sobs  and  protestations,  and  wildly  clasping 
his  hands  begged  for  mercy.  Mr.  Ellison's 
heart  was  a  very  tender  one,  and  spite  of  his 
misdeeds  he  was  touched  by  the  man's  abject 
supplications. 

"What  does  he  say?"  he  asked,  feeling  very 
uncomfortable. 

Gomez  was  about  to  reply  or  interpret  when 
again  he  was  stopped  by  the  angry  "  Chup  raho  " 
of  the  hotel-keeper. 

"  He  says,  sir,  that  he  is  a  poor  man — a  very 
poor  man  with  a  large  family,  and  he  begs  that 
your  honour  will  not  prosecute  him." 

The  sweeper  hefe  interrupted  with  some 
forcible  assertion,  which,  of  course,  was  unintel- 
ligible to  Mr.  Ellison. 

"  What  does  the  man  say  ? "  he  again 
demanded. 

"  He  says,  sir,  that  he  did  not  take  them — 
never  saw  them  ;  but  that  he  found  the  studs 
secreted  in  his  pugaree,  when  he  took  it  off  the 
window-sill  to  put  it  on.  To  use  his  own 
expression,  'he  swears  by  the  holy  beard  of  the 
Prophet '  that  he  never  put  them  there." 

"  Do  you  think  he  did  ?  " 

"  I  really  cannot  say,  sir.     Most  natives  will 


thieve  if  they  have  the  chance  ;  though  I  must 
say  I  have  had  him  for  six  or  seven  years,  and 
this  is  the  first  time  I  have  heard  him  accused. 
He  may  or  may  not  have  taken  them.  In  a  big 
place  like  this,  with  so  many  strange  servants 
about,  it  is  impossible  to  say  who  is  the  real 
culprit." 

"  But  Gomez  found  him  with  them  in  his 
hand  showing  them  to  a  fellow-servant." 

Another  wild  burst  of  unintelligible  words, 
and  wilder  sobs  from  Mohammed  Ali,  the 
sweeper. 

"  That  does  not  prove,  sir,  that  it  was  he 
who  stole  them  from  your  room,  after  all,"  said 
the  innkeeper. 

"  Well,  we  will  give  him  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt,"  decided  Mr.  Ellison,  tired  of  the  whole 
affair  and  wishful  to  be  left  in  peace. 

The  hotel-keeper,  before  leaving  the  room, 
remarked  to  Gomez,  in  anything  but  a  con- 
ciliatory tone  : — 

"  Look  after  your  master's  things,  and  keep 
them  locked  up,  especially  such  belongings  as 
jewellery;  then  they  w'ill  be  safe."  Then  Gomez, 
indignant  at  being  so  summarily  told  to  "  chup 
raho"  by  the  proprietor,  Hew  about  clearing 
up  and  packing  away  every  available  article. 
Mr.  Ellison  was  very  pleased  at  recovering  his 
studs,  as  he  particularly  valued  them.  They  had 
been  a  present  to  him  from  the  senior  partner 
of  his  firm,  and  to  soothe  Gomez's  feelings,  and 
reward  his  zeal,  Mr.  Ellison  presented  him  then 
and  there  with  a  twenty-rupee  note. 

Next  day  they  resumed  their  journey,  but  on 
packing  up  bet'ore  leaving  several  other  small 
things  were  missing.  Gomez  wished  to  summon 
the  hotel-keeper,  get  a  search  warrant,  and  have 
a  thorough  hunt  for  them;  but  his  master  was 
eminently  a  man  of  peace,  and  after  the  babel  of 
tongues  and  wild  exclamations,  the  maddening, 
bewildering  din  of  yesterday,  and  the  sulkiness 
of  Gomez  (to  put  it  mildly),  even  after  the  gift 
of  the  twenty-rupee  note,  because  his  sahib 
refused  to  prosecute,  and  the  hotel-keeper's 
scarcely  concealed  annoyance  at  the  occurrence 
— these  things  determined  Mr.  Ellison.  He 
would  not  listen  to  such  warlike  advice. 

A  gold  pencil-case  was  missing ;  also  a  ring, 
and  one  or  two  such  things.  Despite  the 
faithful  servant's  protests  his  master  went  off, 
leaving  the  missing  articles  to  their  fate.  Strange 
things  are  done  in  India. 

That  day  Gomez  felt  very  injured.  He  had 
his  trials  like  the  rest  of  us.  It  would  have 
added  so  much  to  his  own  importance  had  but 
his  sahib  been  a  commissioner,  a  judge,  or  even 
a  colonel.  Some  military  men  were  staying  at 
the  hotel.  Their  servants  were  not  drawing 
half  the  pay  that  he  enjoyed,  and   were  doing 


THE    STORY    OF    GOMEZ    GONSALVES. 


139 


double  the  work ;  but  they  jeered  at  him 
because  his  sahib  was  only  a  pate-walla  (box- 
man)  ;  whereas  their  sahibs  were  bara  sahibs 
(great  gentlemen).  And  did  they  not  wear  a 
silver  crest,  their  Huzoor's  in  their  pugarees  ? 
Altogether,  master  and  servant  were  not  sorry  to 
go  northward  and  bid  Delhi  good-bye. 

Mr.  Ellison  was  a  commercial  man,  but  he 
had  taste,  and  a  great  admiration  for  things  with 
which  people  did  not  always  credit  him.  He 
had  day-dreams  at  forty-two  of  a  nice  home  of 
his  own  in  the  suburbs ; 
and  he  had  imagination 
enough  to  picture  what 
he  would  like  such  a  home 
to  be.  So  he  bought  brass 
ware  at  Benares,  inlaid 
copper  articles  at  Delhi, 
lovely  needlework  in  silver 


sides  by  the  big  firms.  He  was  invited  out  to 
clubs,  tiffins,  Sunday  breakfasts,  and  endless 
dinners  ;  consequently,  all  the  packing  had  to 
be  left  to  Gomez.  He  often  told  his  friends 
how  fortunate  he  was  to  have  such  a  valuable 
servant.  His  purchases  were  all  sent  off  to 
Bombay  to  await  his  coming,  packed  in  neat 
w^ood  cases,  and  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  write 
the  directions,  as  writing  English  was  not  one 
of  Gomez's  qualifications. 

He  was  leaving  Calcutta  for  Bombay  in  a 


'  ROUSING    HIMSELF,    HE   CLASPED    HIS   ARMS   AROUND   MR.    ELLISON  S    KNEES. 


and  gold  tracery  at  Agra,  and  more  and  more 
beautiful  art  work,  until  he  had  a  fine  collection 
to  take  home  with  him. 

After  six  months'  continual  travelling  he  was 
glad  to  reach  Calcutta.  Gomez  still  remained 
— from  sea-washed  Bombay  to  the  stately  man- 
sions of  Chowringhee,  the  perfect  ideal  of  a 
good  servant.  He  saved  his  master  endless 
rupees  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  made  bundobusts 
(bargains)  for  him,  and  prevented  everyone 
cheating  him. 

Business  was  good  in  Calcutta,  and  Mr. 
Ellison    found    himself    royally    treated    on    all 


few  days,  when  one  morning  Gomez  complained 
of  feeling  ill.  It  would  not  be  true  to  say  that 
he  looked  pale  and  ghastly,  but  it  would  be  true 
to  say  that  that  he  was  of  a  greenish  hue. 

"Dear  me!  dear  me!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Ellison  ;  "  I  will  send  for  a  doctor,  and  let  him 
prescribe  for  you." 

"  No,  no,  sahib  ;  you  dress,  then  me  go  and 
see  good  Portuguese  doctor.  Him  do  me  great 
good." 

So  it  was  settled.  But  when  Mr.  Ellison 
returned,  between  two  and  three  in  the  after- 
noon,  Gomez    was    decidedly   worse,  and   the 


I40 


THE   WIDE   WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


kind-hearted  man  insisted  on  having  a  European 
doctor  at  once,  which  was  done.  The  doctor 
arrived,  examined  the  patient  in  Mr.  EUison's 
room,  and  said  that  he  was  suffering  from  a  very 
bid  attack  of  cholera.  He  advised  sending  the 
man  to  the  hospital  at  once,  and  warned  Mr. 
Ellison  of  the  danger  of  infection.  He  also  told 
him  to  be  most  careful.  Then  he  took  his  fee 
and  departed,  expecting  that  his  sensible  advice 
would  be  inimediatelv  acted  upon.  But  Mr. 
Ellison  held  very  peculiar  views  of  his  own.  He 
had  had  a  slight  touch  of  the  ordinary  country 
fever  in  a  dak-bungalow  whilst  on  their  journey, 
and  Gomez  had  waited  on  him  well,  and  nothing 
could  erase  the  illusion  from  his  mind  that  the 
devoted  Goanese  had  saved  his  life — although 
the  railway  practitioner  who  had  attended  him 
would  have  been  very  surprised  to  hear  that  his 
life  had  ever  been  in  any  danger.  That  was 
what  he  would  have  said,  but  not  what  Mr. 
Ellison  thought ;  and  being  inexperienced  he 
did  not  understand  the  wide  difference  between  a 
slight  attack  of  country  fever  and  a  malignant 
cholera  seizure,  (iomez  begged  not  to  be  sent 
to  the  hospital,  and  to  the  hospital  Mr.  Ellison 
was  determined  he  should  not  go. 

Often  your  very  quiet,  unobtrusive  man  can 
be  very  obstinate.  It  was  so  in  this  case.  He 
ordered  a  second  bedstead  to  be  brought  into 
his  room,  and  made  up  his  mind  to  nurse 
Gomez  as  Gomez  had  nursed  him.  The  pro- 
prietor warned  him  that  all  bedding  must  be 
destroyed  after  being  used  by  a  cholera  patient, 
and  that  all  such  expenses  must  be  borne  by 
him.  He  was  informed  that  his  bill  would  be 
paid.  Gomez  was  put  to  bed  ;  the  doctor  was 
again  sent  for,  and  Mr.  Ellison  prepared  to 
watch  all  night  by  his  bedside.  The  doctor 
was  too  surprised  for  words  when  he  saw  the 
state  of  affairs,  but  prescribed  again  for  the 
Goanese,  and  once  more  warned  the  Englishman 
of  the  great  risk  he  was  running. 

Meeting  the  proprietor  on  the  stairs  as  he 
descended,  the  doctor  remarked:  — 

"  Peculiar  gentleman  in  No.  95,  Mr.  Archer. 
He  m.ay  think  himself  lucky  if  he  escapes 
cholera.  However,  he  will  not  listen  to  my 
advice.     I  suppose  he  is  new  to  the  country." 

"  He  must  be  mad— mad  as  a  hatter," 
exclaimed  the  proprietor,  "  to  treat  any  nigsrer 
like  that."  ^ 

"  What  :  is  he  a  missionary  ? "  asked  the 
doctor,  smiling. 

"  No,  sir,  he  is  a  commercial  gent." 

"  The  Goanese  will  not  last  until  to-morrow. 
He  is  certainly  very  bad.  Poor  fellow,  it  is 
only  a  question  of  hours  so  far  as  he  is  con- 
cerned.''    And  the  doctor  passed  out. 

The  prophecy  was  correct.     Before  midnight 


the  Goanese  began  to  sink.  Rousing  himself 
with  the  little  strength  left  him,  two  hours 
before  he  died,  he  clasped  his  arms  around 
Mr.  Ellison's  knees,  and  entreated  "the 
cherisher  of  the  poor,  the  achha  sahib,"  to  go  to 
a  certain  chawl  in  Bombay,  a  part  that  Mr. 
Ellison  did  not  know,  get  his  boxes,  and  for- 
ward them  to  his  wife  in  Goa  by  the  next 
steamer.  He  knew  that  he  was  very  bad — ■ 
dying  ;  he  was  sure  now  he  should  die.  He 
should  never  go  back  ;  but  would  the  sahib  as  a 
last  favour  do  this  for  him  ? 

The  sahib  promised,  and,  had  Gomez  asked 
it,  he  would  have  promised  to  have  done  far 
greater  things  for  the  dying  man.  Mr.  Ellison 
wrote  down  both  the  Bombay  and  Goa  addresses 
carefully,  and  the  sufferer  was  satisfied. 

Before  the  dawn  broke  Mr.  Ellison  was 
servantless. 

"  Poor  Gomez,"  he  said,  "  he  has  been  a 
faithful,  honest  boy  to  me,  and  I  feel  almost  as 
though  I  had  lost  someone  belonging  to  me. 
I  will  have  him  buried  decently,  like  a  Christian." 

He  knew  that  Gomez  always  attended  (or  said 
he  did)  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  for  early 
mass  on  a  Sunday  morning,  dressed  in  an  irre- 
proachable black  suit,  white  starched  shirt-front, 
and  white  cuffs,  showing  at  least  two  inches 
below  his  coat-sleeves.  He  also  wore  a  felt 
hat,  and  carried  a  walking-stick  with  a  silver 
knob. 

He  made  the  necessary  funeral  arrangements, 
followed  the  corpse  to  its  last  resting-place,  in 
as  deep  mourning  as  he  would  have  worn  for  his 
own  brother,  and  everything  was  done  well  and 
in  due  order.  Fortunately  he  did  not  take  the 
disease,  but  he  had  a  stiff  bill  to  pay  at  the 
hotel.  He  did  not  begrudge  that,  however,  for 
Robert  Ellison  was  not  a  man  to  do  things  by 
halves. 

His  next  visit  was  to  the  stonemason,  whom 
he  instructed  to  place  a  stone  immediately  to 
mark  the  spot  where  he  had  had  the  faithful 
boy  laid.  He  wrote  the  inscription  himself 
It  was — - 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Gomez  Gonsalves,  the  Honest  Boy, 

who  died  December  3rd,  1886. 

This  stone  is  erected  by  his  sorrowing  Master  and  l^'riend, 

Robert  Ellison. 

The  monumental  sculptor,  seeing  this  was  a 
case  of  "  pay  on  delivery,"  bestirred  himself,  put 
down  the  stone,  took  his  bill  to  the  hotel,  and 
Mr.  Ellison  paid  it.  A  week  later  he  left  for 
Bombay.  Before  going,  however,  he  found 
time  to  drive  to  the  cemetery  and  see  that  his 
instructions  had  been  carried  out  ;  he  also  left 
some  flowers  on  the  grave. 

"  How  can  people  mistrust  and  disbelieve 
native    servants    so,    I    cannot    imagine.     It   is 


THE    STORY    OF    GOMEZ    GONSALVES. 


141 


beyond  me,"  thought  the  kind  man  as  he  left 
the  grave-side. 

Back  in  Bombay  he  met  different  acquaint- 
ances and  told  his  tale,  which  was  received  with 
different  degrees  of  sympathy.  He  was  very 
busy,  and  it  was  quite  a  fortnight  before  he 
found  time  to  fulfil  Gomez's  last  request.  One 
day  he  started,  but  was  a  long  time  finding  that 
particular  chawl.  The  gharry  walla  either  could 
not  or  would  not  help  him  in  his  search,  and 
only  drove  aimlessly  about.  However,  he 
succeeded  in  finding  the  place,  and  asked  for 
the  tenant  of 
the  house.  It 
was,  well  —  a 
sort  of  Goa- 
nese  boarding- 
house  and  club 
combined. 
The  members 
paid  a  few 
annas  a  month 
when  they 
were  in  em- 
ployment, and 
then,  if  out  of 
work,  they 
could  rely  on 
being  provided 
with  a  home 
until  they  were 
once  more 
earning.  All 
Portuguese 
and  Goanese 
subscribe  to 
such  clubs; 
consequently, 
they  are  the 
most  indepen- 
dent of  all  the 
native  workers, 
and  command 
the  best  pay 
in  the  labour 
market. 

Mr.  Ellison 
explained  the 
object  of  his 
visit,  and  asked 

that  the  boxes  might  be  produced,  so  that  he 
could  forward  them  to  their  destination  before 
leaving  for  England. 

To  his  surprise  the  Portuguese  in  charge  of 
the  place  refused  to  give  them  up.  Mr.  Ellison 
began  to  get  ruffled.  He  reasoned,  persuaded, 
and  threatened,  but  all  in  vain. 

"I  will  call  in  the  police,"  he  declared. 

"  All  right,  sahib,"  the  man  insolently  replied. 


:''^**   ■ 


m- 
the 


'gave  a  sudden  gasf  as  he  recognised  a  silver-worked  tablecloth. 


That  was  more  than  even  Mr.  Ellison  could 
stand.  He  left  the  house,  got  into  the  gharry, 
and  told  the  gharry  walla  to  drive  to  the  nearest 
police-station.  Securing  the  services  of  a  robust- 
looking  chaukida  (policeman),  he  returned  to 
the  Goanese  lodging-house,  and  again  demanded 
the  boxes.  He  was  again  refused.  Then  the 
man  of  law  intervened,  and  ordered  the  boxes 
to  be  given"  up  immediately.  Very  unwillingly 
the  Portuguese  obeyed,  but  sullenly  stipulated 
that  the  boxes  should  be  opened  so  that  the 
English     sahib    might    identify     the     contents. 

After  some 
more  parleying 
mainly  be- 
tween the  Por- 
tuguese and 
the  chaukida 
in  their  own 
language,  ac- 
companied by 
fierce  looks  on 
both  sides,  the 
policeman 
quired  of 
gentleman  : — 
"You  can 
easily  recog- 
nise your  ser- 
vant's clothes  ? 
It  is  not  likely 
that  he  will 
have  much 
else  in  them." 
"  Yes,  cer- 
tainly,"  Mr. 
Ellison  as- 
sented ;  "  I 
know  the  warm 
clothes  be- 
cause I  paid 
for  them,  but 
I  am  dubious 
about  white 
raiment,  as  it 
is  all  so  much 
alike  in  this 
country." 

"Oh!  there 
need  not  be 
much  trouble  about  that.  He's  a  lucky  naukar 
(servant)  to  have  so  many  clothes,"  the  chaukidar 
remarked,  as  he  saw  the  boxes,  their  size— and 
actually  he  had  three  of  them. 

Wisely,  Mr.  Ellison   had   requested   that   the 
police    official    who    accompanied    him    on    his 
charitable  errand  might  speak  English. 
The  boxes  were  opened. 
Mr.  Ellison  gave  a  sudden  gasp,  then  uttered 


142 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


an  ejaculation  of  intense  surprise  as  he  recog- 
nised a  silver-worked  tablecloth  that  he  had  paid 
seventy-five  rupees  for  in  Agra,  and  meant  taking 
home  to  his  mother  as  a  present.  Ne.xt  came 
some  of  his  own  white  flannel  suits,  which  a 
dhobv  (washer  man)  had  "  lost "  in  Allahabad, 
and  for  which  the  unfortunate  man  had  been 
fined  five  rupees  for  losing.  At  least,  this  was 
what  Gomez  had  said,  and,  of  course,  Mr.  Elli- 
son had  firmly  believed  it.  Recognising  the 
suits,  he  saw  again  the  poor  dhoby's  sorrowful 
face,  and  helpless  but  vindictive  maledictions  as 
he  was  driven  off  the  veranda  by  that  faithful 
Gomez.  Next  appeared  the  gold  pencil-case, 
ring,  etc.,  "lost"  at  Delhi,  and  for  the  recovery 
of  which  he  had  refused  so  positively  to  procure 
a  search  warrant.  Then  came  a  diamond  ring  of 
considerable  value  which  he  had  left  carelessly 
on  a  dressing  table  in  a  railway  station  waiting- 
room.  He  had  snatched  a  hasty  dinner,  but 
missed  it  before  he  had  finished  and  had  gone 
to  recover  it  at  once,  but  found  it  gone.  On 
acquainting  Gomez  with  his  loss  an  unsuccessful 
search  was  vigorously  prosecuted  until  his  train 
would  wait  no  longer  for  him,  and,  annoyed  at 
his  own  carelessness,  he  tried  to  forget  all  about 
it.  These  and  quantities  more  of  his  purchases 
he  found,  which  he  expected  were  safely  packed 
away  in  readiness  for  his  return  to  England.  He 
was  almost  too  astonished  to  explain  to  the 
chaukidar  that  these  things  were  all  his  property. 

"  Loot,"  remarked  the  chaukidar,  with  a  grin 
that  he  could  not  repress.  "Man  dead,  you  said, 
sir,  so  we  cannot  arrest  him." 

The  last  box  contained  a  great  many  rupees 
tied  up  in  rags  and  dirty  handkerchiefs. 

"  His  wages,"  suggested  Mr.  Ellison,  although 
he  remembered  at  different  times  filling  in 
postal  orders  to  be  sent  to  Gomez's  v.ife  and 
family. 

"  What  pay  did  he  get  ? "  inquired  the 
chaukidar. 

"  Forty-five  rupees  a  month." 

On  counting  up  the  treasure  -  trove,  how- 
ever, had  Gomez  had  ninety  rupees  a  month 
and  not  contributed  to  the  support  of  Mrs. 
Gonsalves   and   the  little  Gonsalves  in  Goa — 


still,    it    would    not    have   amounted    to    these 
savings. 

"  Backsheesh,  sir,"  remarked  the  chaukidar, 
thinking  how  he  should  not  have  minded  having 
had  Gomez's  place. 

The  chaukidar  received  a  five-rupee  note  for 
his  trouble,  but  it  would  have  been  ten  had  he 
been  wise  enough  to  restrain  his  grins  of  amuse- 
ment over  the  box  episode.  Ellison  returned 
to  his  hotel  a  very  much  more  enlightened  man 
than  he  had  left  it.  He  had  gained  a  wonder- 
ful insight  into  the  native  character  in  those 
few  hours,  as  well  as  regaining  much  valuable 
property. 

Back  at  the  hotel  he  took  pen  and  paper  and 
wrote  by  that  night's  mail  to  Calcutta  to  Pereira 
and  Co.,  monumental 'masons,  Calcutta.  It  was 
short,  but  to  the  purpose  : — 

"Dear  Sirs,  —  Please  remove  at  once  the 
tombstone  you  put  up  to  Gomez  Gonsalves  at 
my  direction.  I  have  found  out  that  he  was 
one  of  the  biggest  rogues  that  ever  lived.  Have 
it  removed  immediately  and  wire  me  that  you 
have  done  so.— Yours  truly,  Robert  Ellison." 

The  firm  of  Pereira  and  Co.  really  consisted 
of  one  somewhat  harassed-looking  Portuguese, 
and,  after  reading  the  letter,  he  remarked  to  his 
son,  a  boy  of  sixteen,  who  assisted  him  : — ■ 

"Those  English  travellers  must  be  behoshs 
(fools).  He  paid  me  for  putting  it  down,  but 
he  did  not  pay  me  to  take  it  up  again.  All 
naukars  (servants)  are  rogues  if  they  have  the 
chance.  He  should  have  looked  after  him.  I 
shall  wire  him." 

He  did  so,  wiring  : — 

"  ^Vill  you  pay  expenses  of  removal  ?  " 

Mr.  Ellison  was  a  mild,  equable-tempered 
man,  as  it  is  good  to  be  under  a  torrid  zone, 
but  the  days  since  Gomez's  departure  to  a  better 
land  had  tried  him  sorely,  so  he  replied:  — 

"  Certainly  ;  wire  amount.     Reply  prepaid." 

That  Mr.  Pereira  was  most  happy  to  do,  and 
needless  to  say  the  sum  was  telegraphed  him  at 
once,  and  then  his  reply  arrived,  saying  : — 

"  I  have  removed  the  stone,  and  what  am  I 
to  do  with  it?" 

He  is  still  awaiting  instructions. 


Where  Dogs  are  Used  as  Policemen. 

By  T-  E.  Whitby. 

Showing  how  in  the  town  of  Ghent,  in  Belgium,  dogs  have  been  trained  to  act  as  policemen,  and 
have  their  regular   beats  night  by  night.     They  have  been  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  the  pre- 
vention of  crime.     This    artic'e   was    specially   prepared    for    "  The   Wide    World    Magazine,"    and 
abounds  in  curious  facts,    such  as  the  training  of  the  dogs  by  means  of  dummy  criminals. 


OST  people  know  how  prominent  a 
part  is  played   by  the  dog  in  Bel- 
gium,   where    he   acts   as   the    poor 
|gp^^^    man's  horse.     By  ones,   by  twos,  by 
[TTiifflr  ^1  j-i-jj-ggg^   ^^(j   l-,y  fours  dogs  may  be 

seen  drawing  the  milk-carts,  hauling  the  vege- 
tables, bringing  home  the  washing — doing  any- 
thing and  everything,  in  fact, 
that  in  other  countries  falls 
to  the  lot  of  the  horse  or 
donkey.  What  is  more,  the 
dog  even  takes  his  owner  for 
an  airing,  and  what  stands  in 
Belgium  for  'the  little  don- 
key shay  "  of  Whitechapel  or 
the  classic  Old  Kent  Road 
is  drawn  by  a  team  of  dogs, 
who  move  along  at  a  great 
pace,  and  who  generally  seem 
happy,  willing,  and  well 
treated. 

But  the  Belgian  dog  has 
not  stopped  here.  He  is  an 
ambitious  creature.  He  is 
not  content  to  do  naught  but 
slave.  He  has,  in  fact,  aspired 
to  the  law  with  such  good 
effect  that  he  has  become 
one  of  its  limbs,  and  now 
plays  the  part  of  policeman, 
and  with  such  good  results 
too  that  crime  in  the  particu- 
lar districts  patrolled  by  him 
is  said  to  have  diminished 
by  two-thirds  since  his  entry 
into  the  force  ! 

It  is  at  Ghent  that  the  dog 
has  become  a  recognised 
member  of  the  regular  town 
constabulary.  His  introduc- 
tion was  the  outcome  of  a 
particulady  happy  thought  of  Monsieur  van 
Wesemail,  Chief  Commissioner  of  Police  there, 
who  has  trained  his  dogs  to  a  very  high  pitch  of 
efficiency,  and  who  was  kind  enough  to  afford  a 
representative  of  The  Wide  World  every  help 
in  the  way  of  acquiring  information  about  his 
especial  hobby  and  original  idea. 

Ghent,  it  must  be  explained,  is  not  only  pierced 
by  canals,  but  is  surrounded  by  rich  farm-houses 
and  lands,  as  well  as  by  luxuriant  market  and 
horticultural  gardens.     It  is  indeed  known  as  a 


"  city  of  flowers,"  and  a  great  trade  is  done  in 
bulbs.  The  dock  loafers  and  the  stranger  "  ne'er- 
do-weels  "  that  shipping  always  brings  in  its 
train  are  tempted  to  innumerable  thefts  ;  while 
the  extent  of  the  gardens  and  fields  and  the 
isolation  of  some  of  the  farms  make  it  extremely 
difficult  for  the  authorities  to  cope  with  them 
single-handed.  Besides  this, 
solitary  policemen  were  often 
attacked,  and  assault  and 
battery  ended  not  infre- 
quently in  murder.  In  the 
hope  of  checking  robbery 
and  preventing  crime  M. 
van  Wesemail  obtained  the 
permission  of  the  burgomaster 
to  institute  a  service  of  dogs. 
The  commissioner  has  most 
carefully  arranged  every  detail 
of  their  training,  which  is 
entirely  done  by  kindness ; 
and  it  is  satisfactory  to  know 
that  any  human  member  of 
the  force  striking  a  dog 
would  be  liable  to  instant 
dismissal. 

The  dogs  are  taught  by 
means  of  dummy  figures 
made  up  as  much  as  possible 
to  represent  the  thieves  and 
dangerous  characters  they 
may  be  likely  to  meet.  How 
much  patience  is  needed  by 
him  who  undertakes  this  par- 
ticular form  of  education  only 
those  who  have  tried  to  train 
animals  will  properly  appre- 
ciate. The  dog  must  be 
taught  to  seek,  to  attack, 
to  seize,  and  to  hold,  ditf 
ivithotit  hurting  seriously  I 
The  first  step  is  to  place  the  dummy  in  such  a 
position  that  it  shall  represent  a  man  endeavour- 
ing to  conceal  himself.  The  dog  soon  under- 
stands that  it  is  an  enemy  whom  he  must  hunt, 
and  enters  into  this  part  of  his  lesson  con  amore, 
but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  teach  him  not  to  injure 
it.  The  teacher  lowers  the  figure  to  the  ground, 
and  the  dog  soon  understands  that,  though  he 
may  not  worry  his  prey,  he  must  not  allow  his 
fallen  foe  to' stir  even  so  much  as  a  finger  until 
the  order  is  given. 


WESEMAIL,    CHIEF    OK    THE   GHENT    POLICE, 
WHO    HAS   TRAINED    THE    DOGS. 

From  a  Photo,  by  E.  Sacre. 


144 


THE    WIDi:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


After  the  dummy 
a  living  model  is 
used,  and  as  this 
process  is  obviously 
not  entirely  without 
danger,  the  person 
chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose is  usually  the 
one  who  ministers 
to  the  pupil's  crea- 
ture comforts,  and 
for  whom  the  canine 
detective  is  sure  to 
entertain  a  grateful 
affection.  Neverthe- 
less, he  is  prevented 
at  first,  by  means  of 
a  muzzle,  from  an 
exhibition  of  too 
much  zeal.  After- 
wards the  experi- 
ment is  tried  on 
other  members  of 
the  force,  and  in 
four  months  the 
dog's  education  as  a 

policeman  is  considered  complete,  and  he  takes 
his  place  with  the  rest.  The  animals  are  also 
taught  to  swim,  and  to  seize  their  quarry  in  the 
water  :  to  save  life  from  drowning  ;  to  scale  steep 
walls,  and  to  overcome  all  obstacles,  so  that  any 
enterprising  burglar  who  goes  a-burgling  in  Ghent 


Ml-    L  AM:.i     r>  .i.iLi  ' 
j'yojii  a  I'hoto. 


has  a  lively  time  of 
it  if  he  meets  with 
one  of  these  four- 
fooled  "  bobbies." 

There  are  at  pre- 
sent in  this  old  town 
sixteen  of  these  ac- 
complished animals. 
They  all  belong  to 
the  sheep-dog  breed, 
but  besides  Belgian 
there  are  also  Rus- 
sian and  De  la  Brie 
dogs.  During  the 
day  they  take  their 
well-earned  rest  in 
comfortable  loose 
boxes  in  the  garden 
attached  to  the  head 
station  of  the  police. 
But  at  ten  o'clock 
their  duties  begin, 
and  scarcely  has  the 
hour  chimed  from 
the  old  belfry  above 
their  heads  than 
they  set  up  a  deafening  chorus  of  barks  as  if 
to  show  their  eagerness  to  get  to  work.  They 
are  on  duty  till  six  next  morning,  and  do  not 
seem  at  all  fatigued  by  their  long  hours. 
Those  who  know  how  thoroughly  a  dog  enters 
into  sport  of  all  kinds  will  quite  appreciate  the 


by  M.   LcJcLrzirc. 


From  a  Photo.  hy\ 


Till-:    CIIIKI-    TUAINRU    WITH    A    fACK    OP    PROBATIONERS. 


[.!/.  Ufehvrc. 


WHERE    DOGS    ARE    USED    AS    POLICEMEN. 


145 


J-roiii  a  J'koto.  l<y\ 


WHERE  the;  eouk-legoeu  policemen  kesiue. 


[.I/.  Lejdn'rt-. 


every  way,  and  tlieir 
private  medical  man,  the 
town  "  vet,"  calls  fre- 
quently to  inquire  after 
their  health.  Each  dog 
accompanies  a  policeman 
on  his  nightly  rounds,  and 
walks  the  regular  beat 
with  him.  The  dog  is  not 
only  very  fond  of  his  own 
particular  comrade,  but 
evinces  a  wonderful  pro- 
fessional esprit  de  corps. 

The  night's  work  begins 
with  a  tour  round  the  out- 
lying farms,  to  make  sure 
that  nothing  unusual  is 
taking  any  one  of  the 
household  out  at  un- 
wonted hours.  This 
finished  (and  it  would 
seem  to  prove  a  certain 
restraint  on  "  nights  out  ") 


intense  enjoyment  the  animal  feels  in   this 
new  profession. 

They  are  well  fed  on  soup,  meat,  rice,  and 
bread,  the  last-named  being  the  best  Kneipp 
bread ;  and  they  have  a  hearty  meal  twice  a 
day,  as  well  as  a  biscuit  and  a  slice  of  bread 
before  starting  on  their  nightly  expedition. 

Moreover,  they  wear  a  uniform  consisting 
of  a  leather  collar  strongly  bound  with  steel, 
and  armed  with  sharp  points  to  repel  those 
attacks  which  might  be  expected  from  the 
enemies  of  law  and  order.  From  this  hangs 
a  medal  which  bears  the  dog's  name  and 
address,  with  his  date  of  birth.  Should  the 
intelligent  creature  be  lost  or  detained  this 
visiting-card  would  serve  as  a  means  of 
identification.  In  place  of  a  helmet  this 
very  original  constable  wears  a  muzzle, 
made  of  wires  so  closely  set  together  that, 
while  it  allows  him  to  drink,  he  cannot  eat. 
This  is  a  prudent  measure  to  prevent  his 
being  tempted  and  poisoned.  It  is  fairly 
loose,  this  muzzle,  and  is  partly  attached  by 
an  elastic  band,  which  allows  it  to  be  in- 
stantly snatched  off  the  head.  Just  as  the 
policeman  has  his  mackintosh  cape  for  bad 
weather,  so  has  his  four-footed  helper,  and  a 
neat,  serviceable  little  brown  waterproof  coat 
is  ready  for  him  on  stormy  nights.  The 
various  muzzles,  chains,  coats,  and  collars 
all  hang  neatly  on  pegs  beneath  the  names  of 
the  wearers,  and  the  photograph  on  the  next 
page  shows  a  portion  of  their  dressing-room, 
and  the  kind  madame  who  is  their  admiring 
waiting-maid      They  are  well  looked  after  in 

Vol.  vi.-19 


"colleagues"— HEKE    IS    AN    OVEK-ZEALOUS 

FroiJi  a  Photo.  l<y]  who  had  to  he  muzzl 


MEMnER    OF 
ED. 


THE    FORCE 

[M.  Lefeln'rc- 


146 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  latter  flies  off  for  help, 
travelhng  over  the  ground  far 
t[uicker  than  any  heavily- 
)ooted,  thickly-clad  constable 
can  possibly  do. 

The  dogs  work  so  well  and 
so  conscientiously  that  their 
number  is  to  be  increased, 
and  there  is  every  proba- 
bility that  the  plan  will  be 
adopted  in  other  centres. 
Their  keep  comes  to  about 
3d.  per  day,  and  they  cost 
the  town  altogether  about 
1,500  francs  per  annum,  in- 
cluding their  doctor's  and 
tailor's  bill. 

Monsieur  van  Wesemail 
may  certainly  be  congratu- 
lated on  an  original  idea  well 
and  ably  carried  out  to  a 
completely  successful  issue. 


THE  UKESilNG-KOO.M  OF  THE   DUG-1-OLICEMEN 
AND  THEIR    WAITING-MAID. 

From  a  Photo,  by  M.  Lefebvre. 

the  dog  is  released  from  the  con- 
fining leash,  and  proceeds  to  roam 
at  large,  though  he  never  goes 
much  more  than  150ft.  from  his 
master.  He  searches  everywhere, 
exploring  every  dark  corner  for 
doubtful  characters,  and  with  that 
innate  knowledge  which  makes  a 
dog  hate  a  beggar  or  a  tramp  he 
seldom  makes  a  mistake.  At  the 
first  glimpse  of  anything  sus- 
picious he  barks  loudly,  warning 
his  companion,  who  has  thus  time 
to  prepare  for  trouble  and  come 
to  his  assistance.  These  educated 
dog-detectives  are  an  immense 
aid  to  the  police,  as  well  as  a 
protection,  for  should  there  be 
more  ruffians  in  a  party  than  man 
and  dog  can  manacle  comfortably 


A    RUSSIAN    DCG-FOLICEMAN    GOING   ON    DUTY. 

From  a  Photo.  I'y  M.    Lefebvre. 


The   Runaway  Ferry=Boat. 

By    J.    E.    Mc Kinney,    of    Newton,    Iowa. 

The  scene  is  an  Indian  Agency  on  the  Columbia  River.  The  official  interpreter  of  the  Agency, 
with  his  wife,  the  post  surgeon  and  his  servant,  and  the  agent's  little  son,  attempted  to  cross 
the  swollen  river  in  a  cable  ferry-boat  near  a  place  where  the  Columbia  fairly  races  through  a 
wild  gorge.  The  boat  was  suddenly  struck  by  a  floating  tree,  and  began  racing  down  to  what  looked 
like  certain  destruction.     The  following  tells  how  its  occupants  were  rescued. 


NE  day  in  July,  1896,  Pete  Pierre, 
a  French-Canadian  half-breed,  who 
lived  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Colville  Indian  Reservation,  in  the 
State  of  Washington,  hitched  up  a 
pair  of  cayuses  to  a  light  spring  waggon,  and 
started  down  the  Columbia  River  Valley  on  his 
bi-monthly  pilgrimage  to  the  Agency  located  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Spokane  and  Columbia 
rivers.  He  was  an  Indian  policeman,  and 
made  these  periodical  trips  for  the  purpose  of 
making  his  reports,  getting  new  instructions, 
and  receiving  the  pay  and  rations  allowed  him 
by  virtue  of  his  office.  By  previous  arrange- 
ment I  met  him  at  Marcus,  and  on  this 
particular  trip  accompanied  him. 

I  found  him  very  sociable  and  well  versed  in 
the  ways  of  life  in  that  country,  and  a  man  of 
no  ■  little  intelligence,  as  he  spoke  fluently 
English,  French,  and  Spanish,  besides  several 
Indian  dialects  and  the  Chinook  jargon. 

Our  way  lay  down  the  left  bank  of  the 
Columbia  River  the  greater  part  of  the  distance, 
and  the  scenery  w-as  ever  varying  and  full  of 
interest.  On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  we 
camped  within  three  miles  of  the  Agency.  After 
a  hearty  supper  Pete  proposed  that  we  go  over 
to  a  cabin  to  be  seen  off  the  trail  a  little  way, 
and  visit  a  friend  of  his  who  lived  there, 
Antoine  Marchand  by  name. 

Accordingly  off  we  went,  and  were  pleasantly 
greeted  by  Antoine  and  his  wife.  Both  were 
half-breeds,  and  they  cheerfully  extended  to  us 
the  customary  hospitalities.  They  had  both 
been  educated  by  the  Sisters  at  the  mission, 
and  were  keenly  alive  to  the  advantages  of 
culture  and  refinement.  He  was  official  inter- 
preter for  the  Agency. 

After  various  subjects  of  conversation  had 
been  introduced  and  disposed  of,  Pete  suddenly 
inquired  if  the  cable  ferry  just  below  Fort 
Spokane  was  still  in  use.  The  wife,  Adeline, 
quickly  looked  up  at  her  husband,  who  answered, 
slowly,  to  the  effect  that  it  had  been  reinstated 
very  recently.  Seeing  that  for  some  reason  the 
matter  was  not  precisely  pleasant,  Pete  politely 
turned  to  talking  of  something  else.     But  they 


each  seemed  to  have  been  started  on  a  train  of 
thought  that  was  not  easily  broken. 

Speaking  suddenly,  the  wife  said,  "  Tell  them 
about  it,  Antoine." 

The  interpreter  got  up,  then  sat  down,  took 
a  tentative  pull  at  his  pipe,  shifted  himself  in 
his  chair,  looked  appealingly  at  her,  and  said, 
"  You  tell  it." 

As  near  as  I  can  remember,  she  related  what 
is  substantially  the  following  narrative  : — ■ 

"  Well,  you  see,  we  had  quite  an  experience 
with  that  ferry  about  three  weeks  ago,  and 
when  we  think  how  differently  it  might  have 
ended  we  feel  very  thankful  indeed,  but  Antoine 
doesn't  like  to  tell  about  it." 

Her  attention  being  called  to  something  else 
at  this  moment,  Pete  explained  to  me  that  the 
ferry  for  some  inexplicable  reason  had  been 
located  at  the  head  of  a  gorge  that  extends 
from  that  point  to  the  Columbia  River,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  miles.  During  the  June 
"  rise  "  the  current  is  extremely  swift  and  dan- 
gerous through  the  entire  gorge.  About  half- 
way down  is  a  ledge  of  rocks  in  the  centre  of 
the  stream,  where  it  is  about  one-eighth  of  a  mile 
wide.  Just  below  the  rocks  are  swift  rapids, 
and  farther  down  is  "  Hell  Gate  " — a  veritable 
maelstrom.  The  banks  on  each  side  are 
straight  up  and  down,  and  range  from  50ft.  to 
1 00ft.  in  height. 

"We  shouldn't  have  tried  to  cross  during 
the  high  water,  but  Antoine  heard  the  day 
before  that  his  mother  was  sick,  and  we  felt 
compelled  to  go  to  see  her  if  possible.  Neither 
of  us  ever  felt  safe  on  that  ferry  anyway. 

"  We  shouldn't  have  taken  the  baby,  but  would 
have  left  him  with  our  neighbours,  if  we  had 
not  been  afraid  mother  would  have  been  dis- 
appointed, for  she  always  thought  so  much  of 
him — our  little  one. 

"  We  started  early  in  the  morning  and  arrived 
at  the  Agency  at  about  seven  o'clock.  Antoine, 
after  explaining  matters,  readily  got  the  agent's 
consent  for  us  to  go,  but  he  said  he  thought  it 
would  be  rather  dangerous  crossing— more  so 
than  usual.  But  he  fancied  that,  by  being  care- 
ful, we  could  get  over  all  right.     The  river  was 


148 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


running  higher  than  it  had  been  at  any  time 
this  spring, and  was  bringing  down  a  great  many 
logs  and  trees. 

"  U'hen  we  got  down  to  the  landing-place  we 
found  that  the  ferryman  was  unable  to  go  witli 
the  boat  on  account  of  rheumatism,  but  as 
Antoine  had  run  the  ferry  the  summer  before 
we  did  not  feel  afraid  to  undertake  crossing 
without  the  man." 

To  readers  who  have  never  seen  a  cable  ferry 
I  might  say  that  the  kind  of  boat  in  use  through- 
out that  country  for  ferrying  purposes  is  scow- 
built,  from  25ft.  to  1 00ft.  long,  and  loft.  to  20ft. 
wide,  with  a  flat  top  with  a  railing  around  it. 
The  boat  is  attached  by  guy-ropes  to  a  pulley 
running  on  a  wire  cable  from  ^in.  to  lin.  in 
diameter,  which  is  stretched  tautly  across  the  river 
at  some  point  where  there  is  a  good  landing-place 
on  each  side  and  no  return  currents  at  the  edge 
of  the  stream,  and  also  where  the  anchorage  can 
be  made  secure  and  yet  placed  high  enough  so 
that  the  cable  always  clears  the  water.  The 
force  of  the  current  striking  against  the  upper 
side  of  the  boat,  which  is  kept  at  an  angle  to 
the  stream,  drives  the  boat  across.      To  return, 


guy-ropes  fastened  at  each  corner  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  boat. 

"  Just  as  we  were  about  to  push  away  from 
the  landing  the  post  surgeon's  Chinese  cook 
appeared  on  the  bank  above  us  and  asked  us  to 
wait  a  minute  for  the  doctor,  as  he  desired  to 
cross  over  with  us.  The  doctor  soon  arrived, 
and  with  him  came  young  Harold,  the  agent's 
twelve-year-old  son,  whom  his  father  had  sud- 
denly found  it  necessary  to  send  on  some 
errand  to  the  Army  post. 

"As  soon  as  all  were  on  board  the  Chinaman 
gave  the  boat  a  quick  push  from  shore  with  a 
long  pole,  Antoine  went  to  the  wheel,  the 
current  soon  caught  us,  and  we  moved  swiftly 
towards  the  other  shore. 

"  On  getting  a  little  more  than  half-way  over 
Antoine  having  dodged,  by  skilful  manage- 
ment, several  floating  logs  and  trees,  we  found 
that,  for  the  remainder  of  the  distance,  our  way 
appeared  clear.  But  all  at  once,  not  four  rods 
directly  above  us,  a  huge  pine  tree — top,  roots, 
and  all — shot  half  out  of  the  swift-flowing  water, 
and  inmiediately  bore  down  upon  us.  It  had 
been  taken  under  by  some  current  some  distance 


■'aNTOI.NE   seized   IHE   AXE,    CUT    LOOSE   THE   GUY-KOPES,    AND   THUS   FKEED    US    FROM    THE   CABLE." 


the  angle  of  the  boat  is  simply  reversed  ;  the 
speed  is  regulated  by  changing  the  degree  of 
the  angle ;  and  to  stop  the  boat  at  any  point 
it  is  simply  headed  straight  up-stream.  This  is 
all  done  by  means  of  a  wheel,  which,  when 
turned,    alternately    shortens    or    lengthens    the 


above  us  and  had  approached  unnoticed.     That 
we  were  in  great  danger  all  of  us  saw  at  once. 

"  Antoine  gave  the  wheel  a  quick  turn  or  two  ; 
the  current  struck  the  boat  with  more  force, 
and  we  shot  ahead.  The  branches  of  the  tree 
top  just  brushed  the  rear  end  of  the  boat,  and 


THE    RUNAWAY   FERRY-BOAT. 


149 


we  felt  easier.  But  just  then  a  cry  from  the 
shore  behind  us  caused  us  to  look  that  way,  and 
we  saw  plainly  that  the  cable  was  sagging  down- 
stream. The  sudden  strain  had  been  too  much. 
In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  the  anchor 
on  that  side  was  pulled  up,  the  cable  dropped 
with  a  sivish  into  the  water,  and  its  weight  hung 
on  the  upper  side  of  the  boat,  threatening  to 
swamp  us. 

"  But  Antoine  seized  the  axe  they  always 
keep  near  the  wheel  and  cut  loose  the  guy-ropes 
at  one  corner,  and  thus  freed  us  from  the  cable. 

"  We  were  now  drifting  down-stream  in  mid- 


through  sheer  fright.  They  struck  out  straight 
for  the  shore.  When  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  the  boat  one  of  them  suddenly  sank  from 
sight.  His  mate  became  frantic,  and  half 
raising  himself  out  of  the  water  sank  back,  and 
was  drawn  under  with  the  other.  We  soon 
rounded  the  bend  above  the  rapids  and  realized 
that  if  anything  was  to  be  done  it  must  be  done 
quickly,  for -if  we  were  once  fairly  in  the  rapids 
there  would  be  no  hope  for  us. 

"  Each  of  us  eagerly  scanned  the  cliffs  on 
either  side.  They  seemed  to  rise  straight  up 
from   the   water's  edge  ;  so  the  men  laid  aside 


'we  saw  antoine  cling  to  a  branch  and  slowly  drag  himself  ox  shore. 


current  at  a  rapid  rate.  The  doctor,  thinking  of 
the  oars,  went  to  the  lower  side  of  the  boat  wheie 
they  were  usual'y  kept  for  an  emergency  like 
this.     But  he  found  them— gone. 

"There  was  nothing  we  could  do  apparently, 
and  we  soon  entered  the  gorge.  The  boat 
swung  round  first  one  way  and  then  the  other. 
For  some  reason  the  horses  on  board  became 
unmanageable,  and  they  seemed  about  to  plunge 
over  the  railing  at  the  end.  Thinking  that  it 
would  be  safer  for  us,  Antoine  cut  the  harness 
loose  from  the  waggon,  the  doctor  dropped  the 
rail,   and  they  quickly  jumped  into  the  water 


their  coats,  vests,   and  shoes,  and  resolved  to 
prepare  for  the  worst. 

"  When  we  were  about  three  hundred  yards 
above  the  rapids,  and  the  current  had  swung  us 
out  a  little  nearer  the  north  wall  of  the  gorge, 
we  noticed  a  break  in  the  cliff  a  little  farther 
down,  where  it  looked  as  though  a  strong  man 
might  make  a  landing  if  he  could  manage  to 
swim  to  it.  Seizing  the  end  of  a  coil  of  rope 
we  luckily  found  in  the  boat  Antoine  tied  it 
round  his  waist  and  plunged  in.  The  doctor  and 
the  Chinaman  took  care  that  the  rope  should 
pay  out  without  any  hitches.     For  a  httle  while 


15° 


THE   WIDE   WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Aiitoine  made  good  headway,  tlien  the  rope 
ceased  to  be  drawn  out  and  he  made  no  progress. 
"  I  knew  that  he  was  very  Hable  to  be  taken 
with  the  cramp,  and  my  heart  ahnost  stood  still ; 
but  he  kept  struggling  on  and  soon  gained  a  little 
more,  but  it  was  terribly  slow,  and  we  were  fast 
drifting  down  nearer  in  line  with  the  little  gulch. 
But  we  could  see  that  the  bottom  of  it  came 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  That  gave  us  hope ; 
and,  best  of  all,  there  were  a  few  good  -  sized 
pine  trees  growing  there.  If  Antoine  could 
only  reach  it  before  the  current  could  carry 
him  past  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  him 
to  make  the  rope  fast  to  a  tree,  and  we 
could  soon  have  the  other  end  fast  to  the 
boat,  and  if  the  rope  were  strong  enough 
we  would  be  safe.  Antoine  was  now  making 
good  headway,  too  ;  but  just  as  I  had  realized 
all  this,  and  when  Antoine  was  within  only  a 
few  yards  of  the  mouth  of  the  little  gulch,  and 
we  were  all  intently  watching  him,  we  saw  him 
stop  and  look  towards  us.  The  doctor  gave  a 
quick  exclamation,  cast  towards  me  an  appeal- 
ing look,  and  pointed  to  the  rope  which  they  had 
alreadv  fastened  to  the  corner  of  the  boat.     In 


the  rope  from  his  waist,  put  it  round  the 
tree,  and  tied  it  there.  He  had  not  realized 
what  that  sudden  jerk  he  had  felt  in  the  rope 
had  meant,  but  as  he  glanced  our  way  and  saw 
us  floating  on  down-stream  faster  than  ever,  and 
the  part  of  the  rope  near  him  lying  limp  on  the 
ground,  it  came  to  him  all  at  once. 

"  For  a  minute  he  seemed  dazed,  then  he 
started  up  wildly  and  appeared  about  to  throw 
himself  into  the  water  again.  But  we  called  to 
him  and  waved  him  back.  Then  he  turned, 
scrambled  up  the  side  of  the  gulch,  and  dis- 
appeared. But  we  soon  saw  him  at  the  top  of 
the  cliff  running  along  the  edge  calling  to  us. 
He  had  got  almost  even  with  the  boat  when  he 
suddenly  stopped  and  stood  for  half  a  minute, 
as  though  rooted  to  the  ground  ;  then,  pointing, 
he  yelled  out  :  — 

"  '  Look  ahead  of  you  ! ' 

"  Just  below  us  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  and 
right  in  our  course,  the  top  of  that  ledge  of 
rocks  projected  above  the  water  not  more  than 
six  inches,  and  before  we  could  take  in  this  new 
situation  the  boat  was  driven  straight  on  to  the 
rock,  end  first     With  a  heavy,  grating  noise  that 


A    PERFECT   SHEET   OK    WATER    CA.ME   OVER    THE   SIDE   OF   THE    ROW-BOAT. 


an  instant  I  saw  that  the  rope  was  too  short. 
It  would  not  reach.  Before  I  knew  what  I 
was  doing  I  dropped  the  baby,  grabbed  the  axe, 
and  cut  the  rope  loose.  Standing  there  we  saw 
Antoine  make  a  few  desperate  strokes,  reach  out 
his  hand,  cling  to  a  low-hanging  branch  of  one 
of  the  trees,  and  slowly  drag  himself  on  shore. 
Without   looking    around,    he   quickly  removed 


end  raised  out  of  the  water,  while  the  other 
swung  round,  and  there  we  were,  fairly  caught 
and  held  fast. 

"  We  saw  at  once  that,  if  we  could  just  stay 
there,  there  was  still  a  chance  of  rescue,  as  some 
way  would  surely  be  found  to  get  us  off.  The 
doctor  had  us  all  go  to  the  upper  end  of  the 
boat,  and  thus  by  our  weight  help  to  hold  it  to 


THE    RUNAWAY   FERRY-BOAT. 


151 


the  rock.  We  were  near  enough  to  the  shore 
to  make  out  what  Antoine  said  to  us,  but  he 
had  some  difficulty  in  understanding  us,  as  the 
wind  (what  there  was)  was  against  us. 

"After  consulting  as  best  we  could  it  was 
decided  that  it  would  be  well  for  Antoine  to 
start  back  up  the  river,  as  he  would  be  sure  to 
meet  someone  coming  down.  The  Indian 
who  halloaed  to  us  when  the  anchorage  pulled 
up  had  bounded  away  to  give  the  alarm. 

"  He  had  not  got  beyond  the  little  gulch 
when  he  met  the  agent  and  two  or  three 
Indians  coming  down  at  the  top  of  their  speed. 
He  quickly  explained  the  matter  to  them,  and 
the  Indians  were  sent  back  at  once  and  told  to 
bring  down  a  light  row-boat  belonging  to  the 
ferryman,  some  coils  of  rope  from  the  Agency 
store,  and  anything  else  that  might  be  useful 
that  was  handy  to  get. 

"  Antoine,  accompanied  by  the  agent,  returned 
to  the  top  of  the  cliff  opposite  us.  After 
greeting  us  the  agent  told  us  to  be  of  good 
cheer,  and  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as 
we  could,  and  that  they  would  soon  have  us  on 
shore,  as  they  had  sent  for  a  boat  and  some 
ropes. 

"  We  were  glad  to  accept  this  encouraging 
advice,  and  the  doctor  fixed  a  seat  for  us  with 
the  robes  from  the  waggon,  then  we  all  sat 
down  and  tried  to  wait  with  patience.  But 
none  of  us  could  quite  see  just  how  the  rescue 
was  going  to  be  managed.  It  would  be  useless 
to  try  and  get  the  ferry-boat  ashore,  even  if  it 
could  be  got  off  the  rock,  after  being  made  fast 
to  the  shore  with  ropes,  for  there  was  no  land- 
ing-place. The  row-boat  could  easily  be  got  to 
us  from  above,  but  it  would  be  impossible  to 
row  it  back  even  to  the  mouth  of  the  little 
gulch.  Neither  could  a  loaded  row-boat  be 
taken  through  the  rapids  below  us.  But  we 
each  tried  to  take  the  best  possible  view  of 
it  all.  The  doctor  joked,  and  told  stories 
with  Harold.  The  Chinaman,  too,  tried  to 
smile  and  look  pleasant,  and  said  that  '  bimeby 
be  all  litie,'  while  the  baby  laughed  and  crowed 
at  the  water  curling  and  racing  and  foaming  all 
around  us. 

"  After  talking  a  little  while  the  agent  and 
Antoine   walked   back   to   the    little  gulch    and 


before  we 
and    I    were 
'  Nearer   My 


seemed  to  scrutinize  carefully  the  distance 
between  us.  To  help  while  away  the  time  I 
finally  commenced  to  sing  to  the  baby,  and, 
hardly  knew  it,  the  doctor,  Harold, 
singing  '  Rock  of  Ages,'  then 
God  to  Thee.'  Suddenly  a  shout 
from  Antoine  gave  us  notice  of  the  coming  of 
the  row  -  boat  above  the  bend.  ^Ve  saw  the 
agent  signal  them  to  land  at  the  gulch,  which 
they  did,  although  it  was  not  an  easy  matter, 
and  I  wondered  how  in  the  world  Antoine  had 
managed  to  land  there. 

"In  a  short  time  they  made  a  rope  fast  to  the 
prow  of  the  boat  ;  then  one  of  the  Indians  took 
a  single  paddle  and  jumped  in.  The  others 
pushed  the  boat  out  into  the  stream  and  paid 
out  the  rope  hand  over  hand,  while  the  Indian 
guided  it  astern  towards  us,  and  soon  reached 
us. 

"  Harold,  the  baby,  and  I  were  quickly  placed 
in  the  centre  of  the  boat.  Those  on  shore 
were  signalled  that  we  were  ready,  and  we  were 
soon  landed,  drenched  to  the  skin.  By  this 
time  others  had  arrived,  and  they  had  plenty  of 
help,  and  in  their  eagerness  they  had  drawn  us 
against  the  current  a  little  faster  than  was 
really  necessary,  so  that  a  perfect  sheet  of  water 
came  over  the  side  of  the  row-boat. 

"  Another  trip  brought  the  doctor  and  the 
Chinaman  and  also  the  robes  and  wraps  safely 
ashore. 

"  I  suppose  none  of  us  could  be  held  ac- 
countable for  the  state  of  mind  we  found 
ourselves  in  after  undergoing  such  a  strain  ;  but, 
after  various  demonstrations  of  thankfulness, 
we  walked  back  to  the  Agency,  and  Antoine, 
the  baby,  and  I  were  soon  brought  home. 

"  The  water  rose  a  foot  higher  in  a  few  hours; 
the  ferry-boat  floated  away,  and  pieces  of  it  and 
of  the  waggon  were  afterwards  found  far  down 
the  Columbia.  The  horses  were  never  seen 
afterwards  so  far  as  we  know.  Next  day  we  got 
word  that  mother  was  better  and  would  soon  be 
well." 

Congratulating  the  couple  on  their  fortunate 
escape  in  so  dangerous  an  adventure,  we  bade 
them  "  good-night,"  and  returned  to  our  camp. 
The  next  day,  on  our  mentioning  the  affair,  the 
agent  confirmed  the  story  in  every  particular. 


The    Great   Festival  of    Jeyasu   at    Nikko 

Bv  Yki  Theodora  Ozaki,  ok    Tokio. 

Here  is  another  of  those  curious  Japanese  Festivals  which  our  able  lady  representative  knows  so  well 

how  to  describe.     It  is  remarkable  to  hear  of  a  Pagan  ceremonial  on  this  scale  in  progressive  Japan, 

and    it    proves    that    the    people    are    not    yet    wholly  given    over    to    silk   hats    and    frock-coats.     The 

photographs  illustrate  almost  every  phase  of  the  great  procession. 


I  OR  the  greater  part  of  the  year  Nikko, 
famous  for  it.s  magnificent  temples 
ind  beautiful  scenery,  lies  like  a 
sleeping  child  in  the  lap  of  the  green 
hills,  lulled  by  the  murmurs  of 
abundant  rills  and  waterfalls,  and  sheltered  by 
thousands  of  fragrant  trees. 

In  the  stillness  of  these  stately  woods  the 
priests  chant  their  prayers  and  burn  incense  in 
the  temples  round  the  Mausolea  of  Jeyasu  and 
Jemitsu,  the  first  and  third  Shoguns  (war  lords) 
of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty,  who  lie  buried  in  these 
groves.  But  a  great  awakening  comes  to  this 
secluded  valley  on  the  2nd  of  June,  when  the 
priests  and  people  rise  in  a  body  to  meet  the 
spirits  of  Jeyasu,  Hideyoshi,  and  Yoritomo,  the 
three  great  figures  of  Japanese  history,  who  are 


supposed  to  come  to  earth   and  take  up  their 
abode  in  three  great  palanquins. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  preceding  the 
festival  the  three  sacred  chairs  are  carried  down 
from  a  pavilion  behind  the  Yomei-mon  (of 
Jeyasu's  mausoleum),  where  they  stand  side  by 
side  all  the  year  round.  At  least  fifty  men  are 
needed  to  support  each  palanquin  ;  and  it  is  a 
wonderful  sight  to  see  the  three  chairs  one  after 
the  other  borne  down  the  steep  stone  steps 
leading  from  the  Ni-o-mon  (Gate  of  the  Two 
Kings)  along  the  walled  court  to  the  Futawara 
Temple,  accompanied  by  at  least  150  guards 
with  huge  white  lanterns,  which  in  the  twilight 
look  like  full  moons  pulled  out  of  shape.  The 
Omikoshi  or  palanquins  are  deposited  in  the 
Futawara  Temple  on  the  night   of  the    ist  of 


THE   VOMEI-MON   GATE   OF   THF,  SHINTO   TEMPLE   AT   NIKKO— FROM    BEHIND    IT   THE    PALANQUINS    ARE   BROUGHT    DOWN    TO    NIKKi 

From  a  Photo. 


THE    GREAT    FESTIVAL    OF    JEYASU    AT    NIKKO. 


153 


THE    FUTAWAKA   SHKI.NF.   (oN    THE    LEU  )   WHERE   THE    PALANQUINS    ARE    DEPOSITED   ON 


From  a\ 


THE    FIRST   OK   JUNE. 


June,  and  on  the  following  day  are  carried  in  a 
great  procession  to  the  last  temple,  O  Tabisho, 
where  seventy-five  offerings  of  food  and  wine 
are  presented  to  the  three  deified  spirits,  and  a 
religious  dance  is  enacted  before  the  palanquins. 

It  is  this  procession  of  the  2nd  of  June 
which  is  the  occasion  of  the  great  festival.  The 
peasantry  from  far  and  near  pour  into  Nikko, 
while  numbers  of  Europeans  come  up  from 
Tokio  and  Yokohama  to  witness  the  spectacle. 
Towards  eleven  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd 
one  hears  the  mighty  throbbing  of  the  temple 
drums,  and  as  the  great  Nikko  bell  tolls  out 
the  hour  of  midday  all  eyes  turn  towards  the 
avenue  from  which  the  procession  is  to  come. 

Suddenly,  from  the  opposite  direction,  a 
crowd  of  men  rush  past,  dragging  along  a  tree. 
Madly  they  race,  shouting  as  they  go,  and 
tearing  the  tree  to  pieces.  The  tree  is  a  sacred 
sakaki  tree,  cut  down  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
way  is  thus  prepared  for  the  procession. 

One  has  not  long  to  wait.  The  procession  is 
seen  just  coming  under  the  huge  stone  Torii, 
in  front  of  the  Ni-o-mon  gate,  heading  down  the 
avenue. 

It  is  hard  to  make  anyone  understand  by 
written  words  the  wonderful  colouring  of  the 
whole  picture.  In  the  days  of  the  glory  of  the 
Tokugawa  family  the  splendour  of  this  pageant 
must  have  been  indeed  great.  New  garments 
were  furnished  on  every  occasion  for  all  taking 
part  in  the  ceremony  ;  whereas  nowadays  the 
old  robes  do  duty  season  after  season,  and 
those  who  wear  them  are  snatched  for  the  day 
from  the  field,  the  forest,  and  the  workshop, 
and  consequently  do  not  always  preserve  the 
Vol.  vi.— 20. 


gravity  and    dignity  due 
to  the  occasion. 

First  come  one  hun- 
dred lancers,  with  two 
guards  in  advance. 
They  form  two  lines. 
Those  on  the  right  are 
in  soft  green  and  blue, 
patterned  with  the  Japan- 
ese phoenix  in  white. 
Those  on  the  right  wear 
blue  and  terra-cotta.  All 
wear  peculiar  helmets 
and  carry  long  lances. 

Now  comes  a  strange 
figure  walking  alone.    He 
wears  a  blood-red,  long- 
nosed  mask,  and  carries 
an  enormous  spear,  while 
his  dress  is  of  pale  green 
brocade    which     gleams 
with  gold  thread.    He  is  a 
mythological  being  called 
a  Tengu,  and  is  god  of  the  hills  and  woods.  Tengu 
is  followed  by  two  Shishi,  a  lion  and   a  lioness, 
a  la  Japonaise.    No  European  would  know  what 


[Photo. 


I'AT.ODA    AND    STONE    TORU   THROUGH    WHICH 

Front  a\  procf.ssion   passes. 


THE    (.Kl-.Ar 

ypiwto. 


J  54 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THE    GREAT    FESTIVAL    OF    JEYASU    AT    NIKRO. 


155 


these  curious  niasks  were  intended  to  represent 
unless  he  were  told.  Each  "  animal  "  is  made 
up  of  an  enormous  red  head  with  gaping  mouth 
and  glinting  metal  teeth.  The  long  body  is 
composed  of  tawny-coloured  cloth  thrown  over 
two  men.  These  Shishi  are  symbolical  of  great 
strength,  and  to  them  is  given  the  power  of 
devouring  any  devil  that  may  be  lurking  about 
on  mischief  bent. 

Three  Shinto  priests,  dressed  in  vivid  yellow, 
are  followed  by  eight  priestesses,  or  sacred 
dancing  women,  each  wearing  a  blue  satin  kimono, 
embroidered  with  large  figures.  Over  this  falls 
a  white  gauze  robe,  with  long  sleeves  and  side 
wings.  One  of  these  sacred  dancers  sits 
in  the  little  shrine  that  stands  at  the 
foot  of  the  ascending  avenue  leading  to 
the  Jeyasu's  tomb,  always  ready  to  go 
through  tlie  stately  paces  and  arm- 
waving  which  are  supposed  to  please 
the  great  spirit.  These  women,  like 
the  Roman  vestals  of  old,  are  never 
supposed  to  marry. 

Behind  the  sacred  dancers  come  two 
Shinto  priests  on  horseback,  with  one 
attendant  and  four  horse-boys,  imposing 
figures  in  their  white  silk  robes  and 
strange  head -gear.  Next  come  three 
sacred  horses,  caparisoned  gaily  in  old 
red  and  fawn  trappings  adorned  with 
much  crimson  silk  fringe.  Behind  tlie 
horses  are  fifty  gun-bearers  in  royal 
blue  carrying  old-fashioned  matchlocks 
wrapped  in  scarlet  cloth ;  then  fifty 
archers  in  a  shade  of  butcher's  blue  and 
equipped  with  bows  and  arrows  as  big 
as  themselves.  Behind  these  walk  fifty 
spearmen  with  long  spears,  also  dressed 
in  blue,  with  a  broad  white  line  on  the 
sleeve  running  from  shoulder  to  wrist. 
Like  the  current  of  a  great  river  the 
procession  swung  past,  the  various  and 
multi-coloured  figures  coming  and  going 
in  ever-varying  succession. 

A  strange  regiment  now  burst  into  view 
— a  hundred  men,  clad  in  wonderful  suits 
of  old  Japanese  armour,  helmeted  and  shielded 
like  the  curious  figures  one  sometimes  sees  in 
museums  and  the  collections  of  antiquities. 
Each  man  carried  two  swords,  and  their  shields 
slung  over  their  shoulders  are  made  of  scales  of 
brass  woven  in  with  red  silk.  But  soon  the 
scene  was  changed.  Like  sunshine  after 
storm,  immediately  following  the  stern  array  of 
armoured  men  come  twelve  children  robed  in 
scarlet  brocade  and  white.  On  their  heads  they 
wear  tall  sprays  of  flowers  secured  to  metal  caps. 
Parents  send  their  children  gladly  to  take  part 
in  these  festivals,  in  the  belief  that  by  so  doing 


the   children   earn  the  blessing  of  the  gods  \n 
after-life. 

Fifty  masked  men  now  claim  our  attention. 
They  are  clothed  in  red  and  brown,  and  some 
wear  the  most  hideous  masks  imaginable.  Here 
and  there  a  woman's  gentler  face  is  seen  among 
the  masks,  but  most  of  them  are  of  demoniacal 
expression. —  some  half-bird  and  half-animal. 
This  queer  parade  of  masks  is  a  humorous  and 
burlesque  representation  of  the  many  different 
aspects  of  human  nature,  and  the  wearers  carry 
out  the  idea  well  —  unconsciously,  no  doubt — 
by  the  divers  ways  in  which  they  carry  them. 
Some  push    the    masks    back  upon   their   fore- 


THK    F 

From  a\ 


IFTV   GROTESQUE  "mASKs"    FOLLOWKD    F.V   SHINTO    PRIESTS    WITH 

LONG-HANHLED    F,\N-STANDARDS.  \Photo. 

heads,  thereby  lessening  the  grotesque  effect;, 
others  wear  them  jauntily,  moving  their  heads 
from  side  ^o  side  so  that  all  might  see  :  only  a 
few  were  serious.  . 

A  priesdy  cortege  led  by  four  Shinto  priests 
in  vivid  yellow  and  white,  carrying  huge  fan.S) 
like  standards,  next  come  by.  Behind  these 
again  ride  two  Shinto  priests,  the  first  carrymg  a 
sacred  sword,  the  second  a  sacred  flag.  Several 
attendants  on  foot  guard  each  precious  object.   , 

All  eyes  are  now  directed  to  eleven  huge 
lances  with  banners  streaming  in  the  breeze; 
and  each  borne   by  five  men  in  white,  heralded 


I  :;(! 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


from  a] 


tHfc.St   A'lTfc 
MONKEV 


.'.■L.AS7S,    IN     Slkri-ED   TUNICS,    iS     LtD   -iHE   (iKEV 
WITH   THE  CRIMSON    FACE.  [P/u>to. 


l-.l.EVEN    HUGE     I.ANCES    WITH     BAKNERS    STKEA.MING 
F>0)n  a\  IN    THE    BREEZE."  [Pholo. 

by  two  guards.  The  foremost  of  these 
remarkable  standards  is  crowned  with  a 
golden  trident ;  the  next  two  hold  metal 
discs  with  a  rim  signifying  flames  held 
towards  the  heavens.  On  the  first  three 
standards  are  carried  the  divine  symbols, 
the  Royal  insignia.  The  rest  cleft  the 
sky  with  great  points  like  spears.  The 
banners  attached,  imprinted  with  large 
crests,  were  of  many  colours  — purple, 
green,  and  yellow,  all  mellowed  into 
soft  art  tints  by  Time.  A  large  drum 
carried  by  three  men,  and  a  bell  by 
one  man,  then  went  past. 

Then  came  one  of  the  most  incon- 
gruous parts  of  the  festival :  a  grey 
monkey  with  a  crimson  face.  The 
monkey,  besides  being  one  of  the  signs 
of  the  Far  Eastern-  zodiac,  was  always  a 
great  favourite  in  ancient  times,  and 
probably  Jeyasu  the  Shogun  is  known 
to  have  had  a  pet  monkey  in  his  life- 
time. 

A  glorious  bit  of  colour  suddenly 
broke  the  monotony  of  the  stretch  of 
white  in  the  shape  of  twelve  musicians 


THE    GUEAT    FESTIVAL    OF    jEYASU    AT    NiKKO. 


IS? 


From  ci\ 


IHE   CARVING   OF   THE   THREE    MONKEYS   OVEK    THE   SACKED   STABLE 


U'koto. 


lacquered  and 
clamped  with 
gold.  Then  a 
Shinto  priest  fol- 
lows, holding  on 
high  the  gohei, 
generally  a  staff 
with  zig-zag 
strips  of  paper 
attached.  To 
this  wand  is  attri- 
buted the  same 
power  as  that 
given  to  the  sign 
of  the  Cross  in 
the  days  of  early 
Christianity  — 
the  power  of  dis- 
persing  evil. 
Hence  it  is  car- 
ried before  the 
sacred  palan- 
quins to  clear  the 


a  robes  of  old  brocade  ;  the  full 
rousers  a  lovely  shade  of  purple, 
nd  the  upper  gown  brown,  re- 
ieved  with  magnificent  crests.  In 
louble  file  they  march  along  play- 
ng  on  their  flutes  and  reeds — that 
trange  minor  piping  which  be- 
;omes  so  familiar  if  one  is  in  the 
labit  of  visiting  religious  festivals 
n  Japan. 

Like  great  flamingoes  walking 
lere  and  there  in  the  midst  of 
his  flock  of  musicians  were  four 
nen  robed  in  brilliant  scarlet.  A 
rain  of  about  a  yard  and  a  half 
vas  gathered  into  their  girdles 
iisplaying  an  apple-green  under- 
rain.  These  were  dancers,  I  dis- 
;overed  later  in  the  day,  who  were 
0  dance  before  the  palanquin 
ihrines  when  they  were  deposited 
n  the  temple,  O  Tabisho,  the 
joal  of  the  entire  procession. 

Ten  men  in  dark  blue  and 
■vhite  now  pass,  each  carrying  a 
lawk  carved  in  wood  and  painted 
50  as  to  look  very  real.  Hawking 
tvas  much  in  vogue  in  ancient 
times  ;  and,  therefore,  just  as 
when  Jeyasu  was  in  the  flesh, 
a  hawking  party  attended  his 
spirit  to-day. 

Behind  the  hawkers  two  huge 
stands  for  the  palanquins  appear. 
Very    heavy    they    are,    black 


"a    SHINTO    I'KIEST    rOLI.OWS,    HOLDING   ON    HIGH    THE  GOHEI — A 

Frciii  n\  TTKIPS  OF  I'Apek  attached." 


STAFF    WII  II 

[Photo. 


I5S 


THI-:    WinK    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


«ray.  Thnv  Shiiuo  priests  arc  followed  by  fifty 
men  atlireil  in  blue  and  white  and  carrying  huge 
umbrellas  wrapjK-d  in  white.  Directly  behind 
ihcm  iv  U^rnc  the  chief  sacred  pal.ui(]iiin,  in  which 
ihe  >pirit  of  the  illii>ttious  Jeyasu  is  thought  to 
h,iv.-  cnlhnincd  itself.  *I"he  car  is  of  elaborate 
wtirknuinship  in  some  gildetl  metal.  A  golden 
jK.-.u*Kk  cnnvns  the  centre,  and  the  roof  is 
studdeil  with  the  Tokugawa  crest  in  raised  work. 
Ihc  car  itself  is  closed  on  all  sides.  Metal 
mifTon;  are  hung  round  -  six  on  each  side. 

I>'>wn  the  glen  from  the  Ni  o-mon  (Gate  of 
the  Two  Kings)  jiast  the  beautiful  vermilion 
l\i:;od.»  of  the  Signs  of  the  Zodiac,  with  the 
;:i.-!it  .rvrtomerias  waving  their  branches  as   it 


look  half  mad,  and  stagger  to  the  side  of  the 
path  under  the  great  strain,  grunting  forth 
strantje  sounds.  Sonutinics  thev  seem  about  to 
stagger  in  among  tlie  bystanders,  much  to  the 
latter's  discomfiture. 

The  attendant  guards  in  picturesque  blue  and 
white  gowns,  however,  fan  the  overcome  bearers 
in  the  right  direction,  and  the  great  car,  glinting 
ill  the  sunlight,  passes  on,  its  pendant  ornatnents 
jingling  at  each  step.  The  men  are  sut)posed  to 
he  filled  with  a  divine  afflatus,  and  not  to  know 
what  they  are  doing  or  whither  they  are  going. 
]:)Ut  in  reality,  1  fear,  the  cause  is  a  liberal  applica- 
tion of  sake  (rice  wine),  imbibed  beforehand. 

The    second    palanquin,    in   which   rests   the 


THE   SACRED   FAI.AS'^UINS    WHICH    WERE   CAKlilED    IN    SO    EKKATIC    A    MANNER. 


[Photo. 


in  blessing  over  this  devotion  to  a  great  Past, 
the  massivc  iizx  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
fifty  men,  who  were  panting  and  groaning 
beneath  the  great  burden.  Now  the  great  car 
seemed  to  Ix:  crushing  them  to  the  earth.  Then 
the)'  would  make  a  mighty  effort,  and  the  car 
would  l>e  held  high  triumphantly.  'Jhe  i)eople 
declare  that  this  imjiulsive  way  of  carrying  the 
car  is  due  to  the  will  of  the  great  spirit  within. 
When  that  wills  the  car  to  be  heavy,  the  bearers 
-■"•  -ll  but  crushed  ;  and  again,  when  the  spirit 
-.  it,  the  car  becomes  light  and  the  men 
hft  It  high  with  joy. 

It  is  ver)-  alarming  to  the  spectator  to  witness 
the  heavy  movements  of  the  car.     'I'he  bearers 


spirit   of   Yoritomo,    first   Shogun   of   Japan,    is 
preceded  by  a  much  less  numerous  retinue. 

Lastly  comes  the  third,  in  which  Hideyoshi, 
the  great  adventurer  and  ruler,  was  enshrined. 
It  is  preceded  by  the  same  retinue  as  the 
second  chair,  and  three  Shinto  priests  and  a 
Yamabushi  (Nature  worshipper)  bring  up  the 
rear.  'i'he  whole  procession  winds  its  way 
along  the  avenues  to  the  Miya,  or  temple, 
called  O  Tabisho,  wh-ere  the  big  gates  are 
thrown  open  and  the  brilliant  pageant  enters. 
'l"he  great  palanquins  are  rushed  up  the  steps 
of  a  pavilion  opposite  the  gate  on  the  left,  and 
deposited  side  by  side.  The  banners,  sacred 
horses,  etc.,  are  dispersed  round  the    courtyard, 


THE    GREAT    FESTIVAL    OF    JEYASU    AT    NIKKO. 


159 


I  HE    THj;;U    r.M.ANQUIN,    IlElllKI?    WHICH     IHK    (;(Jlli:i    IS    CAK 

From   a    Photo. 

which  fairly  glows  with  the  hundreds  of  strange 
and  picturesque  figures. 

The  priests  in  white,  the  sacred  dancing 
women,  the  no-dancers,  the  musicians,  and  all 
who  take  a  personal  part  in  the  subsequent 
service,  assembled  in  a  large  hall  opposite  the 
pavilion  where  the  palanquins  are.  Along  the 
length  of  the  hall  facing  the  palanquins  in  the 
pavilion  runs  a  low  table.  On  this  are  offered 
the  Shichi-jin-go-sai,  or  twenty-five  offerings  of 
food.  All  kinds  of  birds,  fish,  rice-cake,  and 
wine  are  laid  on  the  holy  banqueting  dais  for  the 
three  great  spirits.  On  lacquer  trays  ornamented 
with  flowers  and  leaves,  and  dressed  in  thick, 
white  paper,  the  food  is  passed  up  from  hand  to 
hand  by  an  array  of  priests  in  white  silk  robes. 
'J'he  wme  is  served  in  graceful  jars  of  chased 
gold.      The    elaborate   ceremonial  and    austere 


simplicity  of  the  priests'  gowns 
are  greatly  enhanced  by  the  dim 
light  of  the  hall. 

When  all  is  served  a  large  scroll 
is  unrolled,  and  the  officiating  priest 
reads  aloud  the  contents  on  bended 
knees,  before  the  table  spread  with 
food,  the  congregation  prostrating 
themselves  meanwhile.  Next  the 
priestesses  rise  one  by  one,  enter 
the  temple,  and  dance  before  the 
table,  waving  an  open  fan  in  one 
hand  and  a  wand  ornamented  with 
a  cluster  of  little  bells  (suzu)  in 
the  other.  The  four  men  dancers 
in  scarlet  and  green  now  come 
down  into  the  courtyard  and 
range  themselves  in  a  line  just 
outside  and  at  right  angles  to 
the  stone  square  immediately 
before  the  pavilion.  At  the  same 
time  the  twelve  musicians  from 
the  other  side  of  the  square  strike 
up  their  pipes  and  reeds. 

The  dancers  stand  as  still  as 
statues  till  a  certain  note  in  the 
music  is  reached.  Then  the  fore- 
most one  strides  forward  step  by 
step  and  at  last  takes  his  place 
at  one  corner  of  the  square.  As 
he  moves  on  another  advances  to 
the  post  just  vacated,  and  at  last 
the  four  men  stand  in  place,  one 
in  each  corner.  Keeping  time  to 
the  music's  rhythm  they  pace  back- 
wards and  forwards,  whirling  their 
radiant  draperies,  on  which  the  sunlight  falls, 
with  so  much  precision  and  in  such  unison  as  to 
show  how  completely  the  weird  music  possesses 
their  spirits  and  commands  their  movements. 

The  way  in  which  they  manage  their  long 
trains  when  they  reach  the  corners  of  the 
stone  square  and  have  to  turn  is  quite  won- 
derful. Not  only  do  their  feet  dance,  but  their 
arms  also.  Like  great  scarlet  wings  in  their 
long,  falling  sleeves,  the  four  pairs  of  arms  spread 
and  swoop,  and  fall  and  fold  in  the  course  of 
the  figure,  with  a  grace  and  lithe  strength  that 
hold  one  breathless.  With  this  striking  picture 
the  pageant  ends,  and  the  procession  during  the 
course  of  the  afternoon  wends  its  way  back 
again  through  the  Nikko  groves,  taking  the 
three  great  cars  to  their  resting-place  behind 
the  Yomei-mon  of  Jeyasu's  mausoleum. 


Hv 


Diver  Smate   and   the   Octopus. 

l-KANK  S.  Smith,  ok  Nookat,  Terang,  Victoria. 


Diver  Smale  is  one  of  the  most  experienced  subaqueous  craftsmen  in  the  Colony,  and  this  is 
undoubtedly  his  most  exciting  experience.  He  was  obliged  to  signal  "All  right"  in  response  to 
anxious  messages  from  above  lest  his  mates  should  endeavour  to  haul  him  up  whilst  he  was.  held 
fast  by  the  horrible   tentacles  of  the   "  old-man  "  octopus  which  attacked  him. 


by 

''"  smillicrn  coast  of  Auslialia,  and 
>M-  jurtirulaily  that  of  \'ictoria, 
one  of  the  favourite  liaunts  of  the 
tii<.a«Jed  ortopus.  In  fact,  there  is 
scarcely  a  mile  of  the  western  shore- 
line of  the  Colony  where  the  sea  bather  may 
nol  exjKct  to  fmd  one  or  more  of  the  eight 
Ion-,  shmy  tentacles  of  this  repulsive  and  justly- 
dreaded  creature  winding  themselves  round  his 
le^  Fortunately,  the  great  majority  of  the 
ortopi  encountered  are  small,  with  bodies  no 
bigger  llian  a  flattened  lemon,  and  tentacles 
like  small  whip-lashes.  These  juveniles  are 
found  very  often  in  the  shallow  pools  left  by 
ihe  receding  tide,  where 
children  dabble  in  the  sum- 
mer  ;  and  the  shining  white 
legs  of  the  small  bathers 
form  an  irresistible  attrac- 
tion for  the  hideous  little 
beasts.  Shooting  through 
the  clear  water,  they  send 
the  terrified  youngsters 
squealing  to  their  nurses  or 
mothers. 

But  ever)-  now  and  then 
a  gigantic  '"old-man"  oc- 
topus is  encountered,  and 
then  the  matter  assumes  a 
serious  aspect  The  full- 
grown  octopus  keeps  away 
from  shallow  water  as  a  rule, 
and  is  only  dangerous  when 
interfered  with.  Fishermen 
drawing  in  their  lobster-pots  """  "  '     "' 

occasionally  find  one  of 
them  enveloped  by  a  writhing,  many-tentacled 
monster,  which  cannot  be  removed  until  the  ten- 
Ucles  are  cut  to  pieces.  Sometimes  in  their  efforts 
to  gel  the  pot  free  the  fishermen  find  to  their  dis- 
may that  the  horr  Dg  has  transferred  itself 
to  the  side  of  their  t^oai,  and  is  a  menace  to  its 
safety.  The  body  of  the  octopus,  too,  is  so  tough 
that  only  a  very  keen,  strong  knife  can  pierce  it. 

The  three  chief  coastal  towns  of  Victoria  are 
Warmambool,  Portland,  and  Port  Fairy;  and  at 
all  three  narrow  escapes  from  the  embraces  of 
the  octopus  are  recorded.  The  one  now  to  be  told 
occurred  at  Port  Fairy,  and  is  a  good  example 
of  presence  of  mind  securing  an  escape  (though 
but  a  hairs-breadth  one)  from  an  awful  death. 

Port  Fairy  stands  just  where  the  River  Moyne 
enters  the  sea ;  and,  as  is  usual  with  Australian 


octopus 

rivers,  the  navigation  of  the  stream  is  impeded 
by  a  bar.  Contracts  have  been  let  at  various 
times  for  dredging  and  deepening  the  passage 
into  the  river:  and  it  was  in  connection  with 
one  of  these  that  Diver  Smale  nearly  lost  his 
life  in  a  struggle  with  an  octopus. 

The  first  illustration  reproduced  in  this 
narrative  shows  the  river  after  the  bar  has  been 
passed.  The  town  of  Port  Fairy,  by  the  way,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  in  Victorian  history,  and  the 
ruinous  l)uildings  on  the  right  are  relics  of  the 
early  settlers. 

The  second  photo,  shows  a  small  fleet  of 
fishing-boats  crossing  the  bar  on  their  way  from 


1  Mr,    iii\  iA<     .11. iM-.    AiiEK   THE    BAR   HAS    BEEN    PAS.SED. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Jordan. 

the  barracouta  grounds.  'Couta  fishing,  I  should 
tell  you,  is  one  of  the  chief  industries  of  the 
quiet  little  town,  and  huge  hauls  are  made  all 
the  year  round  almost.  The  adventure  with  the 
octopus  occurred  near  the  leading  boat. 

To  deepen  the  passage  into  the  river  it  was 
necessary  to  blast  away  a  fairly  large  area  of 
rock  ;  and  Diver  Smale — one  of  the  best  and 
most  experienced  men  in  Victoria — was  engaged 
for  the  work.  Operations  were  commenced 
from  the  pier  ;  out  later  on  a  large,  flat-bottomed 
barge  was  fitted  up  and  moored  nearly  over 
the  patch  of  rock  that  was  to  be  displaced. 

Curiously  enough,  the  only  danger  appre- 
hended by  the  diver  was  from  sharks,  which  are 
fairly  plentiful  along  the  coast,  but  which 
generally  keep   away    from   the    broken    water. 


DIVER    SMALE    AND    THE    OCTOPUS. 


i6i 


From  a  Photo,  iy] 


Ll:L'i::i:.u 


llil.    LAI..        JUi:,    b_L;.E    ur      1111. 
LEADING    BOAT. 


Occasionally,  however,  a  twelve  or  sixteen- 
footer  sneaks  right  into  the  harbour ;  and  during 
a  previous  contract  the  diver  had  had  a  rather 
narrow  escape  from  misadventure. 

The  work  progressed  without  incident  for 
several  days,  and  arrangements  were  almost 
completed  for  the  setting  of  a  big  blast.  Two 
more  charges  of  dynamite  were  to  be  put  in, 
and  on  the  eventful  afternoon  Diver  Smale  went 
over  the  side  with  his  crowbar  to  place  these  in 
position.  He  put  down  the  holes,  and  came  up 
for  the  cartridges  and  a  breath  of  fresh  air. 
Then  he  went  down  again.  There  was  about 
2oft.  of  water,  and  he  walked  a  few  feet  to  the 
ledge  of  rock  upon  which  he  was  operating. 
His  crowbar  was  standing  up  in  the  ooze,  and 
he  was  fixing  the  last  cartridge,  when  he  felt  a 
slight  tug  at  his  left  arm. 

Thinking  that  he  had  caught  the  line  with  his 
elbow  he  tried  to  move  his  arm  back  to  free  it, 
but  found  to  his  surprise  that  it  was  held  firmly 
to  his  side.  Standing  up  straight  he  attempted 
to  turn  round,  but  to  his  horror  he  discovered 
that  soinetJmig  was  holding  him  back  ! 

At  the  same  moment  he  felt  something  like  a 
rope  slip  round  the  same  arm,  below  the  elbow, 
and  encircle  his  waist.  Instinctively  he  held 
his  right  arm  out  straight,  and  to  that  movement 
he  owed  his  life. 

The  instant  he  felt  the  second  clasp  the 
dreadful  fact  flashed  across  his  mind  that  he  was 
in  the  grip  of  an  octopus,  and  he  peered  into 
the  darkness  to  try  and  localize  his  foe.  Grad- 
ually he  gathered  that  the  creature  was  attached 
to  the  ledge  of  rock  underneath  which  he  had 
been  boring  ;  and  the  wonder  was  that  he  had 
not  encountered  it  before.  From  the  length 
and  strength  of  the  two  tentacles  that  v/ere 
around  him  the  diver  knew  that  the  octopus 
was  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind,  and  all  hope 
of  tearing  himself  free  by  force  vanished.  How- 
ever, he  tried  to  strain  forward,  but  found   that 

Vol.  vi.— 21. 


\  J  or  dan. 


all  he  did  was  to  nearly  lift 
himself  off  his  feet,  while 
ihe  two  sinewy  tentacles 
still  held  him  as  though  he 
were  bound  by  ropes  of 
steel. 

Speaking  afterwards  of 
the  experience,  Diver  Smale 
said  that  his  first  sensa- 
tion was  one  of  horror  and 
dread ;  and,  had  he  given 
way  to  it,  his  end  would 
have  been  inevitable  and 
speedy. 

"  You  see,"  he  said, 
"  with  an  octopus  you  have 
no  chance  to  get  at  your 
foe.  A  shark  is  bad,  but  you  can  fight  him  and 
he  comes  fair  at  you.  I  never  met  a  tiger ;  but 
I'd  sooner  meet  one  in  a  fair  open  fight  any  day 
than  an  octopus." 

Nerving  himself,  the  diver  hastily  considered 
the  situation.  His  eye  caught  sight  of  the 
crowbar,  still  sticking  upright,  and  by  edging 
slowly  sideways  he  managed  to  grasp  it. 
Then  began  the  struggle. 
"  It  was  bad  enough,"  said  Mr.  Smale,  "  to 
have  to  overcome  the  octopus,  but  all  the  while 
I  was  tormented  by  the  fear  that  my  mates  on 
the  barge  would  get  alarmed  and  try  to  pull 
7116  up." 

There  was  good  reason  for  this  fear,  as,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  the  diver  should  have 
been  ready  to  come  up  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
at  the  latest. 

This  time  had  now  passed,  and  the  men  on 
the  barge  pulled  the  signal-rope.  Sticking  his 
bar  firmly  in  the  ooze,  the  diver  signalled  to  be 
left  down.  Then  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
octopus,  and  tried  with  the  bar  to  prise  the 
tentacles  off  his  arm.  But  his  utmost  efforts 
failed  to  make  the  monster  relax  its  grip  in 
the  slightest. 

Then  a  new  scheme  came  into  the  unfortunate 
man's  head ;  and  he  prodded  viciously  at  the 
body  of  the  octopus,  now  flattened  against  the 
rock. 

To  his  dismay  the  only  result  of  this  was  to 
make  the  monster  detach  a  third  tentacle  from 
the  rock  and  wind  it  round  his  legs — instead  of, 
as  he  hoped,  withdrawing  the  slimy  ropes 
altogether  from  his  body. 

This  fresh  calamity  made  the  diver  almost 
sick  with  despair.  He  could  not  move  now, 
and  the  danger  was  always  present  that  a  fresh 
tentacle  would  envelop  his  right  arm,  or,  worse 
still,  coil  round  the  air-pipe  and  suffocate  him. 
Either  of  these  calamities  would  have  sealed  his 
doom  in  a  few  moments. 


lo: 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


There  was  another  tug  at  the  signal-rope,  and 
ihis,  b^iid  llie  diver  afterwards,  acted  as  a  tonic. 
Once  more  he  signalled  "All  right,"  and  his 
pu/zled  mates  sat  waiting  on  the  barge 
above  discussing  the  probable  cause  of  his 
detention. 

Almost  desperate  now.  the  diver  was  on  the 
point  of  signalling  the  "Pull  up"  and  trusting 
to  the  rojK^  to  tear  him  loose  ;  but  he  soon 
abandoned  th.e  idea  as  practically  committing 
suicide.  Afterwards  they  all  agreed  that  the 
rope  would  have  parted  under  the  strain,  and 
this  would  undoubtedly  have  ended  the  matter 
ver>"  (juickly. 

rhc   thought    of    being    pulled   free   of    his 


-,  ■'.y.    I.r.hl:    ANL>   his   .MATtS   on    the    barge.       ii,      ; 

From  a  Photo,  by  Foyk. 

captor,  however,  suggested  another  way  out  of 
the  difficulty.  "  Why  not  pull  octopus  and  all 
up  with  him  ?  "  This  was  at  least  feasible,  and 
brave  and  resolute  Diver  Sniale  set  to  work  to 
put  it  into  operation.  He  gouged  away  again 
at  the  body  of  the  animal,  but  with  little  effect. 
Then  he  tried  a  dig  at  the  end  of  one  of  the 
tentacles  on  the  rock,  which  are  fitted  with 
cup-.shaped  suckers.  Three  or  four  digs  were 
given,  when  the  tentacle  slowly  cast  itself  loose 
from  the  rock  and,  searching  about,  soon  coiled 
itself  round  the  diver's  body. 

The  tentacles  were  now  evenly  divided— four 
on  the  rock  and  four  on  the  body  of  the  diver ; 
who  at  once  attacked  another.  Digging  away 
at  the  ends  of  the  tentacles  with  all  1iis  might 


he  found  another  and  yet  another  of  the  long, 
slimy  ligaments  grasping  him,  and  his  only  fear 
was  for  his  free  arm  or  the  air-pipe. 

Fortunately  both  escaped,  and  the  last  remain- 
ing tenaclc  but  one  wound  itself  round  him  just 
when  his  mates  above  had  again  signalled  him. 
He  had  been  down  three-quarters  of  an  hour, 
and  despite  the  repeated  "  All  rights  "  they  were 
becoming  very  anxious. 

"  And  well  I  knew  they  would  be,"  says  the 
diver.  "  So,  after  signalling  '  All  right '  again  I 
jammed  the  bar  under  the  last  tentacle,  and  I 
can  tell  you  I  felt  thankful  when  it  left  hold  of 
the  rock  and  I  had  the  horrible  brute  on  the 
top  of  me  altogether.      I  didn't  wait  long  to 

signal  the  'Pull  up.'" 

"  Yes,"  said  one  of  his 
mates  afterwards, "  we  had 
decided  to  give  him  five 
minutes  longer,  and  then 
we'd  have  pulled  up, 
whether  or  no."  Of  course, 
they  had  not  the  faintest 
idea  of  the  awful  battle 
that  was  going  on  nearly 
beneath  them. 

When  the  "Pull  up" 
signal  was  given  it  was 
quickly  attended  to,  and 
soon  the  diver  was  drawn 
up  to  the  edge  of  the 
barge.  The  sight  that 
met  the  astonished  gaze 
of  the  men  on  the  deck 
was  weird  in  the  extreme. 
Scarcely  anything  of  the 
diver  could  be  seen  for 
the  interlaced  folds  of  the 
octopus's  tentacles,  which 
were  wound  round  his 
body  in  seemingly  endless  folds. 

Hastily  drawing  him  on  board  they  unscrewed 
the  helmet,  to  discover  the  ghastly,  colourless 
face  of  the  diver,  who  had  swooned  with 
exhaustion  and  dread. 

It  was  found  impossible  to  get  the  octopus 
off  him  except  by  cutting  the  tentacles  to 
pieces.  The  diving  dress  was  then  removed, 
and  the  diver  soon  revived.  Then,  in  broken 
and  disconnected  sentences,  he  related  his  ex- 
periences. 

This  octopus  was  the  largest  ever  found  along 
the  coast,  its  tentacles  alone  measuring  about 
12ft.  in  lengdi.  Unfortunately  they  were  so 
cut  to  pieces  that  the  octopus  could  not  be 
preserved. 


Fighting    the    Prickly    Pear. 

By  a.  p.   Corrie,  of  Oakey,  West  Line,  Queensland. 

The  plagues  of  Australia  are  many—the  rabbit,  for  example,  and  the  "dingo,"  or  native  dog.     But  have 

you   heard  of  the  prickly  pear  cactus  as  an  enemy  engaging  the  serious   attention  of  a  Government  ? 

In    this   paper   Mr.    Corrie  describes    the  whole    of  this  curious  war  of   extermination,    illustrating   it 

by  means   of  photos.,  of  which  many  were  specially  taken   for  "  The  Wide  World." 


HE  settlers  of  Australia  seem 
to  get  double  their  share  of 
toil  and  trouble.  Pioneering  calls 
for  the  military  instinct,  the 
fighting  faculty.     Innumerable  foes 

have  to  be  fought  and  vanquished  before  the 

way  is  clear  for  the  onward  march  to  prosperity, 

peace,    and    rest.       Some    of    these    foes   are 

peculiar  to  Australian    soil,   but   the  worst   are 

imported  from  other  lands. 
And     these    foreign    foes 

have    shown    such    tenacity, 

such     power    of     aggressive 

movement,  that  (in  the  case 

of   the    rabbit    now    held    in 

check)   the   fortunes   of  war 

between  settler  and  pest  were 

held    in    the    balance   for   a 

time.     In  Northern   Queens- 
land  to-day  the   stock-owner 

is  waging  war  with   the   tick 

fever  which  attacks  his  herds 

of  cattle.  This  is  an  imported 

pest.     The  sheep-owner  fights 

the  "dingo,"  or  native   dog, 

which    decimates   his   flocks. 

This   is  a    purely  Australian 

pest.       The     wheat  -  grower 

wrestles     w'ith      the     "  rust " 

which,    when    the   season   is 

damp  and  humid,  appears  in 

his   crop     and    depletes    his 

grain      harvest.       Then    the 

dairyman     has     to    struggle 

with    the   problem  of   tuber- 
culosis,   or    consumption    in 

cattle,  which  in  the  lowlands 

of  the  Australian  coast  is  not  uncommon 

what  shall  I  say  more? 

Time    would    fail    me    to    write   the    whole 

catalogue  of  woes  ! 

One  of  the  most  powerful   obstacles   in   the 

matter   of    land    settlement    in    some   parts    of 

Australia  is  the  prickly  pear.      It  has  grown  to 

be  a  fearful  pest.     Apparently,  too,  it  has  come 

to  stay.     It  has  taken  possession  of  whole  tracts 

of  country.       In   the   spirit  of    triumph    it  has 

thrown   down    the    gauntlet   to    the   struggling 


niE   AUTHOK,    MR.    A.    1 

J-rotna]      watched 


And 


settler  who,  in  many  instances  in  the  parts 
alluded  to,  gains  his  land  by  conquest,  having 
to  fight  a  pitched  battle  for  every  acre  he  calls 
his  own.  But  sometimes  it  happens  the  brave 
settler  fights  a  losing  battle,  and  is  vanquished 
in  the  end. 

One  has  only  to  get  an    idea  of  the  pear's 

prodigious    power    of    expansion    to    grasp    the 

situation.     Its  methods  of  reproduction  involve 

a  calculation    startling   in  its 

possible  results. 

A  single  fruit  brings  forth 
thirty,  si.xty,  and  even  several 
hundred-fold  of  good  repro- 
ductive seed.  Each  seed  may 
produce  a  single  plant.  Each 
plant  yearly  throws  out  many 
leaves.  They  grow  out  of 
last  year's  leaves  along  the 
edge  in  the  form  of  a  hand, 
and  from  the  sides  also — a 
group  of  five  or  si.x,  in  the 
manner  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph ;  and  each  new  leaf 
f^  will  bring  forth  next  season 
— when  it  elects  to  grow  fruit 
in  place  of  leaves — as  many 
as  twenty  fruit,  each  bearing 
its  full  complement  of  seed. 
But  settlers  could  cope  even 
with  the  abounding  fertility 
of  the  prickly  pear  if  it  were 
C  not  for  its  marvellous  vitality 

*  and  the  way  it  clings  to  life. 

Chop  it  up  by  the  roots, 
stand  it  upon  its  head,  and 
yet  it  accommodates  itself 
conditions  with  maddening 
leaves  immediately  strike 
inverted  position  the  whole 
waxes  fat,    and   fruitful,    and 


.    CORRIR,    WHO 
THE    BATTLE. 


HAS   OFTEN 

[Pkota. 


to    its     altered 
readiness.       The 
root,    and   in    its 
plant    flourishes — 


multiplies.     It  is,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
an  "air  "  plant. 

It  is  this  fact  that  makes  the  war  such  a 
hopeless  one,  for  where  the  pear  has  overrun  a 
tract  of  country  it  has,  with  the  means  at  present 
available,  gained  the  upper  hand.  The  diffi- 
culty simply  resolves    itself  into    this :    If   one 


IHEV 

/•'lom  a] 


164 

plant  rccjuircs  so 
much  vital  ciKryy 
to  cMcriuinatc  ii, 
how  much  labour 
will  Ix'  required  for 
a  whole  field  ?  Hut 
the  settler  does  not 
usually  slop  to  work 
the  statement  out : 
he  does  some  odd 
job  about  the  place, 
and  tries  to  forget 
the  perplexing 
problem. 

All  herbage  may 
drooj).  die,  and  dis- 
ap{K-ar  in  the  oven 
of  an  Australian 
drought,  but  the 
pear  survives,  flour- 
ishes, and  carries  on 
Its  processes  of  expansion  and  reproduction  with 
unconcern.  In  the  fierce  "  struggle  for  life " 
when  a  drought  is  devastating  the  land  this  pest 
is  a  living  example  of  the  survival  of  the 
"  unfittest." 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  this  plant  was 
brought  to  our  afflicted  shores  for  the  same 
reasons  that  the  pestilential  rabbit  was  brought, 
viz.,  either  for  use  or  ornament.  But  it  has 
cruelly  cheated  the  hopes  of  the  simple  idealists 
who  brought  it  hither,  for  it  has  become  a 
plague  and  a  pestilence.  And  the  question  of 
its  extermination  in  the  Colony  of  Queensland, 
at  least,  is  a  question  of  national  importance. 

And  yet  there  are  enthusiasts  in  other  parts 
of  the  world  who  risk  life  and  limb,  spend  large 
sums  of  money,  and  travel  far  and  wide  in 
search  of  wild  cacti, 
to  which  family  the 
prickly  pear  belongs. 
Of  course,  we  are 
aware  that  in  Pales- 
tine, Mexico,  I^eru, 
etc.,  the  prickly  pear 
is  a  source  of  in- 
come to  the  inhabi- 
tants. The  fruit  has 
a  commercial  value. 
With  us  in  Australia 
it  has  no  value. 
Great  harvests  of 
fruit  o     the 

grout...  ,...^  rot,  or 
are  partly  eaten  by 
wild  birds  such  as 
the  emu,  plain  tur- 
key, and  '•  native 
companion,"   and 


riii:   wiDi:   world   m.\('.azixe 


GKOW   OUT  OF    LAST   VEAN  S    LEAVES   Al.ON(. 
IN    THE    FOK.M    OF-    A    HAND.  ' 


enough 


the  seed  is,  in  this 
way,  sown  broadcast 
over  wide  areas. 
An  enterprising 
grower  in  a  northern 
area  of  New  South 
Wales  (near  the 
Queensland  border') 
fancied  he  saw  gold 
in  the  pear  plant, 
and  he  went  in  for 
pig-rearing  on  a  large 
scale.  It  was  his 
intention  to  feed  his 
pigs  on  boiled  pear 
mixed  with  pollard. 
Had  the  scheme 
succeeded  there 
would,  undoubtedly, 
have  been  a  fortune 
in  it,  for  there  is 
in  the  locality  to  feed  all  the 
country.  But  in  practice  the 
Looked  at  from 


THE   EDGE 

[Photo. 


THtl;LACK     IjdI  s   SHOW    IHE     KOK.MI  l;AliLE    HAIUV    Sl'INES    WHICH     UE.NUEK 

I-'roni  a  Photo.\  handling  imi'OSSiulf.-  [by  the  Author. 


pear 
swine    in    the 

idea  was  a  melancholy  failure, 
all  points,  then,  the  pear  is  no  friend  to  Australia, 
but  an  unmitigated  nuisance  and  a  dangerous 
foe  to  settlements.  Thus  war  to  the  knife  is 
the  watchword. 

AVe  will  now  consider  how  we  fight  the  foe. 
The  weapons  of  our  warfare  with  the  prickly 
pear  are  illustrated  in  the  photographs  which  go 
with  this  article.  Speaking  generally,  there  are 
two  ways  of  fighting  it,  viz.,  the  tnechanical  and 
the  cheniical.  Firstly,  the  mechanical.  Hoes, 
spades,  pitchforks,  axes,  firewood,  and  flames 
are  the  weapons  of  the  mechanical  method  of 
attack.  Decidedly  carnal  weapons  of  warfare, 
you  will  say;  somewhat  primitive  also  ;  but  they 

are  powerful  even  to 
the  breaking  down 
of  strongholds  of 
prickly  pear.  The 
plan  is  costly,  how- 
ever, and  this  is  its 
chief  objection. 

One  of  the  photo- 
graphs shows  a  bush- 
man's  contingent 
(not  the  South 
African  type)  armed 
to  the  teeth.  The 
men  were  photo- 
graphed on  the  scene 
of  action,  standing 
like  true  Britishers 
without  a  murmur 
under  fire — the  fire 
of  a  tropical  sun. 
Their  captain    is   at 


FIGHTING    THE     PRICKLV    PEAR. 


165 


1  lit  >;en  u  Hi>  HGiii'   I  III' 


i^.UEEU    CAMPAIGN  —  t'lilCKLV-f'KAU    EXTERMINA 

From  a  Photo,  by  the  Author. 


II'IED    KOK    WORK. 


hand,  and  they  are  ready  at  the  word  of  command 
to  make  a  spirited  attack  upon  the  foe  hidden 
from  view,  in  an  ambush  of  timber  and  loni; 
grass.  The  next  is  a  picture  of  a  characteristic 
prickly  pear  fighter — an  eccentric  man,  with  a 
strong  aversion  to  being  photographed. 

Knowing  his  pet  aversion  we  sent  the  second 
person  as  an  advance  guard  to  engage  him  in  con- 
versation while  the  writer  with  his  field-gun — the 
camera — made  an  attack  upon  his  left  flank.  The 
pear-fighter  saw  the  movement,  and  inquired  if  we 
were  "taking  levels."  The  pear-fighter  is  seen  with 
his  weapon  in  hand,  the  hoe  with 
which  the  pear  is  dislodged.  Having 
been  chopped  up  by  the  man  who 
wields  the  hoe  the  pear  is  thrown 
upon  drays  by  means  of  pitchforks, 
for  you  dare  not  handle  the  plant. 

Besides  the  formidable  thorns 
seen  in  the  first  photograph  given 
on  the  preceding  page  there  are 
hairy  spines  gathered  in  circular 
clusters  over  the  surface  of  the 
leaf,  as  shown  in  the  other  illustra- 
tion. The  spines  themselves  make 
the  circumference  of  the  tiny 
circles  that  dot  the  leaves. 

At  the  head  of  each,  forming 
a  crown  of  thorns,  there  is  also  a 
bristling  line  of  fierce  spines  which 
pierce  the  fiesh  and  come  away  in 
little  groups  of  ten  or  a  dozen  the 
moment  they  are  touched ;  and 
before  proceeding  with  his  work 
the  operator  must  carefully  extract 
them,    for    they  are    both    painful 


Cattle  roaming  over  fields  overrun  with  the 
pear  are  tempted,  when  grass  is  scarce,  to  live 
upon  the  pest.  It  is  regarded  as  a  bad  omen. 
For  a  little  while  they  thrive,  but  afterwards  fall 
away,  and  in  the  end  drag  out  a  miserable 
existence,  eventually  dying.  The  larger  thorns 
as  well  as  the  hairy  spines  become  embedded  in 
the  windpipe  and  intestines  of  the  pear-eating 
animals,  and  although  stock  acquiring  the  taste 
become  passionately  fond  of  the  prickly  pear,  it 
kills  them  in  the  end. 

After  having  been   cut  up  by   the  roots  the 


and  irritating. 


A   CHARACTEKISTIC    PRICKI.V-PEAR    FIGHTER   WITH    AN    AVERSION    TO    BEING 

From  a  Photo- ]  photographed.  [by  the  Author. 


1 66 


TH1-.    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


II 


mass  crushes  the  lower  layers  of  pears,  and 
sends  the  juice  trickling  along  the  surface  in 
(juite  a  stream.  In  pits  the  pear  ferments,  and 
the  entombed  plant  becomes  a  squashy,  oozy, 
decomposing    mass,   which    sinks    from    day  to 


I'.iii:   l)F    TH1-;    VANQUISHED    I'EST— "  Ul'ON    THESE    PLATFORMS   THE    I'EAR    IS    PILED    IX    TONS. 

From  a  Photo,  by  the  Author. 


pear  is  carted  in  drays  to  be  burnt  or  else  pitted. 
When  it  is  to  be  burnt  rude  platforms  are  made 
by  rolling  logs  together. 

Upon  these  platforms  the  pear  is  piled  in 
great  heaps  of  two  or  three  hundred  tons.  The 
plants  are  handled  with  pitchforks,  and  the 
stocks  built  up  as  illustrated  in  the  photograph. 
It  is  a  funeral  pyre,  and  when  one  sees  the 
mass,  with  the  sap  exuding  at  the  base,  he 
mar\-els  how  such  a  heap  of  water-logged 
vegetable  matter  can  possibly  be  consumed  by 
fire.  But  a  practical  demonstration  removes 
all  questionings  from  his  mind.  At  nightfall  a 
firebrand  is  applied  to  the  logs,  which  soon 
become  a  glowing  mass.  Fierce  flames  leap  up 
the  sides  of  the  doomed  pile  of  prickly  pear  ; 
angry  tongues  of  fire  pierce  the  hissing,  steam- 
ing, spitting  mass,  and  in  the  course  of  one 
night  the  whole  is  licked  up.  Perhaps  a  single 
hundredweight  of  ashes  remain  where  once 
stood  a  pile  of  two  or  three  hundred  tons. 

Firewood,  however,  is  not  always  obtainable, 
for  in  Australia  there  are  the  timberless  plain- 
Ian' '  '  veldt  of  Australia.  Here,  too,  the 
pear  .shes.      Cremation    being    no    longer 

possible,  pits  are  dug,  and  this  plan  of  disposal 
i-s  an  imitation  of  the  orthodox  mode  of 
Christian  burial.  Three  and  four  hundred  tons 
of  the  acCTirsed  stuff,  fruit  and  plant,  are,  at 
times,  cast  into  the  pits.     The  weight  of  such  a 


day.  The  pears  at  the  top  rear  their  heads  in 
defiance,  and  would  live  if  left  alone,  but  when 
the  mass  has  subsided  sufficiently  these  saucy 
top-crust  pears  are  smothered  with  a  thick  layer 
of  earth. 

So  under  the  mechanical  head  there  come  two 
methods  of  getting  rid  of  the  pear,  viz.,  burning 
^x\d pit/iiig.     Burning  is  the  most  thorough. 

Secondly,  we  have  the  chemical  method  of 
destruction.  Under  this  head  come  poisons — 
such  as  arsenic  and  bluestone.  If  a  slit  is  made 
in  several  leaves,  or  a  hole  bored  in  the  trunk 
of  the  prickly  pear  plant  and  arsenic  or  blue- 
stone  in  sufficient  quantity  be  placed  therein, 
the  poison  will,  in  due  time,  be  absorbed,  and 
the  plant  will  languish  and  perhaps  die.  This 
way  of  working  is,  however,  much  too  slow. 
The  settler  could  never  overtake  the  pear  in  the 
struggle.  Something  quicker  is  needed  ;  some- 
thing cheaper  also.  This  has  been  the  long-felt 
need  of  those  on  pear-afflicted  lands.  Experi- 
ments, however,  are  being  conducted  which 
promise  to  have  a  successful  issue ;  and  if 
expectations  are  realized  the  present  system  of 
prickly  pear  w^arfare  will  be  completely  revolu- 
tionized. Older  methods  will  be  discarded  as 
worthless,  and  a  new  era  will  dawn  for  the  pear- 
fighter  in  Australia. 

Spraying  for  the  destruction  of  orchard  pests 
is   now  general.     The   fruit-growing  world   has 


FIGHTING    THE    PRICKLY    PEAR. 


167 


''the    I'UlbUMNCj    SuLU  1  luN    IS  .MADE  IN    A  4U<j-i.,.Ai.; .' jA 

From  a  Plwto.  ly  the  Author. 

said  with  one  voice,  "  Let  us  spray."  This  is 
the  secret  of  the  new  prickly  pear  warfare. 
The  idea  was  borrowed  from  orchard  practice, 
and  should  it  prove  as  efficacious  as  it  promises 
no  campaign  will  thereafter  be  conducted  on 
the  old  hoe-and-pitchfork  lines.  The  poisoning 
solution  is  made  in  a  400-gallon  tank,  which  is 
carried  on  a  dray  to  the  pear-infested  field.  Each 
operator  carries  a  metal  vessel  which  is  strapped 
to  his  shoulders  like  a  soldier's  knapsack.  In- 
side this  vessel  is  a  pump,  also  a  small  reservoir 
about  the  size  of  a  ilb.  coffee  tin.  By  means  of 
a  rod  held  in  one  hand  the  pump  is  worked  and 
the  poisonous  solution  is 
forced  into  the  reservoir. 
There  is  no  means  of 
escape  for  the  air  in  the 
reservoir,  and  it  is  there- 
fore compressed  as  the 
solution  is  forced  in.  This 
elastic  cushion  of  air  serves 
as  an  ejecting  force  when 
the  spraying  commences. 
In  one  hand  of  the  oper- 
ator is  a  rod,  at  the  end  of 
which  is  a  "  rose,"  which 
produces  a  miniature 
shower  of  rain.  By  means 
of  this  rod  a  spray  sur- 
charged with  poison  is 
brought  to  play  upon  the 
doomed  plant.  Before 
this  operation  commences, 
however,  the  pear  plant  is 


hacked  with  blades  fastened  to  long 
handles  (for  it's  advisable  not  to 
touch  the  pear  with  less  than  a  4ft. 
pole),  and  the  butt  is  pierced  with 
a  sharp  instrument.  The  poison  is 
admitted  by  these  wounds  and  the 
sap  distributes  it  throughout  the 
plant,  bringing  about  arsenical 
poisoning.  In  a  few  days  the  plant 
shows  signs  of  distress.  The  leaves 
droop,  the  plant  withers,  and  in  the 
course  of  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  is 
lying  prostrate — a  shrivelled,  devita- 
lized, whitened  heap  of  ruins.  At  last 
the  defiant  foe  has  found  more  than 
its  match.  Of  course  the  seeds  in 
the  ground  when  the  spraying  is 
done,  and  also  the  untouched 
leaves  upon  the  ground,  will  grow, 
and  after  the  first  operation  atten- 
tion is  needed  in  order  to  finish 
the  good  work  of  extermination. 

As  to  the  cost.  Spraying  costs 
from  23.  6d.  to  los.  per  acre  for  land 
not  in  hopeless  possession  of  the 
pest.  There  are,  however,  belts  of  brigalow  scrub 
so  completely  under  dominion  of  the  pear  that 
eradication  would  entail  an  expenditure  equal  to 
^10  an  acre  under  the  hoe-and-pitchfork  mode  of 
warfare,  and  from  30s.  to  ^3  under  the  system  of 
spraying.  This  land  is  not  worth  reclaiming  at  the 
price,  but  if  the  pest  is  not  driven  from  these  haunts 
the  surrounding  country  will  always  be  liable  to 
attack.  So  for  the  sake  of  immunity  from  the  pest 
these  strongholds  may  have  to  be  demolished. 
But  the  first  tasks  are  to  stop  the  progress  of  the 
pear,  and  exterminate  it  on  runs  where  it  has 
not  yet  produced  the  abomination  of  desolation. 


FIGHTING    THE    PK1CK.LY   WITH    A   Sl'RAY   OF    POISON. 

From  a  Photo.]  iMAn's  back. 


OBSERVE   THE   RESERVOIR   ON    EACH 

[by  the  Author. 


Three   Amateur  Aeronauts. 

A   lAlAl.   DIlSCKN'l'   INTO    Till':   I'.AN    OF  NAPLES. 

Kv   Mrs.  \\i)i,iKsoHN,  of  Naples. 

This    terrible   accident,  partly   described  in  the  sole  survivor's  own  words,  caused  a  great  sensation  in 
Naples  thi-  summer.     The  article  tells  a  remarkable  tale  of  heroism  and  endurance,  and  is  illustrated 

with  photos,  of  the  balloon  and  its  occupants. 

tecupo,  describe  the  adventure  in  his  own 
words  : — ■ 

"  Never,"  he  said,  after  reaching  his  home  on 
the  following  evening,  "was  a  pleasure  excursion 
begun  with  keener  enjoyment.  As  we  gradually 
rose,  with  the  splendid  panorama  of  Naples 
spread  out  below  us,  the  sky  a  turquoise  blue, 
the  air  calm,  and  the  sunset  hues  lending  greater 
beauty  to  the  scenery,  it  seemed  as  though 
nothing  could  disturb  the  feelings  of  delight  of 
Pellizzone  and  myself,  both  new  to  the  sen- 
sation. 

"  Quite  absorbed  by  the  spectacle  before  us, 
we  neither  of  us  thought  about  the  condition  of 
the  balloon,  which  was  anything  but  good,  nor 


i-i'..   •>  1      M".>  I  r.i_ti  Li,     "IHK      mjLK     StKVlVuK,     UHll 
WAS     l-ICKED     UP     AKTEK     HAVING      BEEN     ELEVEN 

From  a]         hours  in  the  water.  [PItoio. 


N  Sunday  evening,  the  15th  of 
July  last,  the  balloon  "  Najjoli  " 
-ceiidcd  in  beautiful  weather 
:;om  the  arena  in  the  grounds 
of  the  Exhibition  of  Hygiene 
at  Naples,  in  the  presence  of  thousands  of 
spectators.  Captain  Venni,  an  infantry 
officer,  managed  the  balloon,  and  was 
nccom|)anied  by  Count  Montecupo  and 
Signor  Salvatore  Pellizzone,  a  reporter  of 
the  paper  Don  Marzio.  The  balloon  rose 
at  alx)ut  7  p.m.,  and,  after  attaining  a 
height  of  4,000ft.,  was  impelled  by  a  gentle 
norlh-easterly  breeze  out  to  sea  between 
Capri  and  Ischia.  Spectators  in  the  villas 
on  the  hills  behind  the  city  watched  the 
l>alloon  until  dusk,  growing  smaller  and 
smaller  as  it  receded,  and  some  observed 
that  the  bay  was  very  empty  of  craft,  and 
therefore  f;:lt  some  an.xiety  as  to  the  de 
scent,  for  the  expedition  was  a  mere 
pleasure  trip,  and  it  was  usual  for  the 
aeronaut  to  come  down  before  nightfall. 
This  an.xiety  was  unfortunately  justified, 
for  when  the  ballon  reached  the  sea  it  was 
far  frr,       "  '.elp,  and  two  of  its  occupants 


pensr;.  _ 
But  we  wil 


survivor,  Count  Mon- 


IN     THE    ARENA 

Frovi  a] 


NAPLES    (CAl'I'AIN     VENN!     IS    IN    THE   CENTKK    ol-^    THE 
TRIO,    I'KI.I.IZZONE  ON    THE    LEKt).  [I'Jioio. 


THREE  AMATEUR  AERONAUTS. 


169 


did  we  remember  that  we  had  brought  no  life- 
belt or  other  means  of  safety  with  us.  As  we 
rose  the  wind  grew  stronger,  and  drove  us 
farther  out  over  the  sea,  which,  smooth  as  a  mirror, 
lay  below  us  vast  and  empty  of  craft.  Drifting, 
as  we  were,  farther  and  farther  from  any  land, 
Captain  Venni  decided  to  descend  at  all  costs, 
for  it  was  impossible  for  such  a  balloon  to  keep 
up  much  longer.  We  asked  the  Captain 
whether  we  might  not  reach  the  coast  of  Capri, 
but  he  said,  with  a  sad  smile,  '  We  will  content 
ourselves  with  that  illusion.' 

"Slowly  we  sank  towards  the  water  as  twilight 
came  on.     At  8  p.m.   we   dipped   for  the  first 


ourselves  afloat  while  holding  on.  The  wind 
increased  in  force ;  the  water  grew  rough  ;  the 
balloon  swerved  and  spun  from  left  to  right ; 
and  the  car  plunged  us  ever  and  again  into  the 
water,  loosening  our  hold,  which  with  difficulty 
we  regained. 

"  Pellizzone  began  to  breathe  hard  ;  Captain 
Venni,  knowing  the  awful  danger,  could  not 
speak  one  word  of  comfort. 

"  Three  hours  passed  thus.  Suddenly  Pelliz- 
zone exclaimed,  gasping  with  the  horror  of  the 
moment,  'Who  will  have  strength  to  hold  out 
till  dawn  ? ' 

"  The  moon  rose,  lighting  up  the  sea.     Then 


FEW    MINUTES   BEKORE   THE   ASCENT — KILLINf,    IHE    LALLOOK. 


{I'hoto. 


time.     Car  and  occupants  alike  were  plunged 

into  the  water.     We  sank  to  our  necks,  but  the 

balloon  speedily  rose  a  little,  lifting  us  above 

the  surface.     Again  we  fell,  this  time  up  to  our 

knees,  ancf  as  the  balloon  did  not  lift  again  \ve 

were  obliged  to  stand  on  the  edge  of  the  car 

and  hold  on  by  the  ropes  by  which  the  car  was 

attached.       In    the   dim    light,    the   moon    not 

having  yet  risen,  we  saw  the  Palermo  mail-boat 

and  another  vessel  passing  at  no  great  distance, 

and   we    made   frantic    efforts   to   attract   their 

attention,  but  without  avail. 

"  Meanwhile  the  balloon  dragged  us  along  on 

the  surface  of  the  water.     Capri  was  far  away 

on  the  horizon.     We  still   kept  up  our  spirits ; 

poor  Pellizzone  especially  joking  and  laughing. 

But  after  passing  half  an  hour  in  this  pitiable 

condition  the  car  sank  away  from  our  feet,  and, 

as  the  balloon  spun  round  and  round,  we  were 

whirled   about  giddily   in   the  water.     We  now 

began  to  undress  as  far  as  possible  so  as  to  keep 
Vol.  vi.— 22. 


the  wind  got  up.  All  at  once  the  balloon  spun 
round,  and  twice  we  were  thrown  off  the  ropes 
and  sank.  When  I  rose  to  the  surface  I  found 
that  one  of  the  ropes  was  twisted  round  my 
arm  ;  the  balloon  had  reached  the  water  and 
floated  like  a  ship.  I  looked  around — my  com- 
panions had  disappeared  !  Soon,  in  the  moon- 
light, I  could  distinguish  them  struggling  at  a 
distance,  and  heard  their  pitiful  cries  for  help  ; 
but  I  was  dragged  farther  and  farther  away  and 
could  do  nothing.  That  call  for  help  rings  still 
in  my  ears  !  Two  young  lives  so  tragically  lost ! 
I  called  and  called  again,  but  there  was  no  reply. 
Twice  I  fainted,  but  recovered  my  senses.  What 
ghastly  solitude  !  No  help ;  nothing  but  death 
awaiting  me  !  I  fixed  my  thoughts  on  those 
dear  ones  who  would  never  see  me  again.  But 
strong  indeed  is  the  love  of  life.  The  emptying 
balloon  was  slow  in  overwhelming  myself  and  the 
car,  and,  in  order  to  rest  my  limbs,  strained  in 
the  effort  to  keep  my  balance,  I  crept  from  rope 


176 


THE    WIDE    WORIA)    MAGAZINE. 


"  WE    MADr    FRANTIC    EFFORTS   TO   ATTRACT  THEIR    ATTENTION,    BUT   WITHOUT   AVAIL. 


to  rope  until  I  reached  the  net,  between  whose 
meshes  I  got  my  head,  arms,  and  legs,  and  so 
rested  my  body,  till  my  weight  drew  down  the 
balloon  on  that  side,  tending  to  suffocate  me. 
So  I  went  back  to  the  car,  which  floated  beneath 
ihe  surface  of  the  water,  and  with  two  pieces  of 
cn-V  ■  ••-  >-  '1  to  it  I  managed  to  keep  myself 
ui. 

"  So  passed  the  dreadful  hours  till  dawn. 
With  the  light  I  saw  some  fishing-boats  on  the 
horizon.  I  found  I  was  off  Cape  Misenum.  I 
tried  to  call,  but  was  so  weak  that  my  voice 
would  not  carry  to  the  boats,  though  they  were 
fast  drawing  nearer.  Fortunately,  one  of  the 
boatmen  saw  the  floating  balloon  and  steered 
towards  it  As  the  boat  came  closer  I  let  go  of 
the  car  and,  collecting  all  my  strength,  swam 
towards  my  rescuers.  They  at  length  caught 
sight  of  me,  and  rowing  hard,  soon  reached  me 
and  picked  me  up." 

The  fishermen  took  off  the  Count's  wet 
things  and  partially  clothed  him,  bruised  and 
cold  as   death   as  he  was.     His  watch,  which 


was  in  his  waistcoat  pocket,  had  stopped  at 
1 1. 20  p.m.  the  night  before.  He  had  been 
e/eve?i  hours  in  the  water.  Just  after  he  was 
rescued  a  steamer,  which  had  been  sent  out  in 
search  of  the  aeronauts  during  the  night,  came 
up,  and  the  medical  man  on  board  attended 
to  the  Count's  bruises  and  restored  him  with 
hot  tea.  The  fisher-boat  then  took  him 
on  shore  at  Cape  Misenum,  where  the 
lieutenant  on  guard  at  the  powder-magazine 
lent  him  some  clothes,  and  after  a  short 
rest  he  went  by  rail  to  Naples,  where  his 
friends  and  relations,  who  had  been  looking  for 
news  of  him  all  along  the  coast,  had  their 
anxiety  relieved  by  his  appearance.  The  relatives 
of  the  other  two  voyagers  were  utterly  over- 
whelmed with  grief  at  their  tragic  fate.  Two 
steamers  sent  out  found  no  trace  of  them  except 
the  jacket  which  Pellizzone  had  worn.  The 
balloon  was  taken  on  board  at  the  same  time  as 
the  Count,  and  was  subsequently  delivered  to 
its  owner,  who  had  resigned  its  guidance  to  poor 
Captain  Venni. 


A   Religious   Pair  in   Burma. 

By  M.  C.  Conway-Poole. 

Illustrated   with  photographs   taken    by  the   writer,   an   officer  of  the   Burma  Police,   who  writes  with 

knowledge  and  authority.     The  spectacle  is  not  only  extremely  pretty  and  picturesque,  but  it  is  here 

described  with   the  sympathy  of  one  who  thoroughly  understands  these  charming  people. 


liis 


right. 


HE  first  striking  object  which  meets 
the  eye  of  the  globe-trotter  approach- 
ing Rangoon  from  the  sea  is  the 
gilded  pile  of  the  Syriam  Pagoda, 
situated  some  five  miles  away  on 
He  will 


probably  be  told  that  the 
Shwe  Dagon  Pagoda  at  Rangoon,  which  will 
shortly  appear  round  the  bend  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  is  vastly  superior  to  it ;  but  his 
informants  know  little  of  the  Syriam  Pagoda 
beyond  the  fact  that  it  is  useful  as  a  beacon  to 
the  pilots  who  have  to  direct  vessels  through  the 
tortuous  channel  of  the  Rangoon  River.  And 
so  the  globe-trotter  will  forget  the  Syriam  Pagoda 
until  he  passes  it  again  on  his  return  to  Europe. 
To  the  ordinary  traveller,  and,  indeed,  to  the 
majority  of  Anglo-Burmans  (excepting  a  few 
officials),  Syriam  is  an  unknown  land. 

The  pagoda  is  four  miles  from  the  village 
itself.  Syriam  is  a  group  of  huts ;  it  was  once 
the  capital  of  a  kingdom,  as  its  half-buried 
boundary  walls  and  gateways  suggest  even  to 
the  most  casual  observer.  Besides  having  been 
the  head-quarters  of  a  Talaing  dynasty,  it  has 
also  been  occupied  by  the  Siamese ;  and  the 
ruins  of  a  cathedral  and  a  few  tombstones  mark 
where  the  Portuguese  had  their  settlement  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  Nor  is  it  inacces- 
sible, for  it  is  served  three  times  a  day  by  a  small 
steam  ferry  from  Rangoon.  But  it  is  at  the 
time  of  the  Burmese  New  Year,  when  the 
annual  Pagoda  Festival  is  held,  that  Syriam 
should  be  seen.  Not  only  will  the  visitor 
be  privileged  to  enjoy  the  prettiest  scenery  of 
Lower  Burma,  but  he  will  then  see  the  people 
decked  out  in  their  best  —  a  cosmopolitan 
throng,  among  whom  nearly  all  the  nations  of 
the  East  will  be  represented.  He  will  learn  more 
of  the  inner  life  of  the  people  from  a  day's  visit 

to  this  feast  than  he  would  

from  a  month's  stay  in  the 
hackneyed  tracts  of  Ran- 
goon or  Mandalay. 

Yesterday  the  gilded 
spire  of  the  pagoda  looked 
strangely  incongruous  amid 
its  rustic  surroundings  ;  to- 
day it  is  the  kernel  of  a  vast 
city  teeming  with  human 
life.  And  to-morrow  it 
will  be  isolated  among 
a   silent    thicket    of    bam-       From  a  Photo.\ 


boos.  The  jungle  round  the  pagoda  has  been 
cleared,  shops  and  booths  constructed,  and  tem- 
porary streets  marked  out.  Thirty  thousand 
visitors  have  arrived,  for  the  paddy  crop  has 
been  a  good  one.  Those  from  the  villages 
round  have  come  to  lay  in  stock  for  the  New- 
Year,  to  visit  the  theatres,  and  meet  their  friends. 
A  few  have  come  to  make  offerings  and  worship 
at  the  pagoda.  The  people  from  Rangoon  have 
come,  for  the  most  part,  to  sell  their  wares  to 
the  jungle  folk,  and  to  return  richer  both 
spiritually  and  materially.  Booths  have  been 
erected  for  the  pilgrims,  and  they  consist  of 
stakes  driven  into  the  ground,  with  a  roof 
composed  of  paddy  straw  held  between  cross- 
sticks.  It  is  in  these  that  the  worshippers  sleep 
who  do  not  desire  to  take  part  in  the  gaieties  of 
the  night,  and  they  are  as  cramped  for  room  as 
sardines  in  a  tin.  For  officials,  the  pagoda 
trustees,  and  families  of  note,  booths  of  a  more 
spacious  and  substantial  design  have  been  put 
up :  they  occupy  three  sides  of  a  square  as 
exclusive  as  any  in  Mayfair  or  Belgravia.  Here 
are  quartered  the  Burmese  magistrate  and  the 
special  police  force  on  duty  at  the  festival.  In 
the  centre  of  the  square  stand  the  triangles 
to  which  thieves  and  pickpockets  are  bound 
and  publicly  punished  with  stripes  if  detected 
practising  their  caUing  on  this  tempting  occasion. 
In  a  large  gathering  like  this  any  sign  of 
disorder  has  to  be  checked  and  justice  meted 
out  without  delay,  or  serious  consequences 
might    ensue.      Twenty -five    Indian    Military 


BUILDING    BOOTHS    FOR   THE    FAIR. 


\by  the  Author. 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Police  and  an  equal  number 
of  Detective  Hurnian  Police 
is  not  an  overwhelming  force 
when  one  takes  into  account 
that  among  the  30,000  who 
come  to  the  festival  there  are 
criminals  from  all  parts  ot 
Hurma.  and,  further,  that  a 
considerable  amount  of  pro- 
jKrtv  and  valuables  is  being 
kept  in  flimsily-constructd.! 
temp)orarv-  booths. 

The    Burmese  villager  can 
satisfy   all  his   wants    at  this 


BUYING   AN    OUTFIT   AT   THE    OUAINI'    SlloFS, 


[/'_)'  the  Author. 


THE  CIVIL  AND  MILITARY  POLICE,  WHU 
PRESERVED   LAW   AND   ORDER. 

From  a  Photo,  by  the  Author. 

Street  to  themselves  ;  and 
in  these,  for  a  few  pice, 
the  jungle-wallah  can  regale 
himself  on  chillies,  rice, 
and  fried  meat,  which  is 
sold  to  him  on  bamboo 
skewers,  precisely  as  cat's 
meat  is  purveyed  in  Eng- 
land. Or  he  can  treat  him- 
self to  a  dish  of  "  koukswe  " 
— a  Celestial  innovation, 
by  the  way — which  is  com- 
posed of  pork,  stewed  with 
onions,  vermicelli,  and  chil- 
lies. If  there  were  no 
chillies  in  it   the  Burman 


pagoda  feast.  There  is  a  street  of 
shops  which  are  occupied  by  silk- 
sellers  and  cloth-sellers,  with  all 
the  latest  fashions  from  Rangoon  : 
there  is  a  street  devoted  to  the 
sale  of  miscellaneous  goods,  such 
as  plates,  cooking  utensils,  jugs, 
lamps,  school  slates,  umbrellas, 
books  of  ballads,  baskets,  and 
lacquer  ware.  The  sellers  of 
slippers,  sandals,  and — luxury  o( 
luxuries  I — English  machine-made 
leather  shoes  do  a  roaring  trade. 
Then  there  are  the  shops  which 
sell  dc  the  little  ones — such 

dolls  ;  cw.a  iiiasks  too.  But  it  is 
the  young  bloods  or  "  kalathas " 
(who  look  upon  this  religious  feast 
as  we  would  upon  a  carnival)  that 
are  among  the  most  numerous 
purchasers  of  the  masks.  Eating- 
houses    naturally    have     a    whole 


v<;.aAK    -.MAKi.xC,    ILKCHA.^K^     ink      Ull. 

From  a  Photo,  by  the  A  uthor. 


A    RELIGIOUS    FAIR    IN    BURMA. 


173 


would  say  there  was  no  taste.  These  "restau- 
rants "  are  chiefly  kept  by  Chinamen,  who, 
it  is  whispered,  sell  opium  and  intoxicating 
liquors  on  the  quiet.  The  rustic  who  wishes 
to  try  a  new  sensation  can  even  indulge  in 
ice-creams  (which  are  mostly  ice),  sold  by 
itinerant  Mohammedans.  The  butchers'  shops 
and  slaughter-house  are  in  the  jungle  half  a 
mile  away ;  they  are  run  by  Chuliahs  from 
Madras  and  Mohammedans  from  Chittagong. 
If  beef  were  exposed  for  sale  within  the 
confines  of  the  festival  there  would  pro- 
bably be  serious  disturbances,  for  there  are 
many  Hindus  amongst  the  visitors. 

There  is  no  better  place 
than  this  for  studying  the 
trend  of  this  most  pic- 
turesque people.  Jack 
Burman  is  like  a  butter- 
fly :  he  flutters  resplen- 
dent in  the  sun,  and 
when  night  comes  droops 
and  dies.  Wherever 
there  is  money  to  be 
spent  or  wasted  you  will 
find  Jack  Burman  ;  wher- 
ever there  is  money  to 
be  made  you  will  find 
the  foreigner.  With  the 
exception  of  the  gold-leaf 
sellers  and  the  play  actors, 
the  majority  of  those  who 
are  profiting  by  this  fes- 
tival are  foreigners,  and 
they  are  being  paid  with 
money  borrowed  by  Jack 
Burman,  at  a  high  rate 
of  i.iterest,  from  the 
Chetties,  who  are  also 
foreigners. 

As  night  comes  on  the 
fun  increases.  There  is 
hardly  room  to  force 
one's  way  along  the 
dusty  streets,  from  which 
since  disappeared.     The  air 


vigorously 
cover)  of 
the    box 


HOLY   MAN 


WHO    MADE   A 

Froju  a  Photo. 


be  the  elephant,  prawn,  turtle,  tiger,  crab,  and 
rat.  You  stake  your  money  and  the  play  begins. 
Three  gigantic  wooden  dice,  upon  the  sides 
of  which  the  six  animals  are  painted,  are 
shaken  in  a  tin  box  (with  a  flat 
the  dimensions  of  a  footstool  ; 
is  then  placed  inverted  on  the 
ground,  while  those  who  have  not  yet  staked 
are  again  exhorted  to  do  so  before  it  is  too  late. 
The  canister  is  then  cautiously  raised.  "Two 
prawns  and  a  tiger  !  "  And  the  happy  backer 
of  the  crustacean  gets  back  his  stake  and  its 
value  twice  over,  while  the  man  who  has  put  his 
money  on   "  tiger  "  recovers  his  stake  doubled. 

The  money  which  has 
been  placed  upon  the 
other  animals,  however, 
is  swept  by  the  operator 
into  his  till,  which  is 
generally  a  lacquer  betel- 
nut  box.  It  is  not  until 
daybreak  that  the  rattle 
and  clatter  of  the  dice- 
boxes  will  terminate. 

Many  are  the  won- 
derful sights  which  the 
jungle-wallah  is  permitted 
to  see  for  a  copper  coin. 
Dwarfs,  giants,  a  big- 
headed  baby,  a  double- 
headed  goat  —  in  fact, 
most  of  the  monstrosities 
that  may  be  seen  at  an 
English  fair.  A  little 
Brahmin  who  is  all  body 
and  no  legs,  and  who 
keeps  repeating  "  ram  " 
to  the  accompaniment  of 
his  own  cymbals,  makes 
a  lot  of  money,  for  Jack 
Burman  is  broad-minded 
enough  to  appreciate  re- 


GOOD  THING  OUT   OK  THE  FAIR. 

by  the  Author. 


ligious  fervour,  even  on 


the  grass  has  long 
is  full  of  the  din 
of  rival  bands — Burmese  bands — in  which  the 
sound  of  many  drums  predominates.  To-night 
the  laws  are  relaxed,  and  petty  gambling  is 
"  winked  at "  by  the  authorities.  A  row  of 
hang-dog-looking  men  line  the  streets.  Some 
have  tables  on  which  the  thirty-six  animal  game 
is  being  played — a  species  of  roulette  in  which 
different  animals  take  the  place  of  numbers. 
The  less  ambitious  ones  preside  over  the  six 
animal  game.  The  operator  has  a  cloth  with  a 
rough  representation  of  six  animals  painted  on 
it,  and  this  is  spread  out  upon  the  ground  in 
front  of  him.     The  favourite  animals  appear  to 


the  part  of  people  whose 
religion  may  not  be  identical  with  his  own.  A 
fakir  from  Benares,  who  has  allowed  his  finger- 
nails to  grow  through  the  palms  of  his  hands, 
also  benefits  by  visiting  this  Buddhist  festival. 

A  Surati  from  Bombay  has  come  down  with 
a  phonograph,  and  for  one  anna  offers  to  repro- 
duce the  voice  of  the  great /r/wa  donna,  Ma 
Twaygalay.  Poor  fellow,  he  will  hardly  defray 
the  rent  of  his  booth.  Jack  Burman  from  the 
jungle  laughs  and  suggests  that  there  is  a  girl 
hidden  under  the  table ;  he  is  not  going  to 
waste  an  anna  on  a  swindle.  His  friend  is  of 
the  same  opinion,  and  both  cross  the  street  "  to 
make  their  fortunes "  at  a  low  table  behind 
which  a  mild-looking  old  Burman   squats  and 


1/4 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)    MAGAZINE. 


not  satisfy  the  L.C.C.,  nor 
would  the  reckless  petroleum 
flares  which  shed  their  light 
over  the  scene  be  pleasing 
to  a  member  of  the  Fire 
Brigade  Committee. 

Above  all  the  din  one  can 
now  hear  the  creaking  of 
bullock-carts  :  they  are  bring- 
ing those  who  are  visiting  the 
festival,  because  they  have 
heard  that  Maung  Kyaw 
Zan's  and  Sabe  Nyun's 
famous  dramatic  companies 
have  come  across  from  Ran- 
goon. There  are  some  hun- 
dreds of  these  carts  filled 
with  radiant  girls,  who  are 
smiling    through     the    dust 


•<    ■■  f     .if    THK  T  tMI-HKAKV    rUKA  IKES— NDTICK 
THE  "  BOOKING-OFKICE"  IN  THE  KOKEGROUND. 

From  a  Pluto,  by  the  A  uthor. 


invites  the  crowd  to  name  under 
which  of  three  lacquer  cups  he 
has  (apparently)  placed  a  small 
ball.     Our    jungle    friends    win 
once  or  twice ;    they  ultimately 
depart  with  empty  pockets.  Little 
do    they  know   that    the    mild- 
looking  old  gentleman  is  none 
other  than    Saya    Soh,   the  con- 
jurer, and  that  the  ball  is 
generally  in  the  palm  of 
his  hand  1     This  is  Jack 
Bunnan  all  over  :  speak 
the  plain  truth,  and  he  is 
sceptical  ;     lie     to     him 
adroitly,  and   no  one  is 
more  easily  gulled.    But 
Saya    Sob's    triumph    is 
transient ;  it  is  not  long 
before  a  police-officer  re- 
quests him  to  confine  his 
attention  to  the  perform- 
ance of  tricks  which  are 
openly      and     avowedly 
legerdemain. 

Nor  are  the  young  folk 
unprovided  for.  Primi- 
tive-looking roundabouts 
and  a  "great  wheel," 
i5fL  in  diameter,  are  well 
patronized  by  the  little 
ones.  The  stability  of 
these    structures    would 


ALDIl 
From  a  I'hoto.] 


IS   O.N'    THli    LE.'-T. 


IMPORTS'     ■, 

From  a  Photo.] 


i-   .  ..I,  .1 

I'AGODA   STEPS. 


.     Ill  S    TO    THE 

\/>y  the  Author 


I   I;E0KMANCE — THE    STAGE 

[l>y  the  Ariihor. 

and  discomfort  of  their 
journey  as  only  Burmese 
girls  can  smile.  Those 
that  are  better  off  have 
rigged  up  hoods  over  the 
carts,  but  the  hoods  do 
not  prevent  them  from 
peering  out  and  favouring 
us  with  arch  glances  as 
they  rattle  by. 

Two  theatres,  capa- 
cious halls  of  matting, 
fitted  with  stage  and 
scenery,  have  been  pre- 
pared for  the  reception 
of  the  actors.  You  pay 
at  the  entrance.  The 
audience  sit  on  the 
ground,  and  come  pro- 
vided with  their  own 
mats  :  all  smoke — even 
the  tiny  children.  For 
those  who   do   not    wish 


A    RELIGIOUS    FAIR    IN    BURMA. 


175 


I 


From  a  Photo.'] 


THE   VIEW    FROM    THE    PAGODA   STEPS. 


to  spend  so  much  there  are  two  alfresco  Ayokthay 
Fives,  or  marionette  performances,  open  free  to 
all,  the  expenses  being  defrayed  by  the  pagoda 
trustees. 

What  a  crowd  it  is,  to  be  sure !  Burmese, 
Shans,  Talaings,  Kachins,  Aracanese,  Karens, 
Chinese,  Pathans,  Sikhs,  Punjabis,  Hindus, 
Bengalis,  Madrasis,  Chittagonians,  Parsees, 
Choringhees,  and  Zerbaddis.*  These  are  some 
of  the  races  who  jostle  against  us  as  we  make 
our  way  towards  one  of  the  four  long  flights  of 
stone  steps  which  lead  up  to 
the  pagoda  platform. 

The  steps  are  lined  with 
lepers  and  cripples,  who  obtrude 
their  deformities  and  pester  us 
for  alms.  Their  lead  is  loyally 
followed  by  strings  of  Payagyuns 
and  Sandalas.  The  Payagyuns 
are  pagoda  slaves,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  serve  at  shrines  and 
pagodas.  Some  of  them — those 
from  Pagan,  in  Upper  Burma 
— are  of  Royal  descent ;  but  that 
is  "  another  story."  The  San- 
dahs,  whose  uniform  is  rags, 
gain  a  living  by  digging  graves 
and  preparing  corpses  for  burial. 
The  silver  coin  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  departed  Burmans  is 
their  perquisite  ;  they  are  veri- 
table ghouls.  They  are  com- 
pelled to  subsist    by    alms :    it 


a  Sandala  conceals  his  iden- 
tity and  sets  up  as  a  cultivator 
or  as  a  shop-keeper  they  say 
he  becomes  a  leper.  Al- 
though caste  prejudices  do 
not  exist  in  Burma  no 
religious  -  minded  Burman 
will  marry  a  pagoda  slave, 
much  less  a  Sandala. 

With  the  assistance  of  a 
sturdy  little  Burman  police- 
constable  in  khaki  uniform, 
blue  puttees,  regulation  boots, 
and  Ghurka  cap,  we  run  the 
gauntlet  of  these  vultures, 
and  reach  the  pagoda  plat- 
form with  the  minimum  of 
annoyance. 

Up  here  all  is  subdued 
and  quiet.  The  personal  and 
spiritual  wants  of  bond-fide 
worshippers  alone  are  pro- 
vided for ;  there  are  one  or 
two  stalls  of  light  refresh- 
ments, such  as  cakes,  lemonade,  oranges,  pickled 
tea,  cheroots,  and  the  indispensable  betel-nut. 
And  there  are  stalls  at  which  gold-leaf,  incense, 
and  candles  may  be  purchased. 

Near  the  entrance  to  one  of  the  small  shrines 
an  "anyein"  has  established  itself.  Now,  an 
anyein  is  a  miniature  orchestra,  which  discourses 
soft  music  while  a  child  sings.  If  a  rich  man 
is  unable  to  sleep  he  sends  for  one  of  these. 
The  orchestra  usually  consists  of  a  metallaphone 
(with  notes  of  bamboo  !),  a  harp,  a  small  drum. 


[by  the  Author. 


*  The  child  of  an   Indian  and  a  Burman  is 
called  a  Zerbaddi. 


From  a  Photo. 


THE  SCENE  ON  THE  PAGODA  PLATFORM. 


[By  the  Author. 


170 


THE    WlDi:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THE        ASVEIN, 
Frew  a  Phcito.\ 


'  OR   WEIRD    MINIATURE    ORCHESTRA   THAT   ESTAlil.ISHF.D    ITSELK 


NEAR   ONE   OE   THE   SMALL   SHRINES. 


and  a  flute.  The  players  are  always  men  or 
boys.  Women  never  play  musical  instruments. 
Mr.  Kipling  is  in  error  when  he  places  a  guitar 
in  the  hands  of  a  Burmese  girl  :  you  might  as 
well  e.xpect  ice  in  the  Irawaddy.  This  gentle 
music  in  no  way  disturbs  the  devotions  of 
the  worshippers,  most  of  whom  are  women  and 
aged  men. 

Watch  that  young  girl  carrying  her  sandals 
respectfully  in  her  hand  :  she  is  wearing  a  silk 
skirt  which  is  wrapped  closely  round  her.  It 
is  of  a  light  shade  of  green,  and  harmonizes 
delightfully  with  the  salmon-pink  of  her  loosely 
fitting  silk  jacket ;  the  moonbeams  and  the  light 
of  countless  candles  glisten  in 
friendly  rivalry  on  the  diamonds 
that  encircle  her  neck.  See, 
she  was  born  on  a  Friday  :  she 
has  taken  up  her  position  at 
the  side  of  the  pagoda  directly 
opposite  the  carved  wooden  post 
which  bears  the  word  "  Friday  "' 
in  gold  Burmese  characters. 
The  Burmans  say  that  people 
lx)m  on  a  Friday  are  over- 
talkative  ;  but  the  young  lady 
sitting  with  her  feet  reverently 
tucked  away  from  sight  is  very 
quiet  She  has  set  up  and 
lighted  her  little  packet  of  can- 
dles and  her  incense  sticks  \  a 
bright  yellow  patch  just  above 
her  marks  where  she  has  affixed 
her  oflTering  of  gold-leaf.  Her 
lips  are  moving ;  she  is  silently 
praying  —  this  Friday's  child. 
Her  mother,  who  has  been  wor- 


shipping at  the  other  side  of  the 
pagoda,  now  joins  her,  and  they 
walk  away  together.  They  hesitate 
as  they  pass  an  old  Burman  who 
is  squatting  behind  a  low  table. 
He  looks  kindly  at  them  over  his 
spectacles,  and  their  bashfulness 
vanishes.  Mother  and  daughter 
seat  themselves  opposite  him,  and 
the  girl  produces  from  the  inner 
pocket  of  her  jacket  a  piece  of 
mahogany-coloured  palm  leaf — a 
veritable  maze  of  symbols  and 
figures— and  hands  it  to  the  sooth- 
sayer, for  such  he  is.  This  is  her 
horoscope,  cast  at  the  time  of  her 
birth.  The  old  man  scans  it  care- 
fully, and  his  eyes  wander  from  the 
girl  to  her  mother.  VVe  will  not  be 
so  unchivalrous  as  to  go  and  listen 
to  what  he  is  so  earnestly  whisper- 
ing to  them.  In  striking  contrast 
to  this  is  the  garrulous  palmist  seated  a  few 
feet  away,  who  is  loudly  proclaiming  the  virtues, 
talents,  and  roseate  prospects  of  the  stupid 
rustic  whose  horny  hand  he  holds  in  his  own. 

Away  on  our  right  we  can  hear  the  subdued 
hum  of  distant  human  voices  intermingled  with 
muffled  boom  of  the  theatre  drums,  which  is  the 
now  and  anon  wafted  to  us  across  the  evening 
air.  Behind  us  are  groups  of  silent  worshippers, 
the  soft  patter  of  naked  feet,  and  the  faint,  melo- 
dious strains  of  the  anyein  ;  while  above  our 
heads  broad  bars  of  moonlight  push  through 
the  stiff,  fan-shaped  leaves  of  the  toddy  palms  as 
they  gently  bow  together  in  the  night  breeze. 


\by  the  Author. 


1  HE    lAL.MISTS   AM)    FOKTUNE-TELLEKS,  WHO    UKOVE    A    ROARING    TRADE. 

Front  a  Photo.  Ly  the  Author. 


Cloud  =  Bursts   in  Arizona, 

AND    HOW    THEV    AFFECT    THE    RAH.WAY. 

By  J.  J.  E.  LiNDBERG,  OF  BERKELEY,  CaL. 

Showing  how  meteorological  conditions  combine  to  afflict  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
sudden  deluges  lasting  but  a  few  minutes  doing  damage  almost  incredible  to  dwellers  in  more  tem- 
perate climes.      Mr.   Lindberg  is  an  authority,  but  the  photos,  speak  even  more  impressively  than  he. 


ETEOROLOGICAL  data  about 
Arizona,  U.S.A.,  were  very  scarce 
twenty  years  ago  when  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  built  its 
track  through  that  American  State. 
In  a  vague  way  everybody  knew  that  it  was  a  hot 
and  dry  region,  but  exactly  how  dry  or  how 
hot  it  was  difficult  to  ascertain.  We  all  knew 
the  story  about  the  soldier  who  had  lived  in 
Yuma,  died,  and  went  to  Hades,  and  after 
spending  his  first  night  there,  sent  for  his 
blankets  next  morning.  This  was  much  more 
definite  information  than  you  could  get  about 
the  rainfall,  for  instance.  The  Mexican 
and  Indian  aborigines  talked  about  a  rainy 
season,  but  if  you  asked  for  particulars 
about  how  many  days  it  rained,  and  how 
much  rain  fell  every  year,  they  would  very 
likely  say  it  never  rained.  The  prospectors,  all 
working  in  the  hills,  would  talk  about  cloud- 
bursts that  lasted  for  a  few  minutes,  adding 
that  they  never  occurred  on  the  plains.  In 
short,  the  information  on  these  topics  was  not 
of  a  highly  scientific  order,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence the  railroad  officers  and  all 
working  on  the  line  were  full  of 
curiosity  to  learn  what  the  rainy 
season  really  was  and  how  it  would 
affect  the  newly  finished  track. 

I  may  here  state  that  long 
stretches  of  open  desert  plains, 
nearly  level  to  the  eye,  were  tra- 
versed by  chains  of  hills  or  low 
mountains,  and  that  the  one  was 
as  barren'  as  the  other.  Lizards 
were  the  principal  inhabitants  ; 
cactus — in  beautiful  variety — the 
adornment ;  and  for  use,  there  was 
the  mesquite,  whose  beans  the 
Indians  gathered  yearly  for  food, 
and  whose  roots  were  laboriously 
dug  out  of  the  ground  for  fuel. 
The  balance  was  apparently  sand, 
except  in  a  few  corners  in  the 
canyons,  where  now  and  then  a 
cotton-wood  tree  could  be  found. 
The  heat  was  so  intense  that  the 
sand  burned  the  feet  of  the  la- 
bourers through  their  boots.  The 
glare   of  the    sun,    too,    and    the 

Vol.  vi.-23. 


reflection  of  sand  nearly  blinded  the  men  as  yet 
unused  to  this  climate,  most  of  them  coming 
from  California,  drawn  hither  by  the  building  of 
the  railroad.  The  daily  work  in  hand  all  along 
the  line  was  mostly  to  adjust  the  rails  and  take 
the  kinks  out  of  the  track  caused  by  the 
enormous  expansion  of  the  rails  owing  to  the 
fierce  sun. 

After  a  day's  hard  work  a  hand-car  with  its 
crew  of  surface  men  was  going  towards  its 
comfortable,  double-roofed  house  located  at 
a  siding,  a  short  distance  off,  just  where  the 
track  entered  a  row  of  hills.  All  were  thinking 
of  their  supper  and  rest  when  a  wonderful  sight 
just  left  them  mind  enough  to  ask  each  other, 
"  Where  did  ^/ia(  come  from  ?  "  They  had  just 
rounded  the  first  curve  beginning  the  ascent 
into  the  hill  region  when  they  suddenly  beheld 
a  vast  sheet  of  water  where  once  was  the  dry 
plain.  The  track,  too,  was  covered  with  dead 
sticks  and  twigs  and  remnants  of  cactus,  and, 
worst  of  all,  at  one  point  the  track  was  broken 
off  abruptly,  a  couple  of  rail-lengths  being 
turned  off  at  right  angles  to  the  original  line. 


A   COUPLE  OF    R.ML-I.ENGTHS   TWRNED  OFF    AT    RIGHT  ANiiLES  TO  THE  ORIGINAL    LINE. 

from  a  Photo. 


I7S 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


The  cmUuikment  on  which  the  track  was 
laid  here  was  not  high,  hiil  it  was  all  gone  ;  and 
at  the  break  lliere  was  a  depth  of  water  of 
about  jifl.  and  nearly  40ft.  wide.  Aiiparcntly 
some  mighty  collection  of  water  had  broken 
loose,  for  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  it  was  all 
water.  While  still  deliberating  about  what  to 
do  the  men  iliscovered  that  the  water  was 
falling  rapidly.  The  track  was  cleared  from  the 
dV^r/j.  T!>2  two  rail-lengths  were  swung  back 
and  temporarily  connected  ;  danger  signals  were 
put  up  to  stop  all  trains,  and  the  men  then 
carefully  propelled  their  hand-car  to  their  siding 
and  from  there  reported  by  wire  to  the  super- 
intendent that  the  tirst  wash  -  out  had  taken 
place  on  the  new  line  ;  adding  that  ;/^  rai'u  had 
fa/Un .'      Next   morning  a  prospector  came   in 


First  of  all  the  regular  track  labour  gangs  were 
doubled  in  size  and  extra  gangs  camped  in 
between  them  in  the  most  ditricult  districts— 
that  is,  in  the  foothills  and  canyons.  Then, 
again,  instead  of  large  trains  with  men,  trainload 
after  trainload  of  cross-ties  were  sent  in  and 
either  left  on  cars  at  sidings  or  unloaded  along 
the  track. 

The  reason  for  this  move  will  be  obvious  to 
the  reader  if  he  will  take  a  trip  with  me  over 
the  line  and  visit  some  of  the  wash-outs.  Leaving 
the  level  plain,  we  will  wend  our  way  over  many 
curves  in  among  the  hills ;  and  we  need  go  but 
a  short  distance  before  we  come  to  a  stop.  A 
waterway  in  the  track  was  provided  by  the 
foresight  of  the  engineer  of  construction,  but 
the  I  oft.  he  thought  ample  is  now  represented 


0HM 

^^ 

/  /■=;;;  a\ 


1  KKAKS    ul-    THE    ll.oorj  — "  NAIl.S    SI.UMj    I.IKIC    A    ROPE    ROUND    A    TREi;, 


{I'hoto. 


''    ••  -•■-  -  iiad  coffee  with  the  labourers 

before  they  went  to  work ;  and  he  casually  asked 
if  the  cloud-burst  had  shown  itself  to  them. 
It  had. 

It  was  late  in  the  season  when  the  first  wash- 
out occurred,  but  the  others  followed  so 
rapidly  in  so  many  different  places  at  the  same 
time,  and  in  such  large  numbers,  that  the 
railroad  company  was  puzzled  as  to  what  to 
do.  I  suspect  it  even  thought  that  it  had  struck 
the  wrong  country  to  go  through.  All  the 
hands  that  could  be  gathered  in  the  few  settle- 
ments on  the  line  were  engaged  and  large  gangs 
of  men  sent  from  California  to  repair  the  track, 
but  tho  trains  with  these  men  on  were  ofteri 
'  n  between  wash-outs,  so  that  it  was  a 

lively  time ;  but  order  issued  soon  out  of  chaos. 


by  a  break  in  the  track  of  a  clear  60ft.,  and  the 
spoiling  of  a  bank  of  5ft.  to  6ft.  in  height  for 
several  hundred  feet  on  both  sides. 

The  filling  for  this  bank,  so  laboriously 
scraped  up  by  man  and  beast — aye,  even  the 
very  ground  itself  whence  this  filling  was  taken 
— has  now  gone  floating  down  a  stream  that 
probably  only  lived  a  few  hours  of  a  wild, 
merry,  and  destructive  life.  The  curious  ways 
in  which  these  short-lived  currents  treat  the 
track  are  too  numerous  to  mention,  but  when 
you  see  rails  stuck  like  telegraph-poles  in  the 
ground  or  slung  like  a  rope  round  a  tree,  you 
either  think  you  are  the  victim  of  practical 
joking  or  that  your  eyes  want  seeing  to  !  The 
whole  truth  is  that  when  the  water  struck  the 
track    in    these   cases,    as   in    many    others,    it 


CLOUD-BURSTS    IN    ARIZONA. 


179 


bunched  the  cross-ties  up  on  the  rails,  hanging 
on  by  the  heads  of  the  spikes.  This  collecting 
of  many  ties  in  one  place  forms  a  strong  obstacle 
to  the  onrushing  water,  and  is  very  apt  to  break 
the  plates  of  some  rail-joint.  It  now  depends 
on  but  very  little  to  first  float  this  raft  of 
bunched-up  ties  with  one  or  more  rails  on  and 
afterwards  land  it  in  all  shapes  on  the  most 
unexpected  places. 

When  you  consider  that  three  inches  of  rain 
often  falls  in  one  of  the  cloud-bursts,  and  you 
remember  that  that  means  a  downpour  of  three 


We  had  better  walk  to  the  nearest  shelter,  for 
the  sun  is  getting  hot. 

Do  you  hear  that  ?  An  engine  whistling  ! 
Well,  it  cannot  come  to  us,  so  we  will  have  to 
walk  to  it.  Sure  enough,  a  work  train  at  the 
other  end  of  the  break.  Do  you  notice  how  it 
is  made  up  ?  A  car  of  ties  ahead  of  the  engine  ! 
Where  are  they  going  to  put  the  ties  ?  There  is 
no  embankment.  Not  even  a  shelf  on  the  side 
of  the  hill  wide  enough  for  the  track.  You  are 
right,  and  furthermore  no  horses  or  mules  ;  no 
scrapers  or  ploughs,  and  none  to  be  had  for 


From  a\ 


WHAT    LITTUK    «)1L   THKUE    WAS    IS   ALL   GONE — LITERALLY    MELTED    AWAY    LIKE   SUGAK. 


[Photo. 


hundred  tons  of  water  on  the  area  of  one  acre, 
then,  and  then  only,  do  you  wonder  no  more 
about  the  pranks  of  rails,  but  take  them  as 
matter  of  course. 

We  continue  on  our  quest  of  wash-outs,  and 
move  higher  up  among  the  hills,  and  begin  to 
find  a  higher  class  of  wash-outs,  so  to  speak,  as 
we  round  the  last  curve,  until  we  finally  get  into 
the  canyon  proper,  where  there  is  no  track  at 
all.  What  little  soil  there  ever  was  is  all  gone 
— literally  melted  away  like  sugar  when  the 
water  comes  in  contact  with  it.  And  the  track? 
Not  a  sign  of  it.  Some  telegraph-poles  on  the 
hill  indicate  that  it  was  once  in  that  neighbour- 
hood, as  the  wires  were  strung  alongside  of  it. 


hundreds  of  miles  in  number  enough  to  make  a 
showing  on  this  work. 

Now  see.  The  quickly-learned  experience 
has  shown  the  railroad  folks  that  you  must  do 
without  what  you  can't  have,  and  use  what  you 
do  have.  So  they  do  not  make  an  embankment 
of  earth,  but  of  ties.  See  how  neatly  and  snugly 
they  lie  up  against  the  side-hill,  and  how  well 
they  support  the  track,  where  yesterday  was  a 
neat  but  treacherous  earthen  bank.  We  will  go 
on  board  the  train  and  get  into  the  shade  of  the 
caboose  whilst  the  last  car  of  ties  is  being 
dumped  off. 

That  funny  box  on  wheels,  next  to  the 
caboose,  in  between  that  and  the  engine,  is  the 


I  So 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    .M.UiAZlxNE. 


.     .  X   i.Mj  wAMi-or  I  -  iHi;  -.wM,  HAS  v.ees    taken  awav  ai- mii.etiiiii;. 

waier-car  !      "  What ! "'  you   may  ask,  "  hauling         there  to  spend  the  night. 
water   round   on   a   road   where    there    is    so  Through  the  canyon  and 

much  water  that  it  washes  the  very  road  away  ?  "         of  the  range  of  hills  up  w 
Yes!  that  is  true, 
but  water   is 
nevertheless 
ver)'  scarce  —  it 
has  lo  be  hauled 
with    every    en- 
gine on  its  run. 
as   the  distanf'i- 
between    t 
stations    is    tou 
great ;   and,   be 
sides,    out    of 
these    cars    the 
water- barrels  of 
all     the    labour 
gans^s  are  filled. 
You  see,  to  ge' 
water   you   have 
to   bore   several 
hundred     feet 
deep,    and    in 
most   cases   th 
water  is   so  in 
preer*    '         • 
alk^ 


either  for  drink- 
i n g  or  engine 
purposes.  The 
water  that 
washed  the  track 
yesterday  is 
gone  —  has  dis- 
appeared  as 
quickly  as  it 
came.  The  sur- 
face you  see  is 
as  scorched  as 
ever,  with  the 
rare  exceptions 
of  some  patches 
here  and  there 
of  adobe  (clay) 
soil  on  which  it 
lingers  until 
evaporated  by 
the  glorious  sun. 
Do  not  let  us 
fret  over  spilled 
water.  We  will 
ride  on  this 
heaven-sent 
train  to  the 
populous  city  of 
Benson  (popu- 
lation   300), 

down  the  other  side 
hich  we  worked  so 


)e  used 


TEinoRARV   SUPPORTS   CO.NblSTING    OF    I'lLES   OF    ''  TIES  "    CARRYING   THE    TRACK    OVER   A    li.^D   WASH-oL'T. 

From  a  Photo. 


CLOUD-BURSTS    IN    ARIZONA. 


i8i 


laboriously  during  the  day  we  now  see  still  more 
wash  -  outs,  but  these  temporarily  repaired. 
Here  long  and  high  embankments  have  been 
washed  away,  and  the  repaired  track  in  all  its 
glory  is  revealed  to  us  as  we  curve  in  and  out 
among  the  desolate  hills.  How  these  long  and 
high  cribbings  would  squeak  and  groan  when 
trains  passed  over  them  ;  but  that  was  all  the 
trouble  they  gave ;  faithfully  they  kept  their 
place,  never  causing  an  accident  while  they 
lasted.  But  many  a  passenger  looked  and 
probably  was  frightened  when  he  noticed  the 
apparently    frail    and    insecure     support    over 


The  railroad  is  now  so  well  protected  that 
wash-outs  as  here  described  seldom  occur. 
In  hundreds  of  places  artesian  wells  have  been 
bored;  reservoirs  to  gather  and  distribute  water 
have  been  built,  and  regions  which  twenty  years 
ago  looked  too  desolate  to  live  in  are  now  bloom- 
ing and  producing  enough  to  make  the  residents 
enjoy  life. 

Nevertheless,  waste  stretches  are  to-day, 
as  then,  held  in  undisputed  sway  by  cactus, 
lizards,  and  sand,  and  the  stillness  of  the  desert 
is  only  broken  once  a  year — now  as  then — after 
the   ground    has    had    its    yearly    bath,    when 


]•  roll!  il\ 


1HE    KEI'AIKl.NG    T;;.\l;.    AKKIVES   O.N    THE    SCENE. 


{Photo. 


which  he  was  riding.  For  years  the  railroad 
company  spent  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  bridging,  bulkheading,  ditching,  and 
changing  the  track  before  they  felt  secure 
against  this  paltry  three  inches  of  water,  that 
comes  and  goes  so  quickly  that  you  would  not 
notice  it  unless  right  in  it  except  for  its  effect. 
Just  think  of  it  —  only  about  one-eighth  of 
London's  yearly  rainfall !  But  remember,  it 
falls  in  most  cases  within  an  hour  or  two. 


thousands  of  toads  come  from  their  hiding- 
places  and  sing  their  praise  and  thanksgiving 
songs  in  honour  of  this  wonderful  country. 
How  large  these  toads  are  I  dare  not  say.  Let 
it  suffice  that  I  have  had  to  carry  a  sun-dried 
hind-leg  of  one  with  me  for  a  long  while  in 
order  to  prove  that  I  had  not  exaggerated  my 
description,  and  that  even  when  I  produced 
said  hind-leg  both  it  and  I  were  looked  upon 
with  suspicion. 


how     the    Mecca    Pilgrimage    is    Conducted. 

\\\  A.   E.  Wort. 

It  is  a  fascinating  subject  with  which  the  writer  deals  —  the  great  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  ("El 
Hadj"i.  which  takes  place  every  year,  and  attracts  followers  of  the  Prophet  from  every  part  of  the 
East,  from  Malaya  to  Morocco.  The  author  lived  in  Jeddah  for  more  than  two  years,  and  is 
perfectly    acquainted    with    every   detail   of    the    pilgrim    traffic,    having    constantly   associated   with 

"Hadjis"  who  had  made  the  pilgrimage  a  dozen  times. 


I  is  indeed  extraordinary  how  devout 
very  Mohamnicdan  is  when  per- 
:  Tming  his  "Hadj,"'  or  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca  (which,  according  to  his 
religion,  must  be  undertaken  at 
lenst  once  during  his  lifetime) ;  and  more 
especially  so  when  that  Mohammedan  is  of  the 
poorer  class.  The  hardships  and  dangers  he 
has  to  encounter  during  his  travels  to  and  from 
the  Holy  City  should  guarantee  (as  he  thoroughly 
believes  it  does)  absolution  from  all  his  sins, 
and  on  his  death  a  triumphal  entry  into 
Paradise.  It  matters  little  to  the  Mohammedan 
how  far  from  Mecca  he  resides  :    his  sole  aim  in 


life  is  to  visit  the  Holy  City  of  his  religion 
at  any  risk,  and  if  he  dies  in  attempting  to 
reach  the  goal,  he  dies  very  happy,  with  the 
same  assurance  as  if  he  had  completed  his 
pilgrimage.  Instances  have  been  known  where 
it  has  taken  poor  pilgrims  many  years  to  reach 
Mecca,  having  made  their  journey  in  sniall 
stages  as  best  they  could ;  but,  once  the  desired 
journey  is  completed,  it  matters  very  little  to 
the  Hadji  (as  he  is  then  called)  whether  he  lives 
to  return  to  his  home  or  not. 

Pilgrims  are  constantly  arriving  at  Jeddah, 
the  Red  Sea  port  of  Mecca,  although  the 
ceremony  takes  place  once  a  year  only ;  and, 


"<'>  ^  r^ 


t^r*^ 


'S\^y^^^ 


f-^iCJ.- 


THt  M..VAE  OV  THE  HAhAi.   WITH  THE  bLACK-COVEKED  KAABA,  TOWARDS  WHICH  EVEliY  MOSLEM  TURKS  AT  THE  HOUR  OF  PRAYER. 

From  a  Photo. 


HOW    I'HE    MECCA    PILGRIMAGE    IS    CONDUCTED. 


,83 


should  they  happen  to  miss  the  great  event  by 
a  few  clays,  they  will  wait  on  for  another  year 
until  the  next  Hadj  takes  place. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  study  the  different 
classes  of  pilgrims  and  their  customs,  some 
being  of  a  very  savage  nature,  whilst  others  are 
just  as  harmless. 

Followers  of  Mohammed  arrive  from  India, 
Persia,  the  Malay  Settlements,  Arabia,  Turkey, 
Egypt,  Russia,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  Morocco,  and 
Algeria.  But  it  is  from  our  own  Empire  of 
India  that  the  most  poor  and,  at  the  same  time, 
most  harmless  pilgrims  come,  for  not  only  are 
they  quiet  individuals  as  a  rule,  but  they  go 
their  journey  unarmed,  whereas  the  North 
African  and  other  pilgrims  are  armed  to  the 
teeth. 

Whatever  may  be  their  difficulties  before 
arriving  at  Jeddah,  it  is  at  this  port  that  their 
real  troubles  begin.  They  are  charged  extor- 
tionate prices  by  the  boatmen  who  land  them 
from  the  steamers,  and  more  often  than  not 
robbed  of  any  valuables  they  may  possess. 
If  they  should  escape  the  wily  boatman  they 
have  still  to  contend  with  the  unscrupulous 
broker,  and  also  the  Bedouins  who  convey  the 
pilgrims  to  Mecca  with  their  camels  and 
donkeys. 

It  is  the  Indian  [)ilgrim  who  suffers  most,  for 
he  is  not  in  a  position  to  piotect  himself,  the 
Indian  (Government  not  allowing  him  to  carry 
arms  of  any  kind ;  and  although  they  are 
British  Indian  subjects  they  get  very  little  pro- 
tection after  once  landing  at  Jeddah.  In  lots 
of  instances  they  return  to  that  port  without 
food  or  money,  and  with  very  little  clothing. 
It  can  easily  be  imagined  what  state  the  pil- 
grim is  in  after  his  Hadj  is  completed,  for  during 
the  whole  time  he  is  on  the  journey  his  ablu- 
tions are  very  few  and  far  between,  and  his 
filthy  condition,  together  with  the  stagnant 
water  he  is  compelled  to  drink,  aids  the 
cholera,  plague,  small-pox,  and  other  diseases 
which  are  always  prevalent. 

Caravans,  consisting  of  500  to  2,000  camels, 
start  daily  from  Jeddah  for  Mecca,  until  a 
week  before  the  Hadj  commences,  the  start 
always  being  made  in  the  evening,  and  it  is 
during  the  night,  while  the  unsuspecting  pilgrim 
is  asleep,  that  he  is  attacked  by  the  Bedouin, 
robbed,  and  sometimes  murdered  for  the  sake 
of  his  property.  Readers  of  this  article  may 
wonder  why  a  railway  has  never  been  laid  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  travelling  ;  but  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  Arab  has  a  great  dislike 
to  steam,  or  anything  in  the  shape  of  machinery, 
and  it  was  as  a  protest  against  disinfecting 
machines  being  brought  into  the  country 
that  the  English,  Russian,  and  French   Consuls 


were  shot  in  May,  1895.  The  English  Vice- 
Consul  was  killed  and  the  others  seriously 
wounded.  This  acfof  violence  was  committed 
by  a  party  of  Bedouins,  who  undoubtedly  were 
acting  under  instructions  ;  but  it  was  the 
general  opinion  of  those  on  the  spot  that 
the  murderous  attack  was  really  intended  to  be 
made  on  the'  quarantine  doctors  and  sanitary 
officials,  who  at  the  time  were  endeavouring  to 
keep  down  disease  by  ordering  all  pilgrims' 
clothing  to  be  disinfected  after  their  return  from 
Mecca. 

On  arrival  of  the  caravans  at  Mecca  the 
pilgrims  anxiously  await  the  Hadj,  the  exact  date 
of  which  depends  on  the  moon  being  seen  by 
the  priests  from  a  certain  spot.  This  year  the 
ceremony  was  performed  in  the  early  part  of 
April  ;  but  as  it  occurs  twelve  days  earlier  every 
year,  it  will  be  the  end  of  March  in  1901  when 
the  next  Hadj  takes  place. 

The  first  illustration  shows  the  Mosque 
of  the  Haram  (The  Sacred),  together  with  the 
court  and  the  edifice  of  the  Kaaba,  at  Mecca, 
during  the  time  of  prayer.  It  is  towards  the 
Kaaba,  by  the  way,  that  every  Mohammedan  in 
the  world  turns  when  saying  his  prayers.  The 
Kaaba  is  a  square  structure  covered  with  a 
magnificent  black  fabric,  embroidered  with 
heavy  gold  bands.  It  incloses  the  Holy  Carpet, 
or  Mahmal,  as  it  is  called.  Each  year  a  new 
carpet  is  supplied  by  the  Khedive  of  Egypt 
or  the  Egyptian  Government,  and  a  guard  of 
soldiers  is  sent  with  it  to  Mecca.  After  the 
pilgrimage  is  over  the  old  carpet  is  cut  up  and 
distributed  among  the  more  fortunate  Hadjis  as 
tokens  of  their  pilgrimage.  Before  the  pilgrims 
leave  Jeddah  for  Mecca  they  have  their  heads 
shaved,  discard  their  ordinary  clothing  for  a 
single  white  shroud  (more  like  a  large  Turkish 
towel),  and  wear  sandals,  boots  and  shoes  being 
prohibited  by  the  religious  laws  of  Islam. 

Mecca  itself  is  a  fine  city,  fifty  miles  from 
Jeddah,  and  has  some  handsome  buildings, 
more  especially  those  of  the  Grand  Shereef,  the 
Vali,  and  resident  officials.  But  the  sanitation 
of  the  place  is  very  bad  indeed,  partly  owing  to 
the  scarcity  of  water.  Therefore,  when  the 
enormous  gathering  takes  place  yearly,  there  is 
little  wonder  at  the  high  death-rate  and  spread 
of  disease. 

The  first  day  of  the  Hadj  is  spent  by  the 
pilgrims  visiting  the  Mosque  and  the  Kaaba, 
nearly  the  whole  time  being  taken  up  in  prayers. 
They  then  visit  and  fervently  kiss  the  holy 
black  stone  (Hajar  el  Eswat),  which  is  part  of 
the  ceremony.  Then  they  return  to  the  Mosque 
to  partake  of  the  holy  water.  This  completes 
the  progVamme  for  the  first  day,  and  the  pil- 
grims  are   allowed    to    take    their    first    food. 


IS4 


rili:    WIDK     WORLD    .MAGAZINE. 


ONE    OF    T.fl     \  .\ 


It:    CROSS    MARKS    1  l(F 

From  a  Photo. 


SPdl     UHEFiE    I  HE    SACRll  ICES    ARE    OFFERED. 


Nearly  all  the  pilgrims  continue  their  prayers 
throughout  the  night.  Next  day  a  procession 
is  formed  and  a  movement  made  in  the 
direction  of  Moona.  At  Mount  Arafat  (en 
route  to  Moona)  a  halt  is  made,  and  on 
the  spot  marked  x  in  the  above  illustration 
every  Hadji  offers  up  a  sacrifice  by  the  killing 
of  either  a  sheep  or  goat.  It  is  generally  on 
this  day  that  cholera  breaks  out,  owing  to  the 


poor  pilgrims  eating  the  carcasses  which  have 
been  left  in  a  broiling  sun,  they  having  no  other 
food. 

In  the  photo,  below  we  have  another  view  of 
the  camp  at  Mount  Arafat,  showing  the  manner 
in  which  the  better-class  pilgrims  live  in  tents, 
while  the  poorer  ones  are  without  cover  of  any 
kind. 

From  Mount  Arafat  the  caravan  proceeds  to 


ANOTHER   VIEW   OF   THE   CAMP    AT    MOUNT   ARAFAT,    SHOWING   THE   TENTS    OF   THE   WEALTHIER    PILGRIMS. 

From  a  Photo. 


HOW    THE    MECCA    PILGRIMAGE    IS    CONDUCTED. 


i«5 


ON    THE    LEFT    IS   THE    "  DEVILS    DWELLING,'    AT   WHICH    EVERY    DEVOUT    I'lLGKIM    HUKLS    A    KEW   STONES. 

Froju  ft  Photo. 


Moona,  where  the  feast  of  Kourban-Bairam 
takes  place.  Our  next  illustration  shows  the 
\'alley  of  Moona  and  the  building  "  Shaitan  " 


to  keep  the  devil  {afrit)  from  appearing  in  the 
midst  of  such  a  sacred  gathering. 

So  far  as  the  pilgrimage  is  concerned   it   is 


i 


Mohammed's  tomb  at  Medina  (an  extremely  rare  photogkai'h). 

From  a  Photo. 


(or  Devil's  dwelling),  the  rough  stone  structure 
on  the  left  side  of  the  photograph.  It  is  an 
obligation  on  the  part  of  all  pilgrims  to  hurl  a 
few  stones  at  this  accursed  dwelling,   in   order 

Vol.  vi.— 24 


brought  to  a  close  at  Moona,  the  majority  of 
the  Hadjis  returning  to  Jeddah  in  order  to  take 
steamer,  to  their  respective  countries.  The 
wealthier  and  more  religious  Hadji,    however,  is 


iSo 


THK    WIDL     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


nol  contcnuti  unless  he  visits  t!ie  other  Holy 
Cily  ol'  Medina,  and  Molianmied's  Tomb,  as 
sliown  in  ihe  illuslralion. 

These  pili;rinis  return  ri\i  Venibo  in  the  Red 
Sea,  where  there  are  always  steamers  to  convey 
thcin  to  their  de,stinations.  Should  cholera  or 
pl.igue  have  broken  out  during  this  time  the 
international  quarantine  law   requires    all    the 


illustration  shows  the  arrival  of  the  Mahmal 
in  Cairo  after  its  journey  to  Mecca  and 
Medina. 

It  is  pleasing  to  note  that  of  late  years  the 
pilgrim  traftic  has  greatly  improved  ;  for  not 
only  has  the  Board  of  Trade  laid  down  a  law 
that  every  pilgrim  shall  have  a  comfortable 
space    on    board    British    steamers,    but    the 


IN-   CAIKO   AFTER    1  . 

Fro))t  a  Photo. 


KY   TO    MECCA    AND    MEDIN'A. 


pilgrims  bound  for  Egypt,  Turkey,  and  North 
Africa  to  perform  ten  to  twenty  days  in 
quarantine  at  Tor  before  allowing  them  to  land 
at  .Suez  or  even  enter  the  Suez  Canal. 

The  .Mahmal,  or  Holy  Carpet,  generally 
returns  to  Eg)-pt  with  the  last  pilgrim  steamer, 
and  the  latter  always  carries  with  her  the 
destitute  Egyptians,  whose  passage  is  paid  by 
the  Eg)-ptian  Government.     The  accoinpanying 


sanitary  officials  do  all  in  their  power  to  prevent 
what  at  one  time  was  a  disgrace  to  civilization. 

The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  will  undoubtedly 
remain  an  everlasting  institution  to  the  Moham- 
medan religion  ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  still 
greater  measures  will  eventually  be  taken  to 
prevent  the  spread  of  disease,  for  which  this 
famous  yearly  pilgrimage  is  unquestionably 
responsible. 


The   Hunt  of    the  Man  =  Monkey. 

By  Percy  Longhurst. 

Related  to  the  writer  by  an  actual  eye-witness,  Captain  Bywater,  late  commander  of  the  Inman 

liner  "  City  of  Brussels."     The  Rajah  of  Sarawak,  Sir  Charles  Brooke,  accompanied  the  party.     A 

specimen  of  this  rare  monster  was  found,  and  it  was  thought  he   might  be  taken  alive.     He  took 

refuge  in  a  tree,  however,  and  this  brought  about  a  strange  and  tragic  denouement. 


O  R  N  E  O  is  comparatively  little 
known.  Although  part  of  it  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Dutch,  and  part 
under  the  dominion  of  the  famous 
Rajah  of  Sarawak,  most  of  this  vast 
island  is  in  the  hands  of  native  rulers,  who 
possess  more  or  less  independent  control  of 
their  country. 

Rich  in  minerals,  and  gifted  by  Nature  with 
the  most  luxuriant  vegetation,  its  climate  is  far 
from  being  suitable  for  Europeans,  and  this  is 
probably  the  reason  why  so  little  is  known  of 
its  enormous  extent.  Wild  animals  of  all  kinds 
abound  in  the  extensive  forests ;  and  good 
sport  is  obtainable  with  the  buffaloes,  tigers, 
and  pachydermatous  animals  that  abound — not 
to  speak  of  the  many  varieties  of  deer.  All 
have  heard  of  the  terrible  orang-outangs  that 
are  found  in  this  and  the  neighbouring  islands  ; 
but  in  the  interior  and  the  more  remote  parts  of 
Borneo  there  exists  an  animal  which  has  been 
seen  by  but  few  Europeans.  To  the  natives — 
by  whom  it  is  looked  upon  with  terror — it  is 
known  as  the  "  Mai-as,"  or  "  man-monkey." 

This  extraordinary  animal  is  emphatically 
distinct  from  any  other  variety  of  the  ape  family, 
and  is  different  from  the  rest,  not  only  in  its 
habits  and  appearance,  but  is  also  gifted  with  a 
really  high  degree  of  intelligence — far  and  away 
above  that  of  the  chimpanzee.  Marvellous  are 
the  stories  told  by  the  natives  of  the  intelligence, 
strength,  and  cruelty  of  the  "  man-monkey  "  ;  and 
these  stories,  extraordinary  as  they  undoubtedly 
are,  can  no  more  be  dismissed  with  contemptuous 
disbelief  than  can  be  the  now-proved  stories 
respecting  the  African  gorilla. 

Unlike  other  members  of  the  ape  family,  the 
Mai-as  is  ungregarious  ;  a  number  of  families 
do  not  herd  together,  but  a  party  will  be  made 
up  of  perhaps  a  dozen  females  with  only  one 
male. 

As  far  as  brain  power  is  concerned  the 
Mai-as  is  far  and  away  in  advance  of  any  other 
animal,  wild  or  domesticated,  and  the  instances 
that  can  be  cited  to  prove  this  are  so  extra- 
ordinary that  they  cannot  be  considered  solely 
as  the  result  of  brute  instinct,  but  must  be 
elevated  to  the  higher  plane  of  reason.  The 
Mai-as  (amongst  the  natives  the  term  "  Mai-as" 
is  applied  solely  to  the  male)  builds  himself  a 
house  in  the  trees,  made  of  boughs,  interlaced 


and  thatched  with  grass  and  bamboos,  while  his 
females  sleep  in  the  branches  of  neighbouring 
trees.  His  ordinary  mode  of  progression  is  by 
means  of  the  hind  legs,  the  arms  being  seldom 
used  for  getting  over  the  ground. 

In  strength  and  bulk,  although  not  in  height, 
he  is  superior  to  the  terrible  black  gorilla  of 
Central  Africa,  while  in  appearance,  at  a  short 
distance,  he  looks  like  a  short  and  very  broad 
native,  being  a  brownish-black,  and  standing 
about  4)2 ft.  high.  In  the  face  he  is  far  less 
repulsive  than  his  neighbour  the  orang-outang 
or  the  chimpanzee. 

No  other  ape  possesses  the  marvellous 
muscular  development  of  the  Mai-as.  His 
strength  is  tremendous,  and  terrible  stories  are 
told  of  his  extreme  physical  power  and  his 
fondness  for  making  use  of  it.  With  a  single 
jerk  of  one  of  his  enormous  hands  he  has  been 
known  to  wrench,  clean  from  its  socket,  the 
arm  of  some  unfortunate  native  who  has  been 
unlucky  enough  to  get  within  his  reach. 

The  Mai-as  is  let  severely  alone  by  the 
natives ;  and  even  the  Malays,  probably  the 
bravest  race  of  men  in  the  world,  fight  shy  of 
attacking  this  terrible  man-monkey,  unless  in 
overwhelming  numbers  and  out  in  the  open 
country. 

It  is  from  this  creature,  without  any  doubt, 
that  the  derisive  name  of  the  "  Wild  Man  of 
Borneo "  is  derived.  Let  me  hasten  to  assure 
my  readers  that  all  that  has  been  stated  of  the 
existence  and  habits  of  the  Mai-as  is  perfectly 
true ;  the  above  facts,  and  the  following  story 
of  the  hunt  of  the  monster,  having  been  given 
me  by  an  eye-witness,  a  British  sea  captain, 
a  man  of  plain  words  and  unimpeachable 
veracity. 

Captain  Bywater  had  been  captain  of  one  of 
the  trans-Atlantic  liners  some  years  ago,  and, 
leaving  the  shipping  company,  had,  in  1884, 
been  engaged  to  take  command  of  a  small  steam 
yacht,  owned  by  an  English  gentleman,  who, 
with  a  number  of  friends,  intended  taking  a  cruise 
of  several  months  in  and  about  Malaysia.  One 
of  the  party  had  heard  of  the  Mai-as,  and  it  had 
been  arranged  to  try  and  secure  a  live  specimen 
for  presentation  to  the  London  Zoo. 

An  uneventful  cruise  of  some  weeks  brought 
the  yacht  to  Borneo,  and,  steaming  up  to 
Sarawak,   the    Englishmen    landed    and    waited 


iSS 


THE    WIDE 


WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


u|)on  llu*  Kajali,  Sir  Charles  Hronkc.  to  obtain 
his  permission  before  setting  out  on  the  Mai-as 
hunt.  Permission  to  hinit  was  readily  given  ; 
but  when  the  Rajah  heard  of  the  object  of  their 
projectetl  ex^K-dition  he  became  so  interested 
that  he  determined  to  accompany  them  himself, 
and  so,  with  fifty  stalwart  Malays  as  guards  and 
an  ei]ual  number  of  Dyaks  as  beaters,  the  party 
set  out  on  their  dangerous  journey. 

On  the  second  morning  after  the  start  a 
somewhat  exciting  incident  took  place.  The 
captain  of  the  yacht  was  in  advance,  when  the 
native  guide  immediately 
in  front  of  him  suddenly 
stopjx'd     and,      shouting. 


guide  ;  and  so  strong  was  the  blow,  and 
so  keen  the  edge  of  the  weapon,  that  it  shore 
clean  through  the  huge  reptile  and  the  head 
dropped  to  the  ground,  where  the  evil  jaws 
continued  opening  and  shutting  with  spasmodic 
malignity,  while  the  huge  body  writhed  and 
crashed  through  the  undergrowth. 

After  this  adventure  the  party  proceeded  with 
greater  caution,  and  as  they  neared  the  locality 
wherein  it  was  supposed  was  the  home  of 
the  Mai-as,  the  Dyaks  and  Malays  spread  them- 
selves out  in  advance  of  the  party  of  Englishmen, 


Beware  —  danger     in 


front,"  sprang  hurriedly 
backwards  unsheathing  as 
he  did  so  his  long,  keen, 
narrow-bladed  sword. 

"  Where  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  Englishman,  pressing 
forward,  and  as  he  blun- 
dered on  he  put  his  foot 
on  what  appeared  to  be  a 
dead  tree  lying  across  the 
track,  with  the  intention 
of  clambering  over  it. 

"  Take  care  I  take 
care!''  shouted  the  Malay, 
excitedly,  as  the  sailor, 
unable  to  see  anything 
which  would  warrant  such 
alarm,  was  actually  trying 
to  get  over  the  dead  tree. 

"  Take  care,"  yelled  the 
Malay  again,  and  grabbing 
the  Englishman  by  the 
shoulder  he  pulled  him 
backward.  Then,  in 
answer  to  the  indignant 
astonishment  in  the  sailor's 
face,  he  pointed  to  the  ob- 
struction across  the  path. 
"Big  snake,"  he  said, 
laconically,  and  glided 
away  among  the  under- 
growth. 

The  Eng"  '  :  gazed 
at  the  dir:..  ,.;uwnish- 
black  object  lying  in  front  of  him,  witii  an 
incredulous  face.  Suddenly  he  noticed  the 
thmg  moving,  and  then  a  long,  black  head 
appeared,  pomting  slowly  here  and  there  as 
the  monster,  aroused  from  his  sleep  by  the 
voices,  drowsily  endeavoured  to  ascertain  the 
cause  of  the  commotion.  Suddenly  a  flash 
of  lightning  seemed  to  descend  on  the 
reptile's  neck  :  it  was  the  sword  of  the  Malay 


THE    DVAKS   AND    MAI. 


AYS    SPREAD   THEMSELVES   OUT    IN    ADVANCE   OF    THE    PARTY 
OK    ENGLISHMEN." 

beating  the  forest,  and  all  the  while  keeping  a 
sharp  look-out  for  the  dreaded  man-monkey. 
All  moved  with  the  greatest  caution,  and  the 
keen,  anxious  faces  of  the  natives  showed  that 
they  considered  the  business  in  hand  to  be  no 
child's  play. 

Presently  a  loud  shout  from  one  of  the  Dyaks 
brought  the  party  up  all  standing,  and  with  their 
fingers  on  the   triggers  of  their  rilles  (for  there 


THE    HUNT    OF    THE    MAN -MONKEY. 


189 


was  no  telling  how  the  Mai-as  might  resent  their 
intrusion)  the  Englishmen  advanced  to  where 
the  native  had  perceived  the  hideous  an'imal 
standing  at  the  foot  of  a  tree. 

Slowly  the  Mai-as  began  to  climb  the  tree,  in 
the  lower  boughs  of  which  could  be  seen  his 


"the  englishmen  advanced  to  where  the  native  hao  perceived  the 

HIDEOUS   animal    STANDING   AT   THE    FOOT   OF   A   TREE." 


house,  constructed  of  thick  branches  cunningly 
interlaced.  Then  began  the  trouble  to  induce 
him  to  descend,  and  if  possible  to  drive  him  to 
the  open  country ;  for  in  the  dense  forest  there 
was  but  small  chance  of  surrounding  him  and 
taking  him  alive,  as  the  Englishmen  wished. 
Stones,  clods  of  earth,  and  sticks  were  hurled  at 
him,  and  then  he  leisurely  descended.  As  his 
assailants  hurriedly  retired  he  reached  the 
ground  and  disappeared  along  one  of  the 
forest  paths. 

For  hours  the  party  followed  at  a  respectful 
distance,  until  at  last  the  Mai-as  emerged  from 
the  forest  into  the  open  and  made  straight 
for  a  small  pond,  with  the  evident  intention  of 
quenching  his  thirst.  Silently  and  quickly  the 
hunters  spread  themselves  out  between  the 
pond  and  the  forest ;  and  when  the  Mai-as, 
having  drunk  his  fill,  turned  to  go  back  home 


he  saw  his  way  barred.     Then  turning  h^  made 
off  at  great  speed  across  the  open. 

Hard  at  his  heels  came  the  hunters,  until  the 
Mai-as  caught  sight  of  a  solitary  palm  tree  not 
a  mile  away.  Reaching  it  he  climbed  up,  in 
spite  of  the  slippery  trunk  and  the  absence  of 
branches.  About  30ft.  above  the  ground  the 
creature  stopped,  and,  holding  on  by  his  arms 
and  legs,  watched  his  pursuers,  who,  having 
treed  their  game,  were  now 
engaged  in  discussing  how  to 
secure  it.  It  was  suggested 
that  the  tree  be  cut  down 
and  the  Mai-as  secured  as  it 
fell,  but  no  tools  were  at 
hand,  and  no  one,  moreover, 
felt  at  all  inclined  to  risk  a 
hand-to-hand  encounter  with 
the  huge  animal. 

At  last  it  was  decided  that 
the    Mai-as    be    induced    (if 
possible)  to  descend  from  the 
tree,  and  then,  after  breaking 
its  leg  with  a  bullet  to  disable 
it,  to  attempt  to  stun  it  by  a 
blow  on  the  head,  and  while 
insensible    to    bind    it    with 
strong  ropes.     It  was  by  no 
means  a  satisfactory  plan,  but 
the  Englishmen  were  anxious 
to   secure  the   brute,    if  possible,   alive. 
And  no  other  method  of  doing  so  sug- 
gested itself. 

This   having   been    settled,    the   next 
move  was  to  get  the  Mai-as  down.    There 
was  nothing  to  throw  at  it ;  and,  accord- 
ing to   the   natives,  its    strength    was   so 
great  that  it  would  be  able  to  remain  in 
its   present    position   for  an   incalculable 
period.     At  length,  tempted  by  a  bribe  of 
^200,  a  young  Malay  offered  to  climb  the  tree, 
and    by    irritating    the    animal    induce    it    to 
descend. 

The  brave  fellow  fiist  fixed  on  his  hands  and 
feet  coverings  of  hide  with  strong  thorns 
fixed  therein  to  enable  him  to  get  a  hold  of  the 
slippery  bark,  which  offered  no  projections  or 
footholds  whatever;  and  taking  with  him  a  "shoot- 
mg-iron,"  he  resolutely  began  the  ascent.  This 
"  shooting-iron  "  is  really  a  blow-pipe,  somewhat 
similar  to  that  used  by  the  Indians  of  the  River 
Amazon,  but  having  a  sharp  spear-head  firmly 
fixed  at  one  end  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  passage  of  a  dart  through  the 
hollow  pipe. 

Breathlessly  the  onlookers  watched  the  young 
man  as,  foot  by  foot,  he  crept  up  the  tree,  until 
when  within  about  8ft.  of  the  Mai-as  (who 
so  far  had  showed  no  inclination  to  move)  he 


190 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


nust-d  his  weapon  and  prodded  the  animal  in 
the  leg  whereupon  the  luii;e  creature  retreated 
liitjher  up  the  tree.  The  Malay  crept  after  him, 
and  rejKaled  his  spear  thrust,  and  again  the 
Mai-as  retreated,  while  the  daring  hunter 
followed  him. 

Afraid  that  the  tree  would  not  l)ear  his  pon- 
derous   weight    if    he    went   any 
higher — it  was  already  beginning 
lo  sway  dangeiously — the  Mai-as 
stopjK'd     and,      leaning     down, 
slretehc'd    out    one    hand,    and 
with  a   lightning-like  movement 
grasjvd    the    iron    spear  -  head 
Then  heconniienced 
to    pull,    and    hand 
over  hand,  hanging 
on  solely  by  his  mus- 
cular legs,  he  com- 
menced to  haul  up 
the  wretched  Malay, 
who  was  powerless, 
the  blow-pipe  being 
attached  to  his  wrist 
by  a  strong  leather 
thong. 

Little  by  little  the 
powerful  brute  drew 
up  the  man  until, 
holding  the  blow- 
pipe with  one  hand, 
he  reached  down 
with  the  other  and 
WTeathed  his  huge 
hand  in  the  thick, 
luxuriant  hair  of  the 
miserable  native, 
who,  paralyzed  by 
fear,  could  do  no 
more  than  gaze  at 
the  savage  face  of 
his  captor  with 
terror-striclcen  eyes. 
Spell  -  bound  with 
horror,  the  Englishmen  below  then  saw  the 
Mai-as  with  a  single  twist  wrench  the  Malay 
from  the  tree  and  commence  to  swing  his 
victim  backwards  and  forwards  by  the  hair, 
chuckling  all  the  time  with  fiendish  satisfaction! 


WRENCHED  THE   MALAY    FROM    THIv   TREK,    AND   COMMENCED   TO    SWING 
HIS   VICTIM    liACKWAKDS   AND    FOKWAKDS    I'.Y   THE   HAIR." 


Too  fascinated  with  horror  to  use  their  rifles 
and  slay  the  monster  or  else  kill  the  man  and 
put  a  merciful  end  to  his  sufferings,  the  hunters 
watched  the  wild  man  swinging  the  Malay 
faster  and  faster  until,  with  an  unearthly  yell  of 
devilish  malignity,  he  hurled  him  down.  The 
wretched  man  turned  over  and  over  as  he  fell, 

and  came  to  the 
ground  with  a  heavy 
thud  that  sent  a 
sickening  thrill 
through  the  hearts 
of  the  watchers. 
They  rushed  to  the 
spot,  but  it  was  too 
late — the  man  was 
stone  dead. 

Furious  with  rage 
one  of  the  English- 
men raised  his  rifle 
and,  hastily  sighting, 
fired.  The  bullet 
struck  the  Mai-as 
fairly  in  the  ribs 
under  the  left  arm, 
and  with  a  cry  the 
brute  slid  to  the 
ground,  where  for 
one  brief  moment 
he  supported  himself 
against  the  tree,  with 
one  hand  on  the 
wound.  Then  with 
a  groan,  quite  human 
in  its  intensity,  he 
pitched  forward  on 
his  face,  dead. 

It  should  be  men- 
tioned that  the  party, 
after  the  unsuccess- 
ful hunt  related,  re- 
linquished the  idea 
of  securing  a  live 
.specimen,  and  the 
dead  body  of  the  monkey  having  been  skinned 
and  the  flesh  removed,  the  skeleton  was  brought 
back  to  England,  where  it  remains  in  the 
possession  of  the  owner  of  the  yacht  who  had 
organized  the  expedition. 


Life  in  Mendi=land. 


By   T.    E.    Leslie   Alldridge. 

As  the  late  Miss   Mary   Kingsley  clearly  indicated,  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  utter  savagery  rampant 

in  our  "old  possessions."     In  the  following  article  this  is  clearly  brought  out  and  described,  besides 

being  illustrated  by  photographs.     The  author  has  devoted  much  study  to  this  subject. 


HE  Colony  of  Sierra  Leone  is  the 
oldest  of  our  possessions  in  West 
Africa,  and,  although  acquired  by 
us  in  1787,  still  remains  practically 
unknown  to  the  majoricy  of  people 
in  this  country.  In  the  following  article  I  shall 
try  to  give  the  readers  of  The  Wide  World 
]\Iagazine  some  idea  of  the  country,  its  people, 
and  their  customs. 

Before  describing  the  photographs  in  detail, 
however,  it  may  be  as  well  to  state  to  which 
part  of  the  Colony  the  customs — which  will  be 
described  in  detail  farther  on — belong,  and  to 
give  some  general  idea  of  the  country  and  its 
inhabitants.  To  the  south-east  of  Sierra  Leone 
lies  a  district  which  has  been  given  the  general 
name  of  Mendi-land,  although  it  includes  several 
other  countries.  The  subjects  dealt  with  in 
this  article  belong  to  Mendi-land  and  the 
countries  immediately  inland. 

The  country  is  very  varied,  and  ranges  from 
undulating  plains  to  dense  forests,  swamps,  and 
morasses,  which  give  place,  as  one  goes  far- 
ther inland,  to  a 
somewhat  moun- 
tainous region. 
The  people  gene- 
rally are  of  a  cheer- 
ful and  kindly  dis- 
position, and  very 
ready  to  listen  and 
learn.  They  are, 
however,  extra- 
ordinarily super- 
stitious, and  every- 
body wears  some 
sort  of  fetish  or 
saraka,  which  they 
obtain  from  the 
Morimen.  These 
Morimen  are  itine- 
rating magicians, 
and  make  more 
money  than  any- 
one else  in  the 
country,  as  they 
do  nothing  without 
being  well  paid  for 


it.  They  are  the  sole  purveyors  of  the  written 
fetishes.  Some  of  the  wealthier  families,  who 
are  able  to  afford  this  luxury,  will  have  innumer- 
able strips  of  paper,  where  it  can  be  obtained, 
or  bits  of  cotton-tree  wood,  covered  with  magical 
hieroglyphics,  hanging  from  the  palm  rafters  of 
their  huts. 

The  customs  in  vogue  among  the  natives  are 
both  curious  and  interesting,  more  especially 
those  of  the  "  Poro,"  the  "  Bundu,"  and  the 
"  Bundu  devil."  Poro  is  a  system  of  native 
Freemasonry  amongst  men  and  boys,  and  the 
photographs  of  the  Poro  boys  and  Bundu 
girls  deal  with  these  customs  during  the  juvenile 
stages  of  probation.  The  boys  shown  in  the 
illustration  of  the  Poro  (first  photo.)  are  in  their 
dancing  costumes.  The  dress  is  very  peculiar. 
A  hoop  encircles  the  waist,  from  which  depends  a 
cascade  of  fibre  reaching  to  the  ankles  ;  a  netting 
of  country  cotton  is  over  the  body ;  a  curious 
head-dress  of  fantastic  device,  not  unlike  the 
front  of  a  mitre,  is  usually  worn  ;  bangles  of 
iron,  copper,  or   brass  are  on   their  wrists,   and 


From  a] 


THE    MtMJl    DA.\ClMJ-BOVS    i.N 


\SONIC       REGALIA. 


Vthoto. 


U)2 


Till':  wini-:   world   magazine. 


some  scbl)clis,  or  fetish  charms,  hang  from  their 
necks.  The  daiuiiig  is  performed  to  the  beat- 
ing of  the  sanyhoi,  or  tom-tom.  Dancing  and 
singing  lo  this  accom|Kiniment  are  the  principal 
anuisenienls  of  the  Mendis  after  dark,  and  very 
often  they  are  kept  up  during  the  entire  night. 
When  the  boys  have  com|ileted  their  training 
and  ceremonies  in  tlie  Poro  they  are  then 
eligible  to  attend  I'oro  meetings.  All  assemblies 
and  consultations  of  chiefs  upon  secret  country 
matters,  whether  of  war,  peace,  or  what-not, 
first  Like  place  in  a  Poro  bush.  Every  large 
town  where  there  is  an  important  chief  has 
its  jKilitical  I'oro  bush,  which  is  sacred  except 
to  the  Poro  people,  as  in  the  case  with  a 
lodge  of  I->eemasonr)-.  The  places  wherein 
the  children  are  kept  are  always  selected 
in  some  secluded  spot  in  tlie  big  bush, 
which  they  clear  sufficiently  of  timber  to  suit 
their  requirements.  After  this  wigwams — not 
huts— of  palm-leaves  and  wattles  are  erected 
quickly,  ever\  thing  being  of  the  most  primitive 
description.  These  retreats  are  always  spoken 
of  as  the  Poro  bush  and  the  Bundu  bush.  The 
approach  to  aPoro  bush  is  readily  distinguish- 
able from  the  Poro  emblem,  which  is  con- 
spicuously put  about  the  public  bush-paths. 
This  emblem  is  called  "  Kane,"  and  is  a  pretty 
little  mossy  fern,  which  is  entwined  round 
shrubs  and  the  trunks  of  trees.  Sometimes, 
where  an  elaborate  display  is  desired,  very  long 
ro|xrs  of  this  twisted  fern  are  suspended  from 
the  branches  of  tall  trees,  gracefully  forming  a 
series  of  delicate  festoons,  and  transposing  that 
part  of  the  forest  into  a 
miniature  fair)-land. 

No  indication  is  given 
as  to  the  girls'  where- 
abouts, concerning  which 
there  is  always  a  great 
deal  of  secrecy  and  mys- 
tery. Now  and  then, 
however,  there  reverbe- 
rates through  the  stillness 
cf  the  forest  a  weird 
sound,  which,  once  heard, 
can  never  be  forgotten.  It 
is  one  long-drawn,  low 
note,  which  presently  grows 
louder  and  then  gradually 
dies  away.  This  unvary- 
ing chant,  or  rather  wail, 
peculiar  to  the  Bundu 
girls,  alone  betrays  the 
neighbourhood  of  their 
encampment.  These 
young  Bundu  girls  are 
under  the  entire  control 
of  some    of    the    elderly 


women  of  the  town  to  which  the  Bundu  is 
affiliated,  and  the  country  laws  in  connection 
witli  the  Bundu  are  so  excessively  severe,  that 
for  any  man  to  attempt  to  penetrate  within  its 
sacred  precincts  would  probably  mean  death  to 
him  or,  at  all  events,  his  being  sold  into 
slavery. 

It  is  in  the  Bundu  that  the  girls  are  initiated 
into  certain  secret  country  customs  ajjpertaining 
to  their  se.\.  W'hilst  there  all  Bundu  giris 
wear  round  their  waists  several  ropes  of  bugle 
beads,  made  from  a  very  thin  cane,  and  upon 
their  high  coiffure  is  usually  a  cluster  of 
circular  seeds  resembling  a  bunch  of  large 
black  grapes,  both  the  beads  and  the  seeds 
having  a  fetish  signification,  and,  except  upon 
special  occasions,  this  may  be  said  to  form 
their  entire  costume.  Any  persons  having 
the  means  can  send  their  girls  to  this  Bundu 
or,  in  reality,  convent.  It  not  infrequently 
happens  that  a  child  of  nine  or  ten  years  of  age 
is  betrothed  before  entering  the  Bundu,  and  is 
kept  there  at  the  expense  of  her  j^afici'  until  she 
is  of  a  marriageable  age,  when,  amidst  great 
rejoicings  in  the  town  and  the  firing  of  guns,  the 
killing  of  cattle,  sheep,  or  goats,  the  girl  is  re- 
moved from  the  Bundu  and  presented  to  her 
husband,  her  body  having  previously  been 
greased  over  until  it  has  assumed  a  high  polish 
by  way  of  decoration.  She  is  adorned  with  as 
many  ornaments  of  silver,  of  the  most  hetero- 
geneous description,  as  can  be  borrowed  from 
the  friends  of  the  family  for  the  occasion — long 
silver  chains,  to   which  are   attached  big  silver 


mii    liEl.l.IiS    IJI-      1  HK    liLMJL     liAI.I.Ki. 


[TiltttO. 


LIF1-:    IN    MENDI-LAND. 


193 


pla(}ues,  containing  some  Mori  fetish  charm ; 
long  silver  armlets,  also,  as  well  as  silver  bangles, 
and  anything  and  everything  in  the  way  of 
country-made  silverwork,  all  very  massive  and 
rough,  but  all  of  silver.  As  may  be  supposed, 
the  contrast  of  so  much  brightened  silver  against 
the  polished  ebony  body  is  exceedingly  striking, 
and,  although  very  barbaric,  it  all  looks  remark- 
ably fine. 

The  betrothal  consists  of  an  arrangement 
with  the  child's  parents  for  the  barter  of  the 
girl,  which  is  fixed  by  custom  at  one  head  of 
money — nominally  ^3.  This  sum  is  paid  in 
palm  oil,  palm  kernels,  country  cloths,  country 
iron,  or  whatever  may 
be  the  currency  in 
the  locality.  In  the 
Bandi  country,  just 
beyond  Mendi,  an 
ordinary  slave, 
whether  man,  woman, 
or  child,  can  be 
bought  for  200  coun- 
try irons  —  value  in 
English  money, 
i6s.  8d.  Amongst 
many  other  accom- 
plishments which  the 
girls  are  taught  in  the 
Bundu  is  dancing, 
and  in  the  illustration 
on  the  preceding 
page  we  see  five 
young  Bundu  girls  as 
they  appeared  after 
going  through  a 
series  of  dances 
under  a  broiling  sun, 
the  thermometer  re- 
gistering i2odeg.  F. 
The  dancing  costume 
consists  of  a  netting 
of  country  cotton 
worn  over  the  body. 
Long,  bushy  bun- 
ches of  palm  -  leaf 
fibre  are  suspended 
from  thickly -plaited 
bangles  of  the  same  fibre  round  the  arms  and 
wrists,  and  various  charms  hang  from  the  neck. 
Short  knickerbockers  of  country  cloth  are  tied 
above  the  knees  by  palm-leaf  string,  to  which 
are  fastened  small  pieces  of  hollow,  native  iron, 
which  have  small  rings  loosely  hanging  from  them, 
and  these,  jingling  as  the  dance  goes  on,  give 
out  a  rich  and  not  unpleasant  sound.  The  chief 
feature,  however,  is  the  "dressing"  of  the 
girls'  faces,  which  means  that   they  are  covered 

with  strange  devices,  produced  by  the  smearing 
Vol.  vi.— 25. 


THE    BU.NDU  ''  DEVIl"  WHO  INQUIRES  INTO  THE   CONDUCT  OF  WICKED    .MEN. 

From  a  Photo. 


on  with  the  finger  of  a  substance  called 
wojch,  which  is  composed  of  white  clay  and 
animal  fat. 

The  girls  dance  to  the  music  of  the  segureh 
— a  small  gourd  with  a  longish  neck,  covered 
loosely  with  a  netting  of  hard  seeds  strung  upon 
thread.  The  instrument  is  shaken  by  the 
women.  The  girls  not  only  dance  together  in 
a  miniature  ballet,  but  execute  very  excellent 
pas  seals  in  the  most  creditable  and  elegant 
manner,  each  trying  to  outdo  the  other  in  ob- 
taining the  greatest  share  of  approbation,  which 
is  always  very  lavishly  bestowed.  Often  after  an 
unusually  well-performed  and   difiicult  dance — 

a  pas  seiil  generally 
— some  of  the  elderly 
women  present  rush 
excitedly  into  the 
arena,  embrace  the 
successful  dancer, 
and  at  once  com- 
mence to  besmear 
her  face,  neck,  and 
shoulders  with  a 
liberal  supply  of 
grease,  amidst  frantic 
yells  and  gesticula- 
tions of  delight  from 
the  admiring  onlook- 
ers, many  of  whom 
manage  to  find  some 
trifle  to  present  to 
the  dancers  after  the 
performance  is  over. 
At  the  conclusion 
the  girls  are  escorted 
back  to  their  place 
of  concealment,  the 
whole  entertainment 
being  conducted  in 
the  most  orderly  and 
decorous  manner,  to 
which  the  most  fas- 
tidious person  could 
take  no  exception. 

The  next  photo- 
graph shows  the  awe- 
inspiring  Bundu 
"devil."  The  Bundu  devil  is  a  "medicine" 
woman  who  is  believed  to  be  capable  of 
casting  spells,  for  good  or  for  evil,  over  the 
destinies  of  the  men.  Generally  speakmg,  the 
Bundu  devil  is  located  in  all  large  towns,  and 
makes  her  appearance  when  she  is  specially 
called  out  to  look  into  some  misbehaviour 
on  the  part  of  the  men,  or  upon  some 
gala  occasion  or  on  the  visit  of  strangers 
of  note  to  the  town.  She  naturally  inspires 
much  awe  among  the  people  and  commands  the 


194 


THE    WIPE    WORTH    MAGAZINE. 


-^f-^. 


t\ 


^KT 

i^ 

IL 

ir/ 

y*L' 

>4. 


>C:^ 


y-  rom  a  \ 


A    NAKARI 


VllA.    CO>l"lME. 


[/'Horo. 


greatest  respect  from  all  classes. 
is  strange,  but  all  Bundu  devils 
attired,  the  only  difference 
being  in  the  shape  of  the 
head-piece,  which  allows  of 
some  variation.  No  part 
of  the  flesh  may  be  visible, 
so  the  arms  and  legs  are 
encased  in  cloth,  the  ends 
of  which  are  sewn  up.  In 
each  covered  hand  the 
•'  devil "  carries  a  little 
bunch  of  twigs,  with  which 
she  goes  through  a  kind 
of  du-  '  '  ow,  as  she 
does  I  r  a  syllable. 

Her  dress  is  made  of 
long,  shaggy  fibre,  dyed 
black,  and  over  her  head 
she  wears  a  grotesque 
wo  ask.     Occasion - 

.'-■    indulges    in    a 

but,  owing  to  the 
great  heat  thus  caused,  a 
little  of  this  exercise  goes 
a  very  long  way,  and  she       j.,„„  ^ 


Her  costume         pec 
are   similarly         of 


retires  after  a  few  moments  to  some  quiet 
part  of  the  town,  when  her  attendant,  who 
is  always  present  with  a  large  country  mat, 
unrolls  it  and  encircles  the  "devil,"  who  is 
then  able  to  remove  her  mask  and  obtain 
a  little  air  away  from  the  vulgar  gaze  of 
the  madding  crowd.  One  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  these  Bundu  devil  masks  may 
be  seen  in  the  Ethnographical  Section  of 
the  British  Museum. 

We  next  have  a  photograph  of  a  Nafari 
"devil."  The  Nafari  devil  is  a  man  with  a 
grotesque  costume.  His  legs,  face,  and 
hands  are  covered  with  cloth,  together  with 
his  waist,  while  the  remainder  of  his  body 
is  covered  with  long  fibre. 

The  next  photograph  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  interesting  of  all.  It  represents  four 
Tasso  men.  Tasso  men  are  members  of 
a  secret  society  known  as  the  "Tasso." 
About  this  society  a  great  deal  of  mystery 
exists,  and  the  brotherhood  is  regarded  with 
a  veneration  amounting  to  awe  by  the 
people.  Tassos  are  found  only  in  the 
Imperri  -  land,  Sherbro,  in  the  Colony  of 
Sierra  Leone.  This  photo,  was  taken  at 
the  crowning  of  the  Sokong  of  the  district 
in  1895.  The  power  vested  in  these  Tasso 
men  is  immense,  and  gives  them  prece- 
dence next  to  the  Sokong,  and  even  entitles 
them  to  raise  objections,  if  they  see  fit,  to 
the  laws  proposed  by  that  chief. 

Tasso  is  purely  a  Sherbro  institution, 
uliar  to  Imperri.  They  are  practically  heads 
the    Poro,   or   order  of  native  Freemasons. 


KIKDLV-DKE.SSEU    MtMilEKS   OF    THE   TASSO   SOCIETY. 


[Photo. 


LIFE    IN    MENDI-LAND. 


"^95 


Each  big  chief  of  a  town  has  his  Tasso  man, 
and  on  very  important  occasions,  such  as  the  one 
mentioned  above,  he  attends  with  his  chief  In 
the  photograph  are  to  be  seen  four  Tasso  men 
who  attended  with  their  chiefs  in  this  way. 
These  latter  formed  part  of  the  bodyguard  of  the 
Sokong,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
ceremony. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  carefully  the 
costumes  worn  by  these  men,  and  more  particu- 
larly their  enormous  head-gear,  which  is  about 
3ft.  in  height.  It  is  a  great  weight,  and  is 
consequently  removed  whenever  the  men  are 
not  actively  engaged.  These  head-pieces  are 
erected  on  a  foundation  of  plaited  cane. 
Directly  above  the  part  that  fits  the  head  will 
be  observed  a  skull  and  thigh-bones.  These 
belonged  to  defunct  Tassos,  and  can  only 
be  renewed  from  other  departed  members  of 
the  brotherhood.  The  whole  is  surmounted  by 
a  gigantic  bouquet  of  feathers  gathered  from 
all  kinds  of  birds.  The  bouquet  or  plume 
of  feathers  is  quite  3ft.  in  diameter.  The 
dress  of  these  men  is  of  the  usual  barbaric 
description,  made  up  of  a  network  over  the 
body,  from  which  hang  various  skins  of  animals. 
Bunches  of  fibre  from  the  waist  form  a  short 
skirt,  while  attached  to  the  knees  are  several 
pieces  of  hollowed  native  iron,  from  which 
depend  rings  of  similar  metal  that  jingle  as  the 
men  move  about,  making  a  considerable  noise. 
The  Tassos  do  not  dance.  That  part  of  the 
ceremony  is  undertaken  by  the  "  Laga  "  and  his 
followers,  who  are  subordinate  to  the  Tassos. 
It  is  only  necessary  for  a  single  Laga  to  be 
present  in  attendance 
upon  several  Tassos.  The 
clothing  of  the  Laga  is 
very  scanty,  consisting 
merely  of  a  cloth  tied 
round  the  waist  and  hang- 
ing nearly  to  the  knees. 
On  his  head  is  a  peaked 
cap,  not  unlike  a  dunce's 
cap  in  shape,  and  in  one 
hand  he  carries  a  shield. 
The  whole  of  his  black 
body  is  bedaubed  with 
white  spots.  The  Laga 
has  about  fifty  boys  in 
attendance.  These  boys 
rush  madly  round  the 
town,  headed  by  the  Laga, 
to  notify  the  people  of 
what  is  about  to  take 
place,  and  to  call  them 
together  or  warn  them 
to  get  into  their  houses. 
If  a  Tasso  dies  in  a  town 


he  must  not  be  interred  there,  but  in  the 
bush,  as  the  law  is  that  no  woman  must  look 
upon  a  dead  Tasso.  Consequently  when  one 
dies  in  a  town  a  Poro,  or  law,  is  immediately 
placed  upon  that  town  compelling  the  women 
to  withdraw  from  it  until  the  burying  is  over. 
Poro  law  is  go  imperative  that  the  inhabit- 
ants of  a  town  can  be  sent  into  the  bush  in  a  few 
minutes,  but  it  occasionally  happens  that  natural 
curiosity  will  induce  a  woman  to  secrete  herself 
and  thereby,  in  disobedience  to  the  Poro 
law,  become  acquainted  with  some  of  the  ex- 
ternal mysteries  of  the  Poro.  The  supersti- 
tion in  such  cases  is  that  sickness  follows,  and 
during  her  illness  the  lady  confesses  what  she 
has  done  and  seen.  She  is  then  carried  into 
the  Poro  bush  and  initiated  into  the  Poro 
rites,  and  henceforth  all  such  women  are  re- 
garded in  the  same  light  as  Poro  men,  and 
are  practically  native  Freemasons. 

The  next  photograph  shows  a  slave-dealer 
with  his  slaves,  captured  in  the  Konno  country. 
His  stock-in-trade  consisted  of  a  man  and  a 
woman  tied  together  by  a  rope  round  their 
necks.  The  woman,  who  was  suckling  an 
infant,  was  in  no  way  related  to  the  man,  and 
both  of  them  had  been  purchased  like  cattle 
and  strung  together.  When  captured  by  the 
police  the  dealer  was  taking  his  purchases  to 
the  Susu  country  to  be  exchanged  for  cows. 
He  was  quite  hurt  at  the  idea  of  his  "  legitimate 
purchases"  being  taken  from  him,  and  volun- 
teered the  statement  that  he  had  paid  eight 
pieces  of  cloth  for  the  man,  the  same  quantity 
for  the  woman,  and   two  pieces  for  the  baby. 


/•roi/i  a] 


A    KONNO   SLAVE-DEALER    AND    HIS    STOCK-IN-I  KADE. 


[P/ioio. 


196 


THE    \\11)I-:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


.AN    SUSPENSION'    UUIUtiE    IN    MENDI-LAND. 


A  piece  of  cloth  was  probably  worth  three 
shillings.  The  active  state  of  the  slave  trade  is 
largely  due  to  the  Sofas.  For  instance,  in  1894 
they  made  a  raid  into  the  Konno  country,  burnt 
all  the  towns  and  villages,  and  either  killed  or 
captured  the  inhabitants.  Indeed,  the  slave 
trade  is  rife  all  over  the  country  from  one  end 
of  it  to  the  other,  but  there  is  something  more 
than  a  glimmer  of  hope  that  the  suppression  of 
it,  although  naturally  surrounded  with  seemingly 
insuperable  difficulties,  is  gradually  but  surely 
being  brought  within  a 
measurable  distance. 

Following  the  photo- 
graph of  the  slave-dealer 
with   :  ds  is  a  pic- 

I    a   native    bridge, 

-  -f  the  most  remark- 
able suspension  bridges 
in  the  world.  This  bridge, 
known  ■  a  Yenketti, 
spans  i;agweh    and 

Schli  rivers.  Its  construc- 
tion is  both  curious  and 
ingenious.  It  is  made 
entirely  of  coarsely  inter- 
woven rattan  canes,  some- 
thing in  the  form  of  the 
letter  V,  the  sides  being 
supported  by  extra  long 
canes  depending  from  the 
high  trees  upon  both  sides 
of  the  river,  the  elevation 
at  both  ends  being  some 
25ft.  above  the  water,  but 


dropping  in  the  centre  to 
about  12ft.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  remark  that 
the  oscillating  and  elastic 
properties  are  such  as  to 
entirely  absorb  one's  un- 
divided attention  while 
groping  an  exceedingly 
unsteady  and  fitful  pas- 
sage through  this  swing- 
ing and  dangerous  open- 
work structure. 

The  photograph  imme- 
diately after  the  Yenketti 
bridge  shows  two  balen- 
jeh  players  and  their  in- 
struments. The  balenjeh 
is  composed  of  pieces 
of  hardwood  of  varying 
lengths,  which  are  fastened 
on  to  a  bamboo  frame. 
Under  these  pieces  of 
wood  are  placed  gourds 
of  different  sizes.  It 
will  be  seen  in  the  picture  that  the  strips  of 
wood  are  fairly  small  at  one  end  and  become 
larger  as  the  other  end  is  approached,  so 
that  the  piece  at  the  extreme  end  is  quite  a 
small  log.  As  the  pieces  of  wood  increase  in 
size  so  the  gourds  become  bigger  and  bigger. 
This  enables  the  player  to  produce  a  sort  of 
scale  by  tapping  the  wooden  portion  with  his 
sticks.  The  sticks  are  small  pieces  of  cane 
about  I  ft.  long,  with  round  tops  made  of 
hardened  india-rubber.     Round  their  wrists  the 


{Photo. 


l-'roni  a] 


A    AIENDI    ORCHESTRA    \VH  H    THEIR    "WEAPONS. 


{Photo. 


LIFE    IN    MENDI-LAND. 


197 


l.\    A    NATIVE   VILLAGE^DRLMS    IX    THE    FOKKGROUNU    KOK   CALLING   THE    PEOPLE   TOGETHF.K, 

Frovi  a  Plioto. 


players  wear  small  ornaments  of  native  iron,  and 
the  jangling  of  these,  together  with  the  weird 
noise  produced  from  the 
balenjeh,  forms  a  not  un- 
pleasant sound. 

The  drums  in  the  next 
photograph,  although  instru- 
ments of  music,  are  more 
used  to  sound  an  alarm  or 
to  call  the  people  together. 
These  drums  are  only  beaten 
on  very  special  occasions, 
and  are  never  taken  out  of 
the  town.  The  body  of  the 
drum  is  made  of  wood, 
while  over  the  top  is 
stretched  the  skin  of  some 
animal.  In  the  photograph 
the  sticks  of  the  drum  to  the 
left  will  be  noticed  lying  on 
the  ground,  while  the  other 
two  are  stuck  between  the 
pegs  in  the  top  right-hand 
side.     The  huts  in  the  back- 


mens  of  native  habitations. 
They  are  of  the  description 
common  to  most  parts  of 
Africa,  with  mud  walls  and 
roof  of  palm-thatch,  and 
are  either  beehive  or 
parallelogram  in  form. 
The  last  photograph 
represents  two  native 
women  fishing.  The  one 
to  the  right  holds  the  net 
in  her  hand.  Close  exami- 
nation shows  the  net  to 
be  not  at  all  unlike  the 
shrimping  -  nets  of  this 
country.  In  fact,  the 
shape  is  almost  identical. 
To  the  left  is  a  native 
bridge  composed  of  tree- 
trunks  and  logs  of  wood. 
The  background  of  the 
picture  shows  the 
luxurious     vegetation,    so 

common    in    tropical    countries,   growing   down 

to  the  very  water's  edge. 


ground    are     typical    speci-       y.>w«rt] 


A    I'lCTUKESQUE    FISHING   SCENE — WO.MEN    AT    WORK    WITH    NETS. 


{Photo. 


The    Sugar   Cane    Industry  in    Natal. 


By  James  Cassidy. 

An    interesting    and    comparatively   new    industry    of    South    Africa,    pictured    by    photographs,    and 

every  process  described    by  the    author.      The    "  Garden    Colony,"    as    Natal    is    called,    has    attracted 

the    notice  of  all    the  world    lately   as   the    battleground  of    Boer    and    Briton;    and    this    article  will 

help   you    to   realize   how    rich    is   the    country   so  recently   overrun    by   the   enemy. 


\i; R\'  interesting  history  is  that  of 
-.he  fust  attempts  of  the  Natal 
I  "olonists  to  produce  sugar.  It  is 
^ca^cely  fifty  years  since  Mr.  Holden 
wrote  :  "  Sugar  is  now  beginning  to 
auract  attention  ;  it  is  thought  that  it  may  be 
grown  advantageously.  One  gentleman  has 
planted  several  acres  ....  Two  years  ago 
(1S4S)  I  purchased  a  few  plants,  which  were 
brought  to  this  place  from  the  Isle  of  Bourbon. 
I  planted  them  in  two  different  situations,  and 
one  failed,  whilst  the  other  brought  forth 
abundantly,  producing  canes  6ft.  long  and  6in. 
in  circumference,  which,  by  proper  care,  might 
even  have  been  much  larger." 

The  gentleman  who  had  planted  the  "  several 
acres  "  was  a  Mr.  Morewood,  and  it  was  he  who 
thus  inaugurated  the  first  Natal  Sugar  Estate,  on 
the  Compensation  Flats,  on  the  Umhlali,  about 
thirty-five  miles  north  of  Durban.  He  reaped 
his  first  crop  in  1851.  Very  rough  and  ready 
were  the  implements  used  in  the  early  manu- 
facture. An  old  mast  was  hewn  into  a  pair  of 
wooden  rollers  for  crushing  the  canes,  and  an 
ordinary  iron  Kaffir  cooking-pot,  of  about  three 
L  "  opacity,  was  utilized  for  boiling  the  juice, 

b.--  ;.._  day  of  small  things  has  passed  away,  and 
to-day  the  buildings  of  the  most  important  sugar- 
mill  in  Xatal  (Mount  Edgecombe)  covers  some 
20,000  square  feet ;  besides  which  there  are  out- 
buildings. The  machinery  is  worked  by  an 
80-h.p.  engine,  and  the  estate  of  about  12,000 
acres  (about  5,000  under  cane)  is  intersected  by 
nine  miles  of  tramways.  "  Mr.  Morewood  in 
workmanlike  fashion,"  says  Mr.  Don,  "began 
cultivating  his  land  with  the  plough.  In  after 
years  this  was  to  a  great  extent  discarded  by 
Natal  planters,  partly,  no  doubt,  because  newly 
cleared  good  bush-land  did  not  require  it,  and 
could  be  holed  and  planted  at  once  with  suc- 
ces=:.  Five-and-twenty  years  later,  when  lands 
<  V  estates  were  becoming  exhausted  and 

morr  ever  requiring    treatment   with    the 

ploUj,,.,  I., .J  less  experienced  planters  were  dis- 
posed, notwithstanding,  to  fall  in  easily  with  the 
ideas  of  Mauritian  brethren,  then  arriving  in  the 
Colony,  and  who,  unaccustomed  to  the  imple- 
ment, looked  askance  at  its  utility.  Now,  however, 
ploughing  is  recognised  by  all  as  an  essential 
operation  on  every  well  -  cultivated  property, 
except  when  virgin  bush  land  is  being  cropped. 


The  sugar  cane  is  found  growing  wild  in 
Manicaland  (in  Portuguese  territory),  and  was 
probably  cultivated  there  ages  ago.  The  cane 
shows  a  density  of  from  ydeg.  to  ladeg.  Beaume, 
and  yields  from  6  per  cent,  to  9  per  cent,  of 
sugar.  We  learn  from  our  mistakes,  and  so  buy 
our  experience.  The  early  planters  bouglit 
theirs  dearly.  They  imagined,  for  example,  that 
the  cane  would  only  grow  well  on  flats,  but  they 
found  that  the  soil  on  these  was  often  poor,  and 
tliat  the  canes  were  exposed  to  the  risk  of  fire, 
owing  to  periodical  grass  burnings  prevalent  in 
the  country.  Then  they  selected  alluvial  flats 
on  river-banks,  but  there  the  frost  blighted  their 
cane-fields  and  the  floods  wrecked  their  mills. 

It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  one  of  these 
rivers,  the  Ungeni,  rose  28ft.,  and  submerged 
the  cane-fields  of  a  pioneer  estate,  rushing 
through  the  factory  to  the  depth  of  9ft.,  and 
(among  other  havoc)  carrying  the  heavy  battery 
of  boiling  pans  right  out  of  the  masonry.  "  An 
amusing  incident,"  says  Mr.  Don,  "occurred  at 
the  height  of  the  flood,  when  a  large  elephant 
was  swept  past  the  mill,  trumpeting  furiously." 

We  are  in  this  article  enabled  to  reproduce  a 
set  of  photographs  which  give  a  very  graphic 
idea  of  the  sugar  cane  industry  in  Natal.  The 
first  one  shows  the  preparing  of  the  tops  for 
planting  cane.  Sugar  cane  is  planted  by  putting 
one  or  two  joints  of  the  top  of  the  stem  into 
the  ground.  Very  slow  is  the  cane  in  its 
growth,  and  there  are  special  conditions  neces- 
sary to  a  good  or  even  a  moderate  yield.  The 
prime  condition  is  facility  for  irrigation.  Two 
years  must  pass  before  the  cane  arrives  at 
maturity,  so  that  the  number  of  adventurers  in 
sugar  is  limited. 

The  Natal  cane  is  precisely  the  same  as  that 
grown  in  Madeira,  but  the  Madeira  farmers  are 
far  greater  adepts  at  sugar  cane  growing  than 
are  the  Natal  farmers.  They  (the  Natalites)  do 
not  understand  the  art  of  irrigation  as  do  the 
peasants  of  the  famous  little  isle.  It  is,  per- 
haps, not  so  well  known  as  it  deserves  to  be 
that  the  green  leaves  of  the  cane  constitute 
a  valuable  food  for  cattle  both  in  Natal  and 
Madeira.  The  cane  thrives  best  in  a  warm, 
moist  climate,  with  prevalent  sea  breezes  and 
moderate  intervals  of  hot,  dry  weather.  The 
"arrow,"  or  flowering  stem,  is  without  joints, 
and    bears    a    panicle    of    soft,    silky  flowers. 


THE  SUGAR  CANE  INDUSTRY  IN  NaTAL. 


199 


easily ;  we  will 
not  return,  we 
will  stay  here." 
The  few  who  did 
go  back  took  with 
them  grand  news 
of  the  land  in 
which  they  had 
been  working, 
and  ship-load 
after  ship-load  of 
Indians  was 
landed  upon  the 
shores  of  Natal, 
so  that  to  -  day 
one  of  the  big- 
gest problems  of 
the  Colony  is 
what  to  do  with 
the  coolies  and 
how  to  stop  the 
foreign    immigra- 


Frotn  a  Photo.  by\ 


THE  I'KEPAKING  OK  THE  TOI'S  FOR  I'LANTING  CANE. 


[/.  E.  Middlcbrook. 


The  soil  required  for  successful  cane  grow- 
ing is  a  fertile  marly  soil,  not  too  heavily 
charged  with  common  salt  or  other  saline 
ingredients.  The  presence  of  lime  is  of 
primary  importance.  Some  of  the  species  of 
cane  are  highly  ornamental.  There  are  two 
methods  in  vogue  for  propagating  the  cane— by 
suckers,  or  by  cuttings  of  the  stems  which  will 
throw  out  shoots  at  their  joints  from  eyes  or 
buds,  as  no  cultivated  cane  seems  to  ripen  its 
seed. 

In  our  picture  we  notice  that  the  workers  are 
Indian  women,  employed  upon  the  easiest  part 
of  the  sugar  industry.  These  people  are  quite 
black,  with  long  hair  and  European  features. 
Their  business  is  to  cut  off  the  tops  of  the 
cane,  with  two  or  three  of  the  upper  joints, 
and  to  strip  off  the  leaves  should  they 
not  have  been  previously  stripped  off.  The 
Indians  or  coolies  were  brought  into  Natal 
owing  to  the  difficulty  in  the  supply  of 
labour.  "  Why  should  we  toil  all  day  and 
every  day  for  the  white  man,  the  invader  of  our 
country?"  asked  the  Kaffir.  "We  will  work 
only  when  we  like  on  the  plantation  or  farm, 
and  as  necessity  may  require,"  asserted  the 
aborigines  in  and  around  the  Colony.  So  it 
came  about  that  contracts  were  entered  into  by 
the  sugar-planters  with  the  Indians  to  employ 
their  labour  for  a  certain  number  of  years. 
Then  arose  another  difficulty  :  the  time  came 
for  the  coolies  to  depart.  "  But  this  is  a  good 
land,"  said  they,  "  not  so  crowded  as  that  from 
which  we  have  come.  The  climate  is  better, 
the  soil   yields   well,  we  are  able  to  live  more 


tion. 

Our  second 
photograph  of  the  Natal  sugar  industry  gives  a 
capital  idea  of  the  planting  of  the  cane  by  male 
Indians. 

In  the  quite  early  days  of  the  industry  the 
canes  were  planted  in  holes  dug  by  the  hand. 
Now  the  hoe  is  very  freely  used  both  in  pre- 
paring the  land  and  in  tlie  actual  planting ;  but 
perhaps  the  most  usual  plan  at  the  present  time 
is  to  prepare  the  land  by  means  of  ploughs 
drawn  by  cattle,  as  the  price  of  labour  does  not 
admit  of  hand  hoeing.  Sometimes  the  canes  are 
planted  in  trenches  formed  by  a  plough  about 
eight  to  twelve  inches  deep,  the  earth  being 
banked  up  upon  the  margin  and  well  manured. 
The  distance  between  the  holes  or  trenches 
must  always  be  such  as  to  afford  free  access  of 
air  to  the  plants  and  convenient  space  for  the 
labourers  employed  in  tending  them  and  clear- 
ing the  giound  from  weeds.  In  the  matter 
of  actual  difference  between  holes  and  rows 
much  variation  is  noticeable  on  different  planta- 
tions. Look  at  the  man  shown  to  the  extreme 
right  of  the  second  photograph.  Observe  that 
he  holds  the  cane  longitudinally,  and  that  is 
precisely  how  it  is  planted — not,  as  many  imagine, 
like  a  stick  stuck  upright  in  the  ground.  Two 
or  more  slips  are  laid  longitudinally  at  the 
bottom  of  each  hole,  and  covered  with  earth  to 
the  depth  of  one  or  two  inches.  In  about  a 
fortnight  more  or  less  the  sprouts  appear  a  little 
above  the  earth,  and  then  a  little  more  earth  from 
the  bank  of  the  trench  is  put  into  the  hole,  and 
as  the  plants  continue  to  grow  the  earth  is 
occasionally  filled  in,  a  little  at  a  time,  until, 
after  four  or  five  months,  the  holes  are  eventually 


:oD 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


J-  r .  If.  .;  I  /:.' 


I'LANTING   THE   CANE, 


filled  up.  There  is  no  uniform  time  for  bringing 
the  cane  to  perfection.  It  is  an  affair  of 
circumstances  altering  cases.  There  is  scarcely 
a  system  as  to  the  time  of  planting,  many 
planters  performing  the  operation  at  the  most 
convenient,  rather  than  the  most  seasonable, 
time.  In  the  centre  of  the  photograph  a  thick- 
handled,  arrow-headed  hoe  is  to  be  seen  plainly, 
and  it  is  with 
this  implement 
that  the  coolies 
are  working  the 
holes.  "  The 
sugar  planta- 
tion," wrote  a 
competent 
obser\er,  when 
visiting  one  in 
Queensland  for 
the  first  time, 
"is  a  pretty  and 
homely  object 
scenery.  The 
mills,  with  their 
lofty  chimney- 
stacks,  are  gener- 
ally on  the  banks 
of  a  river,  whose 
dense  scrub  has 
been  cleared.  At 
a  distance  the 
'  T'jjjs  display  the 
lovely  tints  of  a 
young   cornfield, 


and  tlie  narrow 
paths  give  an  air 
of  occupation 
and  industry, 
which  at  once 
strikes  the  eye 
accustomed  to 
the  open  forest 
or  half  -  cleared 
farms.  The  plan- 
tation crops  are 
always  green,  and 
always  delightful 
to  look  upon." 

ITi  e  stems 
vary  in  height, 
when  the  cane  is 
matured,  be- 
tween 6ft.  and 
14ft.,  and  are 
divided  by  pro- 
minent annular 
joints  into  short 
lengths.  Long, 
narrow  leaves 
sprout  from  each  joint,  but  as  the  canes 
approach  maturity  all  those  of  the  lower  joints 
fall  off.  In  some  plantations  it  is  not  an 
unusual  custom  to  run  a  fire  through  the  cane 
ready  for  cutting,  to  clear  it  of  dry  leaves  and 
other  rubbish,  the  cane  being  none  the  worse  for 
the  ordeal,  although  it  naturally  loses  its  exterior 
colour    and    bloom.      The    young    leaves,    as 


{J.  E.  Middlebrook. 


--r 


ItHQrlfSi'^' 


i  IIK    l.OVKI.Y    TINTS    OK 

I'rom  a  Fhoto.  hy  J .  K.  Middlebrook. 


A   YOUNG    CORNFIELD. 


THE  SUGAR  CANE  INDUSTRY  IN  NATAL. 


20I 


J-ioia  a  Photo,  /y] 


CUTTING   THE    MATLRED   CANE. 


already  mentioned,  are  utilized  in  Natal.  The 
maturity  of  the  cane  is  indicated  by  the  skin 
becoming  dry,  smooth,  and  brittle  ;  by  the  cane 
becoming  heavy  ;  the  pith  grey,  approaching  to 
brown,  and  the  juice  sweet — and  glutinous. 

The  canes  which  grow  immediately  from  the 
planted  slips  are  called  "  plant  canes "  :  it  is 
usual  in  the  West  Indies  to  raise  several  crops 


in  successive 
years  from  the 
same  roots.  The 
canes  sprouting 
up  from  the  old 
roots  or  stoles  are 
known  as  "  rat- 
toons."  An  ex- 
pert upon  the 
sugar  industry 
has  recorded  his 
opinion  that  the 
rattoons  are  not 
so  vigorous  as  the 
original  plant 
canes,  but  they 
afford  better 
sugar,  and  that 
with  less  trouble 
in  clarifying  and 
concentrating  the 
juice.  Inquiring 
into  the  practices 
of  the  old  AVest 
Indian  Colonists 
we  find  that  they  were  accustomed  to  plant  one- 
thiid  of  the  cane  grounds  every  year,  so  as  to 
obtain  one  crop  from  plant-cones  and  two  from 
rattoons.  Some  planters,  it  is  asserted,  under 
favourable  circumstances,  raised  rattoon  crops 
for  more  than  twenty  years  successively  from  the 
same  stoles.  The  cutter  who  understands  his 
business  severs  the  cane  as  near  to  the  ground 


[/.  E.  Middlebrook. 


From  a  Photo,  hy^ 
Vol.  vi.— 26. 


THE  CARTING   OF   THE   CANE    TO   THE   TRAM-STATION. 


[/.  E.  Middlebrook. 


2oi 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


IHE   TRAM-STATION,    WHEKt:   THli   CANIi    IS    KKCElVliU — OiNE    Eb  I A  IE    HAS    NINE    MILES   OK    TKAMS. 

From  a  Photo,  by  J.  E.  Middlebrook. 


as  possible,  because  the  richest  juice  is  found 
in  the  lower  joints.  Sometimes  cutters,  after 
cutting  off  the  canes  level  with  the  ground, 
think  well  to  cut  the  stumps  down  a  few  inches 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  afterwards 
covering  them  up  with  mould.  One  or  two  of 
the  top  points  of  the  cane  are  cut  off  and  the 
remainder  is  divided  into  pieces  about  a  yard 
long,  tied  up  in  bundles  and  carried  to  the  mill, 
unless,  as  is  now  very  general,  it  is  destined  to 
conveyance  by  the  automatic  carrier.  No 
portion  of  the  sugar  cane  is  useless  :  the  leaves 
serve  as  food  for  cattle,  and  the  dried  leaves 
and  certain  sec- 
tions of  cane  as 
fuel  and  manure. 
The  photo- 
graph at  the 
bottom  of  the 
preceding  page 
aflfords  a  very 
:stration 
-J.  uju  -  arting  of 
the  cane  from  the 
field  to  the  tram- 
station.  This  is 
a  very  convenient 
arrangement, 
which  obviates  a 
large  amount  of 
unnecessary 
laljour.  And  the 
same  may  be  said 
for  the  system  of 
tramways  which 
now  obtains.  As 
already  stated, 
over  nine  miles 
of  tramways 
intersect     the 


famous  Mount  Edgecombe  Sugar  Estate.  The 
loading-up  of  the  trams  and  trucks  suggests,  at 
hrst  sight,  an  English   "  Harvest  Home." 

The  automatic  cane-carrier,  or  cradle,  is  an 
ingenious  arrangement,  incessantly  supplied  by 
the  coolies,  who  deposit  their  burden  in  its 
sloping  trough,  along  which  it  is  carried  by  an 
endless  revolving  band  up  to  those  who  feed 
the  rollers.  The  cane,  if  we  take  the  Mount 
Edgecombe  Mills  as  a  model,  is  crushed  by  two 
sets  of  rollers,  which  extract  from  75  per  cent, 
to  80  per  cent,  of  the  juice,  varying  from  gdeg. 
to   i2deg.   Beaume.     The  juice  passes  through 


.ENIOUS  AUTOMATIC    CANE-CARKIEK    1  ED    1,V 

From  a  Photo,  by  J.  E.  Middicbrook. 


IIIE   COOLIES. 


THE    SUGAR    CANE    INDUSTRY    IN    NATAL. 


203 


THE   COOLIES    AKE    LOADING   THE    FINISHED    PRODIXT   ON    TO   THE    RAIL    FOR    SHIPMENT. 

J-'roni  a  Photo,  by  J .  E.  Middlebiook. 


the  usual  evaporating  processes,  and  reaches  the 
vacuum  pans  at  a  density  of  about  2odeg.  The 
average  yield  of  an  acre  of  canes  is  from  one 
and  a  half  to  four  tons.  A  fair  average  price 
for  sugar-land  within  a  practicable  distance  of  a 
mill  would  be  ^10  i^er  acre  to  purchase  or  ^i 
per  annum  to  rent.  There  are  no  taxes,  and 
to  break  up  such  land  would  cost  from  ^3  to 
^\  per  acre.  The  most  lecent  edition  of  the 
Official  Handbook  of  South  Africa  states  that 
"  It  is  only  a  coast-belt,  ranging  from  perhaps 
six  to  twelve  miles  inland,  that  contains  the  soil 
and  that  is  otherwise  suitable  for  cane-urowing 
in  Natal.  Admittedly  a  large  portion  of  this  is 
not  suitable  :  but  besides  what  is  now  success- 
fully cultivated  there  are  various  large  tracts  of 
superior  land  to  be  found.  Indeed,  from  the 
Tugela  to  the  Umzimkulu  land  is,  or  could  be 
made,  available  to  grow  all  the  sugar  South 
Africa  is  likely  to  consume  for  many  years  to 
come.  Unfortunately,"  concludes  the  writer, 
"  some  of  the  best  for  the  purpose  has  been 
long  under  a  sort  of  Chancery  bondage,  as 
native  or  mission  reserves,  and  it  is  high 
time  steps  were  taken .  by  the  Government 
to  bring  about  the  utilization  of  such  lands 
for  the  increase  of  production  of  the  Colony. 
Among  other  promising  localities  mention  may 
be  made  of  the  Lower  Umzimkulu,  where,  in 
addition  to  excellent  fields  for  cultivation,  water- 
way facilities  would  be  invaluable." 

The  last  illustration  brings  us  to  the  manu- 
factured article,  put  up  in  Natal  bags,  made 
of  strong  grass,  and  holding  from  4olb.  to 
5olb.    each.      The     coolies    are     loading    the 


finished  product  on  to  the  rail  for  shipment. 
By -the -bye,  the  cost  of  the  Indian  coolie 
labourer,  all  included,  averages  about  one 
shilling  per  day.  Of  recent  years  a  good  few 
shipments  of  Natal  sugar  ha\  e  gone  to  Australia 
and  a  few  to  India. 

All  estates  having  factories  grow  cane  on 
their  own  account  with  one  or  two  exceptions, 
the  owners  of  which  have  leased  their  land 
with  the  view  of  making  their  factories  "  central" 
ones.  There  are  many  growers  of  cane — fifty 
to  sixty — who  get  their  sugar  manufactured  on 
satisfactory  terms  at  conveniently  situated  fac- 
tories. Some  of  these  planters  reap  canes 
yielding  from  five  to  six  hundred  tons  of  sugar 
yearly. 

Many  cane-growers  now  believe  the  true  and 
only  scientific  method  of  cane-juice  extraction 
to  be  by  the  diffusion  process — this  being 
simply  the  dissolving  out  of  juice  from  the  cane 
by  means  of  hot  water.  There  is  i2lb.  to  131b. 
of  sugar  in  loolb.  of  well-grown  canes  ;  of  this 
crushing  mills  express  only  51b.  to  81b.  of  sugar, 
according  to  the  condition  of  the  canes  and 
the  power  of  the  mills.  It  stands  to  reason 
that  if  the  canes  are  dry,  as  they  are  sometimes 
liable  to  be  in  Natal,  though  not  necessarily 
wanting  in  saccharine  matter,  the  extraction  of 
juice  by  rollers  is  minimized,  and  probably  half 
the  sugar  they  contain  is  left  in  the  megass. 
By  diffusion,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing,  or 
practically  nothing,  is  lost ;  and  the  drier  the 
season  and  the  canes  may  be  the  better  will  the 
juice  extraction  be  as  compared  with  the 
hitherto  existing  mode  of  extraction  by  pressure. 


Odds  and  Ends. 

Buried    in    Birds -Road-making    in    Hayti— Niagara    Rapids   by    Night— Moving   a  Railway  Station- 
Travel   Episodes  in   East   Africa,  etc..   etc. 

The  internal  means  of 
communication  in  Hayti 
are  simply  execrable. 
There  are  no  bridges  what- 
soever, and  the  so-called 
roads  are  little  better  than 
indifferent  bridle  -  paths. 
Between  Port  au  Prince 
and  Jacmel,  a  distance 
of  about  eighty  miles,  a 
track  is  kept  open  over 
which  the  mails  are  con- 
veyed on  pack  -  mules. 
Our  photo,  shows  a 
number  of  H  a  y  t  i  a  n 
soldiers  "  making-up  "  a 
road,  as  a  welcome 
change  from  constant 
revolutions.  They  are 
dumping  down  fagots  in 
a  swamp  through  which 
the  road  passes,  this  extra 
attention  being  rendered 
necessary  by  the  fact  that 
President  Simon  Sam  will 
shortly  pass  along  with  his 
suite  on  an  official  tour 
through  the  island.  And 
as  it  is  an  unwritten  law  that  all  Haytian  Presi- 
dents must  die  violent  deaths,  it  would  not  do 


uAMt-llOO 


Ht    H.\S    Kll.I.i-I) 
ANY   GOOD    LSK. 


HE    CAN    I'L'l      11  1 

[Photo. 


C  A  LI  I-O  R  NT  AX  "  game-hog  "  forms 


the  subject  of  this  photograph 
-ome  parts  of  California, 
especially  in  marshy  lands 
on  the  river, 
se  are  found  in 
The  man 


In 


:.-nng 


wild  duck  . 
extraordinary  numbers 
shown  in  the  picture  is  what  is 
known  in  California  as  a  "game- 
hog,"  that  is,  he  slaughters  all  the 
game  he  possibly  can,  without  caring 
what  use  he  can  make  of  the  dead 
birds,  or  w^hether  he  exterminates  the 
species  or*  not.  The  man  certainly 
seems  to  have  killed  far  more  birds 
than  he  can  jjut  to  any  good  use. 
The  people  who  shoot  birds  for  the 
market  are  called  "  market  hunters," 
and,  not  content  with  ordinary 
weapons,  rig  up  great  blunderbusses 
on  rests,  and  destroy  scores  of  birds 
al  a  single  shot.  The  methods 
employed  by  "  sportsmen  "  such  as 
these  are  tending  to  render  game 
scarce  even  in  so  new  and  thinly 
settled  a  State  as  California.  The 
Dhotograph  was  supplied  by  Mr. 
-Arthur  Inkersley,  of  .San  Francisco, 
California. 


-RUAD-.MAKING    I.N    HAY  I  i       "  I         irl.NG    DOWN    FAGOTS    IN    A    SWA.MP. 

From  a  Photo. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


205 


■WALKING    HAYSTAC.  ,  I     .  i_  1_-    -  Ij  ...,...•,  LOADED  WITH  HAY, 

From  a  Photo,  by  Marquis  Conrad  de  Castelthoiiiond,  Florence. 


for  President  Simon  Sam  to  perish  ingloriously 
of  suffocation  in  the  fathomless  mud  of  his  own 
roads. 

Now  about  the  "  walkiny  haystacks  "  seen  in 
the  next  photo.  Travellers  in  the  province  of 
Naples  are  often  greeted  by  strange  and  odd 
sights,  and  it  is  not  one  of  the  least  of  these  to 
see  a  liaystack  perambulating  along  a  road  with- 
out any  motive-power  visible,  even  if  the  spec- 
tator be  close  to  it,  and  particularly  if  he  be  in 
the  wake  of  the  phenomenon.  The  mystery  is 
only  explained  after  a  careful  scrutiny  under 
the  stack,  when  the  four  little  hoofs  of  a 
donkey,  away  underneath,  may  be  discovered  ; 
later,  the  head,  and  often  just  the  nose,  may  be 
seen  after  a  journey  round  the  hill  of  hay.  It 
is  a  marvel  how 
the  poor  animal 
keeps  his  balance 
at  any  time  with 
such  a  load,  but 
he  never  seems 
surprised  when 
the  wind  bowls 
over  the  stack  to 
w  h  i  c  h  he  is 
bound,  and  he 
then  finds  his 
weary  limbs 
pointing  to  the 
sky.  On  the  con- 
trary, on  such 
occasions  he 
seems  to  enjoy 
the  rest,  till  the 
load  is  rolled 
back  again  to 
proceed  on  its 
tottering  way. 

The  four  men 
prominent  in  the 
next  picture 
appear  to  be 
standing  quite  at 


ease,  whereas  the  fact  is  they  are  working 
in  one  of  the  most  dangerous  spots 
humanity  is  ever  called  upon  to  labour. 
The  life-raft  on  which  they  are  standing 
is  in  the  upper  rajjids  of  Niagara,  not 
more  than  600ft.  from  the  brink  of  the 
American  Fall.  The  current  at  the  place 
where  they  are  rushes  towards  the  Fall  at 
the  awful-  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  and 
one  false  step  or  movement  would  mean 
death.  Each  man  has  a  life-line  tied  about 
his  waist,  and  this  line  is  carefully  guarded 
by  men  on  the  bridge  to  the  right  in  the 
photograph.  The  men  are  sinking  a  pier 
for  a  temporary  bridge  over  the  rapids. 
The  bridge  to  the  right  is  to  be  rebuilt. 

One  of  the  thoroughly  new  and  novel  features 
visitors  have  found  at  Niagara  this  year  is  the 
illumination  of  the  famous  whirlpool  rapids  by 
means  of  powerful  electric  lights  placed  along 
the  shore,  and  by  a  search  -  light  of  great 
power  operated  from  a  specially-designed  car 
on  the  Niagara  (lurge  Railroad.  At  the  old 
Buttery  elevator,  a  point  where  the  water  tosses 
wildest,  forty  arc  lamps  have  been  placed, 
and  the  turning  of  a  switch  sends  their  beams 
across  the  waters  in  beautiful  style.  The 
search-light  travels  down  the  gorge  from  the 
city,  throwing  its  beams  here  and  there  in 
the  inky  darkness  ;  picking  out  this  spot  of 
beauty,  then  that ;  lighting  up  the  bridges,  the 


4,:> 


■'V^«»»N(iaa,.,->tf 


4. — THESE   MEN   ARE  AT   WORK   NEAR   THE    BRINK    OF    NIAGARA    KALLS— THE   CURRENT   R'VCES    AT 

From  a]  thirty  miles  an  hour.  [F/toto. 


2o6 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


5. — HERE   IS  AN   EXTRAORDINARY   PHOTOGIvArH    OF    THE   VVillRLrOOL   RAPIDS   OF   NIAGARA   TAKEN    BY  SEARCH-LIGHT. 


waves,  the  banks ;  and  as  the  eye  follows 
the  bright  beam  scenes  of  wondrous  beauty 
are  beheld,  even  familiar  points  appearing 
quite  new  and  weird  under  the  influence  of  the 
rays  of  the  electric  light.  Near  the  whirlpool 
the  search-light  car  stops.  WhsLt  is  known  as  a 
divergent  door  is  placed  before  the  bright  light, 
and  the  rays  fall  on  the  dancing,  racing  waters 
from  shore  to  shore.  These  were  the  condi- 
tions when  the  picture  presented  herewith  was 
taken. 

The  territories  of  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  are 
blessed,  or  cursed,  at 
frequent  intervals  during 
the  rainy  season  with 
cloud-bursts.  These 
cause  great  damage,  and 
often  there  is  great  loss 
of  life,  ruin  of  buildings, 
the  drowning  of  cattle, 
and  so  on.  At  these 
times  the  streets  of 
various  New  Mexican 
towns  are  submerged  ; 
houses  are  washed  away 
by  the  floods,  and  there 
are     general     scenes     of       /.yo,!^" 


devastation  and  ruin.  Here  is  a  photo,  of  what 
is  often  seen,  owing  to  these  dangerous  cloud- 
bursts— the  moving  of  a  railway  station.  In 
this  particular  case  the  station  -  house  in  its 
entirety  was  placed  on  trucks,  an  engine  hitched 
before  it,  with  an  accompanying  derrick,  and 
then  the  entire  building  was  wheeled  for  a  mile 
to  where  higher  ground  would  provide  a  safer 
and  less  easily  submerged  location. 

The  ingenious  life-saving  apparatus  of  which 


I-.     M  \V    .MEXICO     11   1'.^,     IIAUI.EI)    A    MII.E    AWAY    TO   AVUID   THE 
EFFECTS   OF    A    CLOUD-liUUST.  {FllOtO. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


207 


From  a  Photo,  by  P.   Bro^vn. 

we  give  a  photograph  is  the  invention  of  Signor 
A.  Beha-Castagnola,  of  Lugano,  and  is  now  on 
show  at  the  Paris  Exhibition.  As  will  be  seen, 
it  somewhat  resembles  a  tennis  racket,  made 
with  two  broad  ends  instead  of  one.  It  is 
constructed  of  solid  cork,  strengthened  with 
wood,  and  covered  with  sailcloth.  The  "  Sal- 
vator  Beha,"  as  it  is  called,  is  serviceable  for 
quite  a  variety  of 
purposes.  It  can 
be  thrown  over- 
board tc  a  drown- 
ing person,  or 
may  be  used  to 
assist  soldiers  in 
crossing  an  un- 
fordable  river.  It 
forms  a  useful 
support  for  per- 
sons learning  to 
swim,  whilst  a 
number  of  these 
lifebuoys  fas- 
tened together 
would  serve  as  a 
raft  in  case  of 
shipwreck.  Even 
a  single  buoy  will 
support  the 
weight  of  two 
persons  in  the 
water.  The  appa- 


ratus weighs  only  4i<lb.  to  gib.,  according 
to  size. 

In  Arlon,  the  chief  town  of  the  Belgian 
province  of  Luxemburg,  a  curious  old  custom 
is  observed  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent. 
All  the  newly- married  couples  of  the  pre- 
ceding  year  are  then  called  upon  to  give 
thanks  in  various  practical  ways  for  the 
happiness  which  has,  or  is  supposed  to 
have,  fallen  to  their  lot.  The  brides  are, 
naturally,  very  busy  on  the  days  preceding 
this  particular  Sunday,  baking  innumerable 
cakes  and  buying  oranges  and  various  sweet- 
meats. All  the  wedding  guests  who  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  a  tiny  fragment  of  the 
ribbon-garter  stolen  from  the  bride  on  the 
wedding  day  must  now  receive  from  the 
bride  herself  newly-baked  cakes  called  bretzel 
or  fastenboJmen.  The  potency  of  the  silken 
fragment,  even  if  it  consists  of  only  a  single 
thread,  is  considered  indisputable  in  bringing 
about  the  tying  of  the  nuptial  knot  to  all 
unmarried  owners.  But  above  all  things  the 
town  children  are  not  left  out  of  the  general 
rejoicings.  In  fact,  it  is  their  special  day, 
and  they  make  the  most  of  it,  you  may  be 
sure.  Early  in  the  day  they  assemble  in  one 
of  the  stjuares  of  the  old  town,  and  then,  headed 
l)y  two  policemen — who  thus  give  the  ceremony 
quite  an  official  appearance — they  form  a  joyous 
procession  which  wends  its  way  through  the 
streets  of  the  town.  When  the  children  reach 
the  home  of  a  newly-married  couple  a  halt 
is  called  and  they  sing  an  old  folk  -  song. 
As  seen  in   tl  e  photograph  the  happy  couples 


...KEN    LEVYING  TOLL   ON   A  I   il!   !■    -      -     '■  li    AT   ARLOX,    IN    LUXE.MBURG. 

From  a  Photo.  i>y  Ihcodorc  Kuliu,  Arlon. 


:oS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


lliN  S  SHOULDERS. 


l->oin  a  i'hoto. 


appear  at  the  window  and  tlirow  down  cakes, 
sweets,  and  oranges  in  abundance  to  the 
children,  who  scramble  for  them.  At  the  right 
and  left  are  the  policemen,  and  in  the  fore- 
ground one  of  the  picturesque  little  milk-carts 
drawn  by  a  dog,  who  will  no  doubt  also  get 
his  share  of  the  good  things.  After  singing  and 
waving  their  thanks  to  bride  and  bridegroom 
the  merry  procession  forms  up  again  and  passes 
on  to  the  next  couple,  and  so  on  till  all  the 
newly  married  have  been  visited,  'i'he  children 
return  home  positively  laden  with  good  things, 
and  already  looking  forward  to  the  next  year. 

One  of  the  chief  trials  to  the  nerves  during 
a  journey  in  East  Africa  consists  in  fording  the 
many  rivers  which  cross  your  path.  For  one 
thing,  you  never  know  their  approximate  depth. 
One  day  the  bed  may  be  quite  dry,  and  then,  with 
not  more  than  two  minutes' 
warning,  a  rushing,  mighty 
torrent  comes  roaring  down 
upon  you.  I  know  no 
stranger  or  more  surprising 
sight  than  such  a  visitation. 
The  state  of  these  rivers 
depends  entirely  upon  the 
amount  of  rain  which  has 
fallen  in  the  mountains 
perhaps  fifty  miles  off. 
There  may  not  have  been 
cloud  for  weeks 

1  where  you  are, 

but  the  floods  come  down 
upon  you  just  the  same.  I 
have  crossed  these  rivers  in 
a  variety  of  ways,  and  do 
not  know  which  is  the  most 
disagreeable.  Generally  I 
went  over  on  mule-back, 
and  the  mule  disliked  the 
job  almost  as  much  as  I  did.       '/.,;,'„7«'] 


Tlie  bed  being  thickly  strewn  with 
loose  round  boulders,  which  he  could 
not  see  under  water,  his  foothold  was 
necessarily  insecure,  and-  he  would  go 
slip[)ing  or  skating  along  with  a  con- 
stant menace  of  toppling  on  his  nose. 
I  was  nearly  always  wet  through  by 
the  time  I  reached  the  opposite  bank, 
but  very  thankful  to  find  myself  safe 
after  all  the  lurching  and  stumbling 
and  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the 
beast.  Another  mode  of  transit  was 
to  be  carried  over  on  men's  shoulders. 
In  our  photograph  Mr.  J.  j.  Harrison, 
the  well-known  explorer,  is  being  taken 
across  in  this  wav.  He  is  in  charge  of 
three  Somalis,  and  seems  as  comfort- 
able as  though  he  were  in  an  arm- 
His  difficulties,  however,  have  iiot  yet 
Presently  one  of  the  men  will  step 
into  a  pool  or  cpiag,  and  there  will  be  a  frantic 
scramble  and  struggle.  I  once  nearly  had  a  bad 
ducking  in  this  way,  my  shikari  having  sunk 
knee-deep  in  mud  just  as  we  were  reaching  the 
bank  ;  but  he  managed  to  projiel  me  forward, 
and  I  just  caught  the  edge  of  terra  jirma  as 
I  fell.  The  second  photograph  illustrates  the 
passage  of  baggage-camels.  They  dislike  it 
even  more  than  a  mule  does,  and  need  all 
sorts  of  persuasion,  both  moral  and  physical, 
to  induce  them  to  advance.  One  man  tugs  at 
his  camel's  nose,  another  belabours  it  on  the 
back,  and  all  keep  up  a  yell  of  insults  and 
alarming  noises.  It  is  a  picturesque  and 
amusing  sight  when  you  view  it  in  safety  from 
the  other  side. 


chair, 
begun 


v_^v..ji:,Lo    Civw^nl 


M.    A    l<Utl<    l.\    hAsr    AKHICA—  '  A.N    AM  USING  SIGHT  WHEN  VIEWED 
IN    SAPETY    KKOM   THE   OTHER   SIDE."  [PhotO. 


a 


< 
OS 
Z 

I 

u 
< 
w 

C 

< 
O 


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p 


"AT   THE   FOOT   OF   ONE   OF   THE   BAMBOOS    I    ESPIED   SEVERAL   NATIVES 

HUDDLED   TOGETHER." 

(see  page  217.) 


The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


Vol.  VI. 


JAx\UARY,   1901. 


No. 


jj>- 


The  Mystery  of  the  Paumben  Wire. 

HOW    IT    WAS   TAPPED    AND   THE     LEAKAGE    STOPPED. 
Bv  H.  Hervev,  L.\te  of  the  Indian  Government  Telegraphs. 

This  kind  of  incident  has  often  been  dealt  with  in  fiction,  but  not  often  related  as  an  incident  of 
office  routine  by  an  Indian  Government  official.  The  catching  of  the  wire-tapper  was  a  delicate 
and  difficult  matter,  but  Mr.  Hervey  contrived  it  in  a  very  dramatic  manner.  One  of  the  native 
merchants  suborned  a  telegraph  operator  to  intercept    trade  messages  to    his  rival    in   order    to  make 

large    sums,    paying   so    much    for    each    message   stolen. 


AM  writing  of  a  time  shortly  after  I 
joined  the  Indian  Government  Tele- 
graph Department,  a  period  when 
telegraphy  in  that  country,  while 
past  its  actual  infancy,  might  yet  be 
said  to  be  in  its  first  youth.  The  needle  instru- 
ments had  given  place  to  the   Morse  Sounder, 


>i 


and  we  worked  "open  circuit,"  station-by-station, 
employing  immense  battery  power  to  overcome 
the  lack  of  insulation  due  to  the  absence  of 
insulators. 

British  India,  espe- 
cially the  south-western 
littoral,  carried  on  a 
considerable  trade  with 
the  Farther  East. 
Houses  of  business — 
mostly  native  —  were 
represented  by  agents 
and  correspondents  at 
every  mercantile  centre 
from  Singapore  to 
Yokohama  ;  and  the 
arrival  of  the  weekly 
China  mail  steamer  at 
Galle,  in  Ceylon,  would 
consequently  have  the 
effect  of  flooding  the 
telegraph  wires,  those 
of  the  east  coast  lines 
notably,  with  a  vast 
number  of  messages, 
which  more  or  less  con- 
gested the  traffic  and 
kept  our  signallers  hard 
at  it  nearly  all  night. 
You  see,  the  ship 
generally  made  Galle 
Harbour  during  the 
afternoon,  and  oppor- 
tunity   was,    moreover. 

Vol.  vi.— 27. 


THE   AUTHOR,    MR.    H.    HERVEY,    LATE   OF -THE   INDIAN 
From  a]  GDVERNMENT   TELEGRAPHS.  [Fhoto. 


taken  of  the  comparative  lull  in  ordinary  work 
after  6  p.m.  or  so  to  clear  off  the  mail  matter 
right  away.  Many  of  these  despatches  were,  of 
course,  destined  for  other  places — even  London  ; 
but  a  goodly  proportion  came  to  the  Madras 
coast  firms,  many  of  which  were  located  at 
Negapatam,  the  scene  of  this  story. 

Now,  the  more  influential  merchants  of 
Negapatam  belonged  chiefly  to  a  particular 
"trader  sect"  called  Nattukotai  Chetties ;  but 

not  to  mystify  the 
average  English  reader, 
I  will  refrain  from  de- 
scribing them  at  greater 
length.  Individuals  or 
companies  of  these  men 
worked  independently  ; 
there  were  no  "  rings  " 
or  "corners."  It  was 
each  one  for  himself;  a 
case  of  diamond  cut 
diamond  ;  a  struggle  to 
outvie  and  outdo.  A 
great  deal  depended, 
therefore,  on  the  China 
mail  telegrams.  For 
instance,  if  A  got  cer- 
tain information  regard- 
ing such  and  such  a 
transaction  before  B,  so 
much  the  better  for  A  ; 
but  if  C  happened  to 
know  that  A  and  B 
were  interested  in  cer- 
tain shipments  or  deals, 
and  if  he  could  put  in  his 
oar  so  as  to  "  yank  "  the 
market  and  thus  throw 
both  A  and  B  out,  why, 
C  scored  heavily,  and 
so  the  roguery  went  on. 


:i2 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


The  trade  prosperity  of  Negapatam  had  been 
increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  when  I 
was  apponited  to  the  charge  of  that  sub-division 
the  commercial  importance  of  the  port  had  risen 
to  an  unprecedented  height.  Depending  so 
much  as  they  did  on  the  wires  for  their  financial 
well-being,  it  goes  without  saying  that  we  men 
of  the  Telegraph  Department  were  objects  of 
special  interest  and  solicitude  to  the  Nattu- 
kotais ;  and  when  the  weekly  China  mail 
arrangement  had  been  set  going,  resulting  in 
such  "a  "  boom  "  to  local  trade,  the  spirit  of 
rivalry  and  greed  of  gain  prompted  the  more 
unscrupulous  among  them  to  sound  us  as  to 
whether  we  could  be  induced  by  means  of  bribery 
to  divulge  the  nature  of  the  news  received  by 
competing  firms  or  individuals.  Many  attempts 
were  made  to  suborn  the  staff;  the  bribes  in 
most  cases  consisting  of  substantial  sums  of 
money.  A  few  of  our  signallers  had  been  all 
but  seduced  ;  and  to  one — a  native,  named  T.  V. 
Pillay — the  crime  of  accepting  "  illegal  pecuniary 
considerations,"  and  disclosing  a  message,  had 
been  brought  fairly  home.  In  consequence  he 
was  promptly  dismissed  the  service.  The  fate 
of  their  erring  comrade  had  a  deterrent  effect  on 
the  others  ;  and  though 'the  "shaky"  ones  had 
been  weeded  out,  transferred,  and  their  places 
filled  up  by  senior  men,  inducements  were, 
nevertheless,  still  being  surreptitiously  held  out 
to  the  new-comers.  But  there  was  no  more 
divulging. 

When  I  assumed  charge,  the  officer  whom  I 
relieved  had  been  ordered  by  head-quarters  to 
make  me  peruse  the  file  of  "Bribery  Case" 
correspondence,  and  give  me  all  the  "  tips  "  and 
warnings  necessary,  so  as  to  place  me  on  my 
guard  against  possible  assaults  on  my  own 
probity. 

I  had  not  been  a  week  in  charge  before  the 
attempt  was  made.  The  telegraph  office  was  a 
large  building,  and  I  temporarily  occupied 
quarters  in  the  east  wing.  For  a  day  or  two  I 
had  noticed  a  respectable-looking  native  hang- 
ing about  the  gates,  and,  curious  to  know  his 
business,  I  went  out  and  accosted  him,  in 
English  ;  for  I  perceived  he  was  of  the  educated 
classes. 

"  ^^'hat  do  you  want  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  salaamed  profoundly,  and  answered  me  in 
a  low  voice.  "My  master,  sir,"  said  he,  "wished 
to  visit  your  honour  on  a  very  particular 
matter." 

"  Who  is  your  master  ?  " 

"A.  M.  R.  R.  Chettiar,  sir."  He  had  named 
one  of  the  wealthiest  shipowners  and  traders  in 
the  port ! 

"  I  am  ready  to  see  him  at  any  time  during 
office  hours,"  I  replied,  shortly. 


"  He  cannot  leave  his  warehouse  in  the  day, 
sir  ;  and,  therefore,  sent  me  to  ask  if  your 
honour  w'ould  consent  to  see  him  at  night." 

"  What  time  ?  "  I  asked,  sharply.  I  smelt  a 
rat ;  besides  which,  the  story  of  his  not  being 
able  to  leave  liis  place  of  business  at  any  time 
he  chose  was  a  palpable  lie. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  this  night,  sir  !  " 

"Very  well;  tell  him  to  come." 

Punctual  to  the  minute,  A.  M.  R.  R.  Chet- 
tiar, who  was  worth  something  like  two  lacs  of 
rupees,  slunk  into  my  quarters  accompanied  by 
his  emissary ;  while  two  more  of  his  men  took 
up  their  posts  at  the  door.  I  will  curtail  my 
story  by  merely  stating  that,  after  a  world  of 
Oriental  circumlocution,  the  great  man  came  to 
the  point.  Whisperingly  he  told  me  that  it  was 
of  vital  importance  to  him  to  have  information 
with  regard  to  certain  expected  shipments 
made  by  V.  A.  R.  C.  Chettiar,  his  great  rival. 
Particulars,  it  appeared,  would  be  duly  tele- 
graphed to  that  individual  on  the  arrival  of  the 
next  China  mail  at  Galle ;  and  so,  if  he  (my 
visitor)  could  be  placed  in  possession  of 
such  information,  he  could  forestall  his  com- 
petitor in  the  market,  and  thus  reap  con- 
siderable advantage  for  himself.  He  ended 
by  offering  me  a  bribe  of  a  thousand  rupees ; 
and  as  he  spoke,  his  follower  cautiously 
displayed  two  currency  notes  for  five  hundred 
rupees  each,  holding  them  to  the  lamp  so  as  to 
insure  my  comprehension  of  their  value.  And 
here  was  I  in  the  receipt  of  two  hundred  rupees 
— a  little  overp{^2o  in  those  days — per  mensem  ! 
But,  thank  God,  I  was  proof  against  the  tempta- 
tion. I  incontinently  refused  to  fall  in  with  the 
proposal,  and  sent  them  away,  baffled  and  dis- 
appointed. I  took  no  further  action  in  the 
matter,  for  unfortunately  I  had  no  witnesses. 
I  was  sorry  that  I  did  not  temporize  and  ask 
the  merchant  to  call  again  ;  in  which  case  I 
should  have  had  some  witnesses  concealed  in 
the  room.  As  it  was,  I  had  spoken  my  mind 
pretty  freely,  so  there  was  very  little  chance  of 
the  experiment  being  repeated. 

For  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  reader  to 
understand,  I  must  mention  that  the  two  wires 
were  terminated  on  stout  wooden  posts  :  one 
in  front,  holding  the  southern  line ;  and  the 
other  to  the  rear  of  the  building,  with  the  wire 
continuing  on  to  Pondicherry  and  elsewhere. 
A  "  leading  "  wire,  insulated  with  gutta-percha, 
came  from  both  terminals  across  the  roof  to  a 
skylight  over  the  signal-room,  through  which 
they  dropped  to  the  instrument  table.  The 
house  had  a  flat,  terraced  roof ;  and  to  the  west 
other  buildings  joined  on.  The  terrace  alluded 
to  was  seldom  used  ;  an  outside  stairway  led  up 
to  it,  but  people  rarely  ascended  there. 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    PAUMBEN    WIRE. 


213 


Mail  night  came  round.  The  warning  tele- 
gram announcing  the  signalling  of  the  China 
steamer  flashed  through  the  office  during  the 
afternoon,  and  preparations  were  made  for 
coping  with  the  inevitable  rush  of  work.  I 
came  into  the  signal-room  after  dinner,  resolved 


effect ;  most  of  it  ran  to  earth  at  the  point 
of  leakage,  wherever  that  was.  A  serious 
fault  existed  somewhere,  and  I  warned  the 
line-runner  to  be  prepared  to  start  out  at  dawn. 
After  setting  things  going  again,  I  made  a  move 
that  I  had  never  made  before  :  I  went  up  on  to 


HE   ENDED    BY   OI-FERING    ME   A    BKIBE   OK    A   THOUSAND    RUPEES. 


to  spend  the  best  part  of  the  night  there.  The 
flood  of  messages  had  already  commenced  to 
pour  in.  One  signaller  was  hard  at  it,  receiving 
away  from  Paumben  to  the  south  ;  while  his 
fellow  was  equally  busy  at  the  other  instrument 
sending  to  Pondicherry  on  the  north. 

Matters  were  progressing  swimmingly,  when 
suddenly  Paumben  "  broke  down."  The  gal- 
vanometer needle  showed  beats,  but  they  failed 
to  work  the  sounder.  I  hastened  to  the  instru- 
ment, and  at  length,  by  means  of  much  adjust- 
ing, I  managed  to  revive  the  beats;  they 
were  weak  and  almost  unreadable.  However, 
Paumben  was  within  my  jurisdiction,  so  calling 
up  my  assistant  there  I  told  him  to  follow  my 
example  and  increase  his  battery  power  by 
twenty  cells — the  reserve  always  kept  handy  in 
case  of  accidents.  This  accession  of  electro- 
motive   force,    however,    had    no    appreciable 


the  terrace  to  satisfy  myself  that  the  joint 
between  the  line  and  leading  wire  was  intact. 
A  connection  of  this  nature  always  constituted 
a  vulnerable  point  in  a  circuit.  I  clambered 
up  the  stone  steps,  and  my  head  had  barely 
reached  the  terrace  level  when  there,  at  the 
farther  side,  I  saw  two  crouching  figures 
suddenly  rise,  frantically  gather  up  something, 
clear  the  parapet,  run  along  the  flat  roof  of 
the  adjacent  buildings,  and  lose  themselves  in 
the  gloom  ! 

For  the  moment  I  was  struck  speechless  with 
astonishment,  but  at  the  same  time  I  realized 
that  the  skulkers  had  got  beyond  my  reach,  so 
my  first  impulse  was  to  hurry  down  for  a  lantern 
by  which  I  could  examine  the  spot  where  the 
fellows  had  been  lurking.  On  entering  the 
signal-room  I  found  the  receiving  signaller  again 
in   difficulties.       His   sounder    was   "  locked  "  : 


14 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


"  I    SAW   TWO    FIGURES    SUDDENLY   RFSE,    FRANTICALLY   GATHER   UP   SOMETHING, 
AND   CLEAR   THE    I'ARAPET." 


and  my  local  native  assistant  was  desperately 
screwing  away  at  the  relay  and  springs. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  I  asked.  I  guessed 
the  cause,  for  one  glance  at  the  tell-tale  needle 
told  me  that  the  incoming  beats  were  far  too 
powerful ;  naturally  enough,  too,  for  now  the 
"  fault "  was  off  : 

"  Paumben  beats  suddenly  become  too  strong, 
sir,"  answered  the  assistant. 

"  Uncouple  the  extra  twenty  cells,"  I  said. 

This  accomijlished,  I  got  Paumben,  though  I 
could  only  read  him  on  my  needle. 

"  Reduce  your  battery  to  original  strength," 
I  signalled. 

It  was  done,  and,  after  a  little  readjustment, 
the  normal  stale  of  affairs  was  restored. 

"  Bring  a  lantern  and  follow  me,  Mr.  Lall,"  I 
said,  leading  the  way  out. 

Mounting  to  the  terrace,  we  went  to  the  spot 
where  I  had  seen  the  two  men.  "  They  were 
sitting  here,"  I  continued  to  Lall,  directing  the 
lantern's  ray^  "'"^  ^i^e  place. 

"  What  c  ■)■  have  been  doing,  sir  ?  " 

"  Heaven  knows  ;  we  are  here  to  find  out." 

We  searched  diligently  everywhere,  but  dis- 


covered nothing  to  guide  us,  even 
to  a  surmise.     We  went  to  the  ter- 
minals  and  carefully  examined  the 
connections ;    both    were    perfect. 
Then  we  followed  the  leading  wires 
from  post    to    skylight  ;    there  was 
nothing  wrong  with  the  Pondicherry 
lead.    We  next  examined  the  other, 
working  back  from  skylight  to  ter- 
minal, and  when  we   had  reached 
the    spot   where    I    had   seen   the 
men    we   detected    that    the   outer 
insulating  casing  had  been  removed 
for  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  and 
the  well-cleaned  copper  core   glit- 
tered  in  the   rays  of  the  lantern  ! 
Further  examination  showed  several 
turns  of  very  thin  copper  wire  on 
the  core,  which  the  evil-doers  had 
had  no  time  to  unwind.    We  found 
a  similar  piece  of  thread-like  wire 
on  the  floor,  and,  on  following  this 
up,  we  discovered  the  end  wrapped 
round  the  terminal  lightning  wire. 
This  had  provided  them  with  their 
"  earth  !  "     The  mystery  remained 
a  mystery  no  longer.     Scoundrels 
who    evidently    knew    what     they 
were  about   had  tapped  the  wire, 
and  I  had  disturbed  them  in  the 
very  act  of  intercepting  messages  ! 

"  Not  a  word  ! "  I  whispered  to 
Lall.  "  Come  with  me  to  the 
signallers'  quarters."  They  were 
all  bachelors — steady,  trustworthy  Eurasians. 
Still,  I  wished  to  satisfy  myself  that  none  of 
their  number  had  a  finger  in  the  affair.  No, 
they  had  not ;  the  four  men  comprising  the 
second  watch  were  calmly  asleep  in  their  cots  ; 
the  other  watch  were  on  duty  in  the  signal-room. 
The  staff  was  composed  of  eight  men,  excluding 
Lall,  the  assistant. 

I  roused  up  one  of  the  peons,  who  slept  all 
in  a  row  in  the  front  veranda,  and  much  to  his 
astonishment  I  ordered  him  to  transfer  himself 
and  his  mat  to  the  terrace  for  the  rest  of  the 
night,  giving  no  reasons  for  the  injunction. 

All  was  going  on  well  in  the  signal-room,  so, 
taking  Lall  aside,  I  proceeded  to  talk  the  matter 
over  with  him.  "  \Vhat  do  you  make  of  it  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"There  is  but  one  solution,  sir." 
"  T.  V.  Pillay  ?  "  I  said,  inquiringly. 
•  "  Yes,  sir ;  no  doubt,  under  the  influence  of 
a  bribe,  he  has  been  reading  off  the  mail 
messages.  There  is  no  one  in  Negapatam  who 
knows  the  Morse  alphabet  besides  our  own 
men.  The  G.S.L  Railway  still  use  the  right- 
and-left  needle,  you  know." 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    PAUMBEN    WIRE. 


215 


"  True.  But  Pillay  must  have  had  a  suit- 
able instrument  and  battery — portable  ones  too, 
for  they  hustled  off  all  their  plant  with  the 
greatest  ease,  and  were  gone  before  I  could  get 
near  them.  Is  it  possible  that  they  have  con- 
trived to  get  at  yours  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  mine  are  safe  in  the  store-room, 
under  lock  and  key.  But,"  added  Lall,  scratch- 
ing his  head  reflectively,  "  it  may  be  that  he 
has  got  possession  of  an  old  battery  and  sounder 
which  were  sold  last  month  in  the  periodical 
auction  of  condemned  stores." 

"  Portable  ones  ?  And  in  working  order  ?  " 
I  asked,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  sir;  but  they  were  worn,  and  your 
predecessor  condemned  them.  I  have  the 
auction  sales  return  on  my  file." 

"  Come  along  and  show  it  to  me."      And  we 
went  into  his  office.     He  promptly  produced  tlie 
return,  which  showed  that  a  portable  battery  and 
sounder  had  been  purchased  for 
two   rupees    by  a  copper-smith 
named  S.  Archarry. 

By  3  a.m.  the  China  mail 
messages  had  been  disposed  of 
and  I  went  to  bed.  After  a 
rather  late  breakfast  I  requi- 
sitioned one  of  the  office  peons 
to  guide  me  to  Archarry's 
house.  The  copper-smith 
owned  to  the  purchase  of  the 
articles  ;  but  when  I  offered  to 
buy  them  back  for  double  the 
sum  he  had  given,  he  was 
thrown  off  his  guard  and  told 
me  that  he  had  recently  dis- 
posed of  both  sounder  and 
battery  to  another  native. 
When  asked  to  name  the  pur- 
chaser he  became  reserved, 
and  I  had  some  difficulty  in 
eliciting  the  information,  but  at 
length  he  reluctantly  gave  it  to 
me  in  a  whisper.  "  It  was  T. 
V.  Pillay,  sir,"  he  continued,  in 
a  low  voice.  "  Hold  me  in- 
demnified from  trouble  in  this 
matter.  T.  V.  Pillay  is  under 
powerful  protection  ;  he  came 
here  late  in  the  night  with  A. 
M.  R.  R.  Chettiar  to  buy  those 
things.  I  suspected  they  re- 
quired them  for  some  special 
purpose,  so  I  demanded  fifty  rupees,  which,  to 
my  astonishment,  the  merchant  paid  me.  I  am 
afraid  he  will  do  me  some  mischief  if  he  hears 
that  I  have  told  you  this,  so  I  rely  on  your 
honour's  word  not  to  let  me  suffer  for  having 
given  you  the  information." 


"  Have  no  fear,"  I  said,  reassuringly.  "  For 
the  rest,  keep  your  own  counsel,  and  don't 
breathe  a  syllable  on  the  subject  to  anyone." 

At  the  end  of  the  street  I  told  the  peon  to 
show  me  where  the  former  signaller,  T.  V. 
Pillay,  lived,  whereupon  he  conducted  me  to  a 
distant  part  .of  the  town.  As  I  walked  along  I 
resolved,  if  possible,  to  catch  T.  V.  Pillay  in  his 
den  red-handed,  with  the  implements  of  his 
nefarious  night's  work  still  in  his  possession. 
That  accomplished,  I  entertained  some  vague 
idea  of  putting  the  case  into  the  hands  of  the 
police  ;  but  from  the  outset  I  was  governed  by 
an  ardent  desire  to  retain  the  game  in  my  own 
hands,  and  thus  reap  as  much  credit  as  possible 
for  myself. 

But  now,  however,  I  received  a  serious  check ; 
T.  V.  Pillay's  house  was  empty.  It  had  been 
vacated  early  that  morning  by  him,  his  wife,  and 
child,  and  no  one  could  tell  me  where  they  had 


.NO   ONE  COULD  TELL   ME   WHERE   THEY    HAD   GONE.' 

gone '—  not  even  his  old  mother-in-law,  who 
remained  in  charge.  Though  exceeding  my 
rights,  I  went  inside,  and  under  pretence  of 
searching  for  some  document  which  might  (I 
explained  to  the  crone)  be  the  means  of 
obtaining  certain  back    allowances,  which  had 


2l6 


THE    WIPE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


......  in  dispute  at  the  time  of  Pillay's  dismissal, 

I  routed  and  peered  into  every  nook,  corner, 
and  receptacle,  but  Tailed  to  find  that  portable 
batten-  and  sounder.  So,  flinging  a  few  rupees 
to  the  woman  to  defray  the  cost  of  purification 
(for  I  had  polluted  the  house  by  entering  it),  I 
returned  to  the  office  feeling  greatly  dispirited. 

Nothin-;  of  note  happened  till  next  China 
mail  ni^^ht.  The  influx  of  traffic  had  barely 
commenced  when  the  beats  broke  down  as  they 
did  on  the  last  occasion.  Making  sure  that  the 
tamperers  were  again  on  the  roof,  I,  Lall,  and 
the  four  "off"  signallers  armed  ourselves  with 
sticks  ;  and  while  two  men  blocked  our  stair- 
case I  and   the  others  cautiously  crept  to  the 


water-shed  for  thirsty  wayfarers  to  drink  at,  and 
the  man  lives  on  charity." 

I  penetrated  to  the  very  end  of  the  town  line 
without  discovering  anything  ;  but,  nevertheless, 
I  strongly  suspected  that  the  mischief  was  being 
perpetrated  within  its  limits  ;  and,  also,  that  my 
ai)proach  had  been  noticed,  and  the  ruffians 
had  concealed  themselves  in  time.  I  was 
determined,  however,  to  foil  them  when  next 
China  mail  night  arrived.  To  understand  the 
situation  I  must  mention  that  the  southern  line 
— the  one  affected — formed  a  right  angle  on 
starting  from  the  office,  and  another  angle 
farther  along.  The  annexed  diagram  will  better 
explain  what  I  mean. 


NEGA?>^T/Km        ^      TELEGRAPH  , OFFICE. 


C/Uc*  ^Z. 


To  PAUWBEN 


^^^^^;;77;77n:^V>''^/'////V/^^^^ 


THIS   DIAGKAM,    DRAWN    BV  THE  AUTHOR,    WILL   EXPLAIN   THE   ELABORATE   TRICKERY   OF    THE    "  WIRE-TAPPERS. 


door  of  the  next  building,  knocked  up  the 
inmates — a  Portuguese  family — told  them  that 
we  were  after  thieves,  and  obtained  permission 
to  ascend  to  their  roof.  Arrived  there,  we 
stealthily  pushed  forward  and  peered  over  the 
dividing  parapet  on  to  our  terrace.  Not  a  soul 
was  in  sight  !  We  vaulted  over  and  thoroughly 
searched  the  whole  arta.  I  called  to  the  two 
below  to  hasten  up  with  a  lantern,  and  then 
we  examined  the  joints  and  leads,  and  found 
all  correct.  The  leakage  was  not  here ;  the 
meddlers  were  tapping  the  wire  at  some  other 
lX)int.     But  where? 

We  underwent  the  same  trouble  again,  and 
when  I  had  set  things  going  after  a  fashion,  I 
took  a  couple  of  peons  and  ladders  with  me 
and  inspected  the  town  lines,  sending  a  man  up 
each  post  with  a  lantern  to  ascertain  if  any  fault 
existed.  We  noticed  nothing  unusual,  except 
that  on  a  piece  of  waste  ground  there  stood, 
immediately  under  the  wire,  a  small  palmyra- 
leaf  hut  which  had  not  been  there  before. 

"  Halloa  !  "  I  said  to  my  followers,  "  when 
did  this  spring  up  ?     And  who's  the  tenant  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  '  Jogi  '  (religious  fanatic)  from 
Ramaisweram,  sir,  and  has  obtained  the  magis- 
trate's  permission  to   build  the   hut.      It  is  a 


Strong  in  my  belief  that  the  trick  was  being 
put  in  practice  between  points  X  and  Z,  I 
resolved  to  prepare  to  cut  out  that  portion 
should  communication  break  down  on  the 
coming  mail  night ;  accordingly  the  next  day  I 
set  to  work  and  ran  up  a  line  of  light  wire  on 
stout  bamboos  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line,  with 
a  view  of  bringing  it  into  circuit  in  place  of  the 
exisMng  line  X  Z,  the  moment  the  beats  failed. 
I  tested  the  new  piece  by  actual  working,  and 
found  it  perfect.  The  distance  was  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile.  I  then  gave  my  men  the 
fullest  instructions,  and  when  China  mail  night 
came  round  I  had  a  pony  ready  saddled  for  the 
line-man  to  gallop  out  on  to  Z  for  the  purpose 
of  throwing  off  the  thin  wire  bridge  and  joining 
on  the  temporary  line.  All  was  ready,  and  the 
influx  commenced.  We  looked  for  the  usual 
break-down  ;  but,  no,  Paumben  beats  continued 
steady  and  strong.  I  stared  at  Lall;  Lall  stared 
at  me ;  seven,  eight,  struck,  and  still  there  was 
no  diminution  in  the  Paumben  current.  Then 
something  flashed  across  my  mind.  I  had  been 
in  the  country  long  enough  to  gain  a  pretty 
considerable  insight  into  the  native's  infernal 
cunning  and  perseverance  —  especially  where 
his  pecuniary  interest  is  concerned.     I  ordered 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    PAUMBEN    WIRE. 


217 


the  man  whom  I  had  told  off  for  the  job 
to  ride  as  hard  as  he  could  pelt  to  Z,  dis- 
connect the  permanent  and  put  on  the  tem- 
porary line,  and  remain  there  till  further 
instructions.  At  the  same  time  I  had  my  own 
horse  saddled  and  held  in  readiness.  After  the 
lapse  of  a  quarter  of  a  hour,  by  which  time  I 
judged  that  my  man  must  have  done  what  was 
necessary  at  Z,  I  and  Lall  brought  the  tem- 
porary line-lead  to  the  instrument  instead  of  the 
permanent  one  thrown  off.  Pamnben  beats  at 
once  became  unreadable  ! 

"Do  nothing,  Mr.  Lall  1 "  I  exclaimed,  as 
I  rushed  out  to  my 
horse  ;  "  I'll  be  re- 
sponsible  for  the 
delay  !  I'll  be  back 
in  half  an  hour  !  " 

Mounting,  and 
bidding  a  peon  and 
my  horsekeeper  to 
race  after  me,  I  tore 
up  the  by-road  along 
which  I  had  erected 
my  temporary  line ; 
and  when  I  had  pro- 
ceeded half  the  dis- 
tance, there,  at  the 
foot  of  one  of  the 
bamboos,  I  espied 
several  natives  hud- 
dled together.  They 
were  evidently  too 
engrossed  to  notice 
me  ;  the  sound  of 
gallo[nng  hoofs  being 
nothing  unusual. 
The  darkness  fa- 
voured me ;  I  dashed 
up  to  them,  threw 
myself  out  of  the 
saddle,  and  before 
they  could  realize 
what  had  happened 
I  had  the  satisfaction 
of     dropping      upon 

Master  T.  V.  Pillay  —  who  turned  out  to  be  the 
"  Jogi  "  inhabitant  of  that  hut.  He  had  a  small 
box  in  front  of  him,  on  which  were  placed  the 
portable  sounder  and  battery,  together  with  a 
lantern,  paper,  and  pencil.  A  thin  wire,  lead 
dangled  down  from  above ;  and  another,  wrapped 
round  a  stone,  and  lying  in  a  hole  full  of  water, 
constituted  his  "earth."  I  seized  and  held 
him  prisoner.     The  others  fled,  and  when  my 


MOUNTING, 


AFTEU    .MK,    I     lOKE    UI' 


followers  came  panting  up  I  consigned  the 
culprit,  together  with  all  his  paraphernalia, 
to  their  care  for  conveyance  to  the  office  ; 
while  I  hastened  on  to  Z,  where  with  the  aid 
of  my  man,  who  wms  squatting  at  the  foot  of 
the  post,  I  restored  the  original  connections  and 
returned  to  the  office. 

I  will  not  describe  the  dry-as-dust  magisterial 
investigation  into  the  case.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that,  owing  to  some  legal  quibble,  T.  V.  Pillay 
got  off,  with  police  supervision  for  six  months. 
He  never  troubled  us  again,  and  I  never  saw 
him  thereafter.     At  the  trial,  however,  it  came 

out  that  A.  M.  R.  R. 
Chettiar  had  engaged 
to  pay  T.  V.  Pillay 
five  rupees  for  copies 
of  all  trade  messages, 
and  twenty  rupees  for 
messages  addressed 
to  his  great  rival,  V. 
A.  R.  C.  Chettiar. 

T.  V.  Pillay  had 
built  that  hut  imme- 
diately under  the 
wire,  and  close  to  a 
post.  Secure  in  his 
"  Jogi  "  disguise,  he 
intended  tapping  the 
telegraph  systemati- 
cally every  week. 
Then,  seeing  the 
erection  of  the  tem- 
porary line,  he  had 
acumen  enough  to 
guess  the  reason  for 
it ;  so,  on  the  third 
occasion,  he  had 
transferred  himself  to 
a  point  in  that  tem- 
porary line,  ready 
and  able  to  repeat 
the  process,  but 
never  dreaming  that 
I  should  look  for 
him  there.  Happily 
I  did,  however,  with  results  disastrous  to  the 
"  message-thief." 

Mr.  Blissett,  my  chief,  was  pleased  to  compli- 
ment me  on  my  share  in  the  business,  though 
at  the  same  time  he  considered  my  action  as 
"  rather  erratic."  However,  he  passed  my  bill 
of  expenditure,  and  when  the  annual  promo- 
tions came  out  I  was  gratified  to  find  that  I  had 
not  been  passed  over. 


AND    .MY    HORSEKEEPER    RACE 
THE    BV-ROAD." 


The  Queer  Christmas  Festivities  in  Mexico. 

1>\    -Mrs.   L.   M.  Terry,  of  Mexico  Citv. 

"  Wide  World "  readers  know  that  there  is  no  more  able  exponent  with  pen  and  camera  of  the 
glowing  life  of  pleasure-loving  Mexico  than  the  author  of  this  article,  who  has  so  often  enabled  us 
to  shake  off  the  gloom  of  our  own  climate  and  attend  with  her  some  gorgeous  iiesta,  whose  details 
are  those  of  the  Middle  Ages  rather  than  of  to-day.  In  this  paper  Mrs.  Terry  gives  us  a  very 
interesting  glimpse  of  the  Christmas  festivities  in  the  Mexican  capital,  and  incidentally  shows  us 
something  of  the  inner  life  of  a  high-class  Mexican  family. 


gS]  X  Ik'sta-loving  Me.xico  the  Christmas- 
tide,  with  its  accompanying  ciuaint 
"  posadas  "  and  other  celebrations, 
is  not  limited  to  two  or  three  days, 
or  even  a  week,  as  in  our  own 
Anglo-Saxon  lands.  No,  in  Mexico  the  first 
"posada,'' or  Christmas  celebration,  is  held  on 
l)eccmber  17th.  This  marks  the  beginning  of 
the  Christmas  holidays,  which  last  thencefor- 
ward steadily  until  the  "aho  nuevo,"  or  "New 
Years  Day."' 

There  are,  of  course,  the  rejoicing,  jollity,  and 
present-giving  that  always  mark  Christmas  in 
whatever  Christian  land ;  but  in  Mexico  the 
principal  Christmas  celebration  takes  the  form 
of  posadas,  for  which  ceremony  there  is  really 
no  exact  equivalent  in  English,  and  a  posada 
must  be  described  before  the  uninitiated  can 
fully  understand  what  it  is. 

\"ery  nearly  every  Mexican  family,  of  what- 


one  posada.  In  the  very  conservative  and 
old-fashioned  Mexican  families  only  dear 
friends,  relatives,  and  one's  own  paisatws  or 
country  people  are  invited  to  share  the  posada 
season.  With  the  more  up-to-date  Mexicans, 
however,  certain  foreigners  are  sometimes  very 
Avelcome.  Owing  to  this  fact  we  ourselves  were 
asked  to  attend  the  posadas  given  at  the  house 
of  a  popular  and  well-known  Mexican  General. 
You  may  be  assured  that  we  lost  no  time  in 
accepting  for  the  entire  nine  nights.  It  isn't 
every  day  that  foreigners  have  a  chance  to  see 
the  Mexican  posada  given  on  its  native  heath. 
Besides  which,  "el  General"  and  his  wife  are 
known  far  and  wide  for  their  lavishness  and 
skill  in  entertaining  their  many  guests,  the 
posadas  at  their  house  being  particularly  enjoy- 
able and  "de  buen  gusto." 

Long    before    it    is    posada-time    signs    and 
tokens  of  the  coming  fiestas  begin  to  be  seen  in 


1);.:vi:;g  'i 


-    .     INTO    MEXICO   CITY   FOR   THE   CHRISTMAS    FESTIVri  ItS. 

J->o>u  a  Photo,  by  C.   B.    Il'aite,  Mexico. 


ever  standing,  gives  a  series  of  posadas  on 
varying  scales  of  grandeur,  and  to  these  functions 
numerous  guests -both  men,  women,  and 
children— are  invited.  This  series  must  con- 
tinue throughout  the  entire  nine  nights,  only 
ending  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  accepting 
guest  is  expected  to  be  present  at  each  and 
every  performance  ;  for  it  is  a  sign  of  great  dis- 
respect or  bad  manners  to  be  absent  from  even 


the  shops,  as  well  as  the  markets  and  plazas,  and 
also  in  the  streets,  where  many  little  booths  are 
shooting  up,  like  so  many  mushrooms,  for  the 
display  of  various  cunning  posada  presents — 
such  as  dukes,  vari-coloured  candles,  and  other 
wares.  The  markets  fairly  teem  with  tooth- 
some things,  and  on  all  sides  you  hear  the  dis- 
consolate notes  of  distressed  ducks  and  turkeys, 
as  they  are  driven  along  the  streets,   awaiting 


THE    QUEER   CHRISTMAS    FESTIVITIES    IN    MEXICO. 


219 


purchase  and  subsequent  demolition  by  the 
celebrators  of  Christmas.  In  the  big  Zocalo 
and  the  plazas  of  "San  Merced"  and  "San 
Juan  "  scores  of  mountain  Indians  are  laden 
with  fir- bushes  and  small  trees  for  the  posada 
tables ;  and  there  are  even  huge  trees  for  the 
"  foreigners'  "  delectation.  And  everywhere,  in 
all  the  booths,  shops,  and  markets,  are  hanging 
all  sorts,  sizes,  shapes,  colours,  and  conditions 
of  that  purely  Mexican  Christmas  toy,  the 
"pifiata." 

For  as  little  as  ten  cents  you  can  buy  a  huge 
top-shaped    pihata,     made    of     many-coloured 


IN   ALL   Till,    1'  i 

From  a  Photo.  l>y\ 


H AN'GIKG   THE    "  I'ISaTAS,"    OR    MEXICAN 
(^)L:i:KK    FIGL'UES    FILLLU    WITH    SUEEIS,    I 


tissue  -  paper,  decorated  with  gold  lace  and 
fringing,  and  so  trimmed  up  generally  with  gay 
ti.ssue  flowers  and  leaves  that  you  would  never 
think  of  or  suspect  the  big  earthen  "  olla  "  or  pot 
which  is  hidden  under  all  this  adornment, 
destined  as  it  is  for  the  holding  of  all  sorts  of 
good  things  — small  fruits  of  all  kinds,  nuts, 
candies,  tejocotes  (small  apples),  and  even  small 
unbreakable  presents  and  toys.  Or,  if  you 
desire  a  really  expensive  pifiata,  thirty-six 
cents  will  make  you  the  proud  possessor  of  a 
large  and  very  chubby  clown,  attired  in  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow,  whose  gay-frilled  paper 
coat  and  Turkish  trousers  conceal  a  like  big 
pottery  vessel  for  the  storing,  until  breaking- 
time  arrives,  of  the  various  dulces  and  toys. 

Our  friend  the  General's  palatial  home  is  all 
en  fete  upon  our  arrival,  the  night  of  the  first 
posada ;  the  entire  lower  part  of  the  house 
has  been  thrown  open  to  guests,  and  most 
brilliantly    decorated    and    illuminated.       The 


patio,  or  courtyard,  is  especially  beautiful  with 
its  vari-coloured  lights,  the  walls  being  almost 
covered  with  the  exquisite  crimson  "  Noche 
Bueno,"  which  is  the  Christmas  decorative 
plant  of  Mexico,  taking  among  the  Mexicans 
the  place  of  our  own  holly,  of  which  none  is  to 
be  found  throughout  Mexico. 

Stringed  orchestras  are  playing  Hungarian 
waltzes,  quaint  Mexican  and  Spanish  danzas, 
and  even  the  Sousa  marches  and  polkas,  mean- 
while delicious  refreshments  are  being  served, 
and  guests  are  regaled  with  sundry  peeps  at 
the    mysterious    big    pihata    which    hangs     in 

solitary  state  in 
one  of  the  sa- 
loons. Although 
the  posada  is 
almost  entirely  a 
"  g  r  o  w  n  -  u  p  " 
affair,  there  be- 
ing only  a  few 
children  present, 
still,  in  Mexico, 
no  gathering 
seems  to  be  com- 
plete without  the 
presence  of  one 
or  more  children. 
And  great  is  the 
delight  of  the 
General's  small 
grandch  ildren 
over  the  "  piiiata 
tan  magnifica  " 
which  so  soon  is 
to  be  enjoyed 
and — broken  ! 
Very  early, 
for  the  children's  sake,  adjournment  is  made 
to  the  pihata-room,  the  servants  congregating 
in  the  background.  Even  one  small  and 
mucli-furbelowed  baby  is  gurgling  and  crow- 
ing from  its  nurse's  arms  as  though  in  eager 
anticipation.  The  assembly  complete,  all  who 
are  present  join  hands  and  circle  about  the  big, 
glittering  toy  as  it  swings  from  the  ceiling, 
scintillating  and  glittering  with  its  many  adorn- 
ments. Then  a  long  pole  is  given  to  one  of 
the  children,  her  eyes  being  first  blindfolded, 
and  everyone  rushes  gaily  out  of  her  reach  when 
she  is  admonished  to  strike  very  carefully  in 
the  direction  of  the  pifiata — "  con  mucha 
fuerza "  (with  much  force),  so  that  it  will 
immediately  break. 

Very  naturally,  the  efforts  of  this  small 
"  Mexicanita  "  fail,  as  well  as  those  of  the  other 
little  ones,  who  have  not  the  requisite  strength 
to  reach  the  pifiata.  Then  comes  the  turn  of 
the   grown-ups.      One    by   one   we   are    blind- 


f.quivai.ent  of  our  CHUISTMAS  trf.fs-- 
RESENTS,  Eic.  \C.  l>.  Il'aitt;  Me.i'ko. 


;:;o 


THE    WIDE     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


folded,  turned  round  three  times,  and  then  told 
to  "strike  I"  Amid  shrieks  of  wild  hilarity 
from  the  elders  and  yells  of  glee  from  the 
children  the  bobbing  pihata  is  finally  located 
and  struck  at  viciously.  Presto— bang  !  The 
gav  tissue  coverings  and  pretty  gold  lace  and 
spangles  are  torn  from  top  to  bottom  :  the 
concealed  pottery  vessel  breaks  into  a  hundred 
pieces,  and  down  upon  one's  poor,  astonished 
liead  tumbles  a  tremendous  rain  of  oranges, 
nuts,  tejocotes,  small  candles,  tops— all  sorts  of 
liny  presents,  in  fact  — and  all  kinds  of  dulces 
and  good  things  I  And  then,  of  course,  everyone 
present  must  needs  scramble  for  whatever  he  or 
shie  may  wish,  with  the  children  shrieking  in  the 
midst  of  the  mad  viclce. 

The  breaking  of  the  pifiata  is  a  lengthy  pro- 
ceeding. When  it  is  all  over,  and  one  is  duly 
ashamed  of  one's  tumbled  hair  and  garments, 
sticky  fingers,  and  generally  demoralized  appear- 


that  there  is  a  still  more  elaborate  pinata,  and 
newer  and  even  more  beautiful  decorations  in 
the  shape  of  great  palms  and  ferns,  mixed  in 
most  effectively  with  the  vivid  leaves  of  the 
"  Noche  Bueno "  plant.  Also,  on  various 
stands  about  the  room  are  quaint  little  objects 
in  china,  tinsel,  and  other  forms,  that  are  handed 
about  to  guests  in  much  the  same  way  that 
cotillon  favours  are  bestowed.  There  are 
cunning  little  pails  and  barrels,  sometimes  filled 
with  wee  candies  ;  tiny  French  statuettes,  no 
longer  than  one's  finger  ;  even  exquisitely  made 
dolls  and  many  other  charming  dainties,  which 
you  are  expected  to  carry  home  with  you  as  a 
"  recuerdo "  (memento)  of  the  posadas  given 
at  "  la  casa  de  Vd  "  (your  house),  as  the  hos- 
pitable Mexicans  so  gracefully  phrase  it. 

Meanwhile,  the  posada-nights  come  and  go 
(each  must  be  an  expensive  business  for  our 
host),  and  it  is  close  on  to  the  final  posada  of 


THESE  ARE  THE   I'OTTERY    FlGUliES,    GUI'S,    ETC.,  WHICH    MEXICAN    I'ARKNTS    I'UT    IN    THE    CIIKl 

From  a  Photo,  by  C.   B.    [Vaitc,  Mexico. 


OK   THEIR    LITTLE  ONES. 


ance,  the  children  are  taken  away,  and,  sobriety 
and  dignity  once  more  restored,  the  other 
guests  troop  off  merrily  to  the  ball-room,  where 
dancing  goes  on  gaily  until  the  wee  small  hours 
of  the  morning,  when  a  delicious  supper  is 
sened  and  many  healths  and  toasts  are  drunk. 
It  is  long  after  four  o'clock  when  the  still  fresh 
orchestra  begin  to  play  the  music  for  the  very 
last  dance,  beautiful  "  La  Golondrina,"  and  you 
take  one  final  "vuelta"  before  wrapping  up  for 
the  journey  home  through  the  chilly  Mexican 
dawn,  having  participated  in  and  enjoyed  from 
start  to  finish  your  very  first  Mexican  posada. 
Next  night's  festival  is  much  the  same,  except 


Christmas  Eve.  The  houses  and  shops  are 
decorated.  Many  more  booths  have  sprung 
up  as  if  by  magic  in  the  Zocalo,  and  even  in 
the  humbler  quarters  of  the  town  are  numberless 
pottery  and  toy-selling  stalls,  where  one  can  buy 
anything  in  the  way  of  Mexican  pottery,  from  a 
lovely  Guadalajara  water-bottle  down  to  a  tiny 
pottery  burro,  or  donkey,  with  or  without  its 
peon  rider.  There  are  exquisite  Venetian-look- 
ing jars,  in  terra-cotta  and  black,  from  far-away 
Oaxaca  ;  all  sorts  of  "  oUas  "  and  "  casuelos  " 
from  Potosi  ;  pretty  vases  and  tiny  pitchers 
and  jars  from  Madre  de  Dios  and  Puente  ; 
for  every  district  of  Mexico  has  its  own  distinc- 


THE    QUEER    CHRISTMAS    FESTIVITIES    IN    MEXICO. 


221 


tive  and  peculiar  pottery.  There  are  remarkable 
blue  and  white  pottery  pigs,  and  some  strange 
and  wonderful  birds,  no  doubt  intended  to 
represent  the  extinct  "dodo,"  since  they  are 
like  unto  no  known  bird  of  the  present  day. 
There  are  also  woolly  lambs  that  bleat  piteously 
upon  being  duly  pressed,  and  flocks  of  chickens, 
ducks,  and  turkeys  in  their  natural  plumage,  all 
made  (and  well  made  too)  by  the  clever,  if 
untutored,  fingers  of  Indians,  who  excel  in  all 
such  work  as  this. 

Numberless  other  stalls  and  booths,  grouped 
about  the  Zocalo  and  under  the  Portales,  are 
filled  with  all  sorts  of  wooden  and  basket-work 


Mater  "'  is  to  be  given  there  to-night  by  members 
of  the  Italian  Opera  Company,  and  a  grand 
orchestra  of  a  hundred  pieces  will  play.  Even 
at  the  early  hour  of  seven  many  people  are 
flocking  through  the  entrances,  intent  upon 
securing  good  places  before  the  great  crush 
begins.  Others  are  hurrying  through  their 
Christmas  Eve  duties  and  pihata-filling,  with  a 
view  of  getting  to  church  for  even  a  little  while 
before  it  is  time  for  the  last  posada  of  to- night — 
naturally  the  most  important  of  all  [)osadas,  as 
you  will  soon  see. 

Shortly    after    the    "  Angelus "    hour    church 
services   are   in   full  swing,  and   the  streets  are 


/•'/  om  a  Photo.  by\ 


A   GREAT   .\KKAY   OF    TOYS    FOR   THE   MEXICAN    CHM.DREN  S   CHRISTMAS. 


[C.  D.  II  'aite,  Mexico. 


toys,  bird-cages,  more  woolly  lambs,  dogs,  cats, 
and  even  more  wonderful  "  dodos  "  !  Hanging  up 
also,  in  full  view  of  the  passing  multitudes,  are 
numerous  "  tilmas,"  "  rebozos,"  and  sombreros 
for  both  men  and  women,  together  with  all 
things  imaginable  for  the  children.  Fruits  of  all 
descriptions  (you  can  purchase  strawberries  and 
oranges  every  day  of  the  year  in  Mexico  City) 
jostle  gaily-painted  drums  for  boys:  exquisitely 
fine  Indian-wove  baskets  in  all  colours  are  mixed 
indiscriminately  with  huge,  luscious  pines  from 
Vera  Cruz;  and  over  the  great  piles  of  aguacotes 
(Mexican  butter-fruit)  hang  dozens  upon  dozens 
of  little  wooden  guitars,  drums,  and  mandolines; 
while  scattered  all  about  the  stalls  are  dulces  or 
candies  of  all  sorts — "just  the  thing  for  the 
pifiatas,"  as  the  vendors  will  tell  you. 

All  the  churches  (of  which  there  are  believed 
to  be  several  hundred)  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
are  open  and  brilliantly  lit  up  :  the  Cathedral 
itself  is  particularly  gorgeous,   for  the   "  Stabat 


consequently  almost  deserted.  Not  so  the 
approaches  to  "el  Catedral,"  however,  which 
are  so  jammed  that  you  can  scarcely  make  your 
way  through  in  ascending  to  a  little  point  of 
vantage  known  to  you,  up  in  one  of  the  old 
Cathedral  galleries  overlooking  the  principal 
chapel. 

It  is  a  very  enormous  building — the  Cathedral 
of  Mexico  ;  but  even  so,  its  vast  interior  is  one 
dark,  solid  mass  of  worshippers,  as  you  look 
down  from  your  lofty  perch.  Large  candles 
burn  brightly  all  over  its  great  expanse,  lighting 
up  niches  wherein  repose  the  ashes  and  relics  of 
numerous  saints  and  martyrs,  as  well  as  ex- 
Presidents  and  other  noted  men  of  Mexico. 
Double  rows  of  candles  mark  the  spots  where 
are  stationed  figures  of  the  Virgin,  with  the 
Child  Jesus  in  her  arms ;  and  a  constantly 
moving  multitude,  at  intervals  kneeling  and 
crossing  themselves,  point  out  to  you  the  place 
of   the   "Holy  Family"  and  the   little   manger 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


wherein  a  chubby,  linloed  Christ  Child  is  sleep- 
iiv.;.  LiiMrded  by  His  mother,  and  the  figures 
representing  the  "  ^^■ise  Men  who  came  from 
afar  to  \vorshi|)  Him." 

Solemnly,  reverently,  the  great  muUilude 
move  about,  from  the  figure  of  one  saint  to 
another,  while  the  orchestra  plays  selection  after 
selection  of  great  masses  and  oratorios.  As 
vet,  however,  there  is  no  vocal  music,  for  the 
'•Stabat  Mater"  will  not  be  given  until  after  ten 
o'clock.  Before  ten  you  must  be  at  your 
posada.  So,  with  one  last  look  at  the 
brilliant  church  and  the  great  crowd  that  are 
flocking  in  and  out  of  it,  you  slip  away  ;  great 
church  ceremonies  can  be  seen  every  day  by 
the  foreign  spectator;   but  posadas — no  ! 

All  the  guests  are  gathered  in  the  house  of 
the  Cieneral,  and  one  glance  at  them  will  show 
you  that  this  last  posada  is  very  different  from 
those  gay  and  frolicsome  ones  that  you  have 
already  attended.  All  the  faces  are  solemn. 
People  are  talking  in  very  subdued  voices. 
There  is  no  sound  of  laughter ;  and  piled  up 
on  tables  are  scores  of  small  candles,  all  ready 
for  lighting,  and  any  number  of  prayer-books, 
which  contain  the  special  posada  Mass  which  is 
to  be  sung  to-night  during  the  procession. 

Soon  we  are  motioned  to  pass  into  an  apart- 
ment which  we  have  not  seen  before — a  very 
large  and  richly-decorated  room,  with  a  beauti- 
fully-tiled floor,  dark  velvet  hangings  and  many 
valuable  old  paintings  on  the  walls.  Underneath 
one  of  these  pictures,  a  magnificent,  dull-toned 
"  Our  \jidy  of  Sorrows?,"  is  a  resplendent  altar, 
hung  all  in  blue  and  white,  and  bearing  many 
religious  relics,  pictures  of  the  Saints  and  a 
large  crucifix.  Over  all 
glimmers  the  subdued 
light  of  many  fine  candles. 
At  the  foot  of  this  altar 
are  the  images  of  the 
"  Holy  Family,"  placed 
on  a  small  wooden  litter, 
so  that  the  statuettes  can 
be  carried  at  the  head  of 
our  procession  when  it 
starts.  I'he  images  are 
small,  carved  out  of  ivory, 
and  show  the  Virgin,  with 
the  Babe  in  her  arms,  as 
well  as  St.  Joseph,  and 
the  donkey  on  which  the 
flight  from  Bethlehem  was 
made. 

AI.  ests  pause  to 

bow  ana  cross  themselves 
in  front  of  these  figures, 
after  which  we  all  kneel 
in  rows  of  two  and  two, 


as  the  orchestra  begins  to  play  a  prelude  to  the 
])osada  Mass.  'J'hen  our  host  and  hostess  hand 
round  the  tiny  lighted  candles,  which  each  kneel- 
ing person  holds  carefully  in  the  left  hand.  Then 
j)rayer-books  are  distributed  and  the  chanted 
Mass  begins,  led  by  the  orchestra. 

Just  behind  the  figures  of  the  "  Holy  Family  " 
kneel  the  General  and  his  senora,  chanting  from 
the  same  prayer-book  and  holding  aloft  their 
small  pink  candles.  In  rows  of  two  behind  them 
kneel  their  guests,  the  children  of  the  family,  and 
the  house  servants,  all  devoutly  singing  responses 
to  the  Mass,  and  uttering  at  intervals  loud 
"Aniens."  Meanwhile,  our  own  candles  burn 
steadily,  and  we  sing  "  Amen "  at  fitting  in- 
tervals, listening  eagerly  for  the  final  "  Amen  " 
of  this  particular  Mass,  after  which  our  proces- 
sion is  to  begin  its  promenade  over  the  entire 
house,  from  basement  to  attic — aye,  even  to  the 
flat-topped  roof  of  the  mansion  ! 

Soon  the  signal  is  given  by  the  entire  party 
standing  up,  bowing,  and  crossing  themselves. 
Fresh  candles  are  lighted  and  distributed.  Two 
bearers  reverently  take  up  the  figures  of  the 
Holy  Family  and  pass  out  with  them  into 
the  patio,  the  orchestra  playing  away  behind 
them,  while  in  a  solemn  row  follow  the 
remainder  of  the  procession,  singing  loudly,  in 
such  voices  as  God  has  given  them,  "  Ora  Pro 
Nobis."  Meanwhile  our  obstinate  little  candles 
flicker,  go  out,  and  are  re-lighted  again. 

In  this  solemn  fashion  do  we  parade  the 
various  sitting-rooms,  patio,  and  all  the  different 
apartments  on  the  first  floor,  our  procession 
now  chanting  a  new  prayer,  the  burden  of  which 
seems  to  be  that  the  Holy  Family   are  asking 


-SOMK    IKON    lUJY.S   EATtNG  THEIR   CHRISTMAS   DINNER  OF   TORTILLAS  ANU    UEANS. 

from  a  Photo,  by  C.  B.   IVnite,  Mexico. 


THE    QUEER    CHRISTMAS    FESTIVITIES    IN    MEXICO. 


223 


admittance  and  lodging,  which  all  refuse  them. 
Therefore,  we  are  obliged  to  move  on  until 
an  abiding-place  can  be  found.  So  from  one 
room  to  another,  one  floor  to  another,  do 
we  go,  still  chanting  requests  to  be  admitted, 
only  to  be  refused  at  the  door  of  each  and 
every  room.  In  the  great  sala  (drawing- 
room)  have  we  been  refused  :  even  the  tiled 
kitchen,  with  its  rows  of  pottery  vessels  and 
charcoal  brazero,  cruelly  turns  us  out.  In  the 
servants'  room  they  will  have  none  of  us,  and 
so  on  we  go  again,  singing — this  time  bent  on 
finding  a  resting-place  on  the  flat  roof,  where 
(as  the  senora  informs  us)  a  small  stable  with 
its  corresponding  manger  has  already  been 
prepared  for  the  reception  of  the 
holy  emblems. 

The  time  of  our  procession  has 
been  well  planned,  for  just  as  we 
emerge  upon  the  roof,  chanting 
and  carefully  shielding  our  lights 
from  the  night  winds,  we  hear  the 
city  clocks  pealing  out  dramatically 
the  first  stroke  of  twelve.  Our 
posada  is  now  over.  The  music 
is  changed,  and  fervent  "  Hosan- 
nahs  "  go  up  from  both  orchestra 
and  procession  ;  the  Holy  Figures 
are  carried  quickly  to  a  small  stable 
built  in  the  centre  of  the  flat  roof 
and  placed  within  it.  Then  all  of 
us  stand  close  about  the  manger 
and  join  in  a  Mexican  "Gloria  in 
Excelsis,"  while  above  us  the  great 
bright  stars  shine  almost  as  bril- 
liantly  as  they  did  on  that  won- 
drous night  at  Bethlehem.  All 
below  and  around  us  the  tre- 
mendous, deep  -  toned  Cathedral 
-•Wis  lead  thousands  of  other 
chimes  in  rejoicing  clamour, 
announcing  to  the  great,  wide- 
awake city  at  our  feet  that  another 
Christmas  morn  has  come. 

The  ringing  of  the  midnight 
bells  lasts  for  many  minutes,  and, 
in  addition,  there  is  the  banging 
of  fireworks  and  the  crimson  and 
yellow  streaks  of  rockets  against 
the  cold,  blue-black  of  the  Mexican 
sky.  From  our  lofty  height  we 
cannot  hear  the  cries  which,  being 
translated,  would  mean  "  Merry 
Christmas,"  but  we  know  that  they 
are  there  even  though  uttered  in 
foreign  tongues. 

And  soon,  when  it  grows  very 
chilly  indeed  on  the  roof,  and  the 

,,  '  .  ONE   OF    THE    H 

small  members  of  our  procession      From  a  Photo.  by\ 


have  been  spirited  away  by  their  nurses,  we 
again  march  downstairs  and  proceed  to  wish  each 
other  "  Felicidades  ''  and  "  Merry  Christmas," 
and  otherwise  make  merry,  all  solemnity  being 
now  over. 

Having  been  duly  "  refreshed,"  dancing  is 
next  on  the  list,  and  so  we  adjourn  to  the  great 
brilliant  ball-room,  where  Mexican  danzas  are 
the  order  of  the  day.  The  quaint  Indian 
"jarabe"  follows  on  the  heels  of  the  exquisite 
Spanish  "jota,"  these  latter  being  performed  by 
expert  professionals,  whose  dancing  is  a  thing 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  And  then  follow 
more  danzas,  with  a  few  waltzes  sandwiched  in 
between  to  break  the  monotony,  until,  at  four 


•  FLOATS,"   OR    EMBLEMATICAL    GROUPS.    CARRIED    IN     I'HK 
CHRISTMAS    MYSTERY    PROCESSION.  [C  B.   IVai'te,  MexicO. 


224 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


o'clock,  we  are  taken  in  to  a  Christmas  dinner 
sucli  as  we  liave  never  seen  or  lieard  of  hefore, 
with  all  its  savoury,  peppery  Mexican  dishes  and 
"pulque  compuesto." 

Ixiden  with  many  tiny  "  recuerdos "  of  the 
occasion  we  are  driven  home  at  five  o'clock 
on  Christmas  morning,  very  tired  and  sleepy 
people,  as  you  can  imagine.  But  we  have,  at 
any  rate,  seen  from  start  to  finish  our  first 
Me.xican  posada,  and  have  been  entreated  to 
come  again  //r.v/  Christmas  !  .  .  .  .  Christmas 
Day  itself  is  a  season  of  church-going,  so  far  as 
the  higher-class  Mexicans,  and  even  foreigners, 
are  concerned  ;  but  in  the  humbler  peon 
streets  of  the  city  various  crude  celebrations  are 
being   held,  and  some  very  elaborate  "  floats " 

are  being  propelled  about,  to  the 

great  joy  of  numerous   poor  In 

dians,    to   whom    these    festivities 

represent  all    the  Christmas   that 

///<y  ever  know— there  is  no  turkey 

and  no   plum-pudding  for    them  ; 

most   of  them    are    partaking    of 

their   usual   meal   of  frijolis   and 

tortillas,    washed     down    with    a 

centavo's  wortli  of  pulque,  think- 
ing themselves  lucky  to  get  even 

that.      We  are  able  to  add  some 

dulces  and  fruit  to  the  repast  of 

three  small  peon  boys,  who,  half 

clad  and  shivering,  are  eating  their 

Christmas   lunch   of  tortillas  and 

beans  on  the  ground  ;  after  which 

we  pursue  a  very  elaborate  "  fioat,"' 

and  secure  the  bearers'  permission 

to  photograph  it— for  a  considera- 
tion. 

Some  good-natured  "padre" 
has  lent  the  float  designers  several 
figures  of  the  Saints;  and  with 
these,  some  moss  from  Chapul- 
tepec  cypresses,  artificial  flowers, 
candles  of  different  sizes,  streamers 
of  various  colours,  and  a  big  liberty- 
cap  arrangement,  covered  with 
gilded  sticks,  the  peons  have  made 
their  float  or  triumphal  group. 

Under  the  canopy  of  streamers 
and  artificial  flowers,  placed  so  as 
to  be  visible  to  all,  is  a  figure  of 
the  Virgin,  gaily  adorned  in  blue 
and  white  velvet  and  lace,  with  a 
mantilla  over  her  head,  and  a 
string  of  blue  beads  about  her 
waxen  neck.  In  her  arms  sleeps 
the  Child  Jesus,  and  bowing 
before  him  are  elaborately-attired 
figures  of  the  Wise  Men,  with 
their   gifts    at    their    feet.      Scat- 


tered indiscriminately  about  are  the  figures 
of  small  waxen  cherubim,  and  the  general  /oui 
cnseiiibk  of  this  particular  float,  the  most 
elaborate  one  we  have  seen  in  peon-town,  by 
the  way,  is  so  striking  to  the  populace  that,  as  it 
is  again  picked  up  and  carried  through  the 
streets  hundreds  of  Indians  follow  it,  bowing 
and  crossing  themselves  before  the  figures, 
and  resenting  with  scowls  and  frowns  the  near 
approach  of  foreigner  "  Gringos." 

Near  the  Plaza  of  Santo  Domingo  we 
encounter  two  more  "floats,"  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made,  and  representing  "  Quien 
sabe"  -ivhatl  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  give 
j)hotographs  of  them,  but  to  explain  them  would 
be  far  beyond  the  power  of  mortal  man  !     We 


CALLED    LA   PASTORIA,    WHICH    HAD    "SMALL    LAMBS    AND    SEVERAL 
IRKOS  (donkeys)   prancing   OVER    ITS   CRAGGY   SIDES." 

From  a  Photo,  by  C.  B.   Ilaiie,  Mexico. 


THE    QUEER    CHRISTMAS    FESTIVITIES    IN    MEXICO. 


225 


asked  the  Indian  bearers  just  what  the  floats 
meant.  They  individually  and  collectively 
shrugged  their  shoulders,  lifted  an  eyebrow  or 
so,  and  gave  voice  to  indifferent  "  Pues,  quien 
sabe's  ?  "  (who  knows  ?).  We  nevertheless  give 
descriptions  of  these  wonderful  articles  ;  there 
are  some  imaginative  persons  who  can  perhaps 
unravel  their  mystery. 

One  of  them,  a  pyramid  of  dark  cloth  and 
cypress  moss,  had  small  lambs  and  several 
burros  prancing  over  its  craggy  sides.  A  small 
house,  adorned  internally  with  tissue-paper 
roses,  decorated  the  top  of  the  pyramid,  and 
two  vividly-coloured  paintings  at  the  bottom  of 
the  heap  gave  an  air  of  distinction  and  bril- 
liancy to  the  whole.  One  painting  showed  a 
farmer  and  his 
oxen  at  work, 
with  a  small  girl 
offering  him 
pulque  ;  while 
the  one  on  the 
left  represented 
a  Mexican 
woman  making 
tortillas. 

The  other 
float,  upon 
which  three  or 
four  Indians 
had  climbed, 
"  so  that  their 
pictures  might 
also  be  taken," 
simply  showed 
a  small,   flower- 


decorated  house  and  a  few  crags,  on  top  of 
which  an  orchid  (a  real  one)  bloomed.  A 
very  large  burro  had  been  placed  on  one  side, 
below  the  orchid,  while  on  the  other  side 
pranced  several  small  kids.  The  little  houses 
built  into  both  these  floats  were  entirely  empty, 
and  our  solution  is  that  they  were  meant  for 
the  occupancy  of  the  homeless  Holy  Family 
on  the  night  before  Christmas  ;  for  every  peon 
firmly  believes  that  on  the  night  of  Christ's  birth 
the  saints  and  holy  spirits  descend  to  earth 
and  seek  shelter,  just  as  the  Holy  Family  did  on 
the  night  when  Christ  was  born. 

With  "  floats "  in  peon-town  and  church 
services  in  the  city  portions  of  Mexico,  Christ- 
mas-day celebrations   in   Mexico  City  are  over  ; 

though  on  and 
on  certain  feasts 
and  small  pri- 
vate celebrations 
are  held  until 
New  Year's  Day, 
when,  with  one 
final  feasting  and 
great  occasion, 
the  holidays  are 
passed  and  gone, 
and  the  Mexi- 
cans return  to 
the  even  tenor 
of  their  ways.  It 
will  then  be  a 
whole  week  or 
ten  days  before 
another  fiesta- 
day  comes  along 


'  THE  OTHER   FLOAT   SHOWED  A   FLOWER-DECORATED   HOUSE   AND   A   FEW  CRAGS, 
ON    TOP   OF    WHICH    A    KEAI.    ORCHID    BLOOMED." 

Frovi  a  Flwto.  by  C.  B.  IVaite,  Mexico. 


Vol.  vi.— 28. 


The   Lion    that    Turned   the     Tables. 


Bv    \..    Campbell,    of    Nairobi,    British    East  Africa. 

This  narrative  gives  one  a  glimpse  of  the  exciting  episodes  incidental  to  the  progress  of  such  great 
undertakings  as  the  Uganda  Railway.  The  man-eating  lion  was  known  to  be  near.  The  railway 
carriage  containing  the  three  keen  sportsmen  was  shunted  on  to  a  siding  so  dilapidated  as  to  cause 
the  waggon  to  heel  over,  and  after  dinner  the  hunters  settled  themselves  down  to  pass  the  night 
comfortably.      What   dreadful  thing   happened    in    the    night    we    must    leave   Mr.   Campbell    and    Mr. 

Huebner  to  tell. 


.\  Wednesday,  June  the  6th  of  this 
year,  the  Assi-stant  Superintendent 
of  Police,  Mr.  C.  H.  Ryall,  was 
travelling  in  his  private  carriage  on 
the  new  Uganda  Railway,  from 
Makindu  to  Nairobi.     His  coach  was  attached 


MR.    HUEBNER,     FORMERLY     GERMAN'     VICE-CONSUL 
AT     MOMBASA,     AND     A     PRIEND    AND  COMPANIO.V 

Front  a]  ok  the  victim.  [P/io/o. 

to  the  usual  "  up-mixed  "  train,  and  he  travelled 
in  company  with  two  friends.  One  of  these 
w-as  Mr.  Huebner,  of  Messrs.  Huebner  and 
Co.,  general  merchants,  bankers,  and  transport 
agents,  of  Nairobi,  and  he  was  formerly  Imperial 
German  Vice-Consul  at  Mombasa.  Mr.  Ryall's 
second  companion  was  Mr.  A.  Parenti,  manager 
for  Messrs.  Bienenfeld  and  Co.,  at  Nairobi, 
whom  the  police  officer  had  invited  into  his 
carriage.  On  arrival  at  the  station  known  as 
Kimaa,  situated  at  mile  255  of  the  ever- 
advancing  line— which,  by  the  way,  traverses 
one  of  the  finest  game  districts  in  the  heart 
of  Africa— the  servant  of  Mr.  Ryall  reported 
having  seen  a  large  lion  and  two  cubs  quite 
close  to  the  station.  This  report  was  also 
confirmed  by  the  station-master  at  Kimaa. 
Mr.  Ryall,  who  was  a  very  keen  sportsman 
and  an  excellent  shot,  with  difficulty  persuaded 


the  two  friends  above-named  to  stay  the  night 
with  him.  The  inducement  he  held  out  was 
that  he  would  have  his  carriage  detached  from 
the  train,  and  he  also  promised  that  they 
would  all  have  a  thorough  search  for  the  lion 
next  morning,  afterwards  continuing  their 
journey  to  Nairobi  on  one  of  the  up-trains 
on  the  following  afternoon.  This  they  both 
consented  to  do. 

Mr.  Ryall,  therefore,  had  his  carriage 
detached  and  placed  on  the  siding,  not  quite 
opposite  the  station,  but  only  a  few  yards  away. 
Here  I  must  tell  you  that  the  siding,  being  in 
bad  condition  owing  to  the  late  heavy  rains, 
caused  the  carriage  to  stand  at  a  slight  angle 
tilted  sideways. 

The  three  friends  had  dinner  in  the  carriage, 
and  spent  the  evening  in  pleasant  conversation. 
At  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night  they  decided 
to  go  to  bed.  Mr.  Ryall  first  offered  his  own 
bed  to  Mr.  Huebner,  but  that  gentleman  refused 
it,  saying  he  preferred  sleeping  in  the  top 
berth  over  the  table  on  the  other  side 
of  the  carriage ;  Mr.  Parenti  also  refused  it, 
saying  that  he  really  could  not  deprive  Mr. 
Ryall   of  his   bed.      He   further  said   that   he 


MR.  A.  PARENTI,  WHOSE  REFUSAL  OF  MR.  RYALL  S 
liKn  SAVED  HIS  OWN  LIFE.  THE  LION  HAD  TO 
STAN'I)     ON     MR.    PARENTl's     BODY   TO    REACH    THE 

/''rom  a]  victim.  [Photo. 


THE    LION    THAT   TURNED   THE   TABLES. 


227 


would  sleep  on  the  floor  with  his  feet  towards 
the  door  leading  into  the  carriage  from  the  end. 

After  a  few  jokes  had  been  passed  they  all 
three  settled  down  to  sleep,  it  being  decided 
that  Mr.  Ryall  should  keep  the  first  watch.  In 
order  to  do  so  he  left  the  door  open,  and  also 
left  a  window  open  on  each  side  of  the  carriage. 

I  will  now  let  Mr.  Huebner  tell  the  rest  of 
this  terrible  narrative  in  his  own  words  :  — 

"  I  went  to  sleep  shortly  after  1 1  p.m.  I  don't 
know  how  long  I  slept,  but  I  woke  up  with  a 
start  some  hours  later.  The  first  thing  I  heard 
on  becoming  conscious  was  a  slight  cry  from 
Mr.  Ryall,  and,  on  looking  over  the  edge  of 
my  bed,  I  was  horrified  and  sickened  to  see  a 
huge  lion  in  the  space  between  the  table  and 
Ryall's  bed.  The  great  brute  had  his  hind  legs 
on  Parenti'.'  prostrate  body  and  his  front  legs  on 


how  I  did  it  ;  it  must  have  been  sheer 
terror.  I  literally  jumped  on  to  the  lion's 
back,  as  there  was  no  space  on  the  floor  not 
occupied  by  the  immense  creature.  I  then  tried 
to  open  the  second  sliding  door  communicating 
with  the  bathroom  and  servants'  quarters,  but  to 
my  horror  found  it  held  fast  by  the  coolie 
servants  of  Mr.  Ryall.  Putting  forth  all  my 
strength,  I  at  last  succeeded  in  opening  the 
door  sufficiently  to  let  me  pass  through.  I 
closed  it  again  behind  me  with  feverish  eager- 
ness, after  which  the  coolies  tied  the  door  fast 
with  their  turbans.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
carriage  lurched  slightly  sideways,  and  we 
saw  the  lion  jump  through  the  open  window, 
carrying  Mr.  Ryall's  limp  and  swaying  body 
with  him.  As  he  leaped,  the  dreadful 
monster    broke     the     side    supports     of    the 


THE  GREAT    BRUTE    HAD    HIS    HIND    LEGS   ON    PARENTIS    PROSTRATE    BODV    AND    HIS    FRONT    LEGS   ON 

ryall's   CHEST." 


Ryall's  chest.  His  huge  jaws  were  closed  right 
over  the  left  breast  and  heart  of  the  unfortunate 
man.  I'he  sliding  door  was  slowly  closing 
behind  him  owing  to  his  extra  weight  and  the 
already  sharp  angle  at  which  the  carriage  was 
standing. 

"  It  is  impossible  fairly  to  describe  my  feelings. 
I  was  positively  stricken  dumb  with  horror  and 
terror  at  the  awful  sight.  After  a  few  moments 
I  saw  that  poor  Ryall  was  already  dead,  and  as 
I  could  only  see  on  the  floor  a  confused  heap  of 
clothes,  blankets,  boots,  and  rifles,  I  naturally 
believed  that  Parenti  also  had  been  killed. 
There  was  only   one   thing  to  do,  yet  I  marvel 


window  in  his  passage.  I  then  shouted  to  see  if 
Parenti  were  still  alive,  and  after  several  moments 
received  a  reply  from  him  about  fifty  yards  away 
in  the  bush.  For  Parenti,  I  must  tell  you,  had 
run  away  this  distance  after  jumping  through 
the  carriage  window  under  my  bed,  on  the 
opposite  side  to  that  through  which  the  lion  had 
jumped." 

It  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  both  Messrs. 
Parenti  and  Huebner  escaped  without  a  scratch 
or  bruise  anywhere,  except  in  the  case  of  the 
former,  who  slightly  cut  the  palms  of  his  hands 
in  jumping  through  the  window.  But  Parenti's 
escape  was  miraculous,  indeed,  if  ever  the  word 


-'3S- 


THE    WlDl':    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


WE   SAW   THE    I.ION    JUMl'   THROUGH    THE   OPEN    WINDOW,    CARRVIXG    MR.    RVALL  S    LIMP 

AND   SWAYING   BODY." 


mav  fairly  be  used.  The  man-entinq  lion  had 
literally  to  walk  on  him  to  get  at  the  unfortunate 
Ryall,  and  it  must  be  noted  that  when  Mr. 
Huebner  looked  the  lion  was  partly  standing  on 
the  prostrate  Parenti. 

The  mangled   body  of  the  strangely-chosen 
victim     was    recovered 
next   day  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  station. 

In  conclusion,  I  beg 
to  state  that  the  above 
story  is  absolutely  true 
in  ever)'  word,  and  can 
be  vouched  for  both  by 
Messrs.  Huebner  and 
Parenti,  as  also  by  the 
Indian  servants  of  Mr. 
Ryall  and  the  station- 
master  at  Kimaa.  The 
broken  condition  of  the 
carriage  and  the  terrible 


A  reward  of  one  hundred 
pounds  sterling"  is  offered 
for  the  destruction  of  the 
Man-eating"  lion  at  Kimaa. 
(Signed)  F.  Rawson. 

Acting  Chief  Engineer, 

Uganda  Railway. 
Nairobi,  27th  June  1900. 


state  of  the  floor  would  no  doubt  be  certified  to 
by  any  of  the  ofificials  of  the  Uganda  Railway  at 
Nairobi. 

A  public  notice  (here  reproduced  in  reduced 
facsimile)  was  posted  offering  one  hundred 
pounds  reward   to  the  person   who  should  kill 

the  dreaded  monster ; 
but  though  this  reward 
was  and  is  still  at  the 
time  of  writing  being 
offered  by  the  Acting 
Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Uganda  Railway,  no 
one  has  yet  succeeded  in 
earning  it  and  ridding  us 
of  so  dangerous  a  pest. 
The  brute,  by  the  way, 
has  since  taken  away 
several  natives,  and 
wounded  many  others 
besides  Indian  employes. 


1HIS    IS   A    KEDL'CEn    fACSIMILE    ,-)F    THE    REWARD    NOTICE    Ismni 
F.Y   THE    RAILWAY   OI'MCIALS. 


In  the  Land  of  the  ''King  of   Kings.'' 


Written    and    Illustrated    ry  Victor    Goedorp,    of   Paris. 

Here  is  another  of  M.  Goedorp's  fascinating  articles  on  Abyssinia,  in  which  he  describes,  among  many 
other  things,  an  audience  of  the  Emperor  Menelik  and  a  fishing  excursion  made  by  His  Majesty.  The 
photographs  are  quite  unique,  and  were  secured,  in  many  cases,  with  considerable  difficulty.  For 
example,  the  photograph  of  the  Empress  Taitou  (who  is  said  to  measure  6ft.  round  the  waist !)  is 
quite  unique.     Her  Majesty  is  bitterly  hostile  to  Western  progress. 


The    time 


HE  throne  of  Menehk 
of  Abyssinia,  "  King  of 
Kings  "  and  Lion  of 
Judah,  is  not  accessible 
to  the  common  herd, 
necessitated     and     the 

that    must    perforce     be 


expenses 

incurred,  to  say  nothing  of  the  risks 
to  be  undertaken  and  the  difficulties 
to  be  contended  with,  make  for- 
midable obstacles  even  for  the 
richest  and  the  most  daring. 

He  who  would  journey  in  the 
land  of  the  Negus  must  not  imagine 
that  he  is  going  to  start  on  a  trip 
to  "  lovely  Lucerne."  Imagine  the 
passport  system  of  Russia  about 
100  per  cent,  worse,  and  you  will 
get  an  excellent  idea  of  what 
awaits  you  in  Abyssinia.  We  pub- 
lish here  a  facsimile  of  a  passport 
granted  by  King  Menelik.  The 
chief  characteristic  of  this  document 
is  the  fact  that  it  fails  to  bear  the 
signature  of  the  great  monarch.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  his  seal  is  all  that 
is  necessary. 

The  traveller  in  Abyssinia  must 
have  the  terms  of  his  passport  accu- 
rately translated  to 
him  ;  otherwise  some 
unpleasantness  is  al- 
most sure  to  occur. 
M.  de  Bonchamps, 
sent  by  the  Minister  of 
the  Colonies  to  meet 
the  Marchand  mis- 
sion on  the  right  arm 
of  the  Nile,  was  given 
a  passport  which  ran 
as  follows  :  "  M.  de 
Bonchamps  has  my 
authority  to  plant  my 
flag  on  the  Nile  from 
Baro  to  the  AVhite 
Nile  !  " 

From  the  moment 
that  one  sets  foot  in 
Abyssinia  one's  chief 
surprise     is    that    of 


)f- *  <«  A.  c  -  Tt  00-.  >  t  A"-)'' '  XX>>^ 
Ǥt7-  ^^^  r.aT-.y,  -t  d^-  f 


THIS    IS   M.    goedorp's    PASSl'ORT   OR   PERMIT 

TO    ENTER     THE     REALM     OF    THE    "  LIO.N"   01' 

JUDAH." 


seeing  so  few  Abyssinians. 
This  sounds  paradoxical, 
but  is  perfectly  true.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  from  Harrar 
to  Addis-Ababa  one  meets 
more  Gallas  than  Abys- 
sinians, and  even  at  Addis- 
Ababa,  the  seat  of  Govern- 
ment, the  natives  are  not 
in  the  majority.  This  is, 
of  course,  not  the  case 
throughout  Abyssinia,  for 
the  towns  of  Aukober, 
Gondar,  and  Ascoum  are 
almost  entirely  populated 
by  natives.  In  my  first 
article  on  Abyssinia  I  spoke 
of  the  resources  of  Abys- 
sinia, and  I  enumerated  the 
various  goods  sold  in  the 
market  of  Addis-Ababa. 

Here  is  a  photograph  of 
the  market-place.  The  build- 
ings surrounded  by  a  pali- 
sade are  Menelik's  chief 
Customhouse.  I  had  the 
good  luck  to  get  into  the 
place,  an  extremely  difficult 
matter,  and  I  was  able  to  take 


HERE   IS   AN    l.Ml'KESblVE    VIEW   OF    I  H  li    CROWDED    SATURDAY    MARKET    AT   THE   CAl'ITAL,    ADDIS-ABABA. 

Fiom  a  Photo, 


-S'^ 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


order 


ground. 


AT    -.liK    APlM-i-Ar-.MiA    Cl'STOM-HOrSE  —  SKINS,    COFFEE,    AND 
i'lvin  a]  IVOKY    AKE    THE   CHIEF    EXrORTS.  \Photo. 


a  photograph — 
"  on  the  sly  " — 
showing  the  ele- 
p  h  a  n  t  tusks 
brought  long  dis- 
tances and  lying 
in  delightful  dis- 


A    TklAI,    OR   JUDGMENT    IN    PROGRESS     IN    THE    MARlCET-l'LACE. 

From  a\  curious  seat  of  the  judge. 


on  the 
Abys- 
sinias  Custom- 
houses  are 
mostly  concern- 
ed with  such 
articles  of  mer- 
chandise  as 
skins,  coffee, 
ivory,  and  musk. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  Abyssinia  possesses 
important  gold   mines ;    but,    whether   this    be 
true  or  not,  so  far  only  one  has  been  discovered, 
and  that  in  the  province 
of  I^ekat.  Menelik,  upon 
being    informed   of    this 
find,    at   once    took  the 
advice   of    M.   Ilg,    who 
is  at  the  same  time  his 
engineer,  his  architect,  his 
secretary,  and  his  Premier, 

:it  for  M.  Comboul, 

ng  expert,  who  came 
post-haste  to  Abyssinia. 
He  found  gold  right 
enough,  but  even  with 
native  labour  the  precious 
metal  when  laid  bare 
cost  a  third  more  than 
its  value  in  Europe  ! 
In  the  market-place  there 
is  a  rough  cabin  of  such 
extremely  rudimentary 


architecture,  that  one's  curiosity  as  to 
its  use  is  at  once  aroused.  It  serves 
the  double  purpose  of  pigeon-house 
and  trapper's  hut,  and  it  is  there  that 
the  judge,  who  settles  disputes  among 
the  merchants,  sits  to  hear  cases. 
On  market  days,  too,  a  representative 
of  the  chief  Customs'  ofifice  levies  the 
duties  determined  by  Imperial  edict. 

In  Europe  we  have  four  seasons ;  in 
Abyssinia  there  are  but  two,  the  drv 
and  the  wet.     The  latter  season  is  held 

in  dread  by  the 
Aby  ssinians, 
and  King  Mene- 
lik himself  sets 
the  example  of 
taking  precau- 
tions to  guard 
against  the 
ravages  of  the 
tropical  rain  by 
directing  the 
drainage  works 
in  person.  Nor 
is  it  an  uncom- 
mon sight  to 
see  this  stout 
but  active  mon- 
arch hard  at 
work  building 
a  house.  He 
is  seen  on  the 
right  of  our  pho- 
tograph under 
the  traditional 
red  umbrella,  emblem  of  his  might,  directing 
the  work  of  a  house  and  giving  his  orders  like 
any     member     of     the     Institute     of     British 


observe    THE 

{Photo. 


h'ro:n  a\ 


i.l.lK     HIMSELF    ASSISTING    AT    THE    DRAINAGE   WORKS- 
BUSINESS   CONSIDERING   THE   SIX    MONTHS'    RAIN. 


iPJwto. 


IN    THE    LAND    OF   THE    "KINll    OK    KINGS.' 


231 


Architects.  The 
immense  build- 
ing in  the  next 
photograph 
gives  a  good 
idea  of  Ethio- 
pian architec 
ture.  It  is  the 
largest  house  in 
Abyssinia,  and 
is  used  as  the 
adera  s e d,  or 
Imperial  dining- 
room.  Here 
Menelik  loves  to 
collect  his  offi- 
cers and  soldiers 
and  entertain  them  at  gorgeous  banquets.  It 
is,    indeed,    an  interesting    sight    to   see   these 


THE        LION'    OF   JUDAH, 
From  «] 


IXDULGES    IN    HOUSE- 
SLAVES    BRINGING 


ters  are  ordi- 
narily received. 
Imagine  a  huge 
square  room 
painted  white, 
reached  by  a 
wide  wooden 
staircase.  At  the 
bottom  was  a 
platform,  cover- 
ed with  Eastern 
carpets  a  n  d 
cushions,  which 
formed  Mene- 
lik's  throne.  As 
a  matter  of  fact, 
the  Lion  of 
Judah  possesses  a  more  imposing  seat  than  this 
in  the  shape  of  a  huge  oak  chair,  which  cost 


BUILDING.      NOTICE  THE    HUNDREDS    OF 
BEAMS,    ETC.  [Photo. 


THI 

/•'roil!  a\ 


WITH    SOLDIERS    Is   THE    IMPERIAL 
OF    DRINKING    AND   GORfilN 


uats 


over    5 
At  the 


dusky  warriors  drinking  their  national  hydromel 

out  of  huge  cowhorns  and  feasting  on  bo?ido, 

which    is    nothin" 

less  than  raw  beef 

very     strongly 

spiced. 

The  ceremonial 
connected  with  the 
audience  which 
Menelik  accords 
to  Europeans  is 
extremely  simple. 
One  day,  when  I 
went  with  M.  Jules 
Moquet,  who 
wanted  to  obtain 
an  agricultural 
concession,  they 
ushered  us  into  the 
room     where     the 

.      .  A    tUROl'EAN    I'ASSES   AN    ABYSSINIAN   GUIDE   ON 

European      Minis-       From  a]  capital. 


DINING-ROOM,    IN    WHICH    TAKE   PLACE   THE   ORGIES 

;.  [P/ioio. 

0,000   francs   and    comes   from    France, 
foot  of  the  throne  was  another  carpet, 

embroidered  with 
the  design  of  a 
lion,  and  two 
chairs  for  the  visi- 
tors completed  the 
furniture  of  Mene- 
lik's  reception- 
room.  When  we 
entered  several 
Abyssinian  priests, 
squatting  on  the 
ground,  read  verses 
from  the  sacred 
books.  \Ve  did  not 
seem  to  disturb 
them  much.  They 
just  raised  their 
eyes  for  a  second, 
iP/toto.        and  then  went  on 


■S2 


Tin-:    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


with  inappropriate  ques- 
tions in  order  to  give 
time  for  reflection  is 
characteristic  of  Abys- 
sinian chiefs.  1  confess  I 
was  surprised  to  find 
King  Menehk  resorting 
to  this  strategy,  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  quite  apart 
from  the  professional 
necessity  for  such  tactics, 
his  mind  is  not  easily 
concentrated  on  serious 
subjects.  I  hastened  to 
assure  His  Majesty  that  a 
French  cow  could  easily 
give  at  least  eight  and  often 


had  scarcely 
King  entered 
we    had    not 


71. E    KKUN1"N    III       rill-     KRKSCH    CIM.OVV 
.'.  ;    ALDIS-AKABA.       THE    OFFICER    IS    M.    LAGAKDE, 

From  a\  the  frenxh  ambassador.     [Phoio. 

with  their  reading,  evidently  de- 
lighted to  give  us  a  proof  of  their 
religious  fervour.  Ten  minutes 
passed  before  the  Negus's  in- 
terpreter, Grazmatch  Joseph, 
came  to  warn  us  of  Menelik's 
approach,  and  he 
spoken  before  the 
by  a  door  which 
:to  noticed. 

iic  settled  himself  comfortably 
on  his  cushions  and  the  conversa- 
tion began.  He  allowed  us  to 
talk  for  several  minutes  without 
interruption,  then  he  suddenly 
stopped  the  in- 
terpreter and 
asked  : — 

*'  Tell  me,  do 
the  cows  of  your 
country  really 
give  more  milk 
than  ours  ?  " 

As  the  ques- 
tion had  nothing 
whatever  to  do 
with  what  we 
were  talking 
about  it  rather 
surprised  us  at 
first,  but  we  re 
membered  tha' 
the  habit  ot 
interrupting  seri- 
ous arguments 


f>-oin  a 


tKIAL   master's    FAVOUKIIE    iMULE.        [Photo. 


sixteen  tmies  as 
much  milk  as  its 
Abyssinian  equi- 
valent. 


get 


THE   EMPEROR    MENEI.IK    ORGANTZES   A    1 

From  a\ 


,!■,     I   IMn-.(,     I'ARTV. 
ON    THE    LEFT,    WEARING    A    BROAU-bKIMMEU    HAT 


(menelik  sits 
)  IPhoio. 


"  I  must 
some  French 
cows,"  remarked 
the  Lion  of 
Judah. 

We  expressed 
our  humble  plea- 
sure to  find  His 
Majesty  so  inter- 
ested in  agricul- 
tural questions. 

"  The  fortune 
of  my  country 
lies  in  the  land," 
he  replied. 


IN    THE    LAND    OF   THE    "KING   OF    KINGS." 


233 


chanism  he  understood  it  as  well 
as  we  did,  and  for  two  days 
talked  of  nothing  but  his  new 
plaything.  He  even  had  it 
taken  over  to  M.  Ilg,  with  the 
command  "  that  he  was  to  make 
some  French  butter  at  once." 
Madame    Ilg  was  very  hurt  at 


THE    CONQL'EKED    (jALLAS    L         :    .  :       .    Tl.MBEU     1 
MENELIK    IN    TOKEN    OF    SUBMISSION. 

From  a  Photo. 

"  Quite  so,"  we  answered,  "  but 
in  Abyssinia  the  farmer  possesses 
nothing  but  very  rudimentary 
implements  with  which  to  make 
the  land  productive." 

"  Yes,"  said  Menelik,  "  it  would 
be  an  excellent  idea  to  introduce 
European  methods  of  agriculture 
into  Abyssinia,  but  my  people 
would  soon 
break  the  imple- 
ments." 

We  then  told 
him  ihat,  know- 
ing his  great 
interest  in  agri- 
cultural matters, 
we  had  brought 
him  a  centrifugal 
churn,  and  we 
proceeded  to 
show  him  how 
to  use  it.  The 
Negus  could  not 
believe  his  eyes 
or  ears.  To  make 
butter  in  an 
hour  seemed  to 
him  utterly  im- 
possible ! 

"  I  must  have 
a  proper  demon- 
stration of  this 
machine  to-mor- 
row," he  said. 

He  was  hugely 
interested,  and 
quite  under- 
stood the  causes 
which  brought 
about  the  result. 
After  we '  had 
thoroughly  ex- 
plained the  me- 


A   GREAT   RELIUIUUS    F&TE  AT   THE   CHUkCH    nF    ENIOTI'O,    IN    WHICH   THE    EMI'EKOR 

Fro^n  d\  was  crowned.  \JPhotO. 

her  husband 
being  treated 
like  a  vulgar 
cook,  but  M. 
Ilg,  though  he 
was  much  an- 
noyed, did  what 
he  was  bid.  M. 
Ilg  is  a  wise 
man,  who  knows 
his  Negus. 

As  we  left  the 
audience -cham- 
ber we  noticed 
the  Emperor's 
mule,  and  had 
a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  exam- 
ining its  gor- 
geous trappings 
of  red  leather 
incrusted  in 
gold  and  mar- 
vellously work- 
ed. The  beast's 
collar  consisted 
of  a  very  mas- 
sive silver  chain, 
studded  with 
precious  stones, 
and  the  saddle 
was  quite  a 
work  of  art. 
The  Abyssinian 


THE   EMFKESS 


I  HIS    IS   THE   ONLY   PHOTOGRAPH    EVER    TAKEN    OF    MENELIK  b    WUi: 

MENELIK,    WHO   NOW   ABSOLUTELY   REFUSES   TO   SEE   EUROPEAN    VISITORS. 


-\u 


THK     WIDK     WORLD     MACA/INE. 


who  was  holdiiT'  the  mule  remarked  :  "  I  am 
quite  sure  that  in  your  country  mules  don't 
carry  such  fortunes  on  their  backs." 

A  few  days  after  our  audience  of 
the  King  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
assisting  at  a  "sport,"  at  which  Menelik 


had    Ions    desired    to 


his    hand. 


.^    ......^    ..    try 

Someone  had  told  him  that  there  was 
no  easier  way  of  killing  fish  than  by 
exploding  dynamite  under  the  water. 
He  wouldn't  believe  it  possible,  but  all 
the  same  determined  to  try  the  ex- 
|>eriment  in  the  River  Okaki,  which 
literally  teems  with  fish. 

A  great  crowd  followed  the  King  of 
Kings  on  his  way  to  "fish."  In  an 
hour  a  dozen  cartridges  were  exploded 
and  over  six  hundred  fish  floated  dead 
to  the  surface,  to  the  great  surprise  of 
the  Ethiopian  audience.  His  Majesty 
was  literally  astounded  by  the  result. 

On  our  way  back  from  the  fishing 
excursion  we  came  upon  the  pathetic 
sight  shown  in  the  next  photograph — 
hordes  of  (ialla  slaves,  weak  and  ill, 
bringing  wood  to  the  Imperial  Palace 
in  token  of  thei--  "'^mission  to  the 
Royal  despot.     ]  ndeed,  a  melan- 

choly sight  to  see  these  troops  of  men 
marching  dejectedly  over  the  arid  plains 
of  Abyssinia.  Our  interpreter  ex 
plained  that  Menelik  had  to  make  use 
of  these  people  in  some  way  or  another, 
and  that  he  made  them  contribute  in 
this  way  to  the  construction  of  th^ 
various  buildings  in  (luebi.  As  :i 
matter  of  fact,  it  is  not  long  .since 
MeneUk  left  Entotto,  his  former  capital. 


The  Abyssinians 
deeply  deplore 
the  change,  and 
every  year  a  vast 
crowd  collects 
round  the  old 
Christian  church, 
the  only  build- 
ing left,  one  of 
the  finest  in 
Ethiopia.  It  was 
here  that  Mene- 
lik and  Taitou 
were  crowned. 

The  Abyssinian 
church  of  Harrar 
is  not  half  so  fine 
architecturally, 
and  all  the  pub- 
lic   buildings    of 
Harrar  are  primi- 
tive and   barbarian.       Look  at  the  photograph 
of  the  entrance  to  Ras  Makonnen's  palace,  for 
example,  with  its  weird  lions  standing  sentinel 
above  it,  and  the  dried  elephants' 

-^ 1      tails — ample   proof  of   the   lack 

of    resource    possessed    by    the 
decorators  of  Harrar. 


yi'hoto. 


THE    I'.AKBARIC    ENTliANCl-;   GATE    TO    RAS    M  AKON  N  Kn's    I'AI.ACE   AT    HARKAK. 

From  d\  NoiicE  the  hanging  elephants'  tails.  [Photo. 


Dambu  's   Diversion, 

THE    STORY   OF   A    DANGEROUS    MAN -HUNT. 

By   F.    H.    Kelly,    Barrister- at- Law,    and   Ex- District-Commissioner   of   the 

Gold  Coast  Colony*. 

Mr.  Kelly  here   describes  one   of  those  tragi-comic  incidents  which  are  constantly  turning  up  to  vex 

and  jeopardize  the  lives  of  officials   in  what  may  be  termed  the  more  "savage"  of  our  Colonies.     That 

Dambu's  outbreak   did    not    end  fatally  was  the  merest  chance.     He  played   hide-and-seek  with   great 

success,   and    the    manner  of  his  discovery  was  distinctly  peculiar. 


HE  recent  military  operations  in 
Ashanti  have  demonstrated  the  re- 
markable strength  and  endurance  of 
our  Hausa  soldiers.  That  the  Hausa 
soldier,    when     led    by    an     English 

officer,    is   one  of 

the  finest  fighting 

men  in  the  world 

cannot  be  denied; 

and     the     soldier 

whose  escapade  I 

am    about    to   re- 
late must  only  be 

accepted  as  a  fair 

type  of  that  loyal 

and  distinguished 

body  of    men    in 

so    far     as     the 

possession    of 

great    bodily 

strength     is    con- 
cerned. 

The      man's 

name  was  Dambu, 

and     he     was 

arrested     by     the 

Civil  police  for  a 

serious    assault 

committed   in  the 

town    of   Elmina, 

in  the  Gold  Coast 

Colony.      He  was 

marched     off     to 

the     Castle     and 

duly    locked     up 

in  the  police  cell, 

the  door  of  which 

was    about    three 

inches    in     thick- 
ness, and  covered 

with    iron    plates. 

The  possibility  of 

a     prisoner     breaking 

imagined,    the    door   being 

construction. 

Dambu     was     the    only     occupant    of 

cell,     and     he    remained    perfectly    quiet 

about    two     hours,     when     the     attention 


THE    AUTHOR,    MR.    F, 


out 


could    hardly   be 
of    such     massive 


the 

for 

of 


the  police  corporal  in  charge  was  attracted 
by  a  rending  sound,  quickly  followed  by  a 
crash.  The  cell  door  fell  to  the  ground,  much 
of  the  woodwork  being  splintered,  and  the  iron 
plates — a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  mark 

you— twisted  into 
fantastic  shapes. 
The  prisoner 
rushed  out  with 
the  swiftness  of 
a  hare  and  dis- 
appeared in  the 
direction  of  the 
courtyard  of  the 
Castle.  The  wreck- 
age presented  the 
appearance  of 
having  been 
caused  by  the 
mad  rush  of  a 
wild  elephant. 

That  Dambu, 
who  vi'as  only 
about  5ft.  6in.  in 
height,  should 
have  accomplished 
such  destruction, 
quite  unaided  and 
without  the  assist- 
ance of  any  tools 
whatever,  seemed 
little  short  of  a 
miracle ;  and  pro- 
fessional strong 
men  in  Europe 
would,  I  imagine, 
have  an  exceed- 
ingly tough  rival 
if  he  were  to 
appear  on  the 
scene.  The 
prisoner  rushed 
through  the  Hausa  guard -room,  snatched  a 
Martini  rifle  from  the  stand,  and  continued 
his  headlong  career  through  the  courtyard 
and  into  one  of  the  sleeping  apartments,  which 
contained  several  cubicles  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  soldiers. 


H.    KELI.Y,    FHOTOGRAPHKD   SIDE    BY   SIDE   WITH   THE 
FAMOUS    KING    PRE.MIEH. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Actinus,  Gold  Coa^t. 


^^6 


THE    Wini':    WORLD    MACAZINE. 


Ill  the  ordinary  course  of  events  the  man 
could  not  have  '  become  possessed  of  any 
cartridges.  The  magazine,  however,  had  been 
o\erhauled  only  a  few  days  previously,  and  I 
had  reason  to  believe  that  some  of  the  men  had 
not  accounted  for  all   the  cartridges  that   had 


proceed  alone  and  endeavour  to  induce  him  to 
give  up  the  rifle  and  evacuate  his  temporary 
fortress. 

Fortified  with  the  belief  that  he  would  not, 
unless  greatly  provoked,  fire  at  a  white  man,  I 
entered    the   spacious   apartment.      Guided  by 


THE  CELL  DOOK  FELL  TO  THE  GROUND,  AND  THE  PRISONER  RUSHED 
OUT  WITH  THE  SWIFTNESS  OF  A  HARF." 


been  "        '  lying  about  the  floor ;  some  of  the 

case- ^  given   way,   owing  to  the  rotten 

state  of  the  wood,  and  the  contents  deposited 
all  over  the  place.  The  cartridges  surrepti- 
tiously appropriated  were  probably  intended  for 
hunting  purposes. 

I  felt  some  doubt  as  to  whether  the  man  was 
bluffing,  or  whether  he  really  had  previously 
secreted  some  cartridges.  If  he  had  done  so, 
then  the  probabilities  were  that  the  rifle  was 
loaded.  However,  I  decided  to  take  for  granted 
that  the  rifle  was  loaded,  and  in  that  case  I  felt 
satisfied  that,  if  a  black  policeman  or  another 
soldier  were  sent  to  effect  his  arrest,  there  would 
be  almost  certain  bloodshed.  Therefore,  I 
thought   the   belter  plan  would  be  for   me  to 


the  feeble  ray  of  light  that  penetrated  the  place 
I  groped  my  way  cautiously.  Suddenly  I  came 
upon  a  rifle-barrel,  which  projected  through  the 
half-opened  door  of  one  of  the  cubicles.  It  was 
hardly  3ft.  from  my  breast,  and  the  probabilities 
were  that  if  I  attempted  to  seize  it  the  escaped 
black  would  consider  me  guilty  of  an  "unfriendly 
act,"  and  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment  fire. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  felt  that,  even  if  I  did 
succeed  in  seizing  it,  I  should  be  a  mere 
plaything  in  the  hands  of  a  man  who  had  so 
recently  given  such  a  remarkable  exhibition  of 
prodigious  strength. 

By  the  aid  of  signs  and  gestures  (he  could 
speak  very  little  English)  I  did  all  that  lay  in 
my   power  to  persuade  the   man   to   leave  his 


DAMBU'S    DIVERSION. 


237 


retreat,  but  the  attempt  was  in  vain.  I  suppose 
the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  such  a  pro- 
ceeding might  prematurely  interfere  with  his 
programme. 

Feeling  satisfied  that  no  good  purpose  was  to 
be  served  by  remaining  in  such  close  proximity 
to  the  barrel  of  his  rifle  I  retreated,  walking  in  a 
leisurely  manner,  so  as  to  convince  him  that  I 
was  not  suffering  from  any  nervous  agitation ; 
for,  whatever  my  feelings  may  have  been,  I 
quite  appreciated 
the  importance  of 
preserving  a  calm 
demeanour.  Ex- 
perience has  taught 
me  that  an  appa- 
rent contempt  for 
danger  is  often 
one's  best  safe- 
guard, either  when 
altogether  unarmed 
or  else  pitted 
against  overwhelm- 
ing odds.  After 
taking  a  few  steps 
I  safely  emerged 
from  the  apart- 
ment. For  some 
moments  I  felt 
puzzled  as  to  what 
measures  it  would 
now  be  advisable 
to  adopt,  since  my 
mission  had  not 
been  attended  with 
success. 

At  last  the  idea 
occurred  to  me 
that  the  pangs  of 
hunger  might 
render  this  danger- 
ous fugitive  a  little 
more  submissive 
and  cause  him  to 
surrender.  With 
this  object  in  view 
I  gave  instructions 
for  the  entrance  to  the  apartment  to  be  bar- 
ricaded and  a  sentry  placed  in  charge.  I 
then  took  my  departure  from  the  scene  of 
operations,  feeling  proud  of  my  achievement  in 
circumventing  the  enemy. 

In  order  to  reach  my  quarters  I  had  to  cross 
the  courtyard,  and.  on  approaching  the  other 
side,  whom  should  I  see  but  Dambu  himself — 
the  man  I  believed  to  be  safely  locked  up 
across  the  way  !  His  glaring  eyes  were  peering 
through  a  doorway,  but  directly  he  perceived 
me  in  the  semi-darkness — for  it  was  now  nearly 


lUb  1j1.a:;;.\i,  eves  ueke  ieeiciMj    1  iikulc^h  a  dookwa'i'. 


eight  o'clock  in  the  evening — he  disappeared. 
The  mystery  of  his  escape  I  was  never  able  to 
solve,  but  I  assumed  that  he  must  have  been 
acquainted  with  some  secret  passage.  I  at 
once  raised  an  alarm,  and  announced  that  I 
had  just  seen  the  man  at  large  whom  we  all 
believed  to.be  safely  shut  up  and  guarded  by  a 
sentry.  My  statement  was  greeted  with  sceptical 
glances  on  every  side,  but  nevertheless  I  felt 
confident  that  my  eyesight  had  not  played  me 

false. 

Search  parties 
were  at  once  in- 
stituted, for  I  con- 
sidered that  the 
presence  of  a  re- 
bellious Hausa 
soldier  in  our 
midst,  armed  with 
a  rifle  (and  it  was 
reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  he  was 
in  possession  of 
cartridges,  too), 
was,  under  the 
peculiar  circum- 
stances of  the 
case,  hardly  con- 
ducive to  pleasant 
and  peaceful 
slumbers.  The 
idea  also  occurred 
to  me,  since  I 
saw  his  somewhat 
distorted  features 
in  the  doorway, 
that  the  man 
might  be  suffering 
from  a  fit  of  mad- 
ness, and  in  that 
case  he  would  be 
doubly  dangerous. 
When  the  others 
fully  realized  that 
I  had  actually  seen 
the  late  prisoner 
I  think  they  began 
to  feel  some  sneaking  respect  for  him,  and 
to  appreciate  the  absolute  necessity  of  his 
re-capture  and  confinement  in  a  place  of  safety 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  About  three 
hours  were  spent  in  searching  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  Castle,  from  turret  to  basement — 
not  a  slight  undertaking  when  it  is  remembered 
that  there  were  scores  of  apartments  to  be 
visited.  But  the  search  was  fruitless.  Dambu's 
place  of  concealment  still  remained  undis- 
covered. 

That  he  could  not  have  eluded  our  vigilance 


-\>S 


THE     WIDE     \VC)KLn     MAGAZINE. 


and  escaped  from  the  precincts  of  the  Castle 
allogether  I  felt  confident  :  for  there  were  only 
two  exits,  and  at  each  of  these  strong  guards 
were  stationed.  1  was  beginning  to  despair  of 
being  able  to  eflect  his  re-capture,  at  all  events 
until""  daylight  ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  did  not 
feel  justified  in  postponing  the  search,  for,  after 
all,  the  risk  was  a  very  real  one  that  he  might 
appear  in  any  part  of  the  Castle  during  the 
night  and  make 
his  presence  felt 
in  a  ver)'  terrible 
manner. 

The  search, 
therefore,  was 
continued,  but  I 
thought  that  I 
would  enjoy  a 
brief  respite  from 
my  labours  and 
take  a  promen- 
ade on  one  of 
the  battlements. 
A  brother  official 
walked  by  my 
side,  and  with 
him  I  discussed 
the  situation  in 
all  its  perple.xing 
bearings. 

Suddenly  my 
eyes  lighted 
up>on  a  small, 
oblong  -  shaped 
structure,  about 
3ft.  in  height 
and  2ft.  in 
breadth.  It 
occupied  one 
corner  of  the 
battlement,  and 
was  built  of 
brick  and 
cemented  on 
the  inside.  But 
for  what  purpose 
it  was  originally 
intended   I   could   never   understand. 

I  suggested  to  my  companion,  in  a  jocular 
sort  of  way,  that  the  mysterious  Hausa  soldier 
might  have  concealed  himself  in  the  "well,"  as 
we  were  pleased  to  call  the  unsightly  structure. 
The  mere  idea,  however,  was  ridiculous  enough 
to  cause  a  .smile  on  his  usually  inscrutable 
countenance.      I  don't  know  why,  but  I  lifted 


1    Lll-  ll;iJ    i  HE    I.IIJ,    A.\D   TO   OUR    LXSPEAKAELE   A.M.-^Zt.MENT 
gUAKRY    PRESENTED   HIMSELF  !" 


the  lid,  and  to  our  -unspeakable  amazement 
our  quarry  presented  himself,  hut  in  a  most 
extraordinary  manner.  He  must  have  slid  into 
the  aperture,  hind-quarters  first,  as  his  feet 
seemed  to  be  embracing  his  neck,  and  then  he 
must  have  carefully  replaced  the  lid. 

With  some  difficulty  the  captive  was  untied,  so 
to  speak,  and  extricated  from  his  ludicrous  posi- 
tion.  After  being  secured  with  handcuffs  and  leg- 
irons  he  was  ex- 
amined by  a  doc- 
tor, who  certified 
that  he  was  per- 
fectly sane,    but 
suffering     from 
the  effects  of  ex- 
cessive     indulg- 
ence in  alcohol. 
On  the  follow- 
ing day  he  made 
his     appearance 
in  the  dock,  and 
after    several 
somewhat 
serious     charges 
had  been  proved 
against   him    he 
was  sentenced 
to   the   w e  1  E 
merited    punish 
m  e n  t    of    six 
months'    hard 
labour.    Accord- 
ino;    to    the  evi- 
dence     adduced 
in  court  Dambu 
had  been  drink- 
ing   heavily   be- 
fore   his    arrest, 
and    it   is   quite 
probable    that 
he  was  suffering 
from    delirium 
when    he    broke 
out   of   the   cell 
and  took  refuge 
in  the  cubicle. 
If   that  were  so,   then    I    incurred  far   more 
risk    than     I     had    imagined    when     I    visited 
him,  for   he   did  possess   some  cartridges.     If 
his    delirium    had    been    of    longer    duration 
he    would   assuredly   have    "  run    amok,"    and 
then  I  dread  to  think  what   the   consequences 
might   have   been — probably   death   to   several 
of  us. 


Hoisting    the  Flag    in    a   Savage   Isle. 

By  "  An  Offical  who  was  Present." 

Here  is  an  amusing  account  of  a  quaint  State  ceremonial-  nothing  less  than  the  hoisting 
of  the  Union  Jack  over  the  little  Polynesian  island  of  Niue,  which  lies  far  out  of  the  beaten 
track     of     ships.      We    are    fortunate    in     being    able     to    reprodiice     actual     photographs    of    the 

interesting    King,  with    his  Queen,  Court,  and    people. 


O  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria, 
Queen  of  Great  Britain,  the  first 
kingdom  of  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world.  We,  the  Chiefs  and 
Rulers  and  Governors  of  Niue- 
Fekai,  desire  to  pray  Your  Majesty,  if  it  be 
your  pleasure,  to  stretch  out  towards  us  your 
mighty  hand  that  Niue  may  hide  herself  in 
it  and  be  safe." 

Thus  wrote  Fataaiki,  King  of  Savage  Island, 
thirteen  years  ago,  and  "  the  first  kingdom  of 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,"  having  taken 
thirteen  years  to  think  about  it,  and  having 
received  two  other  letters  even  more  pressingly 
worded,  reluctantly  consented  to  stretch  out  her 
mighty  hand. 

Perhaps  something  more  than  pure  philan- 
thropy led  her  to  consent.  Five  years  ago, 
when  the  Germans  began  to  show  a  feverish 
haste  in  developing  their  plantations  in  Samoa, 
and  the  supply  of  labour  from  the  Melanesian 
Islands  began  to  fail.  Savage  Island  was  dis- 
covered to  have  a  value.  Alone  of  all  the  Poly- 
nesian races,  the  Niueans  were  found  to  possess 
a  love  of  travel  and  a 
positive  liking  for  hard 
work.  But,  just  as 
the  Germans  began  to 
cast  eyes  upon  them 
as  a  promising  recruit- 
ing ground  for  planta- 
tion labourers,  war 
broke  out  in  Samoa, 
and  the  Niueans,  who 
had  a  separate  quarter 
in  the  town  of  Apia, 
went  in  a  body  to 
our  Vice-Consul  and 
claimed  his  protection 
as  British  subjects.  It 
was  impossible  to 
turn  away  people  who 
are  our  fellow-subjects 
by  inclination,  and, 
to  put  the  thing  at 
the  lowest,  our  need 
of  plantation  labour- 
ers is  tenfold  greater 
than  that  of  the  Ger- 
mans.     When,   there- 


fore, last  November  the  Samoa  Convention 
brought  about  a  division  of  interests  between 
England  and  Germany,  Savage  Island  was 
thrown  into  the  English  scale,  and  the  Imperial 
Commissioner,  who  was  sent  out  to  obtain  the 
consent  of  the  natives  of  Tonga  to  a  British 
protectorate,  took  the  little  island  on  his  w-ay. 

Niue  Hes  too  far  out  of  the  track  of  steamers 
for  any  definite  news  of  its  impending  fate 
to  have  reached  it.  Beyond  the  account  of 
Captain  Cook,  whom  the  natives  attacked  "with 
the  fury  of  wild  boars,"  and  a  few  reports 
scattered  through  the  journal  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  little  was  known  of  the 
island,  though  there  are  several  traders  and  a 
missionary  upon  it.  But  our  curiosity  was 
somewhat  damped  by  two  days'  steaming  from 
Tonga  across  that  tempestuous  sea  miscalled 
the  Pacific  in  a  seaway  that  would  have  tried 
steadier  vessels  than  H.M.S.  Porpoise. 

A  grey  cloud  -  bank,  stretching  north  and 
south  for  thirteen  miles  across  our  patli,  pre- 
sently grew  in  density  till  it  took  shape  as  a 
solid  island  about  200ft.  high,  without  a  hill  or 


BEFORE   THE   ANCHOR    DROPPED 


A    FLEET   OF   LITTI.E   CANOES    HAD    SWAR.MF.D    KDLND   THE   SHIP. 

From  a  Photo. 


-40 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    iMAGAZlNE. 


a  depression  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  sky- 
line. Looking  at  it  one  might  ahiiost  believe 
the  native  legend  tlial  the  god,  Alau'i,  having 
entangled  his  fish  hook  in  a  fissure  of  the  reef, 
hauled  it  bodily  out  of  the  water.  For  a  coral 
reef  it  was.  densely  covered  with  timber,  but  so 
honeyconilx^d  with  caverns  that  it  is  as  hollow 
as  a  sponge.  Before  the  anchor  dropped  a  fleet 
of  little  canoes  had  swarmed  round  the  ship,  and 
from  one  of  these  there  boarded  us  a  youth  who 
announced  himself  to  be  the  .son  of  the  late 
King,  and  to  be  ready,  despite  his  exalted 
rank,  to  act  as  pilot.  But  his  thoughts  were 
elsewhere,  and,  from  the  attentions  that  he  paid 
to  the  captain's  black  steward,  we  gathered  that 
it  was  not  from  public  spirit  that  he  had  volun- 
teered   his   services,    but    that   the   only   spirit 


off  all  the  men  were  seen  running  down  to  the 
water  with  planks  to  build  a  landing-stage, 
leaving  the  women  and  children  chattering 
above. 

As  soon  as  we  landed  messengers  ran  off  to 
the  four  points  of  the  compass  to  summon  the 
King  and  head  men  to  a  solemn  council  on  the 
morrow,  and  we  were  left  free  to  do  the  sights. 
The  people  were  quite  unlike  any  other  natives 
in  Polynesia.  Instead  of  being  dignified  and 
decorous  like  the  Tongans  and  Samoans,  the 
men  —  grey-headed  elders  and  all  ■ —  behaved 
like  a  lot  of  schoolboys ;  and  (alas  for  the 
picturesque  !)  they  all  wore  European  clothes 
without  boots.  In  this,  and  in  the  fact 
that  most  of  them  could  speak  a  few  words 
of    English,    the    handiwork    of    the    London 


A   PRIM     LITTLE   STREET   IN    ALOFI 


A    TERRACE   OF    VVHITE-VVALLED,    THATCHED   COTTAGES. 

Fro7n  a  Photo. 


potent  enough  to  draw  him  forth  from  the  shore 
was  that  which  is  kept  in  the  steward's  pantry. 
We  anchored  on  the  brink  of  a  submarine 
precipice— nineteen  fathoms  under  the  bow  and 
sixty-three  under  the  counter— and  banked  our 
fires  until  we  should  be  free  to  depart  from  so 
dangerous  an  anchorage. 

The  cliff  above  us  was  crowned  by  the 
neatest  little  village  in  all  tlie  South  Seas.  A 
terrace  of  white-walled,  thatched  cottages  fronted 
th"  —  all,  except  the  church  and  mission 
b'u  .  .  exactly  alike  in  size  and  shape,  even 
to  the  fixed  Venetian  shutters  that  covered  the 
windows.  Behind  them  was  the  thick  bush, 
but  the  grass  that  covered  every  inch  of  the 
street  was  trimmed  like  a  lawn,  and  waving 
palms  threw  a  lacc-work  of  shade  over  all.  A 
crowd,  as  gay  and  noisy  as  a  flock  of  parrots, 
lined  the  cliff-edge,  but  as  soon  as  our  boat  put 


Missionary  Society  was  to  be  seen.  Nor  could 
one  be  an  hour  on  shore  without  noticing  that 
it  was  an  island  of  women.  In  every  doorway 
sat  a  girl  plaiting  a  straw  hat ;  and  women  were 
moving  about  in  every  quarter  of  the  village. 
But,  except  a  few  who  were  trading  with  the 
ship,  not  a  man  was  to  be  seen. 

When  we  asked  our  guide  what  had  become 
of  them  he  swept  his  hand  comprehensively 
round  the  horizon.  They  were  everywhere,  it 
seemed,  except  at  home  where  they  ought  to 
have  been.  In  all  innocence  they  went  forth,  but 
came  back  after  labouring  a  year  in  the  white 
man's  vineyard  with  a  vocabulary  and  with 
morals  which,  in  the  missionary's  opinion,  far 
outweighed  the  money  in  their  pockets. 

Hard  by  this  village  of  Alofi  the  road  has  to 
mount  a  steep  bluff,  and  though  the  only  carts 
in  the  island  belong  to  the  traders,  they  deter- 


HOISTING    THE    FLAG    IN    A    SAVAGE     ISLE. 


241 


■  VILLAGE   GKKEN 


WHERE   THE   MEETING   WAS    HELU- 

Froin  a  Photo. 


mined  to  grade  the  road  for  wheel  traffic.  A 
few  charges  of  dynamite  would  have  done  the 
job  in  a  day,  but,  having  no  dynamite,  they  set 
to  work  in  the  only  fashion  they  could  devise, 
which  was  to  light  big  fires  on  the  limestone 
rock  and  then  break  away  the  calcined  surface 
with  hammers  a  few 
inches  at  a  time. 
That  road  will  be 
finished  some  day, 
but  it  will  not  be  in 
our  time,  nor  in  theirs. 
Ten  was  the  hour 
fixed  for  the  audi- 
ence, and  at  ten  we 
marched  to  the  village 


thermometer  at  88deg.  is 
trying  to  the  temper, 
and  when  our  messenger 
returned  from  the  Royal 
quarters  to  say  that  the 
King  was  still  dressing, 
we  were  sorely  tempted 
to  begin  the  proceedings 
without  him. 

It  afterwards  proved 
that  the  old  gentleman 
was  not  to  blame.  He 
had  fastened,  in  ample 
time,  the  last  button  of 
a  militia  uniform  lately 
imported  for  him  by  a 
trader,  but  an  officious 
Samoan  teacher  had 
made  him  take  it  off 
again  and  don  a  Samoan 
mat  -  petticoat  as  more 
respectful  to  so  exalted  a 
personage  as  the  Queen's 
Commissioner.  His 
Majesty  had  cheerfully 
submitted  to  the  change  ; 
but  when  it  came  to  depriving  him  of  his  military 
helmet,  plumed  with  cock's  feathers,  the  worm 
in  him  had  turned,  and  he  had  his  way. 

At  last  a  shout  brought  us  to  the  door  of  the 
school-house,  where  we  had  taken  shelter  from 
the  sun,  and  we  were  fain  to  confess  that  the 


-THE    KINGS   ARE   CROWNED    HERE. 


green, 
Kinsrs 


wh  ere  the 
^o  are  crowned. 
AVe  assumed  the  best 
dignity  we  knew,  for 
we  expected  to  find 
the  entire  Court 
assembled.  But  there 
was  no  Court.  A  few 
men  were  busy  rigging 
two  rough  awnings 
facing  one  another, 
and  the  usual  crowd 
of  women  and  boys 
were  chattering  in  th  ■ 
shade.  To  be  made 
to  wait  in  full-dress 
uniform    with    the 

Vol.  vi.— 29. 


■  WE    WERE    FAIN    TO   CONFESS    THAT   THE   ROYAL    PROCESSION    WAS   WORTH    WAITIiVG    FOR. 

From  a  Photo. 


Royal  procession 
was  worth  waitiiiL; 
fur.  At  its  head 
marched  a  dis- 
orderly rabble  of 
officers,  armed 
with  curious, 
paddle  -  shaped 
clubs  and  spears. 
IJehind  them  was 
a  remarkable-look- 
ins  old  gentleman 
in  a  home-made 
uniform  bespat- 
tered with  yellow 
anchors  and 
rounded  off  with 
an  ancient  and 
battered  beaver 
top  -  hat.  Their 
Majesties  followed 
him — the  Queen,  a 
fat  girl  of  eighteen, 
and  the  King,  an 
elderly  and  one- 
eyed  bridegroom 
of  seventy-six. 

Her  ^iajesty  wore  her  bridal  dress  of  white 
muslin  and  a  bonnet  of  artificial  roses.     She 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


"a    disorderly   RAMiLE   OF   OFFICERS   ARMED   WITH    CURIOUS,    TADDLE- 

Frcm  a]  shaped  clubs."  [Pkoto. 


was  of  humble 
origin,  and  the 
King  had  played 
Cophetua  to  her 
beggar  maid  but 
two  months  before 
our  arrival,  against 
the  wishes  of  his 
people.  For, 
despite  his  plain- 
tive manner,  he 
concealed  a  tena- 
cious obstinacy 
which  wore  down 
all  obstacles.  He 
had,  it  appeared, 
no  sort  of  right  to 
the  throne,  and 
when  he  first 
broached  the  idea 
of  his  election  to 
his  fellow-council- 
lors he  was  met 
with  a  flat  refusal. 
They  had  got  on 
very  well   for  two 


J'foiii  a\ 


I      •   ,     1     ■■.',>. 11     Ml   !,    1  :    ill     IIRESS  OF  WHITF,  MUSLIN 
AMI  A   l;(i\M-.  1    111-    Ak  I  II  li_L\L  ROSFS.'  [Photo. 


ROUNDED  OFF  WITH   AN   ANCIENT   AND    BATTERED   TOP-HAT.'" 
Prom  a  Pholo. 


years  without  a  King,  they  said,  and  why,  if  they 
had  to  choose  one,  should  they  elect  him  ?  But 
Tongia  was  like  the  drops  of  water  that  wear 
away  the  stone :  it  took  him  just  two  years  of 
monthly  councils  to  win  his  point,  and  then  the 


HOISTING    THE    FLAG    IN    A    SAVAGE    ISLE. 


243 


THE    KING   AND    HIS  COUNCILLORS —      AN    ELDERLY 

From  a\  bridegroom  of  seventy-six." 

council  sighed  wearily  and  elected  him. 

now  pursuing  the  question  of  a  Royal 

in  like  fashion.      If   they 

were  wise  they  would  vote 

him   a  Civil   list  without 

further  ado,  and  so  add 

years  to  their  own  lives. 

Modesty  has  never 
stood  in  His  Majesty's 
way.  He  began  life  under 
the  name  of  Folofonua, 
which  means  "  Horse  " — 
the  most  terrible  of  God's 
creatures  known  to  the 
men  of  those  days ;  in 
middle  life  he  changed 
it  for  Puleteaki  (Cireat 
Ruler)  ;  but  when  he 
would  be  King  this  was 
not  good  enough  for  him, 
and  he  revived  in  his  own 
favour  the  ancient  title  of 
Tongia,  which  is  more 
potent  still. 

Gracefully  lifting  his 
Samoan  petticoat  King 
Tongia     took     his     seat       From'a{ 


under  his  awning  in  a  windsor  chair,  and 
his  staff  sat  themselves  down  in  a  stiff  row 
on  the  forms  behind  him.  The  Com- 
missioner's speech  was  translated  by  Mr. 
Lawes,  the  missionary,  and  the  Commis- 
sioner presented  a  portrait  of  the  Queen. 
The  King  gazed  at  it  in  silence  for  several 
minutes,  and  was  then  observed  to  fumble 
in  his  waistband.  It  afterwards  transpired 
that  he  was  looking  for  a  florin  with  which 
to  tip  the  Commissioner  ;  but  as  there  are 
no  pockets  in  a  Samoan  mat  the  coin  had 
probably  tumbled  out  during  the  course  of 
the  procession,  and  the  Commissioner  had 
to  go  without  his  honorarium. 

W'e  adjourned  to  the  school-house  for 
the  signing  of  the  treaty  which  was  to  con- 
stitute the  Protectorate,  and  here  diffi- 
culties arose.  Every  Niuean  is  an  orator, 
and  there  was  not  a  man  or  woman  in  all 
that  assembly  who  had  not  come  primed 
with  a  speech.  If  the  Commissioner  had 
allowed  one  of  them  to  open  his  mouth  we 
should  still  be  sitting  on  that  village  green, 
unless  kindly  death  had  put  an  end  to  our 
sufi"erings.  No  sooner  were  we  within 
doors  than  three  orators  began  to  address 
the  crowd  at  once.  The  number  presently 
increased  to  eleven,  and  the  audience 
began,  on   their  own   account,    to   break 

AND  ONE-EYED  what  passes  for  silence  in  Niue. 

\Photo.  r^y^^  King's  officers  who  were  sent  out  to 

He  is         quell  the  riot  added  to  it  by  brandishing  their 

stipend         paddle-clubs  over  the  heads  of  the  talkers,  with 


LLY   LIFTING    HIS    SAMMAN    II  TTir.  .AT. 
HIS    AV.MNl. 


lotO. 


-'44 


THE  Win;-:   world   maCiAZINE. 


loud  shouts.  There  was  worse  to  come.  The 
hcnd  nun  of  vilhiges  numbered  eleven  ;  they  all 
wanted  to  sign  the  treaty,  and  there  was  not 
room  in  the  document  for  more  than  three 
signatures.  They  are  so  jealous  of  one  another 
that  tor  a  longtime  they  could  not  be  persuaded 
to  agree  upon  three  representatives,  and  one  of 
these  was  so  tremulous  with  indignation  that 
he  could  not  hold  the  pen. 

Happily  there  was  a  diversion.  A  party  of 
bluejackets  had  landed  to  erect  the  flag-staff, 
and  in  a  moment  the  orators  were  left  to 
harangue  the  empty  air.  Before  the  sailors  hod 
time  for  resistance  the  picks  and  sliovels  were 
gentiy  wrested  from  their  hands,  and  the  people 
fell  to  with  a  will  upon  the  grave  of  their  own 
independence.  The  bluejackets  grinned,  and 
accepted  their  promotion  as  foremen  of  works 
with  their  usual  adaptability  ;  and  the  happiest 
relations  had  been  established  between  em- 
ployers and  employed  when  one  of  the  orators, 
baulked  of  his  prey,  burst  in  upon  the  group 
with  a  paddle-shaped  club,  and  scattered  the 
volunteers  like  chaff  before  a  fan. 

And  now  the  King,  having  said  his  say  and 
signed  his  treaty,  betook  himself  in  procession 
to  the  mission-house,  and  expres.sed  a  wish  to 
visit  the  ship — the  first  man-of-war  to  anchor  in 
Niuean  waters.  Upon  this  the  eleven  head  men 
declared  that,  if  he  went,  they  must  go  too;  and, 
since  each  would  have  brought  a  friend  with 
him,  and  each  friend  two  cousins,  the  captain 
wisely  stipulated  that  the  head  men  would  be 
welcome  only  if  they  found  their  own  convey- 
ance (the  number  of  canoes 
is  limited),  and  that  none  but 
the  King  and  Queen  should 
take  passage  in  his  gig. 

All  went  well  until  the 
boat  neared  the  gangway, 
and  then  the  Queen,  having 
taken  whispered  counsel 
with  her  consort,  began  to 
take  off  her  boots.  At  the 
foot  of  the  ladder  there 
stood  a  bluejacket,  who 
throughout  this  protracted 
manoeuvre  preserved  an 
admirable  composure,  and 
when  Her  Majesty  paddled 
up  the  steps  in  her  stock- 
ings he  took  his  place  in 
the  procession  carrying  the 
Royal  boots,  to  the  great 
discomposure  of  his  com- 
rades in  the  guard  of  honour. 

There  was  much  specula- 
tion on  board  as  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Queen's  proceed- 


ing— whether  it  was  part  of  some  religious  cere 
mony  or  merely  the  fear  of  tripping  over  her  high 
heels  ;  but,  personally,  I  incline  towards  the 
simple  theory  that  her  boots  were  tight.  The 
Royal  pair  expressed  polite  astonishment  at  the 
fittings  and  armament  of  the  ship,  but  at  the 
sight  of  the  chart-room,  which  is  fitted  with  a 
small  brass  stove  for  cold  weather,  the  King's 
admiration  was  unbounded.  "It  is  the  finest 
kitchen  I  have  ever  seen,''  he  declared,  and  he 
became  quite  irritable  when  the  interpreter 
tried  in  vain  to  persuade  him  that  it  was 
used  for  other  purposes  than  cooking.  With 
the  pertinacity  that  had  won  him  the  throne, 
and  would  shortly  procure  him  an  income 
suitable  to  his  needs,  he  stuck  to  his  point 
that  it  was  a  cook-house,  and  the  finest  cook- 
house of  his  experience.  One  thing  only 
displeased  him  on  that  great  and  glorious  day. 
He  had  seen  the  Jack  that  was  to  be  hoisted  on 
shore,  and  he  liked  it,  until  he  caught  sight  of 
the  red  ensign  flaunting  from  the  fore.  That, 
he  said,  was  the  flag  for  him,  and  it  was  not 
until  a  diplomatic  assurance  had  been  given 
him  that  the  red  ensign  would  stamp  him  as  a 
second-class  sort  of  potentate  that  he  became 
reconciled  to  his  fate.  But  this  disappointment 
abated  not  one  jot  of  His  Majesty's  gratitude  to 
the  captain,  which,  but  for  the  intervention  of 
the  interpreter,  would  have  taken  the  practical 
form  of  a  tip,  for  he  had  contrived  to  provide 
himself  with  two  dollars  since  he  had  found  him- 
self penniless  at  the  audience  earlier  in  the  day. 
His   subjects,   meanwhile,   were   revelling   in 


Ihi;    H.AG    WENT   SLOWLY   ALOFT   TO    THE   THUNDER    OF    THE   GUNS    FROM    THE    SHH'. 

From  a   Photo, 


HOISTING    THE    FLAG    IN    A    SAVAGE    ISLE. 


245 


A    SI'KCIAL   OVATION- 

Froin  a\ 


■  THE   MbiS    FOUGHT   MOCK    DUFXS   IN   MOST   REALISTIC   FASHION 


WITH    CI.UBS   AND   SI'EARS. 


the  strains  of  the  drum  and  fife  band,  the  first 
that  had  ever  landed  on  their  shores.  It  was  a 
day  of  high  revel  :  natives  were  still  pouring 
into  the  village,  and  at  the  hour  appointed  for 
the  ceremony  of  hoisting  the  flag  fully  three- 
quarters  of  the  population  must  have  been 
assembled  on  the  green.  When  the  guard  of 
honour  landed  the  crowd  was  reduced  by 
wide-eyed  curiosity  to  the  nearest  approach  to 
quietude  and  order  that  the  island  had  ever 
known.  The  proclamation  was  read ;  the 
guard  presented  arms;  the  band  played;  and, 
while  the  group  of  gold-laced  officers  stood  at 
the  salute,  the  flag  went  slowly  aloft  to  the 
thunder  of  the  guns  from  the  ship.  Then  the 
people  broke  into  revel,  and  to  know  what 
public  rejoicing  is  like  in  Nine  you  must 
watch  a  school  breaking  up  for  the  summer 
holidays,  and  multiply  it  by  as  many  figures 
as  you  can  think  of 

Each  quarter  of  the  village  had  prepared  its 
special  ovation.  While  the  women  sang 
songs  in  chorus  improvised  on  the  spot,  the 
men  fought  mock  duels  in  most  realistic 
fashion  with  clubs  and  spears  ;  and,  all  the 
while,  round  the  outer  circle,  three  aged  ladies 
capered  solemnly  with  their  hands  clenched 
aloft.  We  felt  a  genuine  solicitude  for  the 
mental  health  of  one  of  these  old  dames,  who 
proved,  on  inquiry,  to  be  the  sister  of  the 
elder  of  the  yellow  anchors,  who  had  now 
broken  out  in  a  "  fore-and-aft  "  cocked  hat, 


hastily    improvised    in   pnper 
on    the  model  of   that  worn 
.  by  the  naval  officers.     W  hen 
exhausted    by    excessive 
dancing     she     produced     a 
wooden     drum,     on     which 
she    played    until    she    had 
got     her     breath,    and    then 
she    whipped    a    nose -flute 
from    her    bosom    and    blew 
plaintive      notes      upon       it 
with    one    nostril.      At    the 
end    every    performer 
solemnly     shook      hands 
with   the  Commissioner  and 
laid    an  offering  at   his  feet, 
until     his    arm    hung     limp 
by    his    side    and    the    pile 
of  presents  had  risen  above 
his    knees.      That    was    our 
"  send-off"."      As  the   island 
faded  away  astern  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  believe  that  we  had  not 
dreamed  the  whole  adventure, 
and thatNiue,  with  its  cargo  of 
amiable  and  industrious  little  people,  still  batdes 
with  the  ocean  rollers  there  to  the  eastward. 


[Photo. 


From-  a\ 


THKKE   AGED   LADIES   CAPERED   SOLEMNLY   WITH   THF.IK    ".^>'.-' 

CLENCHED  ALOFT."  \,FltOtO. 


Abducting  a  White  Elephant. 

Bv  Edward  TEnnuxx. 

The  wild  beast  trade  contains  almost  more  romance  and  adventure  than  any  other.  Here  is  the 
history-  of  the  kidnapping  of  one  of  the  sacred  white  elephants  of  Siam  by  an  agent  of  the  late 
Mr.  William  Cross,  of  Liverpool,  the  head  of  the  famous  wild  beast  importing  business.  Barnum 
had  a  so-called  white  elephant,  and  his  great  rival,  Adam  Forepaugh,  commissioned  Mr.  Cross  to 
procure  him  a  really  genuine  white  elephant  at  any  cost.  The  narrative  of  the  abduction  of 
Riman  Mankan  reads   more    like    fiction    than    an    astute   business  "  deal." 


SUPPOSE  I  may  conclude  that 
every  reader  of  The  Wide  World 
M.\c..\ziNE  has  heard  of  William 
Cross,  of  Eiverpool,  the  great 
wild-stock  trader.  In  like  manner, 
I  may  a.ssume  that  the  nanie  of  P.  T.  Barnum 
is  equally  iamiliar,  as  that  of  a  veritable  "  King 
of  Showmen  and  Prince  of  Public  Enter- 
tainers." Such  being  the  case,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  add  that  the  peculiar  story  which  has 
recently  come  to  my  knowledge  (through  the 
medium  of  Mr.  W.  Simpson 
Cross,  the  present  head  of  the 
great  Liverpool  firm)  bears 
directly  upon  the  former 
gentleman,  and  indirectly 
upon  the  latter. 

Barnum  was  an  extensive 
purchaser  from  the  Liverpool 
menagerie,  the  majority  of  his 
performing  animals  having 
been  trained  at  that  great 
breaking  -  school.  Moreover, 
the  two  men  were  on  terms 
of  intimate  friendship,  which, 
despite  the  "white  elephant 
affair,"  remained  unbroken 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  P.  T. 
Barnum.  Mr.  Cross,  by  the 
way,  died  in  April  of  this 
year. 

In  1884,  when  the  great 
Barnum  show  was  e.xciting 
the  interest  of  half  England, 
its  famous  proprietor  capped 
his  former  enterprise  by  secur- 
ing a  Siamese  white  elephant 
—that  mysterious,  sacred  beast  before  whom  Kings 
and  peasants  alike  made  obeisance,  and  an  animal 
which,  in  a  land  where  bigotry  and  idolatry 
reigned  .supreme,  was  worshipped  as  an  im- 
mortal god.  The  white  elephant  was  the  fetish  of  a 
hundred  tribes.  So  long  as  these  beasts  remained 
within  the  borders  of  Siam,  so  long  was  Siam 
a  country  protected  from  evil.  But  once  allow 
them  (so  it  was  held)  to  be  stolen  away  by 
those  devilish  white  men  from  the  Western 
world— to  whom  Brahma  and  Buddha  were 
unknown    gods  —  and    a    great    black    curse 


^^irtfilk 

c  ^ 

v.^^HNh,, 

^^K£y|4   ^ 

^■y^'irJ 

1 

^^^^^H||j^4^     '  wM.  ,£m 

1 

^^^^HiyjHHi 

i 

H^^^^^^H^H^B> 

s 

IHE  LATE  MR.  WILLIAM  CROSS,  THE  FORMER  HEAD 

OF    THE  GREAT    WILD    BEAST   IMPORTING 

BUSINESS   AT   LIVERPOOL. 

/'><;;«  a  Photo,  by  Bro^mi,  Barnes,  and  Bell. 


itself      into     a 


would  fall  upon  the  land,  a  curse  visionary  and 
indefinite,  but  in  its  terrorizing  vagueness  even 
the  more  horrible  to  contemplate. 

A\'ith  views  such  as  these  implanted  in  the 
minds  of  a  fanatical,  religion-haunted  race,  it  is 
little  wonder  that  white  elephants  had  been 
scarcely  more  than  a  name  in  Europe  and 
America;  and  that  they  were  popularly  included 
in  a  category  with  such  mythological  beasts 
as  griffins  and  ♦dragons.  When,  therefore,  the 
news  arrived  that  Barnum  had  really  secured  a 
genuine  specimen,  excitement 
waxed  high  as  to  its  appear- 
ance and  characteristics,  and 
a  considerable  concourse  of 
Pressmen  and  naturaUsts 
awaited  its  arrival  in  Liver- 
pool. At  length  it  turned  up, 
an  undersized  brute  of  a  light 
mouse-colour,  and,  save  for  a 
patch  or  two  of  pink  flesh 
under  its  ears,  of  ordinary 
elephantine  appearance. 
Frankly  speaking,  the  expect- 
ant onlookers  were  disap- 
pointed. In  their  own  minds 
they  had  doubtless  conjured 
a  vision  of  yet  a  third  Jumbo, 
this  time  possessed  of  a  skin 
of  dazzling  whiteness  ! 

In  due  season  the  "cele- 
brity "  was  dispatched  to 
London,  where  he  was 
greeted  with  that  degree 
of  enthusiasm  which,  tem- 
pered with  cynicism  and 
scepticism,  speedily  resolves 
mere  disdainful  tolerance. 
Great  hopes  had  been  inspired  in  the  public 
mind,  which,  so  far,  remained  unfulfilled. 
What  Barnum's  visitors  really  wanted  was 
an  elephant  whose  external  whiteness  was 
more  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  so  to  speak. 
Sanger,  the  circus  proprietor,  too,  aided  and 
abetted  the  general  discontent  by  parading  a 
7vhite-7vashed  elephant  through  the  rtreets  as  an 
advertisement  of  his  own  show.  Indeed, 
of  the  two,  people  preferred  Sanger's  joking 
white   elephant ;  at   all   events,    there    was    no 


ABDUCTINCi    A    WHITE    ELEPHANT, 


247 


doubt  as  to  its  actual  hue  !  So,  having  failed 
to  impress  the  British  public,  Barnum  made 
arrangements  to  ship  his  spotted  freak  across 
the  "herring-pond." 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  news  in  America  that 
the  elephant  was  eventually  to  visit  that  con- 
tinent Mr.  Cross  received  a  cable  from  Adam 
Forepaugh,  the  great  Philadelphian  showman, 
commissioning  him  to  secure  a  genuine  white 
elephant  at  any  cost,  and  to  land  it  in  tlie 
States  prior  to  the  advent  of  Toung  Taloung — 
as  Barnum's  specimen  was  called.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  during  the  previous  eighteen  months 
Cross.'s  Bangkok  agent  had  been  straining  every 
endeavour  to  smuggle 
one  of  these  rare  beasts 
out  of  Siam  ;  and, 
almost  simultaneously 
with  Forepaugh's  cable, 
came  the  message  that 
he  had  at  length  suc- 
ceeded, and  that  an 
animal  whose  native 
name  was  Riman  Man- 
kan  (Tiger -eater)  was 
already  on  his  way  to 
Liverpool,  via  Mar- 
seilles. The  manner 
in  which  the  agent 
secured  Riman  Man- 
kan  is  herewith  detailed 
for  the  first  time. 

Some  thirty  miles 
north  of  Bangkok,  in 
a  small  village  called 
Kyahtsaw,  situated  on 
the  banks  of  a  main 
canal,  there  resided  a 
certain  Siamese  poten- 
tate of  the  name  of 
Tuan  Chan.  Chan 
was  a  typical  Eastern 
nabob  —  wealthy, 
arrogant,  and    imbued 

with  a  massive  and  deep  -  rooted  sense  of 
his  own  supreme  importance.  In  moments 
of  acute  depression,  or  when  the  hand 
of  sickness  was  sore  upon  him,  he  would, 
perhaps,  admit  the  existence  of  a  Being  even 
more  powerful  than  himself  But,  in  the  usual 
way,  Tuan  Chan  deemed  himself  omnipotent ; 
the  personification  of  Divine  wisdom  and 
mundane  strength.  In  appearance  he  was 
short  and  squat,  and  utterly  devoid  of  those 
distinguished  characteristics  which  he  advanced 
as  his  own  peculiar  speciality.  If  you 
stroll  along  Limchouse  Causeway  in  the  early 
hours   of  the   evening  you   may  behold  Tuan 


THE  ENTRANCE  TO   THE   CKOSS   ESTABLISHMENT   IN    LIVERPOOL. 

From  a  Photo. 


Chans  by  the  dozen.      Now,  Tuan  Chan  pos- 
sessed a  white  elephant. 

This  sacred  and  entirely  over-rated  beast 
was  just  blossoming  into  its  early  youth,  and 
was  really  a  very  creditable  specimen  of  its 
breed.  The  merest  child  would  have  acknow- 
ledged its  creamy  tint,  and  would  have  revelled 
in  the  gentle  and  affectionate  disposition 
which  it  invariably  displayed.  Indeed,  had 
it  been  of  a  less  confiding  nature,  and  had  it 
exhibited  characteristics  more  in  keeping  with 
its  bulk  and  racial  precedent,  it  is  most  likely 
that  it  would,  even  at  the  present  moment,  be 
gracing  the  elegant  stables  of  His  Excellency 

Tuan  Chan.  But  it 
put  its  trust  in  a  man 
• — a  white  man,  too — 
who,  had  the  beast 
been  aware  of  the  fact, 
was  the  ambassador  of 
Mr.  AVilliam  Cross. 
And  therein  lay  its  fate 
of  transportation  and 
continuous  and  degrad- 
ing captivity. 

It  has  already  been 
surmised,  perhaps,  that 
this     pachyderm     was 
none  other  than  Riman 
M  a  n  k  a  n  h  i  m  s  e  1  f , 
though    his    somewhat 
blood-thirsty  name  en- 
tirely belied  his  actual 
size  and  f  igh  t  i  ng- 
weight.     He  was  little 
more  than  five  feet  in 
height,    and   owing    to 
circumstances    over 
which  he  had  no  con- 
trol, his  tusks  had,  so 
far,  not  commenced  to 
sprout.       This      semi- 
deity     resided     under 
the     charge     of     one, 
Shoaw  -  Att  -  Hpaw, 
whose  exclusive  duties  were  to  minister  to  the 
wants  of  the  fetish,  and  keep  a  strictly  super- 
vising eye  upon  his  every  movement.     In  order 
to  avoid  subsequent  misunderstanding,  the  fact 
had  been  definitely  impressed  upon  Shoaw-Att- 
Hpaw  that  if  any  calamity — avoidable  or  other- 
wise—befell the  important  Riman  Mankan,  he, 
Shoaw,  would  be  bastinadoed  into  a  sulphurous 
eternity.     As  a  natural  consequence,  therefore, 
he  watched    Riman  Mankan  with  a  strict  and 
tireless    eye ;     and  —  at    any    rate,     until    he 
succumbed     to    the    fascinations    of    a   certain 
specious-    luxury  —  he     scarcely    allowed     the 
elephant  out  of  his  sight  for  a  second  at  a  time. 


-4« 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MACiAZINE. 


As  previously  staled,  Mr.  Cross's  Bangkok 
agent  was  on  the  look-out  for  an  opportunity 
to  purchase  or  steal  a  wliilc  elephant,  and  the 
radi.tnt  charms  of  Riman  Mankan  had  some- 
how come  to  his  knowledge.  So  he  decided  to 
journey  to  Kyahtsaw  to  investigate  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  "  tiger-slayer "'  existed, 
and  also  to  note  the  opportunities  of  judicious 
bribery  and  tlie  possibilities  of  midnight  elope- 
ment. A  main  canal  runs  from  Bangkok  to 
Kyahlsaw,  so  the  agent  chartered  an  unsinkable 
Uirge,  which  he  manned  with  a  crew  of  low- 
down  Malayan  assassins.  He  did  not,  of  course, 
engage  his  natives  on  account  of  their  mur- 
tlerous  and  blood-loving  tendencies,  but  merely 
i>r  the  reason  that  he  was  unable  to 
procure  any  other  variety.  Even  the  Malay 
Peninsula  has  its  limitations  ! 

In  due  season  he  reached  the  small  township, 
where  he  assumed  a  devout  counten- 
ance and  a  pair  of  up-to-date  re- 
volvers ;  the  former  he  displayed 
somewhat  ostentatiously,  but  the  latter 
lie  screened  from  vulgar  observation. 
He  visited  the  various  shrines  in  the 
district,  and  expressed  his  humble 
admiration  thereat.  In  profuse  terms 
he  declared  his  respectful  feelings 
towards  the  high  and  mighty  Tuan 
Chan.  In  fashion  thus  diplomatic, 
he  obLiined  a  gracious  permission  to 
inspect  Riman  Mankan,  and  was 
delighted  with  its  imposing  appear- 
ance. He  eyed  Shoaw-Att- Hpaw, 
and  considered  him  good  for  a  bribe. 
Before  risking  the  admission  which 
any  such  offer  would  necessary  entail, 
however,  he  decided  to  learn  some- 
thing of  .Shoaw's  habits  and  general 
characteristics.  So  he  told  off  one  of 
his  Malayan  ruffians  to  watch  the 
elephants  i,   whilst   he  himself 

lounged  by  inc  banks  of  the  canal  to 
await  developments. 

After  about  ten  days'  inaction 
he  learned  some  startling  news. 
On  the  outskirts  of  the  village  there  lived 
a  Chinese  individual  who  ran  a  private 
opium  den,  and  whose  cliejiteie  had 
already  extended  to  the  hitherto  immaculate 
Shoaw-Att- Hpaw.  One  evening  a  week  would 
Ihis  errant  keeper  steal  off  to  enjoy  the  madden- 
mg  delights  of  the  narcotic,  leaving  his 
priceless  charge  under  the  supervision  of  an 
understudy.  The  elephant-stables,  however, 
were  situated  in  the  immediate  precincts  of 
Tuan  Chan's  palace,  and  any  attempt  at  forcible 
abduction  would  not  only  prove  futile,  but 
dangerous  to  the  last  degree.     The  agent,  there- 


fore, decided  to  resort  to  strategy,  and  with  the 
barest  outline  of  a  scheme  in  his  mind  he  paid 
a  visit  to  Rao-Ah-Hin-Mah,  the  overseer  of  the 
Chinese  opium-den. 

If  there  is  one  good  feature  in  connection 
with  a  Chinaman — especially  if  he  keep  an 
opium-den— it  is  his  entire  willingness  to  accept 
a  bribe,  and  to  prove  quite  faithful  until  someone 
else  bids  higher.  Moreover,  in  this  particular 
instance  there  lay  an  additional  advantage  in 
the  agent's  dealing  with  a  foreigner — particularly 
one  of  Chinese  extraction — for  the  reason  that 
neither  religious  scruples  nor  haunting  tradition 
need  constitute  a  bar  to  successful  negotiation. 
To  Rao-Ah-Hin-Mah  a  white  elephant  was 
much  the  same  sort  of  beast  as  an  ordinary 
common  elephant,  and  he  was  dazed  with  no 
visions  of  intensified  Hades  or  everlasting 
Vesuvius   consequent   on    the   loss    of    Riman 


BETWEEN 


THEM,    THE   AGENT   AND   THE   CHINAMAN    CONCOCTED    A   VERY 
PRETTV   PLOT." 


and 
plot, 
sub- 
and 
was 


Mankan.  So,  between  them,  the  agent 
the  Chinaman  concocted  a  very  pretty 
whereby  the  Chinaman  was  to  derive 
stantial  pecuniary  benefit  —  half  down 
half  when  possession  of  the  elephant 
obtained.  To  cement  the  amicable  relations 
between  them  the  agent  threatened  to  throttle 
Rao  with  his  own  pigtail  unless  everything 
passed  off  in  satisfactory  fashion.  There  is 
nothing  like  rounding  off  the  corners  of  stern 
business  with  little  pleasantries  of  this  nature. 

A  few  evenings  later  Shoaw-Att-Hpaw  turned 
up  at  the  Chinese  den  in  pursuit  of  his  favourite 


ABDUCTING    A    WHITE    ELEPHANT 


249 


vice,  and  ere  long  was  deep  in  the  throes  of 
the  overpowering  drug.  Then  it  was  that 
Rao-Ah-Hin-Mah  accosted  him,  and  filled 
his  mind  with  vague  suggestions  of  possible 
abduction  of  the  elephant,  hinting  at  the  fearful 
risk  of  leaving  it  behind,  even  for  the  space  of 
one  single  evening.  Would  it  not  be  better, 
insinuated  the  wily  Chinaman,  to  bring  it  along 
with  him  and  to  keep  it  in  sight  during  the  entire 
visit?  Then,  indeed,  there  could  be  no  likeli- 
hood of  subsequent  unmentionable  complica- 
tions. Moreover  (and  this  was  an  artful  move) 
under  such  conditions  he  could  come  much 
oftener — could,  indeed,  call  in  in  the  daytime 
whilst  giving  the  elephant  his  daily  exercise. 
Surely  the  opium-tainted  atmosphere  would  even 
prove  beneficial  to  so  sacred  a  beast !  Shoaw-Att- 
Hpaw  tendered  no  reply,  and  eventually  departed 
engrossed  in  deep 
thought.  He 
could  scarcely  re- 
collect whether  he 
had  received  a 
Divine  message  or 
a  mere  earthly 
warning,  but  with 
the  silly  conceit  of 
the  East  hedecided 
to  treat  it  as  the 
former,  and  to 
avert  a  sudden  and 
painful  exodus 
from  the  delights 
of  existence  by 
taking  his  charge 
to  the  forbidden 
haunt  and  thus 
insure  its  security. 
Next  evening, 
there fo re,  he 
turned  up  with 
the  precious  ele- 
phant, and  insisted 

on  its  being  chained  to  the  wall  by  his  side. 
In  a  few  moments  Riman  Mankan  was  as 
entirely  unprotected  as  though  he  wandered 
abroad  in  the  wilds  of  Trafalgar  Square  ! 

Two  days  later  Shoaw-Att-Hpaw  and  bis 
elephant  paid  another  afternoon  call,  and  this 
time  Cross's  agent  was  ready  to  receive  the 
interesting  pair.  He  waited  until  the  Siamese 
was  well  under  the  influence  of  the  drug, 
when  he  took  charge  of  Riman  Mankan, 
and  conducted  him  kindly  to  the  inclosure 
behind  the  hu  .  There  the  astute  agent's 
Malayan  confedt.  'es  were  waiting,  having 
with  them  some  buckets  of  inky-looking  liquid 
for  transforming  purposes.  Mops  were  ready 
to    hand  ;     thj     lephant  was   speedily  swilled 


with  the  clinging  stain  ;  and  in  a  few 
moments'  time  not  even  Tuan  Chan  himself 
would  have  recognised  his  beloved  fetish.  Then 
was  Riman  Mankan  paraded  to  the  canal  and 
boarded  on  the  capacious  barge  ;  and  well 
within  a  couple  of  hours  he  was  safely  on  his 
way  to  Bangkok.  A  Malay  was  left  behind  to 
prevent  the  too  speedy  resurrection  of  the  luck- 
less Shoaw-Att-Hpaw,  who,  as  soon  as  he 
realized  the  full  horror  of  his  position,  made 
speedy  tracks  for  the  interior  and  became  a 
brigand  ! 

It  is  needless  to  observe,  perhaps,  that  a 
fearful  uproar  was  occasioned  in  the  palace  of 
Tuan  Chan  when  the  news  was  bruited  abroad 
that  Riman  Mankan  was  missing.  Steps  were 
taken  in  the  first  instance  to  secure  the  person 
of    Shoaw-Att-Hpaw,    the    main    idea    of   the 


MOPS   WERE    READY   TO  HAND,   AND  THE  ELEPHANT  WAS   SPEEDILY   SWILLED   WITH   THE   CLINGING   STAIN. 

enraged  Nabob  being  evidently  to  avenge  the 
loss  without  delay  and  to  take  measures  to 
counteract  it  later  on.  In  all  probability  it  was 
this  one  saving  fact  which  insured  the  success 
of  the  abduction,  for  Bangkok  was  thirty  miles 
away,  and  the  barge  proceeded  after  the 
leisurely  fashion  of  the  classic  tortoise.  Then, 
too,  a  stay  of  some  eight  hours  became 
necessary  in  the  Siamese  capital  before  a 
vessel  could  be  chartered  for  Singapore, 
and,  in  the  meantime,  Riman  was  gradually 
resuming  his  normal  tint.  At  length,  how- 
ever, Mr.  Cross's  agent  shipped  him  in 
safety,  and  not  until  then  did  he  feel  altogether 
secure.  *  Singapore  was  reached  just  as  an 
English  vessel  was  on  the  point  of  departure, 


jjqo 


THE    WIDE    WORM'     MAGAZINE. 


and  Riiuan  Mankan,  white  elephant  and  alleged 
tiger-killer,  was  honoured  with  a  deck  cabin,  as 
befilled  his  exalted  rank.  During  the  sea 
voyage  he  was  decidedly  inclined  towards 
nulancholy,  and  contracted  a  playful  habit 
of  casting  his  food  on  the  deck  and 
rendering  it  unfit  for  further  use  by  means 
of  a  vigorous  application  of  his  ponderous 
foot.  After  a  time,  however,  he  grew  more 
cheerful,  and  resigned  himself  to  his  inevitable 
lot.  At  Marseilles  he  was  formally  handed 
over  to  Mr.  William  Cross,  who  person- 
ally conducted  him  to  Liverpool.  From  th 
city  he  was  almost  immediately  transhipped 
the  States  aboard  the  City  of  Chester,  arrivin 
safely  at  Philadelphia  some 
considerable  time  before 
Barnum's  specimen  put  in  a 
belated    appearance. 


elephant,  that  same  appearance  was  in  no 
measure  due  to  surreptitious  "  faking."  Great 
was  his  delight,  therefore,  when  he  found  a 
beast  whose  hide  was  of  a  decided  ash-colour — 
as  unlike  the  piebald  mammoth  which  he  had 
actually  imagined  as  a  tiger  is  unlike  a  jaguar. 
Poor  Riman  Mankan — or  "  Light  of  Asia,"  as  he 
had  been  rechristened — was  subjected  to  a  severe 
and  unpleasant  scrutiny  by  the  assembled  jour- 
nalists, but  was,  of  course,  pronounced  genuine, 
even  by  that  sceptical  band.     And  next  morning 


THE   WHITK    ELEPHANT   ARRIVES— "  ADAM    FOREI'AUGH    INVITED   A    LARGE   CONTINGENT   OF    PRESSMEN    TO 
MEET   THE   'CITV   OF    CHESTER'    AT   THE    DOCKS." 


Adam  Forepaugh,  the  consignee,  was  awaiting 
the  advent  of  Riman  Mankan  with  a  feeling  of 
considerable  trepidation.  News  had  already 
reached  him  of  the  doubtful  reception  accorded 
to  Barnum's  Toung  Taloung  in  England,  and  of 
the  more  than  whispered  hints  which  had  been 
thrown  out  concerning  bleached  feet  and  painted 
white  sjiots.  He  later  confessed  that  in  his 
own  mind  he  had  conjured  a  vision  of  a 
similar  beast — a  spotted  freak  whose  only  claim 
to  "whiteness"  lay  in  the  external  evidence 
of  a  few  small  skin  discolorations.  At  the 
same  time,  he  daringly  invited  a  large  contingent 
of  American  Pressmen  to  meet  the  City  of  Chester 
"'  •'  ;  docks,  intent  upon  emphasizing  the  fact 
•  hatever  might  be  the  appearance  of  the 


the  news  had  flashed  from  Washington  to  'Frisco 
and  from  Pacific  to  Atlantic  that  Forepaugh  was 
in  possession  of  a  genuine  white  elephant — the 
actual  degree  of  whiteness  varying  with  the 
enthusiasm  displayed  by  the  individual  Pressman 
sending  the  message.  Light  of  Asia  even- 
tually toured  the  States,  and  was  admired  by 
tens  of  thousands  of  sightseers,  from  the 
aristocrats  of  Philadelphia  to  the  savants 
of  Boston,  and  on  to  the  millionaires  of 
New  York  and  Chicago.  Barnum,  too,  drew 
tremendous  crowds  when  he  courted  compari- 
son by  "  starrmg "  Toung  Taloung  ;  but  the 
honours,  of  course,  were  held  by  Adam  Fore- 
paugh, through  the  mediurr  of  Cross,  of 
Liverpool. 


In   and  About  Pekin. 


By  J.  Thomson. 

Mr.  Thomson  is  the  well-known  photographer  of  Grosvenor  Street,  as  well  as  a  great  authority  on 
China,  he  having  journeyed  for  two  years  through  the  Empire,  and  taken  several  thousands  of 
photographs.     In  this  paper  he  reproduces  a  few  of  his  own  photos.,  and  tells  precisely  what  they  show. 


HE  scheme  for  clearing  "The  Central 
Flowery  Land  "  of  aliens,  otherwise 
Van-kuei-tze,  i.e.,  Foreign  Devils,  so 
named  by  the  natives,  appears  to 
have  been  deliberately  planned  by 
the  Empress-Dowager  and  her  party,  but  not  so 
fully  matured  as  it  might  have  been  had  she 
waited  for  the  reorganization  of  her  army  and 
complete  rearming  of  all  available  forces  after 
the  modern  fashion.  The  fatuity  of  the  scheme 
does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  the  minds  of 
the  F^mpress  and  her  princely  colleagues,  Ching 
and  Tuan.  They  were  both  at  first  adherents 
of  the  Empress,  approving  her  policy.  It  would 
appear  that  Prince  Tuan  has  since  broken  faith 
and  set  up  a  standard  of  his  own,  always  with 
the  amiable  determination  to  exterminate 
foreigners. 

The  methods  of  the  Chinese  Government  are 
little  understood  by  foreigners.  The  Govern- 
ment is  supposed  to  be  made  up  of  a  partner- 
ship between  Shangti,  the  supreme  ruler  who 
manages  the  affairs  of  the  heavens  above,  and 


Hwangti,  the  Imperial  Sovereign  of  China 
who  rules  the  world  below.  As  a  business 
arrangement  it  is  as  simple  as  it  ought  to  be 
effective,  and,  so  far,  has  not  done  badly, 
though  it  now  looks  as  if  it  might  drift  into 
liquidation  at  any  moment.  It  is  an  extremely 
ancient  custom  among  the  Chinese  to  regard 
their  Emperor  as  supreme  in  all  that  section  of 
the  world  worth  ruling,  so  that  up  to  this  day 
many  of  them  view  all  other  nations  as  more  or 
less  barbarous,  whilst  all  are  quite  unable  to 
realize  the  potentialities  of  the  Great  Powers  of 
the  West. 

There  is  a  curious  relic  of  the  Celestial 
partnership  in  "  The  Open  Altar  of  Heaven," 
shown  in  the  illustration,  and  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  Shangti  and  Hwangti  of  the  Chinese. 
It  is  situated  in  the  Chinese  city,  and  consists  of 
a  circular  altar  of  white  marble  rising  in  three 
terraces.  It  is  ascended  at  the  four  cardinal 
points  by  flights  of  nine  steps.  The  number  of 
pillars  in  the  balustrade,  the  steps,  ^nd  the 
curious  stones  in  the  pavement  are  all  symbolical. 


y-^om  a  riwto.  iiy\ 


CiENliKAL    VIEW   OF    THE  CITY   OF    I'EKIK,    TAKEN    FKOM   THE   WALL. 


[/.  Thoiiison. 


THE    WIDK    WORl.T)    MAGAZINE. 


.'.  crj 


IMt        Lit-EN    Al.lAK    UK    IIICAVK.N,      WHERE   THE    EMI'EROK    OEFEKS   SACRIFICE, 


ond  arranged  in  multiples  of  three  and  nine.  It 
is  here  that  the  Emperor,  as  High  Priest,  offers 
sacrifice  at  the  Winter  Solstice  and  communes 
with  the  Supreme  Lordof  Heaven.  It  is  indeed 
an  ancient  form  of  worshipping 
the  Deity,  and  is  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  the  religious  State 
ceremonies  of  the  Chinese,  ex- 
cepting perhaps  the  Imperial  visit 
(at  the  vernal  equinox)  to  the 
Temple  of  Earth  adjoining.  This 
temple  was  dedicated  to  a  defunct 
partner  in  the  firm,  a  deified 
Emperor  named  Sien-nung-tang. 

The  Kwo-toze-keen,  or  National 
University,  stands  to  the  west  of 
the  Great  Lannisary  of  Pekin. 
On  the  right  and  left  of  the  cen- 
■  '  '  "  ■'  re  are  rows  of  two 
,  jj^ht  marble  tablets, 
which  the  complete  text  of 
the  nine  Chinese  classics  has 
been  engraved,  an  idea  repeated 
from  the  Han  and  Tang  dynas- 
ties, each  of  which  had  a  series 
of  monuments  engraved  with  the 
classics  in  the  same  way  as  shown 
in  the  photograph. 

The  city  of  Pekin  stands  on  a 
plain  sloping  down  seawards,  and 
is  divided  into  two  parts — the 
Tartar  quarter  and  the  Chinese 
city — the  whole  surrounded  by  a 
wall  over  twenty  miles  in  length. 


The  first  photo- 
graph shown, 
taken  from  the 
wall,  shows  that 
the  majority  of 
the  houses  rise 
to  a  modest  uni- 
form level.  The 
respective  height 
of  the  dwellings 
is  strictly  in  keep- 
ing with  the 
social  grade  of 
their  tenants, 
who  may  not  raise 
their  abodes  a 
single  line  of 
bricks  higher 
than  the  law  pre- 
scribes. Thus 
patents  of  nobili- 
ty, as  well  as  civil 
and  military  rank, 
are  allotted  a 
correct  scale  of 
elevation  in  architecture  culminating  in  the 
comparatively  lofty  Government  buildings,  and 
temples,  and  above  all  the  Imperial  Palace.  The 
condition  of  this  vast   Oriental  city  is  wholly 


Thojiiioii. 


STUDYING    THE   CLASSICS    ENGRAVED    ON   THE    TWO    HUNDRED    Ul'RIGHT   MARDLE 

From  a  Photo.  hy\  tablets.  [/.   Thomson. 


IN    AND    ABOUT    PEKIN. 


253 


^' 

Ifl^ 

"* "^v •  l-A'^^^^^iJr'^^^^i*'h^^^B^^^^UK^ \^^  ^Bk 

__^^0^^^^^^S^^^^toS^^BB^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^S^/l^         r  j'  VfM 

^Sj  ^'f^HH 

P' 

Bv^ 

■  n 

m^  i    lill  il  "#-  - 

m 

1  V 

r#»^  ■^1  PaI^ 

vMJ% 

m  i 

n  a 

L^.>=     IB  r4Jt74-^^    :is 

'^l 

^^wr^^^-^m^m^m-.M 

■^'      -.^*^'''" 

"  ^  ^.  •  ..-^^fe^-'::^^5^!*?P*' 

1 

■   — :^S!S«-ef-       '       ^>/3 

THE   ENTRANCE   TO   THE   LATE    BRITISH    LEfiATION,    \VH?CH    WITHSTOOD    THE    NOW    HISIOKIC   SIKGE. 

front  a  Photo,  by  J.   Thomson. 

insanitary.      There  is  no  system   of  drainage  ; 
Nature  is  left  mistress   of  the  situation,  though 
fully  handicapped  by  the  cramped  conditions  of 
Chinese    life    and    surroundings.       Wiiile    the 
drainage  of  the  city  is  left  to  take  care  of  itself, 
however,  rules  of  politeness  regulating  daily  inter- 
course among  the  citizens  are  observed  with  the 
utmost  precision.        The   streets    are    unswept 
save  on  occasion  of  the  passage  of  the  Emperor  ; 
and   the   atmosphere   after  rain  when  the   sun 
shines   is  full  of   evil  odours.     Yet,    curiously 
enough,     the 
people    seem    to 
thrive  and  multi- 
ply. On  the  other 
hand,    when    the 
wind    sweeps 
down    from    the 
frozen  steppes  of 
Mongolia,    death 
claims  its  victims 
by    the     score. 
They   are    found 
just  on  that  pave- 
ment below  with 


no  more  cover mg 


waste  products  of  Celes- 
tial city  life.  The  Chinese 
as  a  whole  are  not  moved 
to  compassion  by  such 
scenes  as  these,  and  the 
dead  are  stolidly  carted 
away  out  of  sight.  When 
death  invades  their  homes 
the  Chinese  are  con- 
strained to  comply  with 
the  most  minute  observ- 
ances', not  with  the  merci- 
ful view  of  relieving  pain, 
but  to  secure  the  living 
against  the  evil  conse- 
quences of  incorrect  death 
or  burial.  That  is  to  say, 
all  the  observances  are 
intended  to  get  the  spirit 
of  the  defunct  out  of  the 
house  and  keep  it  out. 

The  city  and  its  strong 
but   antiquated    defences 
have    been  so  frequently 
described   as    to    require 
nothing    further    at     my 
hands.   Hatred  of  foreign- 
ers here  is  frantically  in- 
tense.    The  rulers  of*  this  Celestial  capital  attri- 
bute most  of  the  evils  that  befall  the  people  to 
the  presence  of  aliens,  and  so  goad  them  to  such 
acts  of  barbarism  as   have  been  recently  com- 
mitted.    When  all  is  known  it  will  probably  be 
found  that  there  were  among  the  officials  two  or 
more  contending  parties  in  Pekin,  thus  affording 
a  convenient  Oriental  arrangement  for  shifting 
responsibility  from  one  to  the  other. 

The   Briti.sh  Legation,   or  "  Liang-Kung-fu," 
so  named  by  the  Chinese  owing  to  its  having 


4< 


^^ 


It  1 1  f 


to  withstand  the 
cold  than  a  coat 
of  sun-dried  mud. 
But  these  are 
only  beggars,  the 


From  a  Phoio.  bv\      the  roman  catholic  cathedra 


-54 


THE     Wini-:     WORLD     MACtAZINK 


■.i'S:^\^^^^rM'i^ 


THE   PLAIN   ABOUT  TIENTSIN   IS   FREQUENTLY   FLOODED   IN   THIS   WAY   DURING   THE   AUTUMN. 

From  a  Photo,  by  J.    Thomson. 

formerly  been  the  residence  of  the  Duke  Liang, 
is,  or  rather  was,  hedged  round  by  a  wall,  and 
entered  by   the   gateway  shown   in  the  photo- 
graph on  the  preceding,  page.      The  grounds 
cover  an  area  of  five  acres.     It   is  within  this 
space    that   our   unfortunate   Ambassador,    Sir 
Claude  Macdonald,  and  his  wife,  together  with 
hundreds  of  other  foreigners,  were  imprisoned 
and  besieged.     The  German  Legation  stands  in 
an  adjoining  plot  of  ground,  and  is  now  invested 
with  tragic  interest.     Another  prominent  build- 
ing in  Pekin  is  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral 
within  the  walls  of  the  Imperial  city  on  a  site 
granted    in    perpetuity    by    the 
Emperor    Kanghi.      This    site 
was  confiscated  during  a  time 
of   persecution,     and     restored 
after    the    war    in    i860.     The 
church   carried   a    tower  which 
was  never  finished,  as  its  eleva- 
tion rudely  violated  all  sense  of 
propriety    in    the    native    mind. 
The  cathedral  was  a  subsequent 
erection    on    the     site    of    the 
church  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire   in    1S64.       The    height   of 
the    structure    proved    a  great 
source     of   annoyance    to    the 
Chinese,  and  they  objected  to 
it  on  the   score   that    "  such   a 
mission   settlement   should   not 
Ije   used  as  a  sanctuary   where 
evil-doers  could  take  refuge  and 
defy  the  law." 

During     autumn     the     plain 
about    Tientsin     is     frequently 


flooded.  At  the 
time  this  [)hoto- 
gra])h  was  taken 
families  might 
have  been  seen 
squatting  on  the 
top  of  mounds 
of  moist  clay, 
waiting  until  the 
flood  should 
subside,  living 
meanwhile  on 
fish  and  such 
provisions  as 
they  were  able 
to  rescue  from 
the  whirling 
waters.  One 
Chinaman  told 
me  that  the 
houses  were 
built  of  mud 
and  millet  stalks 
and  settled  down  in  their  mounds  when 
the  flood  came,  holding  together  the  forma- 
tion and  effects  of  the  owner  until  the 
waters  retired  and  enabled  him  to  erect  his 
homestead  anew. 

The  mule-litter  here  shown  is  a  convey- 
ance much  used  for  long  journeys  from 
Pekin,  mainly  in  the  direction  of  Mongolia, 
through  the  Nankow  and  other  passes.  It  is  an 
uncomfortable  mode  of  travelling,  as  one  is 
being  constantly  banged  about  at  all  angles, 
and  at  the  risk  of  dislocation  of  joints,  unless 
the  interior  of  the  litter  is  well  padded. 


'.-y-^ 


A    IVFICAL    MUI.E-I.ITTF.R,    SUCH    AS    IS   USED    FOR    LONG   JOURNEYS   ABOUT    I'EKIN. 
From  a  Photo,  by  J.    Thomson. 


The  Vendetta  of  Musoh'no. 

By  Giovanni    Dalla  Vecchia. 

An  Italian  journalist  who  has  recently  arrived  in  England  from  his  native  country  with  first-hand 
information  of  this  extraordinary  affair  gives  an  account  of.  the  notorious  outlaw,  Giuseppe 
Musolino,  who,  escaping  from  prison  under  dramatic  circumstances,  commenced  a  terrible 
"  vendetta "  against  his  accuser  and  all  those  who  had  been  instrumental  in  securing  his 
conviction.  The  brigand  has  defied  all  the  efforts  of  the  authorities  for  over  two  years, 
secure  in  his  haunts  in  the  mountains  of  Calabria.  The  illustrations  are  from  sketches 
by  an  Italian  artist  who  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  phases  of  the  vendetta. 


HE  Calabrian  language  is  a  perfect 
mosaic  of  Greek,  Albanian,  Arabian, 
Spanish,  and  Italian.  In  many 
country  places  modern  Greek  is  still 
spoken,  and  Italian  is  only  used  in 
the  towns  among  the 
better  class  of  people. 
The  townspeople  have 
great  difificulty  in  under- 
standing the  vernacular 
of  the  mountaineers. 

The  character  of  the 
people  is  likewise  a 
mixture  of  good  and 
bad  qualities.  Properly 
trained,  the  Calabrese 
is  a  very  useful  and 
intelligent  member  of 
society.  Left  to  him- 
self, to  his  mountains, 
and  to  his  superstitions, 
he  remains  what  has 
been  not  improperly 
called  "  the  unpolished 
child  of  Nature."  At 
times  he  is  as  hard 
as  the  rock  of  his 
mountains,  and  at  other 
times  as  effete  as  an 
Oriental.  The  Cala- 
brese is  energetic,  yet 
indolent ;  generous,  yet 
vindictive  ;  devout,  yet 
without  fear  of  God. 
He  reflects  the  nature 
of  his  mountains — hard 
to  approach,  but,  once 
friend,  a  friend  for  ever. 

The  mountains  of 
Calabria  offered  to 
the  brigands,  until 
nearly  forty  years  ago, 
a    secure    base    for    their    maraudings. 

The  forest  of  Si  la  has  been  on  many  occa- 
sions a  celebrated  place.  Forty  years  ago  it 
was  the  abode  of  the  largest  band  of  brigands 
ever  known.     It   took   the  Italian  Government 


nearly  five  years  to  rid  that  place  of  them. 
Even  nowadays  the  name  of  Sila  inspires  terror 
in  man}',  though  to  some  poetical  or  venture- 
some persons  it  may  suggest  a  less  awful  feeling. 
It  is  said  that  a  French  lady,  enchanted  with 

the  weirdness  of  that 
country,  once  spoke 
admiringly  of  it  to 
the  late  King  of  Italy. 
Umberto,  who  had 
anything  but  a  poetical 
mind,  answered: 
"  That  place,  no  doubt, 
is    grand,   and  its  wild- 


VINCENZO   ZOCC.\LI    WAS 
OPENING    HIS 


FIRED   UPON    WHILE    HfC    WAS 
STAIILE    DOOR." 


ness  awe-mspinng 


but 


for  myself  I  would  like 
to  see  potatoes  grow- 
ing there."  It  was  on 
the  mountains  of  Cala- 
bria that  Garibaldi, 
the  popular  hero  of 
Italy,  formed  in  1862 
his  army  of  volunteers 
with  which  he  intended 
to  march  to  Rome. 
Now,  the  heights  of 
the  Calabrian  Moun- 
tains are  the  secure 
abode  of  many  out- 
laws, or  latitanti,  as 
they  are  called  there. 
This  security  is  greatly 
due  to  the  propensity 
of  the  people  to 
protect  and  assist 
those  who  are  wanted 
by  the  police,  what- 
ever may  be  the  crimes 
of  the  brigands.  Forty 
years  of  Italian  life 
has  done  but  little  to 
counteract  the  mis- 
chievous tradition  of  the  past  centuries. 

In  the  conception  of  the  people  a  brigand  is 
not  an  evil-doer,  but  merely  a  man  who  loves 
liberty  and  intends  to  enjoy  it  after  his  own 
fashion.     A  brigand  in  Calabria,  therefore,  has 


7^6 


THE    WIDE    WORT.l)    MAGAZINE. 


very  Hltle  to  fear  from  the  j^eople,  ami  the 
mountaineers  are  wilUng  to  supply  his  wants,  not 
throiijih  fear,  but  from  jnne  sympathy.  These 
remarks  are  necessary  by  way  of  introduction  to 
the  remarkable  narrative  that  follows. 

Calabria  now  enjoys  the  doubtful  privilege 
of  shielding  from  the  authorities  Giuseppe 
Musolino,  one  of  the  latter-day  brigands,  very 
often  called  in  the  Italian  papers  Fultimo 
bri>:,aHte.  The  old  style  of  brigands  was  en- 
tirely composed  of  men  who,  above  everything 
else,  were  robbers.  The  modern  kind,  however, 
is  chiefly  composed  of  men  who  have  fled  from 
justice  and  are  more 
animated  by  grudges 
against  authorities  and 
individuals  than  by 
covetousness. 

Giuseppe  Musolino, 
whose  doings  in  civilized 
Italy  at  this  day  seem 
positively  incredible,  is 
still  very  young,  having 
been  born  only  twenty- 
four  years  ago,  in  a 
small  village  in  the 
province  of  Reggio  — 
Calabria.  Of  his  youth 
very  little  is  known.  In 
1897  he  had  a  quarrel 
with  one  Vincenzo  Zoc- 
cali,  of  the  same  place. 
Ace  I  '  „'  to  one 
accou:,:,  ,.c  was  the 
aggressor;  according  to 
another,  he  was  waylaid 
by  his  foe  and  stabbed. 
Two  days  after  this 
quarrel  Vincenzo  Zoc- 
cali  was  fired  upon 
while  he  was  opening 
his  stable  door.  The 
wounded  man  denoun- 
ced Ciiuseppe  Musolino 
and  a  cousin  of  his 
(Musolino's)  as  the 
ass.iilants.    "     '    had  left 

the  villag-  ;dden  themselves.      Eventually 

the  police  arrested  them  several  months  after- 
wards. They  strongly  protested  that  they  were 
innocent,  but  the  jury  decided  they  were  guilty, 
and  consequently  Musolino  was  condemned  to 
twenty-one  and  his  cousin  to  seven  years' 
imprisonment. 

As  soon  as  the  sentence  was  pronounced  a 
young  married  woman,  a  cousin  of  Musolino, 
cried  out,  "  Oh,  you  wicked  men,  you  have  to- 
day condemned  an  innocent  man,"  and  soon 
after  this  dramatic   scene   she   dropped   down 


HORRIFIED   AT  THIS    DISTRESSING     DENOUEMENT,    MUSOLINO 
SHOUTED   FROM    THE   DOCK    TO   HIS   ACCUSER." 


dead.  Musolino,  horrified  at  this  distressing 
denouement,  shouted  from  the  dock  to  his 
accuser  :  "  Hear  me,  Zoccali.  The  jury  have 
condemned  me  to  twenty-one  years'  imprison- 
ment. I  shall  be  forty-two  when  I  have  served 
my  time.  I  will  look  at  once  for  thee,  and, 
wherever  thou  mayest  be,  I  will  eat  thy  heart 
and  wash  my  hands  in  thy  blood.  Shouldst 
thou  be  dead  by  that  time,  I  shall  eat  the  hearts 
of  thy  children."  To  which  awful  threat  Zoccali 
calmly  replied,  tauntingly,  "  Thou  hast  twenty- 
one  years'  imprisonment  to  do  ;  and  that  is 
enough  for  the  time  being." 

It  was  a  full  declara- 
tion of  vendetta,  given 
and  accepted  after  the 
fashion  of  the  country. 

Musolino  had  not, 
however,  to  wait  twenty- 
one  years  to  commence 
his  vendetta,  because  he 
succeeded  in  escaping 
from  prison,  with  six 
other  prisoners,  a  few 
days  after  his  sentence. 
The  first  thing  he  did 
after  he  recovered  his 
liberty  was  to  go  to  a 
priest  and  have  a  Mass 
said  in  honour  of  St. 
Joseph,  "  who  had  in  a 
dream  told  him  how  to 
get  out  of  the  prison." 
Musolino's  six  com- 
panions were  one  after 
the  other  arrested,  but 
he  himself  is  still  at 
large  defying  all 
authority. 

On  regaining  his  free- 
dom Musolino  took  to 
the  mountains  at  once 
and  made  the  wild 
heights  of  Sila  his 
home.  From  there  he 
wrote  to  the  authorities 
informing  them  that  he 
would  do  no  harm  to  anyone  but  to  those  who 
had  caused  him  to  be  wrongly  condemned. 

A  month  was  hardly  passed  when  Musolino 
started  to  gratify  his  revengeful  feelings  by 
killing  the  two  principal  witnesses  at  his  trial. 
Then  he  went  to  another  part  of  the  country, 
where  he  killed  the  son  of  his  accuser. 
Then  he  sought  other  victims  to  further 
satisfy  his  thirst  for  revenge.  He  is  quite  a 
personage  now.  He  often  receives  the  visits  of 
persons  who  wish  to  make  his  acquaintance. 
To  one  of  these  he  lately  said,  "  When  I  have 


THE    VENDETTA    OF    MUSOLINO. 


257 


finished  my  vendetta  I  will  leave  the  country 
and  live  peacefully  elsewhere."  Musolino  has 
even  written  his  life  in  a  poem  of  twelve  lines, 
the  last  two  being  to  the  following  effect : 
"Now  that  I  a'.n  again  on  the  mountains,  I 
want  liberty  for  myself  and  death  for  my 
enemies." 

Before  he  was  arrested  this  extraordinary 
brigand  was  poor  ;  now,  however,  he  has  plenty 
of  money,  which  has  been  given  to  him  by 
sympathizers  of  all  classes.  Everybody  speaks 
of  Musolino  as  a  most  kind-hearted  fellow, 
and  very  devout  withal. 
Undoubtedly,  to  an 
English  mind,  this  com- 
bination of  character- 
istics will  appear  incon- 
gruous, yet  in  Italy  no 
one  seems  surprised  at 
the  popular  favour  be- 
stowed by  the  Calabresi 
upon  a  person  who  has 
already  seven  murders 
to  his  account  and  who 
is  determined  to  kill  a 
few  more  :  for  example, 
the  ex-Deputy  Camagna, 
who  was  the  lawyer  of 
the  accuser  at  his  trial, 
and  Signor  Francesco 
Fava,  a  public  notary, 
who,  as  Mayor  of  Santo 
Stefano,    gave     at     the 


trial  a  very  bad  account 
of  Musolino's  past  con- 
duct. The  last-named 
gentleman  has  been  re- 
cently assailed  and 
wounded  in  his  own 
house  by  two  young  out- 
laws, who  acted  for  their 
friend  Musolino. 

The  police  have  been 
after  Alusolino  for  the 
last  two  years  ;  but  no 
one  seems  disposed  to 
give  them  information 
Hkely    to    lead    to    his 

arrest ;  indeed,  rich  and  poor  alike  are  doing 
their  best  to  help  him.  The  women  have  a 
strong  liking  for  the  brigand,  and  whenever 
they  hear  that  Musolino  is  in  their  neighbour- 
hood they  go  to  him  with  baskets  of  food.  It  is 
said  that  the  "  romantic  hero "  never  accepts 
any  food  from  anyone,  but  out  of  courtesy  he 
now  and  then  condescends  to  accept  some  fruit 
from  his  female  admirers. 

The   police,    themselves    unable    to    get    at 
him,  have  promised  a  reward  of  10,000  lire  for 


MUSOLINO  GAVE    IllAI    A    KISS  ON    THE    FOUEHEAD    AND 
THEN   WENT   SADLV   AWAY." 


Vol.  Vi.— 30. 


his  arrest.  Only  two  persons,  however,  have 
yet  attempted  to  betray  Musolino,  and  both  of 
these  had  the  worst  of  the  bargain.  A  labourer, 
Angalone  by  name,  told  the  police  of  the 
whereabouts  of  Musolino,  and  arranged  with 
them  for  his  arrest.  He  was  so  sure  of  himself, 
that  he  spoke  openly  of  what  he  would  do  with 
the  10,000  lire.  But  Musolino,  having  heard 
of  this,  came  down  from  the  hills  one  night  and 
went  straight  to  Angalone's  house.  "Angalone," 
said  the  dreaded  outlaw,  calmly,  "you  were 
going  to  sell  me  to  the  police.     You  deserve 

to  be  killed,  but  for 
the  love  I  bear  to  your 
children  I  will  spare 
your  life.  However,  I 
will  give  you  a  little 
lesson."  And  without 
further  ado  he  emptied 
his  double-barrelled  gun 
against  Angalone's  leg, 
and  the  unfortunate 
man  fell,  terribly 
wounded,  on  the  ground. 
Musolino  approached 
him,  gave  him  a  kiss 
on  the  forehead,  and 
then  went  sadly  away. 

The  second  case  is 
even  more  dramatic. 
Musolino  was  living  on 
the  very  top  of  a  hill, 
and  had  with  him  an- 
other outlaw  and  friend 
— a  young  man,  Prince 
by  name.  Now,  the 
police  knowing  of  this 
fact  induced  Prince  to 
betray  his  friend.  Prince 
arranged  with  the  police 
that  on  a  certain  even- 
ing he  would  drug 
Musolino  so  that  he 
could  be  easily  arrested. 
An  inspector  of  the 
police  with  his  posse 
took  up  a  position  five 
or  six  miles  from  the 
spot  where  Musolino  was,  there  to  wait  the  call 
of  the  betrayer.  The  latter  put  a  strong  dose 
of  opium  in  Musolino's  macaroni  and  then 
sent  word  to  this  effect  to  the  police.  The 
opium,  however,  did  not  have  the  expected 
effect,  and  Prince  at  once  informed  the  police 
of  this  failure.  The  inspector,  however, 
decided  to  proceed  to  where  Musolino  was 
and  'try  to  arrest  him.  He  told  Prince  to, 
go  back  at  once  to  Musolino  and  at  ?i 
certain  time   to  strike  a.  match,  apparent!^:   to, 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


li..ht  a  chtiT,  but  really  as  a  signal  for  the 
.kMicc  to  close  in  upon  the  outlaw.  By  one 
oVkKk,  the  darkest  hour  of  the  night,  the  police 
had  occupied  positions  commanding  M  the 
luths  bv  which  escape  was  possible.  1  rmce, 
Ivh..  was  standing  beside  Musolino,  lighted  his 
ciuar  as  arranged,  and  then  laid  himself  on  the 
grounil.  A  policeman,  contrary  to  the  orders 
he  had  received,  broke  the  silence  by  shouting, 
-Who  ^oes  there?"  "Musolino,  by  the 
Virgin  Marv,"  shouted  the  brigand,  boldly,  in 


however,  attempted  to  answer  him  with  his 
carbine,  but  before  he  could  use  his  weapon  he 
fell  to  the  ground  mortally  wounded  in  the  lower 
parts  of  his  body.  Musolino  told  hundreds  of 
friends  he  did  not  intend  to  kill  that  poor  soldier, 
but  only  to  wound  him  in  the  legs  so  that  he 
himself  could  proceed  on  his  way  unmolested. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  bound  up  the  wounds  of 
the  stricken  carabineer  and  had  him  removed 
to  the  house  of  a  friend.  When  he  heard  of 
his   death  Musolino  wept  bitterly.       It  is  even 


THE    POLICE   AMBUSH— "  MUSOLINO,    BV   THE   VIRGIN    MAKY. 


reply  :  for  he  is  never  afraid  to  utter  his  name 
either  to  friends  or  foes.  Then  with  his 
revolver  he  shot  thrice  at  the  traitor  Prince, 
saying,  "  Take  the  wages  of  thy  services  to  me." 
Musolino  afterwards  ran  away,  followed  by 
the  police,  but  owing  to  his  better  know- 
ledge of  the  locality  he  eluded  their  pursuit 
once  more.  Farther  on,  however,  he  met  a 
carabineer  who  was  walking  in  his  direc- 
tion. As  h-':  rould  not  avoid  him  the 
desperate  n  .uted,   "I   am   Musolino.     I 

want  to  pass — let  me  pass"     The  carabineer, 


said  that  he  was  present  at  the  funeral,  and  that 
some  women  of  the  neighbourhood  joined  with 
him  in  intercessory  prayer.  Musolino,  strange 
to  say,  is  very  devout  to  his  patron  saint,  St. 
Joseph,  to  whose  special  protection  he  thinks 
he  owes  all  his  successes  in  life.  Hardly  com- 
plimentary to  St.  Joseph  I 

Yet  another  two  crimes.  They  were  committed 
while  I  was  writing  the  foregoing  paper.  Some 
time  ago  Musolino,  being  very  ill  and  thinking 
that  his  end  was  near,   sent   a  peasant  called 


THE    VENDETIA    OF    MLfSOLINO. 


•^59 


Marta,  who  had  assisted  him  during  his  illness, 
to  inform  his  mother  and  sister  that  he  wished 
to  see  them  for  the  last  time.  Marta  accepted 
this  errand ;  but,  instead  of  going  to  Muso- 
lino's  relatives,  he  went  to  the  police,  and 
informed  them  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  Muso- 
lino,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  might 
seize  him  this  time.  The  police  decided  to 
surprise  the  brigand  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
but  Musolino  was  not  going  to  be  caught.  With 
marvellous  acumen,  considering  the  circum- 
stances, he  had  Marta  shadowed  all  the  way,  and 
when  the  informer  was  seen  entering  the  police- 
station  Musolino  was  at  once  told  that  instead 
of  a  visit  from  his  mother  and  sister  he  would 
most  likely  have  one  from  the  police  if  he 
remained  any  longer  in  that  place.  Ill  as  he 
was,  his  friends  removed  him  to  another  part  of 
the  mountain.  When  the  police  reached  the  place 
indicated  by  Marta 
of  course  they  found 
the  brigand  gone. 
Once  more  they  were 
too  late.  Musolino, 
as  soon  as  he  re- 
covered his  health, 
sent  word  to  Marta 
to  inform  him  that  if 
he  ever  crossed  his 
path  again  it  would 
be  the  end  of  him. 
Vague  though  the 
threat  was,  it  was  a 
sentence  of  death. 
On  the  last  day  of 
August  Marta  was  in 
a  field  with  others 
thrashing  wheat. 
From  behind  a  hil- 
lock suddenly  sprang 
Musolino,  accom- 
panied by  two  other 
brigands.  The  great 
outlaw  shouted, 
"  Marta,  at  last  we 
meet ;  thy  end  has 
come."    Before  Marta 


had  time  to  reconcile  himself  to  the  situa- 
tion Musolino  shot  him  dead.  In  his  body 
twelve  bullets  were  found.  Musolino  intended 
to  do  the  work  thoroughly. 

A  number  of  peasants  were  present  on  the 
spot,  and  others  arrived,  attracted  by  the  sound 
of  the  gun.  '  Musolino  stood  there  gazing 
fiercely  upon  the  corpse  of  his  victim.  After  a 
little  while  he  said  :  "  Listen,  friends,  I  am 
Musolino,  and  this  one  who  has  fallen  you 
know.  He  betrayed  me  some  time  ago  to  the 
police,  and  now  he  has  received  his  reward.  (jO 
to  the  authorities  and  inform  them  of  what  you 
have  seen,  and  if  any  of  you  ever  think  to 
play  false  with  me,  you  both  see  and  know  what 
you  may  expect."  Then  he  calmly  walked  away, 
accompanied  by  his  two  colleagues,  Giovanni 
Foti  and  Stefano  di  Lorenzo.  These  are 
the  same    two   outlaws  who,    early  in  August, 

assaulted  and  wound- 
ed the  late  Mayor  of 
St.  Stefano,  and  who 
have  now  definitely 
joined  the  company 
of  Musolino. 

Musolino  once  was 
asked  whether  he  ever 
dreaded  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  police. 
"Never,"  he  replied. 
"  I  have  with  me  a 
strong  poison  ready 
for  use,  and  whenever 
escape  becomes  im- 
possible I  will  kill 
myself  with  it." 

P.S. — Musolino  is 
as  popular  and  evasive 
as  ever.  At  the 
moment  of  writing  he 
has  just  killed  his 
fifteenth  victim,  and 
has  a  price  of  ^^1,200 
put  upon  his  head  by 
a  despairing  Govern- 
ment. 


BEFORE   THE   CARAHl.VEEK    COUI-D    USE    HIS    WEAPON    HE    FELL   TO 
THE   r.ROUNEi   MORTALLY   WOUNDED." 


Our    Climbs    in    the    Himalayas, 


l>v   Uk.  and  iMks.  Bullock  Workman. 
t     are     enabled,     by     arrangement     with     Mr.     Fisher     Unwin      to     place    before    our    readers    a 


/ 


i    jm 


World  of   Himalaya. 


rocks,  carrying  all  before  it,  and  spreading  destruction 
and  ruin  in  its  path. 

We  laboured  under  a  great  disadvantage  in  our 
Himalayan  travel  in  not  knowing  enough  Hindustani 
to  talk  freely  witli  the  head  men  of  the  different  tribes. 

Srinagar  is  the  starling-point  for  a  number  of  inter- 
esting routes  in  the  Himalayas,  and  we  arrived  there 
early  in  May,  1898,  with  the  intention  of  visiting 
Ladakh  and  Nubra.  Our  Kashmiri  khansaniah,  or 
cook,  exhibited  a  number  of  chih,  which  gave  him 
credit  for  a  greater  degree  of  efificiency  than  he  ever 
displayed  in  our  service.  We  cut  his  perquisites  and 
commissions  on  purchases  down  from  some  500  per 
cent,  to  100  per  cent.,  and  with  this  he  was  well  satisfied. 


DR.    BULI.OCK   WORKMAN,    M.A.,    M.D.,    F.R.G.S.,    ETC. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Maull  &'  Fox. 


OUNTAINEERING  in  the 
Himalayas  is  very  different  from 
mountaineering  in  Switzerland 
or  the  Tyrol.  In  the  Hima- 
layas there  are  no  villages  and 
hotels  within  a  few  hours  of  the  summits; 
no  shelter-huts,  and  no  corps  of  guides. 
The  mountaineer  must  go  fully  provided 
with  mountaineering  and  camping  outfit 
into  the  savage  and  trackless  wastes.  He 
must  brave  fatigue,  wet,  cold,  wind,  and 
snow  on  peaks  whose  bases  rest  on  but- 
tresses higher  than  the  summit  of  Mont 
Blanc.  Worst  of  all,  he  must  wrestle  with 
the  lialf  barbarous  coolies,  on  whom  he  has 
to  rely  for  transport.  The  mountain  flanks 
too  are  constantly  scored  by  avalanches  of 
snow  and  rock,  which  thunder  down  at  all 
hours  of  the  day.  Immense  landslips  are 
frequent,  filling  the  valleys  and  damming 
back  the  water  from  the  melting  snows. 
Later,  this  bursts  the  unstable  barrier  thus 
formed,  and  tears  downwards  with  terrific 
force,  a   living    mass  of   water,   mud,   and 


IMKS.     I-ANNY     bULLOCK     WORKMAN,    M.K.A.S.,     K.R.S.G.S.,     ETC.,     WlliJ 
HOLDS   THE    WOKLD's    RECORD   AS  A    I.ADY    MOUNTAINEER. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Maull  ijr'  Fox. 


OUR    CLIMBS    IN    THE    HIMALAYAS. 


261 


We  reached  Leh  on  the  27th  of  June,  in 
time  for  the  rehgious  festival  or  miracle  play, 
which  was  to  take  place  at  the  Buddhist 
monastery  of  Himmis,  twenty-five  miles  away. 
We  secured  as  interpreter  a  well  -  known 
character,  whom  we  will  call  Mr.  Paul,  a  sly 
and  cunning  Madrasi  who  had  settled  in  this 
remote  spot  and  married  a  Ladakhi  lass.  He 
always  dressed  in  European  style,  and  his  wife 
was  richly  clad  in  native  costume,  her  peyrac,  or 
head-dress,  falling  below  the  waist  behind,  and 
being  richly  studded  with  turquoise. 

Mr.  Paul,  like  many  Madrasis,  was  a 
Christian,  and  a  source  of 

great  anxiety  to  the   self- 

sacrificing  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries of  Leh.  His  re- 
putation went  far  towards 
minimizing  the  slender 
harvest  their  patient 
endeavours  had  succeeded 
in  gathering.  However, 
when  on  the  march,  Mr. 
Paul  was  an  ornament  to 
the  party — mounted  on  an 
active  Nubra  i)ony,  with 
white  Ellwood  topee, 
tweed  riding-coat,  knicker- 
bockers and  gaiters,  and 
English  boots  with  pointed 
toes. 

At  noon  on  the  4th  of 
July  we  left  Leh  to  cross 
the  Kardong  Pass.  We 
were  able  to  procure  only 
a  few  riding  yaks,  and  we 
encamped  for  the  night  at 
a  spot  four  hours  above 
Leh.  At  this  point  we 
mounted  yaks  for  the 
first  time.  The  gait  of 
the  yak  is  easy,  but  he 
is  very  sure-footed. 
Often  in  passing  boggy 
and  treacherous  j)laces  our  yaks  would 
examine  footprints  and  walk  round  the  bad 
places,  choosing  in  every  case  a  firm  foothold. 
On  steep  mountain-sides  we  have  seen  yaks  go 
in  safety  over  places  without  a  semblance  of  a 
path,  and  where  even  experienced  mountaineers 
would  proceed  with  caution.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  note  that,  above  15,000ft.,  the  yaks 
seemed  to  suffer  quite  as  much  from  exertion 
and  altitude  as  their  human  attendants. 

At  Changlung  the  upper  road  through  the 
Sasser  Pass  to  Yarkand,  in  Central  Asia,  leaves 
the  Nubra  Valley  and  passes  through  a  grand 
Himalayan  region.  From  it  none  of  the  four 
chief  giants  are   visible,    but    mountains  of  the 


respectable  height  of  21,000ft.  to  25,000ft.  lie 
all  around,  and  present  a  complexity  of  form, 
outline,  colour,  fa/i,  precipice,  glacier,  and 
moraine;  with  deserts,  livers,  valleys,  and 
yawning  chasms. 

Our  baggage  was  carried  by  three  yaks  and  a 
dozen  ponies — most  of  the  latter  half-starved, 
wretched-looking  beasts.  The  drivers  were  none 
too  attentive  ;  and  so,  left  to  themselves,  the 
ponies  were  constantly  throwing  their  loads, 
jamming  them  one  into  another,  or  smashing 
them  against  the  rocks. 

From   Changlung,  over   the  Sasser  Pass,  and 


THIS  IS  HOW  THE  BAGGAGE  WAS  CARRIED  ON  YAKS  ON  THE  KAKDONG  ROUTE. 

Froiti  a  Photo.  l>y  Dr.  B.  II  'orkvian. 


down  to  Sasser— a  three  days'  journey — the 
path  is  strewn  with  many  fresh  carcasses  and 
the  bleaching  skeletons  of  many  thousands  of 
ponies  fallen  by  the  way.  These  afford  plenty 
of  occupation  to  the  vultures,  so  that  anyone 
desiring  to  investigate  the  anatomy  of  a  pony 
could  not  do  better  than  camp  for  a  few  weeks 
in  this  equine  graveyard.  In  some  places  these 
skeletons  covered  the  ground  in  groups  of  from 
twenty  to  fifty,  as  might  be  seen  after  a  severe 
battle.  We  saw  no  human  skeletons,  but  an 
Englishman  who  had  been  over  the  route  told 
us  he  had  seen  two. 

Crossing  the  Purkutse  Pass,  14,000ft.,  we  had 
a  glorious  view  of  Noon  Koon,   23,540ft.,  and 


202 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


thence  descended  to  Sum.  ^\  hile  we  were 
waiting  for  the  coolies  the  hmbardar,  or  head 
Uuin,  very  thoiiglufully  brought  us  a  brass 
drinking  vessel  full  of  milk,  and  a  cabbage  with 
which  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  our  appetites. 

In  our  experience  the  difficulties  of  moun- 
taineering reached  their  acme  in  Sikkim,  whose 
mountains  have  remained  a  terra  incoi!;nita  only 
to  be  gazed  at  from  afar.  Among  the  causes 
which  contribute  to  discourage  investigation 
are  the  expense  of  the  trip  and  the  reputed 
disinclination  of  the  Government  to  grant  the 
necessary  passes  and  assistance  to  persons 
desirous  of  visiting  the  heights  bordering 
on  the  forbidden  lands  of  Nepal  and 
Tibet,  ^^"e  reached  Darjeeling  in  the  middle 
of  September,  1898,  with  the  Swiss  guide, 
Rudolf  Taugwalder,  of  Zermatt,  and  an 
outfit  ordered  in  London.  The  Deputy- 
Commissioner  summoned  his  subordinate,  the 
magistrate,  and  handed  over  our  case  to  him. 
Now,  the  magistrate  had  had  no  experience  of 
such  matters,  but  he  ordered  his  hahu  to  call  in 
for  consultation  two  sirdars  who  were  loafing 
about  the  Darjeeling  streets.  They  had  never 
been  within  miles  of  the  places  we  were  inquir- 
ing about,  and  when  asked  a  question  the 
principal  sirdar  would  place  one  hand  over 
his  heart  and  raise  the  other  aloft,  turning 
up  his  eyes  with  a  pathetic  expression, 
as  if  to  say,  "\Miat  you  wish  to  do  is 
beyond  the  range  of  human  possibility."  Then 
the  Political  officer  said  a  good  deal  about 
the  difficulties  of  the  route ;  of  the  density 
of  the  rhododendron  forests  beyond  the  Giucha 
la;  of  the  obstructions  caused  by  rivers;  and 
of  steep  and  slippery  paths  which  would  make 
the  proposed  route  almost  impassable  to  a 
woman.  Having  assured  him  that  we  were 
accustomed  to  such  difficulties  and  would  take 
all  risks,  it  was  arranged  that  a  sirdar  and  forty- 
five  coolies  should  be  equipped  at  our  expense 
— each  with  cap,  jersey,  woollen  trousers, 
gloves,  socks,  putties,  boots,  thick  woollen 
blanket,  and  snow-glasses.  They  were  to  be 
provisioned  for  eight  weeks,  with  2lb.  of  rice 
per  coolie  per  day ;  besides  tea,  salt,  butter, 
chillies,  and  rum  in  liberal  quantities.  They 
were  also  to  have  mutton  when  the  snow  was 
reached,  and  four  large  tents  to  protect  them 
from  the  weather.  Fifteen  more  coolies  were 
to  be  paid  and  provisioned  to  carry  supplies  for 
the  forty-five. 

It  was  immediately  noised  abroad  in  the 
bazaar  that  a  large  expedition  was  afoot.  Stories 
of  fabulous  wealth  floated  through  its  dusty 
mazes,  and  its  merchants  were  excited  to  fever 
heat.  By  the  5th  of  October,  however,  all 
arrangements  were  completed.     The  magistrate 


assisted  us  to  secure  the  services,  at  two  rupees 
a  day,  of  a  native  cook,  who  never  showed  the 
least  knowledge  of  cooking,  and  never  succeeded 
in  boiling  an  egg  or  in  warming  tinned  meats. 
He  could  never  even  start  a  fire  with  any 
certainty. 

On  arrival  at  Chia  Banjan  the  Sikkim  sirdar 
was  awaiting  us  with  sixty  or  more  coolies — how 
many  we  never  knew,  as  some  were  always 
straggling  behind,  and  others  were  reported  as 
having  bolted.  As  to  the  rest,  judging  from 
their  appearance,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
match  them  in  any  gaol  in  India. 

That  day  was  spent  in  dividing  out  rations 
and  clothing.  Nine  sheep  were  purchased  by 
the  sirdar  at  double  the  usual  price,  and  at  day- 
light on  the  nth  of  October  we  were  ready  for 
the  start.  We  camped  that  night  in  a  thistle- 
covered  field  five  miles  from  our  starting-point. 
Although  the  weather  was  warm,  the  greater 
part  of  the  coolies  had  donned  their  thick 
clothing,  including  woollen  gloves.  Thus  the 
boots  and  socks  which  we  furnished  them  as 
protection  against  snow  and  cold  were  being 
worn  out  when  they  were  not  in  the  least 
needed. 

Towards  evening  the  sirdar  informed  us 
through  the  interpreter  that  the  coolies  would 
not  go  on  unless,  in  addition  to  their  already 
varied  diet,  curry  should  be  supplied  them. 
How  curry  was  to  be  obtained  in  this  wilderness 
he  did  not  explain.  After  a  time  he  said  that 
if  they  could  have  an  ox  at  Jongri  they  would 
go  on.  They  acted  throughout  as  though  they 
were  on  a  junketing  excursion. 

The  next  day  our  valiant  hirelings  managed 
to  cover  another  five  or  six  miles,  and  having 
reached  an  altitude  of  14,800ft.,  they  dumped 
our  baggage  down  on  the  wet  grass  and  betook 
themselves  to  a  shelter  lower  down.  Next 
morning  we  broke  camp  in  two  inches  of  snow, 
and  marched  in  a  heavy  snowstorm  i, 000ft. 
lower  to  where  four  shepherds'  huts  stood.  We 
reached  these  about  noon,  wet  to  the  skin,  the 
snow  having  turned  to  rain.  Here,  on  the 
sloping  surface,  soaked  and  oozing  with  water, 
we  set  up  our  tent  in  the  rain,  the  coolies 
bringing  wood  and  water  for  themselves,  but 
nothing  for  us.  And  we  had,  in  four  days, 
accomplished  twenty  miles  ! 

As  we  were  powerless  against  what  looked 
like  systematic  opposition  we  started  for  Dar- 
jeeling on  the  morning  of  the  17th.  The 
coolies  now  rnoved,  with  alacrity  and  ease, 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles  a  day.  At  Darjeeling  we 
laid  the  case  before  the  Political  officer,  but  got 
no  redress. 

On  three  of  the  mornings  after  leaving  Chia 
Banjan    the    views    were   something   not   to   be 


OUR    CLIMBS    IN    THE    HIMALAYAS. 


2()T, 


forgotten.  To  the  west,  far  within  Nepal, 
Everest,  with  its  giant  sisters,  rose  straight  and 
creamy  from  a  lapis  lazuli  plinth  of  hill  and 
cloud.  As  the  rising  sun  gilded  the  chain,  and 
its  rays  fell  in  a  golden  shower  on  the  plinth, 
the  towering  white  god  of  snow  seemed  to  float 
upward  from  a  billowy  world  of  mauve  vapour. 
To  the  north,  over  Sikkim,  stood  forth  with 
chalky  whiteness  the  wonderful  ramps  of  Jannu, 
Kabru,  and  Kinchinjanga ;  while  to  the  east, 
the  eye,  sweeping  over  the  border  of  Tibet, 
lighted  upon  the  fair  cone  of  sacred  Tchumu- 
lari.  Thus  in  a  glance  were  included  the  three 
great  peaks  of  Nepal,  Sikkim,  and  Tibet. 

On  returning  from  a  cycling  tour  in  Java  we 
readied   Srinagar  on  the   22nd   of  June,  1899, 
and    immediately    went    to    work    to    complete 
preparations   for  a  three  months'  expedition  to 
the   northern   regions   of  Baltistan.     Our  parly 
consisted   of  the   writers  :    the   famous   guide, 
Mattia   Zurbriggen,    of  Macugnaga ;   and   four 
camp    servants.     On     the 
I  St   of    July   we   stepped 
aboard    the    doongas    for 
Bandipura.      Towards 
which  ever  great  mountain 
range  one  is  headed,  the 
first  two  or  three  marches 
out  of  Srinagar  can  gener- 
ally be  covered   by  boat. 
The    choice    is    between 
two  evils — the  discomfort 
of  thirty-six  or  more  hours 
on  a  doonga,  or  of  several 
hot  and  dusty  marches  in 
the    "  Happy    Valley "   to 
the   foothills.      From  the 
doonga  there  is  no  retreat 
until    the   journey's    end. 
One   can   at    least   stand 
erect,   however,   which    is 
more  than  can  be  .said  of 
the  sampan  of  Indo-China 
and   Siam.     It   would   be 
quite     possible     to    exist 
quite     comfortably    in    a 
doonga  for  a  day  or  two 
did  the  hanxi  or  boatman 
adhere  to  his  agreement. 

We  pitched  our  first 
camp  at  Tragbal,  on  a 
knoll  overlooking  the 
silver  sheet  of  Woolar 
Lake.  Now,  the  mosquito 
here  is  an  insect  of  noble 
proportions  and  gigantic- 
voice.  He  attacks  one 
with    persistent    virulence 

r  .  A    STUDY    IN    EXl'KESSIO..  5  -    Mt 

from     sunrise      to     sunset;  From  a  Photo,  by] 


and  unlike  his  confrere  of  the  tropics,  this 
valiant  denizen  of  the  Deosai  leaves  his  victim 
to  rest  at  night,  and  is  in  full  possession  of 
both  breathing  and  buzzing  apparatus  on  an 
elevated  plateau  of  13,000ft.  to  14,000ft. 

At  length  we  vvere  in  Baltistan.  The  lean 
but  fairly  staunch  ponies  supplied  by  our  good 
friend  of  the  Gilgit  Commissariat  had  finished 
their  work  without  much  damage.  The  only 
endurable  camping-ground  at  Skardu  being 
occupied,  the  choice  for  us  fell  between  a 
ploughed  field  partially  shaded  by  a  trio  of 
sickly  apricots  and  a  small,  treeless  grass-plot, 
where  even  a  double  fly-tent  was  powerless 
against  the  blazing  July  sun. 

After  a  short  march  we  reached  pastoral, 
straggling  Shigar,  watered  by  mountain  rivulets 
and  famous  for  fruit.  After  we  had  pitched  our 
humble  tents  on  the  polo  ground  a  message 
was  brought  that  the  Rajah  would  favour  us 
with  a  visit  after  dinner.     He  came — a  gentle. 


^l.ul  L.    UAILHIM,    THE    PHOTO(jRAl'HI.\G    OF    THEIR    FELLOW- 
VILLAGERS.  [Z>n  B.  Workman. 


.'64 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


refined  iiHli\:  wiili  a  courtesy  perfectly 

in  keepini;  wiili  ihc  ^■inrn  o(  native  opinion  as 
to  the  position  of  wonun  in  India,  he  handed 
the  saliih  a  sweet-snielHng  nosegay  of  welcome, 
favouring  the  inem-sahib  with  a  mere  dignified 
bow.  He  ofiered  to  get  up  a  polo  gymkhana 
for  us,  luit  the  hills  were  "  a-callin',''  and  we 
started  for  Askole  next  day.  At  Askor  Nullah 
village  the  Shigar  coolies  were  exchanged  for 
a  lot  of  loud-mouthed  Haltis,  who  were  to  take 
our  kit  over  the  pass. 

.At  15.000ft.  several  of  them  broke  down 
with  mountain  sickness,  and  at  15,800ft.  we 
were  obliged  to  bivouac  on  a  narrow,  wind- 
swept ledge  of  the  arete,  which  rose  between 
two  deep  nullahs  with  precipitous  walls,  down 
which  rock  avalanches  were  thundering  at  all 
hours  of  the  night.  To  this  mountain-music 
were  added  the  groans  of  the  air-sick  coolies. 
Elated  at  ilie  prospect  of  8,000ft.  of  descent, 
however,  they  forgot  their  sickness,  and 
presently  glissaded  with  tents  and  packs  down 
the  long  snow  valleys  in  the  most  hilarious 
manner.  After  eleven  hours  of  hard  marching 
we  reached,  at  sunset,  the  rope  bridge  which 
spans  the  river  before  Askole.  Accustomed  to 
contend  with  the  roughest  of  paths,  the  Askole 


people  are  good  mountaineers,  but  they  are 
great  cowards,  and  have  an  aversion  to  ice, 
preferring  a  difficult  and  tiresome  route  over 
moraine.  They  rather  resemble  Polish  Jews  in 
dress  and  appearance. 

The  Biafo  and  Baltoro  glaciers,  for  exploring 
which  Askole  is  the  starting-point,  are  said  to 
be  the  two  largest  outside  the  Arctic  regions. 
Our  plan  was  to  follow  up  the  Biafo  some  thirty- 
five  miles  to  its  origin  at  the  Hispar  Pass  and 
then  return  to  Askole.  The  head  man  of  the 
seven  Askole  villages  took  three  days  to  collect 
and  equip  coolies.  W^e  started  on  the  i6th  of 
July  with  fifty-five  men,  in  charge  of  Lambardar 
Kinchin,  a  shivering,  cringing  fellow  not 
possessed  of  the  pluck  and  persistence  neces- 
sary to  lead  his  compatriots.  Of  the  fifty-five 
coolies  under  his  orders  he  said  he  could  only 
control  the  actions  of  seven,  who  came  from  his 
own  village.  His  c/iiV  of  recommendation  bore 
Sir  W.  Martin  Conway's  signature,  and  had 
doubtless  changed  hands  more  than  once. 
Zurbriggen  is  certain  he  was  not  with  the 
Conway  party. 

For  the  first  six  or  eight  hours'  march  the 
surface  of  the  glacier  was  much  broken,  con- 
sisting of  immense  truncated  seracs,  separated 


STEP-CUT,  ING   IN   THE    blAFO   SERACS— "  HOURS    WKkli    Sl'KXl    CUTTIN(;    VIEIS    Ul'   AND   DOWN   THE  GREAT   HONEYCOMBED    I'lNNACLIiS." 

From  a  Photo,   by  Dr.  B.   Workman. 


OUR    CLIMBS    IN    THE    HIMALAYAS. 


'M 


from  one  another  by  deep 
hollows.  We  encamped 
at  11,775ft.  For  miles 
above  this  place  the  seracs 
became  larger,  higher,  and 
more  pointed.  The  cre- 
vasses were  longer  and 
wider,  and  with  few  bridges 
from  bank  to  bank.  Our 
second  day  might  be  called 
a  day  lost  in  the  seracs. 
\Ve  attacked  a  reach  of 
huge  seracs  which  pro- 
jected like  a  gigantic  white 
tongue  among  the  dark- 
coloured  ones  forming  the 
sides.  Here  hours  were 
spent  cutting  steps  up  and 
down  and  around  the  great 
honeycombed  pinnacles, 
which  projected  50ft.  or 
6oft.  above  our  trail,  to 
say  nothing  about  the 
depths  to  which  .they 
descended  below  it. 
With  much  loss  of  time 
we  succeeded  in  getting 
the  coolies  through  the 
serac?,  until  we  came  to 
two  tall  ones  separated  by 
a  deep  crevasse,  between 
which,  on  the  side  of  one 
of  them,  Zurbriggen  had 
to  cut  a  gallery  some  30ft. 
long,  which  took  him  more 
than  half  an  hour  to 
complete.  Meanwhile  we 
sat  cooling  off  on  a  beauti- 
ful blue  s^rac.  Some  of  the 
older    coolies,    who    were 

destined  to  become  irritating  spokesmen,  began 
to  protest  and  babble  about  returning.  Their 
complaints,  however,  were  answered  with  con- 
siderable asperity  by  us  and  by  Zurbriggen,  who 
was  doing  all  the  work.  Owing  to  the  projection 
of  the  ice-walls  the  coolies  could  not  easily  follow 
whilst  loaded,  so  it  was  necessary  to  bring  their 
loads  through  the  passage  first.  To  do  this 
Kinchin  and  our  bearer  stationed  themselves 
in  the  gallery  and  handed  the  different 
packs — some  of  which  weighed  over  sixty 
pounds — to  Zurbriggen,  who  stood  at  the  most 
dangerous  point,  with  one  leg  often  astride  the 
crevasse  and  his  foot  braced  against  the  opposite 
serac.  He  would  then  pass  the  packs  on  to  two 
camp  servants  stationed  on  the  shelf  below, 
finally  the  two  sheep  came,  and  one,  owing  to 
some  inadvertence,  fell  into  a  crevasse  and  dis- 
appeared.    Fortunately  it  lodged  unhurt   on  a 


AN     ICK  GALLERY   ON    THE    BIAFO   GLACIER — LAMBARDAR     KINCHIN     DRAWING     ZUKBRIGGEN    Ol    I     O.- 

FiomaPhoto.  by\       the  crevasse  after  the  rescue  of  the  sheep.       {D^-.B.  Workman. 

projecting  shelf,  and  Zurbriggen  was  lowered  to 
its  rescue.  After  this  we  came  to  a  crevasse 
which  could  not  be  jumped  and  apparently  had 
no  bridges,  so,  as  the  weather  was  becoming 
thick  and  the  day  was  on  the  wane,  it  was 
decided  to  return  to  camp  for  the  night.  It  was 
amusing  to  see  with  what  ease  and  agility 
the  coolies  returned  unaided,  in  two  hours, 
over  a  track  which  had  taken  seven  hours  to 
cut  through  in  coming  out. 

All  the  camping-places  on  the  Biafo,  as  far  as 
Ogre  Camp,  are  good,  and,  as  regards  scenery, 
leave  nothing  to  be  desired.  The  crevassed 
windings  of  the  glacier  trend  ever  onward  until 
they  merge  into  the  white  pall  of  Snow  Lake, 
where  the  bordering  heights  spread  out  and  join 
hands  in  a  peerless  cirque  of  weird,  ice-covered 
towers.   • 

In    the    solid    ice    of   the   glacier,   where    no 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


SOME   OF   THE  TKOUBLUSOME   COOLIES    IMOUMING    AN    ICE-HILL   OF   THE    BIAFO. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Dr.  B.   Workman. 


traces  of  crevasses  appear,  irregular  apertures 
occur  leading  down  to  unknown  depths.  Into 
one  of  these,  of  a  diameter  not  much  greater 
than  a  man's  head,  a  pebble  was  dropped, 
and  was  heard  to  resound  for  several 
seconds  until  lost  in  the  depths. 


Ogre  Carnp 
is  situated  on 
the  southern 
spur  of  the 
Biafo  Moun- 
tains, whose 
needles  pierce 
the  blue  9,000ft. 
or  more  above 
the  glacier,  and 
at  least  23,000ft. 
above  the  sea. 
The  camp  was 
so  named  by 
Sir  Martin  Con- 
way. It  con- 
sists of  a  small, 
grass-covered 
projection  from 
a  rock  slant, 
overhanging  the 
glacier  by  about 
2  o  o  f  t.,  with 
three  terraces, 
on  each  of  which  there  is'  room  for  a  moderate- 
sized  tent.  On  the  middle  terrace  a  rock  cairn, 
built  by  Sir  Martin  Conway's  party,  stands  intact. 
This  spot,  at  14,650ft.,  commands  the  glacier  in 
three  directions.  Here  we  passed  three  nights 
and  two  days,  detained  by  the  weather. 


:i.v  con'.vay's  cairn  at  ogre  cami  (i4,Cj^r  i.;   -here  the  explorers  passed  three  nights  and  two  days. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Dr.  Ji.  IVorkiiian. 


OUR    CLIMBS    IN    THE    HIMALAYAS. 


267 


About  six  hours  above  Ogre  Camp  the  Biafo 
opens  into  Snow  Lake,  a  huge  basin  of  ice  and 
snow,  unique,  we  believe,  in  the  Himalayas. 
The  diameter  is  apparently  from  four  to  six 
miles.  This  is  encircled  by  unexplored,  un- 
named ice  -  peaks,  varying  in  height  from 
2o,cooft.  to  probably  25,oooit.  At  the  entrance 
of  Snow  Lake  we  roped,  as  it  was  necessary  to 
move  with  caution.  With  all  due  care  we  were 
constantly  in  snow  and  crevasses  to  above  the 
knees,  and  one  of  the  party  will  not  soon  forget 
the  sensation  she  felt  on  disappearing  up  to  her 
shoulders  in  a  crevasse.  Zurbriggen  said  : 
"  Pull  on  the  rope  and  push  back  with  the 
feet."  Finally,  by  strenuous 
efforts  on  her  part  and 
hauling  on  that  of  the 
guide  she  came  out  again. 
This  form  of  exercise  con- 
tinued until  half-past  four, 
when  we  began  the  ascent 
of  an  ice-slant,  where  each 
step  had  to  be  cut.  'i'his 
took  some  time  at  a  height 
of  over  16,000ft.,  after  the 
tumbling  gymnastics  of  the 
afternoon.  Finally  we 
pitched  our  tents  on  the 
ice-shelf  bv  the  light  of  the 
sinking  sun  in  the  most 
glorious  ice-world  possible 
to  imagine.  As  the  sun 
flung  its  last  flames  of  fire 
on  the  towering  ice-pin- 
nacles, and  the  purple 
fangs  of  what  might  be 
called  the  Himalayan 
aurora  shot  upwards  from 
the  dull  horizon  to  the 
blue  zenith ;  and  as  the 
twilight  silence  of  the 
Arctic  regions  fell  on  the 
snow-land,  one  felt,  not 
only  the  overwhelming 
beauty,  but  also  the  intan- 
gibility of  a  scene  that 
seemed  in  no  way  of  this 
world. 

By  six  o'clock  on  the 
29th  of  July  we  were  off 
to  the  Flispar  Pass — a  river  of  pure  white 
driven  snow,  1-ounded  by  chains  of  lofty,  name- 
less snow-mountains. 

Our  return  to  Askole  was  honoured  by  the 
presence  of  the  seven  head  men  and  their 
families,  who  received  the  caravan  standing  on 
the  mud  hut-tops,  clothed  in  their  best  rags 
and  adorned  with  their  most  striking  jewellery. 
And  so  ended  a  hard   l)ut   very  interesting   trip 


of  eighteen  days  among  Himalaya's  grand  and 
silent  snow  fields. 

On  the  5th  of  August  we  again  left  Askole 
for  the  Skoro  La  Range,  with  thirty  fresh 
coolies,  under  the  leadership  of  Lambardar 
Kinchin,  who  had  his  battered  umbrella'  under 
his  arm  as  usual.  As  we  headed  for  the  ice 
the  coolies  again  began  to  clamour,  and  finally 
threw  down  their  loads.  In  vain  we  told  them 
they  would  have  rock  shelter  on  the  farther 
side  ;  their  fear  of  the  ice  was  so  great  that  they 
would  not  go  upon  it.  We  therefore  decided 
to  encamp  where  we  were,  on  the  edge  of  the 
glacier.      There,    on   a   moraine    ledge,    barely 


MKS.    WOKKMAN    FALLS    LNTO   A    CREVASSE    AT   SNOW    LAKE — "BY   STRENUOUS    EFFORTS   ON    HER 
I'ART   AND    HAULLNG    ON    THAT   OF   THE   GUIDE   SHE   CAME  OUT   AGAIN." 


safe  from  falling  boulders,  we  made  them 
build  up  rock  terraces  for  our  tents.  Our 
tent-ledge  was  as  a  tiny  footstool  to  the  great 
white,  serac-studded  ice-falls  that  streamed  in 
glittering  masses  from  the  bases  of  two  great 
snow-kings.  We  were  in  a  vast  basin  of  ice 
and  rock,  surmounted  by  snowy  peaks,  where 
the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the  music  of 
the  ice-streams  and  the  roar  of  the  avalanche. 


26S 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


uUK   (.AlKN   ON   Ttili   KoClv    I.EDtiE  (AIIoUT   30FT.    WIDE)   NKAR   THE   SUMMIT   OK   THE   SIEGFRIEDHORN — l8,6oOFT. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Dr.  B.  Workman. 


On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  August,  accom- 
panied by  two  of  the  more  valiant  coolies  as 
jx)rters,  we  started  across  the  glacier.  An 
ordinary  Swiss  guide  would  have  been  puzzled  by, 
and  doubtless  have  lost  some  hours  finding  his 
way  through,  the  labyrinth  of  seracs  and  crevasses 
that  confronted  us.  Not  so  Zurbriggen,  how- 
ever.    He  led  us  in  and  out,  over  and  around 


OS   THE   DESOLATE  SU.MiUT  OF  THE  SIEGFRIEDHORN,  WHERE  A  RECORD  WAS    LEFT   IN    A  GLASS  JAR 

From  a  Photo,  by  Dr.  B.   Workman. 


them,  as  if  a  path  existed,  and  in  less  than  three 
hours  we  were  taking  a  light  breakfast  on  a 
sloping  snow  plateau.  Above  the  snow-slopes 
of  the  main  peak  we  had  to  pick  our  way  for  an 
hour,  when  the  final  snow  aretes  began.  Our 
porters,  who  had  been  complaining  of  their 
heads,  and  asking  to  return  during  the  last 
thousand    feet,     threw   down    their    loads   and 

went  to  sleep  on  the 
rocks.  W^e  were  five  and 
a  half  hours  from  camp 
to  summit,  which  we 
placed  at  1 8,600ft.  The 
view  was  very  beautiful, 
particularly  towards  the 
north  and  east,  where 
Masherbrun  was  clearly 
seen  raising  its  great 
white  ramparts  heaven- 
ward, and  beyond,  ridge 
upon  ridge  of  the  wonder- 
ful heights  of  Korakoram 
and  Hunza.  We  named 
the  mountain  the  Sieg- 
friedhorn.  With  the 
assistance  of  the  porters 
a  strong  cairn  was  built 
on  the  rock  summit, 
which  is  a  ledge  20ft.  or 
30ft.  wide  crowning  the 
ragged,  shaly  wall  which 
falls  away  into  a  perpen- 
dicular precipice  into  the 
Skoro      Nullah     several 


OUR    CLIMBS    IN    THE     HIMALAYAS. 


269 


thousand  feet  below.  In  this  cairn  we  left  our 
cards,  inclosed  in  a  glass  jar,  bearing  our  names, 
the  height  of  the  mountain,  and  a  record  of  the 
ascent. 

As  to  our  coolies,  we  were  soon  face  to  face 
with  a  crisis  similar  to  the  one  that  had  wrecked 
a  costly  expedition  in  Sikkim.  Therefore,  with- 
out more  waste  of  words,  the  sahib  began  to 
bombard  the  crowd  vigorously  with  small  stones, 
which  lay  plentifully  at  hand.  This  had  the 
effect  of  compelling  them  to  resume  their  loads, 
and  the  train  slowly  continued  its  upward  march. 

The  morning  of  August  xith  saw  us  off  on  a 


steep,  crevassed  ice-slopes  overhanging  a  basin 
a  thousand  feet  below  to  hear  Zurbriggen 
calling  to  the  stupid  fellows-  to  move  with 
care  and  keep  the  rope  taut  between  them, 
adding  that  if  one  mis-step  were  made  we  should 
all  perish.  And  yet  in  a  most  critical  place  they 
sat  down  to  take  the  snow  out  of  their  boots  ! 

We  felt  the  cold  quite  severely  for  the  first 
three  hours,  after  which  the  sun  reached  us. 
There  was  no  rock  work.  The  ascent  from  our 
camp  to  the  summit  was  over  a  succession  of 
ice  and  snow  slopes.  We  reached  the  summit, 
19,450ft.,  at  ten  o'clock  — four  hours  from  camp. 


I   I      ■,:  1  AT  TKIUMI'U- 

I'lOin  u  Plioto.  by] 


-THE   PARTY  TiEACH   THE   SUMMIT   OF    THE   IHANT  TEAK   WlUCli    BEARS   THEIR    NAME 
— MOUNT   BULLOCK   WORKMAN,    I9,450FT.  [Dr.  B.   IVorkiuaii. 


pioneer  ascent  of  Mount  Bullock  Workman.  A 
short,  steep  stretch  of  moraine  and  glacier 
brought  us  to  a  bold,  crevassed  ice-slope,  which 
we  ascended  in  zig-zags,  cutting  steps  for  about 
an  hour.  We  were  roped  from  the  beginning  of 
the  slope,  and  had  the  same  two  coolies  with  us 
as  porters,  for  they  were  willing  for  the  extra 
compensation  they  received  to  run  the  risk  of  a 
second  ascent.  They  had  now  become  fairly 
expert  in  placing  their  hobnail-booted  feet  in 
the  cut  steps,  but  they  had  to  be  constantly 
watched  and  admonished  not  to  crowd  one 
upon    another.       It    was    not    pleasant   on    the 


Except  for  some  headache  and  loss  of  breath  on 
sudden  exertion  we  suffered  in  no  way  from 
the  altitude.  One  should  move  slowly  and 
steadily  throughout,  avoiding  spurts.  We 
named  the  peak  Mount  Bullock  Workman,  and 
left  our  cards,  with  the  name  given  and  a  record 
of  the  ascent,  in  a  glass  jar  in  the  snow  at  tiie 
highest  point.  The  summit  of  the  mountain 
consisted  of  a  long  crest  of  driven  snow,  so 
narrow  that  not  more  than  two  persons  could 
comfortably  stand  abreast  on  it.  On  the  west 
the  slope  ran  sharply  down  some  2,000ft.  to  a 
glacier.     We  had  not  expected  to  find  the  view 


rilH    WIDE     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


so  grand,  or  so  uninterruptedly  beautiful,  as  it 
proved  to  be.  To  the  north  the  great  castel- 
lated rock-peaks  of  the  Hiafo  and  Hisfiar  lined 
themselves  against  the  pure  cerulean  back- 
ground, and  the  peerless  Nanga  Tarbat  of  cloud 
renown  illumined  the  western  horizon  with 
golden  beauty,  her  towering  sunmiits  rising  to 
meet  the  deep  blue  of  a  cloudless  sky.  Among 
other  details  of  the  glorious  view  were  nine 
known  and  named  summits. 

We  were,  later  on.  selecting  a  place  to  pitch 
the  tent.s,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Askor  torrent, 
when  our  attention  was  attracted  by  a  peculiar 
rumble  above.  Far  up  the  gorge,  and  just 
below  the  glacier,  appeared  a  dark,  serpentine 
object,  coming  towards  us,  with  a  high,  crested 
front.  There  was  barely  time  for  tlie  coolies  to 
snatch  up  their  loads,  which  fortunately  had  not 
iK-en  opened,  and  carry  them  50yds.  up  the 
incline,  when  it  was  upon  us — a  dark,  slate- 
coloured  mas.s,  6ofl.  wide  and  20ft.  or  30ft. 
high,  consisting  of  mud  and  stones  of  every 
she,  some  of  them  many  tons  in  weight,  which 
were  rolled  over  one  another  as  if  they  were 
pebbles.  A  moment  more,  and  the  lofty  front 
of  the  avalanche  shot  by  with  irresistible  force 
and  a  crashing,  demoniacal  roar.  The  rock- 
packed  banks  of  the  river  crumbled  into  the  rush- 
ing torrent,  and  large  boulders  toppled  into  and 
joined  the  mad  procession.  Rock  masses,  loft. 
or  15ft.  in  diameter,  lyin^  in  its  course  were 
swept  away  and  seen  no  more. 

On  our  return  to  the  Shigar  Valley  we  decided 
if  possible  to  climb  Koser  Gunge,  a  grand 
mountain  of  over  20.000ft.  Not  knowing  how 
long  we  might  be  detained  on  the  mountain,  a 
sheep  had  been  ordered,  and  the  lambardar 
brought  it  late  on  the  evening  before  our 
departure ;  for  village  chiefs  prefer  to  exhibit 
their  live  stock  at  dusk  or  by  the  faint  light 
of  the  young  moon.  It  was  a  lively-look- 
ing sheep,  but  on  the  following  morning, 
after  walking  a  few  steps,  it  absolutely  refused  to 
stir.  No  amount  of  coaxing,  beating,  dragging, 
or  punching  with'an  alpenstock  was  of  any  avail, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  hire  a  coolie  to  carry 
it  on  his  shoulders  to  the  first  encampment. 
VoT  the  first  1,200ft.  above  the  camp  we  had  to 
do  .some  almost  perpendicular  rock  work,  and 
then  escalade  a  steep  arete  leading  to  the  hori- 
zontal one.  Now  we  were  crawling  along  a  narrow 
ledge  with  great  abysses  beneath,  and  again 
climbing  through  a  slippery  chimney  and  back 
to  the  ridge,  where  perhaps  a  formidable  rock 
presented  itself.  But  Zurbriggen  always  inspires 
confidence,  and  when  one  sees  him  coolly  attack 
a  dizzy,  untested  gallery  one  follows  without 
question. 


The  snow  grew  deepcT  as  we  ascended,  and 
soon  reached  well  o\er  the  tops  of  our  mountain 
boots.  Suddenly  a  strong  gust  of  wind,  ac- 
companied by  sleet,  blew  off  the  mem-sahib's 
treasured  Ellwood  topee,  although  fastened  with 
elastic,  and  down  it  bounded  over  the  slant  of 
the  great  arete,  and  across  lower  snowtields, 
where  it  disappeared  towards  a  huge  crevasse 
nearly  i,oooft.  below.  It  bore  on  its  front  a 
specially-made  Touring  Club  de  France  badge, 
which  had  travelled  in  many  lands  of  Europe, 
Africa,  and  Asia,  but  was  doomed  to  succumb 
to  the  elements  on  Koser  Gunge. 

By  noon  we  had  reached  20,000ft.  Every 
step  was  now  in  snow  to  our  knees,  and  beneath 
the  snow  there  was  solid  ice.  Every  step  had 
to  be  dug  or  trodden  out  by  Zurbriggen,  and 
the  waiting  for  this  in  the  wind  and  snow  was 
more  than  bitter.  The  lifting  of  our  feet  from 
one  knee-deep  step  to  another  w'as  accomplished 
with  panting.  We  could  not  stop  to  get  our 
food  from  the  tififin  basket,  and  even  the 
chocolate  and  kola  biscuit  we  had  in  our 
pockets  were  scarcely  procurable  with  half- 
frozen  fingers. 

The  mem-sahib  screamed  to  Zurbriggen  that 
she  must  change  her  gloves,  as  she  could  no 
longer  feel  her  ice-axe.  We  halted,  and  he 
rubbed  her  hands  vigorously  and  pounded  her 
feet,  which  were  almost  destitute  of  sensation. 
In  place  of  her  fur  gloves  he  lied  on  lined 
rubber  mittens,  which,  whilst  icy  cold  at  first, 
restored  the  circulation  after  a  time. 

We  found  the  snow  portion  of  Koser  Gunge 
to  be  not  simply  one  peak,  but  a  tremendous 
scheme  of  endless  ridges,  slopes,  aretes,  and 
domes.  On  this  dangerous  incline,  where  the 
wind  was  whirling  snow  in  clouds  over  us,  the 
endurance  of  a  Kashmiri  found  its  end,  and 
the  sickened  second  porter  sat  down,  turning 
his  back  to  the  roped  procession.  There  came 
a  tug  at  the  rope,  and,  looking  up,  we  saw 
Zurbriggen  with  two-inch  icicles  on  his  beard, 
waving  his  hands  and  vociferating  loudly.  It 
seemed  hours,  and  w-as  actually  some  minutes, 
before  that  coolie  was  released,  and  we  saw  him 
crawl  downwards,  shambling  in  the  deep  tracks, 
and  bearing  our  extra  coats  and  food — in  the 
wrong  direction. 

We  reached  our  goal  at  three  o'clock — 
2i,oooft.  We  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  the 
first  to  conquer  Koser  Gunge,  noblest  of  Shigar 
peaks.  We  were  out  thirteen  hours  from  the 
start  to  the  return  to  camp.  By  the  ascent  of 
the  Siegfriedhorn,  Mount  Bullock  Workman,  and 
Koser  Gunge  three  successive  world's  rnoim- 
taineering  records  for  women — viz.,  i8,6ooft., 
ig,45oft.,  and  21,000ft. — were  established 


How  We  Got  the  Bison  Out  of  the  Elephant  Pits. 

By  a.  W.   Strachan. 

The  wild  elephants  of  India  are  Government  property,  and  when  a  new  "  labourer  "  is  required 
he  is  trapped  in  a  pit  of  ingenious  construction.  But  it  often  happens  that  wild  bison  fall  in 
instead  ;  and  in  this  paper  we  are   told   how  these  animals   are   liberated    from  the  pits — a  task  of 

peculiar   and  delicate  nature. 


E^^'  parts  of  India  afford  greater 
scope  for  the  sportsman  and  the 
naturalist  than  the  district  of  Malabar 
called  North  VVynaad.  It  is  situated 
on  the  Bromagherri  Hills — a  spur  of 
the  Neilgherries — at  an  elevation  of  about 
4,oooft.  A  great  part  of  the  country  is  covered 
with  teak  forest,  the  timber  of  which  affords 
the  chief  industry.  The  rest  is  mostly  jungle, 
although  at  one  time  there  were  extensive 
clearings  planted  with  coffee,  which  then  con- 
stituted a  thriving  trade. 

From  some  cause  the  coffee  trees  almost 
entirely  died  out,  and  the  ubiquitous  bamboo 
and  lantana  (locally  known  as  "  The  Curse  of 
India ")  reign  in  its  stead.  Efforts  are  now 
being  made  to  revive  the  coffee-planting  in  the 
district.  Considerable  areas  have  been  recently 
cleared  and  in  due  season  blossom  forth  with 
the  bloom  and  the  odour  of  the  fragrant  coffee 
plant.  Jungle,  however,  greatly  predominates, 
and  affords  cover  to  numerous  herds  of  wild 
elephants  and  bison,  as  well  as  to  tiger,  panther, 
pig,  and  other  Indian  big  game. 

The  shooting  in  this  region  is  strictly  pre- 
served by  Government,  and  the  invaluable 
elephant  is  under  special  protection.  Although 
roaming  at  large,  and 
to  all  intents  and 
purposes  perfectly 
wild,  the  elephants 
are  really  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  are  the 
stock  from  which  the 
supply  of  working 
elephants  is  ob- 
tained, a  large 
number  being  re- 
quired for  the  work 
of  moving  the  enor- 
mous trunks  and  logs 
of  teak  wood.  The 
capture  is  effected 
chiefly  by  pits, 
covered  over  and 
concealed  by  light 
spars  and  brush- 
wood. The  unwary 
elephant,  treading 
upon  this  covering, 
is    precipitated    into 


the  pit,  where- he  has  to  remain  till  assisted  out 
and  led  away  to  be  tamed  and  trained  by 
his  captors.  The  pits,  however,  are  not  dis- 
criminating as  to  the  kind  of  prey  they  entrap, 
provided  it  is  heavy  enough  to  break  through 
the  treacherous  covering.  Thus  it  is  that  the 
bison  is,  not  infrequently,  found  in  them.  Not 
being  "wanted,"  these  beasts  are,  with  some 
little  trouble  and  excitement  to  those  engaged 
in  the  work,  set  at  liberty,  only  perhaps  to  meet 
a  more  tragic  fate  from  a  rifle  bullet. 

The  Indian  bison,  or,  more  properly,  gaur,  is 
not  by  any  means  an  easy  animal  to  get  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with,  as  it  regards  the  genus 
"  homo,"  or  anything  connected  with  him,  with 
a  bitter  hatred.  This  it  shows  by  inhabiting 
the  most  inaccessible  tracts  of  country,  where  it 
is  least  likely  to  be  disturbed  by  its  greatest 
enemy  —  the  sportsman  with  his  attendant 
shikari.  During  the  dry  season,  however,  it  is 
forced  to  descend  to  the  lower  ground  in  search 
of  water,  and  is  then  frequently  incautious 
enough  to  fall  into  the  elephant  pits,  and  thus 
afford  an  opportunity  for  a  close  though,  on  its 
own  part,  decidedly  unwilling  interview. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  forest  officer  of 
the  district  in  which  I  reside  I  was  enabled  to 


'a  forest  guard  came  in-  and  reported  a ''fall'  of  three  bison  about  four  miles  off.' 


I'HE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINP:. 


witness  the  release  of  iwo  of  these  splendid 
animals,  which  1  shall  endeavour  to  describe, 
although  well  aware  that  no  words  of  mine  can 
convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
bison  in  its  wild  state. 

I  had  gone  to  the  elephant  "kraals  "  to  see 
two  elephants  which  had  been  captured  the 
previous  day,  and,  while  I  was  there,  a  forest 
guard  came'  in  and  reported  a  "  fall "'  of  three 
bison  about  four  miles  off.  As  it  was  too  late 
to  release  them  that  day  I  was  asked  if  I  W(;uld 
care  to  be  present  at  their  liberation  the  follow- 
ing morning.  Never  before  having  had  an 
opportunity  o{  seeing  a  bison,  thi.s  was  too  good 
a  one  to  miss,  and  I  did  not  hesitate  long 
before  answering  in  the  affirmative. 

I  left  the  bungalow  next  morning  at  about 
7.  ;c,  armed  with  a  rifle  in  case  of  accidents, 
arriving  at  the  kraals  about  eight,  where  I  found 
a  "  pad  ■'  elei>hant  waiting  to  take  me  the 
remainder  of  the  journey.  To  the  uninitiated, 
elephant-back  is  a  most  uncomfortable  mode  of 
travelling,  and  I  strongly  recommend  any  person 
who  is  liable  to  be  troubled  with  mal-dc-mer 
never  to  attempt  it.  The  motion  is  very  similar 
to  that  experienced  while  "  sailing  on  the 
briny,"  and  it  is  rather  apt  to  be  accompanied 
with  the  same  disagreeable  symptoms  and 
results. 

Our  path  for  the  first  two  miles  led  through 
dense  jungle,  with  an  almost  impenetrable  under- 
growth of  vines  and  other  creepers — the  probable 
haunt  of  panthers  or  even  a  tiger,  and  certainly 
known  to  be  inhabited  by  a  "rogue"  elephant, 
whose  depredations  had  caused  great  consterna- 
tion amongst  the  jungle  tribes  of  natives.  One 
feels  tolerably  secure,  however,  when  perched 
on  the  back  of  a  nine-foot  elephant,  and  the 
possibility  of  a  tiger  or  even  a  "  rogue  "  had 
not  the  intimidating  effect  it  might  otherwise 
have  had ;  nevertheless,  it  would  have  been 
decidedly  awkward  had  my  steed  taken  it  into 
his' head  to  run  away  with  me,  as  a  "pad" 
does  not  afford  a  very  secure  hold  in  such  an 
emergency. 

From  the  heavy  jungle  we  emerged  into  an 
open,  grassy  tract  of  country,  interspersed  here 
and  there  with  "-  •  lated  tree  or  clump  of 
bamboos.       Thi  iie   long   grass   were    in- 

numerable tracks  of  elephants,  and  underneath 
one  shady  tree  could  be  seen  the  impressions 
of  three  of  their  unwieldy  bodies,  where  they 
had  lain  down  with  their  backs  to  the  trunk, 
probably  to  obtain  shelter  from  the  scorching 
midday  sun.  .Soon  I  heard  human  voices,  and 
after  forcing  our  way  through  some  under- 
growth we  came  in  sight  of  a  gesticulating  and 
excited  crowd  of  natives,  indicating  that  we  had 
arrived  at  our  destination.     My  elephant  was 


made   to  kneel,  and  1  was  not  sorry  to  slide  off 
his  broad  but  uncomfortable  back. 

The  natives  informed  me  that  one  of  the 
three  bison  had  managed  to  escape  during  the 
night,  having  succeeded  in  jumping  out  of  the 
pit,  which  story  I  scarcely  credited  at  first, 
thinking  it  possible  that  they  had  killed  it 
(which  they  are  very  liable  to  do  if  they  have 
an  opportunity)  and  had  hidden  all  trace  of  the 
remains.  As  subsequent  events  proved,  how- 
ever, it  was  not  such  an  impossible  story  as  it 
seemed,  and,  the  pits  being  12ft.  deep,  it  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  wonderful  agility  of  this 
apparently  unwieldy  animal. 

Within  a  radius  of  about  fifty  yards  were  five 
of  these  pitfalls,  the  dimensions  of  which  are : 
12ft.  square  at  the  top,  9ft.  square  at  the  bottom, 
and  12ft.  deep;  about  two-thirds  of  the  depth 
being  filled  up  with  soft  grass  and  small  branches, 
to  break  the  fall  and  prevent  injury  to  any 
animal  that  is  unfortunate  enough  to  fall  in. 
They  are  wonderfully  concealed,  these  traps,  the 
soil  being  carried  to  a  distance  of  several  yards, 
and  the  mouth  of  the  pit  carefully  covered  with 
grass  and  dead  leaves  resting  on  a  framework  of 
bamboo  ;  the  whole  being  suppoited  by  a  branch 
of  a  tree,  about  the  thickness  of  a  man's 
arm,  placed  across  the  middle.  When  com- 
pleted, the  surface  so  exactly  resembles  its 
surroundings  that  even  the  elephants — who  are 
credited  with  such  wonderful  sagacity — fail  to 
detect  its  treacherous  nature. 

According  to  the  story  of  the  watchmen  the 
three  victims  were  members  of  a  herd  of  ten  or 
twelve  bison,  two  falling  in  during  the  stampede 
caused  by  the  disappearance  of  the  first. 

I  w^ent  boldly  up  to  interview  one  of  the 
captives  of  the  two  occupied  pits,  and  had  just 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  sleek,  hairy  body,  when  I 
was  rather  astonished,  not  to  say  alarmed,  by 
the  sudden  appearance  of  a  ferocious-looking 
head  through  the  covering  of  the  pit,  and  within 
a  couple  of  feet  from  where  I  was  standing. 
Being  quite  unprepared  for  such  a  reception, 
which  was  accompanied  by  a  most  intimidating 
snort,  I  confess  to  having  beat  a  hasty  and 
undignified  retreat  to  the  nearest  tree,  much  to 
the  amusement  of  the  spectators.  Having 
satisfied  myself  that  my  would-be  assailant  was 
not  waiting  for  me  on  the  other  side  of  the  tree, 
I  advanced  again  with  more  caution,  only  to  be 
greeted  in  the  same  fashion.  This  time,  how- 
ever, I  was  prepared,  so  his  second  attempt  at 
intimidation  proved  futile 

I  could  not  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  huge 
captive  until  the  covering  of  the  pit  had  been 
removed,  when  he  stood  fully  exposed  to  view, 
with  every  muscle  quivering  with  suppressed 
energy   and    baffied    rage.       I     could    not    but 


HOW   WE   GOT   THE    BISON    OUT   OF   THE   ELEPHANT   PITS. 


admire   the  splendid   proportions  of  the   bison, 
which  are    certainly    unequalled    by   any    other 
member  of  the  bovine  race.     The  deep  chest  de- 
noted great  strength  and  wonderful  powers   of 
endurance,  while  the  comparatively  slender  limbs 
betokened  great  activity  and  speed  ;  the  rapidity 
with    which    a 
wounded    bison 
charges,  by  the 
way,  is  well  known 
to  most   Indian 
sportsmen.        His 
grey  -  brown    coat 
was    as    smooth 
and  glossy  as  that 
of  a  well-groomed 
horse,    and    his 
white  "stockings  " 
had    scarcely    a 
stain    on  them  in 
spite  of  his  having 
passed    the    night 
in     the     cramped 
confinement  of  his 
prison.      His    face 
was    of    a    dark 
chocolate  -  brown 


colour,  mergmg 
into  black  on  the 
neck  and  shoulders,  where  the  hair  was  rather 
longer  than  that  of  the  rest  of  the  body.  The 
grey  "  busby  "  surmounting  the  head  and  coming 
down  almost  to  between  the  eyes  gave  him  a 
particularly  savage  look,  which  was  heightened 
by  the  steely-blue  colour  of  the  eyes, 

Meanwhile  the  coolies  had  been  dispatched 
to  cul  brushwood  and  tie  it  in  bundles,  with 
which  to  fill  the  pit.  I  occupied  the  interval  by 
trying  to  make  a  sketch  of  the  captive,  an 
attention  which  he  resented  most  strongly, 
showing  his  indignation  by  making  several  vain 
attempts  to  reach  me.  When  he  found  he  could 
not  do  that  he  did  his  best  to  knock  down  the 
sides  of  the  pit  by  charging  them  repeatedly, 
but,  of  course,  he  only  succeeded  in  scraping 
the  hair  and  skin  off  his  forehead  and  muzzle. 
He  made  a  very  bad  subject  for  a  sketch,  as 
nothing  would  induce  him  to  keep  still  so  long 
as  there  was  a  human  being  within  sight.  As 
the  coolies  were  constantly  going  and  coming 
he  was  kept  continually  on  the  move. 

Though  a  comparatively  young  animal  he 
must  have  stood  at  least  seventeen  or  eighteen 
hands  at  the  shoulder,  but  he  had  not  the 
great  stretch  between  the  curves  of  the  horns 
which  is  so  noticeable  in  old  bulls,  whose 
"  heads "  are  so  much  coveted  by  sports- 
men. He  seemed  utterly  bewildered  by  the 
presence  of  so  many  of  his  hated  enemies,  and 

Vol.  vi— 31. 


I    WAS   ASTONISHED    BV    THU   SUDDEN   Al'l'EARANCE   OK   A    FEROCIOUS-LOOKING    HEAD   THROUGH    THE 

COVERING   OK    THE    CIT." 


quite  at    a   loss  as   to    what    his    ultimate    fate 
would  be. 

In  about  an  hour  sufficient  brushwood  had 
been  cut  for  our  purpose,  and  the  process  of 
filling  in  the  pit  commenced.  The  first  bundle 
was  thrown  in  at  his  back,  but,  catching  sight  of 
it  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  he  turned  in  a 
twinkling,  pinning  it  against  the  side  of  the  pit 
before  it  had  time  to  reach  the  bottom,  and 
evidently  under  the  impression  that  he  had  got 
one  of  his  tormentors  at  last.  Had  it  been  a 
man  instead  of  a  bundle  of  brushwood  he  would 
have  fared  very  badly  indeed,  as,  after  butting  it 
into  a  shapeless  mass,  he  got  one  of  his  horns 
under  it,  and,  with  a  twist  of  his  powerful  neck, 
tossed  it  high  into  the  air. 

After  this  little  display  of  temper  he  looked 
up  with  an  air  of  defiance  which  was  undoubtedly 
a  challenge  to  mortal  combat  to  one  or  all  who 
cared  to  accept  it.  As  no  one  seemed  ready 
to  gratify  him  in  this  way  he  continued  his 
murderous  assaults  on  the  first  five  or  six 
bundles.  It  seemed  then  to  penetrate  his  thick 
cranium  that  he  was  only  expending  his  energy 
uselessly,  besides  making  rather  a  fool  of  him- 
self. He  was  quite  oblivious  to  the  fact  that 
his  supposed  tormentors  were  in  reality  his 
benefactors,  and  that  all  was  being  done  for  the 
purpose  of  effecting  his  release.  After  this  he 
sulked  iii  one  corner  of  his  prison  until  only  his 


^74 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


head  was  L-\posed  to  \ie\v,  and  he  became 
aware  that  he  was  graduilly  being  buried  aHve. 
'I'hen  he  recommenced  his  struggles,  which 
gradually  became  weaker  and  weaker,  as  the 
yielding  contents  of  the  pit  became  deeper 
and  movement  more  difficult.  Then,  with 
tongue  hanging  out  and  gasping  for  breath,  he 
lav  down  completely  exhausted,  though  by  this 
time  he  could  easily  have  scrambled  out  had  he 
been  capable  of  sufHcient  effort.  We  gave  him 
a  rest  for  a  bit,  and  I  felt  sorry  for  the  poor 
beast  as  he  lay,  panting  and  subdued,  and  witli- 
out  a  trace  of  his  recent  ferocity  left.  When  he 
seemed  to  have  recovered  a  little  one  of  the 
coolies  prodded  him  from  behind  with  a  bamboo 
(for  which  exhibition  of  courage  the  said  coolie 


blindly  into  the  open  pit  that  had  been  so 
recently  occupied  by  his  more  fortunate  com- 
panion, and  followed  by  many  unflattering 
native  remarks.  As  he  stood  on  the  edge  of 
the  pit  before  taking  himself  off  he  afforded  a 
splendid  ojiportunity  for  a  "  snap-shot,"  and  I 
only  wish  I  could  have  obtained  a  photograph 
of  him. 

The  other  captive  was  more  active  than 
the  one  whose  release  1  have  attempted  to 
describe,  and  actually  succeeded  in  getting  its 
forelegs  over  the  edge  of  the  pit,  causing  con- 
sternation amongst  the  coolies  who  were  near 
at  hand.  It  hung  in  this  position  lor  several 
seconds  trying  to  work  itself  out,  but  the  smooth 
sides   afforded  no   hold   for   the  hind  feet,  and 


THE    BIG    UISON    MANAGED   TO   GET    HIS    FORELEGS   OVER    THE    EDGE    AND    WORKED    HIMSELF    OUT." 


was  greeted  with  tremendous  applause),  when, 
with  a  great  struggle,  the  big  bison  managed  to 
get  his  forelegs  over  the  edge  and  worked  him- 
self out. 

At  first  he  stood  and  gazed  about  him  with  a 
bewildered  stare,  utterly  ignoring  the  howling 
and  jeering  natives  who  were  peering  from 
behind  the  stems  and  from  amongst  the  branches 
'"  e  trees  in   the  vicinity;  those   on   the 

grwun.^  ready  to  swarm  up  like  monkeys  should 
the  necessity  ari.se. 

After  grasping  the  fact  that  he  was  really  on 
/erra  firina  once  more,  and  free  at  that,  the 
bison    walked    wearily    off,    almost    stumbling 


the  strain  on  the  forelegs  forced  it  to  drop 
back  into  its  prison. 

Not  to  weary  the  reader  with  a  repetition  of 
details,  suffice  it  to  say  that  this  animal 
succeeded  in  jumping  out  before  the  pit  was 
halffilled,  and  then  he  disappeared  into  the 
jungle  almost  before  I  had  time  to  realize  what 
had  happened. 

As  it  was  now  late  in  the  day  I  did  not  wait 
to  see  the  pits  re-covered,  but  got  on  the  back 
of  the  elephant  once  more  and  returned 
leisurely  to  the  '■  kraals,"  and  from  thence  to 
the  bungalow,  after  having  spent  a  most  de- 
lightful day. 


A  Lady  Mountaineer  in  the  New  Zealand  Alps. 

By  Forrest  Ross,  of  Wellington,  N.Z. 

These  are  the  sentiments  of  one  who  loves  to  wander  "far  from  the  madding  crowd" and  this  one 

may  easily  do  amid  the  superb  scenery  of  the  New  Zealand  Alps.       Special  attention  may   be  drawn 
to  the  photographs  accompanying  this  article,  for  they  will  be  found  exceptionally  bright  and  interest- 
ing, besides  illustrating  a  phase  of  climbing  very  different  from  that  prevailing  in  Europe. 


From  a  Photo.] 


-    AT   WORK    AT  THE    BALL  GLACIER    HUT.  [l>y  Mr.  M.  RoSS. 


wm 


HOSE  who  have  known  nothing  but 
the  soft  deHghts  of  a  civihzed  bed, 
be  it 


digni- 
fied fo  u  r- 
poster  or 
humble  truckle,  cannot 
even  imagine  the  charms 
of  bivouacking  in  the 
wilds.  We  live  on  the 
other  r.ide  of  the  world, 
in  a  country  that  has 
wide  breathing  spaces, 
where  for  miles  there  is 
no  trace  of  the  humanity 
that  presses  so  close 
upon  you  in  the  older 
lands.  Into  some 
strange  corners  of  this 
new  country  my  hus- 
band and  I  have  at 
times  found  our  v.-ay, 
and  a  few  reminiscences 
of  our  camp  life  may 
be  interesting  to  those 
who,  like  the  gentlemen 
of  England,  "sit  at 
home  at  ease." 

Our  wanderings 
began  —  not  ended,  as 
is  generally  the  case — 


with    our 
necessary 


marriage, 
for  the  trip 


SiJME    NKCESSAKIES  OK    ICE-WOKK    IN    THE    NEW   ZEALAND   ALPS 
From  a]  BOOTS   AND    ICE-AXES    OUTSIDE   THE   TENT.  {PhotO. 


No  Paris  toilettes  were 
In  fact,  I  looked  out 
some  old  clothes,  took 
a  considerable  tuck  in 
a  serge  skirt,  and  in- 
vested in  a  ferocious 
pair  of  boots,  which 
weighed  down  my  new 
kitchen  scales  in  the 
most  alarming  manner. 
Our  relations,  who 
looked  upon  our  newly- 
acquired  taste  for  moun- 
taineering as  a  phase  of 
lunacy,  made  sarcastic 
remarks  about  these 
boots,  and  insisted  on 
referring  to  our  "great 
feat  "  on  the  glacier  for 
many  days  after  our 
return. 

There  were  no  hotels 
on  the  glacier.  The 
nearest  house  was  miles 
and  miles  away,  so  that 
tents  were  wanted  and 
sleeping  -  bags.  What 
struggles,  physical  and 
mental,  we  had  over 
those     sleeping  -  bags  ! 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THLs   is    HuW   uNt   CROSSES   THE  DANGEROUS  HOOKER  UIVER — THE  CAGE  IS  NOT  CO.MFOKI  ABIE. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Mr.  M.  Ross, 


The  sailmaker  wlio  concocted 
them  was  nearly  driven  out 
of  his  mind  by  the  compli- 
cated instructions,  and  even 
ihen  he  sent  them  home,  the 
evening  before  we  started, 
large  enough  to  accom- 
modate Chang,  the  Chinese 
giant : 

However,  we,  with  "tack- 
ety"  boots,  old  clothes, 
tinned  meats,  and  all  the 
rest  of  our  "properties," 
found  ourselves  one  golden 
autumn  evening  deposited 
on  the  moraine  that  skirts 
the  monarch  of  our  moun- 
tains, Aorangi,  which  is, 
freely  translated,  "  the  cloud- 
piercer."  Our  man,  a  cheer- 
ful, sturdy  fellow,  with  a 
repertoire  of  the  first  verses 


of  all  the  comic  songs  extant, 
had  gone  ahead  with  the 
tents,  and  we  camped  for 
the  night  after  a  hot  tramp, 
in  the  valley  between  the 
moraine  and  the  mountain, 
with  the  starry  skies  for  our 
counterpane.  As  I  sat  on  a 
boulder  and  looked  back  on 
the  trip  so  far  it  seemed  a 
series  of  hairbreadth  escapes. 
Across  a  foaming,  raging 
river,  in  a  wooden  box  that 
ran  along  a  wire  rope  ;  over 
great  embankments  of  stones 
of  various  sizes — huge  boul- 
ders which  I  sidled  round 
or  crawled  over,  and  which 
gave  a  sickening  little  wobble 
as  I  got  on  top  of  them  — 
and  across  fan -shaped  slips 
of  finer  debris  that  slid  and 
moved  perpetually,  and 
threatened  to  carry  me  down 
to  the  foot  of  the  moraine. 
All  these  I  had  negotiated 
safely. 

Our  resting-place  was  a 
tiny  flat,  covered  with  scanty 
scrub  and  stunted  trees. 
F"ragrant  shrubs  made  a 
luxurious  mattress,  and 
soon,  after  sipping  some  tea, 
I  was  lying  under  a  big 
opossum  rug  in  serene 
comfort,     looking     up    with 


M;\V    ZEALAND   Cl.l.Mlil-K.T    lilVoU.-\C    liEFoRE   THE    ASCENT    OF    A    M'.v.     l-l;.Aiv. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Mr.  M.  Ko:s. 


A    LADY    MOUNTAINEER    IN    IHE    NEW    ZEALAND    ALPS. 


277 


sleepy  eyes  between  the  sparse  branches  at 
the  sky.  It  was  Sundny  evening,  and  only 
half-past  six,  the  time  of  church  bells  in  the  far- 
off  towns.  Here,  instead,  was  the  tinkle  of  a 
little  mountain  stream  foolishly  hurrying  over 
its  boulders  to  the  great  glacier  that  would 
freeze  its  music  into  silence.  Now  and  then 
came  a  rattle  of  stones  down  the  huge  moraine 
bank,  as  if  someone  were  coming  to  disturb  us. 
Two  tiny  tailless  birds  chirped  a  serious  con- 
ference on  a  twig  above  our  heads.  I  felt  sure 
their  discussion  had  special  reference  to  us  ; 
otherwise  all  was  silent  in  our  camp.  Above, 
the  sky  was  strewn  with  rosy  swathes  of 
clouds  ;  and  filling  up 
the  opening  made  by  the 
meeting  slopes  of  moun- 
tain and  moraine  was  the 
most  exquisite  of  all  our 
snow-peaks.  Mount  de  la 
Beche,  flushed  with  the 
sunset.  As  I  watched  it 
the  lovely  colour  paled 
and  faded  until  there  was 
only  the  cold  white  of  the 
snow  to  be  seen.  Over 
the  dark  spur  in  front 
was  a  brilliant  star  that 
looked  down  on  the  in- 
truders with  a  winking 
curiosit)^  A  tveka  —  one 
of  our  quaint,  flightless 
birds  —  also  wanted  to 
know  our  business,  and 
carried  its  thirst  for  in- 
formation to  the  verge  of 
impertinence  (as  some 
humans  doX  for  it  crept 
up  a. id  actually  pulled 
my  hair  ! 

There  was  infinite  con- 
trast between  the  peace 
of  this  night  and  the 
clamour  of  a  succeeding 
one.  We  had  our  tents 
j)itched  farther  up  the 
moraine,  and  there  I  was 
to  stay  while  my  two 
companions  went  explor- 
ing up  the  glacier.  I 
buckled  my  husl)and's 
"swag"  on  him  in  the 
grey  dawn,  and  waved  a 
cheerful  adieu  to  the  two 
little  black  figures  as  they 
disappeared  over  the  crest 
of  the  moraine.  Then  I 
sat  down  to  moralize. 
They   were    to    be   away 


for  two  days  and  nights,  that  was  the  rub,  and 
though  I  had  laughed  at  the  idea  of  nervous 
fears,  I  was  not  so  brave  inwardly.  However, 
my  fortitude  was  not  put  to  the  test  of 
spending  the  nights  alone  under  that  grim,  dark 
mountain,  for  my  companions  came  back,  with 
a  howling  .storm  behind  them.  And  then 
followed  a  terrible  night  I  All  the  furies  seemed 
to  be  let  loose  in  that  little  mountain  camp,  and 
their  rage  specially  directed  against  our  two  in- 
offensive tents.  The  thunder  pealed  and  rattled 
and  roared  about  us,  and  across  our  eyes, 
through  the  canvas  of  the  tent,  the  lightning 
flashed.      Every  now  and    then    came   a   great 


TLE    BIT    0|-    ROCK-U(IRK    KC    A    MOUNTAIN    GDKGE. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Mr.  M.  iVc.w, 


^7S 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


I 


AMiJ.NG   THE   CKEVA.S.->t.S   OF    THE   (JKEAT    TASMAN    GLACIER. 


crash  as  if  the  mountain-side  were  giving  way, 
and  we  knew  that  far  up  in  the  glaciers  above 
an  avalanche  had  fallen.  As  I  lay,  with  my 
boots  as  a  pillow,  and  the  rain  dripping 
in  a  sort  of  fluid  melody  on  my  face,  I 
found  myself  fast  becoming  a  fatalist, 
prepared  for  the  worst  that  could  befall. 
My  husband  crawled  out  into  the  darkness 
at  intervals  to  tighten  the  ropes  of  the 
tent,  which  at  times  seemed  to  be  bound 
to  go  with  the  gale.  During  the  night, 
when  the  rain  began  to  ooze  tluough  our 
tent,  he  rigged  up,  amid  ill-timed  laughter, 
a  protection  from  the  wet.  It  consisted 
of  an  empty  biscuit-tin,  into  which  I  put 
my  head,  and  on  which  the  drops  fell 
with  a  maddening  tinkle.  I  feel  sure  no 
woman  ever  showed  to  such  disadvantage 
as  I  did  the  next  morning  when,  wet,  limp, 
and  haggard  from  want  of  sleep,  I  emerged 
from  my  tin  and  my  rug  and  demanded 
fair-weather  prophecies.  It  was  still  rain- 
ing, but  our  man,  by  dint  of  some  miracle, 
brought  me  hot  coffee. 

But  even  that  midnight  orgie  of  the 
elements  was  not  enough  to  frighten  us. 
The  mountains  had  us  in  their  grasp  ;  their 
fascination  was  upon  us.  Each  summer, 
when  the  town  grew  hot  and  dusty,  and 
work  dreary  and  commonplace,  the  white 
serenity  of  the  ice -world  was  a  Lorelei 
to  us. 

On  our  second  trip  we  had  a  Glasgow 
man  with  us.  He  had  never  been  intro- 
duced to  our  mountains,  though  he  had 
climbed  many  a    "  steih  brae"  in  Bonnie 


Scotland.  But  his  quiet, 
intense  enthusiasm  was 
lovely  to  behold.  He 
adapted  himself  charmingly 
to  circumstances,  too.  On 
our  journey  he  was  the 
"  show  "  member  of  the 
party  in  a  knickerbocker 
suit  of  Harris  tweed  and 
a  pair  of  hand  -  knitted 
stockings  of  marvellous 
colour  and  design.  But  in 
camp  he  was  ready  to  turn 
a  deft  hand  to  any  "  ploy," 
from  sliding  down  a  snow- 
slope  —  a  wildly  exciting 
pastime  —  to  cooking  a 
breakfast  sometimes  under 
very  adverse  circumstances. 
We  once  had  to  boil  the 
billy  with  a  spoonful  of 
kerosene  and  the  oil  out  of 
a  tin  of  sardines  ! 
On  this  trip  we  saw  the  New  Year  in  up  in 
our  mountain  camp,  miles  beyond  where  we 
first  slept  out  on   the  moraine.     C)ur  bivouac 


{Photo. 


THE    BIVOUAC    KOCK    O.n     iiu-.     i.A>,.i.\N    lil.ACIER. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Mr,  M,  iio:s. 


A    LADY    MOUNTAINEER    IN    THE    NEW    ZEALAND    ALPS 


279 


here  was  a  bare  rock,  pitched  down  the  snow- 
slope  at  some  far-distant  time.  It  had  landed 
in  such  a  manner  that  part  of  it  overhung  the 
ground  and  formed  a  cave.  This  was  our 
refuge  —  dry,  fairly  warm,  and  comparatively 
safe  ;  though  I  confess  I  had  always  an  uneasy 
feeling  that  it  might  settle  down  flat  some  night 
while  we  lay  beneath  it  ! 

We  had  a  very  jolly  smoking  concert  on  New 
Year's  Eve  as  we  lay  at  the  open  mouth  of  our 
cave.  Now  and  again,  between  the  songs, 
recitations,  and  stories,  there  were  pauses  and 
long  looks  at  the  loveliness  before  us.  A  break 
in  the  moraine  disclosed  the  long  length  of  the 
range.  Peak  beyond  peak,  curve  beyond  curve, 
the  mountains  of  the  Southern  Alps  rose, 
mystically  beautiful  in  the  silver  moonlight.  In 
the  western  sky  still  floated  a  wraith  of  the 
sunset  glory,  and  the  summit  of  Aorangi  was 
faintly  flushed.  From  a  great  ice-cliff  near  us 
— very  close,  apparently,  in  that  clear  air — 
thundered  down  avalanche  after  avalanche,  with 
magnificent  roar,  sending  up  showers  of  ice- 
spray  that  glittered  in  the  moonshine.  None  of 
the  party  will  ever  forget  that  won- 
drous night. 

A  year  or  two  later  the  summer 
found  us  once  again  among  our 
beloved  mountains.  To  get  into 
training,  my  husband  and  I  resolved 
to  take  a  stroll  up  the  Mueller 
moraine  and  spend  the  night  at  the 
head  of  the  glacier.  It  was  a  hot 
summer's  day,  and  we  were  not 
sorry  when,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
after  hours  of  scrambling  over,  up, 
and  round  the  most  incoherent  of 
rocks,  we  found  ourselves  at  our 
journev's  end.  This  was  marked 
by  a  large  square  block  of  stone  in 
a  little  oasis  of  green  Alpine  flowers 
and  shrubs.  Once,  years  ago,  a 
survey  party  had  camped  there,  and 
we  found  traces  of  their  fire  and 
the  remnants  of  their 
under  the  overhanging  rock 

Here  we  resolved  to  spend  the 
night.  After  a  supper  hastily  eaten 
(for  the  air  was  chill)  we  turned  into 
our  sleeping-bags,  under  which  we 
had  laid  a  quantity  of  leaves  and 
fern.  I  had  the  rucksac  stuffed 
with  the  same  for  my  pillow.  It 
was  a  much  pleasanter  cushion  than 
my  boots,  which  were  most  unsym- 
pathetic things  to  rest  one's  head 
upon. 

We  must  have  looked  extra- 
ordinary   creatures    lying    there    in 


the  amber  twilight,  far  up  in  the  amphitheatre 
of  the  mountains.  Had  anyone  passed  by 
they  would  have  seen  two  yellow,  shiny  bundles, 
terminating  in  hatted  heads  with  white  scarves 
tied  over  the  hats  to  keep  the  cold  out. 

It  was  an  exquisite  golden  evening,  calm  and 
clear.  Only  one  tiny  cloud  rested  on  the 
mountain  across  the  glacier  valley.  We  lay  and 
planned  great  things  for  the  morrow.  A  fine 
snow-peak  barred  the  head  of  the  valley,  and  we 
resolved  to  try  and  climb  it.  True,  we  had  left 
the  Alpine  rope  behind,  but  all  our  straps 
buckled  together  would  make  a  fair  substitute. 
Meditating  on  the  glories  on  attaining  the 
summit,  I  fell  asleep. 

When  I  woke  again  it  was  still  night,  and 
the  wind  was  rising.  A  drop  of  rain  fell  plop 
on  my  face,  and  then  another,  and  we  knew  we 
were  in  for  a  wetting.  Mufiling  ourselves  up  in 
our  sleeping-bags  and  blankets,  we  let  the  rain 
pour  down  on  us  till  the  dawn  came— misty,  cold, 
and  dreary,  but  infinitely  welcome.  Packing  up 
our  swags,  we  said  au  revoir  to  our  invisible 
peak,   and   trudged  over    the   moraine    back   to 


fern-bedding 


THE    UPPER    a'AS.MAN    HUT,    5,700KT.    AP.OVE    SEA-LE\'EL. 

From  a  Photo,  hy  Mr.  M.  Ross. 


2  So 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAC'.AZINE. 


THE   MCTIRESQUF.   HERMITAGK  ON    MOUNT  COOK. 

Frarii  a  Photo,  by  Mr.  A/.  Ross. 

the  Hermitage  in  the  pourin^^  rain. 
We  arrived  there  in  time  to  have 
a  bath,  to  change,  and  to  walk 
in  to  breakfa.st  with  the  most  non- 
chalant air  we  could  as.sume,  as  if 
sleeping  under  a  rock  and  walking 
six  miles  over  a  moraine  in  the 
wettest  of  weather  were  everyday 
occurrences. 

In  our  southern  wonderland  we 
can  supply  the  traveller  with  any 
variety  of  scenery,  hot  lakes  and 
cold  lakes,  glaciers  and  cataracts, 
ice-fK-aks  and  volcanoes.  On  our 
way  to  ascend  one  of  the  latter  we 
f»assed  a  memorable  night.  'J'here 
were  five  of  us,  and,  as  usual,  I 
was  the  only  woman.  \Ve  had 
reached  our  c^mp  late  one  sunny 
afternoon.  We  had  intended  to 
go  farther  on,  but  felt  that  were 
we  to  do  so  we  should  be  certain 
to  fare  worse.  Probably  our  weary 
limbs    emphasized    the    attraction 


of  the  little  ravine,  covered  with  scanty 
bushes  and  surrounded  by  the  high 
cliffs  cut  down  long  ago  by  the  rush- 
ing river.  Close  to  the  high,  steep 
banks  on  the  other  side  the  river 
roared  and  foamed  over  its  boulders, 
and  the  thunder  of  an  unseen  cataract 
was  ever  on  the  air.  But  through  the 
narrow  gorge  the  distant  ranges  were 
faintly  purple,  and  in  the  V-shaped 
opening  above  our  camp  rose  our 
mountain — lovely  Ruapehu — with  the 
glaciers  on  his  broad  breast  golden  in 
the  sunset,  and  a  trail  of  amber,  like 
a  glorified  flame,  waving  from  the 
cliffs  around  the  crater. 

That  night,  as  we  sat  outside  our 
tents,  we  told  stories  and  related 
strange  experiences  till  a  yawn  from 
someone  suggested  turning  into  our 
tents.  My  husband  and  I  had  our 
own  Alpine  tent,  in  which  the  bottom 
was  waterproof  and  attached  to  the 
sides.  True,  it  is  tiny,  and  one 
cannot  do  one's  hair  unless  a  seat  is 
taken  immediately  under  the  ridge- 
pole ;  but,  in  case  of  a  storm,  it  cannot 
blow  away  unless  we  go  with  it,  which 
is,  in  times  of  tempest,  an  infinite 
consolation.  Our  companions  had  an 
ordinary  tent,  and  the  evening  being  so 


■'%^  ■■' 


"W" 


:         I      ■  ■    '      .  ■    .',  ,     h   I  1,11 

J'toiii  a  i'lwto.  by  Mr.  M.  Ross. 


ALll-K 


A   LADY    MOUNTAINEER   IN   THE    NEW   ZEALAND    ALPS. 


281 


calm — so  deceitfully  calm — they  pitched  it  in 
such  a  manner  as  evinced  rather  their  trust  in 
Providence  than  their  skill  in  camp-craft.  In- 
deed, they  tied  it  down  to  stones  with  red  tape, 
pilfered  from  a  trusting  Government  :  and  made 
a  soft  surface  to  lie  upon  by  digging  up  the 
sand  and  volcanic  ash  with  their  ice-axes. 
They  even  tucked  the  edges  of  the  tent  inside, 
and  shovelled  more  sand  upon  them  to  keep 
them  down.  And  then  these  silken  Sybarites 
stood  outside  and  chuckled  over  the  delicious 
nest  they  had  made  and  the  sweet  slumber  they 
would  enjoy  therein. 

As  I  lay  down  in  my  tent  I  heard  a  whisper- 
ing wind  steal  up  the  gorge  and  flap  the  canvas 
impatiently.     Again  it  came,  louder  and  louder, 


Bill!"     And   then    a    melancholy   "Blow    it  1 " 
came  from  Bob. 

Frequent  smokes  whiled  away  the  hours  some- 
what, after  the  hapless  trio  had  given  the  tent 
u[)  as  a  hopeless  case.  I  must  have  slept. 
Towards  dawn  I  woke  to  hear  a  great  gust 
sweep  up  the  gorge,  and  a  wild  cry,  "  She's 
scudding  under  bare  poles  now  !  " 

I  dressed  and  crawled  out  into  the  tem- 
pestuous grey  dawn.  Never  shall  I  forget  the 
sight.  Where  the  tent  had  stood  so  bravely 
the  evening  befoie  there  was  a  heap  of  canvas 
and  sand,  from  the  middle  of  which  rose  a 
melancholy  pole  with  a  towel  fluttering  from  it. 
Up  on  a  ledge  of  the  cliff  squatted  three  weird, 
haggard  figures,  with  hats  lied  down  over  their 


.!^-  '^^i-y 


From  a  Fhoto.  by  Mr.  M.   Ko'-s. 


until  a  gale  was  sweeping  through  our  mountain 
camp.  It  tore  angrily  at  our  tent,  but  could 
not  stir  it,  and  then  it  began  to  take  its  fun  out 
of  the  other  tent.  The  sand  began  to  rise  in 
clouds.  As  I  lay  shaking  with  suppressed 
laughter  I  could  hear  objurgations  loud  and 
deep,  nipped  in  the  bud  apparently,  because  the 
speaker's  mouth  got  filled  with  sand  and  ashes. 
Presently  the  sides  of  their  tent  flapped  loudly. 
One  of  the  bits  of  red  tape  had  snapped,  and 
all  the  sand  that  was  lying  on  the  edge  of  the 
canvas  was  blown  about  inside  the  tent. 

All  night  long  people  seemed  to  be  crawling 
about  tethering  tin  plates,  and  saddles,  and 
towels,  and  anything  that  might  fly  away.  All 
night  long  the  three  men  wearied  for  day.  "  Is 
that  dawn,  Bob?"  I  heard  a  sad  voice  ask  from 
the  centre  of  the  sand  storm,  and  another 
sadder  still  came,  after  a  match  had  been  struck, 
from  the  outer  darkness  where  the  owner  was 
chasing   a   tin   pannikin,  "Only  tw'elve  o'clock. 


ears,  and  collars  of  their  coats  turned  up. 
They  were  crouching  over  a  tiny  fire  that  sent 
half-hearted  flames  in  every  direction  save  under 
the  billy  that  hung  above  it.  The  trio  looked 
like  shipwrecked  sailors  waiting  for  a  passing 
vessel,  their  signal  of  distress  the  towel  stream- 
ing from  the  pole  that  rose  above  the  ruins  of 
their  tent. 

That  night  when,  our  volcano  climbed,  we 
lay  down  to  sleep  experience  had  made  our 
comrades  wise. 

"  What  have  you  chaps  fastened  it  to  to- 
night ?  "  called  out  my  husband,  and  the  answer 
came  back,  with  drowsy  content  in  its  tones, 
"  To  Ruapehu  !  " 

Near  our  great  Sutherland  waterfall  that  comes 
down  over  its  2,000ft,  of  grim  granite,  not  far 
from  Milford  Sound,  there  is  a  little  hut  in  which 
I  spent  a  night  of  terror.  I  was  alone  in  my 
hut,  for  my  husband  was  sleeping  out  at  the 
foot  of'a  mountain  not  far  away  which  he  hoped 


iSz 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


to  ascend  the  next 
niornini;.  I  had 
stayed  up  with  the 
men  in  the  other 
hut  (there  were  two, 
not  far  from  each 
other)  as  long  as 
politeness  per- 
mitted. Hut  at  last 
tiieir  struggles  to 
conceal  their  yawns 
and  find  fresh  topics 
of  conversation 
were  too  pitiful  to 
disregard,  and, 
escorted  by  two  of 
the  men  with  lighted 
matches  across  the 
dividing  strip  of 
tussock  and  scrub, 
I  gained  my  sane 
turn.  After  m  y 
comrades  had  bade 
me  a  cheery  "  good- 
night,"' and  endea- 
voured, vainly,  to 
close  the  door,  I 
made  the  discovery 
that  my  hut  was 
haunted  with  most 
unpleasant  ami  sub- 
stantial rats  I  They 
played  leap-frog 
across  me,  they  ate 
my    candle,    they 

made  noisy  and  vigorous  attempts  to  rifle 
vnlise   of  some   figs,  and    they  sneered   at 
feetjle  efforts    to   frighten  them.     I   buried 
head  under  the  rug  and 
longed  for  dawn.     U'hen 
it  came  I  should  not  have 
Ijeen  surprised  to  see  my  . 

hair  grey.  "^'v^^' 

Another  disturber  of 
our  Alpine  slumbers  is 
the  kea,  our  Mount  Cook 
parrot.  It  comes  "  not 
in  single  spies,  but  in 
battalior,-."  .ind  is,  with- 
out d'  ..J  most  im- 


Froiit  a\ 


THE  BKECH  HUTS  ON  MIM-Ol;!)  SOUND, 


my 
my 
m  V 


i 


pertinent,  inquisi- 
tive, and  at  certain 
seasons  noisy  of 
birds.  When  the 
first  streaks  of  dawn 
are  seen  above  tlie 
Ball  hut  on  the 
Tasman  Glacier, 
and  the  tired  moun- 
taineer is  sunk  in 
delicious  and  well- 
earned  repose,  these 
birds  fly  down  from 
the  heights  and  seat 
themselves  along 
the  ridge  of  the  tin 
roof.  Then  the 
ringleader  says 
"Off!"  and  down 
they  go,  clutching 
with  their  claws  at 
the  iron, and  screech- 
ing and  squawking 
at  the  top  of  their 
voices  as  they  slide. 
Keas  are  intensely 
imitative,  and  I  am 
convinced  these 
gymnastic  perform- 
ances are  simply 
efforts  at  trying  a 
little  glissading  on 
their  own  account. 
Over  and  over  again 
the  performance  is 
repeated,  the  keas  growing  more  uproarious 
each  time,  until  some  infuriated  tourist  in 
pyjamas    rushes    out    and    throws    anything    he 

can  lay  his  hands  on 
at  his  persistent  tor- 
mentors. Then  they  will 
go  a  little  distance  away, 
put  their  fierce,  hand- 
some heads  on  one  side, 
and  shriek  an  oppro- 
brious and  contemptuous 
"  Kea  !  "  at  him — a  re- 
mark that  is  equivalent 
to  the  "Garn"  of  the 
Colonial  larrikin. 


\Ph-t(y. 


•*«».. 


i,          f^ 

(k 

■'  4>'8,». 

\  ■                        ■'■':"..      ■ 

■  J 

Hi  --'      ■-.''■'/.■  -'^SH| 

K** 

K^^S^fci^3H 

Hh^ 

^^^^^g 

'^ 

r. 

1^. 

, 

.--  .it 

THESE    Kf-AS    WERE   PHOTOfiRAPHED   AT    THE    DOOR   OF   A 
From  a  ritoto.  hy\       MOUNTAIN   HUT.  {Mr.  M.  Ross. 


My    New   Guinea    Cruise. 

AN    EVENTFUL    JOURNEY    IN    AN    OIL-LAUNCH. 

By   Cecil    Vaughan,    Government    Medical    Officer,    Samarai,    Eastern    Division, 

British    New   Guinea. 

This  narrative  of  adventure  is  but  typical  of  many  incidents  in  the  lives  of  Government 
officials,  traders,  missionaries,  and  others  whose  days  are  spent  in  remote  regions.  Dr. 
Vaughan's  struggles,  first  with  the  engine  of  his  launch  and  then  with  some  of  the  cruellest  and 
fiercest  savages  in  the  world,  must  arouse  our  keen  sympathy, -and  one  is  glad  that  he  and  his 
brave   "  boys  "  came  safely  through   so   terrible  an  experience. 


\V0  years  ago,  in  an  interview  with 
Sir  William  Macgregor,  in  Sydney, 
I  gathered  from  him  that  suitable 
land  for  the  cultivation  of  rubber 
could  be  had  on  the  Musa  River, 
situated  on  the  north-east  coast  of  New  Guinea. 
Forming  a  small  syndicate  of  three,  a  cutter 
of  six  tons  was  ordered  to  be  built,  and  as  soon 
as  she  was  completed  I  set  sail,  in  company 
with  a  crew  of  two  men,  for  New  Guinea.  Of 
the  voyage  of  the  Nabua  (for  so  she  was  named) 
and  my  first  journey  up  the  river  I  shall  not 
speak,   but  will  confine   my  narrative   to  what 


during  her  adventurous  voyage  along  the  Austra- 
lian coast.  Arriving  safely  at  Samarai,  after 
narrowly  escaping  a  most  destructive  hurricane, 
I  took  in  a  full  cargo  of  stores,  and  proceeded  to 
the  Musa  River. 

This  little  vessel,  after  making  many  tri[)s, 
during  which  she  conveyed  over  seventy  tons  of 
cargo,  including  a  four-roomed  house  and  stores, 
some  forty  miles  up  a  swift  and  shallow  river  to 
Superfaro,  the  site  of  my  plantation,  was  hauled 
up  the  bank  for  a  general  cleaning  and  refitting. 
This  work  was  carried  out  bv  mv  crew  whilst  I 
was  occupied  for  three  weeks  visiting  the  villages 


;D   Ol     THIS   PHOTOl 


II  "jMusa,"  in  which  dr.  vaughan  had 


so    Kli.MAKKAlJLK    A    CKUISE. 


overtook  me  subsequently  some  eight  months 
after,  when  I  had  established  myself  on  the  river. 

In  an  oil-launch,  called  the  Musa,  built 
specially  for  my  work,  I  made  a  second  voyage 
to  New  Guinea  from  Sydney,  a  distance  of  some 
1,500  miles.  Her  dimensions  were :  length, 
35ft.  ;  beam,  9ft.  iiin.  ;  depth  of  hold,  4ft.  ;  and 
draught,  2ft.  She  had  a  roomy  and  spacious 
cabin,  in  which  an  engine  of  four  horse-power 
was  placed. 

The  accompanying  photograph,  taken  from 
the  deck  of  the  ss.  Moresby  by  Mr.  Max  Thiel 
of  Herbertshohe,  New  Britain,  will  give  your 
readers  some  idea  of  the  smallest  ocean-going 
steamer  in  existence.  Her  tiny  size  was  the 
subject  of  much  comment   in    nautical   circles 


above  us,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Suckling  :  and 
on  my  return  I  had  to  wait  anotiicr  fortnight 
for  the  river  to  rise  to  get  the  Musa  off  the 
bank. 

Telling  the  men  to  put  two  months'  provisions 
on  board  for  the  two  liative  boys  who  were  to 
form  my  crew,  and  a  week's  provisions  for 
myself,  and  taking  with  me  all  the  specimens 
I  had  collected  to  submit  to  my  directors 
in  Sydney  I  made  all  arrangements  for  a 
return  to  Samarai,  intending,  if  a  vessel  were 
available,  to  make  a  short  visit  to  Sydney, 
the  better  to  lay  my  future  plans  before  the 
company,  and  at  the  same  time  to  recruit  my 
health,  which  had  suffered  from  repeated  attacks 
of  malarial  fever. 


-S4 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


I  left  Siiperfaro  on  the  qtli  of  June  last  at 
threi  o'clock  in  tlie  afternoon,  the  engine  at 
first  working  j)erfectly,  and  mucli  the  better  for 
its  deaninii  :  but,  when  scarcely  two  miles  from 
the  housed  it  came  to  a  dead  stop,  and  the 
hovs,  who  were  always  prepared  for  such  an 
enierjiency.  threw  the  anchor  overboard.  I 
examnied    the    en-ine,    tried    the    electric    con- 


start  the  engine  again.     Away  she  flew  round  at 
a  fearful  velocity. 

You  can  hardly  appreciate  my  delight  when  we 
hove  up  anchor  and  made  for  the  sea.  Steering 
for  the  channel  which  I  had  navigated  over  and 
over  again,  and  believing  that  it  had  remained 
unaltered,  we  suddenly,  without  any  warning, 
ran   aground.       ^^'aga,    my    head    boy,    jumped 


•WAGA,    MV   HEAD   BOV,   JUMI'liO   OVICKROARD,    AN'D    FOUND    THEKE    WAS   SCARCELY    181N.    OF    WATER    UNDER    IHE   VESSEL'S    BOW.' 


nections.  and  found  that  every  detail  was 
correct,  so  I  decided  to  set  it  going  again,  which 
I  did  successfully,  reaching  within  a  mile  or  two 
of  the  river's  mouth,  when  the  engine  broke 
down  again. 

The  sun  had  nearly  set,  so  I  determined  to 
anclior  for  the  night.  At  daybreak  on  the 
following  morning  all  my  efforts  to  start  the 
engine  failed,  so  I  set  to  work  to  fit  in  a  new 
electrode.  Then  came  a  serious  misfortune. 
\\"hilst  unscrewing  the  binding  screw  I  broke 
the  head  of  it.  I  was  now  at  my  wits'  end  ;  it 
would  be  impossible  to  get  back  without  a 
dinghy  or  canoe,  and  before  me  lay  a  journey  of 
180  miles  to  .Samarai  by  sea. 

.Silting  down  to  work  again  with  a  settled 
determination,  I  tried  to  punch  the  broken 
screw  through  with  the  point  of  a  marlins{)ike ; 
but  the  more  I  hanunered  the  firmer  the  steel 
screw  became  embedded  in  the  soft  brass  cast- 
ing. When  I  found  that  this  would  not  answer 
I  placed  the  steel  spring  electrode  and  brass 
casting  in  a  small  hand-vice,  then  with  a  piece 
of  copper  wire  I  bound  the  two  parts  together 
as  tightly  as  possible,  with  the  combined 
strength  of  my  crew  and  myself  I'ending  the 
electrode  backwards  and  forwards  I  found  that 
it  held  firmly  ;  and  so,  replacing  it  in  the 
explosion  chamber,  and   locking   it,    I   tried  to 


overboard,  and  we  then  found  that  there  was 
scarcely  i8in.  of  water  under  the  vessel's  bow. 
He  tried  the  depth  of  the  water  around  for  a 
space  of  50ft.  with  a  like  result.  Besides,  we 
found  that  it  was  just  at  the  end  of  the  ebb  tide, 
so  we  decided  to  have  breakfast. 

Waiting  until  2  p.m.,  I  sent  Waga  into  the 
water  to  take  soundings  in  the  old  channel,  and 
as  I  watched  him  from  the  deck  I  saw  the  place 
was  quite  altered  through  tlie  then  prevailing 
south-east  winds.  The  sand  had  been  washed 
in  by  the  heavy  rollers  over  the  sand-spit  which 
lay  parallel  with  the  shore  at  low  tide.  Waga 
then  moved  off  in  another  direction,  straight  in 
front  of  the  river  mouth,  and  where  the  current 
seemed  to  be  the  strongest.  Here  he  found 
deeper  water. 

1  ran  below  and  started  the  engine,  and  bid 
fair  to  be  in  Samarai  in  two  days  and  a  half 
Steering  a  direct  course  for  the  Spear  Islands,  a 
distance  of  twelve  miles,  the  engine  was  several 
times  on  the  point  of  stopping,  but  by  rushing 
to  the  throttle-valve  and  supplying  more  or  less 
air  as  it  was  required  we  reached  to  within 
two  miles  of  the  siiore,  when  another  stoppage 
occurred.  I  made  several  attempts,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  boys,  to  start  the  engine  again, 
but  there  was  not  the  slightest  response  to  our 
efforts.     Tired   out   with  the   day's  exertions,  I 


MY    NEW    GUINEA    CRUISE. 


.8s 


came  up  on  deck  to  consider  the  best  way  to 
reach  an  anchorage  for  the  night.  Without  mast 
and  without  sails  it  seemed  hopeless,  but  happily 
Waga  came  to  the  rescue  with  a  large  oar,  and 
by  much  hard  sculling  we  reached  a  sheltered 
bay  as  darkness  was  coming  on.  Here  we 
anchored  for  the  night. 

I  decided  to  remain  at  this  anchorage  and 
take  all  the  cells  to  pieces,  clean  the  zincs  and 
carbons,  and  then  try  the  engine  again.  This 
work  occupied  all  next  day,  and  when  it  was 
completed  I  was  too  tired  to  make  an  attempt 
to  try  the  engine,  so  I  left  it  until  the   following 


morning. 


After  a  good  night's  rest  I  rose  with  a  light 
heart  to  turn  the  fly-wheel  to  get  the  primary 
explosion.  I  worked  away  till  out  of  breath,  with 
an  aching  pain  in  my  back  and  arm,  hoping  all 
the  time  that  the  very  next  turn  would  see  us 
on  our  way,  but  at  last  I  gave  it  up  in  despair. 
Putting  my  hand  to  the  switch  to  turn  off  the 
electric  current,  I  found  I  had  forgotten  to  put 
the  current  on,  so  all  my  labour  had  been  in 
vain.  I-ooking  at  Waga,  w^ho,  panting  and 
exhausted  with  his  exertions,  and  yet  blandly 
smiling,  sat  meekly  in  front  of  me,  I  apologized 
for  my  mistake  and  roundly  abused  myself  for 
being  such  an  idiot.  It  was  now  late  enough 
for  breakfast,  so,  getting  little  Jackey  to  boil  the 
billy  and  serve  up  the  "  tinned  dog,"  we  sat 
down  on  the  deck  and  refreshed  ourselves,  fully 
believing  that  we  had  come  to  the  end  of  our 
troubles. 

You  may  wonder  at  my  faith  in  the  engine 
after  so  many  repeated  failures,  but  I  had 
experienced  th.e  same  difficulties  on  two  or 
three  other  occasions,  when  my  efforts  had 
resulted  in  the  engine  working  successfully  for 
two  or  three  days  without  a  stoppage,  and  for 
this  I  was  hoping  in  this  instance. 

Once  more  I  went  to  the  engine,  turned  on 
the  current,  and  set  the  fly-wheel  in  motion,  but 
again  without  response.  1  tried  a  little  more 
naphtha  brought  down  through  the  vaporizer 
and  a  little  more  air  ;  and  then  I  turned  the 
fly-wheel  again,  but  still  without  result. 

At  last  I  gave  it  up.  Waga  said  the  Devil- 
devil  had  got  into  the  engine.  Waga  and  I 
held  a  consultation.  He  proposed  we  should 
try  to  manage  with  the  oar  to  reach  Cape  Nelson, 
as  we  should  then  be  in  sight  of  any  vessels 
which  might  be  on  their  way  to  the  Mambare, 
carrying  diggers  to  the  goldfields.  To  this  I 
cheerfully  agreed — the  more  readily,  perhaps, 
because  all  the  labour  would  fall  upon  him,  as  I 
did  not  know  how  to  scull.  Carrying  this  into 
effect,  we  had  by  nightfall  reached  Alaclaren's 
Harbour,  about  three  or  four  miles  from  the 
Cape. 


The  following  morning  some  canoes  hove  in 
sight,  and  the  idea  struck  me  that  the  natives 
might  be  induced  to  tow  us.  When  these 
ungainly  canoes,  with  wide-spreading  outriggers,' 
came  skimming  towards  us  like  huge  tarantulas, 
I  called  to  the  natives  to  come  alongside.  We 
then  traded  with  them,  giving  them  tobacco  for 
their  yams  and  taro,  and  in  this  way  we  soon 
established  friendly  relations.  I  then  suggested 
to  them  that  if  they  would  tow  us  round  Cape 
Nelson  I  would  give  each  man  in  the  canoe 
three  sticks  of  tobacco.  I'hey  readily  agreed. 
Selecting  the  largest  canoe,  which  had  twelve 
paddles,  we  gave  them  our  tow-line,  and  all 
went  merrily  for  the  first  hour,  the  natives  treat- 
ing the  whole  affair  as  a  joke,  and  we  on  board 
laughing  and  chaffing  with  them  to  keep  up  the 
delusion  that  there  was  really  no  labour  attached 
to  the  undertaking.  Soon,  however,  the  drag 
of  our  heavy  boat  on  their  ill-made  canoe  and 
their  inherent  disgust  for  prolonged  labour  told 
on  them,  and  they  gave  up  pulling  altogether. 
We  coaxed  them,  offered  a  bigger  reward,  and 
even  threatened,  whereupon  they  gave  another 
spurt. 

At  last  they  refused  to  pull  another  stroke. 
To  leave  us  on  the  weather-side  of  a  reef,  five 
or  six  miles  from  the  land,  was  more  than  I  was 
prepared  for,  so  I  promised  a  further  increase  of 
toL-.cco.  They  set  to  work  again,  and  at  this 
moment  we  sighted  the  topsail  of  a  small  cutter, 
showing  over  the  low  point  of  land  at  Cape 
Nelson.  I  told  Waga  to  get  a  blanket  and 
make  it  fast  to  the  oar.  I  rushed  below  to 
fetch  my  Winchester  to  fire  it  as  a  signal.  We 
waved  the  blanket  to  and  fro  and  fired  several 
shots  in  (juick  succession,  without  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  cutter,  which  sailed  away  out  of 
sight  to  the  north. 

In  the  meantime  we  had  forgotten  the  natives 
who  were  towing  us.  It  was  evident  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  had  been  working 
at  the  paddles  that  we  had  completely  frightened 
them  with  our  noisy  demonstration.  Looking 
over  the  side  I  saw  we  were  passing  over  a  reef 
I  hailed  the  natives  and  told  them  to  stop, 
instead  of  which  they  pulled  with  greater 
vigour.  Fearing  that  we  m.ight  strike  a  gibber, 
I  rushed  to  the  tow-line  and  commenced  to 
haul  the  canoe  to  us,  in  order  to  stop  them. 
This  movement,  which  was  intended  to  protect 
my  vessel,  completely  demoralized  the  natives, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  one  old  man,  they 
jumped  overboard  frantically  and  made  for  the 
shore.  He,  pluckier  than  the  others,  was 
attempting  to  undo  the  tow-line.  I  stopped 
pulling  on  it,  and  tried  to  pacify  and  calm  him, 
telling  him  I  only  wanted  them  not  to  go  on  any 
farther,  and  held  up  some  tobacco  to  give  him. 


:S6 


THE    WIDK    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Believing  this  to  be  a  ruse  on  my  part  to 
make  him  a  prisoner,  lie  would  have  none  of  it, 
and  he  also  dived  into  the  water.  We  were 
now  left  in  possession  o\  the  canoe,  but,  without 
anvone  to  pull  it,  it  was  of  no  use  to  us,  so  I 
last  it  adrift.  Waga  took  to  the  oar  again.  I 
watched  the  natives  swim  off  to  the  canoe  and 
t.ike  charge  of  it,  paddling  away  towards  their 
homes  as  fast  as  they  could,  urged  on  by  then- 
fears.  That  evening  at  eight  o'clock  we  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  an  anchorage  between  two 
reefs. 

We  had  now  rounded  Cape  Nelson,  and  being 
unwilling  to  remain,  waiting  on  the  chance  of  a 
vessel  coming  to  our  relief,  I  decided  to  push 
on  and  try  and  reach  a  mission  station  at 
Wanigala,  about  eighteen  miles  farther  on,  in 
Collingwood  Bay.  For  the  ne.xt  two  days  we 
made  little  progress,  as  we  had  a  strong  current 
against  us.  Some  canoes  came  out  from  the 
shore  on  the  third  day,  and  then  went  back 
again.  Looking  through  a  small  pair  of  opera- 
glasses  I  could  distinguish  another  canoe 
coming  from  the  direction  we  had  come.  After 
a  short  parley  amongst  themselves  some  half- 
dozen  canoes  struck  out  from  the  shore  towards 
'  iunch.     Coming  within  hail,  I  asked  them 

.y  would   tow  us.      To   this   they  replied 

that  they  were  afraid  we  would  kill  them — at 
the  same  time  gradually  lessening  the  distance 
between  us.  Through  the  glasses  I  recognised 
the  old  man  who  had  stuck  to  his  canoe  to  the 
last.  I  called  out  to  him  and  held  out  some 
tobacco  which  Waga  brought  me,  and  told  him 
I  wished  to  pay  his  men  for  their  work  of  the 
other  day.  After  much  hesitation  they  came 
alongside.  I  gave  him  seventy-two  sticks  of 
tobacco,  which  was  double  the  quantity  promised 
and  equal  to  7s.  6d.  in  money.  After  this  we 
were  on  friendly  terms  again,  and  the  natives 
shouted  out  that  they  were  all  prepared  to  tow 
us. 

The  largest  canoe  was  chosen,  and  once  more 
we  moved  on  at  a  more  rapid  pace,  reaching  a 
snug  anchorage  before  nightfall.  Paying  the 
natives  liberally  for  their  work,  they  left  us, 
promising  to  return  on  the  morrow.  Fearing 
that  we  should  not  see  them  again  until  they 
had  smoked  all  the  tobacco  I  made  an  early 
start  in  the  morning,  with  Waga  sculling,  hoping 
that  when  they  saw  us  going  away  they  would 
come  out  to  us.  We  had  made  little  headway 
when  the  south-east  wind  sprang  up,  and  we 
had  to  return  to  our  anchorage  again. 

My  surmise  with  regard  to  the  natives  turned 

oTjt   to   be  correct.     We  saw   nothing   of  them 

day.       Other   natives    from    the    opposite 

dire.  ■  :ne  and  brought  their  women  with 

them is  always  a  sign  that  fighting  is  not 


intended.  W'e  traded  with  them,  buying  some 
fi-sh,  of  which  I  was  in  need,  my  supply  of  a 
week's  provisions  having  by  this  time  run  very 
low.  Any  natives  that  came  by  greeted  us 
with  the  cry  of  "  Orokaiva,"  which  signifies 
peace.  I  felt  more  confident  in  their  goodwill 
than  1  had  done  for  the  past  few  days. 

The  following  morning  we  had  an  early  visit 
from  the  natives  who  had  towed  us  to  this 
anchorage.  They  offered  to  help  us  again  and 
take  us  to  the  mission,  where  assistance  could 
be  obtained.  Running  out  the  tow-line  we 
made  another  start,  but  before  we  could  round 
the  point  of  the  reef  the  wind  and  sea  had 
risen.  1  he  canoe,  although  a  large  one,  was 
old  and  could  not  stand  the  strain.  I  heard  it 
creaking  and  groaning  as  it  laboured  against  the 
sea.  The  natives,  too,  finding  that  there  was 
more  strain  than  on  the  previous  occasion, 
refused  to  proceed  farther  and  turned  back, 
towing  us  to  our  old  anchorage.  I  paid  them 
for  their  work  and  told  them  that  if  there  was 
no  wind  I  should  want  them  next  day. 

Next  morning,  finding  the  tide  to  be  at  flood, 
we  struck  out  over  the  reef  without  the  assist- 
ance of  the  natives,  and  were  just  in  time  to 
secure  another  anchorage  before  it  came  on  to 
blow  worse  than  ever.  The  natives  did  not 
venture  out  in  their  canoes.  Waga  suggested 
that  we  should  make  a  sail.  We  had  no  canvas 
and  no  mast,  however.  Thinking  it  over,  it 
struck  me  that  two  blankets  sewn  together  and 
made  fast  to  a  bundle  of  spears  would  make  a 
square  sail  and  the  oar  would  do  for  a  mast.  I 
am  thankful  now  that  this  "  sail,"  poor  as  it  was, 
was  made,  in  view  of  events  that  followed. 

The  next  morning  a  canoe  with  three  natives 
came  from  the  shore,  armed  with  long  spears, 
decorated  with  small  feathers  tied  to  a  piece  of 
line,  which  hung  as  a  pennant  from  the  head  of 
the  spear,  and  was  made  fast  to  the  middle. 
The  natives  were  painted  with  red  and  black 
pigment  on  their  faces.  Up  to  the  present 
none  of  these  warlike  decorations  had  been 
seen.  One  of  the  savages  called  out  to  me  that 
canoes  were  coming  to  tow  us,  and  we  were  not 
to  go  away  by  ourselves.  I  beckoned  to  him  to 
approach,  which  he  would  not  do,  replying  that 
we  w^ould  kill  him.  I  could  not  understand 
how  their  friendship  had  suddenly  changed 
to  distrust.  I  knew  this  boy  who  was  acting  as 
spokesman,  for  on  my  previous  journeys  along 
the  coast  I  had  frequently  anchored  here  and  he 
had  often  visited  my  ship.  He  had  also  worked 
on  the  goldfields,  having  been  kidnapped  by  the 
diggers,  and  he  spoke  a  few  words  of  English. 
Strange  to  relate,  he  had  been  in  the  same  camp 
with  Waga. 

After  manv  assurances  that  I   would  do  him 


MV    NEW    GUINEA    CRUISE. 


287 


no  harm  he  came  alongside.  I  made  a  proposal 
to  him  ihat  if  lie  would  take  Waga  to  the 
mission  station  I  would  give  each  of  his  crew  a 
tomahawk  and  some  tobacco.  After  consulting 
with  his  mates  he  agreed.  Writing  out  a  note 
on  a  slip  of  paper  (using  a  bullet  for  a  pencil,  as 
I  had  no  writing  materials  on  board),  I  informed 
the  missionary  of  my  difficulties  with  the  engine, 
and  asked  for  his  help.  I  gave  the  boys  some 
tobacco  for  a  smoke  and  handed  Waga  my  Colt's 
revolver,  warning  him  to  be  careful  of  the 
ammunition,  as  the  six  cartridges  which  I  gave 
him  were  all  that  I  had  for  that  weapon.  I 
foolishly  made  this  statement  in  the  presence  of 
the  natives;  dearly  I  had  to  pay  for  it  afterwards. 
When  Waga  had  left  I  felt  more  cheerful,  and 
settled  down  with  Jackey  to  await  his  return. 
Tliis  happened  sooner  than  I  expected.     About 


a  signal  prearranged,  but  that  I  watched  too 
carefully  and  the  natives  had  not  the  courage  to 
act  upon  it.  At  this  moment  I  heard  a  shot 
fired,  and  looking  over  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  sound  came  my  eyes  were  taken  off 
the  men  in  front  of  me  just  for  a  moment.  This 
was  the  opportunity  they  had  been  waiting  for. 
The  native  who  was  sitting  over  the  toma- 
hawk jumped  up  and  raised  it  to  strike  me.  I 
was  too  quick  for  him.  Covering  him  with  my 
rifle,  he  took  a  jump  off  the  canoe  into  the  sea, 
but  before  he  touched  the  water  I  shot  him 
through  the  body.  The  other  natives  following 
suit  quickly  swam  away  out  of  reach.  Jackey's 
cries  now  attracted  my  attention.  He  was 
calling  out  :  "  My  brother,  my  brother — shoot, 
master,  shoot ! "'  Looking  in  the  direction  of  the 
shot  I  saw   W'aga  swimming  towards  the  ship 


'  HE   TOOK    A   JUMl'   OKK    THE   CANOE    INTO    THE   SEA,    HUT    HEl'OKE    HE    TOUCHED   THE    U  ATEK    I    SHOT    HIM. 


four  in  the  afternoon  some  canoes  came  along 
to  trade;  I  would  only  allow  one  canoe  to  come 
alongside  at  a  time.  This  is  a  precaution  which 
all  the  traders  on  this  coast  adopt  if  they  have 
no  white  comrade.  I  noticed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  canoe  just  then  alongside  a  European 
tomahawk.  I  pointed  to  it,  and  asked  one  of 
the  natives  what  he  was  doing  with  it  in  the 
canoe.  He  at  once  made  an  attempt  to  hide  it 
by  drawing  a  mat  over  it.  My  suspicions  were 
aroused  by  this  action  and  t  kept  my  Win- 
chester across  my  knees,  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. 

I  watched  the  native  in  front  of  me.  He  was 
excited,  and  every  now  and  then  would  raise 
his  hand  as  if  clutching  a  spear,  dropping  the 
fore-arm  and  making  the  niuscles  rigid  as  if  in 
the  act  of  quivering  a  spear  ready  to  throw.  It 
struck  me  afterwards  that  it  was  very  much  like 


with  the  spears  from  a  crowd  of  natives  on 
the  shore  falling  thick  around  him.  He  was 
holding  the  revolver  well  above  his  head  to  save 
it  from  getting  wet — even  in  this  moment  of 
peril  remembering  my  instructions  to  be  careful 
with  the  ammunition.  I  covered  his  retreat  by 
firing  rapidly  into  the  natives,  and  when  \Vaga 
got  alongside  I  could  see  that  he  was  much 
exhausted  with  the  loss  of  blood  from  two  ugly 
wounds,  one  on  the  forehead  and  the  other 
between  the  shoulder-blades. 

The  natives  had  now  got  well  out  of  reach, 
so,  taking  Waga  below,  I  attended  to  his  wounds, 
and  made  him  relate  to  me  how  he  came  to  be 
in  such  a  plight.  He  said,  "  When  we  left  in 
the  canoe  this  morning  we  pulled  away  some 
three  miles  from  here  around  the  next  point,  the 
boys  then  telling  me  that  it  would  be  better  to 
land   and  walk   through   the   bush.     They  said 


2.S^ 


FHE    \M1)E    WOKLL)    MAGAZINE. 


the 

the 

'  w  o 

in 

and 


it  was  a  long  way  l>y  water.  \\'ish;ng  to  got  there 
.luitklv  and  i\  turn  to  you,  I  followed  their  ad\  ice 
and  struck  out  with  them  through  the  bush.  I 
kepi  well  behind,  and  the  lliiee  natives  with  nie 
kept  talking  very  excitCi  i  seemed  to  dis- 

aiiree  upon  some  project  ulucii  on<i  ot  them  was 
urging  upon  the  others.  I'hey  stopped  for  a 
moment  until  I  came  up  with  them,  and  then 
told  me  that  they  saw  signs  in  the  bush  of 
ii>)-.tile  natives  from  *  ''-  -  ■  'liages  of  whom  they 
were  atraiil.  so  it  woi.  wise  to  return  to  the 

canoes  aiul  go  by  water.     ^Ve  got  back  to  the 
bi-ach.       I   took 
my    seat     in 
m  i  d  d  1  e    of 
c  a  n  o  e.        1 
natives     sat 
front  of    me 
one  btrhind. 

"  \\  hen  we  had 
got  .some  distance 
out  to  sea  the  boy 
in  the  bow  pre- 
tended to  sight  a 
fish  near  the 
(  anoe.  We 
all  jumped 
uj)  to  look. 
1  had  no 
sooner  done 
so  than  I  re- 
ceived a  blow 
on  mv  head 
with  a  paddle 
which  knock- 
ed me  into 
the  water.  At 
the  same  time 
I  felt  a  sharp 
pain  in  my 
back.  'I'his  I 
kn»  w  to  be 
a  spear  thrust. 
I  quickly  put 
my  hand  to 
my  back  and 
j)ulled  it  out.  I  had  the  presence  of  mind  to 
swim  under  water  and  away  from  the  canoe  ; 
drawing  my  revolver,  I  came  to  the  surface  and 
fired  at  my  enemies.  Taking  to  their  paddles  they 
soon  made  good  their  escape.  I  then  swam  to 
the  shore.  I  hesitated  for  a  moment  when  I 
landed  as  to  how  I  should  act— whether  to  go 
on  to  the  mission  station  or  come  back  to  the 
ship.  I  thought  rjf  my  litde  brother  and  you, 
and  in  case  of  an  attack  from  the  natives  how 
hard  it  would  go  with  you.  If  the  natives  had 
not  already  attacked  ycu,  you  would  be  off  your 
guard,  not  knowing  of  their  assault  upon  me. 


'  1    <JU1CKI.V    rORE   OFF    MY   CLOTHES   AND 
UNDF.k    A    I.AKGI- 


"  1  decided  then  to  return,  and  struck  into 
the  bush  so  as  not  to  be  observed.  I  had  not 
proceeded  very  far  when  I  heard  voices.  1 
quickly  tore  off  my  clothes  and  hid  myself  in 
the  thick  scrub  under  a  large  tree.  The  voices 
came  nearer,  and  then  seemed  to  go  away. 
Waiting  some  moments  longer,  I  climbed  into 
the  big  tree  to  look  about  me.  Not  very  far 
from  my  hiding-])lace  the  natives  were  running 
about  from  bush  to  bush,  thrusting  their 
long  spears  into  the  thickest  of  them  to 
see   if    they   could   discover   me. 

"  Unable  to  do 
so  they  departed, 
and  when  I  was 
sure  no  stragglers 
were  left  behind 
I  came  down  and 
very  carefully 
made  my  way 
towards  the  vessel. 
When  you  heard 
my  shot  I  was 
then  seen  by  the 
natives,  and  you 
saw  me  attacked 
by  them  with  their 
spears." 

WHiilst  Waga 
was  repeating  his 
adventures  to  me 
I  was  dressing  his 
wounds  and  keep- 
in>z  a  look-out 
through  a  port- 
hole. My  rifle 
was  lying  at  my 
side.  Telling 
Wa^a  not  to  be 
startled  if  he 
heard  a  report 
in  the  cabin,  I 
covered  a  native 
who  was  dodging 
from  tree  to 
ree  along  the 
our   vessel    all    the 


HID    MYSELF    IN    THE   THICK    SCRUB 
:   TREE.", 


coming    nearer 


to 


shor( , 

time.  He  had  a  stone  club  on  one  shoulder 
and  a  spear  in  his  hand.  W'aiting  until  I 
could  make  certain  of  my  aim,  I  fired.  He 
was  hit.  For  a  moment  he  halted,  and  then 
spinning  round  two  or  three  times  he  fell 
to  the  ground.  We  were  not  molested  again 
that  day  or  the  next,  although  some  distance 
away,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  small  bay  in 
which  we  were  anchored,  I  could  distinguish 
some  natives  along  the  beach  hunting  for  their 
dead.  I  could  not  tell  how  many  natives  were 
killed,  but  of  two  I  was  certain. 


MY    NEW    GUINEA    CRUISE. 


289 


On  the  morning  ef  the  third  day  after  this 
attack,  Waga  feehng  a  Httle  better,  I  decided  to 
move  on.  It  struck  me  the  engine  might 
possibly  work  after  its  rest.  When  the  anchor 
was  up  I  tried  it  and,  to  my  astonishment,  away 
she  went  at  full  speed.  We  ran  out  of  the  bay 
some  three  miles  from  the  anchorage,  when  the 
accursed  thing  stopped  again.  Fortunately  we 
were  in  shallow  water,  so  I  dropped  the  anchor, 
as  Waga  was  quite  unfit  in  his  wounded  con- 
dition to  work  the  oar. 

About  1 1  a.m.  a  strong  wind  sprang  up,  which 
soon  caused  a  choppy  sea,  so  I  determined  not 
to  leave  my  anchorage.  ]\Iy  attention  was  then 
drawn  to  the  shore.  Hundreds  of  canoes  were 
collecting,  and  some  natives  ran  out  on  to  the 
shore  reef  and  yelled  that  they  were  coming  to 
trade  with  me,  and  that  I  was  not  to  be 
frightened,  as  they  had  no  intention  of  attacking 
me.  I  replied  by  firing  at  them.  There  was 
too  much  movement  of  the  little  vessel  to  make 
certain  of  my  aim.  I  let  the  natives  know, 
however,  that  if  they  came  within  reach  I 
would  shoot  them.  The  natives  from  the 
canoes,  which  had  been  arriving  from  all 
directions,  landed  on  a  long,  sandy  beach  to 
hold  a  council  of  war.  This  did  not  take  long. 
I  watched  them  keenly  as  they  rushed  to  their 
canoes  to  attack  me.  They  pushed  off  from  the 
shore,  yelling  and  shouting  frantically.  I  waited 
until  they  were  well  within  reach,  and  for  a  time 
I  could  not  help  withholding  my  fire  to  watch 
their  tactics.  They  advanced  in  a  long  line, 
abreast  of  one  another  and  with  their  bows 
pointing  towards  me,  which,  together  with  the 
tossing  and  pitching  of  the  launch,  gave  me  but 
a  slender  chance  of  hitting  them.  The  warriors 
stood  erect  in  the  canoes  with  their  long  shields 
covering  their  bodies.  I  counted  from  ten  to 
twelve  in  each  canoe,  and  as  there  were  at  least 
eighty  canoes,  this  must  have  represented  a  force 
of  fully  a  thousand  men.  I  waited  until  they  were 
within  about  three  hundred  yards  of  me,  when 
one  of  the  leading  canoes  getting  out  of 
command  showed  her  broadside  with  ten  men 
in  a  line.  I  took  aim  as  carefully  as  I  could 
and  fired.  There  was  a  yell  of  derision.  I 
had  missed.  Then  I  fired  another  shot,  with 
the  same  result.  The  canoes  now  spread  out 
to  surround  me.  I  took  a  third  shot  at  the 
same  canoe.  This  time  I  was  more  successful, 
for  I  struck  the  steersman,  who  tumbled  help- 
lessly out  of  the  canoe.  This  acted  as  an 
immediate  check  upon  the  whole  flotilla.  They 
stopped,  rested  on  their  paddles  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  began  slowly  to  retreat  to 
the  shore. 

Encouraged  by  this  result,  I  kept  up  a  steady 
fire  upon  them  as  they  retired,  which  completed 

Vol.  vi.— 32. 


their  discomfiture  for  the  time  being.  Waga 
came  to  me,  touched  me  on  the  shoulder  and 
said  :  '■  Master,  do  not  fire  so  much.  We  have 
only  a  few  cartridges  left,  and  these  natives  have 
not  done  with  us  yet.  They  will  attack  again 
with  greater  fury  and  courage."  I  told  Waga  I 
did  not  care,  and  that  I  still  had  enough  to  give 
them  a  lesson.'  Further,  when  that  was  finished 
I  had  five  cartridges  left  in  my  revolver,  and 
rather  than  fall  into  their  hands  I  would  shoot 
myself.  "  No,  no,  master ;  you  kill  Jackey 
first,  then  you  kill  me ;  after  that  you  may 
kill  yourself.  We  do  not  wish  to  fall  into 
their  hands.  We  would  be  put  to  fearful 
tortures  and  then  roasted  alive.  It  is  better 
that  we  put  up  the  sail  and  go  away." 
This  advice  I  thought  was  good,  and  I 
decided  to  act  upon  it.  I  looked  over  to 
the  shore.  The  natives  had  again  collected  on 
the  beach  and  were  in  a  great  state  of  excite- 
ment, brandishing  their  spears,  jumping  over 
one  another,  yelling  and  shouting,  and  working 
themselves  into  a  state  of  mad  frenzy  for  another 
attack.  For  a  moment  I  felt  very  uncomfort- 
able. Not  wishing  my  boys  to  see  this,  how- 
ever, I  set  them  to  work  to  erect  the  mast  and 
prepare  the  sail.  The  natives  were  watching 
our  every  movement,  and  when  they  saw  what 
our  intention  was  they  rushed  to  their  canoes 
and  came  out  to  the  attack  again.  This  time, 
owing  to  their  haste,  their  system  of  attack  was 
not  so  well  organized,  and  when  they  got  within 
range  they  were  massed  together,  which  gave  me 
a  better  opportunity  of  firing  into  them  with  effect. 
Availing  myself  of  this  advantage  I  kept  up  a 
rapid  fire  while  Waga  and  Jackey  hove  up  the 
anchor.  My  rifle  now  became  so  hot  that  I 
had  to  pour  water  down  the  barrel  to  cool  it. 
Still  they  continued  to  approach,  but  the  sail 
being  now  spread  I  perceived,  to  my  intense 
satisfaction,  that  we  were  gradually  increasing 
our  distance  from  them.  All  my  attention  was 
now  directed  to  the  navigation  of  the  boat.  I 
remembered  I  had  a  hammock  made  of  double 
canvas  on  board.  Bringing  this  up  on  deck 
I  set  to  work  to  undo  the  seams.  Waga, 
in  the  meantime,  was  making  a  mizzen-mast 
out  of  a  bundle  of  spears  tied  together, 
and  then  lashed  on  to  the  standard  of  the 
steering-wheel.  In  a  short  time  we  had 
hoisted  this  primitive  sail,  which  sent  us 
ahead  at  an  increased  rate  of  speed.  The 
natives  were  still  giving  chase,  and  we  could 
hear  their  yells  of  rage  and  disappointment  at 
losing  their  prey.  Smoke  signals  were  rising 
from  the  headlands,  which  were  answered  for 
miles  along  the  coast,  apprising  the  natives 
everywhere  of  the  fight  which  was  going  on.  By 
five  in  the  evening  we  had  left  our  pursuers  far 


?9o 


THE   WIDE   WORLD   MAGAZINE. 


giving 

being 

sleep, 

When 

lackey 


behind.  Yet  we  could  still  hear  their  war- 
cries  carried  to  us  on  the  wind  :  and  for  weeks 
after  this  sound  never  left  us,  so  great  an 
impression  had  it  made  on  our  nerves.  My 
boys  came  several  times  to  me  to  say  that  they 
coiild  iiear  the  natives  coming  after  us ;  and 
although  I  experienced  the  same  sensation  I 
did  no"t  admit  it  to  them,  but  assured  them  that 
it  was  impossible,  as  we  were  too  far  away  now. 
During  the  excitement  of  the  fight  I  had 
kept  cool  and  collected,  as  also  did  the  boys ; 
but  when  it  was  all  over  our  nerves  were  quite 
unstrung,  and  the  reaction  completely  un- 
manned us.  Up  to  this  time  none  of  us  had 
had  anything  to  eat.  I  called  Jackey  and  told 
him  to  prepare  some  food.  After  it  was  cooked, 
however,  none  of  us  could  eat  it ;  so,  telling 
Jackey  to  come  to  the  wheel  and  advising 
Waga  to  rest  his  wounds,  Avhich  he  told  me  were 
him  pain,  I  turned  into  my  bunk  and, 
utterly  exhausted,  fell  into  a  sound 
and  did  not  wake  until  daylight. 
I  went  on  deck  I  found  poor  little 
still  at  the  wheel,  and  he  told  me 
that  soon  after  I  went  below  he  too  had 
fallen  asleep,  so  our  good  little  ship  had  taken 
care  of  herself  all  through  the  night,  running 
before  the  wind  on  a  course  of  her  own.  The 
high  mountain  peaks  of  the  great  Owen  Stanley 
range,  which  rise  to  a  height  of  13,000ft., 
could  just  be  distinguished  through  the  clouds, 
glowing  in  the  purple  light  of  the  early  morn. 
That  was  all  we  could  see  of  the  land,  and 
it  gave  us  no  clue  to  our  position.  I  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  coast -line  beyond  the 
Musa  River.  Waga  had,  however.  He  spent 
some  six  months  on  the  goldfields  of  the 
Mambare,  but  could  give  me  no  course  to 
steer  for  the  Mitre  Rock,  which  marks  the 
approach  to  the  low-lying  lands  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  I  aimed  at  reaching  this 
place,  knowing  that  I  could  secure  help  there ; 
but  if  I  passed  it,  it  meant  going  on  to  the 
German  settlements,  as,  without  charts  and 
proper  sails  to  enable  me  to  steer  any  course 
other  than  before  the  wind,  there  was  no  other 
alternative.  As  long  as  the  south-east  wind 
continued  we  followed  the  coast-line  from  point 
to  point,  near  enough  to  distinguish  any  houses 
which  might  lie  on  the  shore.  We  were  afraid 
that  the  natives  might  attack  us  if  we  ventured 
too  close,  and  the  odds  against  us  would  have 
been  much  greater  here,  as  we  began  to  realize 
that  we  must  have  passed  the  British  boundary, 
and  we  knew  that  the  natives  of  German  New 
Guinea  were  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
whereas  we  had  only  to  contend  against  spears 
and  tomahawks  in  our  last  encounter. 

Reaching  an  uninhabited  island,  which  I  now 


take  to  have  been  one  of  the  Longuerue 
group,  we  came  to  an  anchorage.  I  told  Waga 
to  swim  ashore  and  cut  a  spar  for  a  mast,  as 
this  would  give  us  the  use  of  the  large  oar,  of 
which  we  had  begun  to  feel  the  need.  The  wind 
now  had  left  us  entirely,  and  for  three  weeks  we 
drifted  slowly  towards  a  low-lying  point  to  the 
north-east.  All  this  time,  my  provisions  being 
cjuite  exhausted,  I  had  to  live  exclusively  on 
boiled  rice,  which  is  by  no  means  an  agreeable  diet 
for  a  white  man.  I  took  this  point  to  be  Cape 
Cretan,  which  lies  on  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  Huon  Gulf.  It  turned  out,  however,  to  be 
a  group  of  coral  islands  known  as  the  Tami 
group.  At  last,  when  we  got  near  them,  we 
saw  some   canoes  approaching,  and    my   boys 


were     much     afraid, 
with  us  now,   master, 
and   killed.     Nothing 
them  not  to  be  afraid, 
be  very  far  now  from 


saying. 


It    is    all 


up 


We  shall  be  attacked 
can  save  us."  I  urged 
I  was  sure  we  could  not 
the  German  settlements. 
As  soon  as  the  canoes  came  near  enough,  Waga, 
evidently  greatly  relieved,  drew  my  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  natives  were  wearing  calico,  and, 
therefore,  must  be  civilized.  He  was  correct, 
for  presently  we  were  addressed  in  very  good 
English,  and  asked  where  we  had  come  from. 
To  our  joy  we  heard  from  these  natives 
that  a  missionary  was  living  on  the  island, 
and  if  we  would  give  them  a  "paper  talk" 
they  would  take  it  to  him.  Tearing  .  off  a 
piece  of  paper  from  a  biscuit  tin,  I  wrote 
across  it,  "  Are  we  in  the  right  direction  for 
Frederich  Wilhelms  Haven?"  A  short  time 
after  a  procession  of  canoes  came  out  to  us,  and 
the  missionary,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  huge 
umbrella  shading  him  from  the  sun,  was  seen 
sitting  on  the  platform  of  the  leading  canoe. 
He  came  on  board  and  we  shook  hands.  I 
related  to  him  the  events  of  the  past  few  weeks. 
Although  he  treated  me  with  courtesy  and  ex- 
pressed his  sympathy  for  our  troubles,  he 
refused  to  believe  that  we  were  not  running 
away  from  New  Caledonia  !  He  repeated  my 
story  to  the  natives  who  had  come  out  with  him, 
and  they,  wishing  to  show  in  some  practical 
way  their  feelings  for  us,  jumped  on  board  the 
launch  with  their  paddles  and  quickly  brought 
us  to  the  anchorage  inside  the  atoll. 

An  abundance  of  cooked  native  food  was 
brought  to  my  boys,  and  when  I  offered  to  pay 
for  it  they  would  not  accept  it.  The  missionary 
invited  me  to  lunch,  and  I  was  introduced  to 
his  wife.  I  had  to  repeat  my  story  over  again 
to  her.  The  next  day  was  Sunday.  I  was  not 
aware  of  this  at  the  time,  as  I  had  lost  all  count 
of  the  days. 

On  the  Monday  morning  I  purchased  a  large 
native   sail   for   a   tomahawk.      The   mast  was 


MY    NEW    GUINEA    CRUISE. 


2qi 


given  in  with  it,  as  well  as 
Taking  in  fresh  water  and 
of  yams,  I  got  my  sailing 
missionary  for  the  seat  of 
ment   at    Frederich  Wilhel 
sail  at  3  p.m.,  accompanied 
by  the  islanders.     I  had  a 
run   before  me,  and  was  for 
reefs  to  encounter  on  the 


rope  for  the  rigging. 
an  abundant  supply 

directions  from  the 
the  German  Govern- 
ms  Haven,   and   set 

for  a  short  distance 

four  hundred  miles 
:-tunate   in  having  no 

way.     With  a  fresh 


Jumbobo  and  anchored  for  the  night.  The 
next  day  it  rained  in  torrents  and  we  remained 
locked  up  in  the  cabin.  The  following  morn- 
ing there  was  a  dead  calm.  Getting  under 
way  with  the  oar  we  reached  the  entrance  to 
Frederich  Wilhelms  Haven  about  lo  a.m.  In 
another  two  hours  I  was  comfortably  housed  in 
the  club.  My  hospitable  hosts,  the  German 
officials,  received  me  kindly,  and  before  the  day 


iAmm 


THE    MISSIONARY   CAME  ON    HOARD   AXD    SHOOK    HANDS. 


easterly  wind  which  was  then  blowing,  in  three 
days  we  were  carried  to  Astolabe  Bay,  which 
was  very  near  the  end  of  my  journey. 

I  steered  well  into  the  bay,  and  although  I 
had  received  instructions  to  look  out  for  the 
roofs  of  the  houses  at  Stephansort,  I  could  not 
see  any  sign  of  habitation.  Standing  out  again, 
the  wind  shifted  to  the  north-east.  Steering  as 
close  as  the  wind  would  allow,  I  only  just 
escaped  being  driven  on  shore  on  a  rocky  head- 
land at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  bay.  The 
wind  had  been  freshening  all  the  time  and 
night  was  coming  on.  In  fear  of  losing  the 
settlements,  I  ran  under  a  small  island  named 


was  spent  I  knew  every  white  man  on  the  settle- 
ment. 

By  the  courtesy  of  the  commander,  Captain 
Dunbar,  I  was  offered  a  passage  to  Sydney  in 
the  German  gunboat  Moetve.  My  health  had 
suffered  from  the  privations  I  had  endured,  but 
the  sea  voyage  in  a  comfortable  ship,  and  the 
exceedingly  kind  attention  I  received,  restored 
me,  and  I  landed  in  Sydney  feeling  none  the 
worse  for  my  experience.  Waga  and  Jackey, 
who  had  proved  their  mettle  and  had  so 
courageously  stood  by  me  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  are,  I  am  proud  to  say,  still  with  me, 
prized  and  honoured  for  their  faithfulness. 


The  Ghost  Dance  of  the  Poncas. 


Bv  ^\■.    R.   Draper,  of  Wichita,  Kan. 

An  impressive  description  of  a  weird  Pagan  ceremonial,  illustrated  by  photographs  of  the  leaders 

and  the  dance   itself  -which,  by  the  way,  was  intended  to  celebrate  the  uprise  of  the    Indian  and 

the  annihilation  of  the  "  Pale-face."      Mr.  Draper  points  out  the  rarity  of  these  photographs,  the 

one  of  the  dance  in  progress  being  the  only  print  ever  taken. 

1  AX  DING  YELLOW,"  the  Ponca 
liulian  prophet,  came  to  the  open- 
ing of  his  tepee,  jerked  a  rough 
brown  hand  to  his  forehead,  and 
scanned  the  prairie  anxiously.     As 

he  drew   his   tall   figure  to    its   full   height  and 

threw  his  gaze  to  the  south  a  smile  spread  over 

his  cracked  and  wrinkled  face.     Then,   hastily 

assuming    a    sober    look,     he     retired    to    the 

sacred  tepee  and  began  again  his  long  task  of 

making  medicine.      The  little  dust  cloud  grew 

larger  and  nearer.     Other  clouds  formed  in  all 

directions,  and  before  the  sun  hid  its  face  behind 

the  surface  of  tall  grass  a  hundred  waggon-loads 

of  Indians  had  arrived  and  pitched  their  tepees 

round  that  of  the  old  prophet.     They  jabbered 

lo  each  other  in  their  own  tongue,  and  scowled 

fiercely  at  the  few  white  men  who  had  ridden 

along  to   witness  the   gathering.     There  was  a 

scurrying   about    that    would    do    credit    to    a 

gathering  of  commercial   travellers,  but  all  the 

time   the   flap  of    the    standing   yellow    tepee 

remained    closed.       The    Indians    went    by    in 

groups,  and  pointed  mysteriously  at  it.     Some 

would    bow    their   heads    while    near   it,   others 


^P^"' 


■/\'    ' 


ST.i;.;^;..i. 


THE    FO.SCA    INDIAN-    PROPHET — A    GREAT 

J^rom  a  Photo. 


'RAIRIE    DIGNITARY. 


II!  M  iri  jli.T),  THE  MEDICINE 
CHIEF,  WHO  SENT  WORD  ROUND 
ABOUT  THE   COMING   DANCE. 

Fro}ii  a  Photo. 


would  not  go  near  at  all. 
It  was  evident  that  they 
regarded  the  old  prophet 
with  respect,  and  even  fear. 
For  he  was  the  cause  of 
this  session  of  redskins. 
Ke  and  Humming  Bird, 
another  medicine  man, 
had  sent  word  to  the 
Indians  that  the  time  had 
come  for  them  to  dance. 
The  Great  Spirit  had  at 
last  spoken,  and  all  was 
to  be  well  with  their  souls. 


THE    GHOST    DANCE    OF    THE    PONCAS. 


293 


FONCA   INDIAN    CHILDREN    IN    GALA    DRESS,    SUCH 
From  a\  THE   DANCE. 


AS    THEY    WORK    AT 

iPlwto. 


Now,  if  there  is  anything  queer 
Indian  of  the  SoutlvWest  it  is  hi 
Most  people  think  that 
the  wild  reservation 
Indians  have  no  religion, 
but  they  were  never  more 
mistaken.  The  savage 
who  hangs  around  the 
Government  store  and 
draws  his  rations  with 
clock-like  regularity  may 
be  slow  when  it  comes 
to  tilling  the  ground,  but 
he  fairly  bristles  with 
interest  when  you  men- 
tion religion.  It  is  a 
boon  companion  to  him, 
never  sleeping,  but  often 
so  silent  that  it  is  not 
evident  to  the  casual 
observer. 

The  Ponca  Indians 
who  live  on  their  reserva- 
tion in  the  northern  part 
of    Oklahoma,  Territory         Froma\ 


about  an 
s    religion. 


are  very  superstitious,  but  they  never 
engaged  in  the  Ghost  Dance  of  ten  years 
ago  when  all  the  Indians  of  the  western 
half  of  the  United  States  were  dancing  it. 
It  was  the  belief  of  the  Indians  then  that 
if  they  engaged  in  this  dance  the  Great 
Spirit  would  fulfil  a  promise  which  some 
Indian  prophets  claim  to  have  been  made 
to  them  when  they  went  on  a  visit  to  the 
other  world.  This  promise  was  that  the 
white  people  should  all  be  killed,  all  dead 
Indians  returned  to  life,  and  the  game 
restored  to  the  earth — a  belief  which  is  the 
Indians'  heaven  and  the  basis  of  all  their 
religion. 

Of  course,  the  time  passed  for  the  pro- 
mised end  of  the  world,  yet  'nothing 
happened.  Some  of  the  Indians  were 
transformed  into  sinners,  according  to  the 
Indian  code  of  ethics,  but  a  majority  of 
them  yet  held  faith ;  they  gave  up  the 
dance,  but  they  did  not  forget  the  pro- 
mises. Standing  Yellow  was  then  a  great 
prophet  among  the  South-West  tribes,  and 
his  people  of  the  Ponca  tribe  had  implicit 
faith  in  him.  When  the  Otoes  and  the 
Arapahoes  began  to  have  Ghost  Dances 
the  Poncas  grew  restless  and  visited  their 
prophet.  But  he  shook  his  head  and  said 
the  time  for  the  dance  had  not  yet  arrived. 
When  it  did  he  would  inform  them.  The 
Poncas  refrained  from  the  Ghost  Dance 
then. 

This  was  the  reason  for  the  recent  gather- 
ing of  the  Poncas  on  their  reservation.  Standing 
Yellow  had  sent  out  the  long-looked-for  message. 


THE    INTERIOR    OF    A    PONCA    TEPEE, 


{Photo, 


294 

It  was  carried  from  tepee 
to  tepee  by  Humming 
Bird,  the  medicine  man. 
Standing  Vel!o\v  said 
that  a  crow  liad  flown 
over  his  wigwam  and 
plucked  out  his  heart. 
Then  with  a  new  heart 
he  was  carried  into  a 
cloud,  and  finally  ap- 
peared before  the  Master 
of  Life.  After  a  long 
talk  about  his  faithful- 
ness the  Master  bade 
him  start  the  Ghost 
Dance,  and  said  further 
that  he  would  then  come 
down  and  wipe  the  white 
people  from  the  earth. 
This  is  the  version  given 
by  the  prophet,  and 
his  people  said  it  must 
be  so. 

It  was  long  before 
daylight  that  the  Indian 
camp  was  astir.  Dark 
forms,  wrapped  closely 
in  heavy  red  blankets, 
dodged  between  the 
tents  and  bent  over 
small  fires.  Inside  the 
thick  canvas  the  Indian 
dancers  were  putting  on 
the  sacred  paint.  The 
squaws  outside  were  frj'ing  a  scant  breakfast. 
Medicine  men  scurried  in  and  out  of  the  tents 
with  great  cans 
full  of  the  sacred 
paint.  They 
daubed  a  big 
warrior  twice  on 
the  nose  and 
three  times  on 
the  chin,  ran  a 
yellow  line 
across  each 
cheek,  and  a  red 
figure  shaped 
itself  on  his 
forehead.  Some- 
times this  figure 
was  a  crow,  then 
an  eagle,  again 
a  snake  —  any- 
thing the  fanciful 
medicine  man 
cared  to  make  it.  They  claimed  that  this  paint- 
ing was  done  by  inspiration.  It  certainly  was 
far  from  being  artistic,  judged  by  the  civilized 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THIS    IS    PETE    MlTCHl-XL,    THE   PONCA    MEDICINE   CHIEF — 
HE   WAS   THE    LEADER   OF    THE   GHOST    DANCE. 

FiOin  a  Photo. 


Standpoint.  At  dawn 
the  Indians,  500  strong, 
were  ready  for  the  great 
dance.  All  their  pent-up 
enthusiasm  broke  loose. 
It  had  been  a  ten-year 
struggle,  hoping  against 
hope  as  it  were  that 
this  time  would  hasten 
the  end.  Now  the  wish 
was  gratified. 

The  stillness  of  the 
fresh  morning  air  was 
suddenly  broken  by  the 
beating  of  a  huge  drum. 
It  came  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  river,  and 
thither  all  the  Indians 
rushed.  There  they 
beheld  Standing  Yellow 
on  his  pony.  He  raised 
his  hands  in  a  tragic 
manner  and  commenced 
to  talk.  The  Indians 
listened  with  breathless 
interest.  His  speech  was 
a  long  harangue  against 
the  whites  and  a  story 
of  his  impossible  trip  to 
the  clouds.  He  recited 
with  great  impressive- 
ness  how  the  Great 
Spirit  received  him,  gave 
him  the  dance,  and 
told  him  the  world  was  soon  to  end.  Then 
he  commanded  Humming  Bird,    as   the   chief 


i:;   THEIR   HANDS   THE   DANCERS   CARRIED    WREATHS   OF    FEATHERS,    AND   SOME   OF   THEM    HELD   THE 

I'rom  a]  feather-bone  in  their  mouth."  \Phoio. 


medicine  man  of  the  tribe,  to  show  the  Indians 
the  dance  as  he  had  been  taught  by  the  prophet, 
Standing  Yellow.      It  was  below  the  dignity  of 


THE  GHOST  DANCE  OF  THE  PONCAS. 


295 


From  d\ 


A   TYPICAL   PO-N'CA   VILLAGE,    ALMOST   DESERTED   ON    THE    DAY   OK    THE    (iHOST    DANCE. 


[Phoio. 


Standing    Yellow    himself  to   teach    them    the 
dance. 

They  formed  in  a  rough  circle.  On  their 
breasts  they  wore  nothing,  but  from  the  waist 
hung  a  white  sheet.  Their  hair  fell  loose  over 
their  shoulders.     Humming  Bird  wore  a  broad- 


brimmed  hat  and  a  linen  duster, 
hands  the  dancers  car- 
ried wreaths  of  feathers, 
and  some  of  them  held 
the  feather-bone  in  their 
mouth.  They  danced 
up  and  down,  moving 
from  left  to  right.  All 
the  time  they  followed 
the  medicine  men  in  the 
strange  chant : — 

We  are  coming,  Yellow  Man, 
The  crow  will  bring  us  there  ; 
It  has  b;en  a  long  time — • 
We  are  coming. 

The  dancers  hopped 
higher  and  faster,  and 
chanted  their  weird  song 
louder  as  the  sun's  rays 
fell  straighter  upon  them. 


In   their 


Then  they  commenced  to  fall  from  exhaustion 
and  excitement.  The  medicine  men  said  that 
it  was  the  work  of  the  Great  Spirit.  While  they 
lay  in  the  dust  and  heat  of  the  dancing  circle 
no  one  went  near  them,  as  they  were  supposed 
to  be  communing  with  dead  relacives.  Some 
lay  in  the  trance  for  hours,  and  then  went  on 

with  the  dance.  At  night 
fires  were  built  in  the 
circle,  and  the  dancers 
kept  on  until  midnight, 
when  all  went  and 
bathed  in  the  river.  At 
daybreak  they  were  again 
ready  for  the  dance. 

This  performance  was 
kept  up  for  six  days, 
during  which  time  dele- 
gates from  all  the  other 
tribes  in  Oklahoma  ap- 
peared and  engaged  in 
the  dance.  This  was 
one  of  the  largest  Ghost 
Dances  ever  held  in  the 
South-West,  and  the  first 
in  ten  years. 


THE   SACRED    TEPEE   OK    HU.MMINi;    BIRD,  THE    MEDICINE  CHIEK. 

Front  a  Phoio, 


Among  the  Giant  Redwoods  of  Santa  Cruz. 

Hv  Hakrv  Cornell,  ok  Pasadena,  Cal. 

This  article  points  out  now  remarkable  it  is,  and  how  little  realized,  that  quite  close  to  the  great 
city  of  San  Francisco  there  is  a  bewildering  forest  of  primeval  redwood  trees — wonderful  giants  over 
300ft.  high  and  6oft.  or  70ft.  in  girth,  among  which  the  wanderer  may  get  hopelessly  lost,  as  was 
the  case  with  the  Austrian  scientist  mentioned  herein,  who  nearly  lost  his  life.  These  giant  red- 
woods are  threatened  with  extermination,  but  they  have    secured    powerful    champions    in  the  author 

and  his  friends. 


^ROBABLY  no  city  in  the  world 
except  San  Francisco  has  within  a 
'  short  distance  a  forest  that  is  one  of 
ilie  wonders  of  the  world — a  forest 
where  there  are  trees  that  were 
giants  hundreds  of  years  ago,  and  that  to-day 
challenge  the  admiration  of  every  country. 
Within  a  few  miles'  ride  of  San  Francisco 
one  may  enter  the  great  redwood  forest 
of  Santa  Cruz,  which,  strange  to  say,  has 
only  recently  been  thoroughly  explored,  and 
which  has  many  sections  still  comparatively 
unknown.  This  is  particularly  true  of  what  is 
called  the  Great  Basin — a  region  in  which  rise 
several  of  the  brooks  and  streams  which  provide 
San  Francisco  with  its  water.  This  basin, 
which  embraces  about  sixty  square  miles,  has 
been  found  to  contain  some  of  the  most  remark- 
able trees  in  the  State  of  California,  and  it  was 
the  attempt  of  tree-loving  citizens  to  protect  the 
forest  that  led  to  the  startling  report  of  a  tree- 
chopper  concerning  his  discovery  of  a  man  com- 
pletely lost  in  this  forest 
of  giants,  within  a  few 
miles  of  a  city  counting 
its  inhabitants  by  hun- 
dreds of  thousands. 

This  remarkable  forest 
is  at  present  attracting 
widespread  attention,  a 
gigantic  petition  being 
signed  in  California,  ad- 
dressed to  the  President, 
and  requesting  that  the 
forest  be  set  apart  as  a 
national  park.  If  this 
is  not  accomplished,  five 
years  will  unquestionably 
see  its  complete  destruc- 
tion by  wood  -  choppers, 
who  are  fast  converting 
the  trees,  60ft.  in  circum- 
ference and  300ft.  in 
height,  into  railroad  ties. 
The  effort  to  save  it  is 
in  itself  a  curiosity. 
A  society  called  the 
Sempervirens  Club  has 
been  formed,  and 
thousands  of  persons 
all   over   the    State    are 


joining  it,  and  a  petition  is  being  signed  for  the 
saving  of  the  trees  which,  it  is  said,  will  rival 
all  the  famous  petitions  which  have  been 
submitted  to  Congress  in  the  past  ten  years. 
The  class  of  people  who  have  become  members 
is  suggestive  of  success,  as  the  leading  men 
and  women  of  the  State  are  taking  the  matter 
up.  It  is  believed  that  the  astonishing  spectacle 
will  be  seen  of  a  club  with  a  membership  of 
half  a  million  people  all  appealing  for  the 
preservation  of  forests. 

The  forest  is  of  redwood,  or  Semper  viretts, 
and  lies  in  the  great  basin  of  the  Santa 
Cruz  Mountains.  It  seems  incomprehensible 
that  anyone  could  be  lost  in  such  a  place,  so 
near  a  city,  yet  a  few  years  ago  an  Austrian, 
who  was  travelling  through  America,  wandered 
into  the  Great  Basin,  became  confused,  and 
almost  died  before  he  escaped.  For  ten 
days  he  roamed  about  among  the  giants,  and 
undoubtedly  discovered  some  of  the  largest 
trees,  which  are  from  60ft.  to  70ft.  in   diameter, 


THE    1  ALLS   OK    BIG 


CNKEK,    WllKRK   THE    LOST   SClKN'l'lST    FISHED    lOK    lOOU. 
/■;•(?/«  a  Photo,  by  A.  P.  Hill. 


AMONG    THE    GIANT    REDWOODS    OF    SANTA    CRUZ. 


297 


"shows   the    march    01--    TUF.      Ill,     I.\K1  :;    .\M) 

From  a  Photo,  by}  tkees.' 


1H1-:    DbSTKUCTIUN    (.)F    THK    NOliLE 

[A.  P.  Hill. 


and  from  250ft.  to  nearly  400ft.  in  height.  The 
Austrian  was  a  botanist,  and  learning  from  the 
men  living  on  the  mountains  that  giant  trees 
were  to  be  seen  there,  he  entered  from  the  east 


and  camped  the  first  night 
beneath  them.  For  four  or  five 
days  he  studied  the  flora  of  this 
wonderful  spot,  and  probably 
was  one  of  the  first  to  fish  in 
the  fall  of  Big  Creek,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  places  in  the 
Great  Basin.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  his  provisions  gave  out 
and  he  attempted  to  leave  the 
forest,  but,  becoming  confused, 
he  evidently  walked  in  a  circle 
and  got  hopelessly  lost.  No 
photographic  record  was  kept  of 
his  wanderings  before  he  was 
rescued,  as  he  had  no  camera  ; 
but  the  Sempervirens  Club 
recently  sent  a  party  through  the 
forest  in  the  interests  of  the 
movement  for  the  preservation 
of  it,  and  Mr.  Andrew  Hill  took 
the  photographs  which  accom- 
pany this  paper.  The  secqnd 
photograph  shows  the  gigantic  trees  and  the 
march  of  the  tie-maker  and  the  destruction  of 
the  noble  trees.  In  the  third  illustration  are 
shown  the  fires  set  by  the  men  to  burn  the  under- 


THEV   ARE   CO.Ml'I.ETINfi    WITH    FIIiE    THE    DEVASTATION    WHICH   THE  AXE    HAD    FAILED   TO   ACCOiMFLlbi; 

From  a  Photo,  by  A.  P.  Hill. 


:gS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THK  ;.;i£r.;i  EKS  i'F  thi 


^EMIEK\IKENS   CLUB,    WHO    MADE   THE    RECENT   TRIP   THROUGH 

From  a  Photo,  by  A.  P.  Hill 


brush,  but  the  fires  also  destroy  the  growth  of 
centuries.  The  lost  man  is  said  to  have  taken 
refuge  in  a  gigantic  tree  similar  to  the  one  shown 
in  the  fourth  picture,  in  which  are  seen  the 
members  of  the  Sempervirens  Club  who  made* 
the  recent  trip  through  the  forest.  This  tree 
is  nearly  400ft.  high  and  62ft.  in  circumference. 
The  hole  in  the 
interior,  burnt 
out  to  kill  it,  is 
as  large  as  many 
a  house  ;  while 
if  the  tree  were 
cut  off  level  the 
top  would  serve 
as  a  ball-room  or 
the  foundation 
of  a  large  house. 
^^'hat  the  age  of 
giant  is 
;.  ..,  impossible 
to  tell,  but  that 
it  dates  back  far 
beyond  the 
Christian  Era 
few  who  have 
seen  it  will  doubt. 
The  density  of 
the  forest  into 
which  the  Aus- 
trian wandered, 
almost  to  his 
death,  is  shown 


in  the  next  illus- 
tration, where 
the  Sempervirens 
Club  is  making 
its  way.  These 
trees  are  of  ordi- 
nary size,  but  are 
growing  so 
closely  together, 
and  are  so  inter- 
woven with  brush 
and  undergrowth 
and  young  trees, 
that  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difificult  to 
make  headway. 
Even  at  midday 
a  strange  gloom 
settles  down  over 
it.  The  sun  can- 
not penetrate  the 
leafy  canopy, 
perfect  stillness 
reigns,  and  no 
one  would  sus- 
pect that  but  a 
few  miles  distant  was  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  populous  cities  in  the  United  States.  That 
the  forest  to-day  is  an  ideal  camping-place  is 
shown  by  the  camp  of  the  Sempervirens  Club  in 
the  accompanying  photograph,  where  the  trees 
have  been  cleared  away,  and  an  open  space,  sur- 
rounded by  the  giants  of  the  forest,  was  selected 


HE    lOKES'J. 


THE.SE    TREES    ARE    SO     INTERWOVEN     WITH     BRUSH     AND     UNDERGROWTH    THAT   IT    IS     EXCEEDINGLY 

l<roni  a  Photo,  by]  difficult  to  make  headway."  iA.  P.  Hill. 


AMONG   THE    GIANT   REDWOODS   OF   SANTA   CRUZ. 


299 


THli   HEAi<-i,.L  ,Ai;  1  i.Ks    i-AMl'   OF    THE        TREE-CHAM  l-|()N->.  j  10  ...1 

From  a  Photo,  iy]  trips  were  made. 

as  the  head-quarters  of  the  party.  From  this 
point  radiating  trips  were  made,  the  campers 
finding  their  way  back  by  marks  or  bk'izings 
made  on  the  trees.  The  Austrian,  though  a 
skilled  mountaineer,  was  as  com- 
pletely lost  as  though  he  had  been 
in  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  when 
he  was  fmally  discovered  by  the 
woodman  he  had  almost  given  up 
hope.  The  previous  day  he  had 
eaten  a  trout  which  he  had  killed 
ivifk  a  stone  ;  and  he  was  subsist- 
ing also  upon  frogs  and  a  kind  of 
small  salamander.  It  was  found 
that  he  had  walked  in  a  circle, 
crossing  and  recrossing  the  same 
points  several  times.  He  supposed, 
of  course,  that  he  was  travelling  in 
a  straight  line — a  common  error 
of  people  in  similar  situations.  Four 
or  five  times  he  must  have  almost 
touched  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
when  five  minutes  would  have 
taken  him  to  the  open  country, 
where  he  could  look  down  on 
ranches  and  farms  innumerable. 

Some  forest  men,  or  those  who 
live  in  the  dark  region,  profess  to 
believe  that  there  is  some  subtle 
attraction    about     a    great    forest 


which  prevents  the  lost  victims 
from  escaping  and  causes  them 
to  walk  in  a  circle. 

The  Austrian,  when  fully  re- 
covered, stated  that  there  were 
trees  in  the  basin  which  would 
be  the  wonder  of  the  world  ; 
and  having  seen  the  great 
eucalypti  of  Australia,  he  be- 
lieved that  these  were  even 
higher.  In  the  next  picture  is 
seen  one  of  the  largest  trees  in 
perfect  condition,  which  is  more 
imposing  and  larger  about  the 
trunk  than  any  of  the  Australian 
trees.  The  tree  shown  is  70ft. 
round,  and  is  estimated  to  be 
350ft.  in  height.  Careful  and 
conservative  observers  state 
that  without  doubt  some  of  the 
trees  of  this  basin  are  400ft.  or 
more  in  height.  There  is  one 
factor  that  points  to  the  con- 
clusion that  these  trees  will  not 
become  extinct.  Whenever 
they  are  cut  down  shoots  im- 
mediately sprout  from  the  roots. 
Such  a  tree  observed  by  the 
writer  was  used  as  a  dancing 
pavilion,  and  all  around  the  circumference  grew 
trees  from  40ft.  to  looft.  high — sprouts  from  the 
old  tree,  forming  a  perfect  wall,  above  which  could 
be  seen  the  stars  and  the  blue  vault  of  the  heavens. 


INT    RADIATING 

\A.  P.  Hill. 


SEVENTY   FEET   ROUND,    AND    ESTIMATED   TO   BE   350FT.  IN    HEIGHT, 

From  a  Photo,  by  A.  P.  Hill. 


Ships  That  Have  Been  Wrecked  by  Whales, 

Bv  Professor  C.  F.   Holder,  of  Pasadena,  Cal. 

The  very  possibility  seems   remarkable,    but    in    this   paper   the   well  -  known  Californian  writer   gives 

many  extraordinary  instances,  including  the  destruction  of  the    sailing   ship    "  Essex,"  two  thousand 

miles  from  land.     The  photographs  show  some  of  the  stranded  monsters. 


'  >  one  can  read  the  history  of  whaling 
and  not  be  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
trades  in  the  world,  and  yet  the 
natalities  fall  far  below  those  of  the 
men  wiio  catch  codfish  for  a  living  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland !  The  whale  is  the  largest 
living  animal,  and  has  the  power  to  crush  not 
only  small  boats  and  their  occupants,  but  even 
to  disable  the  largest  vessel.  The  huge  and 
unwieldy  animal,  however,  does  not  know  its 
power,  and  fights  at  random — that  is  to  say,  in 
the  majority  of  instances ;  but  it  is  evident  that 
certain  old  whales  have  well-defined  ideas  of 
attack — a  fact  admirably  illustrated  by  the 
wrecking  in  August  last  of  a  vessel  near  San 
I-'rancisco. 

The  coast  of  California  is  remarkable  for  its 
whales,  especially  the  Santa  Catalina  Channel  of 
Los  Angeles  County,  which  is  a  highway  for 
these  huge  creatures,  which  breed  in  the  shallow 
waters  of  the  Gulf  of  California  and  make  their 
pilgrimage  north.  So  many  were  seen  in  former 
years  that  whaling  stations  were  established 
along  the  shore,  and  from  San  Diego  to 
San  Francisco  observation  poles  were  to  be 
seen,  on  which  watchmen  were  stationed  to 
give  the  signal  when  a  whale  appeared, 
whereupon  the  boats  would  go  out.  But  the 
Californian  grey  whale  proved  to  be  too  much 
of  a  fighter.  Boats  were  wrecked  and  lives  lost 
all  along  the  shore,  and  often  when  a  whale  was 
securely  harpooned  it  would  tow  the  boats  so 
far  out  to  sea,  or  at  so  rapid  a  rate,  that  the 
whalers  were  obliged  to  cut  away  and  so 
lose  their  prize.  So  the  whale  fisheries  of 
the  Californian  coast  have  gradually  been 
abandoned,  and,  as  a  result,  the  whales  have 
increased  in  proportion,  so  that  in  crossing  the 
Santa  Catalina  Channel  one  or  more  of  these 
monsters  of  the  deep  is  an  almost  daily  sight. 

During  the  past  five  years  a  number  of  curious 
incidents  have  been  related  about  these  whales. 
For  example,  a  yacht  becalmed  was  surrounded 
by  them,  the  huge  creatures,  from  6oft.  to  Soft. 
in  length,  lying  on  the  surface,  and  one  of  them 
so  near  the  vessel  that  it  could  be  touched. 
Another  rubbed  its  back  against  the  keel,  utterly 
demoralizing  the  crew  by  its   antics.     Captain 


Alec  Smith,  of  the  ss.  Falcoti,  one  of  the 
steamships  of  the  Wilmington  Transportation 
Company,  told  the  writer  that  he  was,  on  one 
occasion,  so  persistently  followed  by  a  monster 
whale,  that  he  was  obliged  to  make  for  shallow 
water.  At  the  time  he  was  captain  of  a  pilot 
boat,  and  was  sailing  off  shore  when  a  whale 
suddenly  appeared  alongside,  so  near  that  its 
breath  became  a  nuisance. 

Suddenly  it  sank,  and,  placing  itself  beneath 
the  vessel,  raised  her  so  that  she  heeled  over 
to  port.  The  captain  went  about  as  soon  as 
possible,  hoping  to  give  the  great  animal  the 
slip  ;  but  the  whale  joined  him  at  once,  and 
continued  to  rub  its  colossal  carcass  against  the 
keel  and  to  lift  the  yacht-like  ves^l.  Thus 
menaced,  the  perplexed  captain  bore  away  for 
shore,  abandoning  the  trip,  and,  of  course,  ex- 
pecting to  get  rid  of  the  whale  in  shallow  water. 
The  animal,  however,  followed  him  for  five 
miles  with  extraordinary  persistency,  and  was 
not  far  away  when  the  captain  dropped  anchor 
on  the  edge  of  the  kelp.  What  its  object  was 
it  would  be  difficult  to  say  ;  but  in  the  case 
of  the  whale  which  followed  the  ship  Fabnoiith 
from  San  Francisco  to  a  South  American  port, 
3,000  or  4,000  miles,  and  could  not  be  driven 
away,  it  was  evident  that  the  animal  thought  the 
vessel  was  a  fellow-whale  of  some  kind.  When 
they  finally  parted  company  in  shallow  water 
the  live  monster's  back  was  scarred  and  scored 
by  bullets  and  large  shot,  fired  into  it  by  the 
irate  skipper. 

These  whales  were  peaceful,  but  this  is  no 
criterion  for  others,  as  within  a  month  of  the 
present  writing  an  immense  whale  deliberately 
wrecked  a  large  yacht.  Another  is  reported  to 
have  made  a  similar  attempt  on  a  ferry-boat  in 
San  Francisco  Harbour,  and  as  this  is  written 
word  is  received  that  the  steamer  Hermosa, 
of  the  Wilmington  Transportation  Company, 
crashed  into  the  back  of  a  huge  whale, 
having  by  far  the  best  of  the  meeting. 
In  this  instance  the  contact  was  accidental. 
The  whale  evidently  was  rising  to  spout  just  as 
the  steamer  came  along,  and  the  vessel  crashed 
into  the  huge  body  with  a  force  that  sent  the 
fireman  head  over  heels  and  threw  several  of 
the  passengers  headlong  on  to  the  deck,  for  the 


SHIPS    THAT    HAVE    BEEN    WRECKED    BY    WHALES. 


301 


moment  quite  demoralizing  them.  The  whale 
was  estimated  at  60ft.  or  70ft.  in  length,  and 
when  struck  it  lashed  the  water  into  foam  as 
though  in  great  agon3\  The  steamer  was  unin- 
jured, however,  the  shock  being  comparable  to 
that  of  running  upon  a  sand-bank.     The  cut- 


the  spot,  reaping  a  great  harvest.  The  wound 
made  by  the  steamer's  prow  was  plainly  visible  ; 
the  whale  had  been  rammed  and  killed.  The 
same  steamer  ran  into  a  large  whale  two  years 
ago,  and  undoubtedly  killed  it,  as  the  body  of  a 
large  specimen  was  found  dead  a  few  days  later 


THE   STEA.MEK    HKKMOSA, 


WHICH    COLI.IUEU    WITH    A    JoVV.    V.il.,1.;,     .i.LZ   ^.i; 

From  a  Photo,  by  Sivetison. 


Ll,l.,u    ^lUL    ■■RUNNING   ON   A    SAND-BANK. 


water  gave  the  giant  a  terrible  blow,  laying  open 
its  back  in  a  long,  deep  cut. 

Three  days  later  fishing-boats  from  San  Pedro 
sighted  the  dead  body  of  a  whale,  and  the 
following  day  it  was  seen  in  the  breakers  off 
Redondo  Beach — a  favourite  resort.  The  huge 
mass  could  be  distinguished  for  a  long  distance, 
and  at  low  tide  it  was 
stranded  high  and  dry. 
Then  began  a  remark- 
able pilgrimage.  People 
came  from  far  inland  to 
oee  the  monster,  and  it 
was  surrounded  by  an 
ever  -  increasing  crowd. 
Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren climbed  upon  its 
back,  many  being  seen  in 
this  strange  place  at  one 
time.  The  original  finders 
hauled  the  dead  cetacean 
beyond  high-water  mark, 
and  it  at  once  became 
the  centre  of  interest  and 
a  means  of  revenue.  Rail- 
way trains  carried  large 
crowds  of  curious  and 
sensation  -  loving  sight- 
seers; and  carts,  waggons, 
and  vehicles  of  all  descrip- 
tions transported  people  to 


not  far  away  from  the  scene  of  the  collision. 
The  huge  carcass  was  towed  into  Goat  Harbour, 
Santa  Catalina  Islands,  where  it  was  cut  up  and 
the  skeleton  removed. 

In  the  case  of  the  pilot-boat  Bonita,  off  San 
Francisco,  the  vessel  itself  was  deliberately 
ramn*ied  by  the  angry  monster.      The  Bojiifa  is 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


one  of  the  fleet  of  San  Francisco  pilot-boats,  the 
fastest  and  largest  of  them  all— and  considered 
especially  seaworthy  ;  her  skipper,  too,  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  careful  men  in  the 
service.  The  boat  had  four  pilots  aboard  and 
a  crew  of  five  men.  They  were  cruising  off  and 
on  about  I'wc  miles  south-east  of  the  Parralone 
Islands  when  the  shock  came.  There  was  litde 
wind,  but  a  heavy  swell,  and  the  man  at  the  wheel 
and  the  watch  did  not  dream  of  disaster,  when 
suddenly  a  terrific  crash  came,  as  though  the 
vessel  had  been  rammed  from  astern.  Every 
man  went  down  :  the  wheel  whirled  so  violently 
that  it  hurled  the  helmsman  to  the  deck  with 
force  sufficient  to  render  him  insensible.     The 


all    endeavours    were    useless,    the   cabin    was 
nearly  full  in  fifteen  minutes. 

The  captain  determined  to  stay  by  his  boat, 
and  sent  Swanson,  Wallace,  and  Miller  to  the 
pilot-boat  Grade  S.,  which  had  come  up,  a 
boalkeeper  only  remaining  with  him.  The 
Bonita  floated  two  hours  or  more  on  account 
of  tlie  air  under  her  decks,  and  then  she  began 
to  show  signs  of  dissolution.  At  three  o'clock 
she  took  a  heavy  list  to  port  and  the  two  men 
pulled  away.  "  For  a  couple  of  hours,"  said 
Captain  Scott,  "  we  hung  on  to  the  main  sheet 
and  then,  as  it  looked  as  though  she  might  go 
down  at  any  moment,  we  cast  off.  At  3.10  a.m. 
she  was  in   her  death-throes.      She  took  a  list 


From  a  Photo. \ 


PUGN-ACIOUS   WHALES   ARF,   OI-'TEN    CAST   ASHORE    IN    THIS    WAV  AT   SANTA    CATAL 


-I.VA    ISLAND. 


{by  S'-.v 


men  below  were  thrown  from  their  berths,  and 
the  pilot,  a  man  named  Swanson,  rushed 
up  believing  that  another  vessel  had  struck 
them  ;  indeed,  this  was  the  belief  of  all 
hands.  But  as  he  reached  the  deck  he  saw  the 
body  of  a  gigantic  whale,  at  least  Soft,  in 
length,  lying  alongside  as  though  stunned. 
c..,],!  -ly  fj^g  monster  began  to  lash  the  water 
..  as  though  injured.  The  Bonita  im- 
mediately began  to  settle  down  by  the  stern. 
The  boats  were  ordered  away,  and  an  examina- 
tion showed  that  the  whale  had  charged  the 
vessel  like  a  mad  bull,  crushing  in  the  rudder- 
head  and  tearing  all  the  timbers  away.  Every 
effort  w-as  made  to  save  the  yacht,  the  men 
manning  the  pumps,  while  the  whale  was  beating 
the  water  into   foam   not    200ft.   distant.     But 


to  port,  gave,  two  or  three  heavy  rolls,  then 
careened  to  starboard,  and  finally  settled  down 
head  first.  The  last  thing  I  saw  of  the  Bonita 
was  the  end  of  her  main  boom,  which  was 
sticking  straight  up  like  a  mast." 

All  this  time  numbers  of  whales  were  playing 
about,  and  when  the  whale  which  struck  the 
yacht  finally  made  off.  Captain  Scott  said  that  it 
left  a  trail  of  vivid  phosphorescence  which  could 
be  plainly  followed  for  a  mile  or  more.  The 
captain,  who  had  stood  by  the  boat  through 
the  night,  was  picked  up  by  the  steamer 
WeliiniTton. 

o 

Not  ten  days  later  this  school  of  whales, 
which  had  attracted  the  attention  of  all  out- 
going and  incoming  vessels,  entered  the  Golden 
Gate  and  began  disporting  in  the  smooth  waters 


SHIPS    THAT    HAVE    BEEN    WRECKED    BY    WHALES. 


303 


of  San  Francisco  Bay,  much  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  thousands  who  make  the  trip  from 
Oakland  and  other  points.  So  enormous  were 
the  animals  that  it  was  difificult  to  avoid  them, 
and  there  was  not  much  surprise  felt  when  the 
steamer  Sati  Rafael,  Captain  McKenzie,  with  a 
large  number  of  passengers  on  board,  collided 
with  a  large  whale  while  crossing  from  Sausalito 
to  San  Francisco.  The  shock  was  very  severe, 
and  many  people  who  were  standing  were  thrown 
down. 

It  was  not  known  whether  the  animal  had 
rammed  the  boat  or  whether  the  latter  had 
merely  run  into  the  monster.  Be  this  as  it 
may.  Chief  Engineer  Jones  was  of  the  opinion 
that  the  whale  nearly  sent  the  vessel  to  the 
bottom.  When  the  shock  came  the  San  Rafael 
seemed  to  rise  as  on  a  heavy  sea,  then  to  list 
heavily  to  port.  The  engineers  and  firemen 
rushed  on  deck,  and  for  a  moment  there  was 
great  excitement.  The  pumps  were  sounded 
and  the  vessel  found  to  be  all  right.  Then 
someone  shouted  to  look  astern,  and  there,  with 
its  tail  high  out  of  water,  was  a  gigantic  whale. 
It  so  happened  that  W.  A.  Coulter,  a  well-known 
artist,  was  aboard,  and  he  gives  the  following 
account : — 

"  The  whale  had  been  in  the  bay  for  nearly  a 
week,  but  whether  it  is  the  one  that  sank  the 
pilot- boat  Bo7iita  or  not,  neither  I  nor  anyone 
else  can  tell.  The  leviathan  rose  in  front  of  the 
ship  about  20yds.  away.  Not  a  thing  could  be 
done,  and  before  the  wheel  could  be  swung 
over  we  struck  the  mammal.  The  shock  felt 
exactly  like  that  of  running  into  a  mud-bank.  Our 
progress  was  not  retarded  to  any  great  extent. 
We  must  have  passed  clear  over  the  whale,  as  it 
came  up  astern,  spouted,  and  then  disappeared." 

Captain  McKenzie  stated  that  it  felt  as 
if  the  Sa7i  Rafael  struck  the  whale  twice,  while 
Chief  Engineer  Jones  said  the  vessel  will  not 
require  to  go  on  the  dry  dock  for  a  year  to  come, 
as  the  whale  must  have  scraped  all  the  barnacles 
off  her  bottom. 

These  incidents  are  sufficiently  startling  in 
their  nature  to  impress  themselves  upon  those 
who  actually  had  the  experiences  herein  related. 
But  they  fall  into  insignificance  before  the 
appalling  catastrophe  which  befell  the  ship 
Essex  in  the  South  Pacific  some  years  ago.  She 
was  an  old-fashioned  whaler  out  for  a  long 
cruise,  and  at  the  time  of  the  accident  she-  was 


in  mid-Pacific,  2,000  miles  or  more  from  land. 
The  ship  was  sailing  under  reduced  sail  at  mid- 
day, looking  for  whales,  when  suddenly  the  cry 
came,  and  before  the  men  could  lower  the  boats 
a  huge  sperm  whale  came  up  directly  under  the 
bows  and  spouted. 

The  next  moment  the  cutwater  of  the  heavy 
ship  struck  it  so  violent  a  blow  that  the  men 
were  fearful  that  the  masts  would  go  by  the 
board.  The  whale  darted  off  at  great  speed, 
and  the  men  did  not  expect  to  see  it  again  ;  but 
suddenly  the  look-out  shouted  that  the  whale 
was  coming  at  them.  All  hands  leaped  into  the 
rigging  and  witnessed  a  strange  sight.  The 
whale,  which  was  of  colossal  size,  had  determined 
to  wreak  its  vengeance  upon  the  ship  and  give 
blow  for  blow.  It  was  coming  along  the  surface 
at  a  terrific  pace,  headed  for  the  ship,  throwing 
the  water  into  high  walls  on  either  side— a 
mighty,  living  engine  of  destruction. 

"  Hard  aport !  "  shouted  the  captain,  and  up 
into  the  wind  came  the  old  ship,  but  it  was  too 
late  to  save  her.  The  huge,  blunt  head  of  the 
whale  struck  her  fairly  in  the  bow,  breaking  in 
the  heavy  timbers.  The  water  poured  into  the 
doomed  vessel  as  though  through  a  funnel,  and 
in  five  minutes  she  was  down  at  the  head. 
There  was  no  time  to  save  anything.  The  men 
sprang  to  the  boats,  threw  in  a  few  kegs  of 
water  and  some  provisions  within  reach,  and 
shoved  off,  and  in  ten  minutes  from  the  time 
the  whale  rammed  the  Essex  her  bow  rose  high 
in  the  air,  showing  a  ghastly  wound — in  fact, 
the  entire  bow  was  crushed  in,  and  in  that 
upright  position  she  went  down,  stern  first. 
The  encounter  had  been  so  sudden  that  the 
men  were  simply  stupefied.  Ten  minutes  before 
they  were  aboard  a  staunch  ship ;  now  they 
were  castaways  in  open  boats  2,000  miles 
from  land,  out  of  the  course  of  ships,  and  with 
but  a  few  days'  provisions. 

The  subsequent  experiences  of  these  men 
were  most  harrowing.  They  kept  together  for 
days,  but  were  at  length  separated  in  a  gale  of 
wind,  all  but  one  boat  being  lost ;  at  least, 
the  others  were  never  heard  of.  The  crew  of 
this  boat  rowed  and  sailed  for  the  South 
American  coast.  Many  died,  and  the  story  is 
one  of  mad  men,  starvation,  and  other  horrors. 
But,  finally,  after  giving  up  all  hope,  the  few 
survivors  of  the  whale's  fury  were  picked  up  by 
a  ship  and  carried  into  a  South  American  port. 


The   Coicman  Flood  as   I  Saw  It 


Bv  William  Averitt,   of   Coleman,  'I'exas. 

This  narrative  of  an  eye-witness  conveys  a  terribly  vivid  idea  of  the  effects  of  one  of  those  disastrous 
••  cloud-bursts  "  which  occasionally  break  over  a  town  in  the  Western  States,  wreaking  havoc  on  a 
scale  which  seems  quite  incredible  to  dwellers  in  other  lands.  The  author  is  an  inhabitant  of  the 
stricken  town  of  Coleman,  and  his  photographs  were  taken  on  the  spot  and  at  the  time,  with  an 
enterprise  and  an  eye  for  effect  which  are  typically  American. 


UXDAV,  July  15th,  1900,  was  a 
singular  day  in  Coleman,  Western 
Texas,  though  the  inhabitants  were 
not  much  impressed  at  the  time. 
All  day  the  clouds  brooded,  and  at 
times  settled  down  until  they  brushed  the  sur- 
rounding hills  with  their  wings.  It  did  not 
rain,  but  the  leaves  continually  dripped  with 
moisture.  The  atmosphere  was  oppressive,  and 
made  one  feel  like  sleep- 
ing all  the  time. 

At  nightfall  the  rain 
set  in  slowly  and 
steadily,  but  between 
midnight  and  day-dawn 
many  were  awakened 
by  heavy  thunder  in  the 
west,  which  jarred  the 
earth  until  the  windows 
rattled  in  the  sashes. 
Those  who  got  out  of 
bed  witnessed  a  won- 
derful display  of  elec- 
tricity through  the 
glistening  sheets  of  rain, 
while  the  streets  ran  full 
of  bubbly  waters. 

Monday  dawned  with 
nothing  unusual.  The 
water  had  drained  from 
the  streets.  The  re- 
ceding storm-clouds 
^  •:-:-  in  the  east,  throw- 
-  iuick  over  the 
heavens  a  skin  of  wast- 
ing vapour,  and  leaving 
a  clear  streak  in  the 
west,  clean-washed  and 
freshly  blue  as  only  the 

sky  looks  just  after  a  storm.  Herd's  Creek, 
which  runs  from  west  to  east  across  the  country, 
•  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  encircles  the  town 
on  me  north,  was  brimming  full.  The  main  part 
of  Coleman  rests  upon  an  elevation,  but  there 
were  many  residences,  a  saloon,  and  a  waggon 
yard  down  in  the  valley.  As  was  usual  when 
the  creek  was  up,  .several  people  went  down  to 
look  at  it. 

Just  before  daybreak  there  had  been  a  cloud- 


THE   AUTHOR, 
From  a,\ 


Mk.    WILLIAM    AVERITT,    WHO   IS 
OF    COLEMAN. 


burst  six  miles  above  the  town,  and  a  flood  was 
coming  down  the  already  full  creek  and  spread- 
ing over  the  entire  bottom.  But  the  town  had 
no  warning. 

Two  boys  first  discovered  the  flood  stealing 
down  through  the  trees  in  a  pasture  a  mile 
above  the  town,  and  they  hastened  to  give  the 
alarm. 

A  few  minutes  later,  walking  up  the  street,   I 

beheld  in  amazement 
that  the  creek  had 
broken  over  the  valley 
extending  a  mile  north 
and  was  rushing  down, 
floating  large  wheat - 
stacks  like  boats  in 
the  Mississippi  River. 
Several  houses  were 
already  surrounded. 

I  hurried  down  to 
the  railroad  embank- 
ment which  curves  the 
valley.  There  was  a 
family  by  the  name  of 
Pate,  consisting  of  a 
man,  his  wife,  and  two 
little  girls,  camped  be- 
tween the  creek  and  a 
Men  were 
up  and  down 
the  railroad  track  shout- 
ing to  this  family  to 
climb  the  trees,  for  all 
saw  that  they  could  not 
get  out,  as  the  slough 
was  already  inundated. 
Theo.  Dunman  happen- 
ing to  be  on  a  swift 
racer  dashed  down  be- 
fore the  wall  of  water  crying  to  them  to  climb 
the  trees.  I  could  see  them  running  about  like 
people  on  a  burning  vessel ;  but  for  some  reason 
never  to  be  known  they  made  no  attempt  to 
climb  the  pecans,  but  got  into  their  waggon. 

The  first  wall,  loft.  high,  of  dirty,  smoky- 
looking  water  came  down  like  dust  before  a 
sand-storm,  and  the  water  backed  up  into 
Head's  waggon  yard.  A  woman  came  running 
out  of  a  house  on  the  hillside  pleading  with  the 


slough 
running 


A     RESIDENT 

[Photo. 


THE   COLEMAN    FLOOD    AS    I    SAW    IT. 


305 


men  on  the  bank  to  save  a  one-legged  man  and 
his  paralytic  wife  who  were  in  one  of  the  camp 
houses  already  surrounded  by  water.  A  dozen 
men  rushed  to  their  rescue,  but  a  sudden  swell 
in  the  flood  raised  the  entire  house  and  bore  it 
madly  away  from  them.  A  hundred  yards 
below  two  young  men,  Harry  Hubert  and  Perry 
Rascoe,  seeing  the  house  going  to  pieces  and 
the  old  couple  drowning,  plunged  in  and  tried 
to  get  to  them,  but  they  themselves  had  to  be 
rescued,  and  came  out  with  arms  and  legs  cut 
by  floating  barbed  wires. 

A    boy   straddling    a    covered   waggon    was 


were  crying.  The  parents  begged  the  men  to 
take  their  children  out.  Not  thinking  that  there 
was  any  danger  in  the  world,  and  more  in  order 
to  pacify  the  children  than  anything,  the  men 
stopped,  and  Spath  took  a  little  girl  before 
him  and  boy  behind  him  on  his  horse,  whilst 
Enlestine  took  a  girl  behind  him  and  started 
for  town.  If  the  men  had  lost  no  time  in 
picking  up  the  children  they  would  have  been 
out  before  the  flood  came  down  and  over- 
whelmed them  ;  and  even  if  they  had  left  the 
children  where  they  were  they  would  have  been 
safe,  for  the  house  did  not  wash  away.     Just 


THIS    FHOTOGKAl'lI   SHOWS   THE   COLE.MAN    FLOOD    AT    ITS    HEIGHT,    AND   CONVEYS   A   GOOD    IDEA   OK    THE    DKEARINESS   Ol'    THE   SCENE. 


seen  far  up  the  creek,  coming  floating  down  the 
windings  of  the  current  of  the  "Slough,  halloaing 
at  every  breath.  Just  as  he  came  alongside  the 
town  he  caught  an  overhanging  limb,  and  the 
next  moment  the  waggon  went  to  pieces. 

Crawford  Jackson  and  Ode  Spath  had  gone 
down  from  town  to  the  road,  crossing  below  to 
look  at  the  creek.  Whilst  there  they  were 
joined  by  John  Enlestine,  bar-tender  at  the 
saloon.  Heck  Rogers,  owner  of  the  saloon, 
had  come  down  and  let  Enlestine  have  his 
horse  to  ride  to  town  to  breakfast.  As  the  men 
started  off  to  town  they  were  attracted  to  the 
Schoolcraft  family  occupying  a  two-story  house 
on  a  rather  high  bank  of  the  creek.  The  whole 
family    were   greatly  excited    and    the    children 

Vol.  vi.-33. 


as  the  two  men  were  entering  the  slough  the 
first  wall  of  water  came  down  and  engulfed 
them.  The  horses  struggled  for  a  minute  and 
then  became  tangled  in  the  wires  of  torn-up 
fences.  Suddenly  the  horses  and  their  burdens 
all  disappeared  together,  and  the  water  rolled 
on. 

Crawford  Jackson  took  charge  of  Miss  Ethel 
Brown,  sixteen  years  old,  step-daughter  of 
Schoolcraft,  and  the  two  started  to  town. 
Jackson  was  cool,  and  exercised  the  most 
judgment  of  any  that  were  caught  in  the  water. 
When  the  wave  struck  them  they  were  between 
the  two  currents.  He  seized  the  young  lady 
and  swam  with  her  to  the  nearest  mesquite, 
and    after    lifting    her  up  on    to    the   limbs  he 


iOb 


THE    WIDE   WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


felt  doubtful  that  it  would  hold  up  the  weight  ot 
both  against  the  current;  so  he  left  her  and 
swam  some  two  hundred  yards  to  an  old  barn, 
which  he  climbed  on  to.  From  this  point  he 
saw  Sjuth,  Enlestine,  and  the  children  go  under. 
About  this  time  the  saloon  gave  way,  drifted 
50ft-.  and  then  lodged.  Heck  Rogers,  who 
was  in  it,  became  frightened,  and  made  his 
way  out,  and,  as  he  could  not  swim,  he  was 
washed  against  the  mcsquite  occupied  by  Miss 
Rrown.  He  seized  a  limb  and  climbed  up 
beside  her,  where  they  both  remained  till  the 
water  subsided. 

About  the  third  swell  of  the  flood  the  waggon 
in  which  the  Pate  family  had  sought  refuge 
went  whirling  down  the  stream.     The  occupants 


of  the  tree  he  remained  motionless  for  five 
minutes  as  if  resting.  Then  he  wheeled  sud- 
denly and  broke  out  of  the  swiftness  only  to 
narrowly  dodge  being  borne  down  by  a  racing 
house.  Beautifully  gliding,  he  swam  across  the 
more  quiet  back-waters  until  he  struck  earth, 
and  then  mounted  the  hill,  staggering  with 
exhaustion. 

The  flood  was  now  at  its  height.  All  its 
victims  had  gone  to  the  bottom,  and  nearly  all 
the  people  of  the  town  were  on  the  railroad 
track.  Women  with  blanched  faces  were  hurry- 
ing hither  and  thither,  and  mingled  with  the  din 
of  the  freshet  were  the  cries  of  those  who  had 
dear  ones  caught  by  the  awful  waters.  By -the 
aid  of  glasses  many  people  could  be  seen  in 


THE  FLOOD  SUBSIDING COLEMAN   RESIDENTS  WATCHING   ALL   KINDS   OF    FLOTSAM    AND  JETSAM    RACING    BY. 

From  a  Photo. 


were  thrown  out,  the  mother  and  two  little  girls 
drowning  before  the  eyes  of  men  on  the 
embankment,  who  were  melted  to  tears  at  the 
awful  sight,  but  were  powerless  to  help  them. 
The  man  swam  a  long  way,  but  gradually 
succumbed  to  the  current  and  barbed  wires. 

Amid  all  the  confusion  that  prevailed,  spell- 
bound by  a  sad  fascination,  I  could  not  long 
keep  my  eyes  away  from  a  horse  that  was 
swimming  for  his  life,  evincing  striking  intelli- 
gence in  his  efforts.  Sucked  and  tossed  about 
in  the  middle  of  the  current,  he  got  himself  in 
the  protection  of  a  large  pecan,  and  with  his 
head  where  the  current  was  broken  by  the  body 


trees.  The  harvest  in  the  valley  had  been 
abundant,  and  everywhere  the  on-rushing  flood 
was  decked  with  golden  sheaves.  The  entire 
valley  bottom  was  a  floating  tangled  web  of 
barbed  wires  from  the  destruction  of  fences. 
On  every  hand  horses,  cattle,  and  hogs  were 
swimming  and  struggling,  only  to  be  caught  by 
the  wires  and  drowned.  I  saw  cattle  in  the 
swiftest  of  the  current  unable  to  get  out,  borne 
on  with  only  their  heads  and  often  only  noses 
above  water,  many  drifting  this  way  for  miles 
before  they  struck  ground  and  got  safely  out. 

The  water  subsided  rapidly,  and  as  soon  as 
it  was  low  enoueh  to  wade  search  was  instituted 


THE    COLEMAN    FLOOD    AS    I    SAW    IT. 


307 


for  the  bodies  of  the  drowned.  The  old 
couple  were  first  found  ;  then  Mrs.  Pate  and 
her  two  little  daughters.  Among  the  drifts, 
lodged  on  some  bushes,  was  found  John 
Enlestine  ;  and  15ft.  away  lay  the  body  of  the 
little  girl  whom  he  had   lost  his  life   trying   to 


preceding  the  heavy  rains  had  camped  along 
the  creek  to  be  near  the  water.  He  had  toiled 
through  the  heat  of  the  harvest  season— all  for 
nothing  but  to  come  to  this. 

Thus  Coleman,  with  sad  heart,  gathered  up 
the   victims.     Many   found  much  of  their  pro- 


;    FfiK    THE    DKiiWNED. 


[I'hoio. 


save.  Under  some  tall  pecans  near  a  high  cliffy 
where  was  piled  the  wreck  of  houses,  furniture, 
waggons,  fences,  and  grain,  lay  Ode  Spath,  a 
Christian  gentleman  ;  and  near  him  were  found 
the  two  children  for  whom  he  too  had  sacrificed 
his  life. 

The  last  victim  found  was  Mr.  Pate.  He 
swam  far  before  he  sank,  so  was  washed  into  a 
slough  far  below  the  others.  He  had  a  great 
gash  across  the  temple,  evidently  cut  by  wire  or 
drift.  A  few  weeks  before  I  had  worked  with 
this  man  in  the  harvest  field.  He  had  just 
come  to  this  country,  and  during  the  drought 


perty  that  had  been  carried  away,  but  it  was 
damaged  until  almost  worthless.  One  man 
found  a  bo.x  containing  four  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  returned  to  the  owner.  Benevolent 
people  made  up  money  and  reimbursed  those 
made  destitute  by  the  disaster. 

The  catastrophe  was  so  strange  and  sudden 
that  nobody  had  ever  seen  anything  like  it.  I 
could  hardly  understand  where  so  much  water 
came  from,  as  it  was  only  fifteen  miles  to  the 
head  of  the  creek.  But  it  did  come  and  go, 
and  that  with  an  aspect  so  unreal  that  it  all 
seems  even  now  like  a  troubled  dream. 


Odds  and  Ends. 

An  Ostrich  as  Watchman— Quick  Growth  in   Victoria— A  Weird  Sight  in  Tuscany— Big  Game  Fish  in 
Red  Lake     The  Forty-Horse  Harvester— Fishing  with  Cormorants — A  Village  Fete  in  Alsatia. 


P 


•^   - 


1 


HE  above  is  a  kind  of  machine  that 
is  used  on  the  Western  prairies  of 
the  United  States 
in  the  harvesting 
of  wheat.     Forty 


Lake, 
1899. 


Jeffer 
Few 


horses  are  drawing  it,  as  one 
may  see  by  counting  them. 
The  machine  harvests  the 
grain,  thrashes  it,  and  puts  it 
up  in  bags  ready  for  market. 
All  of  these  things  it  does  as 
it  is  drawn  along  through  the 
fields. 

If  there  is  one  thing  that 
the  average  American  fisher- 
ikes  to  do  more  than 
anoltier  it  is  to  capture  a 
great  big  muscallonge  when 
he  goes  out  for  a  day's  sport. 
The  muscallonge  of  American 
waters  is  a  very  lively,  delicious 
fish,  and  to  get  one  at  the 
end  of  a  trolling  line  is  signifi- 
es.       '         '    re  is  fun  ahead. 

T;  _    —   onge    shown    in 

the  accompanying  picture  is 
an  extra  large  one.  It  weighed 
42j^lb.  In  length  it  was 
49in.  ;  girth,  23i^in.  It  was 
gaught  by  Bill  Sharp,  in  Red 


2. — A    SAI 


-FIF.D   AN'.LFR    Will!    A 

From  a  Photo. 


42^1.1;.  iiii/i 


I  i,,\m;ii  \,PIioto. 

son  County,  New  York,  October  31, 
fishermen  who  catch  muscallonge 
capture  such  big  fellows,  but 
they  may  well  be  satisfied  with 
smaller  ones,  for  any  kind 
of  a  muscallonge  carries  glory 
with  it. 

To  Jacksonville,  Florida, 
United  States  of  America,  be- 
longs the  distinction  of  having 
the  most  novel  watchman  in 
the  world,  in  the  person  of 
Napoleon,  a  ferocious  male 
ostrich,  I  oft.  high  and  weigh- 
ing over  40olb.  Napoleon  did 
not  receive  his  position 
through  political  influence  or 
because  of  long  service.  In 
one  night,  by  an  exhibition  of 
his  prowess,  he  won  his 
laurels  and  was  justly  elected 
to  the  post  of  watchman. 

When  the  farm  was  estab- 
lished the  owners  added  as 
an  especial  attraction  speci- 
mens of  many  rare  birds  and 
animals  capable  of  easy 
domestication.  Among  the 
former  was  a  flock  of  over  two 
hundred    golden    and    other 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


309 


varieties  of  pheasants. 
Knowing  the  "  darky's " 
natural  characteristic 
weakness  for  chicken,  the 
owners  feared  for  their 
latest  purchases.  The 
pheasants  they  knew  would 
be  tempting,  because  all 
birds  look  like  chickens 
to  coons,  and  these  re- 
sembled nice  fat  yellow- 
legged  roosters,  and  so 
would  become  doubly 
tempting.  Nor  were  the 
fears  of  the  owners 
groundless.  The  "cullud '' 
population  rapidly  passed 
through  the  stages  of 
hearing,  investigating,  and 
finally  seeing.  At  this 
stage  of  the  game  the 
owners  of  the  ostrich  herd 
took  steps  to  prevent  the 
loss  of  their  property,  and 
Napoleon  was  called  into 
requisition.  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  amonu; 
ostriches,  as  among  all 
herds  of  animals,  there 
is  one  male  always 
He  patrols  the  camp 
giving     at     intervals     his 


!■  nun  a\ 


THE   OSTRICH        WATCHMAN        IS    KOKCED    INTO    HIS    PEN. 


{Photo. 


"All's   well." 
entire    night. 


chosen  as  sentry, 
every  little  while, 
cry  or  noise  for 
This  is  done  throughout  the 
Moreover,  if  anything  should 
alarm  this  sentry,  his  knowledge  of  it  is  com- 
municated to  his  companions  in  a  series  of  yells 
as  he  advances  to  the  attack.  His  uproar 
arouses  his  fellows  in  the  herd,  and  they  follow 
to  his  support. 

Acting  on  this  knowledge,  it  was  determined 
to  leave  the  farm  in  the  charge  of  an  ostrich,  and 
Napoleon  was  the  bird  chosen  for  the  position. 
Napoleon,  as  already  stated,  stands  nearly  loft. 
high,  and  weighs  over  4001b.  During  the  daytime 
he  is  violent  enough  for  ordinary  purposes,  but 
at  night  he  seems  to  take  on  the  character  of  a 
demon.  He  is  friend  with  no  man  ;  even  his 
keeper,  George  Campbell,  who  has  occupied  the 
position  for  years,  and  who  uses  a  large  fork  to 
protect  himself  whenever  occasion  necessitates 
his  entering  Napoleon's  pen.  To  see  his  keeper 
force  him  slowly  back  into  his  pen  every  morning 
is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  farm. 

The  proof  that  the  manner  and  choice  of 
guard  and  guardsman  was  correctly  made  was 
given  one  night  not  long  ago.  Shortly  before 
midnight  the  attendants  were  awakened  by  the 
most  terrific  series  of  noises  that  have  emanated 
for  years  around  tliis  vicinity.     Mingled   with 


the  roars  of  Napoleon  were  the  agonizing  shrieks 
of  a  human  being.  Rushing  to  the  pens  they 
saw  the  cause.  There  careering  wildly  was  a 
negro,  and  at  his  heels  followed  Napoleon. 
The  ostrich  would  strike  and  roar,  the  negro 
would  make  zig-zag  turns  and  yell.  In  the 
bright  moonlight  the  negro's  face  was  blanched 
with  the  fear  of  death,  and  hds  cries  for  help 
when  he  saw  his  enemy  advancing  would  have 
turned  the  stoniest-hearted  cut-throat  to  mercy. 
Not  so  the  bird,  who,  seeing  his  prey  about  to 
escape,  redoubled  his  efforts  to  strike  him. 
Finally,  reaching  the  fence,  he  made  an  attempt 
to  get  over,  but  the  bird  with  a  strenuous  effort 
struck  him.  Had  it  caught  the  negro  squarely 
it  would  have  killed  him.  Fortunately  for  his 
life,  it  was  a  glancing  blow,  but  it  struck  upon 
the  thigh,  ripping  it  open  and  exposing  the 
bone.  It  was  feared  he  would  bleed  to  death, 
but  medical  attendance  prevented  this.  Notwith- 
standing the  lesson  taught,  Napoleon  still  nightly 
makes  his  rounds,  and  his  roar  for  "All's  well" 
has  acquired  a  double  meaning  among  the 
dusky  folk  of  the  neighbourhood. 

In  the  Tuscan  towns  there  exists  a  confra- 
ternity called  the  Misericordia.  Visitors  to 
Florence,  or  Lucca,  or  Pisa  will  never  forget 
the  black,  masked  figures  stealing  through  the 
streets,  carrying  in  the  daytime  sick  or  wounded 
persons  to  the  hospital,  and  at  night,  armed  with 


no 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


1^ 


torches,  bearinE;  the  dead  to  their  last  home. 
The  accompanying  photo,  shows  a  sick  man 
being  taken  from  his  home  to  the  hospital.  The 
idea  of  the  black  dress  and  cloak,  the  mask 
which  covers  face  and  head,  with  two  holes 
only  for  the  eyes,  and  the  big  hat  which  completes 
the  disguise,  is  simply  the 
old  injunction  to  do  good 
by  stealth.  As  head-quarters, 
the  confraternity  have  a  large 
house  in  the  principal  street 
of  each  town,  where  the  carts 
for  carrying  the  sick  and  the 
dresses  of  the  members  are 
kept.  There  is  always  some- 
one on  duty  there,  and 
directly  the  news  comes  of 
an  accident  or  of  anyone 
requiring  assistance,  the  big 
bell  of  the  Misericordia  is 
heard  far  and  wide.  About 
a  dozen  men  or  so  rush 
helter-skelter  into  the  house 
almost  before  the  bell  has 
finished  ringing,  and  in  a 
couple  of  minutes  they  have 
donned   t  sses,  drag- 

ged a  cart  out  ol  the  stables, 
and  started  on  their  errand 
of  mercy.  The  funeral  of  a 
member  of  the  Misericordia 
is  a  very  impressive  sight. 
It  takes  place  at  night,  and 
you  may  see  hundreds  and 
hundreds    of    weird     black        ^^^^r  " '  "'" 


beings,  each  carrying  a 
huge  torch,  following  the 
gigantic  funeral  car,  draped 
with  black  velvet  and  gold 
trappings. 

A  Victoria  (B.C.)  cor- 
respondent writes  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Inclosed  please 
find  photograph  of  one  of 
our  Western  suburban 
streets,  which  was  cleared 
only  a  matter  of  some 
three  or  four  years  before. 
It  may  be  of  interest  per- 
haps as  showing  the  tre- 
mendous rate  at  which 
vegetation  springs  up  in 
this  province,  though  the 
climate  is  as  temperate 
as  that  of  England  her- 
self." 

Here  are  some  bright 
and  interesting  snap- 
shots from  China.  The 
some  Chinese  boatmen 
to  a  house-boat  on  the  North 
River,  after  pulling  the  boat  up-stream  for 
about  two  hours.  They  each  have  a  rope, 
which  is  fastened  to  a  main  rope,  which  in 
its   turn   is   fastened   to  the  extreme  top  of  the 


first    photo,     shows 


returnmg 


bAN    STREET    IN    VICTORIA,  B.C.       IT  WAS   CI.EAKL  L)  UF    VEGETATION 

ONLV   THREE   OR    KOUR   YEARS   AGO.  [PhotO^ 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


311 


burst,  so  I  give  vent  to  my  voice  and 
am  once  more  saved." 

Fishing  by  the  aid  of  cormorants 
is  much  carried  on  in  China.  The 
accompanying  photos,  were  taken  on 
the  North  River,  in  the  Kwang-tung 
province.  The  birds,  which  are  most 
ungainly  and  ugly,  are  taken  out  into 
the  stream  on  a  raft  made  of  four 
bamboos  lashed  together.  Before 
starting  a  piece  of  string  or  brass  is 
fixed  round  the  neck  of  each  bird,  so 
that  it  cannot  swallow  the  fish  after 
diving  and  catching  it :  the  bird 
therefore  returns  to  the  raft  and  the 
fish  is  seized  by  the  fisherman,  who 
puts  it  into  the  basket  seen  in  the 
picture.     At  the  end  of  the  day  the 


L.  —  LllI.Mi.Si;    IJDAT    llALLi-.ICb    lU.lUKM.'.G    To    TIILllC 
HOUSE-BOAT   ON    THE   NORTH   RIVER. 

From  a  Photo. 

mast!  The  passengers  were  always 
very  glad  to  see  them  going  on  shore 
to  tow,  as  otherwise  they  would  have 
been  poling  the  boat  along,  and  when 
doing  this  they  utter  the  most  fearful 
shrieks.  A  boatman  once  furnished 
the  reason  for  this  as  follows  :  "If  I 
retain    my    breath    my    chest    would 


7. — FISHING   WITH   THE   AID   OF    CORMORANTS — MUZZLING   THE    BIRDS    SO    THAT 
From  d\  THEY   CANNOT   SWALLOW    THE   FISH.  [Phoio. 


B. — THE  FEATHEKEU  MSilEKMEN  JUST  ACOUT 

Frojii  a]  TO   DIVE.  [Photo. 


string  or  other  impediment  is 
removed,  and  the  birds  are  fed. 
The  price  of  a  good  fishing  cor- 
morant varies  from  three  to  six 
dollars,  according  to  its  temper. 
Some  of  them,  by  the  way,  are  sulky 
and  frequently  will  not  work. 

Here  we  see  a  village  festivity  in 
the  country  some  miles  out  of 
Strasburg.  In  this  district  the  old 
customs  are  kept  up  to  a  greater 
extent  than  one  might  expect. 
There  are  many  curious  old  usages 
in  connection  with  baptisms,  mar- 
riages, and  funerals,  and  the  typical 
Alsatian  costume  has  by  no  means 
died  out.      On  this  particular  festive 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


...  aj 


9. — A    VILLAGE    FETE    IN    ALSAT[A. 


occasion  the  young  people  put  on  their 
best,  and  went  in  procession  to  visit  the  chief 
people  of  the  village.  The  band  went  first, 
and  when  they  reached  the  farm  they 
played  a  serenade  to  the  owners.  Then, 
according  to  etiquette,  a  waltz  was  started, 
in  which  everyone  joined,  and  after  that 
the  farmer  and  his  wife  ordered  jugs  of 
country  wine,  and  refreshments  were  offered  to 
the  guests.  Then  they  went  back  to  their 
village  square,  and  dancing  began  around  a 
tree  in  front  of  the  inn.  There  are  always 
plent)'  of  "  wall-flowers,"  and  often  the  j)rettiest 
girls  are  left  to 
stand  out  if  they 
a're  not  rich. 
Under  the  tree 
stands  a  table, 
where  the  land- 
lord deals  out  re- 
freshment to  the 
thirsty.  At  dusk 
the  dancers  ad- 
journed to  the  big 
-'-room  of  the 

,  where  they 
kept  up  the  ball 
until  late. 

A  great  branch 
of  industry  is  the 
fisheries  of  Upper 

1  Lower  Bur- 
A  Burman, 
one  might  almost 
say,  lives  entirely 
on  fi  sh.  Our 
photograph  shows 


a  fishing  net  of  peculiar  construc- 
tion hanging  over  the  waters  of 
the  Irawaddy.  These  nets  are 
used  for  catching  small  fish,  which 
are  pounded  up  with  salt  and 
converted  into  a  vile  -  smelling 
decoction  called  "  ngapee,"  which 
is  greatly  relished  by  every  Burman 
and  eaten  at  every  meal.  The  net 
is  lowered  into  the  water  to  a 
certain  depth,  where  it  is  allowed 
to  remain.  Swarms  of  small  fish 
are  soon  floating  about  within 
its  meshes,  attracted  by  a  bait 
which  is  freely  scattered  about 
or  hung  below  the  water  wrap- 
ped in  muslin  bags.  After  a 
certain  time  has  elapsed  the 
net  is  drawn  up  again  by  a 
Burman  who  works  a  weighted 
lever  from  the  shore.  These  nets 
seen  working  during  the  fishing 
season  along  both  banks  of  the  Irawaddy. 
When  the  hilsa — perhaps  the  most  delicious 
of  fish  and  also  the  most  bony — comes  into 
season  the  Burmese  fish  for  them  on  these 
rafts,  and  also  out  of  boats,  from  which  they 
are  caught  in  hundreds.  A  boat  has  been  seen 
in  the  creeks  near  Bassein  filled  up  to  the 
gunwale  in  three  or  four  hours,  much  as  are 
the  mackerel  and  herring  boats  off  the  west 
coast  of  Ireland.  We  believe  that  no  crime 
attaches  to  the  taking  of  the  life  of  a  fish  as  it 
does  to  that  of  animals  in  the  Buddhist  code. 


may 


[/Vioto. 

be 


ICKAULli    l;UK.Mt.il.    i  i.^lil.Mj    ;il  1  AK.VI  L.-.    iS     illt.    1 KAW  .KDU  V. 


t/'/it'.V. 


"SEIZIXf;    TORCIIK.S    FROM    THOSK    OX    THE    FLOOR,    WK   ADVANCED    IN    AS    GOOD    AN 

IMITATION  OF  THE   KHUKIS  AS  WE  COULD.     THE   FLOOR  WAS   STREWN  WITH    HU>L\N 

BONi:S,    WHILE   ORINNINC    SKULLS   WERE    r'H.ED    UP   ALONO   THE   SIDES." 


(SF.E    I'ACE    320.) 


The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


Vol.  VI. 


FEBRUARY,   1901. 


No.  34. 


On    the    Heels   of   an   Army. 

SOME    ADVENTURES    IN    SEARCH    OF    ADVENTURE. 

Bv  \V.  Wood,  Deputy-Assistant  Commissary  (Late  Indian  Unattached  List). 

This  official,  whose  portrait  we  reproduce,  wanted  to  accompany  the  Munipore  punitive  expedition,  and 
set  off  more  or  less  on  his  own  account,  taking  with  him  as  guide  a  Khuki  hillman  and  his  wife, 
Mah  Shive,  who  played  a  very  important  part  indeed  in  subsequent  events.  Mah  Shive  and  the 
author  got  separated  from  the  caravan  and  fell  among  the  hostile  Khukis,  who  were  holding  a  strange 
orgie.       Mr.  Wood   and  his   faithful  companion    escaped    only   by  ingenious  daring. 


OWARDS  the  end  of  March,  1891, 
I  was  in  Madras.  A  very  hot 
summer  was  approaching  ;  already 
the  heat  was  intense,  and  getting 
worse  every  day.  I  was  in  Govern- 
ment em[)loy,  and  there  seemed  no  means 
j)0ssible  of  getting  away 
from  the  awful  grill.  Ones 
thoughts  naturally  turned 
to  the  cool  hill  resorts  with- 
in a  night's  journey  by  rail 
from  Madras  ;  but  for  me 
there  seemed  no  chance  of 
getting  away,  and  I  was 
making  up  my  mind  to  grin 
and  bear  it,  as  I  had  had 
to  do  for  already  over 
twenty  hot  seasons  in  India 
and  Burma,  when  one 
morning  Madras  was 
startled  by  the  news  of  the 
terrible  massacre  at  Muni- 
pore,  the  details  of  which 
the  world  now  knows  well. 
Mrs.  Crim wood's  marvel- 
lous escape,  (Grant's  heroic 
exploit,  the  trial  of  the 
]\Iunipore  Rajah,  etc.,  are 
all  matters  of  history ;  but 
of  the  avenging  force,  their 
operations  and  experiences, 
little  has  been  written — 1 
suppose  because  the  whole 
affair  began  and  ended  .so  rapidly  that  it  was 
all  over  before  the  general  public  knew  what 
was  going  on. 

My  first  thought  on  reading  the  startling  news 
Avas  that  it  opened  up  a  chance  of  my  getting 
away  from  Madras  to  the  cooler  atmosphere  of 
the  Munipore  hills,  and  so  I  lost  no  time  in 
sending  off  a  letter  to  head-quarters  volunteering 
my  services  in  connection  with  any  punitive 
force  which  might  be  dispatched  to  the  scene  of 

the  tragedy.     My  services  were  accepted,  and  I 
Vol.  vi.— 34. 


llll!    AUTHOR,     MR.     W.    WOOD, 
/■'rout  a]  COMMISSARY 


was  ordered  to  proceed  forthwith  to  Myingyan, 
in  Upper  Burma,  to  join  an  expedition  then 
forming  at  that  place  under  General  Graham. 

Embarking  on  the  first  direct  steamer  for 
Rangoon,  I  reached  there  in  four  days,  pushed 
on  at  once  by  rail  to  Mandalay,  and  thence  by 

river  steamer  down  the 
Irawaddy  to  Myingyan. 
Altogether  a  week  had  not 
elapsed  from  the  time  ot 
my  leaving  Madras  until 
the  date  of  my  arrival  in 
Myingyan,  so  that  you  can 
imagine  my  annoyance  at 
fmding  on  my  arrival  that 
General  Graham's  force  had 
marched,  or  rather  steamed, 
away  the  previous  day,  and 
that  every  available  steamer 
in  Burma  capable  of  navi- 
gating the  shallow  water  of 
the  River  Chindwin  had 
been  pressed  into  his 
service.  No  other  boat 
could  be  made  available  for 
at  least  seven  days,  and  I 
was  therefore  condemned 
to  eat  my  heart  out  in  sus- 
pense. Howe\er,  to  make 
the  best  of  my  time,  I 
looked  up  all  the  natives 
who  had  ever  been  in  or 
near  the  territory  I  was  so 
anxious  to  reach.  I  had  a  good  colloquial  know- 
ledge of  Hindustani,  Tamil,  and  Burmese,  also 
a  smattering  of  several  other  dialects,  and  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  know  a  little  of  the  Panthay 
language,  a  sort  of  bastard  Chinese.  I  found  a 
few  of  this  race  who  had  travelled  several  times 
over  the  Munipore  border,  and  between  their 
opium-drugged  stupors  they  regaled  me  with 
accounts  of  the  different  tribes  I  should  probably 
meet  there,  but  in  particular  of  the  Khuki  tribe, 
the  most  .savage  and  cruel  race  of  all  the  frontier. 


I. ATE     UF.l'UTV-ASSISTANT 
IN    INDIA.  [Photo. 


iib 


THE    WIDE    WORED    MAGAZINE. 


At  last  a  steamer  was  found  to  go  up  tlie 
river  with  reserve  supplies.  \N'e  started,  and 
slow  work  it  was.  Since  the  departure  of 
Cieneral  Ciraham  the  river  had  fallen  consider- 
ably, and  the  channel  was  becoming  more  and 
more  shallow  every  day,  consequently  the 
steamer,  a  large,  heavy,  flat-bottomed  affair, 
was  continually  grounding,  causing  whole  days 
of  delay.  In  about  twice  the  time  we  should 
have  covered  the  distance  we  reached  Kendat, 
a  jx)int  beyond  which  the  water  was  too  shallow 
to  allow  of  the  steamer's  further  passage.  The 
cargo  was  then  transferred  to  open  boats. 
These  were  merely  canoes  or  dug-outs,  one  of 
which  I  secured  and  continued  my  journey  up 
the  Chindwin  till  we  reached  the  Vua  River, 
a  mountain  torrent  flowing  down  from  the 
Munipore  hills  ;  up  this  stream  we  literally 
had  to  push  our  way  to  Tammu,  the  base  of 

operations  at  the  foot  of  the  hills. 

In  this  dug-out  I  spent  five  days  and  night.s, 

the   three   boatmen  having   to 

work   like   slaves   to   pole   the 

lK)at  against  the  rapid  stream, 

and  drag   it   by  ropes    over   a 

number   of     rapids. 

The  scenery  was  of 

indescribable     gran- 
deur, but  the  nights 

were   made  hideous 

with  the  human-like 

shrieking    of     mon- 

kevs,  the  howlinsr  of 

jackals  and   hyenas, 

and     the    appalling 

buzz    of    never- 

ceasing     swarms    of 

mosquitoes. 

The    country    we 

were  going   through 

i«    noton'ous    for   its 
■_ver,  small- 

fx;x,  and  other  deadly 

diseases.  Several 

times  we  passed 

ruins  over  which 

vegetation      was 

rapidly  growing. 

They  had    been 

populous  vil- 
lages once,    but 

had  either  been 

decimated    by 

sickness  or  pil- 
laged and  des- 
troyed    by    the 

hill  tribes  higher 

up.      H  u  m  a  n 

bones  became  a 


.Jm, 


•THAT   EVF.RLASTINT,   C.RIND   LPHILI.   TOOK    IT 
OF    ME   MORE   THA.N  I    HAD   BARGAINED   FOR. 


fomiliar  sight,  showing  that  bodies  had  re- 
ceived but  very  indifferent  burial  or  had  never 
been  buried  at  all,  in  either  case  forming  ready 
provender  for  the  wild  beasts  with  which  the 
surrounding  jungle  abounded.  I  continually 
took  quinine,  but  for  all  that  I  spent  one  day 
in  the  boat  almost  delirious  with  fever,  after 
\Vhich  I  doubled  my  doses  and  did  not  get  a 
return  of  it. 

On  the  sixth  morning  the  boatmen,  point- 
ing to  a  muddy  spot  on  the  bank,  exclaimed, 
"Tammu  :"  "Surely,"  I  thought,  "this  cannot 
be  Tammu  ;  they  must  be  mistaken."  But  as 
they  proceeded  to  moor  the  boat  and  settle 
down  to  their  cooking  I  had  to  believe  them, 
and  proceeded  forthwith  to  investigate  the  place. 
Climbing  up  the  bank,  I  found  a  couple  of 
newly-made  huts  and  a  few  Burmese  watchmen, 
from  whom  I  ascertained  that  this  was  the 
nearest  point  of  the  river  to  Tammu,  which  was 
some  six  or  eight  miles  away  close  up  to  the 

base    of   the 
hills. 

They     found 
me  a    Burmese 
cart  drawn  by  a 
pair    of   enor- 
mous    water- 
buffaloes,    by 
whose     aid      I 
soon  found  my- 
self at  Tammu. 
There  the  Chief 
of  the  Commissariat  in- 
formed me  that  all  his 
transport     had     gone 
forward    with    General 
Graham,   and    nothing  was 
to  be  had  there  to  help  me 
forward.       I    learned    that 
our    troops     had     already 
reached  Munipore  and  had 
inflicted    condign     punish- 
ment   on     those     in    arms 
against    us.      Also    that 
Munipore  had   been   taken 
and  that   the  Rajah  was  a 
prisoner.    Nevertheless,  I  decided 
to  push  on  if  possible.     The  civil 
officer  was   good  enough  to  help 
me   in   obtaining  coolies  to  carry 
my    kit,    and     being    furnished     with    a 
.Sepoy  escort   I    proceeded  again  on  yet 
another  phase   of   my  journey,  and  was 
soon   over   the  border  making   the   best 
of  my   way    up    the    narrow,    precipitous 
track    into  the    heart   of    the    mountains 
forming      the    barrier    between      Burma 
and  Assam. 


ON    THE     HEELS    OF    AN    ARMY. 


M 


I  had  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  sort  of 
riding  animal  for  love  or  money,  and  conse- 
quently had  to  foot  it  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
so  that  everlasting  grind  uphill  took  it  out  of  me 
more  than  I  had  bargained  for ;  yet  the  desire 
to  be  at  the  front  spurred  me  on  to  get  over  as 
much  ground  as  possible  daily,  and  as  we  got 
higher  and  higher  the  increasing  coolness  of 
the  atmosphere  was  a  great  relief — though  the 
absence  of  water  between  the  stages  made  it 
very  trying.  My  water-bottle  was  always  ex- 
hausted long  before  we  reached  a  fresh  supply. 

Among  the  coolies  furnished  me  was  a  well- 
formed,  athletic-looking  young  fellow,  whom  I 
found  to  be  a  Khuki  hillman,  and  accompany- 
ing him  was  an  exceedingly  well-favoured  young 
woman  of  mixed  Indian  and  Burmese  blood. 
I  entered  into  conversation  with  these,  ascer- 
taining that  the  man  went  by  the  name  of 
Koham  and  the  woman  Mah  Shive.  I  also 
elicited  from  them  some  of  their  history. 
Koham,  in  one  of  the  raids  made  by  his  tribe 
on  the  villages  of  the  lowlands,  had  secured  this 
girl  and  carried  her  off  with  him  to  his  native 
hills.  She  became  passionately  fond  of  him 
and  he  of  her ;  but  as  a  chief  of  his  tribe 
wanted  to  take  the  girl  for  himself,  Koham 
determined  to  desert  his  own  people  and  live  a 
peaceful  life  on  the  plains — which,  however,  to 
a  stranger,  are  exceedingly  unhealthy.  The 
never-absent  fevers  are  bad  enough,  but  a  very 
malignant  type  of  cholera,  always  prevalent,  is 
still  worse.  Any  native  stricken  down  with  both 
diseases  together  is  said  to  have  the  devil,  and 
invariably  dies,  which,  considering  the  absence 
of  any  kind  of  medical  treatment,  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at.  Koham  had  not  been  long  on 
the  plains  before  the  fever  got  hold  of  him. 
The  money  offered  him  for  his  porterage  to 
Munipore,  and  the  prospect  of  the  change  of 
climate,  had  induced  him  to  venture  once  more 
into  his  native  hills,  for  he  considered  that, 
under  British  escort,  both  he  and  his  wife  would 
be  free  from  molestation  by  his  own  people. 

On  the  third  day  I  noticed  Mah  Shive  carrying 
her  husband's  load  ;  she  said  Koham  was  not 
well,  and  was  rather  down  in  the  mouth  about 
it.  We  halted  shortly  after,  when,  having  dined, 
I  set  about  looking  up  a  small  stock  of  drugs  I 
had  brought  with  me,  among  which  was  a  certain 
patent  medicine  said  to  be  a  sure  specific  for 
cholera.  While  thus  occupied  Mah  Shive  came 
to  me  in  great  grief,  tearing  her  hair  and 
exclaiming  that  Koham  had  the  devil.  I  tried 
to  calm  her  by  offering  to  do  the  best  I  could 
to  cure  him.  Knowing  the  superstition  of  the 
Asiatic  mind,  and  the  effect  of  mind  over  the 
body  in  sickness,  I  determined  to  accompany 
my   treatment  with   a   little  mystery   and  form, 


and  promised  Mah  Shive  that  if  she  did  exactly 
as  I  directed  her,  her  husband  might  possibly 
recover. 

Taking  my  drugs  with  me,  I  hastened  off  to 
where  Koham  was  lying,  and  sure  enough  found 
him  in  a  burning  fever,  and  undoubtedly  in  the 
firm  grip  of  cholera.  With  a  little  pretended 
incantation  I  administered  a  dose  of  the  ciire, 
and  instructed  Mah  Shive  to  fill  three  vessels 
with  water,  place  them  within  reach  of  the 
patient,  and  light  a  fire  near  his  feet,  which  on 
no  account  was  to  be  allowed  to  go  out,  or  the 
charm  would  be  broken.  I  diluted  some  acid, 
and  with  sundry  turns  and  passes  poured  some 
into  each  of  the  water-vessels.  I  had  had 
cholera  myself  some  years  before,  and  had  a 
vivid  recollection  of  the  burning  thirst  which 
consumed  one  as  Nature  drew  on  the  system  for 
moisture  to  expel  the  cholera  poison,  and  I 
attributed  my  recovery  to  having  been  allowed 
to  drink  acidulated  water  ad  lihiliiiii. 

Putting  three  additional  doses  of  the  cure 
into  separate  phials,  I  told  Mah  Shive  to 
administer  one  after  the  emptying  of  each  water- 
vessel,  and  leaving  her  some  stimulating  oil 
(after  showing  her  how  to  rub  his  limbs  with  it 
during  the  cramp),  I  retired  to  rest,  intending  to 
visit  them  again  during  the  night.  When  I  did 
awake,  however,  it  was  broad  daylight.  Outside 
the  rough  hut  in  which  I  had  rested  was  the 
escort  ready  to  march  and  my  servant  with  my 
breakfast ;  but  to  my  great  astonishment,  just 
outside  the  door  sat  Mah  Shive  and  Koham. 
I  sprang  up  and  went  outside,  when  Mah  Shive 
threw  herself  at  my  feet  with  the  wildest  expres- 
sions of  gratitude.  Koham's  recovery  had  been 
simply  marvellous.  He  was,  of  course,  too 
weak  to  walk,  but  with  his  wife's  assistance  had 
crawled  round  to  thank  me  and  inform  me  of 
the  arrangements  they  proposed  for  the  convey- 
ance of  my  kit  onwards. 

Koham  knew  some  friendly  villagers  near  by, 
two  of  whom  Mah  Shive  had  brought ;  they 
said  they  would  give  him  shelter  until  he  re- 
covered his  strength,  while  Mah  Shive  was  to 
proceed  with  me  in  his  stead.  She  would  be 
back  again  in  a  week  if  all  went  well,  and  they 
could  then  return  to  Tammu  together  under  the 
protection  of  some  of  the  returning  convoys  of 
sick  and  wounded.  I  could  understand  how 
hard  it  must  have  been  for  the  poor  creatures 
to  suggest  the  plan,  which,  under  the  circum- 
stances, I  had  no  alternative  but  to  accept. 

So  Koham  was  carried  away,  and  we  were 
soon  plodding  on  again  up  the  everlasting  hills, 
much  later  than  we  should  have  been.  The 
road  was  very  steep ;  we  had  been  some  hours 
on  the  way  ;  it  was  already  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  we  had  not   covered   more   than   half   the 


u8 


Tin:     WIDE     WORLD     .MAGAZINE. 


I    TOI-D    MAll    smvi-;   TO    AD.MIMSI  KH    ONK    FHIAI, 
EMIMVTNC.    OF    E  \CH    WATER-VESSEL." 


distance  to  the  ne.\t  halting-place.  Mah  Shive 
kept  clo.se  to  me,  carrying  one  of  my  trunks.  I 
could  See  the  burden  was  too  much  for  her, 
and  I  accommodated  my  progress  to  hers, 
resting  frequently  and  giving  her  assistance  in 
lowering  and  raising  her  load.  She  had  from 
the  morning  been  almost  hysterical  in  her 
thanks  to  me  for  her  husband's  cure.  The 
Sepoys  of  the  escort  were  becoming  impatient 
to  get  on  faster,  and  although  at  least  two  of 
them  should  have  remained  behind  us,  and  had 
orders  to  do  so,  somehow  or  other  (probably 
by  Liking  shorter  cuts  than  the  zigzag  i)athway) 
they  had  pas.sed  us  without  being  aware  of  it. 
Presently  we  realized  that  we  were  alone,  and 
much  behind  the  escort  and  the  remainder  of 
the  party. 

AVe  struggled  on  our  best  to  try  and  overtake 
them,  but  in  the  growing  dusk  got  on  to  the 
wrong  track.     My  thirst  was  intense,  and  I  told 


Mah  Shive  that  I  could  not  pos- 
sibly get  any  farther  without  water. 
She  plucked  some  leaves  and  gave 
me  them  to  chew  for  the  sake  of 
the  moisture  they  contained  ;  then 
we  struggled  on  still  farther,  till 
presently  my  companion  suddenly 
halted.  She  had  recognised  where 
we  were.  We  had  unconsciously 
reached  the  approach  to  a  large 
Khuki  village,  where,  as  Mah 
Shive  explained,  she  had  passed 
several  months  with  her  husband. 
She  opined  that,  owing  to  the 
close  proximity  of  British  troops, 
the  village  would  now  be  deserted, 
and  proposed  that  if  this  were 
really  so  we  should  take  refuge 
there  for  the  night. 

It  was  now  quite  dark,  and 
there  were  indications  of  a  heavy 
thunderstorm  approaching. 
Therefore  I  readily  fell  in  with 
her  proposal,  and  we  left  the  track, 
branching  off  into  a  small  side- 
track not  much  bigger  than  a 
rabbit-run,  descending  the  side  of 
■  a  very  steep  hill,  until  presently 
Mah  Shive  desired  me  to  wait 
while  she  reconnoitred.  She  soon 
returned  with  the  information 
that  there  was  not  a  soul  in '  the 
village,  so  we  hastily  entered  and 
set  about  getting  some  food  and 
drink.  While  thus  employed  my 
companion  was  telling  me  of  a 
mysterious  place  near  by,  used 
by  the  Khuki  tribes  for  their 
demon  worship,  the  approaches 
to  which  were  always  concealed  by  movable 
rocks  —  so  cunningly,  indeed,  that  none 
but  the  elders  of  the  tribe  knew  how  to 
open  them.  Their  dead  were  usually  left  in 
this  place,  and  her  husband  had  told  her  that 
at  certain  times  of  great  excitement  orgies  in- 
describable were  carried  out  in  this  subterranean 
cave  or  passage  running  right  through  a  portion 
of  the  hills. 

Before  we  had  finished  our  repast  the 
threatened  storm  burst,  and  we  took  shelter  in 
the  huts  nearest  to  hand.  The  village  consisted 
of  some  two  or  three  hundred  huts,  clinging 
like  fungi  to  the  side  of  the  hill.  The  huts, 
composed  entirely  of  bamboo  and  grass,  were 
all  of  one  style — one  end  of  the  joists  of  the 
floor  resting  on  the  hillside  and  the  other 
fastened  to  long,  upright  posts  planted  in  the 
hill  lower  down.  On  this  platform  the  small 
huts  were  erected.      I    liad  taken   possession   of 


AKIEK    IHE 


ON    THE     HEELS    OF    AN    ARMY 


;t9 


one  of  these  and  Mah  Shive  of  another  close 
by.  The  thunder-storm  was  raging  with  all  the 
violence  which  only  those  can  understand  who 
have  had  experience  of  the  tropics.  The 
electric  discharges  seemed  to  burst  forth  right 
out  of  the  ground,  and  the  rain  was  falling  in  a 
perfect  deluge. 

After  watching  the  storm  for  some  time  I  lay 
down,  fully  dressed,  with  my  helmet  as  a  pillow. 
1  tried  to  overcome  the  stench  from  the  rotting 
litter  with  which  the  floor  was  covered ;  but  it 
was  more  than  I  could  bear.  So  I  set  to  work 
to  clear  a  space  to  lie  down  on,  raking  and  push- 
ing it  away  with  my  hands  and  feet.  Ugh  1 
How  horribly  the  stuff  did  smell.  I  lay  down 
again,  this  time  on  the  rough,  open  bamboo- 
work,  through  which  I  could  see  all  around 
outside  at  each  flash  of  lightning.  The  wind 
whistled  through  the  openings,  making  me  shiver 
with  cold  ;  but  before  long  a  much  worse  feeling 
than  cold  crept  over  me — an  intolerable  irrita- 
tion as  if  I  were  being  stung  in  every  pore  of  my 
skin. 

'I'he  sensation  was  horrible,  and,  almost 
frenzied,  I  rushed  outside  and  stood  in  the 
pouring  rain  to  get  some  of  the  vermin  washed 
away.  While  thus  engaged  I  heard  peculiar 
sounds  rising  from  the  depths  below — a  weird 
sort  of  chanting ;  and  whilst  listening  to  this  I 
became  aware  of  a  muffled  sound  close  by,  as  of 
a  number  of  animals  creeping  through  the  sur- 
rounding bush.  Springing  back  into  the  shelter 
of  the  hut  I  lay  down  and  watched  between  the 
interstices  of  the  floor,  and  soon  made  out 
figures  moving  rapidly  along  down  the  hillside. 
From  what  little  I  could  see  during  the 
flashes  of  lightiiing  there  appeared  great 
numbers  of  them,  filing  along  one  after  the 
other,  shapeless  and  silent. 

I  lay  there  wet  through  and  chilled  to  the 
bone,  yet  my  skin  was  on  fire  from  the  renewed 
attacks  of  the  vermin  again  devouring  me.  The 
inaction  was  intolerable.  At  length  the  proces- 
sion disap[)eared  and  the  rain  ceased.  Scarcely 
knowing  what  I  was  about,  the  mad  impulse 
seized  me  to  follow  them,  and  I  rushed  out  of 
the  hut,  across  the  small  open  space  below,  and 
then  down  a  passage  in  the  rocks  where  the 
])rocession  had  disappeared.  Nothing  was  to 
be  seen.  They  had  moved  rapidly,  and  I 
followed  c]uickly  in  the  direction  of  the  chanting 
sound  still  rising  from  below.  I  continued  my 
descent  until  I  saw  a  glare  of  light  at  a  point 
whence  the  sounds  seemed  to  proceed.  Then, 
creeping  forward,  I  made  out  the  mouth  of  a 
large  cavern  with  a  stream  of  monstrous-looking 
beings  bearing  torches  and  spears  just  issuing 
from  it. 

I    hastily    drew    aside    into    the   bushes   and 


watched  as  well   as  I  could.     A  procession  of 
two    or    three     hundred    evil  -  smelliii;^     beings 
shortly   passed.     They  were  clad  from  head  to 
foot  in  skins,  from  which  only   their  arms   ap- 
peared.    They  soon  passed,  proceeding  up  the 
hillside  in  the  direction  of  the  village.     I  then 
crept  as  near  to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  as  pos- 
sible.    Working  my  way  on  to  a  projecting  rock 
sheltered   by  hushes,   I  lay  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  entrance   and   could   see  inside  for  a  long 
distance.     The  place  seemed  to  be  the  bed  of 
a  torrent  which  at  one  time   must   have  had  a 
passage  right  into  and  through  a  section  of  the 
mountain  range.     I  could  then  hear  the  sound 
of    running    water,    but    it    must    have    found 
another  channel  for  its  course  now,  as  the  bed  of 
the  cavern  was  dry,  except  here  and  there  where 
some  slimy   wet  patch  appeared.     It  was  now 
filled  with  a  crowd  of  the  same  horrible-looking 
creatures  I  had  seen,  carrying  on  some  sort  of 
frenzied    dance  and    working    themselves    into 
such    a    state    that    many    were    falling    to    the 
ground  and  lay  as  if  dead. 

With  my  whole  attention  absorbed  by  the 
spectacle  before  me  I  was  greatly  alarmed  at 
feeling  a  grip  on  my  arm.  It  was  Mah  Shive. 
In  whispers  she  told  me  that  she  also  had  been 
watching  the  procession  through  the  village, 
and  was  intending  to  come  and  warn  me  to 
hide  in  the  jungle  as  soon  as  they  were  suffi- 
ciently clear  of  us,  but  was  alarmed  to  see  me 
leave  my  hut  and  rush  after  them,  to  what  she 
considered  certain  destruction. 

Determined  to  save  me  if  possible,  she  rushed 
out  after  me,  but,  miss-ng  her  footing,  fell  quite 
2oft.,  and  lay  stunned  lor  a  while.  Fortunately, 
the  leaves  and  bushes  had  broken  the  force  of 
her  fall,  saving  her  from  more  serious  injury. 
Regaining  consciousness,  she  had  gathered 
herself  together  and  started  again  in  pursuit  of 
me,  but  soon  had  to  hide  to  avoid  the  torch-lit 
procession  proceeding  back  up  the  hill.  Knowing 
the  place  and  the  people,  she  concluded  that 
the  party  had  been  sent  to  search  for  us  in  the 
village,  information  of  our  sheltering  there- 
having  reached  them  somehow.  The  entrance 
to  the  gorge  below  would  be  closed  and  con- 
cealed, and,  consequently,  if  we  were  to  escape 
at  all  it  could  only  be  by  following  the  Khukis 
disguised  as  one  of  themselves,  as  we  were  now- 
trapped  in  the  heart  of  the  rendezvous  of  the 
Khuki  tribes. 

She  remembered  having  heard  from  her 
husband  that  the  cavern  had  another  outlet  on. 
the  opposite  side  of  the  hill.  She  had  there- 
fore conceived  the  plan  of  disguising  ourselves 
under  their  skin  robes,  and  attaching  ourselves 
to  the  "crowd,  passing  out  with  it  at  which  ever 
outlet   they  followed.      Several    of   these    skins. 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


had  been  flung  aside  by  the  party  going  up  to 
the  village,  as  they  were  an  impediment  to  them 
in  climbing  the  precipitous  track.  She  had 
secured  two  of  these,  and  now  proposed  tlial 
we  should  each  put  one  on,  enter  the  cavern, 
and  join  in  the  revels  of  the  horrid  herd  still 
within  sight. 

I  was  myself  in  a  condition  of  mind  as  excited 
and  maddened  as  the  Khukis  themselves,  and 
prepared  for  anything  rather  than  the  continued 
creeping  and  hiding.  Lying  by  my  side,  Mah 
Shive  with  her  teeth  tore  off  the  sleeves  of  my 
coat  and  shirt,  and  bedaubed  my  arms,  as  well 
as  her  own,  with  mud.  Then  working  ourselves 
each  beneath  a  skin  we  slid  down  and  silently 
entered  the  cave,  which,  by  this  time,  was 
becoming  empty  in  our  immediate  proximity, 
except  for  those  still  lying  on  the  flooi. 

From  the  yells  and  shouts  of  the  fanatics,  as 
Mah  Shive  afterwards  informed  me,  the  present 
gathering  was  an  unusual  one,  for  the  purpose 
of  swearing  themselves  in,  as  it  were,  to  imme- 
diate vengeance  against  the  white  man  and  all 
who  assisted  him.  It  seems  that  there  had 
been  many  of  their  tribe  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Munipores  who  fell  during  the  onslaught  of 
our  troops. 

The  skin  coverings  we  had  thrown  over  our- 
selves completely  enveloped  us  from  head  to 
foot,  and  only  the  arms  were  exposed  through 
slits  at  the  sides.  Holes  near  the  top  served 
for  seeing  and  breathing  through.  Seizing 
torches  from  those  on  the  floor,  we  advanced 
in  as  good  an  imitation  of  the  Khukis  as  we 
could.  The  floor  was  strewn  with  human  bones, 
while  grinning  skulls  w^.e  piled  up  along  the 
sides  and  skeletons  dangled  from  above.  The 
passage  through  seemed  eternal — I  have  no  idea 
how  long  it  was.  That  night  altogether  seemed 
to  me  endless. 

Keeping  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd,  we 
passed  on  with  it  with  sensations  like  those  of 
nightmare.  The  close,  fetid  atmosphere,  the 
difficulty  of  breathing  under  the  evil-smelling 
coverings,  the  smoke  from  the  torches,  and  the 
dust  created  by  the  swirling  crowd  made  it  an 
appalling  experience,  but  it  was  to  become 
worse  yet. 

The  passage  was  now  narrowing  at  every  step, 

soon  became  hemmed  in  as  those  who 

.....    ..ropped    down  exhausted   recovered   and 

pressed  on  from  the  rear.  The  stench  from 
this  mass  of  filthy  savages  was  overpowering.  I 
had  no  idea  which  was  my  guide,  and  I  simply 
had  to  let  myself  go  with  \he  crush.  At  last 
we  approached  the  end  of  the  passage,  indicated 
by  feeling  a  current  of  fresh  air'  blowing  in 
sharply.  Presently  we  had  to  crawl,  as  the 
overhanging  rocks  got  lower  and  lower,  until  at 


last  we  wriggled  out  into  the  open  air.  I  found 
that  my  companion  had  remained  close  by  me 
all  along,  and  as  we  got  a  little  separated  from 
the  crowd  she  led  me  into  a  densely-wooded 
part  of  the  jungle,  where  we  threw  ourselves 
down  and  crawled  away  right  into  the  thick 
undergrowth,  penetrating  as  far  as  we  possibly 
could.  She  urged  me  on  farther  and  still 
farther.  I  frequently  heard  the  hiss  and  rustle 
of  a  disturbed  snake,  but  at  the  risk  of  being 
bitten  or  stung  by  venomous  reptiles  she  still 
urged  me  to  crawl  on.  The  use  of  the  skins 
now  became  apparent,  for  without  them  we 
could  never  have  penetrated  through  the  thorny 
creepers.  The  hard  hide  formed  a  shield  from 
the  thorns  for  the  head  and  shoulders,  though 
the  arms  naturally  suffered  very  much. 

We  continued  like  this  until  we  slipped  into  a 
small  pit  left  by  the  torn-up  roots  of  a  large  tree 
blown  down  at  some  time  by  the  wind.  Here 
Mah  Shive  said  we  had  better  remain  until  day- 
break. ^^'e  were  just  below  the  surface  of  the 
hillside  and  covered  over  by  a  dense  growth  of 
bush  and  creepers,  and  as  well  hidden  as  could 
be. 

Scarcely  had  we  reached  this  spot,  however, 
before  we  heard  the  approach  of  more  Khukis, 
very  excited  and  searching  for  us,  as  Mah  Shive 
at  once  understood  from  their  shouting  to  one 
another.  It  was  the  party  which  had  been  sent 
to  the  village.  Having  found  my  packages 
there,  they  had  traced  my  boot-prints  here  and 
there  in  the  mud  right  back  and  into  the  cavern. 
This  information  was  rapidly  conveyed  to  all, 
and  an  excited  and  eager  search  ensued.  Mah 
Shive  briefly  whispered  to  me  this  information, 
and  warned  me  on  no  account  to  make  any 
noise,  as  our  lives  now  entirely  depended  on 
maintaining  a  death-like  silence. 

The  search  became  closer  and  closer.  We 
could  hear  the  Khukis  crawling  like  snakes 
under  the  brushwood,  thrusting  their  spears 
into  every  corner.  Several  times  their  spears 
penetrated  within  a  few  inches  above  our  bodies, 
but  owing  to  the  depression  in  which  we  lay 
and  the  darkness  they  failed  to  reach  us.  Still 
the  search  continued  all  the  remainder  of  that 
awful  night.  We  lay  there  breathless,  for  we 
well  knevf  the  cruel  torture  and  death  that 
awaited  us  if  they  succeeded  in  capturing  us. 
By  degrees  the  search  in  our  vicinity  ceased  and 
the  sounds  of  the  searchers  got  farther  away, 
yet  we  dare  not  move,  for  it  was  more  than 
probable  that  some  had  remained  to  endeavour 
to  detect  us  by  their  silence.  Still  we  lay,  and 
after  a  while  the  sounds  died  away  altogether. 

Suddenly  there  broke  on  our  ears  the  most 
glorious  music  I  have  ever  heard — the  sound  of 
an  English  bugle,  some  distance  away  over  the 


ON    THE    HEELS    Of    AN    ARMY. 


321 


hills,  sounding  the  advance.  That  sound,  we 
knew,  was  enough  to  cause  the  Khukis,  wherever 
they  were,  to  place  themselves  as  far  from  it  as 
possible  ;  for,  after  all,  the  bloodthirsty  Khuki  is 
a  great  coward,  only  delighting  in  cruelties 
when  there  isn't  much  danger  to  his  own  skin. 

Our  surmises  that  some  were  still  remaining 
on  the  watch  proved  correct,  for  at  the  first 
sound  of  the  bugle  we  could  hear  a  rush  here 


evening  to  find  me,  but  the  storm  had  rendered 
their  efforts  fruitless.  He  was  in  great  distress, 
the  whole  escort  making  sure  of  a  court-martial 
and  severe  punishment  for  their  neglect.  In 
their  fear  they  had  not  even  reported  the  matter, 
and  begged  of  me  not  to  do  so  in  order  to  save 


and  there  as  of  .someone 
who  had  suddenly  re- 
membered an  appointment 
elsewhere. 

The  day  was  just  break- 
ing, and  we  now  con- 
sidered it  safe  to  move.  \\'orking  our  way  out 
of  the  undergrowth  we  soon  found  a  spot  near 
some  running  water,  where  we  washed  off  some 
of  the  mire  with  which  sve  were  begrimed  and 
pushed  on  towards  the  direction  of  the  bugle 
sounds,  which  could  now  be  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance playing  a  quick  march.  Hastening  for- 
ward we  soon  struck  a  track  along  which  the 
troops  would  pass,  and  presently  sighted  a 
battery  of  artillery,  with  mules  carrying  moun- 
tain guns.  A  gunner's  great-coat  formed  a  ready 
cloak  to  my  disreputable  appearance.  I  pro- 
ceeded with  them  to  the  ne.xt  halting-place, 
where  later  on  during  the  day  my  servant 
turned  up  with  the  remainder  of  my  kit,  and  I 
was  enabled  to  have  a  thorough  purification. 

The   havildar  of  my  escort   also  arrived,   and 
explained  that  they  had  returned  the  previous 


SAFE    .\T   LAST  ! — "  WE  SIGHTED   A    BATTERY  OP   ARTILLERY, 
WITH    IMCLES   CARRYING   MOUNTAIN    GUNS." 


them  from  punishment.  This  I  readily  pro- 
mised, and  thus  it  was  that  no  notice  of  the 
Khukis'  rendezvous  was  taken,  and  I  have  never 
heard,  from  that  day  to  this,  of  the  cave  having 
been  discovered. 

Cholera  had  broken  out  among  the  troops, 
and  every  effort  was  made  to  clear  them  all 
away  from  the  pestilential  region  as  quickly 
as  possible.  I  soon  had  work  enough  to  do 
with  the  returning  force,  all  parties  of  which 
suffered  severely  on  their  return  river  passage  to 
Burma. 

Mah  Shive  rejoined  her  husband,  and  they 
came  back  together  to  Tammu,  where,  before  I 
left,  I  had  quite  an  ovation  from  the  natives 
around,  who  looked  on  me  as  a  worker  of 
miracles  owing  to  my  chance  success  in  the 
cure  of  Koham. 


Vol.  vi.— 35. 


Mr.   Pratt   and   Nis    Travels  in    China. 


ri-X    THOUSANl)   MlIl.S  IN   FOUR  YEARS. 

\\\     r.     1).     Kl.NNV 

and    humour    in    some    of 


the    wildest    and    least 
Wide  World"  readers. 


This    amusing    narrative    of   adventure,    hardships 

accessible  regions  of  the  Chinese   Empire  may  be  cordially  recommended   to 
It  offers   a   st'rikingly  vivid  yet   droll   idea   of   the  episodes  of  travel  in  those  parts,  and  the  remarkable 
rhoto£rraphs    taken  by  Mr.  A.   E.  Pratt  himself,  will  also  be  found  of  interest.     The  author  has  been 
honoured  by  the   Royal  Geographical  Society.     The  completion  of  his  paper  appears  next  month. 


jiR.  I'RAl  r  inlroduccd  himself  to  us 
at  Kia-ting-fu,  in  native  dress,  trying 
to  look  as  much  like  a  Chinee  as  was 
possible  to  his  peculiarly  Saxon  per- 
sonality. As  to  the  pigtail,  he  smiled 
and  confessed  :  "  Ves,  I  wore  the  pigtail,  too  — 
attached  to  a  skull-cap,  to  be  i)ut  on  and  off 
at  convenience."'  His  smile  developed  into  a 
laugh  when  he  thought  of  the  astonishment  he 
afforded  the  natives,  with 
his  blue  eyes  and  fair 
complexion  over  the 
Celestial  scheme  of  dra- 
pery. He  always  speaks 
of  blue  eyes  as  a  dis- 
advantage to  the  explorer 
in  China  and  Tibet. 
There  are  Englishmen 
who  will  say  that  they 
would  not  wear  the  pig- 
tail for  anything,  but,  as 
a  rule,  they  are  gentle- 
men who  have  never  left 
home  except  for  a  Conti- 
nental trip  on  cushions. 

Not  to  mention  his 
journeys  in  Northern 
Asia  and  in  North  and 
South  America,  Mr.  A. 
E.  Pratt  has  travelled 
more  than  10,000  miles 
in  China  and  Tibet, 
largely  in  places  hitherto 
nnvisited  by  Europeans. 
The  results  of  his  work, 

geographical  and  scientific,  are  well  known  all 
over  Europe  and  America.  On  his  most 
dangerous  and  remote  journeys  he  has  never 
been  accompanied  by  more  than  one  European, 
and  on  some  of  the  worst  of  them  by  natives 
only.  He  has  done  it  all  unarmed,  and  not 
one  corpse  has  been  left  on  the  track  to  assist  in 
magnifying  his  success.  If  the  pigtail  lias 
assisted  results  like  these,  then,  for  once,  let  us 
applaud  the  pigtail.  Mr.  Pratt's  work  has  at 
present  an  additional  interest  in  the  fact  that, 
on  his  four  journeys  across  China,  he  went  in 
and  came  out  every  time  by  the  Yang-tse, 
through  the  British  "  .sphere  of  influence." 


There  are  character  and  local  colour  in  the 
photograph  of  the  "  Pig  Going  to  Market." 
Observe  the  proud  owner,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  barrow,  balancing  his  treasure,  with  the 
coolie  wheeling  the  couple.  The  one-wheel 
barrow  is  about  the  most  democratic  form  of 
family  carriage  in  China — especially  when  the 
pig  finds  a  seat  in  it.  It  is  a  peaceful  and 
homely    scene,   curiously   like  some  within   the 


J'loiiia]        Tins  IS  Hcnv  the  chinaman   and  his  pig  go  to  market   iogether.  \Fhoio. 

United  Kingdom.  This  fundamental  unity  of 
human  nature  and  human  destiny  always  appeals 
to  Pratt,  and  his  sympathetic  vision  of  it  has 
largely  helped  him  to  get  round  and  round  the 
earth  through  all  sorts  of  tight  places  without 
the  loss  of  a  man  for  the  defence  of  his  life  or 
the  advancement  of  his  purpose. 

Scenes  like  the  above,  however,  are  common 
enough  on  the  Lower  Yang-tse,  and  Europeans 
are  common  enough  to  know  them  well  : 
therefore,  let  us  proceed  to  I-Chang,  where 
unfamiliar  China  really  begins  on  this  route. 
I'or  a  long  time  it  has  been  the  farthest 
treaty  port  on   the  Yang-tse,  about   1,150  miles 


MR.     PRATT    AND     HIS    TRAVELS     IN    CHINA. 


from  Shanghai.  It  is  about  here  that  the 
young  ladies  who  go  out  as  missionaries 
meet  their  first  serious  shocks  from  native 
manners.  On  the  Lower  Yang-tse  they  are  in 
handsome  steamers,  surrounded  by  European 
things ;  but  at  I-Chang  they  pass  into  Httle 
boats,  worked  by  natives,  and  as  these  natives 
go  higher  up  the  river  they  gradually  throw  off 
more  and  more  of  their  clothes  until  a  state  of 
things  is  reached  somewhat  like  Paradise,  but 
with  all  its  disadvantages  and  none  of  its 
beauties.  Stepping  out  of  his  boat  at  I-Chang, 
Pratt  walked  over  a  dead  man,  lying  unnoticed 
under  the  feet  of  the  public.  A  piece  of  next 
morning's  news  was  to  the  effect  that  during  the 
night,  in  one  street  alone,  nine  girls  had  com- 
mitted suicide  to  escape  from  their  future 
mothers-in-law.  When  the  future  wives  are 
.selected  the  men's  mothers  often  take  them 
home  to  be  made  perfect,  and  these  are  nine  of 
the  results. 

From  I-Chang  Pratt  made  extensive  journeys 
in  various  directions.  Probably  the  most 
interesting  were  to  the  forests  of  Chang-Young, 
where  he  went  to  catch  moths.  The  work  had 
to  be  done  at  night,  and  the  place  was  literally 
alive  with  tigers.  On  his  way  through  the  trees 
at  midnight  he  often  heard  dried  twigs  crackling 
near  him  under  the  feet  of  bounding  tigers,  and, 
as  he  could  not  be  sure  which  way  the)' 
bounded,  the  doubt  must  have  been  rather 
exciting.  More  than  once  he  stumbled  over 
tlae  actual  lair  and  touched  it  with  his  hands,  to 
lind  it  still  warm.  Reaching  a  suitable  glade  in 
the  forest,  he  made  a  light  and  "  sugared  the 
trees "  to  attract  the  moths,  while  the  tigers 
nmst  have  been  glaring  at  him  from  among  the 
foliage.  However,  let  us  not  make  the  narra- 
tive more  exciting  than  is  necessary  ;  he  declares 
that  'the  tigers  in  that  district  positively  refu.se  to 
attack  men. 

On  another  of  his  journeys  from  I-Chang  one 
of  his  men,  in  search  of  butterflies,  trampled  on 
a  few  square  feet  of  a  cornfield,  for  which  he 
had  to  pay  compensation  far  beyond  the  real 
value.  After  that,  every  peasant  in  the  [)lace 
found  that  he  had  a  few  s(}uare  feet  trampled. 
Pratt  went  on  paying,  but  the  more  he  paid  the 
more  he  found  he  had  still  to  pay,  and  he  saw 
every  prospect  of  having  to  buy  up  all  the  corn 
in  the  place  while  still  leaving  it  all  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  sellers.  When  he  refused  to  pay 
more  the  natives  looked  on  it  as  depriving  them 
of  a  legitimate  source  of  income,  and  then  the 
local  priest  put  out  a  proclamation  ordering  that 
he  be  tortured  for  four  days,  without  food,  and 
then  murdered.  He  barely  escaped  with  his 
life,  and  read  the  proclamation  on  the  trees  as 
he  passed.      We  must  not  leave  this  neighbour- 


hood without  a  word  about  the  remarkable  cow 
of  I-Chang  that  yielded  water  instead  of  milk. 

'Phe  Englishwoman  setting  up  house  in 
I-Chang  has  a  few  things  to  learn,  including  the 
ways  of  the  milkman.  In  various  places  the 
milkman  has  .his  various  methods  of  transport ; 
but  in  I-Chang  the  cow  herself  is  the  carrier, 
providing  her  own  vessel,  and  reducing  her 
owner's  trouble  to  a  minimum.  The  saving  of 
labour,  however,  is  not  the  reason  for  making  the 
cow  carry  her  own  milk  to  the  buyer's  door. 
At  home  the  Chinese  dairyman's  environment  is 
not  too  clean  ;  his  cans  are  not  "  washed  in 
boiling  water  each  time  they  are  used,"  as  the 
sanitary  committees  of  our  own  excellent  cor- 
porations have  it.  His  cows  are  not  officially 
inspected  for  tuberculosis,  and  their  houses  are 
not  built  to  provide  so  many  cubic  feet  of  space 
per  animal.  Though  these  reasons  may  seem 
strong  enough,  there  is  another  stronger  than 
all  of  them  together  :  there  is  no  law  limiting 
the  percentage  of  water,  and  the  native  milkman 
is— well,  very  much  like  our  own,  but  much 
more  clever.  'Phis  is  wliy  every  European  in 
I-Chang  insists  on  having  the  cow  milked  in 
front  of  his  door.  Even  then  the  certainties 
are  not  always  secured,  as  we  shall  see. 

At  first  Mrs.  Pratt  was  surprised  to  find  the 
milk  so  thin,  but  the  Chinee  convinced  her  that 
it  was  entirely  the  cow's  fault,  and  that  probably 
the  Chinese  cow  was  not  so  well  up  to  her 
business  as  her  British  sister,  assisted  by  Western 
ideas.  'Phis  afforded  a  working  hypothesis  for  a 
time,  not  to  mention  the  compliment  :  but  the 
more  completely  it  was  accepted  the  more  that 
cow  of  I-Chang  fell  below  the  ideal  cow,  adding 
more  and  more  water  to  her  milk  every  day. 
'Phis  went  on  until  it  was  about  "  one  milk  and 
sixteen  water " ;  then  Mrs.  Pratt  insisted  on 
c}uestioning  the  compliment  and  overhauling 
the  hypothesis  ;  but  the  Chinee  reinforced  his 
theory  by  explaining  that  Chinese  cows  had  a 
way  of  varying  the  consistency  of  their  milk. 
Why  not  ?  He  defied  any  cow  on  earth  to 
maintain  uniformity.  'Pheoretically,  his  position 
was  quite  sound,  and  he  challenged  the  com- 
pletest  investigation.  Mrs.  Pratt  went  repeatedly 
to  watch  the  cow  milked  ;  but  the  milk  was  as 
watery  as  before.  '\\'hen  the  lady  grew  tired  of 
investigating  it  was  nearly  all  water. 

W'hile  this  went  on  at  the  Pratt  household 
other  households  supplied  by  the  same  cow 
were  puzzled  by  the  same  problem  and  the 
same  theories  in  explanation  of  it-  The  amaz- 
ing peculiarities  of  that  cow  became  recognised 
by  all — or  else  the  still  more  amazing  peculiari- 
ties of  the  milker.  'Phe  families  investigated 
individually,  still  there  was  the  water  ;  they  in- 
vestigated  collectively,  and   the  water  went  on 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    .\LU'.AZIXE. 


increasing.  They  totalled  up  the  (quantities 
of  "  milk  ■■  derived  by  them  from  their  cow, 
and  found  that  no  three  respectable  cows 
could  yield  such  a  sum  of  real  milk, 
not  to  mention  the  quantities  yielded  by 
her  to  natives  and  other  persons  outside  the 
investigating  circle.  The  possible  dishonesty 
of  the  thing  now  ceased  to  have  any  interest  in 
face  of  the  deeper  interests  of  the  problem  (as 
a  problem)  :  and  many  felt  quite  desirous  that 
the  water  should  keep  up  its  high  level,  lest  the 
problem  should  disappear,  unsolved,  and  leave 
Europe  to  face  another  Chinese  puzzle. 

All  this  went  on  in  Pratt"s  absence,  and  when 
lie  returned  from  Tibet  he  found  himself  con- 
hxmted  by  a  puzzle  which  was  generally  con- 
>idcrtd  far  more  ditificult  than  any  he  had  had 
to  solve  among 
the  Lamas.  He 
sat  down  to  it 
qui  tly  in  front 
of  his  door, 
smoking  his 
pipe.  The  first 
milking  left 
everything  as  be- 
fore :  the  second 
and  third  were 
still  more  closely 
watched,  and 
still  the  milk  was 
nearly  all  water. 
Then  he  noticed 
that  one  of  the 
milker's  arms 
worked  at  times 
a  little  differently 
from  the  other. 
A  clue : 

"  Let  me  look 
into  your  right 
sleeve."'  The 
China  m  a  n 
looked  up  as 
innocently  as 
possible.  "  Let  me  look  into  your  right  sleeve." 
The  Chinaman  objected.  Pratt  persisted,  and 
found  a  long,  thick  bamboo  tube  hidden  up  in 
the  wide  sleeve.  It  was  half  full  of  water,  and 
had  an  ingenious  stopper,  with  a  pliant  conduit 
leading  from  it  to  the  milking  vessel.  The 
Chinaman  had  been  milking  that  tube  instead 
of  the  cow  all  the  tmie. 

The  rest  of  our  illustrations  are  all  from 
Western  China  and  the  borders  of  Tibet.  The 
'•  Bow  Sweep  "  represents  a  characteristic  scene 
in  the  great  gorges  between  I-Chang  and 
Chung-King,  where  the  Yang-tse  rises  and  falls 
as  much  as  6oft.  in  a  night,  choking  and  whirling 


past  cliffs  2,oooft.  high,  with  little  wicks  burning 
along  the  water  to  light  the  souls  of  the  drowned. 
The  denuded-looking  trees  have  been  stripped 
for  fuel,  as  is  common  along  the  Yang-tse.  It  is 
Pratt's  boat  you  see  on  the  way  up.  See  how 
the  water  sweeps  down  against  her  stem.  The 
solitary  man  is  on  the  look-out  for  rocks.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  rope  are  seventy  "  trackers," 
who  work  these  boats  over  the  400  miles  of 
rapids  between  I-Chang  and  Chung-King.  In 
some  places  these  men,  with  the  rope  attached 
to  them,  creep  along  a  ledge  of  2ft.  on  the  face 
of  the  cliff  many  hundreds  of  feet  above  the 
rocks  and  whirlpools.  A  sudden  jerk  of  the 
rope,  and  they  all  might  come  hurling  down. 

'I'he  "  bow  sweep  "  is  really  the  rudder,  set  in 
front    and    worked    by  hand    as    a    lever   on    a 


From  a\ 


l;  J.-.T    1;A1II.[NC    \Vn  H    TH 
ON 


K    KAPIDS    OK    THE    YA^G-TZ^,E.         THERE    AKE    h>EVt.NIV     "TKACKERS 
THE   OTHER    END   OF    THE    ROPE.  [Photo. 

swivel  over  the  bow.  \\'hen  the  boat  is  about 
to  get  engulfed  in  a  whirlpool  six  or  seven  men 
plunge  in  the  great  lever  and  change  the  course 
in  less  than  half  the  time  required  by  the  best 
of  rudders  astern.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is 
nearly  impossible  to  go  up  through  these  gorges 
and  currents  in  small  boats  without  the  "  bow 
sweep,"  which  is  quite  Chinese,  and  far  ahead 
of  all  Western  ideas  for  its  purpose.  As  an 
illustration  of  the  current,  it  takes  twenty-nine 
days  to  go  up  these  400  miles  from  I-Chang  to 
Chung-King,  and  less  than  two  and  a  half  days 
to  come  down. 

Our  next  scene  is  about   500  miles  higher  up 


MR.     PRATT    AND    HIS    TRAVELS    IN    CHINA. 


325 


on  the  Yang-tse,  between  Sin-fu  and  Chung- 
King.  It  is  one  of  countless  villages  just  like 
it  along  the  river  in  those  regions ;  but  it  has 
the  distinction  of  an  uncommonly  enterprising 
thief  for  one  of  its  inhabitants.  One  night, 
when  Pratt  and  his  crew  of  seventeen  were 
asleep  at  anchor  before  the  village,  this  man 
swam    to   their  boat,   carrying  a  bamboo  pole 


Here,  as  elsewhere  in  China,  are  men  who 
are  ready  and  anxious  to  steal  and  swindle  at 
every  opportunity,  yet  who  are  ready  to  commit 
suicide  if  they  cannot  meet  a  gambling  debt  or 
one  contracted  in  the  course  of  commerce. 
Lend  a  few  cents  to  a  Chinese  labourer,  and  he 
may  turn  up  •  to  repay  you  after  five  years, 
though  he  is   equally  ready  to  rob  you  of  fiftv 


IT   W.^S   AT   Till 


IHAT   THE   THlKh     '     i  ISHKD        FOR    THE   GOODS   OF    MR.    PRATT  AND    HIS  CREW. 

From  a  Photo. 


with  a  hook  at  the  end.  The  cabin  windows 
had  been  left  open  for  air,  and  he  hooked  a  lot 
of  Pratt's  clothing  and  other  property.  Then 
he  swam  astern  and  cleared  all  he  could  from 
the  natives,  swimming  ashore  with  the  lot.  The 
traveller  woke  to  find  that  he  must  look  up 
anotiier  outfit,  and  that  some  of  his  men  must 
go  naked.     That  was  on  the  way  up. 

On  the  way  down  the  enraged  crew  put  oft' 
in  a  "  sampan,"  ahead  of  the  boat,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  make  war  on  the  villagers  for  the 
stolen  property.  The  issue  of  the  fight  appeared 
doubtful  for  a  time,  but  when  Pratt  came  up  he 
saw  his  men  rushing  for  their  lives  down  a 
straight  street  to  the  boat,  followed  by  an  ever- 
increasing  mob,  who  bombarded  them  with 
stools,  sticks,  and  stones.  The  air  was  thick 
with  missiles,  and  when  the  last  of  the  fugitives 
had  come  aboard  there  were  some  wounds  to 
be  mended.  Had  the  boat  not  been  ready 
they  must  have  lost  their  lives.  Of  course, 
they  recovered  none  of  their  property. 


times  the  amount  every  day  in  the  meantime. 
The  sreat  thing  with  the  Chinee  is  his  desire  to 
get  what  belongs  to  you  without  your  knowing  it. 
And  yet  his  scrupulous  honour,  when  you  do 
happen  to  know,  is  no  doubt  one  of  the  means 
on  which  he  relies  to  rob  you  when  you  do  not 
know.  At  first  it  looks  like  a  moral  con- 
tradiction in  the  native  character,  but  after  more 
experience  you  find  that  the  "  honesty "  is 
mainly  to  assist  the  other  thing. 

Here  is  the  Chinese  Tiger-god.  This  ferocious 
deity  in  carved  timber,  with  whiskers  and 
eyebrows  of  porcupine  quills,  is  one  of  the 
sacred  structures  that  occupy  the  seventy  or 
more  temples  on  the  mountain  of  Omei-Shan, 
in  Ssu-Chuan,  about  a  day's  journey  from  Kia- 
ting-fu.  The  predominant  outlines  are  those  of 
the  tiger,  but  the  pious  artist  has  evidently  tried 
to  impart  an  additional  fierceness.  He  has  also 
tried  to  mingle  the  human  expression  with  that 
of  the  tiger,  as  if  to  combine  the  higher  intelli- 
gence  of   man   with   the  greater  cruelty  of  the 


3-0 


THK     ^\ll>l.     UURl-U     MAGAZINE. 


hcast  in  his  pursuit  of  a  i)ious  ideal.  The 
combination  expresses  a  certain  type  of  the 
Chinese  mind  with  singular  exactness.  It  also 
>tands  more  or  less  for  the  local  Pan,  mi.xing 
man  and  tiger,  instead  of  man  and  goat.  The 
difiVrence  between  the  goat  element  and  the 
tiijer  element  suggests  the  difference  between 
the  East  and  the  \Vest. 

Happily     (though    almost     unhappily)     the 
pilgrims    from    Tibet    were    numerous    on     the 


and  a  third  high.  In  these  excesses  they  might 
think  it  equally  virtuous  to  make  short  work  of 
a  "  foreign  devil,"  especially  if  they  caught  hiiu 
tampering  with  their  idols. 

Of  these  idols  there  were  scores  upon  scores 
on  Omei,  as  varied  as  they  were  numerous ;  and 
some  of  them  might  have  been  photographed 
easily  enough.  But  Pratt  had  set  his  heart  on 
the  divine  tiger,  which  was  too  far  out  of  the 
light.       How    to  get    that    photograph    without 


,  .;1:.   ^ACU1:.U     lIGLK-ly 


,.ii,.    ii^.'.ii    Ki>ivbu  }iis  Lilt,   lu   lAivL  mis  rniirot.RAi'H). 


mountain  when  Pratt  was  there.  On  one 
occa.sion  at  least  he  wished  they  were  less 
numerous.  They  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Ehassa — some  of  them  about  a  thousand  miles 
farther  :  and  they  roamed  amid  the  grotesque 
temples  in  scowling  bands,  with  quaint  costumes 
and  strange  ritual.  As  luck  would  have  it, 
"  The  glory  of  P>uddha "  (i.e.,  a  local  pheno- 
menon in  atmospheric  refraction)  happened  to 
be  then  "on,"  exciting  the  visitors  to  those 
exquisite  excesses  of  piety  in  which  they  some- 
times  throw   them.selves  over   the  cliffs   a  mile 


losing  his  life  became  a  rather  exciting  question. 
He  watched  his  opportunity,  however,  and  one 
fine  day,  when  he  thought  the  furies  were  fewer,, 
he  turned  the  face  of  the  monster  to  the  light. 
The  camera  went  "  click,"  and  here  is  the  result 
in  the  pages  of  The  Wide  World. 

Next  came  the  business  of  putting  back  the 
god  and  packing  away  the  photographic  tackle. 
No  time  was  lost,  but  before  the  work  was  done 
a  crowd  of  pilgrims  gathered  round  the  adven- 
turer, howling  with  rage  at  the  sight  of  liis 
profane  hands  on  the  precious  monster.     While 


MR.     PRATT    AND     HIS    TRAVELS    IN    CHINA. 


tliey  were  screaming  and  threatening,  and 
evidently  deciding  his  fate,  he  managed,  chiefly 
by  means  of  his  Chinese  costume,  to  sUp 
through  the  throng  and  make  a  very  short  cut 
down  the  mountain,  leaving  his  native  servants 
to  follow  with  the  camera.  Strange  to  say,  the 
camera  also  came  back  safely,  though  he  ex- 
pected never  to  see  it  again.  Probably  they 
were  afraid  it  contained  some  kind  of  particu- 
larly potent  fiend  that  could  be  even  more 
terrible  than  the  tiger. 

The  pagoda  next  seen  stands  near  the  main 
temple  on  Omei-Shan,  over  the  edge  of  a 
precipice  a  mile  and  a  third  high,  and  almost 


cast  ?  \\'ho  did  the  work  ?  The  present 
environment,  alike  as  regards  the  inhabitants 
and  their  resources,  would  make  the  local  pro- 
duction quite  impossible.  There  are  no  rail- 
ways, of  course,  and  there  is  no  place  within 
a  thousand  miles  in  any  direction  where  the 
thing  could  -now  be  made.  The  natives  have 
no  explanation  to  offer  ;  they  are  rather  sur- 
prised at  being  asked.  Even  the  most  learned 
Chinee  is  commonly  content  to  look  at  an 
object  like  this  every  day  of  his  life  without  once 
considering  whence,  or  how,  or  why  it  came. 

No    race    in    the    world    can    well    be    more 
influenced,   by    ancestral    considerations;    yet 

scarcely  any  can  be  so 
ignorant  or  so  indifferent 
regarding  their  national 
antecedents,  especially  iw 
the  historical  sense; 
another  of  the  Chinese 
puzzles.  Since  this  bronze 
elephant  is  sacred  to 
Buddha,  it  is  natural  to 
assume  that  it  is  not 
more  than  2,500  years 
old,  that  being  the 
approximate  period  of 
Buddhism.  But  even 
that  is  by  no  means  cer- 


tam,    since  things  of  the 


Tins    C.AGOOA    STANDS    ON     IHK    IlKINK    OK    A     I'KlXi  I'lClC    MClKt 

Fioiii  a  Pkoto. 

perpendicular..  Part  of  the  temple  also  appears 
in  the  photograph,  with  slabs  of  ornamental 
bronze  inlaid  into  the  walls,  which  are  of  timber. 
These  slabs  are  relics  from  the  ruins  of  an 
(;lder  and  evidently  much  better  structure  on 
the  same  site  ;  and  their  workmanship,  in  that 
remote  part  of  China,  is  something  of  a  puzzle 
-  though  not  so  puzzling  as  the  enormous  and 
beautifully  cast  elephant  of  bronze  on  the  same 
mountain. 

This  structure,  supposed  to  be  Indian  work, 
is  cast  in  huge  sections  and  adjusted  with 
striking  minuteness  and  artistic  truth.  How 
were  the  sections  got   up  ?     Where  were  they 


HAN     A     .Mill,     I  M 


kind  were  put  up  for 
religious  purposes  even 
before  Buddhism. 

From  the  edge  of  the 
awful  cliff,  close  to  the 
pagoda,  the  "  Glory  of 
Buddha"  is  seen.  It  is 
a  set  of  concentric  rain- 
bow sections,  sometimes 
with  a  shaft  of  the  same 
colours  running  across 
the  middle  of  them. 
As  an  instance  of  atmo- 
spheric refraction  it  is  magnilicent,  but  the 
pious  natives  put  it  to  the  credit  of  Buddha, 
and  pilgrims  travel  thousands  of  miles  on  foot 
or  by  caravans  to  be  made  holy  by  the  sight  of 
it.  It  is  seen  only  in  favourable  conditions  ot 
the  atmosphere,  but  that  does  not  diminish 
the  natives'  belief  in  its  divinity,  and  there  is 
no  use  in  trying  to  explain  to  them  that  atmo- 
spheric refraction  is  older  than  Buddha.  When 
the  "Glory"  is  "  full  on  "  the  pilgrims  have  most 
excited  prayer-meetings  at  the  very  edge  of  the 
cliff,  and  some  of  them  often  leap  over,  to  be 
mangled  below  among  the  segments  of  divine 
rainbow. 


(To  be  continued.) 


My   Experience  as  a   ''  Girl=  Diplomat  ''  in   Peru. 

Hv  Elizabeth   I  .   Banks,  Formerly  Secretary  to  the  American  Minister  in  Peru. 

Here  is  a  distinctly  entertaining  account  of  the  experiences  of  the  well-known  American  lady 
journalist,  whose  personal  narratives  have  already  attracted  attention  in  this  country.  Miss 
Banks  is  the  only  American  lady  who  has  ever  been  employed  by  her  Government  in  this  way, 
and  her  experiences,  her  doings  in  Lima,  the  queer  "  revolution,"  the  awkward  blunders,  and  the 
weird  antics  of  the  Minister  make  up  a  very  bright  and   amusing  paper. 


rr   was  during  the  Administration  of 
President  Harrison  that  I  receiYed 
the  appointment  as  secretary  to  the 
EnYOY   Extraordinary  and    Minister 
™  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States 
to  I'eru.   ^\'hen  this  post  was  offered  to  me  I  had 
l>een  a   "  newspaper-girl  ''  in    a    large    \\'estern 
town  for  about  six  months.      Loud  and  hearty, 
indeed,    were    the    con- 
gratulations     showered 
upon  me   by  the  editors 
and  reporters  of  that  par- 
ticular   newspaper  ;    and 
what    "  write  -  ups  "'    they 
gave    me,    to    be    sure  ! 
••  Our    Girl  -  Diplomat !  " 
"The    Administration 
'lakes   the    Pick  of  Our 
Staff:  "  —  that    was    the 
way    they     headed     the 
columns    they    published 
about  me,  along  with  my 
photograph.      Then 
hundreds  of  other  papers, 
throughout  the  East  and 
the  West  and  the  North 
and   the   South,  sounded 
my  fame  and  praises  :  so 
It     was     with     a     great 
-h  of     newspaper 
:...... jvcts    that    I    started 

off  on  my  journey  to 
the  Land  of  the  Incas, 
thousands  of  miles  away 
from  my  home. 

I  have  since  heard 
that  Mr.  Blaine,  who  was 
then  Secretary  of  State  in 
the  President's  Cabinet, 
smiled      dubiously     and 

made  a  rather  discouraging  remark  about  what 
might  happen  if  the  United  States  went  in  for 
"  school-girl  diplomacy."  He  is  dead  now,  and 
I  bear  him  not  the  least  malice.  I  am  sure  that 
I  never  did  my  country  any  harm  while  I  was  a 
"diplomat,^'  though,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have 
no  reason  to  believe  that  I  ever  did  it  any 
particular  good  !  My  position,  I  should  here 
state,  was  not  strictly  an  "official"  one,  for  I 


MISS   ELIZABETH    I..    BANKS   IN'    THE   COSTUME    WORN     IN 
THE    PERUVIAN    CAI'ITAL. 

Front  a  Photo,  by  the  London  Stereoscojiic  Co. 


was  not  to  be  Secretary  of  Legation,  but  only 
"secretary  to  the  Minister."  Still,  I  was  looked 
upon  somewhat  in  the  light  of  a  heroine,  and 
became  a  sort  of  nine  days'  wonder;  for  I  was,  I 
believe,  the  only  American  woman  who  had  ever 
been  employed  in  a  clerical  capacity  at  any  of 
our  Legations. 

After  a  three  weeks'  voyage  on  the  Atlantic 

and  the  Pacific  I  arrived 
in  Lima,  the  Peruvian 
capital. 

In  a  strange-looking 
house,  built  of  mud,  or 
"  adobe  "  as  it  was  more 
elegantly  called  (over  the 
portal  of  which  was  a 
shield  bearing  a  picture 
of  the  Ainerican  Eagle 
and  the  inscription: 
"  Legacion  de  los  Estados 
Unidas  "),  I  took  up  my 
residence  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Minister's 
family — the  only  Ameri- 
can girl  in  that  whole 
large  city,  and  a  curiosity, 
as  I  soon  learned,  to  all 
the  inhabitants. 

The  second  day  after 
my  arrival  there,  wish- 
ing to  go  to  a  shop  to 
buy  a  reel  of  cotton,  I 
looked  in  my  Anglo- 
Spanish  dictionary  to 
find  the  Spanish  term 
for  that  article.  I  found 
it  was  "  algodon,"  so  I 
wrote  it  down  on  a  slip 
of  paper  that  I  might 
not  forget  it,  and  then 
donning  my  light  covert  jacket  and  gaily 
trimmed  white  straw  hat,  I  left  the  Legation  to 
go  shopping  in  a  town  where  I  knew  but  one 
d  of  the  language  of  its  inhabitants  - 
algodon — cotton  to  sew  with."  In  and  out 
among  strange,  weird  -  looking  women,  each 
wearing  a  peculiar  black  garment,  which  draped 
the  head,  neck,  shoulders,  and  hips,  and  fell 
gracefully  over  the  black  skirt,  I  made  my  way, 


MY    EXPERIENCE    AS    A    "GIRL-DIPLOMAT"    IN    PERU. 


329 


the  one  bright-looking  object  in  the  sombre 
throng,  till,  looking  back,  I  saw  the  Jamaican 
negro  major-domo  of  the  Legation  rushing 
after  me,  wildly  gesticulating  and  with  a  look 
of  horror  on  his  ebony  face. 

"  Senorita  !  Senorita  I  "  he  cried,  in  the  good 
Enf'lish  he  had  learned  as  an  old  servant  to 
previous  American  Ministers,  "  you  must  not 
'^o  to  shop  alone  !  His  Excellency  sent  me 
after  you  1  It  is  not  the  custom  of  this  country  ! 
I  will  go  with  you  !  " 

"  Go  back  !  Go  back  !  "  I  answered,  with 
severity  and  dignity. 
"  I  will  not  take  you 
out  shopping  with 
me!  I'm  just  going 
to  buy  a  spool  of 
cotton  !  I  know  the 
Spanish  word  for  it. 
It  is  'algodon'!"  I 
made  this  last  an- 
nouncement rather 
proudly,  but  never- 
theless the  major  - 
domo  insisted  on 
accompanying  me. 

"  You  cannot  go 
out  here  without  a 
servant  with  you  !  " 
he  explained,  entreat- 
ingly.  "  The  Peru- 
vian ladies,  either 
young  or  old,  never 
do ;  and  if  you  go 
out  alone  the  Peru- 
vian gentlemen  will 
speak  to  you  I  " 

"  But  I  will  go  out 
alone  in  broad  day- 
light," I  answered. 
"  I'm  an  American 
girl  and  can  take 
care  of  myself,  and 
1  won't  have  anybody 
tagging  round  after 
me  !  "     The  head  of 

our  domestic  staff  said  nothing  in  reply,  and 
having  bought  my  "  algodon  "  with  him  stand- 
ing by  my  side,  I  went  back  to  the  Legation, 
where,  under  the  outstretched  wings  of  our 
emblem  bird,  there  took  place  a  new  Declara- 
tion of  Independence. 

After  that  I  wandered  where  I  would  through- 
out the  city.  It  was  at  first  suggested  that  I 
should  don  the  "mania,"  the  national  female 
garment  of  Peru,  which  I  have  already  de- 
scribed ;  but,  finally,  I  decided  this  would 
never  do,  since,  robed  in  that  garment,  I  might 
be  mistaken  for  a  Peruvian  girl  who  dared  to 

Vol.  vi.— 36. 


GO  BACK, 


be  unconventional  and  go  out  alone,  in  which 
case  the  high-caste  Peruvian  ladies  would  be 
horrified  and  give  me  a  wide  berth,  and  the 
chivalrous  Peruvian  "  gentlemen  "  would  insult 
me  !  I'herefore,  when  I  took  my  walks  abroad 
I  dressed  just  as  I  would  have  dressed  for  a 
morning  or-  afternoon  stroll  in  New  York  or 
London,  and  my  Anglo-Saxon  costume  proved 
to  be  my  shield  and  protection.  Once,  it  is  true, 
a  Peruvian  officer,  wearing  his  full  regimentals, 
stop[)ed  in  the  street,  looked  at  me  in  astonish- 
ment,  swept   the  ground   with  his  military  hat, 

and  said,  in  his 
musical  Castilian, 
"Ah!  Senorita 
Bonita  !  "  Now,  this 
form  of  salutation, 
which  I  had  learned 
meant  in  English, 
"  Oh  !  pretty  girl !  " 
was  the  Peruvian 
gentleman's  method 
of  attracting  the 
attention  of  a  woman 
whose  acquaintance 
he  wished  to  make. 
I  drew  myself  up 
haughtily,  looked 
him  full  in  the 
face,  and  said, 
defiantly : — 

"  Sefiorita  Ameri- 
cana !  "  for  I  had 
learned 'the  Spanish 
for  "American  girl." 
Then,  gathering 
together  all  my  spirit 
and  all  my  Spanish 
forces,  I  said,  angrily 
and  rapidly  :  "  Sefior- 
ita Americana,  Lega- 
cion  de  los  Estados 
Unidas  !  " 

I  think  he  under- 
stood then  that  I 
was  a  "  girl-diplomat  " 
at  the  American  Legation,  for  he  incontinently 
sped  away,  and  never  after  that  was  I  addressed 
in  the  street  by  male  Peruvians  who  had  not 
been  properly  introduced  to  me  at  the  Legation. 
The  first  few  weeks  of  my  experience  as 
a  diplomat  were  very  disappointing  to  me, 
because  nothing  seemed  to  happen.  I  had 
always  thought  of  a  diplomatic  life  as  one  of 
exciting  experiences,  where  there  would  always 
be  despatches  to  send  off  to  the  home  Govern- 
ment concerning  war  or  rumours  of  war, 
accounts,  of  double-dealings  with  the  heads  of 
the  country  to  which  one  was  accredited,  and  a 


A.N'SWEKEO,    WITH    DIGNITY.      'l    WILL    NOT   TAKE 
YOU    OUT   SHOPPING    WITH     ME.'" 


OJ^ 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


continual  plotting  and  counter-plotting  with 
underhand  methods,  and  possibly  a  sort  of 
secret  service  :  but  the  days  went  calmly 
by  and  I  did  not  seem  to  be  doing 
niuch  in  the  way  of  "experiencing  things." 
In  flict,  the  only  relaxation  and  change  from 
eating,  sleeping,  and  doing  nothing  (which  was 
the  Peruvian  method  of  spending  the  time)  was 
the  assistance  I  could  render  the  Minister  in 
the  daily  writing  of  his  diary,  which  we  both 
thought  would  be  interesting  for  friends  and 
relatives  in  America  to  read. 

But  just  when  I  thought  I  would  actually 
die  from  pure  ennui  something  happened. 
One  morning,  between  five  and  six,  I  was 
awakened  from  my  sound  sleep  by  so  violent 
a  rocking  of  my  bed  that  I  was  tumbled 
out  upon  the  floor,  from  which  I  hastily  tried 
to  rise,  rubbing  my  eyes  in  wonder  and  terror. 
From  the  streets  there  came  sounds  of  terrible 
groanings  and  rumblings  and  hoarse  cries  and 
shouts  as  of  thousands  of  people. 

"  It's  one  of  those  South  American  revolutions 
which  they  are  always  having  down  here  ! "  I 
thought,  as  I  dressed  myself  in  short  order, 
though  I  tumbled  down  and  reeled  round  and 
round  in  my  efforts  to  do  so.  I  was  really  glad 
of  the  revolution,  because  I  thought  it  was 
going  to  break  up  the  almost  unbearable 
monotony  of  my  diplomatic 
career. 

Through  the  door  of  my  bed- 
room I  rushed  out  into  the  hall, 
then  across*  the  court-yard  or 
patio,  as  it  was  called,  to  the 
legation  offices  in  the  same 
building,  while  up  from  the 
streets  there  rose  the  cries  and 
shouts  of  the  multitude. 

"  Save  us  !  Save  us  !  "  came 
the  shrieks  in  Spanish.  I 
doubted  not  that  these  cries 
came  from  the  hapless  victims 
who  were  being  mowed  down 
by  the  soldiery  and  the  mob. 
I  felt  very  sorrv'  for  them,  but, 
being  a  diplomat,  and  apparently 
the  only  member  of  the  American 
I-egation  that  was  awake,  I  felt 
I  must  do  my  duty.  For  myself 
I  had  no  fear.  I  knew  that  no 
one  would  dare  to  harm  those 
who  lived  under  the  protecting 
wings  of  the  American  Eagle. 
i  fairly  threw  the  tin  cover  off 
my  typewriter  on  to  the  floor, 
and  sitting  down  began  to 
pound  out  a  despatch  to  the 
Washington        Department      of 


State,  my  idea  being  to  finish   it  up  and   then 
give  it  to  the  Minister  to  send  by  cable. 

"  To  the  Honourable  James  G.  Blaine,  Secre- 
tary of  State,  Washington,  U.S.A.  From  the 
American  Minister  in  Lima,  Peru. — A  revolution 
broke  out  at  five  this  morning  and  nobody 
knows  what  it  is  about.  The  streets  run  with 
blood,  the  populace  cry  '  Save  us  !  Save  us  ! ' 
while  the  soldiers  run  them  through  with 
bayonets.  It  is  likely  the  President  of  Peru, 
will  be  beheaded  and  his  head  stuck  up  on  the 
top  of  a  pole  in  front  of  the  Cathedral,  as  it  is 
customary  to  treat  Presidents  during  revolutions. 
All  the  staff  and  family  of  this  Legation  are 
safe.     Will  wire  you  again  later." 

Thus  ran  the  first  despatch  which  I,  as  a 
diplomat,  ever  wrote  for  the  Department  of 
State.  Just  as  I  was  pulling  it  out  of  my  type- 
writer loud  and  excited  noises  were  heard  in 
the  Legation  itself.  Then  I  heard  a  scufQing 
and  a  banging  of  doors,  and  the  black  major- 
domo's  voice  calling  loudly,  almost  tearfully  : — 

"  Sehorita  !     Seiiorita  !     Where  are  you  ?  " 

"  Have  you  searched  in  every  room  ?  "  came 
the  voice  of  the  Minister.  "  Surely  she  cannot 
have  gone  out  on  one  of  those  rambles  of  hers 
at  this  time  in  the  morning  ! '"' 

"  I  have  searched  in  all  the  house-part,  your 
Excellency,  and  she  does  not  go  to  the  Legation 


DURING   THE   KAKTHIJUAKli    IN    LIMA — "'.SAVE   US  !   SAVE   US  '      CAME   THE   SHRIEKS 

IN   SPANISH." 


MY    EXPERIENCE    AS    A    "GIRL-DIPLOMAT"    IN    PERU. 


331 


rooms    until     eleven    o'clock  !  "    returned    the 
servant. 

Another  scuffling,  more  shouts,  but  not  from 
the  street  now.  Only  from  the  Legation  rooms 
came  evidences  of  excitement.  I  started  towards 
the  door  and  shouted  across  ihe  pa/i'o  : — 

"  I'm  all  right  !  Nothing's  happened  to  me, 
and  I've  got  it  all  ready  for  you  to  cable  !  " 

"  What  ready  ?  \A'hat  cable  ?  "  shouted  the 
Minister,  as  he  came  running  round  the  court- 
yard accompanied  by  the  scared-looking  major- 
domo. 

"The  despatch  to  Washington  about  the 
revolution  !  Please  see  if  it's  all  right,  so  that 
we  can  get  it  off !  " 

"  What  despatch  ?  What  revolution  ?  "  ex- 
claimed the  Minister.  "  Great  heavens,  has  the 
poor  girl  gone  mad  ? "  Then  turning  to  the 
major-domo  he  asked,  in  a  terrified  sort  of  way: 
"  \\illiam,  do  earthcjuakes  send  people  crazy  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  mad  ! "'  I  said,  indignantly.  "They've 
got  a  revolution  down  in  the  streets,  and  I've 
written  a  despatch  about  it !  Haven't  we  been 
waiting  for  a  revolution  these  many  weeks  ?  " 

"  There's  an  earthquake,  senorita  !  "  said  the 
major-domo,  respectfully. 

"An  earthquake!"  I  repeated,  half-dazed. 
Then  I  turned  to  the  Minister. 

"  I'm  sure  there's  a  revolution,  though  it's 
(luieter  now.  They  always  calm  down  one 
minute  and  then  break  out  again  !  My  first 
intimation  of  it  was  when  my  bed  rocked  and  I 
heard  the  rumble  of  the  cannons  !  Come  here 
to  the  window  and  I'll  prove  to  you  there's  a 
revolution  !  " 

We  looked  out  of  the  window.  Not  a  soul 
was  in  the  street,  and  the  Minister  began  laugh- 
ing uproariously  as  he  read  my  despatch. 

"  It  was  just  an  earthquake,  senorita  !  "  said 
the  major-domo,  trying  hard  to  maintain  a 
solemn  and  respectful  look  on  his  face.  "  When 
the  earthquakes  come,  all  the  people  run  into 
the  streets  and  shout  and  pray  '  Save  us  ! '  and 
when  the  earthquake  goes  away,  they  go  back 
to  their  houses  again  and  go  to  sleep." 

I  am  sure  I  am  not  now  and  was  not  then 
either  bloodthirsty  or  war-loving  in  my  disposi- 
tion, but  my  chagrin  at  discovering  that  my 
"  revolution  "  was  nothing  but  an  earthquake 
was  many  a  day  in  passing  off,  and  it  certainly 
was  rather  annoying  to  have  the  Minister  occa- 
sionally repeat,  "The  streets  run  with  blood,  the 
populace  cry  '  Save  us  ! '  while  the  soldiers  run 
them  through  with  bayonets  ! "  after  which  he 
would  shake  with  laughter  and  declare  that 
being  a  diplomat  in  Peru  was  not  so  devoid  of 
excitement  as  he  had  thought. 

The  first  time  I  went  to  church  in  Lima  I 
noticed  that  I  seemed  to  be  the  centre  of  a 


great  deal  of  attention  from  the  congregation, 
and  that  the  minds  of  the  worshippers  were 
very  much  distracted.  However,  as  I  had  by 
that  time  become  accustomed  to  creating  a 
sensation  wherever  I  went,  because  I  was  the 
only  American  girl  in  the  town  and  also  because 
of  my,  to  them,  peculiar  style  of  dressing,  I  sat 
down  quietly  with  the  other  women.  Suddenly 
I  felt  someone  meddling  with  my  hat  and,  look- 
ing up,  I  saw  a  lady  with  a  beautiful  face  and 
wearing  the  finest  and  most  richly  embroidered 
manta  I  had  ever  seen.  She  pulled  the  hat- 
pins from  my  hat  and  placed  them  in  my  hand, 
then  took  my  hat  off,  and,  putting  it  on  the  seat 
beside  me,  smiled,  patted  me  on  the  shoulder, 
said  "  Si !  Si  ! "  and  went  back  to  her  kneeling 
stool.  I  was  very  much  astonished  at  this 
strange  procedure,  but  I  said  never  a  word. 
Indeed,  how  could  I,  not  knowing  the  language 
of  the  country  ?  The  service  over,  I  left  the 
church,  and,  still  carrying  my  hat-pins  and  my 
hat,  walked  along  the  pavement  towards  the 
Legation. 

"  Si  !  Si !  Ah  !  Senorita  !  "  I  heard  a 
melodious  voice  say  behind  me,  and  with  that 
the  same  beautiful  lady  took  the  hat-pins  and 
hat  from  my  hand,  placed  my  hat  on  my  head, 
pinned  it  tightly,  and,  patting  me  again  on  the 
shoulder,  glided  away.  I  afterwards  learned 
that  by  going  to  church  wearing  a  hat  I  had 
broken  one  of  the  strictest  rules  of  Peruvian 
etiquette,  and  that  had  it  not  been  known  that 
I  was  a  member  of  the  American  Legation  I 
might  have  lost  my  hat  altogether.  This  little 
incident  was  repeated  by  the  Peruvian  lady  to 
all  her  friends,  and  the  fact  that  I  had  not 
even  attempted  to  replace  my  hat  of  my  own 
will  after  I  had  got  outside  the  church  re- 
dounded, it  seemed,  very  much  to  my  credit, 
and  I  became,  in  a  sort  of  way,  what  one  might 
term  "the  fashion."  Unknown  ladies,  walking 
with  their  servants,  passing  me  on  the  street, 
would  take  from  the  bouquets  which  the 
servants  (never  the  ladies)  carried  wonderful 
sprigs  of  tuberoses  and  other  flowers  and 
smilingly  place  them  in  my  hand,  saying, 
"  Senorita  Americana,  Si  !  Si !  "  forcing  them 
upon  me  and  then,  bowing,  go  on  their  way. 

It  was  all  very  sweet  and  pretty,  but  this 
being  a  continual  heroine  and  a  curiosity  to  the 
inhabitants  soon  palled  upon  me.  I  was 
always  finding  new  barriers  known  as  "  customs 
of  the  country  "  over  which  I  must  leap,  if  I 
would  not  give  up  altogether  my  native-born 
independence. 

When  I  accepted  the  position  of  secretary 
to  the  American  Minister  I  was  not  well 
acquainted  with  that  gentleman — indeed,  I  had 
only  seen  him  once,  and  that  was  when  we  drew 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


CXKXOWK     LADIES   WOULD   TAKE    BOUQUETS    FROM    THEIR    SERVANTS 
SMILINGLY    PLACE   THEM    IN    MY    HAND." 


up  our  contract.  I  could  not,  of  course,  be 
expected  to  know  an\thing  about  his  peculiari- 
ties or  fads  or  fancies  any  more  than  he  could 
know  mine,  and  I  had  not  been  in  Peru  but  a 
ver}'  few  days  when  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  certainly  had  a  very  strange  and  eccentric  way 
of  dictating  his  despatches  and  his  diary.  We 
only  worked  two  or  three  hours  each  day,  but 
those  hours  soon  became  to  me  times  of  terror. 
I  had  travelled  on  the  same  ship  with  the 
Minister  and  had  noticed  nothing  peculiar  about 
him,  so  I  was  not  prepared  for  any  develop- 
ments of  eccentricity  when  we  got  started  in 
our  dipomatic  career. 

On  the  third  day  after  our  arrival,  there  being 
an  American  mail  going  out,  the  Minister  sat 
down  to  go  over  some  despatches  which  the 
First  .Secretary  of  Legation  handed  to  him. 

"  Now,  about  this  note  to  the  State  Depart- 
ment— Great  Scot !     This  is  enough "  And 

with  that  the  Minister,  red  in  the  face,  jumped 
off  his  chair  like  an  automaton,  landed  on  the 
floor,  and  began  stamping  with  his  feet,  after 
which  he  executed  a  hornpipe  dance. 

I  stared  at  him  in  amazement.  Was  this  the 
way  diplomats  of  all  nations  carried  on,  or  was 


it  a  peculiar  and  distinct  phase  of 
American  diplomacy  ?  ^Vas  the  Minister 
in  a  temper,  and  had  I  possibly  offended 
him  all   unwittingly  ? 

"  1  hope  I  haven't  done  anything  to 
offend  you,"  I  said,  meekly  and  quietly. 

"  No,  not  a  thing  !  '  answered  the 
Minister,  doing  a  reversible  waltz  over 
towards  the  window. 

"Can  1  do  anything  for  you?"  I  again 
asked,  solicitously. 

"No!  no!  no!"  shouted  the  Minister; 
"  you  can't  do  a  thing  !  Nobody  can 
do  anything  !     I  wish  they  could  ! " 

After  a  polka  of  the  two-step  order  and 
a  sort  of  a  shake-down,  such  as  I  had 
seen  them  do  at  the  end  of  a  country 
dance,  the  Minister  seemed  to  "come 
to,"  and,  walking  over  to  his  desk,  went 
on  with  his  instructions,  quite  sanely  and 
pleasantly. 

"  You  must  not  mind  me  when  I 
get  to  taking  on  like  that  ! "  he  said, 
smilingly. 

Not  mind  him  I  Then  my  worst  fears 
were  confirmed  !  He  was  a  madman  ! 
Or,  stay !  Was  he  subject  to  fits  ? 
Whatever  it  was,  there  surely  was  not  a 
very  pleasant  outlook  for  me.  If  it  were 
neither  madness  nor  fits,  but  only  a  new 
kind  of  eccentricity,  even  then  I  didn't 
see  how  I  could  stand  it  if  he  were  taken 
that  way  often,  and  I  gathered  from 
the  way  he  spoke  that  he  was. 

The  days  passed  on,  and  the  poor  man  was 
seized  daily,  sometimes  hourly,  with  his  strange 
convulsions.  At  first  I  thought  I  would  speak 
to  the  First  Secretary  about  it,  and  ask  1  m 
what  was  the  name  of  the  Minister's  peculiar 
physical  trouble,  but  this  gentleman  had  not 
met  the  Minister  till  he  came  to  Peru,  and  so 
could  not  know  any  more  than  I.  There  was 
the  Minister's  wife,  but  it  is  not  etiquette  to 
speak  of  the  peculiarities  of  a  man  to  the 
members  of  his  immediate  family. 

Occasionally  a  day  would  pass  and  no 
symptoms  of  the  disease  would  show  themselves, 
then  I  would  think  joyously  that  perhaps  the  air 
and  climate  of  Peru  were  doing  something  for 
my  unfortunate  chief,  but  the  next  day  the 
jumping  and  stamping,  and  strange,  almost 
profane,  exclamations  would  come  on  again. 
We  would  sit  down  quite  calmly  to  work  on  the 
"  Diary  of  a  Diplomat,"  when  suddenly  the 
aforesaid  diplomat  would  topple  over  his  ink- 
bottle,  clench  his  fists,  beat  his  breast,  dance 
out  into  the  middle  of  the  f^oor,  and  then, 
perhaps,  run  into  the  room  where  the  First 
Secretary  sat.     What  puzzled  me  most  was  that 


AND 


MY    EXPERIENCE    AS    A    "(IIRL-DIPLOMAT"    IN    PERU. 


333 


on  such  occasions  the  First  Secretary  laughed 
long  and  loudly  when  the  Minister  descended 
upon  him  in  these  paroxysms,  and  I  called  it  very 
rude  and  unkind  of  the  First  Secretary  to  do  this. 
As  for  me,  I  never  laughed.  I  was  too  terrified  to 
do  aught  but  wonder  ;  and  I  sometimes,  in  my 
heart,  blamed  the 
United  States 
(jovernment  for 
sending  so  very 
eccentric  a  gentle- 
man abroad  to 
represent  our 
country. 

lliings  went  on 
like  this  for  about 
two  weeks,  when 
one  day  while  the 
Minister  and  I 
were  in  the  office 
a  Peruvian  gentle- 
man, one  of  the 
great  dignitaries  of 
the  State,  dropped 
in,  and,  being  in- 
troduced to  me, 
we  began  to  try 
to  carry  on  a  con- 
versation in  the 
little  Spanish  I 
had  then  learned, 
and  also  by 
numerous  gesticu- 
lations. In  the 
midst  of  the  con- 
v  e  r  s  a  t  i  o  n     up 

jumped  the  Minister  and  began  his  St.  Vitus' 
dance  actions.  I  really  thought  it  was  too  bad 
that  he  could  not  have  contained  himself  till  the 
Peruvian  gentleman  had  taken  his  leave.  A 
pretty  story  this  statesman  would  go  back  and 
tell  at  the  Peruvian  State  Department  !  I 
thought  he  might  get  frightened  and  leave  with- 
out ceremony,  but  to  my  astonishment  he  only 
smiled  slightly,  and  said,  laconically  : — 

"  Ah,  Pulga  !  " 

"  Si,  si,  Pulga ! "  answered  the  Minister, 
giving  a  kick  against  the  desk,  and  then  starting 
off  again  on  a  prance  about  the  room.  •  The 
Peruvian  gentleman  began  to  talk  excitedly  in 
Spanish,  which  I  knew  the  Minister  did  not 
understand  any  more  than  I  did,  and  I  left  the 
room  to  call  in  the  Legation  interpreter* 


SUDDF.M.Y   THE   DIPLOMAT  WOULD   TOPPLE  OVER    HIS   INK-BOTTLE,  CLENCH 
HIS   FISTS,    AND    DANCE   OUT    INTO   THE    MIDDLE   OP    THE  ROOM." 


"  Pulga  !  Pulga  ! "  I  repeated  lo  uiysclf, 
"  what  does  that  mean,  and  what  has  that  got 
to  do  with  the  Minister's  peculiar  affection  ? " 
I  repeated  it  several  times  so  as  not  to  forget  it 
while  I  made  my  way  to  my  room  to  get  my 
x'\nglo- Spanish  dictionary.  Frantically  turn- 
ing the  leaves  I 
finally  found  the 
following:  "Pulga 
— a  peculiar  kind 
of  flea  which  in- 
fests South  Ameri- 
can countries  in 
great  numbers,  and 
is  more  trouble- 
some to  human 
beings  than  to 
animals." 

The  poor  Mini- 
ster !  I  laughed 
until  I  cried,  and 
then  I  laughed 
again  thinking  of 
his  antics  and  his 
evident  desire  that 
I  should  be  kept 
in  ignorance  of 
the  cause  ! 

Human  fleas  ! 
Had  hey  not  been 
the  bane  of  my 
own  existence  ever 
since  I  had  landed 
in  that  terrible 
country  ?  Had  I 
not  talked  the 
matter  over  with  the  chambermaid,  and  tried  all 
sorts  of  home-made  remedies  she  recommended 
for  the  curing  of  their  bites  ?  Truly,  the 
Minister  was  not  the  only  member  of  the  family 
who  had  suffered  and  in  silence,  if  "  silence  " 
his  actions  could  be  called  ! 

This  estimable  Jamaica  negress,  later  on,  told 
me  that  no  foreigner  could  hope  to  get  rid  of 
fleas  or  become  indifferent  to  their  attentions 
under  at  the  least  a  year's  residence  in  Peru. 

Why  do  I  tell  this  story  here  at  the  end 
instead  of  at  the  beginning  of  these,  my 
"  experiences  "  ?  Well — because  I  did  not  have 
the  patience  to  remain  the  year  which  was 
necessary  for  my  acclimatization,  and  one  day 
I  said,  "I  am  going  home  porque  puls^a  f" 
Thus  ended  my  career  as  a  "girl-diplomat." 


After  Twenty   Years. 

Ev  .Mrs.   William  P.   Nve,  of  Canton,  Ohio. 

Truth  is.  indeed,  stranger  than  Fiction.  When  you  have  read  the  pathetic  narrative  here  related 
by  a  devoted  daughter  of  Mr.  Wilbur  Sturtevant,  the  long-lost  husband  and  father,  you  will  probably 
admit  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  romantic  true  stories  of  real  life  you  have  ever  read.  "  Wide 
World  "  readers  will  be  glad  to  know  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturtevant  are  still  alive  and  well,  and  their 

story  is  widely  known  on  the  "  other  side." 


go  to 


schc 


HEV  were  a  family  of  four:  the 
mother  and  bread-winner ;  Emma, 
the  sister-mother  of  thirteen  or  so  ; 
and  the  two  little  girls,  Myrta  and 
Myra,  who  were  just  beginning  to 
ol.  They  were  a  happy  family,  too, 
living  their  quiet  life  in  the  little  village  of 
Chagrin  Falls,  upon  the  picturesque  Chagrin 
River. 

The  most  interesting  event  of  the  week  was 
the  arrival  of  the  fat  letter 
from  far  -  away  "  papa," 
which  must  first  of  all  be 
read  by  the  mother.  Then 
Emma,  with  two  eager  lis- 
teners at  her  knee,  would 
tell  the  interesting  news  it 
contained  and  the  messages 
to  each  little  sister,  and 
they  would  say  : — 

"  Oh,  I  wish  papa  would 
romr-  home!    When  do  you 
he  will  ?  " 

"  When  he  is  rich,  and 
that  will  be  soon,  I  know," 
was  the  confident  answer. 

Early  in  the  spring  of 
1876,  when  Myra  was  still 
a  baby  and  Myrta  only  two 
years  older,  Wilbur  Sturte- 
vant left  his  little  family  to 
go  to  Colorado.  He  had 
before  him  a  business 
career  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
but  the  close  confinement 
of  ofifice-work  was  telling 
upon  his  health.  He  resolved  to  endeavour  to 
regain  it,  and  at  the  same  time  to  prospect  in 
the  rich  mining  district  about  Leadville. 

Discouragement  after  discouragement  met 
him,  however.  His  wife,  who  had  been  most 
tenderly  reared— an  only  daughter  of  w^ealthy 
parents— bravely  came  to  the  rescue  and 
supported  the  litde  family  at  home.      Her  father 


MK.  WM.I'.UH 

Frotti  a  ] 


URTEVANT,  \V 
MOURNED 


had  recently  died,  and  it  was  discovered  that 
nothing  remained  of  his  large  fortune.  Her 
girlhood  and  young  womanhood  had  been 
particularly  free  from  care  or  sorrow  ;  but  now 
all  was  changed.  When  sorrows  come,  they 
come  not  in  single  spies,  but  in  battalions.  A 
short  time  after  her  father's  death  Mrs.  Sturte- 
vant lost  her  mother  also ;  then,  when  she  was 
depending  most  upon  the  cheer  her  husband's 
letters  brought,  they  suddenly  ceased  to  come — 

most  terrible  blow  of  all. 

Weeks  passed  into 
months,  months  dragged 
themselves  wearily  on  until 
almost  a  year  had  been 
spent  —  a  time  of  heart 
sickness,  of  loneliness,  of 
hope  deferred  and  bereave- 
ment. But  at  last  the  long 
period  of  waiting  seemed 
over.  One  day  there  came 
a  letter  with  the  old  familiar 
postmark,  but  it  was  ad- 
dressed in  a  strange  hand. 
It  contained  meagre  news 
—  only  the  information  that 
the  writer  held  valuable 
papers  belonging  to  Wilbur 
Sturtevant,  whom  he  sup- 
posed to  be  dead.  The 
letter  went  on  to  say  that 
the  papers  would  be  for- 
warded upon  receipt  of  ten 
dollars. 

W^hen  they  came  they 
proved  to  be  merely  letters  : 
those  the  family  themselves  had  written  mainly, 
the  wifely  ones,  Emma's  girlish  ones,  and  those 
printed  by  the  children.  At  a  later  date  there 
developed  the  scrawl  of  their  first  schooldays. 
The  packet  also  contained  the  gifts  sent  at  the 
last  Christmastide ;  these  and  the  later  letters 
had  never  even  been  opened. 

They  were  valuable   papers  to  him  who  had 


110    FOR    TWI.M  V    YEARS  W.AS 
AS   DEAD.  {Photo. 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS. 


OJD 


cherished  them  so  carefully  ;  but  the  mother 
could  not  help  thinking  that  the  man  who  had 
sent  them  to  her,  and  who  was  so  eager  to 
obtain  the  money  for  them,  knew  more  than  he 
cared  to  tell.  Every  effort  that  her  slender 
means  would  allow  was  put  forth  to  find  some 
news  of  the  lost  husband.  But  it  was  all  to  no 
avail  ;  not  the  slightest  trace  of  him  could  be 
found,  and  presently,  herself  almost  dead  with 
grief,  she  mourned  him  as  dead. 

The  lingering  hope  that  he  might  be  living 
was  kept  alive  by  Emma's  ardent  faith  in  the 
lost  father  and  belief  that  he  would  return. 
She  was  his  favourite  daughter — a  lovely  child 
of  eight  when  he  went  away.  For  five  years 
his  letters  served  to  keep  his  dear  memory 
bright  in  her  heart ;  then  followed  the  years  of 
silence.  Emma  had  blossomed  into  young 
womanhood  when,  one  day,  she  began  a  letter 
to  her  grandmother,  her  father's  mother  : — 

"  Dear  Grandma, — Do  you  know,  grandma 
dear,  I  still  think  that  papa  will  come  back  to 
us  ?  Whenever  I  see  a  strange  man  upon  the 
streets  of  our  little  town,  the  first  glimpse  of 
him  makes  my  heart  beat  more  rapidly.  I 
never  hear  the  whistle  of  the  train  coming  into 
the  station  but  I  think,  '  Perhaps.'  Yes,  Fm 
sure  some  day  he  will " 

Here  there  was  an  interruption  ;  the  letter 
(which  is  before  me  as  I  write)  was  never 
finished.  Some  weeks  later  fever  claimed  the 
writer  as  its  victim,  and  death  came  to  her  when 
life  seemed  more  full  of  hope  and  promise  than 
the  incomplete  letter,  which  is  now  folded  away 
in  Emma's,  little  Bible,  kept  by  the  mother  as 
one  of  the  most  precious  of  all  things. 

Then,  indeed,  was  that  mother  desolate.  The 
cottage  home  that  had  been  so  dear  seemed  to 
mock  her.  The  vines  which  grew  upon  its 
walls  had  been  trained  by  Emma's  hands  ;  the 
anemones  and  hepaticas,  which  blossomed  as 
soon  as  the  snow  left  the  ground,  were  brought 
from  the  woods  by  Emma  when  she  was  beau- 
tiful and  bright  and  well.  The  hedge  of  roses 
along  the  lane ;  the  lilac  bush ;  the  syringas  and 
the  lilies  of  the  valley — all  seemed  to  speak  her 
name,  for  she  had  loved  them  and  they  her. 

When  the  first  great  grief  had  passed  the 
mother  remembered  the  dead  daughter's  wish — 
that  the  little  sisters  might  have  a  better  educa- 
tion than  that  afforded  by  the  high  school  of 
Chagrin  Falls.  So  in  the  spring  of  1888  Mrs. 
Sturtevant  took  her  remaining  daughters  to  the 
college  town  of  Oberlin.  Here  a  quiet  life,  which 
lasted  for  eight  long  years,  was  entered  upon. 

It  was  during  these  years  in  Oberlin  that 
there  occurred  a  circumstance  of  peculiar 
interest  to  this  narrative — something  which 
comes  with   reluctance    from   the   pen,   because 


the  credulity  of  both  the  Editor  and  the  readers 
of  The  Wide  World  Magazine  will  be  sorely 
taxed.  The  writer  can  only  repeat  what  has 
already  been  said  in  the  letter  which  accom- 
panies this  manuscript,  that  the  following  is 
strictly  true  in  every  detail. 

When  Mrsr  Sturtevant  went  to  Oberlin  there 
accompanied  her  a  young  woman,  who  became 
engaged  to  an  Oberlin  student  and  married  liim. 
After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldbach 
made  their  home  some  eight  miles  from  Oberlin, 
at  Elyria,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Sturtevant  had  never 
been  to  see  them  in  their  new  home,  when  one 
Friday  night,  after  school,  she  determined  to 
leave  the  house  in  the  girls'  care  and  visit  Mrs. 
Goldbach  over  Sunday.  She  had  not  previously 
written,  nor  did  she  know  definitely  in  what 
part  of  the  town  her  friend  lived ;  but  without 
asking  the  way  she  went  directly  to  the  right 
house.  Her  ring  was  answered  by  the  young 
wife  herself,  who  exclaimed — rather  inhospitably, 
perhaps — "  Why,  Mrs.  Sturtevant  !  How  did  you 
happen  to  come  to-night  "I  " 

As  they  went  through  the  hall,  however,  the 
young  hostess  clearly  showed  her  guest  that 
she  was  welcome,  and  it  was  not  until  after 
supper  that  her  first  surprised  exclamation  was 
explained. 

"Shall   I   tell   Mrs.    Sturtevant?"   she  asked 
her  husband. 

"  I  don't  know  why  not,"  was  the  reply. 
"Some  peculiar  coincidence  has  brought  her 
here." 

Then  Mrs.  Goldbach  told  her  story.  When 
she  was  ill  she  had  for  a  nurse  a  woman  who 
was  a  spiritualist.  She  was  very  desirous  that 
Mrs.  Goldbach  should  use  her  "  planchette," 
but  the  latter  looked  upon  it  as  the  greatest 
nonsense,  and  when  she  consented  it  was  only 
that  she  might  be  amused  during  the  long  winter 
evenings.  This  "  planchette  "  was  a  rude,  home- 
made affair,  perhaps  two  feet  in  length,  having 
printed  upon  it  the  alphabet,  the  numerals,  and 
the  words  "  yes  "  and  "  no."  Another  bit  of  a 
board,  triangular  in  shape,  served  as  a  pointer. 
It  was  upon  this  that  the  finger-tips  were  rested. 
When  a  supposed  message  was  being  given  it 
moved  smoothly  over  the  larger  board,  but 
when  pushed  voluntarily  there  was  apparent 
friction. 

On  Thursday  of  that  week,  whenever  any 
member  of  the  household  sat  down  to  the  board 
there  was  spelled  out  one  name.  In  the  even- 
ing Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldbach  sat  down,  and  again 
that  same  name  appeared.  This  time  there  was 
more  :  "  Tell  Mary,  to-morrow."  After  a  pause 
the  pointer  went  to  the  number  nine,  then  again 
came  to  the  name  which  had  appeared  so  often  ; 
it  was  "  Wilbur  Sturtevant."     Friday  had  come, 


w 


53^ 


llli;    WIDE    WOKIJ)    MAGAZINE 


and    a  few  hours  before  nine    Mrs.  Sturlevant 
unex|H?ctedly  appeared  at  Mrs.  C.oldbach's  door. 

When  nine  o'elock  came 
Mrs.  Slurtevant,  thinking 
she  was  doing  something 
most  foohsh,  but  imjielled 
by  curiosity,  sal  down  with 
Mr.  Goldbach.  Scarcely  a 
moment  passed  before  she 
gave  her  entire  attention  to 
the  strange  thing  that  was 
happening  beneath  her 
fingers.  Tlie  board  readily 
spelled  her  husbands 
name. 

"Ask  whatever  you  wisli 
to  know,"'  said  Mr.  Gold- 
bach. 

"I  can't,"  Mrs.  Sturte- 
vant  replied,  shortly. 

So  he  asked  the  ques- 
tijns  instead.  Mrs.  Gold- 
bach  sat  at  a  table  and 
wrote  in  pencil  each  letter 


almost    at    the    same 
whclniinsj;  tidings. 


of  the   message  as  it  was 


MISS   STURTEVANT   (MRS.    W.     P.    NYF.),    TO   WHOM    WE   ARK 
/•rOI/l  a]         INDEBTED  FOR  THIS  NARRATIVE.  [P/toto. 


time    there    came    over 

Nearly  twenty  years  had 
now  passed  since  Williur 
Slurtevant  left  the  place 
where  he  had  so  many 
friends,  and  now  they 
learned  that  out  in  sunny 
California,  on  the  Sierra 
Madre  foot  -  hills,  there 
lived  a  shrewd  but  kindly 
character  whose  name  was 
A\'ilbur  Sturtevant.  Doubt 
could  not  long  remain. 
Every  day  brought  new 
and  convincing  proofs  of 
his  identity,  and  finally 
there  came  a  long  letter 
which  contained  a  sad 
story  of  betrayed  friend- 
ship, of  treachery,  of  hope- 
lessness, and  homelessness. 
During  all  those  years  the 
lost  husband  and  father 
had  never  sought  to  con- 
ceal his  identity  and  never 
even  had 
name. 


changed  his 


designated. 

The  following  is  a  ])art 
of  it  :— 

'•Murdered  in  mine— Indian— hunting-knife."  Away  back   in  the   first  days   of  his   mining 

Mrs.  Sturtevant  did   not  accept   the  popular         life  his  health  began  to  mend,   and   after  long 
belief  that  this  phenomenon  was  due  to  spirits,         waiting    fortune    began    to    favour    him   in  still 

another  way.  He  confided 
to  a  supposed  friend  the 
knowledge     of     a     rich 


but  from  that  time  until 
six  years  later  there  lin- 
gered in  her  mind  not  the 
slightest  doubt  that  her 
husband  was  dead.  But 
you  may  dismiss  this  inci 
dent  from  your  mind  if  you 
wish. 

In    1896,   the  year  that 
both  daughters  were  to  be 
graduated  —  a  time  when 
money  was  greatly  needed 
■'le  little  household  — 
came  the  happy  news 
the  widow  of  Wilbur 
.■^jiurtevant,  who  had  served 
three    years    as   lieutenant 
in     the     Civil    War,     was 
granted  a  pension  and 
back   pay   besides  for   six 
rears.     A   Government 
live  had  worked  upon 
tne  case,  and  as  no  trace 
of  Wilbur  Sturtevant  could 
be  found,    it  was  decided 
that    his    widow    was    en- 
titled  to    a    pension.      But 
never  filled  up,  nor  was  the 


.MISS   MYRA    STURTEVANT. 

Fjom  a  Photo,  hy  Bateham,  Norivalk,  O 


the    papers   were 
money  drawn,  for 


mineral  find.  '  How  rich 
it  really  was  he  was  not  so 
well  aware  as  his  con- 
fidant, who  thought  that 
for  such  high  stakes  a 
treacherous  game  was 
quite  worth  while.  Tho.se 
were  lawless  days  in  the 
Western  mining  towns,  and 
with  comparative  ease  the 
scoundrel  succeeded  in  his 
evil  purpose.  Making  an 
ally  of  the  postmaster  of 
the  little  mining  camp  near 
Eeadville,  he  wrested  from 
Mr.  Sturtevant  by  fraudu- 
lent means  the  valuable 
claim.  At  the  same  time 
there  were  stolen  from  the 
poor  man's  camp  many  of 
his  personal  belongings, 
among  which  was  a  packet 
of  letters.  More  than  that, 
letters  to  him  and  from  him  were  intercepted, 
and   in   this   way   the    unsuspecting   victim  was 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS. 


337 


systematically   cut   off  from   all  communication 
with  his  friends. 

After  weary  waiting  for  letters  and  months  of 
despair  and  discouragement,  Sturtevant  left 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  vowed  in  his 
heart  never  to  return  or  to  seek  to  know  any- 
thing of  the  home  people  who  had  cruelly 
deserted  him,  as  he  supposed,  because  of  his 
unsuccessful  career.  This  morbid  fancy  was 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  some  time  later  he 
saw  some  of  his  old  associates,  who  failed  to 
recognise  him.  Nor  is  there  little  wonder  that 
in  this  typical  Western  man,  with  bronzed  skin 
and  cowboy  attire,  there  was  nothing  to  remind 
former  acquaintances  of  the  well-dressed  city 
man,  who  was  their  minister's  son.  However, 
he  conceived  the  idea  that  they  did  not  care  to 
know  him,  and  from  that  time  on  he  made  no 
effort  to  communicate  with  the  people  in  the 
East. 

The  narrow  escapes  and  thrilling  adventures 
encountered  during  those  years  of  the  castaway's 
Western  wandering  life  might  easily  fill  a 
volume,  but  they  must  be  passed  by,  as  must 
also  the  account  of  the  two  -  thousand  -  mile 
journey  which  the  family  took  to  meet  the  long- 
lost  and  ever-loved  husband  and  father. 

Before  they  left  Oberlin  many  were  the 
laughing  remarks  made  by  Mrs.  Sturtevant's 
friends  about  the  "infallible  planchette."  But 
the  mystery  was  not  then  explained,  and  perhaps 
only  partially  so  a  few  months  later  when  the 
re-united  family  were  together  once  more  in 
California. 

What  a  meeting  !  The  writer  of  these  lines 
says  Sturtevant  will  not  attempt  to  describe  it. 
It  was  October.  The  San  Gabriel  Valley  had 
received  the  first  welcome  rain  of  the  season 
and  the  sun  had  taken  on  its  former  aspect  of 
pitilessness  for  one  day.  When  night  came 
the  family  were  glad  to  rest  out  on  the  terrace 
in  front  of  the  cottage  to  catch  any  faint  breeze 
that  might  be  blowing  from  the  Sierra  Madre 
Mountains.  It  seemed  breathless,  yet  every 
now  and  then  the  long  strips  of  bark  split  from 
the  eucalyptus  trees,  and  their  leaves  moved 
ever  so  slightly,  sending  forth  the  pungent  odour 
that  yesterday's  rain  had  made  more  distinct. 

Mr.  Sturtevant  was  sitting  with  his  chair 
tilted  against  a  tree,  and  his  sombrero  was  on 
his  knees.  The  moon-lit  sky  silhouetted  his 
fine  profile,  and  brought  into  relief  his  pic- 
turesque head  with  its  thick  grey  hair.  He  was 
busying  himself  with  the  filling  and  lighting  of 
a  brierwood  pipe.  Pressing  the  tobacco  firmly 
down  in  the  bowl,  he  took  several  long  puffs, 
and  in  a  moment  circles  of  smoke  were  rising 
and  enveloping  his  head  and  shoulders  in  a  hazy 
cloud.      His    pipe's    influence    seemed    to    start 

Vol.  vi.-37. 


retrospective  memories,  for  he  told  wonderful 
tales  of  camp-life,  of  cowboy  life,  of  mines,  of 
mountains,  and  of  desperadoes — and  of  mental 
torture  beyond  adequate  expression. 

"  Seven  years  ago,"  he  said,  "  we  were  pro- 
specting over  in  Death  Valley.  I  remember  the 
night  we  came  through  Inaker's  Pass,  and  made 
our  camp  near  a  dried-up  river-bed.  It  was 
cold.  Even  on  such  a  hot  night  as  this  it 
almost  makes  me  shiver  to  think  how  the  keen 
wind  went  through  us,  and  how  the  burrus 
huddled  with  their  noses  together  while  we  made 
the  fire. 

"  After  our  supper  of  bacon  and  frijoles, 
which  we  had  brought  from  our  last  camp,  my 
partner  went  off  to  hunt  a  better  water  supply. 
t  felt  more  than  usual  the  loneliness  of  the 
desolate  place,  so  I  cast  about  for  something  a 
little  more  enlivening.  Some  rods  from  the 
camp-fire  I  found  what  I  at  first  supposed  was 
a  rise  in  the  ground,  but  it  proved  to  be  an 
abandoned  mine  which  had  been  but  little 
worked.  It  could  furnish  shelter  from  the 
wind,  I  thought,  and  immediately  I  began 
moving  our  outfit  to  the  new  abode.  I  built  a 
second  fire  in  front  of  the  tunnel-shaped  mine, 
and  I  thought  myself  quite  cosy  when  at  last  I 
sat  down  to  smoke  my  pipe. 

"  Suddenly  there  loomed  between  me  and 
the  fire  the  most  savage-looking  Indian  I  have 
ever  seen.  He  was  drunk  ;  I  knew  it  in  a 
minute.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  for  I  saw  the 
gleam  of  a  knife  tightly  clutched  in  his  hand. 
There  he  stood,  armed,  between  me  and  my 
only  way  of  escape.  He  gave  an  ugly  grunt, 
and  I,  though  keenly  alert,  affected  indifference. 

"  'Gim'me  bacon  ' ;  and  he  pointed  with  his 
knife  to  the  meat  I  had  suspended  on  a  rope. 
I  took  it  down. 

"  'Gim'me  flour.' 

"  That,  too,  I  handed  him.  It  was  our  last 
sack. 

"  '  Gim'me  tobac' 

"  By  this  time  my  blood  had  begun  to  flow 
more  calmly,  and  I  hesitated  an  instant  before 
I  made  over  to  him  a  commodity  which  is  so 
precious  to  a  miner  fifty  miles  from  any  store. 
But  the  instant  was  too  long  :  he  made  an  un- 
certain lunge  toward  me  with  knife  uplifted.  It 
passed  just  above  my  shoulder,  and  caught  in 
the  folds  of  the  bandanna  round  my  neck.  I 
jerked  the  knife  from  him  and  threw  it  down. 
It  struck  with  a  thud  against  the  side  of  the 
tunnel. 

"  By  a  lucky  chance  I  had  escaped  with  a 
mere  scratch.  The  Indian  staggered  back  and 
muttered,  'White  man  no  'fraid  Injun.'  He 
reeled  out  into  the  darkness,  too  drunk  to  carry 
out  his  murderous  purpose.     I,  too,  came  out 


THE    WIDE   WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


"  When  was  it  ?  "  someone  asked, 
eagerly. 

"When  did  it  happen,  you  mean? 
Well,  it  was  seven  years  ago  this  fall. 
I  remember  particularly,  for  along 
about  that  time  I  was  thinking  more 
than  usual  about  my  family  back 
East.  I  longed  to  send  a  message 
to  you,  yet  something  held  me  back." 

When  Mrs.  Sturtevant  heard  this 
she  could  not  but  feel  that  the  mes- 


THE    iJ.iTrAl.E    AT    THK    FOOT    0\-     THE     I'KAII.    WHKrjE  MR.   AND 
/■'tvm  a]  MRS.    STURTEVANT   NOW    RESIDE.  [P/loffl. 

of  the  hole,  nearer  the  fire,  where  I  sat 
down  shivering  more  with  fear,  now  that  the 
danger  was  over,  than  with  cold.  Often 
before  had  I  been  in  tight  places,  but  the 
loneliness  of  the  place  oppressed  me 
strangely,  and  I  shuddered  to  think  how 
nearly  I  had  been  murdered  in  a  lonely 
mine  by  a  drunken  Indian  with  a  hunting- 
knife." 

When  the  last  words  fell  from  the  narra- 
tor's lips  his  hearers  seemed  to  see  them 
again  pencilled  on  a  slip  of  paper :  "  Mur- 
dered in  mine — Indian — hunting-knife." 


MR.    AND    Mr 


.1    WALKING  IN   THEIK    l;l..\U  IIFUL    DOMAIN. 

Frotn  a  Photo. 


ON    THE   TRAIL    NEAR    THE    HOUSE — THE    I'ATH    WAS    PARTLY 

From  a\       made  by  mr.  sturtevant  himsele.         [P/ioio. 


sage  had  reached  her,  for  it  was  seven  years 
ago  that  she  had  made  her  memorable  visit 
to  Mrs.  Goldbach. 

Whether  we  call  it  merely  a  singular  co- 
incidence, or  let  psychology  explain  it  as 
"  mental  telepathy,"  it  is  at  least  remarkable. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturtevant  now  live  in  a 
picturesque  home  so  near  the  Sierra  Madre 
Mountains  that  their  mighty  shadows  are  cast 
over  it  while  still  the  day  is  bright.  The 
cottage  is  at  the  "  foot  of  the  trail,"  where  is 
only  the  beginning  of  beauties.     As  Hamlin 


AFTER    TWENTY    YEARS. 


339 


Garland  says,  "The  trail  is  poetry;  a  waggon 
road  is  prose  ;  the  railroad  aiithmetic."  Surely 
there  was  never  more  enchanting  poetry  than 
this  trail,  many  miles  of  which  were  made  by  Mr. 
Sturtevant's  own  hands.  There  are  magnificent 
views  from  it  of  other  and  higher  mountains  ; 
there  are  the  long  stretches  down  into  the  valley, 
with  its  checker-board  of  orange-orchards  and 
alfalfa  fields.  Bordering  it  all  with  its  beautiful 
blue  is  the  ocean,  some  forty  miles  away,  where, 
upon  a  clear  day,  may  be  seen  from  the  trail  the 
Island  of  Santa  Catalina.  "  A  Californian  Para- 
dise," as  Professor  Holder  calls  it — Professor 
Holder,  of  Pasadena,  whose  well-known  name 
so  often  figures  in  The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


vant,  of  which  Mr.  Sturtevant  was  the  originator 
and  is  now  the  proprietor.  It  is  a  little  village 
of  tents,  with  a  rustic  dining-room  and  a  log- 
cabin  sitting-room  with  a  quaint  old  fireplace. 
It  is  shaded  by  large  spruce  and  live  oak  trees, 
while  bays,  alders,  and  maples  line  the  banks  of 
the  stream.  . 

The  furnishings  of  the  camp  are  simple  and 
rustic,  as  everything  must  be  packed  up  by 
burros.  But  no  essential  to  comfort  is  lacking, 
and  there  is  a  distinct  gain  in  novelty  and 
picturesqueness. 

Various  trails  radiate  from  camp,  and  one 
may  follow  them  with  all  the  pleasure  and  glory 
of  an  explorer   to   wild   depths   or   magnificent 


From  a] 


\NT   DURING  THE   FIKST   SUMMER  OF   ITS   EXISTENCE. 


The  distant  charms  are  not  the  only  ones,  for 
the  traveller  upon  the  back  of  his  sure-footed 
burro  constantly  meets  with  new  delights. 
Hundreds  of  feet  above  and  below  him  sweep 
the  mountain  sides,  green  with  chaparral,  and 
fringed  evergreens.  There  are  sylvan  retreats, 
where  sparkle  mountain  streams,  and  the 
canyons  where  shine  in  their  season  the  brilliant 
holly-berry  'midst  the  dark  leaves. 

Best  of  all  is  the  journey's  end,   Camp  Sturte- 


heights.  For  the  hunter  there  is  fine  game — 
the  deer,  an  occasional  bear,  and  at  long 
intervals  there  may  be  seen  a  mountain  lion  ; 
while  trout-fishing  in  the  San  Gabriel  is  a  most 
enticing  pastime. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  think  that  in  the  midst  of 
such  beautiful  surroundings  the  story  of  two 
lives  may  end  as  did  those  fairy  tales  of  our 
childish  days-  "And  they  lived  happy  ever 
after." 


Swamp  Shooting  in  Barbados. 


\\\    ClARKXCF.    TacKMAN,    OI'    1'\iN  TAr.FJ.l.l.,    l^AUI'.ADOS. 
A  We^t    Indian   resident    tells   us    in    the    following    paper    many    curious    facts    about    sport    in    the 
an  easy  cnair,  nis  quarry 


extensive  ^wamrs  of    Barbados.      Huts  or  "  stands  "   are  erected  so  that  the  sportsman  shoots    from 
an  easv  chair,  his  quarry  being  enticed    down    to    his    decoy    birds    by  expert    negro  whistlers.      The 

photographs  were  taken  by  the  author. 


ANY  varieties  of  birds  of  passage 
make  Barbados  a  port  of  call  on 
their  southern  flight.  Tliey  usually 
make  their  first  appearance  in  any 
number  towards  the  end  of  July — 
though  some  few  are  shot  earlier;  and  they 
contmue  their  visits  during  August,  September, 
and  the  early  part  of.  October.  Among 
the  first  arrivals  are  the  small,  graceful  nits 
{Ertunefes  Pusi/ius),  not  quite  the  size  of  a 
sparrow,  but    more  elegant   and   fragile.     They 


swamp  rents  out  to  his  friends  such  stands  as 
he  does  not  require  for  his  own  use,  and  the 
lessee  sets  the  boys  to  work  to  get  this  "  sphere 
of  influence  "  in  order.  Since  last  season  the 
reeds  and  grasses  and  mosses  have  had  their 
own  slimy  v/ay  with  the  stand,  and  their  rank 
growths  cover  the  water  and  form  a  tangle  of 
noisomeness.  All  this  has  now  to  be  cut  or 
dug  away  and  removed,  and  the  clear,  bright 
water  exposed.  Then  banks  and  artificial 
shallow  spots  have  to  be  formed,  on  which  the 


THESE   ARE   Si 
From  a\ 


:  HE    KXI'EKT    WHISTI.KKS    WHO    ACCOMPANIED    THE    AU  THOl;  S    I'AKTV 

IN    OliDER   TO    ENTICE   THE    BIRDS.  [P/wto. 


appear  in  large  flocks,  and  their  shrill,  rolling 
cry  warns  sportsmen  that  it  is  time  to  prepare 
''^"''  "  stands,"  for  the  shooting  season  is  at 
Now  comes  a  busy  time  for  the  swamp 
boys,  or  whistlers,  as  they  are  called,  by  reason 
of  the  skill  with  which  they  imitate  the  calls  of 
the  different  feathered  quarry  on  whistles  of 
reed,  bamboo,  or  bone.  A  rough  wooden  hut, 
just  large  enough  to  hold  a  chair  or  two,  and  an 
expanse  of  swamp  more  or  less  circumscribed 
by  your  neighbour's  hut  are  known  as  a  "  stand." 
At  the  beginning  of  a  season  the  owner  of  a 


birds  can  aliglit.  When  this  has  been  done 
the  mock  or  decoy  birds  have  to  be  examined, 
and  bills  or  heads  shot  off  last  season  replaced 
on  these  dummies.  These  mock  birds  are 
cleverly  cut  or  carved  out  of  soft  wood,  and 
carefully  painted.  Some  are  so  well  done  that 
tyros  have  not  infrequently  "potted"  them  in 
mistake  for  the  real  bird. 

Then  comes  the  placing  of  these  decoys,  an 
operation  that  an  old  swamp-hand  takes  great 
pride  in,  and  which  affords  room  for  his  wonder- 
ful skill.      They  are   so   placed   that   birds  ap- 


SWAMP    SHOOTINC;    IN    Bx'VRBADOS. 


341 


hrovi  a\ 


HERE   IS   A   TYPICAL    SHOOTING    "STAND"   AS   DESCRIBED    BY   THE   AUTHOR 


preaching  from  any  direction  have  a  broadside 
view  of  several  decoys,  and  not  a  mere  tail  or 
breast  view,  which  does  not  show  to  such  ad- 
vantage. The  sides  of  the  hut  from  half-way  up 
are  pushed  outwards  and  propped  with  sticks, 
so  that  a  good  view  all  round  can  be  obtained 
by  the  inmates. 

Next  to  make  their  appearance  after  the  nits 
are  the  "  long-legs  "  (71;/rt;/«5-  Flavipes),  or,  as 
they  are  called  in  Ikitish  Guiana,  "  yellow- 
legs,"  from  the  pronounced  colour  of  those 
limbs,  'i'he  long- 
leg  is  a  graceful, 
slender  bird, 
with  an  ash- 
coloured  back 
and  soft,  white 
feathers  in  his 
breast.  His 
hovering  note  is 
a  gush  of  liquid 
music.  A  bird 
very  like  him  in 
appearance,  only 
larger  and  with 
legs  of  a  less 
brilliant  hue,  is 
the  "pika"(21;- 
tanus  Melano- 
leticus).  He  is  a 
very  shy  bird, 
and  if  missed 
with  the  first 
barrel  is  difificult 
to  stop  with  the 
next.  It  is  a 
frequent     occur- 


rence to  observe 
large  flocks  of 
nits  and  Ions;- 
legs,  but  pikas 
generally  fly  in 
twos  or  fours  ;  a 
really  large  flock 
of  them  is  rare. 

The  best- 
known  swamps 
are  about  five 
miles  from 
Bridgetown,  in 
the  parish  of 
Christ  Church, 
and  are  known 
as  the  Graeme 
Hall  Swamps. 
Taken  with  the 
adjoining  smaller 
\.Photo.  swamps,  some 
hundreds  of 
acres  are  submerged.  After  the  hurricane 
of  the  loth  September,  1898,  a  vast  sea 
of  fresh  water  occupied  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  swamps  for  several  days.  It  extended  the 
swamp  area  fifty-fold.  Huts  were  thrown  down 
and  demolished,  and  even  the  large  hut  was 
laid  in  ruins— it  has  since  been  replaced — and 
hundreds  of  mock  birds  were  buried  or  carried 
off  by  the  rush  of  water.  It  was  several  days 
before  the  deluge  could  find  a  passage  to  the  sea. 
Other  well-known  shooting  places  are  Chan- 


;•  < 


\ 


i 


X 


i 
"^ 


IHE    IiECOV    lilRDS.       THK    LIVIN 


G    1;II;|JS    Wl.KE    E.XTICEU    DOWN    Tu    THESE    IJY    THE    WHIM 

firom  a  Photo. 


u- 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


J-rjiii  a\ 


CICNtKAl.    Vli;\V    (11--    THE    GR.UME    HAI.I.    SWAM'.',    WHICH    ABOUNDS    IN    GAME. 


[Photo. 


eery  Lane  (fancy  shooting  in  Chancery  Lane  ! 

1  wonder  how  the  name  came  to  be  applied  to 
a  sugar  estate  and  thence  to  its  swamp), 
Finney's  Hill,  and  Cole's.  The  two  last  are  in 
St.  Philip's  parish  and  have  no  permanent 
springs,  but  depend  on  a  tropical  downpour  in 
August  or  September  to  fill  the  natural  and 
artificial  surface  cavities  and  irregularities.  In 
the  old  days,  when  plover  used  to  appear  in 
large  flocks,  the  St.  Philip's  sportsmen  had  no 
need  to  attract  water-birds,  as  the  plover  alone 
afforded  sufficient  sport.  But  now,  with  a 
lamentable  decrease  in  plover,  has  come  the 
necessity  for  digging  ponds  and  laying  out 
attractions  for  the  once-despised  water-birds. 

Just  below  Cole's,  and  contiguous  to  the  sea, 
are  hundreds  of  acres  of  rocky,  barren  soil  too 
poor  to  repay  cultivation.  A  kind  of  grass, 
locally  known  as  "  sour  grass,"  springs  up 
between    the    scattered    rocks  to  the  height  of 

2  ^'2 ft.  or  3ft.,  and  in  some  places  covers  entire 
acres.  In  this  grassy  and  rocky  expanse  a 
bird  of  passage  which,  to  my  mind,  yields  better 
sport  than  any  other  takes  temporary  refuge. 
He  is  known  locally  as  the  "  cotton  -  tree " 
plover  {Bartramia  Longicauda),  and  is  a  plump 
bird  of  dark  -  greyish  hue.  The  local  name 
given  to  hirn  is  said  to  have  originated  from  his 
habit  of  chiefly  frequenting  the  cotton  -  fields 
when  that  plant  was  cultivated  in  Barbados. 
Of  quick  flight,  strong,  a  swift  runner,  and 
extremely  shy,  he  tests  the  stalking  tactics 
of  the  best  sportsmen.  The  cotton  -  tree 
plover  shooting  is  more  like  English  .shooting, 
as  this  shy  bird  will  not  respond  to  the  best 
whistling,    and    has    to    be    walked    after    and 


flushed.  Sometimes  the  sportsmen  hide  behind 
rocks  and  hedges,  and  nigger-boys  are  sent  into 
the  grass  to  drive  the  birds.  Oh,  those  long 
walks  over  rough,  uneven  ground,  with  a  blazing 
sun  overhead  and  a  heavy  gun  to  carry  !  But 
the  tired  feeling  vanishes  at  once  when  the 
sharp,  staccato  "  quat,  quat,  quat,"  of  the  plover 
is  heard  as  he  rises  from  his  cosy  refuge  twenty- 
five  yards  or  so  away. 

In  British  Guiana,  where  there  are  vast 
savannas  and  limitless  swamps,  birds  of  passage 
have  to  be  followed  up  on  foot  or  in  punts ;  but 
in  Barbados  the  shooter  reclines  in  a  chair  and 
waits  for  the  birds  to  come  to  him  !  And  a 
weary  probation  time  it  is,  too.  You  may  go 
out  on  an  ideal  bird  day,  with  the  wind  south, 
the  sun  fierce,  weather  sultry,  and  large  black 
banks  of  clouds  in  the  north-west,  between 
whose  masses  the  forked  lightning  plays  hide- 
and-seek.  The  whistler  greets  you  with  a 
"  Mawnin',  sah  ;  surenuff  birds  will  fly  to-day." 
You  murmur  a  sanguine  assent,  slip  two  car- 
tridges into  your  Greener,  and  sit  down  ex- 
pectantly. But  the  hour  flies,  and  save  for  a 
few  nits  with  their  "  Cheep,"  "  Cheep,"  circling 
round  the  pond,  no  prey  of  any  importance 
appears.  You  yawn  and  mutter  maledictions 
and  stretch  your  limbs,  and  presently  try  a 
constitutional  on  the  mud-bank  on  which  your 
hut  is  perched.  But  the  sun  is  hot  and  drives 
you  back  in  despair  to  your  canvas  chair. 

You  are  a  lucky  man  if  presently  your  watch- 
ful whistler  cries,  "  I  hear  a  long-leg "  ;  and 
then,  after  peering  about  in  the  blue  heaven 
above,  says,  "  Mark,  sah  !  "  You  look  up,  but 
fail  to  see  anything  at  first.     But  presently  youi 


SWAMP    SHOOTING    IN    BARBADOS. 


o4o 


blinking  eyes  observe  one  ami  then  another 
dark  spot  wheeling  hundreds  of  yards  above. 
Meanwhile,  the  other  stands  have  awakened 
into  acti\ity,  and  their  whistlers  are  piping 
lustily.  Your  own  boy  is  a  skilled  whistler,  and 
with  an  eye  on  the  birds  he  varies  the  notes  as 
the  distance  decreases.  Down  and  down  they 
circle,  their  white  breasts  gleaming  and  their 
throats  pouring  forth  answering  notes,  till  at  last 
with  a  wild,  perpendicular  dive  they  are  down 
among  your  mock  birds,  wheeling  hither  and 
thither  in  graceful  curves. 

Don't  make  any  mistake.  You  are  not  to 
shoot  as  you  would  over  a  Scotch  moor  or 
English  stubble.  You  are  shooting  at  strangers, 
at  birds  of  passage,  who  ■  will  immediately 
resume  their  journey  towards  other  lands  the 
moment  you  scare  them  with  your  shots.  You 
want  as  many  as  possible  for  your  two  barrels, 
and,  besides,  the  rivalry  between  the  different 
stands  demands  that  you  should  score  more  than 
your  neighbours  if  at  all  possible.  It  may  be 
your  only  opportunity  for  the  day.  So  you 
watch  your  chance,  and  as  they  wheel  you  let 
fly — the  right  into  the  "  brown,"  and  then  the  left 
as  they  close  up  again  from  the  shock.  Snatch- 
ing your  other  gun,  you  get  yet  another  shot  at 
the  remainder,  stop  a  straggler  with  the  last 
barrel,  and  then  the  fun  is  over  for  the  time. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  birds  will  continue 
to  enter  the  swamp  for  the  greater  y)art  of  a  par- 
ticular day.  If  you  have  chanced  to  hit  upon 
that  very  day,  you  are  indeed  lucky.  On  such 
rare  occasions  as  many  as  200  or  300  birds 
have  fallen  to  a  single  sportsman,  but  it  would 
be  considered  a  good  day's  sport  if  you  bagged 
between  thirty  and  forty  birds.  Of  course 
many  days  during  each  season  are  altogether 
barren.       Fifty  years   ago  when    shooters    were 


fewer,  and  vast  tn^cts  of  land  in  Americ  a  and 
Canada  knew  not  even  the  smell  of  a  farmer's 
smoke,  and  the  breeding  grounds  and  swamps  of 
the  wild  birds  had  hardly  been  disturbed,  the 
number  of  migrating  birds  was  vast.  Black  and 
white-breast  plover  {Charadrius  Doi/iviin/s) 
could  be  observed  going  by  in  vast  horse-shoe 
flocks.  Various  kinds  of  curlews  visited  the 
island  in  great  numbers,  and  the  birds  that  now 
continue  to  come  used  to  appear  in  vastly 
greater  flocks. 

On  the  1 2th  of  September,  1846,  such  a 
vast  flight  of  plover  took  place  that  men  with 
whips  killed  the  birds  in  the  public  streets,  and 
one  man  is  said  to  have  shot  i.ooo  plover  for 
that  season  with  an  old  flint-lock  blunderbuss. 
But  nowadays  the  numbers  have  greatly  de- 
creased. Especially  is  this  so  with  the  plover 
and  curlews  which  build  on  grass  lands.  The 
swamp  birds  have  held  their  own  better,  as  their 
habitat  is  more  difficult  of  approach.  In  the 
nmseum  at  Ottawa  I  have  seen  specimens  of  the 
identical  species  of  wild  birds  that  visit  Bar- 
bados, though  I  also  observed  some  that,  so  far 
as  I  know,  have  never  appeared  here  in  my 
home. 

The  niajority  of  the  regular  shooters  arc 
thorough  good  sportsmen  and  kind,  hospitable 
fellows.  You  would  have  to  go  far  before 
finding  a  nicer  fellow  to  shoot  with,  and  a 
more  unselfish  companion  generally,  than  Mi-. 
Addie  Evelyn,  of  "  Spencer's."  I  have  very 
pleasant  recollections,  indeed,  of  the  few  days  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  spending  with  him  at 
Chancery  Lane  Swamp.  If  there  were  no  birds, 
there  were  at  least  the  interesting  recollections  of 
past  battues  to  be  i-ecalled  ;  or  a  pack  of  cards 
was  found,  and  my  host  proceeded  to  show  his 
skill  with  the  paste-board  wonders. 


Front  a  1 


KILLING    TIMK    AT   ORyEME    HALL— A    GAME    OF    CAUDS   ON    THE    VEKANDA. 


\Phoic. 


Tough    Times    and  a   **  Tanker. 


\\\    IC.    Wan     I'Ll, KINGTON. 

This    is    the    entertaining    history    of    a    serious    dilemma    and    the   way   out   of    it,  which    involved 

nolhin-^  less  than  the  "  signing  on"  as  an  ordinary  seaman  on  board  an  oil-tank  steamer.      The  various 

stages  "of  the  muddle  are  carefully  dealt   with    and  described  in  detail,  and  they  illustrate  among  other 

things    the    pitiless    treatment    meted    out    to    the   penniless   in   a  great  city. 


(">  \v;ike  up  on  a  bitterly  cold  morning 
■n  a  strange  town  and  in  a  strange 
couiitrv,  with  the  large  sum  of  fifteen 
rents  (sevenpence  halfpenny)  in 
one's  pocket,  is,  to  say  the  least,  not 
an  enviable  position  ;  but  such  was  the  state  I 
found  myself  in  on  the  24th  December,  1898,  in 
Philadelphia. 

For  eight  years  I  had  been  roughing  it  in 
different  parts  of  the  wodd,  and  six  weeks  pre- 
viously I  had  made  up  my 
mind  to  be  back  in  Old 
England  on  New  Year's 
Day.  I  was  in  San 
Francisco  at  the  time,  and 
engaged  on  one  of  the 
papers  in  that  city  of 
wonders.  Having  just 
received  a  small  draft  from 
my  lawyer,  and  a  letter 
saying  that  I  might  shortly 
expect  a  good  deal  more, 
I  saw  nothing  to  prevent 
me  from  carrying  out  my 
intention.  So,  thinking  I 
would  give  my  people  a 
surprise,  I  determined  not 
to  tell  them  I  was  coming. 
As  there  was  no  immediate 
hurry  I  made  a  point  of 
seeing  all  there  was  to  see 
in  the  city  I  was  leaving, 
and  as  'Frisco  is  not  the 
cheapest  town  in  the 
world,  I  soon  found  1 
must  draw  in  my  horns  if 
1  wanted  to  travel  comfortably  through  America. 
After  taking  my  ticket,  which  allowed  me  to 
break  my  journey  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Kansas 
City,  and  Chicago,  I  finally  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia with  what  I  thought  would  just  be 
enough  cash  to  take  me  home.  I  had  made  a 
point  of  not  taking  a  through  ticket  to  London, 
as  I  had  heard  that  at  Christmas-time  tickets 
could  be  obtained  at  a  cheaper  rate  from  the 
company's  office.  Sending  my  luggage  straight 
off  to  the  wharf,  I  alighted  at  the  station  and 
found  a  convenient  hotel  to  stay  at  for  the  next 


THE   AUTHOR,    MR.  E 

From  a]         through  t 


noon   I  walked   quietly  down   to  the  office  and 
inquired  the  fare. 

To  my  horror  I  found  that  it  was  exactly 
one  dollar  more  than  I  possessed,  and  nothing 
on  earth  would  persuade  them  to  give  me  a 
ticket  for  less.  All  the  promissory  notes  in  the 
world,  they  said,  would  not  move  them. .  I  even 
offered  to  mortgage  myself  so  that  they  could 
collect  the  odd  money  in  London— which,  after 
paying  hotel  expenses  and  incidentals,  would  be 

about  five  dollars  —before 
they  allowed  me  to  leave 
the  ship.  But,  no — all  I 
could  get  was  a  sarcastic 
smile  from  the  manager 
and  a  remark  to  the  effect 
that  the  game  had  been 
played  too  often  before. 
I  turned  away  in  a  tower- 
ing rage  and  cursed 
America  and  everything 
in  it,  but  even  that  didn't 
secure  me  a  ticket. 

After  a  comfortable 
meal  I  thought  the  matter 
out,  and  decided  that 
the  surprise  I  intended 
giving  at  home  would 
have  to  be  considered 
"off,"  and  that  I  must 
cable  at  once  for  sufficient 
to  take  me  there.  I  knew 
if  they  answered  me  im- 
mediately I  should  be 
able  to  go  by  the  boat  I  had 
arranged  for.  In  my  cable  I 
did  not  think  it  necessary  to  put  my  name,  partly 
on  account  of  the  money  and  partly  because  I 
thought  my  people  would  be  sure  to  know  who 
it  was  that  had  cabled.  The  omission  of  that 
one  word,  however,  was  the  whole  cause  of  the 
unique  experience  that  followed,  and  turned  me 
in  a  week  from  an  unemployed  journalist  into  an 
ordinary — very  ordinary — seaman. 

Feeling  perfectly  satisfied  that  the  money 
would  arrive  on  the  following  day,  I  thought  I 
would  enjoy  to  the  full  my  remaining  hours  in 
Philadelphia.      I   thereupon   looked   round  and 


W.  ELLINGTON,  WHO  WENT 
HIS    EXI'F.UIENXE.  [P/lofO. 


two  days  before  my  boat  sailed.     Li  the  after-        booked  a  seat  for  the  "  Three  Musketeers,"  and 


TOUGH    TIMES— AND    A    "TANKER." 


345 


dined  sumptuously  before  going  to  the  theatre. 
The  next  morning  I  hired  a  cab  and  drove 
round  the  town  visiting  the  sights.  The  rest  of 
the  day  I  spent  in  amusing  myself,  with  an  utter 
disregard  for  money  ;  and  after  dinner  I  strolled 
down  to  the  post-office  to — as  I  thought — get 
my  cable.  It  was  not  there.  Having  a  rather 
abundant  supply  of  hope,  I  did  not  feel  alarmed 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  I  had  only  some  ten  or 
twelve  dollars  left.  To  cut  a  long  story  short, 
the  money  did  not  arrive  at  all ;  but  a  fortnight 
after  I  had  cabled  a  letter  arrived  from  my 
parents  wanting  to  know  if  I  really  was  in  need 
of  money  and  asking  if  it  was  I  who  had 
cabled  ! 

The  absurdity  of  the  question  so  struck  me 
that  I  couldn't  help  laugh- 
ing, though  I  only  had 
fifteen  cents  to  do  it  on. 
To  cable  again  was  out 
of  the  question,  so  I 
thought  I  would  go  for 
a  short  walk  and  consider 
my  position.  On  passing 
to  the  hotel  door  I  was 
met  by  the  proprietor, 
who  smilingly  asked  if 
my  money  had  arrived. 
I  showed  him  the  letter 
I  had  received,  thinking 
he  might  be  able  to 
suggest  something.  He 
did ;  he  suggested  that 
I  was  not  to  use  my 
room  any  more  until  I 
had  paid  the  two  weeks' 
rent.  This  was  involving 
matters.  I  began  to  wish 
I  had  not  been  so  con- 
fidential. I  must  here 
state  that   though   I  was 

at  an  hotel  I  could  only  have  a  room  ;  my  food 
I  had  to  obtain  elsewhere,  which  under  the 
circumstances  was  a  bit  awkward. 

The  time  was  then  nine  o'clock,  and  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  events  I  should  have  been 
having  my  breakfast;  but  with  only  sevenpence 
halfpenny  in  my  pocket  that  meal  seemed 
somewhat  out  of  place.  Food  being  necessary, 
however,  I  decided  on  a  cup  of  tea  and  some 
bread  and  butter,  which  I  knew  I  could  obtain 
for  fivepence.  That  left  me  twopence  half- 
penny. To  add  to  the  pleasures  of  this 
dilemma  the  snow  was  coming  down  as  hard  as 
it  could,  and  the  streets  were  in  a  picturesque 
state  of  slush. 

After  much  walking  and  more  thinking,  the 
only  conclusion  that  I  could  arrive  at  was  to  go 
to  the  Consul   and  state  my  case.     I   did    not 

Vol.  vi.— 38. 


admire  the  briUiancy  of  the  idea,  for  1  happened 
to  know  how  exceedingly  useless  these  officials 
are  in  a  case  where  they  should  be  a  God-send. 

He  was  a  genial-looking  man,  and  from  his 
face  I  hoped  for  much.  I  told  him  my  position 
in  as  few  words  as  possible.  He  thought 
awhile. 

"  Are  you  a  distressed  seaman  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  I  can't  .say  that  I  am,"  I  said  ;  "  but  I  don't 
mind  assuming  that  role  for  the  time  being,  if  it 
will  be  any  assistance." 

"  Have  you  your  discharges  ?  " 

"You  can  consider  them  lost,"  I  said, 
knowing  that  he  was  going  through  the  routine 
of  his  office;  for  red-tape  is  even  rampant 
in  Consular  offices. 


"'are   you    a    DISTRESSEO   seaman?'    HK    IN'CIUIREI).' 


"  What  was  your  last  ship  ?" 

"  The  ss.  Alararoa,''  I  replied. 

"  Why  did  you  leave  her  ?  " 

This  I  thought  was  slightly  absurd,  for  people 
don't  generally  remain  on  a  passenger  steamer 
for  ever. 

I  explained  this  to  the  official. 

"  Then  I  am  sorry  I  can't  help  you,"  he  said, 
rising  as  if  to  go. 

I  coaxed  him  back  and  talked  seriously  to 
him. 

He  offered  a  few  absurd  suggestions,  such  as 
cabling,  etc.,  and  then  said  that  there  was  one 
of  the  Anglo-American  oil-boats  sailing  that 
afternoon  ;  that  the  skipper  was  a  good  sort ; 
and  that  if  I  saw  him  he  might  fix  me  up  with  a 
passage.  This  information,  I  had  to  under- 
stand,   was    unofficial  —  entirely    unofficial.       I 


>46 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


agreed  to  consider  it  so,  as  it  was  so  sensible 
and  to  the  point,  and  left  him  to  seek  the 
address  he  had  given  me. 

After  some  anxious  waiting  I  found  my  man, 
and,  as  luck  would  have  it,  one  of  his  crew  had 
that  day  run  away,  so  he  accepted  my  services 
without  questioning  me  too  closely.  I  was  to 
be  ready  to  go  in  an  hour's  time,  and  to  bring 
my  lugi;age  to  a  certain  wharf,  where  he  would 
send  a  boat  for  me.  I  didn't  jump  quite  out  of 
my  shoes,  but  I  had  a  good  try.  To  get  all  my 
luggage  was  an  impossibility,  for  part  of  it  was 
at  the  hotel.  I  decided  to  let  that  go  and  look 
after  a  bag  I  had  sent  on  to  the  wharf  whence  I 
had  at  first  intended  leaving.  I  inquired  for  it, 
and  found  there  was  a  dollar  storage  and 
cartage  due  on  it,  and  nothing  would  induce 
the  authorities  to  part  with  it  until  this  fee  was 
paid.  The  man  1  interviewed  first  treated  the 
whole  tJiing  as  a  huge  joke,  and  I  honestly 
believe  he  admired  me  for  trying  to  "  have  " 
him.  Time  was  drawing  on,  so  I  demanded  to 
see  the  manager,  who,  after  looking  me  up  and 
down  several  times,  and  having  the  bag  brought 
to  him  and  the  contents  turned  out,  decided 
that  the  lot  would  not  fetch  a  dollar,  and  told 
me  I  could  have  them. 


ing  "  wealth."  How  the  poor  in  American 
towns  live  has  always  been  a  puzzle  to  me,  but 
on  this  particular  day  it  was  more  than  a  puzzle, 
for,  try  as  I  would — and  I  was  in  the  lowest 
quarter  of  the  town — I  could  find  nothing 
in  the  eating  line  that  my  five  cents  would 
purchase.  At  last,  in  desperation,  I  walked 
boldly  into  a  dirty-looking  fruit  shop  and  asked 
the  keeper  of  it  to  sell  me  some  "tired-looking" 
bananas.  I  handed  him  my  whole  capital, 
and  in  exchange  he  gave  me  four  of  the  most 
faded-looking  ones  on  the  bunch.  "  When  I 
tremblingly  asked  for  some  paper  to  wrap  them 
in  he  made  some  growling  remark  about  sending 
a  carriage  round  with  them  to  my  house,  and 
slouched  back  into  his  shop.  I  could  not  help 
smiling  when  I  thought  that  a  few  days  before 
I  had  dined  sumptuously  at  the  best  cafe  in  the 
city. 

The  snow  that  had  been  coming  down  with- 
out ceasing  all  day  had  now  turned  into  a  kind 
of  drizzly  sleet,  and  a  keen  wind  blew  almost 
through  my  somewhat  thin  clothes.     Knowing 


TO   MV    DELIGHT    I    SAW   A   SMALL   TUG   HEADING    FOR   THE   SPOT    VVHtRR    I    WAS    WAITING." 


It  was  then  five  o'clock,  and,  as  I  had  been 
fasting  all  day,  I  felt  a  nasty,  gnawing  sensation 
near  my  belt.  I  hunted  round  for  a  place 
where  I  could,  to  advantage,  spend  my  remain- 


that    my   time   was    getting 


short 


I    trudged 


along  the  filthy  streets  munching  my  bananas 
and  thinking  of  the  days  when  I  had  sat  in  the 
plantations  at   Honolulu  and   picked   them  all 


TOUGH    TIMES    -AND    A    "TANKER." 


347 


ripe  and  juicy  from  the  trees.  The  sun  had 
shone  brightly  then,  and  everything  was  peaceful 
— but  now,  how  different  things  were  !  I  pulled 
my  hat  down  well  over  my  face  and  with  a 
shiver  hurried  on. 

Patiently  or  impatiently,  I  waited  at  the 
appointed  place  for  half  an  hour  after  the 
specified  time,  till  at  last  I  became  anxious ; 
and  seeing  a  fisherman  loafing  near  one  of  the 
sheds  I  inquired  if  any  boat  had  been  along- 
side whilst  I  was  away.  He  hadn't  noticed  one, 
but  asked  me  where  I  was  bound  for.  I  told 
him  all  about  myself,  and  he  consolingly  said  he 
guessed  the  captain  was  having  a  bit  of  fun 
with  me.  He  seemed  to  consider  it  a  huge 
joke,  and  called  one  of  his  "  pals  "  over  to  tell 
him.  Needless  to  say,  I  felt  anything  but 
pleased  with  him,  and  began  to  wish  I  had  not 
spoken. 

After  waiting  another  fifteen  minutes  I 
wondered  if  the  fisherman's  idea  was  a  correct 
one.  Then  I  remembered  that  the  captain  was 
a  Britisher,  and  unless  he  had  spent  a  very  long 
time  in  America  I  was  sure  he  was  not  playing 
a  practical  joke  on  me.  I  had  just  arrived  at 
this  conclusion  when  to  my  delight  I  saw  a 
small  tug  heading  for  the  spot  where  I  was 
waiting.  Ten  minutes  later  I  was  aboard  the 
ss.  Chesapeake,  bound  for  my  dear  old  London. 

Immediately  we  arrived  on  board — ^the  captain 
and  I — a  bo'sun,  touching  his  cap,  caught  hold 
of  my  bag,  thinking  I  was  a  friend  of  the 
captain's  ;  but  directly  he  was  ordered  to  show 
me  to  the  men's  quarters  he  saw  his  mistake, 
and  dropped  the  bag  as  if  it  were  a  hot  potato. 
From  the  attitude  of  a  cringing  servant  of  the 
captain  he  changed  in  an  instant  to  the  abrupt 
manner  so  often  assumed  by  the  men  of  his 
position.  "Poller  me!"  was  his  command, 
ricking  up  my  poor,  offending  bag  I  followed, 
and  on  reaching  the  ladder  he  pointed  to  what 
looked  like  a  dark  hole.  His  conversational 
powers  were  decidedly  limited. 

"  Down  there,"  he  said,  and  swinging  round 
he  disappeared  forward,  where  all  hands  were 
now  busy  getting  ready  to  start. 

I  was  out  of  the  cold  and  wet,  and  for  that  I 
was  certainly  thankful ;  but  as  for  feeling  cheer- 
ful, I  can't  say  I  did.  My  surroundings  were 
anything  but  inspiriting.  The  cabin  I  was  in 
was  a  long,  low  room  under  the  poop.  Down 
the  centre  of  it  was  a  rough  table,  and  against 
three  of  the  walls  two  rows  of  bunks  were  built. 
I  sat  down  on  one  of  the  forms  and  patiently 
waited  for  someone  to  come  in.  Presently 
one  rough -looking  fellow  entered,  his  face  all 
blackened  with  coal-dust  and  striped  here  and 
there  where  the  sweat  had  poured  down  and 
had  been  wiped  off  with  the   back  of  his  hand. 


He  looked  hard  at  me  for  a  second  or  two  and 
then,  appearing  anything  but  satisfied  with  my 
looks,  asked  : — 

"  Are  you  shipped  as  a  fireman  ?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,"  I  replied. 

"Well,  there's  two  of  'em  cleared  out,  an'  they 
don't  seem. to  have  got  others." 

He  then  strolled  up  the  ladder,  growling  at 
the  prospect  of  working  short-handed  for  the 
remainder  of  the  trip. 

Later  on  one  watch  came  down,  and  shortly 
after  tea  made  its  appearance. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  on  board  being 
Christmas  Day  it  was  kept  as  Sunday,  and  the 
company  graciously  allowed  all  hands  an  extra 
tot  of  rum  and  a  bottle  of  laager  beer.  The 
other  delicacies  provided  were  plum-pudding 
and  ducks. 

The  day  was  spent  by  the  sailors  who  were 
not  on  watch  in  sweet  repose  till  the  evening 
came,  and  then  everyone  talked  of  previous 
Christmases  spent  under  startling  and  curious 
circumstances,  and  swopped  yarns  generally. 

The  Chesapeake  being  an  oil-boat  (and  one 
of  the  very  best  of  her  class)  no  smoking  was 
allowed  on  deck,  so  all  spare  time  was  spent  in 
the  cabin,  which  certainly  did  away  with  any 
romantic  ideas  1  had  of  lounging  on  deck 
whilst  I  smoked  and  watched  the  waves  bounding 
against  the  ship's  sides. 

Late  that  evening  I  was  ordered  forward  to 
the  captain,  who  greeted  me  cheerfully,  and 
"  signed  me  on "  as  an  ordinary  seaman, 
dating  the  paper  the  23rd.  During  the  night  a 
tremendous  storm  sprang  up,  and  at  five  in  the 
morning  I  was  hailed  to  come  forward  and  work 
with  the  other  sailors.  I  never  had  any  objection 
to  rough  weather,  but  when,  after  much  difficulty 
and  many  bumps,  I  had  managed  to  pull  my 
clothes  on  and  climbed  up  the  ladder,  the 
meaning  of  "the  perils  of  the  sea"  dawned  on 
me  with  disagreeable  suddenness. 

The  Chesapeake,  as  before  stated,  being  a 
cargo  boat  for  oil,  all  the  available  space  was 
occupied  by  the  enormous  tanks,  whose  tops 
were  flush  with  the  deck.  The  deck,  unlike 
that  of  a  passenger-boat,  was  of  iron,  and  as 
slippery  as  glass  owing  to  the  overflow  of  oil. 
There  were  no  bulwarks,  only  a  rail  ;  and  the 
angry  sea,  as  I  looked  forward,  was  washing  back- 
wards and  forwards  over  the  deck.  The  waves 
were  bursting  right  over  the  ship,  and  there  was 
no  way  of  getting  to  the  far  end  but  through 
this  sea  of  foam!  All  the  other  sailors  had 
gone,  so  that  I  was  left  quite  alone,  and  the 
very  idea  of  crossing  without  anything  to  hold 
on  to  seemed  quite  impossible.  My  mind  was 
soon  made  up.  Before  anyone  had  noticed  me 
I  had  hurried  back  to   my  bunk  and  covered 


348 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


myself  up.  NMien  the  bo'sun  came  to  me  an 
hour  later  I  was  quite  prepared  for  him,  and  he 
left  me  thoroughly  convinced  that  I  was  suffer- 
ing from  acute  mal-de-mer.  This  ruse  I  kept 
up  till  the  next  dav,  when  the  sea  was  slightly 
calmer  and   my  courage    strengthened   by   the 


during  which  time  I  got  over  all  my  fears  of 
instant  death  and  became  quite  an  adept^  at 
running  along  the  planks.  In  fact,  I  was  just 
beginning  to  like  it  when  fate,  or  I  should  say 
illness,  called  me  from  it.  A  number  of  the 
crew  and  firemen  were  suddenly  laid  up,  and 


WHEN    THE    bo'sun    CAME  TO    ME   AN    HOUR    LATER    I    WAS   QUITE    PREPARED    FOR    HIM. 


knowledge  that  a  life-line  had  been  run  along 
the  deck  owing  to  one  of  the  men  having  been 
nearly  washed  overboard. 

The  work  I  was  put  to  was  anything  but 
pleasant  for  a  raw  hand  like  myself,  and  at  first 
sight  it  seemed  like  courting  death.  A  plank 
was  placed  across  two  iron  rafters  in  the  engine- 
room  just  above  the  piston-rods,  and  I  was  told 
to  stand  on  this  and  paint  the  ceiling  of  the 
room,  the  ship  all  the  time  rolling  and  pitching 
in  a  most  absurd  and  uncalled-for  way.  Every 
instant  I  thought  I  should  be  over,  and  I 
imagined  myself  being  banged  to  pieces  by  the 
long  iron  rods  as  they  alternately  shot  up  into 
the  air  towards  my  shaky  plank.  Therefore, 
I  can  assure  you  that  every  spot  where  it  was 
possible  to  touch  or  hang  on  to  anything  I 
painted  with  the  greatest  care  and  spent  no  end 
of  time  there.  Other  and  more  risky  places,  I 
fear,  only  saw  my  brush  as  it. hurried  past. 

This  work  continued  for  a  couple  of  days, 


painting  was  put  aside  for  more  important  work. 
I  was  ordered  down  to  the  bowels  of  the  ship, 
amongst  the  engines  and  fires,  to  assist  in 
keeping  the  brass-work  clean  and  doing  other 
odd  work.  This  seemed  quite  a  simple  job, 
and  only  the  fear  of  bursting  boilers  and  other 
unpleasant  things  made  me  nervous.  I  soon 
found  out  my  error,  however,  as  a  more  risky 
occupation,  to  a  new  hand,  could  not  have  been 
allotted  me. 

"  But  how  on  earth,"  said  I  to  one  of  the 
engineers,  "am  I  to  climb  up  there  and  clean 
that  ?  "  pointing  to  a  steaming  brass  tap. 

"Oh,  it's  quite  simple,"  he  repfied.  "Just 
step  on  there  and  hang  on  to  that — but,"  he 
added,  impressively,  "don't  touch  that  wire, 
because  it  belongs  to  the  motor,  and  be  careful 
there,  for  that  pipe  is  boiling  hot." 

And  so  on  with  about  twenty  other  "  don'ts," 
until  I  began  to  be  afraid  to  stir  an  inch  lest 
some  awful  tragedy  should  happen,  or  by  some 


TOUGH    TlMES---ANb    A    "TANKER. 


349 


silly  mistake  I  should  burst  the  good  ship  up 
and  suddenly  send  a  number  of  unready  souls 
to  account  for  all  their  misdeeds. 

Whilst  at  this  occupation  I  had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  whole  under-deck.  work  of  a 
big  steamer,  and  I  was  astonished  at  the  fearful 
responsibility  that  lay  with  the  engineers.  I 
saw  how  the  slightest  mistake  would  cause  the 
death  of  hundreds  of  people.  I  had  often,  in 
the  Colonies,  thought  that  I  would  like  to  work 
my  passage  home  as  a  fireman.  I  considered  it 
would  be  a  grand  experience,  and  as  they  only 
had  to  work  for  four  hours  at  a  stretch,  it  could 
not  be  very  hard.  I  often  thank  my  guardian 
angel  now  that  I  never  did,  for  a  harder  job  than 
stoking  could  not  be  found,  as  I  now  have 
occasion  to  know.  Each  ship  has  so  many  fires 
that  have  to  be  kept  at  a  certain  heat,  and  if  by 
any  chance,  as  in  this  case,  some  of  the  men 
are  laid  up,  the  task  thrown  on  the  remaining 
men  is  enormous ;  the  work  of  the  trimmers, 
too,  who  heap  up  the  coal  ready  for  the  firemen 
to  throw  into  the  open  furnaces,  becomes  a 
herculean  labour.  One  of  the  most  unpleasant 
jobs  is  that  of  a  greaser,  for  the  responsibility  of 


keeping  all  the  parts  of  the  engines  in  a  well- 
oiled  condition  rests  with  him,  and  he  is  con- 
tinually dodging  about  in  most  dangerous  places 
and  oiling  weirdly  -  shaped  moving  masses  of 
steel ;  he  follows  them  as  they  circulate,  and  as 
the  oil-pans  pass  him  he  tips  his  oil-can  into 
them.  One  day  I  had  the  pleasure  of  assisting 
at  this,  but  have  never  desired  a  repetition 
of  it. 

As  the  ship  neared  her  port  sickness  began 
to  disappear,  and  most  of  the  hard  work 
lightened,  so  that  by  the  time  the  Chesapeake 
was  nearing  Purfleet  I  was  beginning  almost  to 
enjoy  my  novel  experience. 

Strange  to  say,  among  the  crew  were  two 
highly-educated  and  well-born  men,  one  being  a 
near  connection  of  a  Colonial  bishop  and  the 
other  a  son  of  an  American  doctor.  Stranger 
still  was  the  fact  that  the  first  of  these  two  was 
a  man  whom  I  had  known  well  some  five  years 
back,  when  he  was  in  a  prosperous  position  in 
Auckland.  Here  then  we  met  again,  thousands 
of  miles  away,  as  sailors  on  an  oil-tanker — 
grimy,  ragged,  and  as  hard  as  nails,  and  yet 
both  happy. 


Dis.  I. 


CERTIFICATE  OF  DISCHARGE 

FOR  SEAMEN  DISCHARGED   BEFORE  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF -A  MERCANTILE 

MARINE  OFFICE  IN  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM,  A  BRITISH  CONSUL,  OR  A  SHIPPING 

OFFICER  IN  BRITISH  POSSESSION  ABROAD. 


s  S 


ISStrXD  BY 
TH£  BOA£I)  OF  TBACE 


No.    4 


Name  of  Ship. 


x^^^  aj^^y^ 


Ojfuf.  Number. 


Port  of  Regittry. 


Jteg.  Tonnage 


Boree  Power  (jfEnginef  (ifarvy) 


^/J 


/^J^/yff  i     /g^4v/^^:^r>^    i  ^>if"~ 


Description  of  Voyage  or  Employment. 


Xr^^^^^^^T^^^^^ 


Name  of  Seaman. 


^/t*v<4^/y 


^W^-^^tC 


Age.  Place  of  Biiih. 


Dateof  Engagement 


Jj//^/ff 


'i'lace  of  Eng 


^•7-//^^^^^ 


'   \9rC*rtif.         t/Uatfvr  Snffiiurr.  !^o.  <tf  Cert,  fif  anv) 


ay 


/^^^<ti4g^ 


Boie  of  Discharge. 


r//y 


'n- 


Place  of  Discharge. 


,;^^^7^^s;^-2<^ 


B  ccrJifg  that  the  above  particulars  are  coi-rect  and  that  the  above  named 
Seaman  was  discharged  accordingly  *  and  that  the  character  described  hereon 
is  a  true  copy  of  the  Report  concerning  the  said  Seaman. 


;^ 


Dated  this       ^  day  ofJp^t^.ay   \^ff 


•  U  UM  B«*mu  (]<>••  not  rgquin  *  CertJJU>.t«  of  lu>  oh«rMMT.  obllter«le  Uui  foUowln*  Wort,  to  Une.  two  and  three  and    -ore  throngh^e  DIbcs. 


©  2 


CHARACTER 
FOR  CONDUCT. 


CHARACTER 
FOR  ABIUn. 


THIS    IS    A    KEDUCEn    KACSIMILE    OK    MK.    ELKINGTON's    DISCHARGE    FROM    THE   OIL-TANK    STEAMER. 


1-2. 
^i 

%"     .z 

^■2    .-Sil 
■3  t.'S  !'=> 

o   £    K 
>»  5i  -^  o  ^ 

a  -  S?^ 

1*3  sail 

2  «  2  ^  *  (. 
J  3  6  •?!:  o 

5  »,-  e  fe  S  ■? 
8  fe's.O  s| 
g  a.°.2W  S 
"  ^  Si  «  2 

I-    C-H    -J    ^    -tf    ^ 

^  ^-  -a  5  .a  - 
I   S  l^-o 


_>  -c  rN 


''Off   the  Beaten  Track  in  Palestine.'' 

\\\  Archibai-o  Forder,  of  Jerusalem  (American  Missionary  Alliance). 

An  able  and  enterprising  Palestine  missionary  here  gives  an  account  of  some  wanderings  and 
researches  in  wild  and  out-of-the-way  parts  of  the  Holy  Land,  in  the  company  of  an  American 
scientist.  Professor  Samuel  I.  Curtiss,  of  Chicago.  They  had  many  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr. 
Forder  succeeded  in  taking  some  remarkable  snap-shots — such,  for  example,  as  the  one  showing  the 
wonderful  temple  hewn  like  a  pink  cameo  out   of  the  solid  rock. 


T  is  not  the  fortune  of  many  to  visit 
in  succession  the  interesting  places 
1   have  just 


left.  Such 
being  the 
case,  I  thought  that  the 
readers  of  The  Wide 
World  Magazine  might 
like  to  know  what  we  saw 
and  how  we  accomplished 
the  journeys  between 
places  so  far  apart  one 
from  another,  as  well  as 
to  see  reproductions  of 
actual  photographs  of 
some  of  the  wonderful 
things  we  saw.  I  say 
"  we,"  for  I  went  with 
Professor  Samuel  Ives 
Curtiss,  of  Chicago,  who 
asked  me  to  accompany 
him  because  of  my  know- 
ledge of  the  language 
and  customs  of  the 
Arabs,  as  well  as  of 
the  country  and  the 
ruins  we  desired  to 
visit.  The  journey  was 
undertaken  for  two 
reasons.     First,   to  study 


the    customs    and    habits    of  the   Arabs,    and 
secondly  to  visit  the  remains  of  the  historical 

cities  and  the   yet  exist- 
ing  works   of    the   eiant 


age. 


J^'roni  a\ 


AlM.HII.Al.1.      M.KlJhK,     I'i       THK     AMKIvl^_A 
MISSIONARY   ALLIANCE.  [Fhoto. 


In  all  we  were  travelling 
for  about  sixty  days, 
making  use  as  we  could 
of  saddle,  railway,  and 
carriage.  We  left  Jeru- 
salem on  Monday  after- 
noon, June  i8th,  our 
party  consisting  of  three 
Arabs,  four  horses  and 
a  donkey,  and  our  two 
selves.  We  made  our 
way  down  the  Valley  of 
the  Kedron,  and  after 
about  three  hours'  riding 
reached  the  Convent  of 
Mar  Saba,  a  place  which, 
as  many  will  know,  is 
remarkable  for  its  unique 
situation,  hanging  on  as 
it  seems  to  the  sides  of 
a  very  rocky  valley.  The 
monks  received  us  kindly, 
and  placed  a  decent  room 
at  our  disposal  as  well  as 
providing  us  with  boiling 


1-  1-11  I  ION. 


From  a  Photo- 


I'|;(1H->SUK     S.     I.    CLKTISS,    111-     CHILAI.CI. 

Ft'otn  a  Photo. 


OFF    THE    BEATEN    TRACK    IN    PALESTINE. 


35t 


young 


are 
great 


with  camels 
and  old,  all  pushing 
and  struggling  and 
grovelling  to  quench 
their  thirst.  There 
five  wells  here  of 
antiquity  :  the 
top  row  of  stones 
proves  that  for  ages 
shepherds  have 
watered  their  flocks 
there.  The  marks  of 
the  ropes  can  be 
plainly  seen  in  the 
photograph,  the  con- 
stant pulling  up  of  the 
water  having  made 
incisions  in  the  stones 
6}2in.  deep.  The 
water  is  drawn  from 
wells    by    a 


some 
camel 


rough 


working   at  a 


on 


again 


over  old 


OI.IJ    WELL   AT    BF.F.KSMI- I'.A — lil'.SKUV'E   THE    DEEl-   (.KOOVES   WORN    IN   THE    STONES    HV    THE    Kol'ES. 

From  a  Photo. 


water.  Early  next  morning  we  left  and  made 
our  way  across  country,  passing  Bethlehem  and 
the  Pools  of  Siloam,  and  reaching  Hebron 
about  two  in  the  afternoon.  Here  we  spent  the 
night,  and  next  day  went 
Bible  lands,  reaching 
about  sunset  the  sup- 
posed site  of  Kirjath- 
sepher,  for  the  taking  of 
which  Caleb  gave  his 
daughte*-  to  the  con- 
queror    (Judges    i.  — 12, 

13). 

After  spending  the 
night  here  we  left  early 
next  morning  for  Patri- 
archal lands,  and  in  about 
an  hour  were  in  the 
Wilderness  of  Beersheba. 
Riding  on  level  ground, 
mostly  ploughed,  after 
five  hours  we  sighted 
Beersheba  ;  and  the 
number  of  camels  coming 
and  going  would  have 
told  anyone  that  water 
was  near.  Reaching  an 
eminence,  we  saw  in  the 
depression  before  us  a 
wonderful  sight  —  thou- 
sands of  sheep  and  goats, 


windlass, 
which  pulls  up  lea- 
ther buckets  or 
earthenware  jars  fas- 
tened to  a  strong 
rope.  The  illustra- 
tion shows  a  camel  going  his  weary  round,  blind- 
folded so  that  he  shall  not  grow  giddy  !  The 
Arabs  proudly  informed  us  that  their  father 
Abraham  made  these  wells,  and  that  they  never 
failed  to  give  water. 


No  wonder,  indeed  ! 


HOW   WATER    IS    PULLED    UP 

From  a\ 


IN    THE    DESERT-^THE   CAMEL   IS    BLINDFOLDED    IN   ORDER   THAT   HE 
MAY    NOT   (JET   GIDDY.  [P/IOZO. 


OD- 


THE    WIDE    WORED    MAGAZINE. 


Earlv  next  day  we  reluctantly  left  to  go 
Hirther  south.  Our  way  led  us  over  hills  of 
heavy  sand,  and  we  made  slow  progress. 
Moreover  it  was  very  hot,  and  we  were  glad  to 
see  in  the  distance  two  Arab  tents,  for  which 
we  made,  and  met  with  a  most  hearty  reception. 
In  front  of  one  of  them  a  woman  was  weaving 
a  carpet,  but  she  left  her  work  and  quickly 
prepared  us  a  meal.  As  we  were  tired  out  we 
decided  to  stay  the  night  here.  At  about 
sunset  the  goats  came  home,  and  our  host 
picking  out  a  ram  proceeded  to  kill  it  in  honour 
of  our  visit.  The  blood  of  the  slain  animal 
was  caught  and  smeared  on  the  corners  of  their 
tent  and  on  the  necks  of  their  camels.  On 
our  asking  why,  they  said  "that  some  blessing 
may  come  on  us  and  on  our  beasts." 

At  about  nine  the  cooked  meat  was  served  up 
in  a  large  round  dish. 
Each  one  of  us  pre- 
sent was  given  a 
handful  by  the  host, 
and  in  this  manner  it 
quickly  disappeared. 
After  this  hearty 
meal  we  went  to 
sleep  on  the  sand 
under  the  starry 
heavens,  to  wake 
and  move  off  at 
sunrise  next  day. 
We  were  fortunate 
enough  to  fall  in 
with  a  sheik  of  the 
tribe  in  whose  coun- 
try we  now  were, 
and  on  being  asked 
to  guide  us  he 
willingly  consented. 
That  day  he  led  us 
over  rough,  stony 
roads,  until  about 
four  in  the  afternoon 
we  reached  a  large 
encampment.  Here 
we  put  up  and  de- 
cided to  spend  Sun- 
day. We  had  free 
access  to  the  tents 
of  the  natives,  and 
many  chances  to  observe  their  habits,  which, 
of  course,  are  strange  and  primitive  in  the 
extreme.  As  it  was  the  milk  season  the 
women  were  busily  engaged  in  churning.  It 
is  a  long  and  tedious  task :  every  time  the 
large  skin  that  contains  the  milk  is  opened  so 
that  the  worker  may  see  how  things  are  pro- 
ceeding it  has  to  be  blown  out  afresh.  Several 
hours  are  spent  every  morning  at  this  tusk,  and 


From  a\ 


AMI    FORWARDS 


the  poor  woman  is  very  weary  by  the  time  it 
is  over. 

From  this  point  we  wished  to  go  to  the 
accepted  site  of  Kedesh-Barnea,  but  this  we 
found  was  just  within  the  limits  of  the  next 
tribe's  territory.  Our  sheik  did  his  best  to 
persuade  us  not  to  go,  as  there  was  danger.  He 
said  this  particular  tribe  were  very  wild  and 
ferocious,  and  especially  hostile  to  any  outsiders 
who  visited  their  springs.  After  some  consulta- 
tion our  sheik  agreed  for  a  certain  sum  to 
go  with  us,  provided  we  did  not  hold  him 
responsible  for  any  injury  or  theft.  About 
four  next  morning  we  set  out  —  the  sheik, 
two  Arabs  from  the  encampment,  and  our  two 
selves.  After  six  hours'  riding  without  dis- 
mounting we  descended  a  narrow  gorge,  and  on 
making  a  sharp  turn  came  to  the  spot  we  were 

seeking.  Springs 
bubbled  up  every- 
where:  camels, 
sheep,  goats,  don- 
keys, and  a  few 
horses  were  quench- 
ing their  thirst,  while 
the  shepherds 
sought  the  shade  of 
the  rocks  and  trees 
near  by.  On  seeing 
us  the  Arabs  at  once 
came  for  us  in  a 
body.  Some  of  them 
had  Martini  rifles, 
which  they  unslung 
and  loaded.  They 
shouted  at  us  to 
return,  but  we  ad- 
vanced towards  them 
and  dismounted, 
our  sheik  and  his 
men  keeping  well 
behind. 

One  fellow  more 
impudent  than  the 
rest  came  up  and 
said  : — 

"  If  you  don't  go 
away  at  once  we  will 
shoot  you.  I  know 
why  you  come  here, 
to  bewitch  the  springs  ;  to-morrow  there  will 
be  no  water  for  the  flocks  or  us,  and  we  shall 
all  die." 

I  answered  him  :  "  We  want  to  see  the 
country,  we  have  no  power  over  the  springs, 
and  when  we  have  seen  all  we  shall  go  back." 

Turning  on  our  sheik,  the  Arab  bullied  him. 
"  You  take  money  from  these  charmers  and 
bring  them  to  our  waters,"  he  said  ;  "  why  don't 


I  ll.i.l-.lj     :^kl.,     i^ 
ON    THE   TRll'On. 


[Photo. 


OFF    THE    BEATEN    TRACK    IN    PALESTINE." 


353 


you   take  them  to   your  own  springs  ?     Away, 
away,  quick  !  or  you  are  all  dead  men." 

Then  my  companion  committed  an  unfortu- 
nate act  that  brought  our  visit  to  a  speedy  close. 
He  wanted  to  fill  his  flask  with  fresh  water,  and 
so,  taking  it  from  his  pocket,  he 
unscrewed  the  cover  and  poured 
away  the  remains  of  some  tea  from 
the  previous  day.  The  Arabs  saw 
him,  and  at  once  accused  him  of 
trying  to  poison  or  stop  the  flow 
of  water.  Expostulation  was  of  no 
avail.  The  men  shouldered  their 
guns,  the  women  picked  up  stones, 
and  our  sheik,  scared  out  of  his 
senses,  got  on  his  horse  and  called 
to  us  to  do  the  same.  As  we 
mounted  stones  flew  around  us, 
and  curses  and  oaths  followed  us 
as  we  rode  off.  As  we  climbed 
the  steep  sides  of  the  valley  we 
heard  the  reports  of  guns,  fired  off, 
no  doubt,  in  joy  at  being  delivered 
from  such  unwelcome  visitors  ! 

Next    morning    w'c    moved    on 
again,    and    after    some    thirteen 
hours'  weary  ride  over  hot,  sandy 
[)lains    reached    a    small    encam[) 
ment,  where  we  spent  the  night. 

Being  uncertain  of  the  way  on 
the  morrow,  we  hired  a  man  to 
guide  us  to  a  given  point  and  hand 
us  over  to  the  next  tribe.  All  that 
day  we  rode  under  a  scorching  sun 
without  meeting  a  soul  until  just 
before  evening,  when  we  saw  a 
man  away  on  the  hills.  Making  for  him,  we 
asked  for  tents.  He  said  that  just  ahead  was  a 
large  camp  and  advised  us  to  go  on  and  stay 
with  the  people  there.  Go  on  we  did,  but  no 
camp  could  we  find,  and  at  last,  weary  and 
tired,  we  rested  by  the  side  of  a  small  spring, 
which  gave  just  enough  water  for  us  and  our 
beasts. 

After  supper  we  put  our  few  belongings  in  the 
midst  of  a  bush  and  settled  down  for  the  night. 
My  companion,  ignorant  of  the  ways  of  Arabs, 
decided  to  sleep,  and  taking  his  camp-bed  he 
put  it  up  about  thirty  yards  away  from  us.  I 
said  to  him  :  "  You  may  learn  before  the  night  is 
through  not  to  leave  your  party  ;  take  my  advice 
and  stay  with  us  under  cover  of  the  bushes." 
But  he  wouldn't  listen.  My  long  experience 
told  me  we  should  be  attacked.  My  men,  good 
fellows,  were  alive  to  the  situation,  and  after 
giving  them  each  a  revolver  we  sat  down  and 
waited  for  what  should  come.  It  was  near 
midnight  when  one  of  the  horses  near  me 
whinnied,  and  almost  at  the  same  moment  my 

Vol.  vi.-39. 


companion  shouted  out,  "  Mr.  Forder,  come  ;   a 
man  is  standing  over  me  with  a  gun." 

I  ran  towards  him  to  see  an  Arab  with  his 
long  gun  making  for  some  shrubs  near  by ; 
sending  a  bullet  after  him  no  doubt  scared  him. 


DESERT    AHAIlS 

From  «] 


WHO    FEARICD    TtiE    EVIL    INFLUENCE    OF      I  HE    WHIIE    MEN    OVER 

THEIR   SPRINGS.  \Photo. 

The  men  shouted  and  fired  off  the^'r  guns.  My 
companion  made  for  the  bushes,  trembling  with 
fear,  and  said,  "What  shall  we  do?  We  shall 
be  killed."  I  said,  "  Lie  down  and  keep 
quiet."  I  knew  that  we  might  at  any  time  have 
a  second  surprise,  and  most  likely  just  before 
dawn — a  favourite  time  for  attacks,  as  watchers 
get  weary  and  fall  asleep.  I  told  the  men  to 
be  on  the  alert.  Hour  after  hour  passed  and 
daybreak  was  near,  when  I  noticed  that  the 
animals  grew  uneasy,  pricking  up  their  ears  and 
looking  about  as  if  they  saw  something.  Looking 
out  from  under  cover  of  the  bushes  I  saw  three 
figures  creeping  towards  us  ;  I  called  the  men, 
and  at  the  same  time  fired  three  shots  at  the 
figures,  my  men  following  me.  The  miserable 
thieves  made  off  once  again,  leaving  us  to  finish 
our  watch. 

Soon  the  day  broke  and,  packing  up  our 
things  and  filling  our  water-bottles,  we  rode  off, 
glad  that  the  night  was  past  and  that  we  were 
free  from  any  harm  or  loss  save  that  of  sleep. 

About  noon  we  came  to  a  large  encampment 


354 


Till:     WlDl':     UORl.l)     MAC.AZINE. 


IIIK    AlCMI    CIIIKl-     Will)     I  i;F.A TKD    THE    •JUcl    KM'l.ORERS    SO    KINDLY    Al-TICK     THE    NH;HT 

ADVENIXKE   WITH    THIEVES.  [P/loto. 


and  were  welcomed  by  the  sheik,  who  gave  us 
his  best  carpets  to  sit   on,  made  us  food  and 
coflTee,  and  insisted  that  we  should  share  his  tent 
and  not  the  guest-tent,    which   is  the   place  for 
all  visitors.     We  were  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of 
his    kindness    and    lie    down    and 
sleep.     In   the  evening    he  killed 
a  sheep  in  our  honour,   and  next 
morning  gave  us  one  of  his  men 
to    guide    us    to    the    main    road, 
which  we  had  missed. 

We  were  now  in  the  district  of 
Hebron,  and  had  to  decide  whether 
to  return  to  Jerusalem  that  way  or 
to  go  across  country  into  Moab  via 
Jebel  Usdum  and  the  south  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  On  consulting  with  the 
.sheik  he  said  it  was  dangerous  to 
go  the  latter  route,  as  a  band  of 
Arabs  were  out  plundering,  and 
during  the  past  few  days  several 
men  had  been  murdered  and 
caravans  robbed.  So  we  decided 
to  make  for  Hebron,  which  w^e 
reached  after  seven  hours'  ride: 
here  we  took  a  carriage  to  Jeru- 
salem, leaving  our  horses  to  follow 
us  next  day. 

Having  reprovisioned  we  left 
again  for  Jericho,  slept  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jordan,  and  the 
second  day  about  noon  we  camped 
at  Medaba.  \N'e  were  now  on  the 
east  of  the  Jordan,  among  the 
Bedouins  again,  but  these  Arabs 
are  a  much  finer  type  than  those 
with  whom  we  had  been  during 
the  past  two  weeks.  From  Medaba 
we  made  a  trip  out  to  the  old 
ruin    of    Mashetta,    crossing    the        FroZ'^a^''' '''''' 


l)ilgrini  route  to 
Mecca,  with  its 
one  hundred  and 
twenty  tracks 
made  by  the 
great  caravan  as 
it  goes  and  comes 
every  year. 

Next  day  we 
started  for  Cal- 
lirrhoe,  with  its 
famous  hot 
springs.  Here  we 
found  numbers  of 
sulphur  springs, 
so  hot  that  one 
could  not  put 
one's  hand  into 
them.  The  hot- 
test registered  142  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  they 
all  threw  off  clouds  of  steam;  the  fumes  of  sul- 
phur, too,  were  very  strong.  Very  fine  was  a  fall 
of  this  hot  sulphur  water  over  the  rocks.  At  a 
height  of  about  150ft.  the  water  glistened  in  the 


,  150FT. 


HKill,    OF    IIOILI.NG    .SUIJ'HUK    WATEK" 
IT   ONE    BECOMFS   GIDDY. 


-STANDING 


.NFAl; 

[P/iotc. 


"OFF    THE    BEATEN    TRACK    IN    PALESTINE." 


355 


sunlight,  and  the  edges  were  green  and  yellow 
with  the  deposit  of  sulphur  and  lime.  Passing 
by  the  prison  and  execution  place  of  John  the 
Baptist  we  journeyed  on  for  two  days  over  level 
plains  until  we  reached  Kerak,  the  capital  of 
Moab,  where  the  Turks  have  a  garrison.  Apply- 
ing to  the  Governor,  he  demurred  about  allowing 
us  to  pass  on  to  Petra,  but  on  my  showing  him 
written  permission  obtained 
from  the  Valy  in  Damascus 
he  at  once  changed  his  mind 
and  offered  us  a  military  escort. 

To  Petra  from  Kerak  is  a 
long,  weary  ride  of  two  and  a 
half  days,  uninteresting,  and 
in  some  parts  without  water-i 
About  noon  on  the  third  day 
we  sighted  the  various  coloured 
mountains  of  Petra,  and  soon 
descended  to  the  entrance  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Sik — a 
wonderful  gorge,  not  more 
than  eight  yards  wide  in  any 
part,  but  about  two  miles  long, 
and  varying  in  height  from 
50ft.  to  500ft.  A  fine  stream 
flows  through  it,  and  oleander, 
willow,  and  wild  fig  trees 
abound.  In  many  places 
maiden-hair  fern  covers  the 
rocks  in  great  profusion. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  gorge 
we  saw  signs  of  carving  on 
the  rock  opposite,  and  on 
emerging  came  suddenly  on  a 
most  magnificent  temple  hewn 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  which  is 
of  pink  colour. 

The  temple  is  87ft.  high 
and  about  40ft.  wide.  The 
situation  was  so  well  chosen 
that  even  to-day  the  work  is 
little  damaged.  A  careful 
examination  of  the  photo- 
grapli  will  show  what  fine  work 
was  done  by  the  ancients. 
This  temple  contains  three 
large  chambers  hewn  out  of  the  rock.  Passing 
down  the  valley  amidst  tombs  and  dwellings  on 
every  side  we  suddenly  came  to  a  magnificent 
amphitheatre,  thirty-nine  yards  in  diameter,  also 
entirely  hewn  out  of  the  rock.  It  has  thirty- 
three  tiers  of  seats  one  above  another,  and  we 
estimated  that  it  would  seat  about  4,000  persons. 
Around  us  on  every  side  are  beautiful  excava- 
tions, some  of  them  very  elaborate  and  gigantic. 

Every  visitor  to  Petra  (and  they  are  few) 
desires  to  make  the  ascent  of  Mount  Hor,  and 
visit  the  lonely  tomb  of  Aaron,  the  High  Priest 


of  Israel ;  but  the  Arabs  of  the  district  are 
fanatical,  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  prevent 
Christians  from  ascending  the  mountain.  I 
had  made  the  ascent  the  year  before,  but 
my  companion,  being  especially  interested  in 
sacred  shrines,  was  most  desirous  of  visiting 
the  tomb.  We  dared  not  mention  it  to 
any  of  the  Arabs,  as  I  knew  that  that  would 


THIS   TEMPLE    HAS 
From  a\ 


BEEN    CARVED   LIKE   A   CAMEO,    87FT.    HIGH,    OUT   OF    THE    ROSE-IMNK 

ROCK    OF    THE    PRECIPICE.  [P/toto. 

mean  failure  ;  but  on  the  last  afternoon  I 
thought  I  would  make  the  attempt.  Calling 
for  our  horses  we  mounted,  and  I  told  our 
men  to  have  supper  ready  as  usual.  It  was 
about  two  and  a  half  hours'  ride.  We  hurried 
up  our  animals,  and  in  less  than  that  time 
reached  a  place  near  the  summit,  whence  we 
had  to  proceed  on  foot.  Tying  our  horses  to 
large  stones  we  climbed  up  the  rocks  and  soon 
gained  the  desired  spot.  My  companion  was 
overjoyed,  but  I  bade  him  be  quick  and 
examine  the  tomb,  make  his  measurements,  and 


-V=?<' 


THE    WIDE    WORl.l)    ArAGAZlNE. 


:hk  iKv.irAPH  <.vek   aakons  tomb  on   Mf)UXT  iioi;. 
AND   MR.    FOKUEK    HAD   TO    KK    FKOTECTED    liV   SOL 

THIS   PHOIO. 


—  ■I  HIS    IS    A    HDI.V  I'l.ACE, 
:)IF,KS    WIIICN"    TAKING 


^\■e  now   started   north,   taking  fresh 
horses,    and    made    for    Damascus   via 
Nablus,  Beisan,  and  Irbid  to  Mzareeb, 
reaching  the  wonderful  city  on  the  fourth 
day   from   Jerusalem.     Next    day   1  set 
about  making  plans  for  a   trip  to  Pal- 
myra, the  ruined  city  of  Zenobia.     This 
place   is   four  days'   hard  journey  from 
1  )amascus,  over  a  heavy  sandy  country 
infested  by  bands  of  Arabs.   We  decided 
to  take  a  carriage  for  the  trip,  as  it  was 
possible  to  do   so,  and  would   be  less 
tedious  than  the   saddle.     At  midnight 
we  started  off,  and  just  before  the  sun 
set  on  the  fourth  day  we  saw  in  the  dis- 
tance the  towers  and  castle  of  Palmyra. 
We  pulled  up  at  the  house  of  the  sheik, 
who  welcomed  us  and  gave  us  the  guest- 
chamber.     He  is  a  fine  fellow,  who  has 
once  been  to  Europe — as  far  as  Paris — 
so  that  he  knew  how  to  entertain  us  in 
good    style.      We    were    up    early    next 
morning  and  out  among  the  ruins. 

We  began  with  the  remains  of  the 
I'emple  of  the  Sun.  This  fine  building, 
with  its  surrounding  courts,  occupied  a 
space  about  as  large  as  Trafalgar  Square. 
To-day  the  space  is  filled  with  the  mud- 
huts  of  the  Arabs,  quite  spoiling  these 
fine  ruins.  A  very  fine  portico  still 
remains,  however,  the  lower  part  of  which 
is  built  in,  whilst  the  upper  rears  itself 
high  above  everything  else.    Fine  pillars 


do  all  he  wanted,  as  the 
sun  was  setting  and  there 
was  no  moon.  I  had 
taken  photographs  of  the 
toniV)  on  my  previous  visit, 
and  I  think  I  am  correct 
in  saying  that  they  are  the 
first  pictures  ever  taken 
of  the  place.  The  readers 
of  The  Wide  World 
M.\G.\ziNE  are  now  able 
to  see  Aaron's  tomb  with- 
out the  trouble  and  risk 
of  a  long,  tedious,  and 
even  dangerous  journey  ! 
Having  thoroughly  exam- 
ined the  place  we  began 
the  descent,  and  after 
about  two  and  a  half 
hours  reached  camp. 

The  next  day  we  struck 
camp  again  and  returned 
to  Jerusalem  the  same 
way  we  had  come,  reach- 
ing it  on  the  seventh  day. 


Ftriii  a] 


I'ART   0|-    THE   STI'EliT   OK    COLUMNS    AT    I'ALMYRA. 


[Photo. 


"  OFF    THE    BEATEN    TRACK    IN    PALESTINE.'' 


357 


THE    HEADS   OF    THESE    ANCIENT    MARBLE    STATUES     HAVE    BEEN    BROKEN    OFF    BY 
From  a\  the  ARABS   and   sold  to   TRAVELLERS.  [Fhoto. 


And  beautifully  carved  capitals  lie  about  every- 
where, and  a  good  part  of  the  temple  itself  still 
stands.  Leaving  the  temple  we  made  for  the 
Street  of  Columns.  This  was  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile 
long,  and  must 
have  been  com- 
posed of  quite 
four  hundred 
columns.  Most 
of  them  had  a 
pedestal  about 
half-way  up,  on 
which  busts  and 
statues  of  Pal- 
myra's notable 
citizens  were 
placed.  The 
.Vrabs  have 
knocked  off  the 
heads  of  the  sta- 
tues because  of 
their  religious  dis- 
like of  images, 
and  no  doubt 
these  heads  have 
been  sold  for 
high  prices  to 
travellers.  • 

Our  guide  told  us  that  he  sold  the  complete 
figure  of  Zenobia  for  seven  hundred  pounds, 
but   others   told   us  exactly  the  same  story.      I 

had  two  headless  figures      

stood  uj),  and  snapped 
them  with  our  guide 
between  them.  A  fine 
triple  arch  leads  into  the 
Street  of  Columns  ;  most 
of  it  is  finely  ornamented 
with  festoons  of  flowers, 
fruits,  and  animals  in 
fine  relief  on  the  stone. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the 
photograph,  the  keystone 
has  subsided,  so  that  any 
day  this  fine  piece  of 
work  may  fall.  Perhaps 
one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing features  of  Palmyra 
is  its  sepulchral  towers. 
They  are  numerous,  and 
in  almost  every  case  set 
on  an  eminence;  but,  like 
everything  else,  they  are 
in  ruins,  though  some 
are  in  a  fair  state  of  pre- 
servation. 

The  last  place  we  were 


shown  was  an  interesting 


THIS    IS    SHEAB,    THE    .MAN    WHO    GLIDED     MR.     FORDEK    AND 

PROFESSOR   CURTISS   THROUGH   THE   DRUZE    COUNTRY. 

From  a  Photo. 


underground  chamber.  We  dropped  down  a 
narrow  shaft  about  four  yards  deep,  and  wriggled 
on  our  stomachs  through  a  small  opening  into 
what  seemed  a  pit  of  dust  and  stones.     Lighting 

candles  we  waited 
a  while  to  accus- 
tom our  eyes  to 
the  light.  Then 
making  our  way 
carefully  over 
boulders  of  rock 
which  had  fallen 
from  above  we 
reached  a  small 
domed  chamber, 
from  which  three 
chambers  about 
2  oft.  by  I  oft.  led 
off.  The  one 
directly  in  front 
of  us  we  saw  was 
highly  decorated. 
The  ceiling,  which 
was  arched,  was 
made  up  of  the 
finest  mosaic  I 
have  ever  seen, 
and  that  of  the 
richest  hues.  By 
magnesian  light  we  saw  splendidly.  It  was 
absolutely  perfect.  All  round  this  chamber 
were  recesses  for  dead  bodies.     On  the  slabs, 

one  above  another,  were 
the  bones  and  dusts  of 
the  former  inhabitants  of 
Palmyra;  and  at  the 
side  of  each  was  a  finely 
painted  head  with  a  name 
under  it,  no  doubt  repre- 
senting the  person  buried 
there.  All  was  in  a  fine 
state  of  preservation,  as 
if  only  finished  a  few 
days  ago. 

Next  morning  at  sun- 
rise we  bade  good-bye  to 
our  kind  host  and  the 
ruins  of  Palmyra,  but  the 
remembrance  of  them 
will  always  be  a  pleasant 
memory. 

On  returning  to 
Damascus  we  stayed  one 
day  there  to  hire  horses, 
and  then  left  again  for 
the  Hauran,  especially 
the  Druze  district,  which 
is  forbidden  by  the 
Turkish     authorities     to 


.^5^ 


THE    WIDE    WORl  t)    M.\(;AZINE. 


travellers  for  reasons  known  only  to  themselves. 
About  a  voar  ago  I  had  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  Pru/e  man,  who  lived  in  the  east  of  the 
region  we  wanted  to  visit,  and  I  was  lucky 
enough  to  meet  him  in  Damascus  and  to  per- 
suade him  to  be  our  guide  for  about  ten  days, 
taking  us  to  the  places  we  desired  to  see.  We 
had  read  much  about  t!ie  stone  doors,  windows, 
and  roofs  of  the  buildings  in  these  parts,  and 
were  anxious  to  see  them.      Disguising  ourselves 


near  by,  and  were  soon  busy  examining  stone 
doors  and  windows.  We  measured  one,  6ft.  6in. 
high,  3ft.  10 1/. in.  wide,  and  7)^ in.  thick— all 
heWn  from  one  block  of  black  basalt.  On 
being  struck  they  would  ring  clear  like  a  bell. 
Two  men  putting  forth  all  their  strength  could 
only  shut  the  door  slowly.  The  old  houses 
all  had  doors  and  windows  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple. 

Our  time   being  limited  we  were   obliged  to 


IjR.ZE    KA.MII.V— THE   TWO    EXTLOUEKS   WERE   ENT  EliTAINKD    HV   THIS    FAMILY    FOR    THREE    DAYS. 

From  a  Photo. 


in  Arab  clothing  we  rode  out  of  Damascus, 
passing  one  police  and  military  station  after 
another  without  being  discovered.  Our  guide 
was  mounted  on  a  dromedary,  and  rode 
before  us.  We  soon  left  the  green  gardens  of 
Damascus  behind  us  and  got  on  to  the  high 
ground. 

Passing  several  large  caravans  taking  new 
wheat  to  Damascus  we  reached  the  north  end 
of  the  I>ejah  about  midnight,  where  we  rested 
until  morning.     We  then  went  into   a  village 


return    to  Damascus  after  eleven   days  among 
these  dead  cities  and  these  kind  Arabs. 

It  may  interest  some  readers  to  know  that  the 
trip  was  not  very  expensive,  the  average  cost 
per  day  being  about  twelve  shillings,  and  we 
found  that  even  in  July  and  August  some,  if 
not  most,  of  the  days  were  cool,  thus  making 
touring  in  these  lands  possible.  I  would  say,  in 
conclusion,  that  for  Petra  and  Palmyra  Govern- 
ment permission  is  necessary,  and  is  in  most 
cases  readily  granted. 


Now     We     Walked    Four    Hundred    Miles, 


WITH  TRAGEDY  AND  COMEDY  EN  ROUTE. 

By    R.    de    S.     Magnussen,    of    Broken    Hill,    N.S.W. 

The  author  and  his  partner,  having  failed  to  manage  successfully  a  travelling  theatrical  company,  set 

out  to  walk  to  Melbourne,  a  distance  of  800  miles.     They  only  accomplished  less  than  half  the  distance, 

however,  for  they  went  astray  in  the  bush,  and   had  a  most  dismal   time  ;   indeed,  had  they  not  been  a 

couple  of  resourceful  Australians,  they  would  probably  have  perished  miserably  in  the  flooded  wastes. 


E  were  probably  mad,  my  chum 
(Jasper  Ries)  and  myself — mad  to 
undertake  the  trip  at  all,  and  especially 
mad  to  attempt  it  in  the  depth  of 
winter.     "  Sunny  New  South  Wales  " 

is  a  fiction  of  the  poet.     In  the  summer-time 

the  sun  does,  perhaps,  shine  freely  and  regu- 
larly ;  but  in  the  winter  and  the  months  adjoin- 
ing, what  with  rain  and 

snow,     piercingly     cold 

winds,  fogs,  and   frosts, 

Australia,     the    Eastern 

portion    particularly,    is 

etjually   as    dull    and 

dismal      as     dear     Old 

England.     In   Southern 

New    South    Wales,    in 

the  Kiandra  district,  the 

snow    lasts    nearly    the 

whole  year  round.   Why, 

here  where  I   pen    this, 

almost  in  the  centre  of 

Australia,  we  have  had 

but  three  or  four  brief 

glimpses  of  the   sun  for 

the  past  five  or  six  weeks. 
We,  Ries  and  myself, 

had    temporarily    aban- 
doned     journalism     to 

manage   a   theatrical 

company.      The  season 

had  proved  a  "  frost  "  ; 

and  the  members  of  the 

"Constellation  "  had 

been   sent  back  from  a 

southern  town  to  Sydney, 

the  New  South  Wales  capital 

to  return  to  the  city 


MR.    R.    DE 

From  a  Photo,  by  G.  J .  Je 


We  had  no  desire 
We  had  planned  a  long 
tour,  embracing  the  Colonies  and  India,  and 
had  bidden  a  long  good-bye  to  our  acquaint- 
ances. Therefore,  the  unmerciful  chaffing  that 
we  knew  lay  behind  decided  us.  That  and 
other  reasons,  for  I  had  a  roving  commission  as 
correspondent  for  several  English  and  American 
papers,  and  also  wrote  for  the  Sydney  Press  ; 
Ries  was  accredited  by  a  couple  of  South  African 
journals.  Thus  the  insane  idea  commended 
itself  to  us  of  walking  overland  to  Melbourne, 
traversing    the    country    lying  off  the   track   of 


average  "  globe-trotters,"  and  seeing  en  route  the 
native  Australian  in  his  lair.  We  thought  we 
saw  "  copy ''  in  the  scheme,  and — perhaps — 
adventures.  Anyway,  we  would  at  least  (this 
was  our  argument)  gain  plenty  of  local  colour 
for  future  writings. 

Had  we  carried  out  our  entire  plan  we  would 
have  had  to  walk  between  700  and  800  miles 

before  reaching  Mel- 
bourne. As  it  happened, 
we  gave  up  the  journey 
after  reaching  Albany, 
on  the  Victorian  border, 
having  travelled  close 
on  400  miles. 

The  walk  took  us 
nearly  three  months  to 
do.  We  were  idlers.  We 
had  no  special  time  to 
make.  Some  days  we 
would  cover  twenty  to 
twenty  -  five  miles  ;  at 
other  times  we  would 
sojourn  by  the  wayside, 
in  a  shearer's  hut,  a  bush 
"  pub,"  or  a  squatter's 
homestead,  for  several 
days.  We  carried  our 
swag  like  "  swaggies," 
the  ordinary  tramps  of 
Australia.  We  bought, 
begged,  or  worked  for 
our  meals,  slept  where 
we  could,  and  at  the  end 
of  every  day  told  one 
another  that  two  greater 
fools  were  not  at  that  moment  in  all  Australia. 

We  left  Goulburn  in  June,  in  mid-winter,  and 
on  our  tramp  encountered  floods,  snow-storms, 
rain,  frosts,  and  every  other  natural  discomfort. 
We  also  lost  ourselves  twice. 
"  Lost  in  the  bush "  has  an  ominous  ring 
about  it.  Columns  on  columns  have  been 
written  and  printed  descriptive  of  the  terrible 
sufferings  of  men  unfortunate  enough  to  get  off 
the  track.  Aye,  and  of  women  and  children, 
too.  Every  year  adds  to  the  list  of  men  who 
have  perished  of  thirst  in  the  great  "Out  Back" 
through   missing    the   road  ;    of    children,    too, 


S.    MAGiN'USSEN. 

nkinwn.  Broken  Hill,  N.S.W. 


:bo 


THK    Wim:     WORT.D    MAGAZINE. 


who  liave  wandered   from  tlie  homestead  door 
into  the  trackless  bush,    there  to  die   possibly 
within  cooey  of  their  parents'  heartlis.     I  have 
seen   out   in   the   sun -scorched    plains    of    the 
West  the  dead  bodies,    sometimes  merely   the 
bones,    of   men  who   have   fallen    out   of    the 
ranks  — bodies  without  a   mark  upon   them   by 
which    they    might    be  identified.      Often    the 
corpse   of  a   lost    "  traveller  "    remains    undis- 
covered   for   vears.      Indescribably  sad    is  the 
historv   of    "Out    Back  '"  ;    where   the  brazen 
sun    in    midsum- 
mer   blazes    like 
a   furnace    and 
fierce  dust-storms 
sweep    over    the 
land —  messen- 
iiers    of    death 
from    a  veritable 
inferno    of     fire. 
This     is     the 
tragedy  of  being 
lost  in  the  bush. 

One  of  our  ex- 
periences —  the 
one  I  here 
chronicle — had  a 
strong  element  of 
comedy  in  it. 
We  could  not  see 
it  at  the  time :  I 
do  now. 

We  had  called 
at  a  big  sheep 
station,  where 
our  reception  had 
been  the  reverse 
of  cordial.  The 
overseer,  who  did 
not  recognise  us 
as  anything  more 
than  the  common 
"sun  downer," 
had  made  us 
chop  wood  in  ex- 

rlnnc'f     for      OUr 

r  nd  the  privilege  of  sleeping  during  the 

coming  night  in  an  ill-ventilated,  evil-smelling, 
and  insect-infested  hut.  Rain  was  falling  fast, 
and  the  wood-chopping  was  disagreeable.  The 
hand  accustomed  to  the  pen  and  the  stick  of 
grease  paint  is  not  apt  to  be  a  fast  friend 
with  the  axe-handle.  So,  after  an  hour's  restless 
halt  in  the  hut,  we  decided  to  push  on  to  where 
more  comfort  might  await  us. 

To  reach  the  .station  -  homestead  we  had 
wandered  off  the  "  road  "—which,  in  the  bush, 
is  generally  an  imaginary  track  known  only  to 
the  expert  bushman,  who  is  guided  wholly  in 


•WEB^ 


WE    FLOUNDKKEO    ABOUT    TOR   OVER    A.\    HOUR. 


following  it  by  signs  in  the  surrounding  country. 
Wishful,  in  this  instance,  to  save  time,  we 
refused  to  retrace  our  steps,  but  set  out  to 
follow  what  was  described  to  us  by  a  friendly 
"  rouseabout  "  as  a  short  cut. 

Leaving  the  station  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  in  about  an  hour's  time,  after  crossing 
a  couple  of  large  paddocks  (I  know  Australian 
"  paddocks  "  several  miles  square),  we  became 
bogged  in  a  Mallee  scrub,  into  which  a  flooded 
creek  had  overflowed  its  banks.     In   this  scrub 

we  floundered 
about  for  over  an 
hour,  the  water 
at  times  above 
our  knees.  The 
rain  fell  pitilessly 
the  whole  time, 
drenching  us 
through  and 
through.  Deter- 
mined to  make 
shift  with  the  pre- 
viously -  despised 
hut,  we  endea- 
voured to  find 
our  way  back,  but 
failed  miserably. 
^Ve  could  recog- 
nise no  land- 
marks. The  far- 
ther we  walked, 
the  more  out  of 
touch  with  any- 
where did  we 
seem  to  become. 
The  most  acute 
listening  only 
brought  us,  above 
the  beating  of 
rain  in  the  trees 
and  the  swish  of 
water,  the  mourn- 
ful cry  of  the 
curlew.  While 
we  were  yet  in 
the  scrub  night  fell,  and  we  were  more  abso- 
lutely at  sea  than  ever. 

Cursing  loud  and  deep  we  plunged  this  way 
and  that,  aiming  now  for  no  particular  place, 
but  simply  striving  to  escape  from  our  slough  of 
despond.  It  was  no  use  resting  until  the 
morning.  In  fact,  we  could  not;  there  was  no 
place  to  give  rest.  Every  bit  of  country  around 
us  w-as  under  water.  Besides,  we  would 
probably  have  been  frozen  to  death.  Our  only 
hope  of  living  lay  in  keeping  our  limbs  moving. 
It  was  close  on  ten  o'clock  at  night  when 
Providence  carried  us  on  to  comparatively  firm 


HOW  WE  WALKED  FOUR  HUNDRED  MH^ES. 


^.6 1 


land  and  into  country  where  the  scrub  gave  way 
to  huge  gum  trees.  The  drenching  rain  con- 
tinued, however.  All  we  could  do  was  push  on, 
hoping  the  daylight  would  tell  us  something  of 
our  whereabouts. 

Although  we  were  in  a  frightful  fix,  at  no 
stage  of  our  experience  did  we  wholly  lose  heart. 
Our  plight  could  not  easily  have  been  much 
worse.  I  knew  from  my  previous  knowledge  of 
the  bush  the  usual  fate  of  the  lost.  We  were 
quite  astray,  and  more  than  once  I  pictured  to 
myself  the  receipt  of  news  of  my  death  among 
my  acquaintances 
in  the  cities.  Los- 
ing hope,  however, 
is  not  exactly  losing 
heart.  ^\■  h  i  1  e 
strength  lasted  we 
would  have  perse- 
vered. 

Though  out  of 
the  bog  we  were  by 
no  means  out  of 
the  wood.  We 
escaped  our  first 
danger,  as  I  have 
said,  about  ten 
o'clock.  After  a 
couple  of  hours' 
further  wandering 
we  met  with  a 
fence.  Following 
it  up  we  came  to 
a  small  hut  in  the 
centre  of  a  clear- 
ing. My  feelings 
at  that  moment,  as 
the  dim  outline  of 
the  building  grew 
on  our  sight,  were 
utterly  incapable  of 
expression.  We 
halloaed,  but  got  no 
answer.  We  called 
a  second   time — a 

third  ;  and  still  received  no  reply.  Around  us 
was  the  dreadful  stillness  of  Australian  bush  — 
that  awful  silence  which  deadens  the  brain  of 
those  who  live  alone  in  its  midst  and  drives  them 
to  suicide.  The  rain  had  momentarily  ceased, 
and  a  gleam  of  moonshine  falling  through  the 
broken  clouds  gave  an  eerie  look  to  the  shanty 
before  us.  No  welcome  light  shone  through  the 
windows.  Our  gladness  gave  way  to  disappoint- 
ment. Sore  pressed  as  we  were,  hungry,  wet, 
weary,  it  seemed  as  if  Fate  were  mocking  us,  to 
lead  us  to  a  haven  that  was  no  haven  at  all. 
For  half  an  hour  we  stamped  up  and  down 
close  to  the  hut,  now  and  then  knocking,  hoping 

Vol.  vi.-40. 


WE    HALLOAED,    BUT   GOT   NO   ANSWER. 


for   the   owner's   return.      He  failed   to  appear. 
Then  the  deluge  from  above  seemed  suddenly 
to  grow  heavier  than  ever. 
This  decided  us. 

Placing  our  trust  in  the  proverbial  hospitality 
of  the .  Australian  bushman,  we  opened  the 
unlocked  do.or  and  entered. 

Happiness !  The  hut  apparently  was  that 
of  a  boundary  rider  on  some  station.  It 
contained  a  comfortable  bunk,  some  'possum 
rugs,  blankets,  firewood,  food — in  short,  every- 
thing that  flood-bound  travellers  could  desire. 

As  we  had  broken 
into  the  shanty  I 
argued  that  we 
might  as  well  be 
hung  for  a  sheep  as 
a  lamb,  and  was  in 
favour  of  making 
ourselves  comfort- 
able, inside  as  well 
as  outside.  Ries, 
however,  had  more 
conscience  than  I 
had.  He  con- 
tended that  the 
occupant  of  the 
hut  was  possibly  a 
poor  man,  with  but 
limited  rations,  and 
that  to  eat  of  his 
stores  would  in  all 
likelihood  leave 
him  short.  There 
was  wisdom  in  his 
point,  but  a  starving 
man  likes  some- 
thing more  solid. 

"Wait    until   he 

comes    back,"  said 

my     companion. 

"  Then,    if    he    is 

willing  to  feed  us, 

well  and  good." 

I  ungracefully 

consented,  for  my  hunger  had  little  manners  left. 

We  still  had  a  little  flour,  fortunately.     So  we 

levied  on  the  hut  for  firewood,  built  up  a  blaze, 

and  made  some  "damper."      This   eaten,  we 

dried    our    blankets    and    rolled    ourselves    up 

before  the  warm  glow  and  went  to  sleep.     We 

slept  by  watches,  that  is,  for  it  would  have  been 

somewhat  discourteous   to   our   host  if  we  had 

allowed  him  to  return  home  to  find  it  in  the 

possession   of  two   sleeping,    snoring  wayfarers. 

But  our  host  did  not  return  that  night. 

In   the  morning  the  rain  was  still  falling,  and 

much  of  the  land  close  to  the  hut  was  under 

water.     'We   waited    until     the    day    was    well 


l62 


THE   WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


advanced,  and  then,  the  owner  of  the  hut  still 
keeping  away,  Ries  cast  his  conscience  out  of 
doors  and  agreed  with  me  that  it  would  be 
a  sin  to  starve  any  longer  with  plenty  around 
us.  We  accordingly  prepared  a  meal,  which  I 
relished  as  I  have  relished  none  other  that  I  can 
recall  in  many  years  of  world-wandering.  Meat 
and  damper  and  jam  ;  tea  with  sugar  in  it ; 
dripping  on  the  damper  ;  and  even  bacon  !  The 
memory  of  that  breakfast  will  ever  remain  with 
me. 

It  was  impossible  for  us  to  move  out,  unless 
we  wished  to  commit  suicide,  so  we  stayed 
where  we  were,  trusting  that  the  day  would 
bring  along  someone  who  could  accept  our 
apologies  and  put  us  on  the  track.  No  one 
came,  neither  that  day,  nor  the  next,  nor  for  a 
couple  of  days  after  that.  The  floods  lasted, 
but  the  hut  food  didn't.  We  ate  up  everything 
that  could  be  eaten  within  the  four  walls.  We 
had  nothing  to  do  but  eat,  sleep,  and  read.  A 
couple  of  old  weekly  newspapers  and  two  or 
three  of  Miss  Braddon's  novels,  with  some 
''  Deadwood  Dicks,"  formed  the  library.  I  had 
never  been  able  to  read  Miss  Braddon  before — 
nor  have  I  since.  But  then  she  was  Heaven-sent 
literature,  equally  with  the  lurid  "  Deadwoods." 

We  read  and  ate  and  smoked  ;  some  string  of 
Chinese  grown  yellow  leaf  providing  the  weed. 
At  intervals,  between  the  rain  showers,  we 
attempted  to  locate  our  position.  Not  once,  but 
a  dozen  times  did 
we  venture  forth 
from  the  hut,  first 
taking  good  heed 
by  our  landmarks, 
goincT  north,  south, 
ea-".  ;  west,  all 
in  a  vain  endea- 
vour to  pick  up  a 
track.  We  might, 
e.vcept  for  the  evi- 
dence of  the  hut, 
have  been  in  the 
centre  of  an  un- 
inhabited conti- 
nent. We  climbed 
trees,  mounted  hil- 
locks, cooeyed,  but 


could  see  or  hear  nothing.  Nothing  human, 
that  is.  Cockatoos  screeched  at  us,  frightened 
parrots  whistled  as  they  flew  by  in  threes  and 
fours,  and  now  and  then  a  stray  kangaroo 
bounded  across  our  line  of  vision.  Our  tempers 
grew  short,  and  Ries  and  I  became  for  the  first 
time  discontented  with  one  another's  company. 
That  Ries  had  pulled  me  out  of  a  treacherous 
creek,  that  I  had  carried  Ries  about  four  miles 
when  he  cricked  his  ankle,  was  forgotten. 
Powerful  language  passed  between  us. 

A  mysterious  hut  in  the  bush  is,  however, 
not  like  a  palace  in  Fairyland.  We  quickly  ate 
up  all  the  provisions,  and  there  were  no  gnomes 
in  attendance  to  call  on  to  replenish  the  larder. 
So  at  the  end  of  six  days,  having  left  the 
cupboard  very  much  in  the  same  condition  as 
that  of  Mother  Hubbard,  we  were  forced  to 
once  more  brave  fate.  In  which  direction  to 
steer  we  knew  not ;  we  trusted  solely  to  chance. 
As  it  happened,  our  luck  was  in. 

Before  leaving  our  friendly  shelter  I  wrote  a 
note  to  the  owner  explaining  what  had  befallen 
us,  and  left  it,  with  a  few  of  our  scanty  hoard  of 
shillings,  on  the  table.  Whether  the  occupier  of 
the  hut  ever  got  it  I  do  not  know.  I  hope  he 
did.  Maybe  he  had  died  a  solitary  death 
somewhere  out  on  the  run.  Or  he  may  have 
gone  off  to  a  city  and  there  fallen  among 
thieves.  Or,  again,  perhaps  he  was  only  away 
in  another  part  of  the  station.     I  never  knew, 

anyway. 

Luck,  I  say,  was 
with  us.  After 
leaving  the  hut  we 
..    .  wandered    about 

the  country,  seeing 
neither  man  nor 
sign  of  man,  for 
three  days ;  then 
at  last,  weary  and 
wretched,  we  sud- 
denly struck  a 
track,  which  we 
followed  up,  and 
eventually  we 
reached  a  main 
road  which  led  to 
civilization. 


I    WKOTE   A   NOTE   TO   THE   OWNER. " 


A    Cattle    Stampede    in    Texas. 


Bv  J.  M.  Pollock. 

An  incident  of  the  author's  cowboy  life  in  Texas.  As  these  stampedes  generally  occur  at  night 
photographs  are  not  possible.  We  think  it  will  be  conceded  that  this  is  a  very  vivid  picture 
indeed  of  a  stirring  spectacle— the  mad  rush  of  thousands  of  horned  cattle  terrified  at  a  tropical 
thunder-storm,   their  human  guardians   riding   recklessly   for   their   lives  in   front,   and   the  whole 

scene  lit  up  by  dazzling  flashes  of   lightning. 


O  ride  through  a  real,  genuine  cattle 
stampede  on  a  great  scale,  and 
come  out  of  it  unhurt,  is  an  ex- 
perience which,  once  gone  through, 
a   man  is  never  likely  to  forget  as 

long  as  he  lives,  for  although  the  time  actually 

occupied   is  very  short,   still,   everything  is  so 

sharply  defined   that    it   is 

likely    to    be    indelibly 

stamped    on    his    memory 

for  all  time  to  come. 

The    worst    stampede    I 

ever  had  the  luck  or  ill-luck 

to  ride  in  happened  during 

the  "  Fall  round-ups,"  when 

we  had  been  working  a  very 

large     range    of    unfenced 

country,   and  consequently 

had   a    big   herd   of  cattle 

gathered  together.      These 

numbered    no    fewer    than 

4,500,  and  as  no  corral  was 

big  enough    to  hold    them 

we  had  to  guard  them  on 

the  open  prairie,  night  and 

day.     The  whole  "  outfit  " 

of  cowboys   was  made  up 

of      representatives      from 

numbers     of     different 

ranches,      scattered       over 

many    miles    of    country  : 

these      had      joined      the 

"  general     round  -  ups,"    to 

gather     in     their     strayed 

cattle.    The  camp  consisted 

of    three  or   four    waggons 

for   hauling    the   necessary 

bedding,      provisions, 

branding-irons,    etc.      There   were  in   all  over 

one  hundred  cowboys,   and  each  boy  had  an 

average  of  five  horses  for  his  own  use.     Alto- 
gether the  camp  made  a  pretty  big  assembly, 

and,  wherever  it  made  a  halt,  it  brought  plenty 

of   noisy,    healthy   life    into    the    usually    quiet 

and  deserted  districts.     With  so  many  hungry 

appetites  to   be    satisfied   the   consumption   of 

victuals  was  enormous.     One  item  alone  of  the 

provisions  was  a  two-year  old  heifer  per  diem. 


besides  which  enormous  quantities  of  flour, 
coffee,  molasses,  and  canned  goods  were  daily 
consumed. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing  we  had 
for  several  days  been  steadily  working  up  the 
North  Fork  of  the  Concho  River,  and  had 
arrived  at  a  point  about  twenty-five  miles  above 

the  junction  of  this  river 
with  the  South  Fork.  The 
valley  of  the  North  Concho 
is  some  forty  or  fifty  miles 
in  length,  and  averages, 
roughly  speaking,  about 
eight  or  nine  miles  wide 
between  the  fairly  continu- 
ous ridges  of  hills  by  which 
it  is  bounded  on  either 
side.  In  the  course  of 
ages  the  river  has  hollowed 
out  for  itself  a.  very  deep 
channel,  almost  in  the 
centre  line  of  the  valley. 
From  the  source  of  the 
river  to  its  junction  with 
the  South  Fork  there  is  a 
gentle  slope  of  the  land 
towards  the  river-bed  from 
the  surrounding  hills,  which 
send  down  many  tributary 
creeks  to  swell  the  volume 
of  the  river's  current  im- 
mediately after  any  of  the 
heavy  downpours  of  tropical 
rain    which    occur    in    this 


WK.  J.  il.   POLLOCK,  THE  AUTHOR,  IN  COWBOY  ATTIRE. 

Front  a  Photo. 


region. 

Although  usually  most  of 
these  creeks  are  either  per- 
fectly dry  or  at  best  contain 
only  pools  of  water  here  and  there  along  their 
course,  still  one  or  two  of  them  do  hold  running 
water  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  The  face 
of  the  country  is  dotted  over  with  occasional 
clumps  of  fine  old  live  oaks,  or  at  odd  intervals 
single  specimens  of  this  handsome  tree,  and 
between  these  there  is,  in  most  places,  a  dense 
growth  of  mesquite,  or  wild  acacia. 

Wherever  the  ground  was  open  and  free  enough 
from  trees  and  brushwood  to  suit  their  taste  it 


;64 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Froii:  a] 


BACK    FROM   TOWN— A   TYPICAL   SCENE    IN    SAN    ANGELO,    TEXAS. 


[Photo. 


had  been  seized  upon  by  the  nii.schievou.s  little 
prairie-dogs,  and  by  them  made  use  of  as  a  site 
for  one  of  their  so-called  "  towns."  I  give  this 
description  of  the  country  to  show  that  riding 
over  it  even  in  broad  daylight  was  not  all  plain 
sailing,  and  one  can  picture  to  oneself  how 
much  worse  it  was  to  ride  across  it  at  a 
headlong  pace,  closely  followed  by  a  maddened 
herd  of  crazy,  long-horned  cattle,  and  shut  in  by 
a  darkness  so  intense  that  it  was  im[)ossible  to 
see  your  horse's  ears  in  front  of  you,  except 
when  illuminated  by  the  blinding  flashes  of 
forked  lightning  which  at  times  followed  each 
other  so  quickly  that  the  darkness  had  hardly 
time  to  close  down  between  them. 

On  the  day  of  which  I  am  writing  our  camp 
was  pitched  about  a  mile  from  the  river  on 
the  opposite  side  to  where  it  was  joined  by 
the  Big  Dr)'  Creek. 

'Jhat  morning  we  had  driven  a  very  large 
tract  of  countr}',  so  large,  in  fact,  that  many 
of  the  boys,  in  order  to  reach  the  points 
where  they  had  to  begin  their  part  of  the 
drive,  had  to  start  out  the  night  before,  and 
sleep  at  their  posts,  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
begin  their  work  with  the  first  streaks  of 
daylight.  All  the  morning  we  were  busy 
'  *'   ■  cattle   from   hundreds  of  hills 

dden  "draws  "  and  gulches  ;  and 
a  splendid  sight  it  was  to  look  down  from  a 
rise  of  ground  over  the  broad  valley  which 
seemed  to  be  literally  alive  with  cattle  of 
all  sizes,  ages,  and  colours,  from  the  little 
unweaned  calf,  timid  and  frightened  at  the 
unusual  uproar  and  movement,  to  the  lordly 
old  bull,  the  hero  of  m.any  a  hard  fight,  all 
drifting    steadily   along    in    one    direction       From  a] 


towards  the  spot  where 
the  "  round-up  "  was  to 
be  held,  on  the  salting- 
ground  of  the  range. 

By  eleven  or  twelve 
o'clock  we  got  the  vast 
horde  of  cattle  thrown 
together,  and  an  immense 
herd  they  made,  such  as 
is  never  to  be  seen  nowa- 
days. Probably  there 
were  about  five  thousand 
head  all  told,  and  what  a 
dust  they  raised,  to  be 
sure — enough  almost  to 
turn  day  into  night,  at 
least  so  far  as  seeing  was 
concerned.  It  settled  on 
our  hands  and  faces  and 
made  mud  where  the  per- 
spiration was  rolling  off 
us.  It  choked  our  throats, 
it  blackened  our  teeth, 
us   almost   unrecognisable 


it    filled   our    eyes, 

and,   in    fact,   made 

even  to  our  nearest  neighbours ;  it  even  changed 

the  very  colour  of  our  horses.     If  it  was  bad  at 

first  it  quickly  became  ten  times  worse  when  the 

"  cutting-out "  began.     First,  the  beef-steers  had 

to  be  parted  out,  then  the  cows  with  calves  for 

branding,  and,  

lastly, 
strays. 

At  last  it 
was  over,  and 
turning  loose 
the  herd  to  go 
back  to  their 
favourite 


CU-IIOUSE 


.oto. 


A    CATTLE    STAMPEDE    IN    TEXAS. 


565 


haunts  we  quietly  brought  over  to  the  camp  those 
we  had  cut  out,  and  then,  changing  our  hard- 
ridden  horses  for  fresh  ones,  we  set  to  work  to 
brand  the  calves — not  by  any  means  easy  work 
in  the  open,  where  the  men  and  horses  had  to 
perform  the  work  usually  done  by  the  stout  walls 
of  the  corral,  and  especially  as  the  cattle  were 
wild  and  excited  from  the  driving  and  handling 
they  had  already  gone  through  that  morning. 

But  the  branding,  too,  came  to  an  end,  and 
we  looked  forward  to  an  hour  or  two  of  rest 
and  something  to  eat  before  the  night  work 
began.  But  the  Fates  had  ordained  otherwise, 
for,  while  Kearney  Mays,  the  "  boss  "  of  the 
outfit  and  one  of  the  finest  cattlemen  in  the 
West,  was  telling  us  off  into  the  four  guards  to 
watch  the  cattle  durmg  the  night,  dark  clouds 
began  to  appear  in  the  sky  and  the  feeling  of 
electricity  in  the  air  became  all-pervading, 
giving  sure  warning  of  a  coming  storm.  The 
cattle,  too,  instead  of  quietly  settling  down  and 
taking  their  places  for  the  night,  began  to  get 
very  uneasy,  moving  about  in  a  restless  manner 
and  giving  their  herders  much  trouble  in  holding 
them  together.  So,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  we 
saddled  up  our  night-horses  and  hastily  pro- 
ceeded to  swallow  a  mouthful  or  two  of  fried 
beef,  bread,  and  coffee,  but  hardly  had  we  com- 
menced when  the  "  boss  "  gave  a  shout  of  "  Get 
your  horses,  boys,  the  cattle  are  going,"  and  we 
of  the  first  two  guards  had  to  gallop  off  to  help 
those  who  were  fighting  hard  to  hold  the 
herd  in  control.  To  keep  the  beasts  in  their 
place  was  impossible,  as 
they  drifted  first  in  one 
direction  and  then  in 
another.  Darkness  was 
now  rapidly  closing  down, 
and  the  temperature  of 
the  air  was  falling  with 
such  rapidity  that  it  made 
us  shiver  after  the  great 
heat  of  the  day.  All 
Nature  was  deathly  still, 
and  the  only  sounds  to  be 
heard  were  the  distant 
mutterings  of  the  fast  - 
approaching  thunder, 
mingling  with  the  low, 
complaining  grumbling  of 
the  cattle. 

For  five  or  ten  minutes 
a  perfect  silence  reigned, 
and  then  the  awful  storm 
broke.  First  a  dazzling, 
blinding  sheet  of  lightning 
seemed  to  split  the 
heavens  in  two  and  strike 
the  ground  almost  at  our       pyom  a\ 


very  feet.  This  was  accompanied  by  a  crash  as 
of  thousands  of  tons  of  rocks  falling  on  a  sheet- 
iron  floor  only  a  few  feet  about  our  heads. 
Again  it  came,  and  again  and  again,  almost  with- 
out a  pause ;  but  our  cattle  did  not  wait  for 
more  than  the  first  flash,  which  seemed  to  be 
the  signal  for  which  they  were  one  and  all  ready, 
and  with  one  mighty  bound  they  were  off,  like 
the  waters  of  a  burst  dam. 

Those  of  us  on  the  side  towards  which  they 
broke  had  only  just  time  to  wheel  our  horses 
and  gallop  ahead  of  them,  riding  as  we  had 
seldom  ridden  before,  fully  conscious  that  death 
was  probably  before  us,  and  certainly  behind 
us,  should  our  horses  by  any  chance  slip  or  fall ; 
for  nothing  in  the  shape  of  flesh  and  blood 
could  hope  to  live  before  the  charge  of  four 
thousand  mad  and  furious  beasts,  crazy  with 
terror,  and  without  the  very  slightest  particle  of 
"  sense  "  among  the  whole  lot  of  them. 

Onwards  they  rushed — a  living  wall  of  horns, 
heads,  and  hoofs,  half  a  mile  wide  from  flank 
to  flank,  and  on  we  rode,  too,  just  ahead  of 
them,  bending  low  over  our  horses'  necks  to 
avoid  being  struck  by  overhanging  branches, 
and  again,  where  the  country  was  more  open, 
sitting  up  in  our  saddles  shouting,  yelling,  and 
firing  off  revolvers,  trying  if  by  any  means  we 
could  arrest  the  mad  rush  of  the  cattle.  But, 
goaded  on  by  the  stinging  blows  of  the  enormous 
hailstones  which  were  now  pouring  down  upon 
us,  they  seemed  as  if  they  would  never  tire.  We 
could   not  tell  how  far  we  had  travelled,  but 


COWBOYS    BRANDING   CATTLE   ON    A   TEXAN   RANCH. 


[Photo. 


;66 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


from  the  direction  in  which  we  were  going  it 
seemed  as  if  we  must  soon  be  nearing  the  only 
fence  which  crossed  the  valley,  and  which  was 
situated  about  five  or  six  miles  below  our  camp. 
To  have  struck  these  four  strands  of  barbed 
wire  at  the  rate  we  were  going,  and  being 
followed  so  closely  by  the  stampeding  cattle, 
would  have  meant  certain  destruction  to  some, 
if  not  all  of  us,  and  we  redoubled  our  efforts  to 
bring  the  brutes  to  their  senses. 

But  a  man's  voice  can  make  but  a  feeble  im- 
pression indeed  during  such  a  thunder-storm  as 
was  then  raging.  Once,  as  they  came  to  a 
fairly  open  space  of  ground,  they  seemed  to 
hesitate,  and  we  at  once  began  to  pull  in  our 
panting  horses  ;  but  no  sooner  did  we  slacken 
speed  than  we  felt  the  heads  and  horns  rushing 
up  alongside  our  horses'  flanks,  and  to  save 
going  down  before  the  pressure  we  had  to  ride 
hard  again.  If  one  glanced  along  the  line  by 
from    one   of    the   vivid    flashes    of 


lightning  one  could    see   the  row  of   "  boys  " 


working 
goading 


the   light 


THE   MAD    RIDE   IN    FRONT   OF   THE   STAMPEDING   CATTLE—"  I    SAW 
.  NEXT  TO    ME  GO   DOWN    IN   A    HEAP." 


riding  about  twenty  or  thirty  paces  apart,  their 
faces  set  hard,  and  in  many  cases  the  spurs 
in  the  flanks  of  an  over-tired  pony, 
him  on  to  still  further  exertions,  and 
ever  close  behind  came  the  mass  of  cattle 
thundering  along  with  heads  lowered  and  eyes 
staring  out  at  nothing,  all  intent  on  escaping 
from — they  knew  not  what  ! 

Onward  still  they  rushed,  till  by  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  and  blinding  of  flashes,  which 
smashed  a  tree  directly  in  front  of  us,  I  saw  the 
man  and  horse  next  to  me  go  down  in  a  heap, 
the  horse  having  put  his  foot  in  a  dog-hole.  In 
the  next  instant  the  cattle  would  have  been 
over  them,  and  horse  and  rider  would  have  been 
trodden  out  of  all  existence,  had  not  the  same 
flash  which  showed  me  the  picture  turned  the 
cattle  at  right  angles  to  the  course  they  had 
been  following,  and  the  whole  herd  passed 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  man  and  horse 
were  struggling  to  arise. 

During  the  first  rush  my 
own  horse  had  slipped,  and 
came  so  near  to  falling  that 
my  feet  touched  the  ground, 
but  recovering  himself  he 
brought  me  safely  out  of 
fearful  peril. 

The  worst  was  now  over, 
as  the  cattle  were  heading 
up  towards  the  hills,  and 
this,  added  to  the  softness  of 
the  ground,  which  had  been 
rendered  very  heavy  by  the 
torrents  of  rain  that  had 
fallen,  soon  began  to  tell  on 
them,  weary  as  they  were 
from  their  long  run. 

Our  horses  were  by  this 
time  too  much  spent  to 
round  them  up  properly,  so 
we  were  forced  to  let  them 
break  up  into  small  bunches 
at  their  own  sweet  will,  each 
of  us  staying  with  a  band 
until  the  weather  cleared  and 
we  could  gee  them  together 
again.  I  had  a  little  herd  of 
about  200  head  all  to  my- 
self, with  which  I  wandered 
about,  up  and  down  hills 
and  draws,  until  the  storm 
cleared  off,  somewhere  in  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning, 
when  we  were  able  to  join 
the  small  bunches  up 
together.  By  this  time  the 
clouds  were  all  sone  and  the 


THE    MAN    AND    llORSF, 


A  CATTLE  STAMPEDE  IN  TEXAS. 


367 


moon  was  shining  out  brightly,  and  we  were  able 
to  see  the  enormous  fire  which  had  been  lighted 
by  our  friends  in  camp  to  act  as  a  guide  to  us  in 
finding  our  way  back.  The  weather  having  so 
much  improved,  we  were  able  to  push  the 
herd  along  in  the  direction  of  the  camp,  and  it 
was  with  great  pleasure  that  on  the  bedding- 
ground  we  were  able  to  hand  over  our  unruly 
charges  to  the  care  of  the  new  guard  and  we 
could  dismount  and  stretch  our  stiffened, 
aching  limbs.  By  that  time  we  had  been  in  the 
saddle  over  twenty  hours,  almost  without  a 
break,  had  ridden  down  three  horses  apiece,  and 
covered  many,  many  miles  of  very  rough 
country. 

Just  before  the  stampede  my  chum  and  I  had 
been  about  to  make  down  our  beds  in  a  slight 
hollow  of  the  ground,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  us 
when  we  came  in  off  guard,  but  we  had  been 
compelled  by  the  force  of  circumstances  to 
leave  them,  and  likewise  our  suppers,  and  go 
to  help  holding  the  cattle.  When  we  returned 
we  found  that  this  hollow  was  full  of  water,  at 
the  bottom  of  which,  and  covered  with  mud,  lay 
our  blankets.  After  groping  about  in  the  slush 
for  a  few  minutes  we  got  them  out,  and  spreading 
them  at  the  root  of  a  tree  where  the  ground  was 
a  little  higher  we  crept  into  "  bed,"  boots  and 
all,  and  had  a  splendid  sleep  till  we  heard  the 
mornmg  shout  of  "Daylight!"  and  the  silent 
camp  once  more  roused  itself  into  active 
life. 

After  changing  our  night  iiorses  and  swallow- 
ing our  break- 
fasts we  rode  out 
to  relieve  the 
guards  that  had 
held  the  cattle 
for  the  second 
part  of  the  night. 
It  was  not  till 
then  that  we 
found  that  one  of 
the  men  had 
been  lost.  He 
had  noticed  a 
"bunch"  of 
stock  on  an 
island  in  the 
river,  and  as  the 
water  was  rising 
rapidly,  and 
fearing  these 
cattle  would  be 
swept    away,    he 

set    out    to    swim  Froma\ 


over  to  them,  but  had  no^  gone  far  when  his 
horse  became  entangled  in  a  floating  tree.  Not 
being  able  to  clear  themselves,  both  man  and 
horse  were  drowned.  We  found  his  body  next 
day  and  buried  him  on  the  prairie,  close  to  the 
house  he  had  built  only  a  short  time  before,  and 
to  which  he  -had  just  brought  his  newly-married 
bride.  She  received  the  deep  sympathy  of  all 
the  cowboys,  who,  though  rough  and  uncivilized 
in  their  ordinary  life,  are,  at  a  time  like  this, 
quiet  and  gentle  as  any  gathering  of  men  could 
be ;  and  to  see  them  standing  uncovered  in  the 
evening  light,  listening  attentively  to  the  burial 
service,  one  could  hardly  believe  they  were  the 
same  men  who  would  curse,  drink,  gamble,  or 
fight  for  the  mere  love  of  excitement. 

Another  fact  of  which  we  only  became  aware 
when  morning  broke  and  the  sun  rose  was 
that  the  whole  herd  of  saddle-horses  had  also 
stampeded  during  the  storm  of  the  preceding 
night,  and  were  now  scattered  for  miles  over  the 
surrounding  country,  each  one  making  off  home 
as  fast  as  his  hobbles  would  permit  him  to  get 
over  the  ground.  As  none  of  mine  were  to  be 
found,  all  of  them  having  swum  the  flooded 
river  in  spite  of  their  hobbles,  I  was  lent 
by  the  "  boss "  one  of  the  waggon-horses,  so 
that  I  could  go  on  guard.  This  beast  was 
about  seventeen  hands  high,  and  by  no 
stretch  of  couitesy  could  be  called  a  saddle- 
horse.  Still,  he  was  better  than  nothing, 
although  he  felt  a  regular  camel  after  my 
own  neat  little  fourteen-hand  ponies. 


A    MOB   OF    SADDLE    HORSES   IN   TOM   GREEN    COUNTY. 


[Photo. 


Some  Household    Treasures   of    China. 

By  Harry   Hiij.inian. 

A  peep  into  the  daily  life  of  the   Chinese,   profusely   illustrated  with  photographs  of  articles   in   general 

use   among  them,   and    now  forming  part   of  the    writer's  extensive  collection  of  Far   Eastern   curios. 

Mr.   Hillman    lived  for    many  years  in    the  Far   East,  and    this  paper,  together  with    his   quaint   little 

snap-shots,  will  serve  to  convey  a  very  interesting  idea  of  the  home-life  of  these  strange  people. 


XE  reads  much  in  the  papers  of  the 
mode  of  Hfe  of  the  higher  classes 
\    among  the  Chinese,  and   but  httle 
of  the  great    mass  of  the  miUions 
that    make    up    the    backbone    of 
the  Celestial    Empire.       Even    then,    too,    one 
gets    but    a    superficial     view ;     and    of     the 
articles  of  daily  utility   among   these    teeming 
people    we    know    next 
to  nothing.     I  was  for- 
tunate  during   my  resi- 
dence in  the   Far  East 
to   be   on    good    terms 
with    my  servants,   who 
were   all    Chinese,    and 
thus  obtained  far  more 
than   the   usual    surface 
knowledge    of    their 
habits.      And    while    I 
know  many   will    speak 
differently,   I  could  not 
ask    for     more    faithful 
service  than   I  received 
from    my    Chinese    ser- 
vants.     After    all,     the 
Chinaman   is  much  the 
same  as  the  rest  of  us — 
he  likes  to  be  trusted  ; 
he  believes  that  he  has 
as  much  right  as  anyone 
else   to  have  his  preju- 
dices respected,  and   he  resents   being  treated 
as  a  thing  rather  than  a  man.     While  in  some 
houses   even    the   sugar   was    locked    up    and 
doled  out  daily,  in  mine  scarcely  anything  was 
so  guarded ;  and  the  number  of  times  my  wife's 
jewellery  has  been  left  lying  about  as  openly  as 
at    home    is    beyond   telling. 
Yet   we   never   lost   a  thing,      ■ 
while    our    European    neigh- 
bours found  petty  thefts  the 
terror  of  their  life. 

A  great  day  with  the 
Chinese  is  their  New  Year. 
This  is  the  great  settling-up 
day  with  them,  both  for  this 
world  and  the  next.  All 
debts  have  to  be  paid  off  to 
earthly  creditors,  and  remit- 
tances have  also  to  be  sent 
to  the  ancestors  in  the  spirit 
world.  Good  wishes,  too, 
are     offered    to    friends    for 


A   NEW  YEARS   CARD   WHICH 
OK    THE    POOREST 


prosperity  during  the  coming  year.  They 
have  not  yet  adopted  the  Western  idea  of 
Christmas  and  New  Year's  cards,  but  the  first 
photo,  shows  an  approach  to  it.  It  expresses 
the  good  feeling  of  the  poorest  of  our  servants 
— the  coolie  who  did  the  rough  work  of  the 
house.  He  wrote  it  himself  with  the  brush- 
like pen  used   by  his  race,  in  Indian  ink,   on 

red  paper,  spattered  with 
gold  leaf.  It  must  have 
taken  him  a  lot  of  time  ; 
and  the  cost  of  the  ink 
and  paper  (it  measures 
2  ft.  square)  was  a  good 
deal  to  him.  Still,  there 
it  is,  and  he  attached  it 
to  the  wall  of  our  house. 
The  cook  has  a  place 
to  himself  in  all  houses 
in  the  East,  where  he 
cooks  by  day  and  sleeps 
— in  an  adjoining  room 
— at  night.  Over  the 
door  of  this  cook-house, 
as  it  is  termed,  he  hung 
five  pictures,  printed  in 
bright  colours  on  red 
paper.  Tinsel  also  enters 
freely  into  the  design, 
which  is  rendered  the 
more  effective  by  being 
perforated.  These  five  pictures  are  next  shown. 
Towards  sunset  a  table  was  set  out  in  the 
garden,  laden  with  roast  fowls  (Europeans 
cannot  get  fowls  about  New  Year's  Day  except 
at  exorbitant  prices),  Chinese  delicacies  of  all 
kinds,  tea,  tobacco,  and  everything  requisite  for 


'  EXPRESSES    THE   GOOD    FEELING 
OF    OUK   SERVANTS." 


SOME    HOUSEHOLD    TREASURES    OF    CHINA. 


369 


a  feast.  This  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  servants' 
dead  ancestors.  I  was  unable  to  be  at  home  at 
the  proper  time  for  the  feast,  and  it  was  another 
evidence  of  their  appreciation  of  our  treatment 
of  them  that  they  postponed  it  for  some  time  in 
the  hope  that  I  should  come  in  later.    However, 


THE   TEAPOT   AND   CUPS    WHICH    SUPPLIED   THE    WANTS   OF 
THE   DEAD   ANXESTOKS. 

they  could  not  keep  their  dead  ancestors  wailing 
indefinitely,  and  the  feast  had   to  begin   before 
I    could   get   home.       The   teapot    and    cups 
I    still    have    as    a    souvenir.       The    idea    of 
the  Chinaman  is  that  his  ancestors'  spirits 
come  and  take  the  essence  of  the  foods  so 
spread  out  before  them  ;  and  in  order  that 
these  spirits  may  not  be  molested  by  evil 
spirits   while  eating,   crackers   are  fired   in 
large  numbers  to  frighten  them  away.     At 
the  same  time  the  scented  sticks  known  to 
Europeans  as  joss-sticks   are  offered,  with 
sundry  genuflections,  by  each  Chinaman  in 
turn,    and    kept    smouldering   around    the 
laden  table.    Drafts  on  the  bank  of  the  next 
world  are  also  supplied,  in  order  that  the  spirits 
may  be  provided  with  cash  for  their  needs  during 
the  coming  year.      The  next    photo,    shows  a 
heap  of  these.     They  are  large  sheets  of  paper 


with  very  thin  tinfoil  stuck  on  to  represent 
silver.  Some  are  washed  over  with  a  yellow  paint 
for  gold.  These  sheets  are  made  up  into  books, 
some  pages  having  large  sheets  of  metal  as 
shown  in  the  photo.,  and  others  with  much 
smaller  pieces  to  represent  "  small  change." 
The  whole  are  piled  up  in  a  heap  on  the 
ground  and  set  light  to  ;  and  in  this  way  their 
essence  passes  to  the  waiting  spirits.  Finally, 
when  the  ancestors  have  been  given  the  usual 
time  such  a  feast  should  take,  and  have 
presumably  removed  all  the  goodness  from  the 
food,  the  providers  of  the  feast  take  the  solid 
part  that  has  been  left. 

While  they  bathe  every  day,  the  Chinese 
perform  their  toilet  only  about  once  a  week. 
And  no  wonder,  when  one  considers  that  that 
operation  involves  the  unplaiting  of  their  long 
queue,  combing  the  hair  out,  and  plaiting  it  up 
again.  The  comb  used  m  this  operation  once 
attracted  my  attention,  and  I  did  what  we  often 
found  a  source  of  great  interest — I  gave  the  boy 
a  small  sum  of  money,  and  told  him  to  get  such 
a  comb  for  me,  together  with  any  other  things 
the  Chinese  use.  The  first  comb  in  the  next 
photo,  is  the  one  in  question.  It  is  made  of  a 
hard  yellow  wood  something  like  box.  The 
shorter  teeth  were  broken  in  the  journey  home ; 
they  were  originally  all  the  same  length,  how- 


SOME   TOILET   COMBS   AND    BRUSHES. 


)NEY  SENT  TO  ANCESTORS   IN    THE   SPIRIT  WORLD. 


ever,  and  beautifully  smoothed.  The  next 
comb  is  a  fine-toothed  one.  The  teeth  are  of 
bamboo,  finished  off  at  eacli  end  with  a  slip 
of  bone.  The  back  is  of  black  wood,  inlaid 
with  bone,  painted  with  vivid  red,  green, 
and  yellow.  To  clean  this  comb  the  brush 
next  on  the  picture  is  used.  It  is  of 
horse-hair  let  into  horn.  Closely  related 
to  these  implements  are  those  in  the  next 
photo.  The  first  two  are  razors.  I  once 
saw  in  a  Consular  report  the  statement  that 
English  manufacturers  could  not  hope  to  com- 
pete with  the  Chinese  in  some  line§  of  goods 
sold  in  the  Celestial  Empire ;  the  example 
quoted  being  razors  at  a  penny  apiece  1  The 
readers  of  that  report  must  have  gone  away  with 
a  very  wrong  impression,  probably  having  in 
their  mind  what  we  call  a  razor  rather  than  the 
real  thing.     Well,  here  it  is,  and  I  should  be 


Vol. 


41. 


Jl' 


THE     WIDE    WOREl)    MAGAZINE. 


-=^<^. 


MORE    TOILET    IMI'LEMENIS— RAZORS,    SCISSORS,    ETC, 

surprised  if  our  manufacturers  could  not  turn 
out  a  better  thing  at  the  price.  The  handle 
is  a  roughly-cut  and  hollowed  piece  of  wood. 
A  piece  of  sheet-iron  is  folded  over  one  end 
to  receive  the  rivet  which  keeps  the  blade  on. 
This  blade  is  no  hollow-ground,  highly-finished  . 
piece  of  steel.  It  is  a  mere  wedge  of  metal, 
3in.  long,  i  ^isin.  broad  at  the  end,  and  over 
'4in.  thick  at  the  back.  With  this  fearsome 
weapon  the  servants  shave  each  other's  heads, 
chins,  and  eyebrows,  or  get  it  done  by  the 
barber,  who  is  as  much  an  institution  with  them 
as  with  us.  In  fact,  more  so,  for  not  only  does  he 
shave  them — he  cleans  the  eyelids  and  the  ears, 
and  with  the  tweezers  to  the  right  of  the  photo. 
he  pulls  out  any  hair  from  nose  or  ears. 
Sometimes  the  long,  narrow  razor  shown  in 
front  of  the  bigger  one  is  used  for  finer  work. 
If  the  razors  are  not  hollow -ground,  the 
scissors    are.       As   to   their  artistic    shape,   the 


HORN    AND    (W.ASS    SI'l-X  lACLKS    AND    CASE. 


picture  speaks  for  itself  The  little  knobs  at 
the  end  of  the  piece  bent  back  for  the  handle 
are  of  brass.  The  blades  are  hollowed 
out  along  their  inside  length,  and  this 
undoubtedly  increa.ses  their  cutting  powers. 
The  ne.xt  group  has  a  couple  of  pairs  of 
spectacles.  The  pair  with  the  spectacle-case 
behind  it  is  of  horn  mounted  in  tortoise- 
shell  rims.  The  lenses  have  a  slight  magni- 
fying power,  but  although  transparent 
enough  for  things  close  at  hand,  they  tend 
to  blur  oudines,  and  in  bright  sunshine  out 
of  doors  could  almost  be  worn  as  smoked 
glasses  to  protect  the  eyes  from  the  glare. 


The  next  pair  is  of  glass.     A 
feature   of    both   is    that    the 
part  that  goes  behind  the  ear 
is    jointed.       The    two    richly 
embroidered  cases  in  the  same 
photo,    are    pockets.       It   has 
been   said   that    an    evidence 
of     the     superiority    of    men 
over  women    is  the  fact  that 
they    have    conquered     their     pockets,     while 
women    have  not.     On    that    basis  the  China- 
man  is   far   behind 

the  rest  of  the  world.     -«:,-;.«--,.  ; 

His  trousers  are 
without  pockets, 
even  though  his 
coats  occasionally 
have  them.  So  such 
money  as  he  pos- 
sesses is  carried  in 
one  of  the  pockets 
or  purses  suspended 
from  the  waist- 
band, and  usually 
very  prettily  em- 
broidered. 

The       Chinese 

baby    early    makes 

its  acquaintance     ' 

with  vivid 

colouring  in 

the  way  of  clothing.  Here  we  have  a 
hat  made  for  its  benefit.  It  is  of  silk 
of  various  colours,  richly  embroidered. 
Rosettes  and  bows  elaborate  the  top, 
where  the  crown  is  otherwise  left  open. 
A  tassel  at  the  side  serves  to  amuse 
as  well  as  ornament,  since  little  bells 
are  suspended  in  it,  and  tinkle  with 
every  movement  of  the  head.  In  front 
a  lacework  of  beads  adorns  the  fore- 
head, while  the  still  hairless  back  of 
the  head  is  protected  by  the  silk  lace 
and  fringe  to  the  left  of  the  picture. 
If  the  little  one  be  a  boy,  he  can  look 
forward  to  wearing  a  pair  of  shoes  such  as  is 
next  seen.     They  are  of  blue  brocaded  silk  and 


A    BABV S    HAT     OF    MAXI- 
COLOURED   SILK. 


r 

-  \M 

^^KMS^^^^  ->4"  -    '^^S^^t^tt^^ 

pi^'itaj 

^ 

.,  jf^i 

lift  fl^&'^   ' 

^ 

"""^ 

GAY   SILK    SHOES    FOR    LITTLE    BOYS. 


SOME    HOUSEHOLD    TREASURES    OF    CHINA. 


371 


On  another  occasion  our  servants 
brought  us  the  two  figures  next  photo- 
graphed. They  are  of  brightly-painted 
earthenware,  the  man  on  the  left  having 
his  head  attached  to  a  spring,  so  that  it 
keeps  perpetually  nodding.  Head,  beard, 
and  tong  moustache  are  of  real  hair.  He 
is  interesting,  too,  as  showing  one  method 
of  carrying  loads  among  the  Chinese.  In 
his  right  hand  he  has  a  stick.  This  is 
passed  over  his  shoulder  at  such  an  angle 


SHOES   FOR  THE  CRAMPED   FEET  OF   GIRLS. 

black  velvet,  with  thick  soles  of  a  kind 
of  pith.  If  a  girl,  the  smaller  pair  in 
the  foreground  will  have  to  be  worn. 
They  are  photographed  together  to  show 
the  difference  in  size.  The  girls'  shoes 
are  also  shown  separately  with  an  inch 
measure  in  front  of  them.  For  these  I 
was  indebted  to  my  cook.  He  was 
summoned  home  to  mend  the  ancestral 
dwelling  or  some  such  purpose,  and  some 
months  later  he  returned.  He  brought 
with  him  these  shoes,  having  to  smuggle 
them  through,  so  averse  is  the  average 
Chinaman  from  allowing  such  things  to 
pass  into  the  hands  of  the  foreigner. 
However,  he  was  so  gratified  at  the  keen 
interest  we  took  in  such  matters  that  he 
chose  these  shoes  as  being  the  most 
likely  thing  to  be  acceptable  to  us.  They 
are  very  pretty  ;  even  the  heels  are  decorated. 
But  imagine  the  torture  involved  in  keeping  a 
girl's  foot  so  small  that  at  twelve  years  old  it 
v.'ould  go  into  a  5  3^ in.  shoe  ! 

Jade  is  a  favourite  article   of  jewellery  among 

the  Chinese,  the 
men  usually  wear- 
ing a  bracelet  of 
that  stone  or  an 
imitation.  The 
ear-rings  here 
shown  are  made  of 
jade,  set  off  with 
gold  and  pearls, 
the  little  tassel  at 
the  end  of  each 
string  of  pearls 
being  of  gold  en- 
amelled. These 
ear-rings  would  be 
constantly  worn  by 
an  ordinary  Chi- 
nese woman,  the 
pearls  being  imitation,  of  course;  and  thus  it 
comes  that  one  string  is  missing,  as  well  as 
the  larger  single  ones  out  of  one  of  the 
ear-rings. 


(_■:   KIOLS    DOLLS    FOR    BABY. 


EAR-RINGS   OF   JADE,    GOLD,   AND 
PEARLS. 


that  his  load  can  rest  on  the  end  of  the 
and  the  left  shoulder  as  well.  The 
figure  is  a  mo- 
ther and  child— 
a  charming  little 
group.  It  be- 
longs to  South- 
ern China,  as 
the  open  jacket 
of  the  woman 
and  the  fan 
would  indicate. 
The  child,  too, 
has  the  little  dia- 
mond-shaped 
piece  of  cloth 
over  the  abdo- 
men which  con- 
stitutes its  sole 
costume  in  hot 
weather.  The 
mother's  arm 
around  her  little 
one,  and  the 
child's  own  arm 
over    its    head, 


stick 
other 


give     a 


very 


172 


rHK    WIDK    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


natural    appearance.       The    whole    is    coloured 
like  lite. 

The  figure  shown  on  the  previous  page  is 
difiicult  to  e.\plain.  It  stands  in  a  box  with  a 
glass  front,  and  is  of  very  delicate 
workmanship.  All  my  servant 
could  say  when  he  brought  it  to 
me  was  that  the  Chinese  thought 
a  great  deal  of  it,  and  that  it 
was  exceedingly  beautiful  in  their 
eyes.  Unlike  most  Chinese  work, 
its  beauty  lies  more  in  its  chaste- 
ness  than  in  an  abundance  of 
decoration.  The  woman  stands 
on  a  flower — apparently  a  white 
lotus — made  of  very  thin  rice 
paper.  Her  robe  is  of  the  same 
translucent  material,  only  thicker. 
Its  pearly  whiteness  is  set  off 
with  a  delicate  green  border,  key- 
pattern,  and  an  edging  of  gold. 
She  has  a  gold  chain  round  her 
neck  and  a  red  rose  at  the  bottom  of  the 
robe  in  front.  The  fingers  are  especially  taper- 
ing and  the  features  of  the  best  Chinese  type. 


against  the  ground,  thus  getting  greater  reso- 
nance ;  the  player  squatting  down  to  perform. 
Heard  occasionally  the  performance  is  not 
to   be   despised,    but   it    becomes    monotonous 


IUKSI 


A   CUKIOUS   CHINESE   FIDDLE. 


One  of  my  servants  was  a  skilful  violinist, 
although  his  music  was  not  quite  suitable  for  a 
Western  concert-hall.  Here 
is  his  fiddle.  It  has  two 
strings,  which  pass  over  a  tiny 
bridge  standing  on  the  piece 
of  snake-skin  stretched  across 
the  hollow  "  body "  of  the 
instrument.  The  bow,  like 
the  fiddle  itself,  is  made  of 
bamboo,  bent  to  shape  by 
heating  in  the  fire.  The  end 
is  cleft  just  enough  to  hold 
the  knot  at  the  end  of  the 
bunch  of  horsehair.  This  is 
done  because  it  is  necessary 
to  take  the  hair  off  at  each 
performance,  since  the  proper 
way  to  play  the  fiddle  is  to 
pass  the  hair  between  the 
strings,  and  not  across  the 
top.  The  instrument  is  held, 
too,    with    the  body   pressed 


Consuls 
guests. 


A   COMMON    CHINESE    TOBACCO-PIPE. 


when     heard    for    hours    at    a     time,    as    the 
Chinese  enjoy  it. 

Fans  are  a  great  institution  with  the  Chinese; 
in  fact,  among  every  nation  where  the 
sun  is  strong.  The  pair  here  shown 
are  only  supposed  to  be  used  by 
persons  of  rank.  It  is  usual  to  offer 
one's  guests  fans  as  a  matter  of  course 
at  all  entertainments,  and  these  were 
given  to  us  by  a  mill-owner  at  the 
opening  of  a  new  mill.  It  was  a  great 
function,  with  an  abundance  of  Chinese 
music,  firing  of  crackers,  and  so  forth  ; 
also  a  dinner  at  which  a  couple  of 
and  ourselves  were  the  honoured 
We  were  each  presented  early  in  the 
evening  with  fans  such  as 
these.  They  are  of  silk, 
stretched  so  tightly  that  now, 
a  couple  of  years  later,  they 
sound  like  drums  when 
tapped.  They  are  hand 
painted,  with  a  Chinese  in- 
scription in  black  and  the  seal 
of  the  mill-owner  in  red. 

The  Chinese  are  very  fond 

of  a  smoke,  but  they  do  not 

take   it   in    bulk   as   we    do. 

A  No  Chinaman  would  dream 

^^^  of  smoking  and  working.  The 

^^B  pipe    next    shown    has    been 

tIt  taken  by  many  for  an  opium 

pipe,    but  it    is    for    tobacco. 

I'he  small  bowl  holds  a  very 

tiny  pea  of  tobacco,  and   it 

is     impossible     to    keep   so 

little  alight.  The  consequence 


SOME    HOUSEHOLD    TREASURES    OF    CHINA. 


373 


is  that  when  a  Chitiaman  smokes      f 

he  has  to  leave  off  work  and  keep 

a  smouldering   bit  of  wood  or  a 

joss-stick  against  the  tobacco  until 

it  is  consumed.     He   carries  the 

weed   in    the    be-tasselled   pouch 

hanging  from  the  pipe-stem.   This 

stem    is   of    wood,    the    bowl   of 

pewter,   and   the    mouth-piece    of 

jade-like  glass.     Another  pipe  in 

great  favour  is  made  out  of  the 

base  of  a  bamboo  stem.     All  the 

inside  sections  are  knocked  out 

down    to    where    the    small   bowl 

projects.       But    it    must    not     be 

thought  that  the  tobacco  is  stuffed 

into  the  bamboo  and  the  smoke 

drawn  through  the  tube.     By  no 

means.      The  tube   is  the   bowl, 

and    to    inhale    the    smoke    the 

whole    mouth   has   to   be   placed 

over  the  big  end  of  the  bamboo, 

the    smoker    squatting    the   while 

with  the  lower  end  resting  on  the  ground.     The 

advantage    of    this    shape   of  pipe    is    that   a 

little  water  is  poured  in  and  the  smoke  passes 

through   this    first.     It    is,    in    fact,    a    form   of 

hubble-bubble. 

The  opium  pipe,  it  will  be  seen,  is  a  very 
different  one.  Here  we  have  a  hollowed 
bamboo  with  a  terra-cotta  bowl.  But  the  bowl 
is  not  an  open  one  like  a  tobacco  pipe.     It  has 


A    BAMBOO 
BU 


group  of  implements  ihc  use  of 
which  will  be  described.  The 
opium  as  used  is  a  treacle-like 
substance  generally  carried  in  a 
little  tin.  On  the  pointed  wire  a 
little  opium  about  as  large  as  a 
small  pea  is  taken  and  held  over 
the  flame  of  the  lamp  until  it 
begins  to  smoke.  It  is  then 
placed  on  the  hole  in  the  bowl 
of  the  pipe,  and  held  over  the 
flame  while  the  smoker  draws  in 
the  fumes,  the  wire  being  worked 
in  the  hole  to  keep  it  open.  The 
straight  knife  is  used  to  scrape 
the  wire  clean  afterwards,  and  the 
curved  one  to  clean  off  any 
deposit  inside  the  bowl.  I  need 
not  go  into  the  discussion  that 
has  waged  so  warmly  over  the 
opium  question  ;  but  I  do  know 
there  are  many  Chinese  who  take 
opium  in  moderation,  and  while 
all  that  is  written  about  the  horrors  of  opium  dens 
is  more  or  less  true,  yet  millions  smoke  opium 
who   never  enter  these    dens.       Every  country 


pipe  ("  hubble' 
bbi.e"). 


OPIUM   CAKE,    KNIVES,    WIRE,    ETC. 


AN   OPIUM    PIPE   WITH    A   TEKKA-CcjTTA    bOWL. 


a  small  hole.  Nor  can  opium  be  indulged  in 
by  means  of  this  alone.  It  requires  an  elaborate 
outfit.  There  is  the  lamp,  as  next  shown, 
closed  up  for  carriage  at  the  girdle,  and  also 
opened  out  for  use.     There  are  also  the  little 


OPIUM    I.AMP,    CLOSED. 


OPIUM    LAMP   OHKNEU   OUT    i;EADY    I  tJli    USE. 


seems  to  have  its  examples  of  over-indulgence, 
and  what  alcohol  is  in  this  country  opium  is 
in  China.  Even  that  comparison  may  be  unfair 
to  opium  ;  for,  while  the  medicinal  value  of 
alcohol  is  disputed,  that  of  opium  is  not ;  and 
there  are  many  malarial  districts  where  the 
Chinaman  can  only  live  providing  he  has 
opium  to  smoke.  The  European  doses  himself 
with  quinine  (which  ends  in  a  mania  in  many 
cases),  and  the  Chinaman  with  opium. 

On  the  religious  side 
there  is  not  much  to  be 
said  about  the  Chinese. 
They  do  what  their  fathers 
did  before  them  in  the  way 
of  observances,  but  few  of 
them  know  why.  Besides 
the  feeding  and  veneration 
of  their  ancestors  already 
mentioned,  they  hang  in 
i  all  their  houses  a  painted 
""      picture    such    as    the    next 


174 


THH    WIDK    WORLD    .MAGAZINE. 


*^=^ 


THE   COM.MnN    OK    l-iuMb^liC    "  JOSS." 

photo,  reproduces.  Before  this  they  offer 
joss-sticks,  and  often  keep  a  lamp  con- 
stantly burning,  and  a  pot  of  tea  with  tiny 
cups.  In  their  clubs — for  they  have  these, 
"  all  the  same  Englishman,"  as  our  boy  said — 
these  "josses"  are  often  very  elaborate,  with  real 
hair  and  silk  clothes,  and  the  same  in  the 
wealthiest  houses.  The  secret  societies — of  which 
nearly  every  Chinaman  is  a  member — have 
special  forms  of  this  "joss."  Some  of  the 
societies  are  harmless,  even  praiseworthy,  being 
comparable  to  our  own  burial  clubs,  trade 
unions,  etc.  Others  are,  like  the  Boxers,  formed 
for  political  ends,  or  are  frankly  criminal  organi- 
zations. From  one  of 
these  last  I  obtained  the 
"  joss  "  next  shown. 
I'he.  number  of  murders 
known  to  have  been 
committed  before  it  give 
it  a  very  gruesome 
interest.  The  murders 
brought     the    "joss" 


into  my  possession  by  leading  to  the  inter- 
ference of  the  authorities  and  the  breaking  up 
of  the  society. 

Like    the    rest    of    mankind,    the    Chinaman 
must  sleep.      He  will  do  this  with  ease  any- 


lililOKE   IHIS        JOSS       MANY  .MURDERS   WERE   COM.MITTED. 

where  providing  he  has  space  to  lie  down.  A 
stone  or  brick  will  serve  him  for  a  pillow. 
Many  a  servant  finds  an  empty  cigar  -  box  or 
a  2lb.  biscuit-box  sufficient.  But  eventually 
the  civilizing — or  enervating — effect  of  domestic 
service  makes  itself  felt,  and  something  softer  is 
sought.     Here  we  have  the  very  thing — a  pillow 

woven  out  of  cane  and 
shaped  to  the  head. 
With  this  placed  under 
the  neck  as  he  lies  on 
his  back,  on  a  mat  on 
the  bare  floor,  the  China- 
man will  revel  in  luxu- 
rious sleep.  And  there 
let  us  leave  him. 


()\V    WOVEN   OUT   OF    CANE. 


Ttied  for  Murder  in    Central  Africa. 

By  Dr.  T.  J.  Tonkin. 

"  The  Wide  World  "  is  often  asked  for  some  narrative  which  shall  be  so  vivid  as  to  convey  an  absolutely 
realistic  conception  of  caravan  troubles  and  perils  in  Central  Africa.  Here  is  such  a  narrative.  The 
scene  is  the  vast  Hausaland  in  Mohammedan  Central  Africa,  and  the  writer  is  well  known  to  "Wide 
World  "  readers  by  reason  of  his  amusing  and  vivid  narratives  of  adventure  and  travel  in  Nigeria.  The 
article  will  well  repay  careful  perusal.  The  writer  tells  the  story  of  his  trial  for  murder  before  a  Central 
African  King,  his  condemnation  to  death,  and  how  he  escaped. 


OR  certain  reasons  •  that  concern 
nobody  but  myself  I  am  not  able 
to  make  public  property  all  the 
names  and  circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  incident  I  am 
about  to  relate,  but  the  Editor  is  in  possession 
of  the  full  facts  and  has  abundant  evidence  of 
their  reliability.  It  has  fallen  to  rny  lot  within 
the  comparatively  narrow  limits  of  thirty  years 
to  sample  many  strange  experiences,  but  never 
in  the  whole  range  of  my  wanderings  in  land  of 
fetish,  mosque,  temple,  or  pagoda  have  I  hit  o  i 
so  unlikely  a  one  as  fell  in  my  way  some  year  or 
so  ago  in  Africa. 

I  am  not  going  to  say  exactly  where  it  was, 
or  when  ;   but  it  so  fell  out  that   I    was   taken 
prisoner   by  a   native   King,   tried   for    murder, 
condemned     to     death, 
and  only  escaped  execu- 
tion   by    the     timely    in- 
tervention  of    a    British 
trading    agent,    who,    by 
promptitude   and  a  ran- 
som,   won    me    and   my 
companions     from      the 
very  man  of  the  gallows. 
I  was  travelling  down- 
wards in  a  south-westerly 
direction  from  the  vicinity 
of  a  certain  lake  with  the 
object    of    striking    the 
middle  waters  of  a  great 
river.     I  had  reached   a 
point    somewhere   about 
five  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast  of  the  continent, 
and  was  in  the  territory  of 
a  powerful  prince,  whom 
I  believed  to  be  friendly. 
On  the  evening  of  the 
so-called  crime  for  which 
I    and    my  companions 
were  tried  I   was  only  a 
mile  from  the  walls  of  the 
capital  of  this  prince,  the 
walls  lying  directly  in  my 
way.     I    had  sent  on   a 
messenger   to   the   King 
thereof,  to  sit  in  his  gate 
and  say  to  him  "  Behold  ! 
O    King,    a    stranger 
Cometh,    bringing  peace, 
who  desireth  to  see  thee 


[  "   I   m 

I    WENT  OFF    BV    MVjELF    AT   A    HAND   GAU.OP   TO    THE 

(;keat  trading  cami=  under 


and  afterwards  to  pass  on  his  way."  But  as  no 
reply  had  come  to  my  message  I  did  not,  when 
nearing  the  walls,  propose  to  enter  the  gates, 
but  rode  on  ahead  myself  to  choose  a  suitable 
camping-ground  outside,  where  we  could  off- 
saddle,  eat,  rest,  sleep,  and  wait  till  the  pleasure 
of  the  King  should  permit  us  to  enter. 

I  chose  a  place  close  to  a  little  farm-house, 
where  there  was  a  well  and  a  spreading  sycamore 
tree,  and  I  secured  what  I  thought  to  be  suffi- 
cient permission  to  settle  there.  The  farm- 
house was  away  from  the  road  in  some,  dhiirra 
fields  ;  but  there  was  a  wide  way  leading  to  it 
round  the  headlands  of  the  fields,  also  a  narrow 
path  which  ran  straight  across  them  from  the 
main  road  to  the  yard  of  the  farm.  I  rode  back 
and  directed  the  leader  of  my  caravan  where  to 

go  ;  then  I  went  off  by 
myself  at  a  hand  gallop 
to  the  great  Zungo  (native 
trading  camp),  close 
under  the  city  walls,  where 
a  number  of  merchants 
and  travellers  were  en- 
camped, to  inquire  the 
news  of  the  city  and  of 
the  road  beyond. 

Meanwhile,  my  train  of 
men,  horses,  and  asses 
made  the  camping-ground 
I  had  pointed  out  to 
them.  But  they  didn't 
find  matters  so  easy  for 
them  as  I  had  anticipa- 
ted. When  I  joined  them 
1  found  them  in  disorder. 
Some  of  the  beasts  had 
been  taken  round  to  the 
farm  by  the  wide  road, 
but  some  had  followed 
the  narrow  one,  and  the 
drivers  of  the  latter  por- 
tion said  that  when  they 
were  getting  near  to  the 
farm  some  well-dressed 
men  rushed  out  from 
behind  the  trees  and 
accused  them  of  letting 
the  asses  eat  the  grow- 
ing corn,  which  was  just 
coming  up  on  each  side 
of  the  path,  and  which 
they  said  was  the  property 


rHE  city  walls. 


37' 


THE    WIDK    WORLD    MAGAZIN^E. 


of  the  King.  My  boys  said  the  donkeys  had  not 
eaten  the  corn,  wheieupon  the  well-dressed  men 
had  fallen  upon  them  and  beaten  them — "and 
see,  O  little  master,  the  marks  of  the  blows." 

"  U'ell  :    why  didn't  you  smite  them  back  ?  " 

"  They  were  armed,  O  our  master  ;  and  their 
slaves  with  swords  and  spears  were  behind 
them — would  we  eat  death  ?  See,  here  l>e  the 
men." 

Now  1  must  explain  matters  a  little.  We 
were  on  the  borders  of  a  disturbed  tract  of 
country.  The  French  had  been  taking  liberties 
with  the  "  divine  rights  ""  of  the  native  Kings 
only  a  hundred  or  so  miles  away,  and  this 
particular  potentate,  whose  chief  city  we 
were  approaching,  had,  perhaps,  reason  on  his 
side  when  he  cordially  mistrusted  any 
white  parties  whatsoever  that  came  his  way  — 
any  parties,  that  is,  of  which  he  had  no  personal 
knowledge.  Some  Canadian  missionaries  had 
come  along  only  a  little  while  before.  They 
camped  outside  the  King's  city.  He  sent  out 
to  them  and  told  them  to  go  away.  They 
refused,  and  tried  to  preach  to  his  messengers  ; 
then,  in  the  dull  dawn  of  the  next  morning,  he 
sent  a  party  of  soldiers,  and  the  missionaries  left 
(in  their  pyjamas)  and  never  came  back  again  — 
not  even  for  their  luggage.  But  we  were  not 
missionaries,  and  we  did  not  know  we  were 
expected  to  run  away  when  the  soldiers  came. 
^^'e  shouldn't  have  run  away  if  we  had  Jvnown  ; 
hence  the  sequel. 

"  These  are  the  men,  are  they  ?  "    I  said. 

"  Yes,  master."' 

"  Well  !  ^^'hat  have  you  been  beating  my 
servants  for  ?  "  I  asked  them. 

"  Asses  eating  the  King's  corn  !  "  was  the 
reply. 

"  ^^  ell,  Tm  very  sorry  if  they  did— not  that  the 
little  they  would  eat  would  make  much  difference 
to  a  wealthy  King  like  yours  ;  but  I  don't  see 
enough  in  that  to  warrant  your  being  so  rude  as 
to  whack  my  boys.  Come,  now,  what  do  you 
think  about  it  ?  " 

They  didn't  appear  much  inclined  to  think  at 
all.  They  grumbled  and  growled,  said  one 
thing  and  another,  looked  us  all  over,  swords 
and  guns  and  all,  and  finally,  without  saying 
they  were  sorry  for  what  had  occurred  or  even 
returning  our  greeting,  lurched  off  into  the  city. 
Half  an  hour  elapsed.  Then  they  returned 
with  about  forty  more  of  their  kind,  robed  and 
turbaned,  with  swords  tightly  grasped  in  their 
hands,  and,  as  events  proved,  the  determination 
to  make  trouble  deeply  rooted  in  their  hearts. 

We  were  to  clear  out — at  once — to  go — and 
might  Allah  confound  us.  Kelabs  !  (dogs)  did 
we  not  understand?  Their  King  would  not 
stand  any  A'<:{//?rt// (infidel  beasts)  in  his  territory. 


And  it  was  made  plain  to  us  with  curses  and 
much  expectoration  in  our  direction  that  we 
were  to  "git  "  and  look  sharp  about  it. 

So  !  Well  !  we  did  not  intend  to  clear.  We 
were  very  sorry,  we  told  them,  if  our  presence 
excited  them  ;  but  we  were  on  our  way  to  a 
certain  place,  and  we  intended  to  rely  on  the 
hospitality  of  a  great  King  to  let  us  pass  un- 
molested; anyhow,  we  weren't  going  back  till  we 
were  forced. 

You  see,  this  was  the  point  at  which  the 
missionaries  had  left,  and  at  which  it  had  been 
calculated  that  we  should  go  also.  Who  would 
dare  to  stand  against  the  noble  Saidi  and  his 
companions  in  arms? 

But  then  we  did  not  know  that  it  was  the 
redoubtable  Saidi — this  illustrious  chamberlain 
of  a  great  and  powerful  King  who  was  confront- 
ing us ;  and,  moreover,  they  had  not  then 
given  us  the  details  about  the  missionaries  as  a 
precedent,  so  we  stood  our  ground.  We  spake 
them  gently.  Relying  on  the  respect  which  is 
usually  accorded  to  the  white  man,  I  stepped 
out  alone  and  unarmed  into  the  middle  of  them, 
and  pointed  out  the  indecency  of  their  demands 
and  the  inhospitable  nature  of  their  behaviour. 
I  assured  them  of  the  innocence  of  our  aims, 
and  of  the  whiteness  of  our  hearts  towards 
them.  We  were  not  Francavi  (Frenchmen),  I 
told  them.  We  did  not  come  to  smell  out  their 
land  ;  we  were  simply  travellers,  men  of  letters, 
seekers  after  the  hidden  things  of  the  earth, 
who  carried  arms  only  as  a  defence  against  the 
wild  beasts  and  wild  men  of  the  bush ;  and, 
indeed,  who  would  not  think  of  using  arms  in  the 
great  city  at  our  feet  save  as  a  salute  to  the 
august  sovereignty  that  shadowed  it.  These 
and  many  other  things  I  told  them.  Had  I 
not  sent  a  Manzo  (messenger,  forerunner)  unto 
the  King?  Was  he  not  already  in  the  gate? 
Allah !  what  had  I  fallen  short  of  in  the  courtesy 
of  travel  ?     I  begged  them  to  tell  me. 

I  was  a  pig  !  Well,  that  might  be  correct ; 
but  considered  as  an  answer  to  my  question  it 
left  much  to  be  desired.  So  it  did  in  several 
other  directions,  and  I  told  them  so,  whereupon 
the  irrepressible  Saidi  plucked  (no  other  word 
describes  the  action)  his  sword  out  of  its 
scabbard  and  whirled  it  round  his  head  prepara- 
tory to  rushing  at  me.  How  little  things 
photograph  themselves  on  our  memories !  I 
can  see  Saidi  again  now — his  sword  lashed  out 
like  a  brand  behind  him,  his  head  thrown  back, 
neck  muscles  tense,  upper  eyelids  retracted,  and 
curses  and  spittle  squirting  out  from  between 
his  clenched  jaws.  The  natural  instinct  to  stay 
a  mad  rush  caused  his  friends  to  lay,  for  a 
moment,  restraining  hands  on  him  ;  but  it  was 
only  for  a  moment  they  hindered  him.     Then 


TRIED    FOR    MURDER    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


377 


they,  too,  had  a  kind  of  epileptic  seizure  of  rage, 
and  the  general  rush  came. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  I  had  been 
standing  quite  unarmed  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  I  availed  myself  of  the  momentary  delay  I 
have  just  mentioned  to  execute  a  retreat  that 
was  more  remarkable  for  speed  than  dignity. 
But  there  was  no  time  to  study  dignity  ;  I  had 
to  study  how  to  keep  alive,  and  I  shouldn't  have 
succeeded  even  at  that  had  I  not  received  help 
from  one  of  my  companions.  I  had  jumped  to 
the  base  of  a  tree  where  our  arms  were  stacked 
and  grabbed  a  Winchester,  pulled  over  the 
lever,  snapped  it  back  again  and  put  the  gun 
to  my  shoulder — only  to  discover,  as  my  eye 
ran  along  the  sights  of  the  muzzle,  that  it  was 
a  broken  one.  Assuredly  I  was  never  nearer 
death  than  then. 

The  human  spate  had  burst  upon  us.  I  was 
the  foremost  of  our  little  band.  My  hand  was 
already  bleeding  from  a  kerrie  blow.  Hie  man 
Saidi,  the  "  leader  of  the  opposition,''  was  block- 
ing out  the  sunlight  in  front  of  me.  As  he 
swung  himself  up  on  the  tips  of  his  toes,  and 
hurled  his  blade  backwards  over  his  shoulder  to 
get  a  mightier  smite  at  me,  he  seemed  to  tower 
in  the  air  like  some  gigantic  bronze  spirit ;   and 


I,  paralyzed  by  a  sense  of  my  own  helpless- 
ness, felt  myself  cringe  as  I  waited  for  the  blow- 
to  descend.  Never,  if  I  live  to  be  a  thousand, 
will  I  let  a  heathen  nigger  get  me  at  such  a  dis- 
advantage again.  If  fate  had  allowed  him  to 
cleave  me  from  skull  to  midriff  I  would  not 
have  been  getting  any  more  than  my  deserts  for 
being  such  a  fool  as  to  start  arguing  with  a 
black  without  a  revolver  in  my  belt.  The 
gun  would  not  go  off :  there  was  no  time  to 
turn  it  round  and  club  it.  To  the  right 
and  left  of  me  there  stretched  themselves  out 
the  huge,  gnarled  roots  of  a  mighty  tree.  In 
front  was  a  mob  howling  with  fanaticism  and 
bristling  with  steel  ;  above  me  was  a  four-foot 
blade  and  a  sinewy  wrist.  No,  my  boy  (I 
shuddered  to  myself),  there's  no  help  for  it  ; 
you've  just  got  to  stop  and  get  chopped.  And 
stop  I  did,  but  I  didn't  get  chopped — and  that's 
where  my  friend  cut  into  the  game. 

He — that  is,  my  friend — said  afterwards  that 
he  sort  of  felt  in  his  bones  there  was  going  to 
be  trouble,  so  he  just  picked  up  his  revolver, 
put  his  foot  on  a  box,  and  waited  for  it  to  come. 
He  was  quite  right — you  should  always  wait  for 
trouble  rather  than  go  to  meet  it  ;  but  you  must 
be  sure  vou  wait  the  right  wav.     He  waited  in 


rut'  '  CRACK  !   CRACK  1'   OF 

Vol.  vi.— 42. 


F   HIS  AIM, 


378 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MA(}AZINE. 


quite  the  most  orthodox  manner,  and  when  it 
came  he  was  ready  for  it.  No  sooner  did 
Saidi's  sword,  flashing  in  the  air,  and  my  help- 
less glance  at  the  broken  gun  mark  the 
desperateness  of  the  situation  than  the  crack! 
aack!  of  his  revolver  bore  witness  to  his 
readiness,  and  the  results  to  the  excellence  of 
his  aim.  Crack  .'  Saidi's  uplifted  arm  stopped  in 
the  air  for  a  moment  as  if  it  were  turned  to 
stone,  then  collapsed,  with  a  shudder  and  the 
rest  of  Saidi,  to  the  earth. 

Cra.k .'  A  second  bedizened  individual  leaped 
into  the  hot  summer  afternoon,  and  a  third 
dashing  out  his  arms  with  a  convulsive  gesture 
of  involuntary  surrender  fell  loudly  to  the  turf. 

It  was  all  over.  Before  the  wreaths  of  smoke 
from  the  mouth  of  the  pistol  had  reached  the 
branches  overhead,  or  the  crack .' jrack  !  of  its 
voice  had  ceased  to  reverberate  in  the  valley 
below,  the  scene  was  played  out  and  the  tableau 
arranged.  The  central  figure  looked  doubtfully 
at  his  broken  gun,  and  thanked  his  Maker  with 
a  "  Great  Allah  1  That  was  an  almighty 
near  shave  I "  Saidi  picked  himself  up,  and 
staggered  off  with  a  comically  disgusted 
look  on  his  ugly  face,  and  a  hole  some- 
where else.  The  Charinaki,  the  King's  major- 
domo,  lay  doubled  up  on  the  ground  with  blood 
oozing  from  between  the  fingers  of  the  hand 
which  covered 
his  damaged  eye, 
while  behind, 
iifel  ess  and 
prone,  spread- 
eagled  on  the 
ground  with  a 
little  round 
blackened  hole 
between  the  fifth 
and  sixth  ribs, 
lay  the  6ft.  of 
bone  and  clay 
that  a  moment 
before  had  been 
Abdu  of  Rano. 
PVjr  the  rest  of 
our  assailants, 
after  the  second 
crack .'  you  could 
not  have  shot 
another  if  you 
had  wanted  to. 

After  we  had 
gathered  our- 
selves together 
there  came  a 
discussion  of 
ways  and  means. 
What    on    earth 


were  we  to  do  ?  One  of  my  companions 
suggested  that  we  should  run  away.  But 
there  were  three  radical  objections  to  this 
course.  First,  there  was  nowhere  to  run 
to ;  secondly,  our  baggage  animals,  having 
already  travelled  twenty  miles  that  day,  were 
thoroughly  done  up,  and  couldn't  have  run ; 
and  thirdly,  we  would  have  been  caught.  But, 
of  course,  the  running  away  idea  was  altogether 
absurd.  ^Ve  had  nearly  thirty  packs  of  luggage 
to  load  up,  and  no  men  to  do  it ;  all  our 
donkey  drivers  having  run  away  and  left  us 
standing  when  the  row  began.  No  !  my  own 
plan  was  the  best  ;  besides,  it  had  another 
advantage — it  was  the  only  course  possible 
under  the  circumstances.  What  I  proposed 
was  this — that  we  should  put  a  bold  face 
on  the  matter,  leave  the  luggage  lying  on 
the  ground,  march  straight  into  the  city, 
go  right  up  to  the  King's  house,  and  com- 
plain loudly  that  we,  peaceful  travellers  in 
his  country,  had,  in  violation  of  all  laws  of 
hospitality,  been  abused  and  ill-treated  by 
his  servant,  and  that  we  had  been  compelled 
—and  this  I  proposed  to  make  a  central  feature 
in  my  complaint  and  bawl  loudest  while  urging 
it — in  self-defence,  and  in  direct  outrage  to  our 
own  feelings  in  the  matter,  to  shed  blood. 

We  did  it.    ^^'e  collected  all  our  rifles,  so  that 


I'l.iM)    \r   .A.jj    K-  >|ji-    iNi.i    jiii-;  i,.\rv. 


TRIED    FOR    MURDER    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


379 


they  might  not  be  used  against  us,  and  the  four 
of  us  saddled  up  and  rode  into  the  gates.  As 
we  passed  down  the  great  main  road  people 
came  thronging  from  by-ways  and  alleys  to  gaze 
at  the  strangers  who  had  dared  to  violate  the 
King's  sacred  authority. 

'''' Ahva  !  (there  they  were).  Ba  Tiaawa! ! 
(white  men)." 

We  held  on  till  we  came  to  the  central  square 
of  the  town,  then  asked  our  way. 

"  Kai !  (you  there).  Yaka  I  (come  here). 
Eiina  unirin  Sariki  ?  (where  is  the  King's 
house  ?  )  " 

"  Ga  shi  nan  (there  it  is),"'  and  a  long,  bony 
finger  indicated  the  place. 

High  walls  all  round  ;  a  porch  roofed  much 
like  an  English  barn,  with  thatch  coming  down 
in  wide  overhanging  eaves  to  within  six  feet  of 
the  ground,  where  it  was  supported  by  a  row  of 
wooden  pillars  like  swollen  bedposts  of  an 
antique  pattern  ;  a  huge  door  of  iron-bound 
slabs  of  rough-hewn  wood  ;  a  bit  of  corrugated 
iron  roofing  and  the  crests  of  a  palm  or  two 
sticking  up  behind — that  was  all  we  could  see  of 
the  "dwelling."  But  it  was  the  King's  house; 
that  was  enough  for  us,  and  we  had  to  stand  in 
front  of  the  door  and  bellow. 

We  had  come — we  said — come  to  the  place 
of  IVIalaki  (the  King's  name),  upon  whom  might 
peace  descend,  even  to  his  gates  :  and  we  were 
the  children  of  the  Great  W'hite  Queen,  the 
(Ireat  White  Queen  of  the  North  Land,  and  we 
had  come  in  peace^ — bringing  peace  — desiring 
peace  :  and  behold  peace  had  not  been  given 
us,  but  a  sword.  And  even  now  of  his  servants 
some  were  djinawa  (bleeding)  away  without  the 
gates — servants  of  the  great  and  j)Owerful  that 
had  attacked  the  few  and  weak — behold  it  was 
ba-keau  (unseemly)  ;  but  Allah  had  spoken,  and 
we  were  here,  and  they  were  there,  and  we 
trusted  the  King  would  take  his  cue  from  Allah 
and  do  his  best  to  atone  for  the  scandalous  way 
in  which  we  had  been  received,  ^^'e  wanted  a 
house  and  food,  and  men  to  bring  in  our 
baggage,  and^ — well — several  other  things  ;  but 
we  wouldn't  trouble  him  with  them  at  present. 
We  hoped  he  would  see  his  way  to  do  the  thing 
nicely. 

Cheek  usually  pays.  He  did  see  his  way. 
After  some  formalities  we  were  shown  to  a 
house  and  left  there  with  the  promise  that  our 
goods  should  be  sent  to  us  at  once.  I'his 
second  concession — the  promise  to  send  on  our 
luggage — was,  of  course,  only  conceded  to 
strong  "  representations."  We  took  possession 
of  our  house,  and  sat  down  to  wait  for  our  goods. 

Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  no  luggage 
appeared.  We  began  to  get  more  and  more 
uneasy.       Did   they   intend   to   send    it   to   us 


at  all  ?  The  question  was  a  rather  vital 
one.  Our  clothes,  our  beds,  our  money,  and, 
above  all,  our  precious  journals,  sketciic's, 
and  photographs  were  in  those  cases  ;  and 
really,  on  consideration,  we  didn't  much  care 
what  happened  to  us  if  they,  the  results  of 
months  of  'toil  and  worry,  came  to  grief  So 
when  nine  o'clock  came  and  brought  no  goods 
with  it  I  determined  to  go  out  and  get  them 
myself  whatever  might  happen. 

There  was  no  choice  in  the  matter  as  to  who 
should  go  on  this  errand  :  I  had  to,  being  the 
only  one  of  the  party  who  spoke  the  vernacular 
with  sufficient  fluency  for  such  an  emergency  : 
so  I  saddled  up  and  set  out.  As  I  left  the 
house  I  saw  that  we  were  being  closely 
watched.  Small  knots  of  armed  men  occupied 
the  approaches  to  the  compound  in  which  we 
were  located,  and  some,  probably  specially 
detailed  for  the  purpose,  followed  me.  I 
made  my  way  back  to  the  great  square  —  to 
the  gate  of  the  King.  By  the  time  I  got  there 
all  the  city  seemed  to  have  found  out  that  one 
of  the  "  Ba-Turawa"  was  astir  again,  for  though 
an  alleyway  was  left  for  me  to  pass  through,  the 
rest  of  the  place  was  nearly  full  of  people.  As 
I  rode  on  the  alleyway  closed  up  behind  me. 
When  I  reined  up  in  front  of  the  King's  gate 
I  found  myself  literally  embedded  in  a  crowd 
which  momentarily  grew  not  larger,  it  could 
not  do  that  by  reason  of  the  limits  of  the 
space,  but  denser.  It  was  a  weird  crowd.  It 
did  not  talk,  or  hoot,  or  shout,  but  a  sobbing 
murmur  hung  over  it  like  a  mist.  I  could  hear 
quite  plainly  what  was  being  said  by  those  who 
were  nearest  to  me,  by  those  whose  shoulders 
were  being  janmied  by  the  press  into  my  knees 
and  into  my  horse's  ribs  ;  and  also  by  their  next- 
door  neighbours,  even  to  the  eighth  or  tenth  tier. 

This  was  one  of  the  men  who  had  killed  the 
KinGf's  servants — the  white  man.  What  would 
the  King  do  to  him  ?  He  would  probably  put 
him  to  death  ;  not  a  nice  short  death,  but  some- 
thing to  make  him  wriggle  a  bit. 

Such  bits  of  talk  as  this,  obviously  meant  for 
my  ears,  kept  finding  their  way  there,  but  for  a 
loner  time  no  one  ventured  to  touch  me.  Then 
a  lantern-jawed  individual  reached  up  an  evil- 
smelling  hand  and  touched  me  on  the  chin.  I 
daresay  he  would  have  pulled  my  beard,  only 
I  haven't  one.  I  was  sitting  with  my  right  arm 
under  my  loose-flowing  robe,  my  hand  grasping 
the  butt  of  a  '450  Colt  frontier  revolver.  Now 
a  Colt's  frontier  revolver  is  a  tolerably  sub- 
stantial weapon,  takes  a  rifle  cartridge,  and 
weighs  two  pounds  and  a  half;  so  when  I  drew 
it  out  and,  without  altering  my  hold,  let  the 
butt  drop  on  the  top  of  my  insulter's  cranium, 
although  I  did  it  calmly  and  without  enthusiasm, 


iSo 


THR    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


.    .      J  '.'.    THE   KEVOLVEK    AM),    UITilOUT    A  I.  IKKINC,    MV    11' 

DROP   ON    THE   TOl'   ()l-    MY    INSUl.TEKS   CKAMCiM. 

it  took  effect  at  once,  and  he  sank  ciuietly  and 
silently  downwards,  and  was  swallowed  up  in 
the  crowd.  No  one  else  troubled  me,  and 
before  midnight  1  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
all  the  luggage,  with  some  small  exceptions,  on 
its  way  to  the  courtyard  of  the  house  which  the 
King  in  his  courtesy  or  clemency  or  stupidity 
had  allotted  us. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  house  myself — T  did 
about  five  seconds  behind  the  last  bit  of 
baggage — I  found  to  my  sur[)rise  that  one  of 
our  boys,  all  of  whom  had  forsaken  us  and  fled 
when  we  were  attacked,  had  returned  and  was 
sitting  in  the  gate  waiting  for  me.  He  said  he 
had  watched  from  afar  how  we  were  managing 
the  situation,  and  if  we  were  not  afraid,  why 
then  neither  was  he.  Allah  !  he  had  only  run 
away  because  he  thought  we  were  done  for — 
why  else  should  he  run  ?  Did  not  his  soul  love 
a  fight?  It  did,  I  was  able  to  testify  having 
seen  him  at  it,  but  now  I  told  him,  since  he  had 
returned  (and  it  was  very  lucky  for  us  he  had), 
I  wanted  him  to  run  away  again,  far  and  fast. 
What  did  the  little  master  m.ean  ?  "  ^Vell, 
Adamu,  this  is  what  I  mean.  Somewhere  about 
200  miles  from  here,  more  or  less,  to  the  south- 
ward, there  is  the  house  of  a  certain  Ba   Ture 

I  will  give  vou 


(white  man)  mai-iko  (powerful). 


a  letter  to  him,  and  you  will  con- 
ceal it  cunningly  about  your 
person,  and  get  you  gone  with  it, 
and  travel  and  take  no  rest  till 
you  kneel  in  the  white  man's  gate 
and  give  him  the  letter." 

A  pair  of  swarthy  hands  tight- 
ened up  a  ragged  waist -cloth. 
Five -feet -ten  of  sable  humanity 
stretched  itself  upright  till  every 
muscle  stood  out  round  and 
tense  under  the  glossy  skin  ;  a 
pair  of  reddish-black  eyes  glanced 
restlessly  out  into  the  night. 

"Where  is  the  letter,  little 
master  ?     Give  it  me." 

I  wrote  a  letter  explaining  as 
nearly  as  I  could  to  the  agent 
towards  whose  station  we  had 
been  travelling  the  awkwardness 
of  our  situation,  and  asking  him 
to  come  up  as  soon  as  possible 
and  use  his  influence  with  the 
Emir  to  help  us.  You  see,  he 
was  the  Emir's  shopkeeper,  so  to 
speak,  and  the  Emir  probably 
owed  him  money,  so  that  we 
felt  we  were  appealing  to  a  person 
not  wholly  without  authority.  We 
doubled  the  letter  up,  and  con- 
cealed it  in  the  split  end  of 
Adamu's  staff,  and  the  messenger  stood  ready. 
"  Now,  how  are  you  going  to  get  out  of  the  city, 
Adamu  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'll  go  along  to  the  Zungo  inside 
the  gate  and  sleep  there ;  and  when  the 
morning  comes,  and  the  gates  are  opened,  and 
the  luasu  chiniki  (merchantmen)  pass  in  and 
out,  then  will  I  go  with  the  rest  "  ;  and  he  glided 
out  into  the  night. 

Well,  that  was  one  thing  off  my  mind.  I 
had  no  doubt  whatever  of  Adamu's  ability  to 
tiet  through.  I  felt  that  letter  was  as  good  as 
delivered— and  in  that  comfortable  frame  of 
mind  lay  down,  and,  despite  the  events  of  the 
day  and  our  risky  situation,  slept  the  sleep  of  the 
dead.    . 

Next  morning  a  new  difficulty  faced  us.  We 
were  not  afraid  that  we  would  be  attacked, 
because  they  would  have  done  that  before. 
Besides,  if  we  stuck  in  the  house  and  used  our 
repeating  rifles,  we  could  have  killed  such  a  lot 
of  them  before  they  got  at  us,  that  it  wouldn't  be 
worth  their  while.  But  we  began  to  consider 
that  it  was  very  funny  they  hadn't  made  some 
sort  of  attempt  in  that  way.  And  we  figured 
it  out  like  this.  That  they  didn't  care  to 
waste  men  in  open  attack  when  they  had 
another   way    of    getting    at    us,    and    a    very 


IHE    BUTT 


TRIED    FOR    MURDER    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


381 


effective  way,  too,  ready 
to  their  hand.  And  that 
was  poison.  ^^'e  were 
totally  dependent  on 
them  for  our  food  sup- 
plies— nothing  would  be 
easier  than  for  them  to 
put  poison  in  the  rice 
they  gave  us  to  eat,  and 
finisli  us  off  that  way. 
This  idea,  when  it 
occurred  to  us,  gave  us 
quite  a  turn.  It  was 
sufficient  to  put  us  off 
rice,  which  meant  off  food, 
for  some  time  ;  we  left  our 
supplies  severely  alone  as 
long  as  we  could.  But 
there  is  a  degree  of 
hunger  that  knows  no 
fear — not  even  of  poison. 
The  debacle  occurred  on 
the  second  or  third  day 
of  our  abstinence.  I 
regret  to  say  that  I  was 
the  "  caving  in  "  party. 
A  large  bowl  of  ragout 
came  in  with  four  huge 
onions  reposing  on  the 
top.  Well,  I  argued,  they 
may  have  poisoned  the 
rice,  but  they  can't  very 
well  have  got  it  inside  the 
onions.      So   here   goes, 

and  picking  the  side  shells  off  I  attacked  the 
hearts.  Then  in  for  a  penny  in  for  a  pound — 
you  know  the  rest.  Two  minutes  later  we  were 
all  tucking  into  rice  and  fat  mutton  as  men  only 
can  tuck  into  it  who  have  three  days'  arrears  of 
meals  to  make  up.  And  that  without  evil  result, 
or  I  should  not  be  now  writing  these  lines. 

Thereafter  we  ate  whatever  we  listed,  and 
waited.  We  did  not  quite  know  what  we  were 
waiting  for,  but  the  people  would  not  let  us 
move  on,  so  there  was  no  choice.  Day  followed 
day  without  event — save  that  crowds  came  to 
stare.  \Ve  asked  for  an  audience  of  tlie  King, 
re-asked,  demanded — all  to  no  purpose.  There 
was  no  news  from  the  south  either,  and-  we 
began  to  fear  for  Adamu.  Then  when  our 
uncertainty  (this  is  a  mild  word)  was  at  its 
height  the  rift  in  the  clouds  appeared. 

"  Na  zo  Sidi.'  (I  have  come,  O  my  master)." 

"  What,  you,  Adamu  ?  "  and  I  turned  to  find 
the  boy  crouching  beside  me.  "  Well  !  efwa 
labari'l  (what  news  ?)  " 

"  Ba  Ture  ya  zo  mazza  (the  white  man  is 
coming  tjuickly) ;  a  kan  doki  (on  horseback) ; 
Ko  yao  da  derri  (to-night)  :   Ka  da  sa  safi  (or 


\V,     HOW     AKF.    YOU 
CI  TV, 


very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing) ;  sai  ya  ziia  nan  (he 
will  be  here)." 

"  To  !  el  iiamd  el  ailahi 
(well  done,  Adamu,  that's 
something  like  news)." 

That  night  when  the 
shadows  were  curtaining 
off  the  last  golden  flush 
of  the  African  sunset, 
and  the  Sarakuna  na 
kofafi  (the  governors  of 
the  gates)  were  preparing 
to  lock  and  bar  for  the 
night,  a  tall,  lanky,  brown, 
red  -  haired  Scotchman, 
mounted  on  a  sorrel 
stallion,  and  accompanied 
by  cjuite  a  suite  of  inter- 
preters and  "boys," 
passed  through  the  crum- 
bling adode  arches  of  the 
southern  gate  and  entered 
the  city.  In  him  was 
our  hope  and  our  salva- 
tion. I  shall  call  him 
Brown. 

"  Well,  my  boys,  and 
what  the  deuce  have  you 
been  up  to  now  ?  ' 

It  wasn't  a  regulation 
greeting  by  any  means, 
but  it  was  one  we  were 
very  (this  is  also  a  weak 
word  ;  in  Hict,  jnany  of  the  words  I  use  in  this 
article  to  e.xpress  our  emotions,  sensations,  etc., 
are  weak),  very  thankful  to  hear.  \Ve  sat  down 
and  explained. 

"  Well,   we'll  have  to  see  what  we   can    do 
towards    getting   an    audience — I    expect    he'll 
want  to  try  you.     In  fact,  I've  heard  as  much." 
"  Want  to  what  ?  " 
"  Try  you." 

"  Try  us  ?    W^hat  for  ?  " 

"  Why,  for  murder— what  else  ?  You've 
killed  some  of  his  servants,  haven't  you  ?  Well, 
he'll  want  to  try  you  for  that ;  arraign  you 
before  the  courts  of  his  country ;  have  you 
accused,  and  convicted,  and  sentenced,  and  all 
that.  But  don't  worry,  I  dare  say  we'll  be  able 
to  arrange  matters.  You  see,  it  would  only 
embroil  him  with  the  powers  that  be  to  execute 
(the  word  made  me  swallow)  you,  and  he  would 
gain  nothing  by  it  (gain  or  loss  to  a  nigger  I), 
whereas  a  ransom  would  be  something  solid — 
in  his  pocket,  you  know.  No,  on  the  whole 
I  don't  think  he'll  execute  you— I  rather 
fancy 


GOING    TO    GET    OLT    OF    THE 
ADAMU? " 


"  Look  here,  old  man,"   I   broke  in,   trepida- 


;S2 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


tion  irivino,  \vav  to  rage,  "  I  don't  think  he  will 
cither  :  but  if  he  do^es— I  don't  go  anywhere 
without  niv  revolver,  not  even  to  my  own  execu- 
tion, and  if  that  event  does  come  off,  there'll  be 
rapid  promotion  among  executioners  first— 
that's  all  Tve  got  to  say." 

"  Well,  we'll  leave  it  at  that."  said  the  Scotch- 
man. 

Sure  enough  at  about  noon  next  day  the 
function  predicted  by  the  newly-arrived  friend 
came  olT.  ^^'e  were  summoned  to  the  Emir's 
residence. 

In   a   way    the    scene    was    impressive.       We 


Some  bags  of  salt  and  a  pile  of  cloth  reposed 
against  a  wall.  A  man  with  a  gun,  from  the 
mu/zle  of  which  protruded  a  long  tail  of  horse- 
hair, sat  on  a  stack  of  elephants'  teeth  in  a  dark 
corner,  and  tall,  sable  spearmen  guarded  the 
gateway. 

One  by  one  we  filed  in  and  took  our  seats 
before  the  Emir.  In  our  wake  followed  wit- 
nesses, etc.  'I  he  prosecutor,  a  fine-looking  old 
man,  with  a  long,  curly  white  beard,  sat  by  the 
Emir's  right  hand,  and  the  friends  of  the  in- 
jured people  on  his  left.  The  proceedings 
commenced.      The    most  scandalous  mis-state- 


,\:<\l    1    .sHoVKU    MV    UKUISKD   AND    BROKEN    HANU    IN'IO    TIIK    KINGS    FACE. 


found  the  Emir  in  a  kind  of  courtyard  which 
occupied  the  bulk  of  the  space  within  the 
western  walls  of  the  dwelling.  He  was  reclin- 
ing on  a  rug  and  supported  by  scarlet  baize 
cushions.  He  appeared  to  be  very  old.  His 
skin  was  j)atchy  and  discoloured,  and  he 
breathed  with  difficulty.  All  around  and  about 
were  the  partly  domestic,  partly  barracky,  and 
partly  commercial  features  common  to  the  court- 
yard of  a  native  King.  In  the  background 
some  female  slaves  were  grinding  grain  for  the 
evening  meal,  a  child  and  a  goat  looking  on. 


ments  were  made  with  the  utmost  placidity 
and  swallowed  without  a  wink.  W'e  were  alluded 
to  as  filibusiers  and  adventurers,  and  the 
description  was  couched  in  awful  language. 

^Ve  had,  it  was  said,  arrived  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  city  waving  guns  and  pistols 
about,  and  seeking  for  somebody  to  shoot  at. 
By-and-by  the  unfortunate  Saidi  and  his  party 
crossed  our  line  of  vision,  and  we  loosed  off  at 
them  — ivithoitt  provocation. 

"  No  !  no  !  "  said  Brown.  "  I'm  hanged  if  I 
can  swallow  that." 


TRIED    FOR    MURDER    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


583 


"  Call  me  a  liar  ?"  screamed  the  Emir. 

"  I  didn't  call  you  anything  of  the  sort,"  was 
the  reply.  "  I  said  I  didn't  believe  that  these 
people  would  fire  at  your  men  unprovoked — 
and  I  don't !  " 

But  it  didn't  appear  to  make  much  difference, 
the  case  flowed  on. 

"  Why,"  said  the  accusing  counsel,  half 
addressing  us  and  half  the  King,  "  they  are  the 
aggressors  on  the  face  of  it ;  here  are  our  men 
bleeding  and  dead,  while  as  for  them,  they 
haven't  a  mark  between  them." 

"  No  mark  ?  "  I  yelled,  springing  to  my  feet 
like  a  pump-handle.  "  No  mark  ?  What  do  yon 
call  that  ? "  and  I  shoved  my  bruised  and 
broken  hand  into  the  King's  face. 

"  For  God's  sake  sit  down  and  let  me  do  the 
talking,"  said  Brown,  as  he  leaned  forward  and 
grabbed  me  by  the  seat  of  the  breeches. 

I  subsided,  and  the  dreary  monotone  of  the 
accuser  again  held  the  court.  Sentence  followed 
sentence  like  water  flowing  out  of  a  pump, 
l)artly  Koran,  partly  invective,  partly  narrative, 
partly — a  whacking  part — lies. 

But  presently  a  crescendo  movement  found 
its  way  into  his  speech,  and  we  hailed  it  as 
betokening  an  ending  of  some  sort ;  then  the 
pace  of  his  delivery  quickened,  and  his  head 
began  to  waggle.  By-and-by  he  got  on  to  his 
legs  and  then,  after  a  cough  or  two  and  a  jerk, 
he  made  his  final  effort.  It  was  like  a  barrister 
trying  to  work  on  the  feelings  of  a  jury.  He 
recounted  again  all  the  incidents  (his  account 
of  them,  that  is)  that  had  led  up  to  the  fracas. 
Then  followed  the  line  of  story  along  to  the 
scene  we  were  all  taking  part  in.  He  omitted 
nothing.  He  spoke  of  our  uninvited  arrival, 
describ''d  the  trespass  on  the  King's  land,  the 
outrage  on  the  King's'  corn.  He  figured  the 
grieved  expostulation  of  Saidi  and  compared  it 
with  the  savage  and  brutal  retaliation  it  had  met 
with  at  our  hands— <??/;'-  hands  (pointing  to  us) — 
the  hands  of  these  men  here  before  us.  The 
servants  of  the  King  did  their  duty  ;  they  suffered 
and  are  dead ;  these  men  wrought  it ;  it  was 
murder — m-u-r-d-e-r — "  Mine  laddiut  Kasshi-n- 
kaiV  (\v\v\X.  was  the  reward  of  murder?) 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  a  hush  ;  then 
from  the  listeners  there  soughed  up  the  response, 
"  Sai  initiua  "  (only  death). 

I  cannot  say  what  my  companions  thought 
about  the  matter,  but  I  felt  that  this  business 
had  gone  about  as  far  as  it  should  be  allowed 
to,  that  it  was  time  to  put  a  stop  to  it,  and  I 
nudged  Brown  to  make  him  understand,  but 
he  sat  tight  and  waited  for  the  Emir  to  speak. 

After  a  few  moments'  pause  the  old  man 
opened  his  guns. 

"  Kill    them  \      Yes   !  cut   off    their    heads  ! 


That's  all  right,"  he  muttered  half  to  himself; 
then  more  directly  to  lirown  and  slightly 
defiantly  :  "  Why  shouldn't  we  ?  They've 
killed  my  servants." 

There  were  many  reasons  why  the  killing 
should  not  be  carried  through,  but  Mr.  Brown 
wisely  confined  himself  to  one — the  pecuniary 
advantage  to  the  Emir  of  letting  us  off. 

"  You  see  if  you  yenke  (execute  by  decapita- 
tion) them  you'll  get  nothing  ;  whereas  if,  in  the 
kindness  of  your  heart,  you  let  them  go  in 
peace,  it  is  quite  possible  that  in  the  kindness 
of  iny  heart  I  might  be  prompted  to  make  you 
some  little  present  as  indicative  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  I  shall  hold  your  generosity." 

"  How  much  ?  "  grumbled  the  Emir  ;  and  Mr. 
Brown  mentioned  a  sum  so  small  that  I  quite 
blushed  to  be  one  of  the  four  persons  to  be 
ransomed  by  it.  But  the  Emir  had  formed  a 
higher  estimate  of  our  worth,  and  the  haggle 
that  followed,  considering  that  the  continuity 
of  our  necks  was  at  stake,  was  one  of  the  most 
absorbing  I  have  ever  witnessed.  It  seemed  as 
if  it  were  going  to  be  an  endless  business.  This 
way  and  that  fluctuated  the  price,  the  Emir 
being  up  in  the  clouds  and  the  agent  down  in 
the  dust.  We  were  in  between,  feeling  our 
necks  to  be  sure  they  were  still  all  right.  At 
last,  however,  the  contracting  parties  got  within 
reasonable  touch,  then  we  were  consulted.  Did 
we  think  thirty  pounds  coo  much  ? 

Too  much  I  What  for,  our  weazen  heads  ? — 
Well,  hardly— and  the  baggage-master  began 
involuntarily  to  feel  in  his  pockets  at  once.  And 
so  it  was  settled — two  scientific  "gents,"  a 
baggage-master  and  a  cook,  all  white  and  in  fine 
healthy  condition,  were  knocked  down,  or 
rather  not  knocked  down,  for  thirty  pounds  ; 
and  privately  let  me  assure  you  we  were  each 
and  all  of  us  thundering  glad  to  get  the  matter 
settled  so  easily. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Brown,  as  we  walked  away 
from  the  palace,  "  that's  all  right — I  can  be 
getting  off^^ — " 

"  Getting  what  ?  Away  ?  No  !  my  friend, 
you  don't.  You  don't  budge  from  here  till  we 
do,  so  make  your  mind  easy  about  that." 

"  But  I've  got  business " 

"  I  don't  care,  old  man.  If  you  hadn't 
come,  if  there  had  been  nobody  to  help  us,  we 
should  have  run  this  business  through  one  way 
or  another,  on  strictly  self-respecting  lines,  of 
course  ;  but  now  that  you  have  come  and 
rendered  a  gory  and  absolutely  hopeless  attempt 
at  escape  unnecessary,  I'm  not  going  to  lose 
sight  of  you  till  we're  clean  out  of  the  wood — 
no  !  not  for  all  the  busmess  in  the  world." 

Now  that  we  had  permission  you  may  be 
sure    we    hurried   on    the    preparations   for  our 


3^4 


THE    WIDE     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


dejxirturc  with  all  possible  siteed.  1  cannot 
speak  too  \varnil\-  of  the  way  in  which  my 
companions  seconded  nie  in  this  matter. 
We  collected  our  men.  who  had  retiniied  as 
soon  as  ihev  found  we  were  going  to  weather 
the  gale,  got  together  our  donkeys  and 
horses,  prepared  food,  measured  out  loads, 
manufactured  new  lashings,  overhauled  old 
tackle,  and  performed  each  and  all  of  the 
hundred  and  one  little  necessities  that  go 
before  a  caravan  start  with  a  snap  and  a  run 
that  would  have  surprised  us  had  there  been 
time  for  surprise.  By-and-by,  a  day  or  so  later, 
when   we  were   ready,   though  it   was  close  on 


now  then — Kit  diika  shiri  (are   3  ou   all  readv). 
Yes?  then  off  you  go." 

x\nd  swaying,  wobl)ling,  groaning,  cursing,  the 
unwieldy  train  of  blacks  and  baggage  animals 
moved  off  down  the  street. 

I  took  a  last  look  round  the  house  in  which 
we  had  experienced  so  many  emotions — not  for 
sentimental  reasons,  but  to  be  sure  we  had  left 
nothing  behind— then— one  boot  in  the  stirrup, 
a  little  spring,  a  sock  in  the  saddle,  a  touch  of 
the  spur,  and  I  was  off  after  them. 

That  night  at  ten  o'clock  in  black  darkness 
and  a  cold  driving  rain  we  took  that  train  of 
beasts   and   baggage  and   shoved   it  across  the 


sunset  when  the  last  job  was  finished,  we  would 
hear  of  no  delay.  We  vnist  start  at  once — no 
time  we  felt,  even  though  it  would  let  us  in  for 
crossing  a  widish  ri\er  in  the  dark,  could  be 
inappropriate  for  leaving  the  pestilential  hole  in 
which  we  had  spent  so  anxious  and  hazardous  a 
time. 

"Up  you  get,   boys— we're  going  to   start- 


hundred  yards  or  so  of  swishing  water  and  slimy 
mud  that  marked  the  boundary  between  whdt 
may  be  called  the  urban  district  of  the  town  we 
were  leaving  and  the  peacefuller  rural  outside  : 
and  once  over  we  plumped  ourselves  down  on 
the  bank,  and  regardless  of  cold,  wind,  rain,  or 
mud  slept  sound,  smug,  self-satisfied  sleep. 
Had  we  not  "panned  out  "  once  more? 


My   Experiences    on  Turk's  Islano. 


By  the  Rev.  H.   F.  (Jrofton,  B.A.,  late  Rector  of  the  Island. 

One  cannot  help  being  interested  and  amused  by  the  Rev.  Mr..  Crofton's  description  of  life  on  this 
desolate  and  arid  little  island  in  the  West  Indies,  with  its  strange  "society"  etiquette;  its  half- 
savage  donkeys,  who  bray  all  night  and  often  pull  down  your  garden-walls  ;  its  peculiar  Government 
and  fishing  ;  its  strange  postal  arrangements;  the  solitary  newspaper;  and  the  inconsistent  race  hatreds. 


(<^ 


MALL  in  area  and  population —low- 
lying,  barren,  and  almost  treeless  — 
Turk's  Island  has  a  most  unique 
history,  Government,  and  civiliza- 
tion.    The  middle  of  the  island,  by 

the  way,  is  actually  below  the  level  of  the  sea. 
I     went    out     from     England    with    Bishop 

Churton  to  the  Bahamas  in   March,  1886,  and 

a    few    months    after    my 

arrival  accepted   an   offer 

of  the  rectorship  of  Turk's 

Island.       I  understood   it 

was  ?to^  a  place  for  which 

there     would     be     many 

applicants,  and  that  it  was 

a    case  of  "  Whom   shall 

we  send,  and  who  will  go 

for  us  ?  "      I  was  warned 

by  the  people  in  Nassau 

(the  capital  of  the   Baha- 
mas)   of   the    barrenness, 

smallness,  and  monotony 

of  the  island,  of  the  can- 
tankerous  nature    of   the 

people,  and  of  the  great 

difficulties      with      which 

English     parsons    had 

hitherto    been     beset    in 

dealing  with  them..    Hear- 
ing,  however,    that    there 

was  at  least  some  society 

there,    and    a    somewhat 

better  income,  as  well  as 

a  chance  of  adding  to  it 

by   taking    pupils,    I    re- 
solved at  last  for  the  sake 

of  my  wife  to  accept  the 

Bishop's  offer,  though  not 

without  considerable  mis- 
givings    and     hesitation, 

for  I  was  only  a  young  man  just  ordained  and 

very  happy  in  my  work  as  rector  of  Long  Island. 

AVell,  I  found  myself  in  the  following  December 

on  a  small  island  of  twenty-one  square  miles,  with 
a  mixed  population  of  about  two  thousand,  of 
whom  about  a  third  were  pure  white  and  the 
remainder  of  various  colours  and  features. 
Most  of  them  were  of  the  ordinary  African 
type. 

Vol.  vi.~43. 


THE   AUTHOK,    THE   REV.    H. 
TELLS   US   SOME    CURIOUS 

From  a  Photo. 


The  island  lies  in  latitude  2  2deg.  north, 
about  ninety  miles  due  north  of  the  Island  of 
San  Domingo,  and  about  five  hundred  from 
Jamaica ;  somewhat  farther  north  lies  Bermuda. 
It  is  supposed  by  Navarette  to  be  the  island 
first  discovered  by  Columbus,  but  he  is  the 
only  author  who  maintains  this  view.  If  this 
be  true,  we  can   only  say  that  the  island  must 

have  changed  very  much 
in  appearance  since 
Columbus's  days.  The 
history  of  it  I  gathered 
from  the  inhabitants  to 
be  something  as  follows. 

The  earliest  white  set- 
tlers were  Bermudians, 
who  in  the  days  of  cheap 
slave  labour  used  to  go 
to  Turk's  Island  from 
Bermuda,  at  first  for  si.x 
months  in  the  year  only  ; 
then,  finding  it  so  well 
adapted,  by  reason  of  the 
strong  breezes  and  fierce 
sunshine,  and  the  flat  and 
low-lying  nature  of  the 
land  (a  great  deal  of 
which  is  below  the  level 
of  the  sea),  for  the  pro- 
duction of  salt,  they  re- 
solved to  stay  there 
altogether.  This  is  not 
surprising,  when  we  con- 
sider the  very  high  prices 
they  used  to  get  then 
in  comparison  with  the 
present  ones.  For  the 
present  price  of  salt  is 
five  cents  a  bushel  ;  and 
in  those  days  I  think  they 
used  to  get  fifty  cents  a  bushel.  For  some 
years  they  were  under  the  Government  of 
the  Bahamas.  Finding  fault  with  this  Govern- 
ment for  not  doing  enough  in  return  for 
the  revenue  exacted,  they  petitioned  the 
Colonial  Ofifice  for  separation,  and  for  some 
years  after  the  separation  from  Nassau  they 
became,  a  Crown  Colony  with  a  President  and 
an  elective  assembly,  Queen's  Advocate  and  all 


F.  CROFTON,  B.A.,  WHO  HERE 
FACTS  ABOUT  HIS  PASTORATE. 


by  T.  Fisher  &=  Co. 


:S6 


THE    WTDK    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  machinery  of  an  ordinary  Crown  Colony. 
Afterwards,  finding  thi.s  form  of  Government 
too  expensive,  they  became  a  dependency  of 
Jamaica.  The  first  Commissioner  was  one 
iJaniel  Smith,  a  native,  who,  being  found  guilty 
of  defalcation,  was  deposed  by  the  Governor  of 
Jamaica,  and  Commissioners  from  outside  the 
island  have  been  the  rule  ever  since.  To  avoid 
corruption,  the  judge,  too,  must  now  be  an 
English  barrister;  and  it  would  be  a  good  thing 
if  this  exxellent  rule  were  applied  also  to  the 
magistrate,  who  is  related  by  affinity  to  two  out 
of  the  three  non-ofificial  members  of  the  Legis- 
lative Board.  The  Turk's  Island  Government 
is  practically  an 
oligarchy,  for 
though  the 
Governor  of 
Jamaica  has  the 
power  of  vetoing 
the  laws  made 
by  the  local  legis- 
lature, it  is  sel- 
dom exercised  ; 
neither  Jamaica 
nor  any  other 
place  seeming  to 
know  or  care 
much  about  this 
poor,  forlorn, 
and  lonely  little 
island.  The 
Commissioner 
(or  Deputy  Gov- 
ernor) is  assisted 
by  three   official 


members,  forming 
witli  himself  the  Ex- 
ecutive, of  which  he  is 
the  head,  and  three 
non-official  members, 
who  are  chosen  by  the 
Commissioner  —  al- 
though they  are  sup- 
posed to  represent 
the  people  !  There 
is  a  judicial  depart- 
ment, consisting  of  a 
supreme  court  and  a 
police-court.  I'here 
are  no  proper  lawyers ; 
but  litigants  are  al- 
lowed by  the  judge 
to  be  assisted  either 
in  defence  or  prose- 
cution should  they  so 
wish. 

There  is  also  a 
medical  department, 
consisting  at  Grand  Turk  of  one  medical 
officer,  who  is  paid,  if  I  remember  rightly,  some 
^350  for  attending  a  few  prisoners  and  paupers 
and  for  quarantine  work.  Besides  this,  he  is 
allowed  to  charge  four  shillings  a  visit  from 
the  poorest  person.  So  much  for  the  general 
history  and  government  of  the  island.  Let  me 
now  describe  its  general  appearance,  the  pecu- 
liarities of  the  people,  and  all  that  can  be  said 
either  for  or  against  the  land  of  "  salt,  sand, 
and  sorrow,"  as  it  has  been  called  by  some. 

The  shape  of  the  island  is  that  of  a  boot. 
The  greater  part  of  the  town  lies  along  the  west 
shore,    which    is   protected  by  a    low    sea-wall. 


[/'hoto. 


THIS    l-Hnro(;nAl'H    SHOWS   THK   MAIN    STIiF.KT   Ol'    GKAND   TUKK 


MY    EXPERIENCES   ON   TURKS    ISLAND. 


387 


In  a  strong  west 
wind,  however, 
this  proves 
quite  inade- 
quate as  a  pro- 
tection from  the 
encroachingsea. 
The  street  on 
these  occasions 
becomes  a  Htter 
of  sand,  sea- 
weed, and  rub- 
bish, and  so 
almost  impass- 
able. The  store- 
keepers have  to 
partially  close 
their  stores  to  prevent  their  wares  from  being 
ruined  by  the  salt  spray.  A  much  cooler, 
prettier,  and  more  picturesque  site  for  the 
houses  would  have  been  on  the  slopes  of  the 
tiny  little  hills,  some  40ft.  high,  which  lie  along 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  island.     More  e.xposure 


J-'rom  a}  "  WATERLOO,"  THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  THE  ISLAND.     [Phoio 


m  i  d  (1 1  e  a  n  d 
greater  part  of 
the  island, 
which  slopes 
down  from  all 
its  shores  like 
the  centre  of  a 
saucer  from  its 
edges.  On  the 
north  is  rather 
a  pretty  creek 
or  cove  sur- 
rounded by 
m  a  n  g  r  o  v  e 
bushes,  deep  in 
the  middle  and 
only  wanting  a 
little  capital  and  enterprise  to  blow  up  the 
shallow  bar  separating  it  from  the  ocean,  thus 
converting  it  into  an  effective  harbour.  Near 
this  creek  is  a  cocoa-nut  estate,  owned  by  a 
friend  of  ours,  a  Miss  Whitney,  where  we  with 
our  children  have  spent  many  a  happy  day. 


From  a\     the  most  fertile  I'Akt  ok  the  island— notice  the  sandy  soil  in  the  foregroUxND.        [Photo. 


to  hurricanes  is  said  to  have  been  the  reason 
why  this  site  was  abandoned. 

The  roads  are  made  as  follows  :  first  broken 
stones,  then  a  layer  of  salt  mud,  and  on  the  top 
of  all  a  layer  of  white  sand.  In  dry  weather 
these  "roads"  are  fairly  good,  but  they  are 
awful    in    wet    weather,    and    especially    in    the 


Another  pretty  creek  will  be  found  on  the 
south  part  of  the  island.  Here,  about  two 
miles  from  the  town,  is  "  Waterloo,"  the  Com- 
missioner's residence,  of  which  we  have  a  vievy. 
This  has  a  few  cork  trees  around  it,  and  is 
somewhat  less  barren  and  more  green  than  the 
greater  part  of  the    island.     There  are   a    few 


;8S 


rni'    wii)]-:  -worlo  macazinr. 


casurarina  trees,  or  "  whispering  pines  " — pretty 
to  look  at,  and  also  to  listen  to  when  there  is  a 
bree/e  :  but  they  are  useless  for  shade-giving 
purposes.  One  will  also  find  scattered  up  and 
down  a  few  tamarind  trees  and  date  palms. 
There  are  plenty  of  other  so-called  "  trees,"  but 
there  are  only  some  half-dozen  on  the  island 
that  reach  to  a  height  of,  say,  30ft.  Except  for 
a  few  fields  of  Guinea  corn  and  the  trees  men- 
tioned the  island  is  covered  with  square  salt- 
ponds  and  low  bush  from  six  to  twelve  inches 
high. 

"The  island  is  surrounded  (like  all  the  Bahama 
Islands)  by  the  clearest  and  most  beautiful 
waters  one  could  find  in  the  tropics.  The 
colours  vary  from  almost  pure  white,  which  one 


I  niysrlf  have  caught  dozens  of  beautiful  fish  in 
this  way,  varying  from  2lb.  to  61b.  in  weight. 
l"he  bait  I  used  was  shell-fish. 

There  is  also  a  little  shooting  at  Grand 
Turk,  but  the  snipe,  though  beautiful,  are  so 
small  that  I  always  thought  it  a  pity  to  w-aste 
powder  and  shot  on  them.  There  are  said  to 
be  some  wild  duck,  but  I  have  never  seen  any 
myself.  There  is  a  fairly  good  library,  and  a 
cricket  and  lawn  tennis  club.  The  island  is 
also  fairly  healthy ;  the  temperature  ranges  from 
76deg.  to  godeg.,  and  you  can  wear  the  same 
clothes  all  the  year  round. 

Living  in  Turk's  Island  is  just  about  double 
what  it  is  in  England  ;  for  example,  milk  is  a 
shilling  a  quart !     Then,  again,  it  is  always  a  dis- 


Froiii  a\ 


AT    LITTLE    BLUFF    HOUSE. 


[Photo. 


finds  on  a  shallow,  sandy  bottom,  and  then 
through  all  the  various  shades  of  green  and 
blue,  until  you  come  to  the  deep  blue  of  the 
ocean  water.  By  travelling  some  twenty  miles 
from  Turk's  Island  you  come  to  some  beautiful 
creeks,  where  large  and  good-eating  fish  of 
brilliant  colour  and  queer  names  can  be  caught 
almost  always.  One  may  be  pretty  sure  of 
good  sport,  for  the  water  is  so  clear  that  if  your 
guide  and  boatman  does  not  see  fish  in  one 
spot  he  rows  to  another,  looking  through  the 
clear,  deep  water  by  the  aid  of  a  water-glass, 
which  is  only  a  bucket  with  a  glass  bottom. 
In  this  way  he  can  see  the  fish  biting  at  your 
bait,  and   will   tell   you   exactly  when   to   strike. 


advantage  to  an  island  to  have  to  import  abso- 
lutely everything  except  a  few  cocoa-nuts  and 
turtle  and  what  comes  from  the  sea.  The  native 
beef  is  not  worth  buying  or  eating.  The  unfortu- 
nate island  has  only  two  or  three  steamers  a 
month,  and  is  separated  from  all  northerly  pro- 
ducts by  hundreds  of  miles,  and  by  tens  of  miles 
from  even  tropical  fruit  and  produce.  Further- 
more, there  is  no  postman  to  take  round 
the  letters  from  house  to  house,  so  one 
must  go  oneself  to  the  post-office  (or  send 
one's  servant),  where  letters  are  given  out  in 
alphabetical  order.  Here,  amid  the  noisy 
crowd,  some  poor  official  has  to  shout  the 
names  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  you  have  to 


MV    EXPERIENCES   ON   TURK'S    ISLAND. 


389 


answer  "  Here ! "  exactly  like  a  schoolboy. 
Luckily,  my  name  begins  with  a  C,  so  I  had 
not  long  to  wait.  When  you  make  a  purchase 
you  must  carry  it  yourself  or  send  a  messenger. 
There  is  plenty  of  competition,  too,  so  one 
knows  not  how  to  account  for  this  state  of 
things. 

There  is  one  exception  to  this,  namely,  the 
boy  who  comes  round  with  your  weekly  news- 
paper. The  editor,  however,  can  well  afford  to 
send  a  messenger,  for  he  charges  you  3d.  a  copy 
for  a  paper  which  consists  mostly  of  his  own 
advertisements  or  those  for  which  he  is  paid. 
Besides  what  he  realizes  by  the  sale  of  this  paper 
this  gentleman  gets  ^100  a  year  from  the  (lovern- 
ment  for  printing  Government  notices  ;  so  that 
with  his  drug  store  (and  of  drugs  he  has  practi- 
cally the  monopoly),  groceries,  and  dry  goods 
he  must  be  doing  extremely  well. 

The  editor  is  monarch  of  all  he  surveys,  and 
says  just  what  he  likes  about  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men.  Commissioners,  parsons,  doctors, 
and  judges.  "Why  doesn't  the  Commissioner 
take  the  printing  of  Government  notices  from 
him  and  give  it  to  someone  else  when  he  finds 
himself  criticised?"  a  stranger  might  naturally 
ask  ;  and  the  answer  is,  "  Simply  because  there 
is  no  other  decent  printing  press"  on  the 
island." 

At  first  I  thought  that  in  a  small  island  of 
only  some  1,800  people,  so  far  from  real 
civilization,  the  inhabitants  would  be  living 
together  almost  as  one  family,  like  they  do  at 
Inagua,  but  I  found  as  many  law-suits,  different 
sets  of  -  society,  cliques,  distinctions,  and 
differences  as  in  any  other  country.  I  found, 
too,  that  I  was  supposed  to  leave  my  card  and 
return  a  call  just  in  the  same  way  as  in  a  large 
city — although  I  would  probably  meet  that  same 
person  in  the  street  for  years  afterwards  every 
day  of  my  life.  Roughly,  "  society  "  in  Turk's 
Island  consists  of  Government  officials  (w'ho  are 
at  the  top),  ministers  of  religion,  and  the  larger 
store-keepers  and  salt  manufacturers.  All  others, 
white  or  coloured,  are  outcasts,  though  on  what 
principle  I  know  not. 

The  black  salt-pond  raker,  who  works  nine 
hours  a  day  for  three  shillings  (equal  to  about 
two  shillings  in  England),  is  the  lowest,  the 
least  educated,  and  the  most  good-natured  in 
the  social  scale,  and  thus  forms  an  easy  prey  to 
the  classes  above  who  make  their  living  out  of 
him.  Luckily,  in  a  climate  like  that  of  Turk's 
Island,  the  wants  of  this  man  are  few  in  number. 
So  long  as  he  has  a  shelter  good  enough  to 
keep  off  sun  and  dew  (for  it  does  not  rain  very 
often  at  Turk's  Island),  a  shirt  on  his  back,  and 
some  hominy — or  peas  and  rice  with  a  "  relish  " 
of  fish  or  salt  pork — he  seems  perfectly  happy, 


in   spite   of   having   to  stand   in  almost  boiling 
water  all  the  day. 

Although  the  general  heat  of  the  island  is 
tempered  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  prevalent 
trade  winds,  yet  the  absence  of  any  shade-giving 
trees,  and  the  enormous  amount  of  reflective 
heat  arising' from  the  fierce  sun  beating  on  the 
white  sand  and  numerous  salt-heaps,  is  on  the 
other  hand  quite  a  set-off  to  this,  and  cau.ses  as 
much  discomfort  as  the  calms  of  a  larger  and 
more  fertile  island  like  Jamaica  or  San  Domingo. 
As  a  consequence,  people  suffer  much  from  eye 
complaints  in  spite  of  the  smoked  glasses  which 
are  worn  so  much  for  protection. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  trees  and  vegetation 
there  is  little  or  no  malaria ;  but  what  a  price 
one  has  to  pay  for  this  immunity  !  Everywhere 
one  sees  gloomy-looking  salt-ponds  laid  out  in 
squares  and  oblongs,  from  which  at  certain 
seasons  (after  rain,  for  example)  a  horrible 
odour  arises  ;  and  then,  again,  there  is  glare, 
glare  everywhere,  from  white  sand  and  still 
whiter  salt !  Such  green  as  there  is  is  nearly 
always  brown — absurd  as  this  may  sound — 
except  a  very  coarse  turtle-grass,  which  is  so 
salt  that  no  animal  will  eat  it. 

For  water  people  are  dependent  entirely  on 
rain,  which  they  catch  off  the  roofs  of  their 
houses  by  means  of  gutters  attached  to  large 
tanks.  This  you  must  filter,  otherwise  you 
will  swallow  the  visible  larvae  of  mos- 
quitoes and  other  insects.  The  Turk's  Island 
Government  boasts  of  being  the  only  British 
Colony  out  of  debt  and  having  a  surplus  of 
^2,000  laid  by  for  a  "rainy"  day.  When  one 
comes  to  examine  this  boast,  however,  one  finds 
it  rather  "  thin,"  as  the  Americans  say. 

For  example,  there  are  no  gas  or  oil  lamps 
to  light  the  streets — no  parks  or  inclosures — 
no  town-hall  or  public  clock  ;  no  workhouse, 
hospital,  or  infirmary  for  the  aged  poor  ;  and  the 
only  outdoor  relief  given  is  2s.  a  week,  which  is 
only  equal  in  purchasing  power  to  about  is.  6d. 
or  IS.  in  England.  To  get  this  small  dole  the 
recipients  have  to  submit  to  the  ignominy  of 
having  their  names  publi.shed  in  the  official 
weekly  paper  !  The  consequence  is  that  few 
self-respecting  poor  persons  in  need  of  relief 
have  the  courage  to  face  this  ordeal,  and  yet 
these  are  just  the  ones  who  are  very  often  the 
most  in  need. 

Your  nights  in  the  island  are  made  hideous 
by  the  braying  of  half-starved  donkeys,  which 
are  allowed  to  roam  about  at  will,  knocking 
down  your  walls  and  pawing  up  the  ground 
with  their  hoofs  to  get  at  the  roots  of  the 
scorched  and  scanty  grass.  Other  peculiarities 
of  the  -island  are  that  time  seems  to  be  no 
object ;  and   I   was   nearly  always   kept  waiting 


?0O 


THE  winr.  woRi.n  magazine. 


an  hour  or  more  for  a  wedding  or  funeral. 
Everything  is  located  by  the  points  of  the 
compass  ;"  for  example,  a  tree  is  described  as 
being  north,  south,  east,  or  west  of  your  house. 

A  bell  is  rung  every  Sunday  morning  at  eight, 
whether  there  is  a  service  or  not.  Church  and 
chapel  going  is  mostly  limited  to  funerals, 
weddings,  Christmas,  and  New  Year's  Eve.  Of 
late  years  I  have  taught  the  people  to  respect 
(;ood  Friday  ;  but  even  now  many  are  out  at 
work  on  the  salt-ponds  on  that  day,  whether 
with  or  without  compulsion  from  their  employers 
I  cannot  say.  There  are  strong  objections  to 
being  married  by  banns,  and  I  don't  remember 
publishing  a  single  banns  of  marriage  during  the 
whole  time  of  my  incumbency. 

Race  prejudice  runs  high,  as  one  might 
expect  in  a  place  where  slavery  existed  not  so 
very  long  ago.  But  the  peculiar  thing  in  Turk's 
Island  is  that  it  is  carried  more  into  church 
and  matters  of  religion,  than  anywhere  else. 
Men  who  will  allow 
a  black  or  coloured 
man  to  play  cricket 
with  them  or  sit 
down  to  eat  with 
them  at  Masonic, 
Oddfellows,  or  tem- 
perance meetings 
are  highly  incensed 
with  the  parson  if 
he  expects  these 
distinctions  to  be 
done  away  with  in 
church  or  chapel  ! 
When  I  had  built 
the  new  church  I 
wanted  to  leave  all 


the  seats  free  and  open  —  or  at  least  e\ery 
alternate  seat.  But  I  found  even  tht,  latter 
plan  objected  to.  "  I  want,"  said  a  member  of 
t!ie  Building  Committee,  ''to  know  who  is  sitting 
in  front  of  me  and  who  behind,  otherwise 
I  shall  not  come  at  all.  I  advise  you,"  he 
went  on,  "  to  have  the  greater  part  of  the 
seats  rented,  otherwise  you  will  soon  have 
a  hornet's  nest  around  you."  But  I  did  not 
stop  long  enough  on  the  island  to  try  the 
experiment.  I  doubt  whether  any  white  man 
there  who  has  family  prayers  would  invite 
his  servants  to  join  in  them,  as  is  the  custom 
in  England. 

As  for  cleanliness,  I  think  the  coloured  people 
of  that  island  would  compare  very  favourably 
with  many  of  the  "  great  unwashed "  in  our 
large  cities,  for  many  of  the  Turk's  Island 
labourers  take  a  sea  bath  every  day,  and  their 
feet  are  in  water  nearly  all  the  time  ! 

From  my  long  sojourn  on  the  island  I  often 

dream  that  I  am 
once  more  walking 
on  those  glary,  salt- 
mud-smelling  roads, 
listening  to  the  all- 
night- braying,  half- 
starved  donkeys ;  or 
else  I  am  being 
tossed  on  ocean 
waters  in  a  five-ton 
craft ;  or  being  al- 
most blown  off  the 
island  by  the  hot 
and  savage  wind  ! 
Glad  I  am,  indeed, 
when  I  awake  to  find 
it  is  only  a  dream. 


ins   IS  THE  REREDOS   OF   THE   NEW   CHURCH — IT    IS   PAINTED    IN    OH.    ON    WOOD. 

From  a  Photo. 


In  the  Chudleighs'  Summer=House. 


THE  STORY  OF  A  DREADFUL  NIGFEF. 
Bv  Dorothy  Eraser. 

The  young  lady  who  is  the  central  figure  of  this  narrative  went  to  stay  over  Christmas  with  some 
friends,  and  was  asked  to  spend  the  night  in  a  comfortable  summer-house  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  from 
the  house.       What    happened    during    the    night,    and  what    she    endured,   will    be    found    set  down   as 

nearly  as  possible  in  her  own  words. 


^,^T 


E  hear  of  marvellous  escapes  and 
adventures  more  or  less  thrilling, 
\et  perfectly  authentic  ;  but  I 
think  for  sheer  "  blood-curdleness  " 
there  are  few  to  beat  a  strange  and 

horrible  experience  of  a  friend  of  mine.     As  I 

think  it  may  interest  others    I  give  it   here  as 

nearly  as   I   can   remember  in  her  own  words. 

For  obvious  reasons  the   names  given  to  both 

people  and  places  are  purely  fictitious. 

It  was  in  the  winter  of  1889  that  I  received 

an   mvitation   from  my  old   friend   Mrs.   Chud- 

leigh    to   go   and    make   one   of    their   annual 

Christmas  house-party  at  "Rathlin,"  their  Suffolk 

home.      I  cheerfully  accepted,  for  "  digs  "  are  a 

dull   place  at  any  time  ;    and   if  there    is   any 

period    when    they    are    duller    than   another  I 

think  it  is  during  the  "  merry  season."      There- 
fore the  1 8th  of  the  month  saw  me  stepping  out 

of  the    train  at    the    familiar    little    station    of 

Elmersfield.     I  found  that  Norah  had  sent  the 

carriage   to   meet    me,   and  had 

thoughtfully  provisioned  it  with  a 

foot-warmer  and  some  rugs,    of 

which    I  was  very  glad,   for  the 

weather  was  decidedly  "  sharp." 

There  had  been  more  than  one  fall 

of  snow  already,  and  everybody 

prophesied  a  "  white  "  Christmas. 
After  a  drive  of  three-quarters 

of  an   hour   or    so   we    drew    up 

before  the  house,  and  my  friend 

came  out  on  the  steps  to  welcome 

and  carry  me  off  to  a  comfortable 

cup  of  tea  in  her  boudoir.    ^^' hen 

we  were  snugly  ensconced  before 

the    fire   and   had    duly   chatted 

about  various  subjects  of  home 

interest  Norah  Chudleigh    said  : 

"  Oh,  Mary,  dear,  I  am  so  sorry, 

but  will  you    mind    sleeping    in 

the  '  summer-house  '  ?     The  fact 

of  the  matter  is   that  Henry  has 

invited  a  friend  of  his    and  his 

wife  to  stay  here  for  ten  days  or 

a  fortnight,  and  as  it  is  their  first 

visit  I  have  been  obliged  to  give 

them   your  usual    room,    all   the 

others  in  the  house  being  already 

occupied." 


Before  I  go  farther  I  must  explain  that  the 
"  summer-house "  Norah  referred  to  was  not 
what  is  usually  understood  by  the  term.  It  had 
been  built  by  the  last  owners  of  "  Rathlin  "  (for 
what  use  I  do  not  know)  at  a  distance  of  some 
hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  house,  and  consisted  of  two  good-sized 
rooms.  One  of  these  had  large  French  windows 
round  three  sides  of  it,  and  the  Chudleighs  had 
arranged  it  as  an  elaborate  kind  of  summer- 
house,  with  book-cases,  easy  chairs,  writing- 
table,  and  everything  that  could  add  to  its 
comfort.  The  other  they  had  fitted  up  as  a 
bedroom  for  use  when  the  house  was  full. 

I  was  not  at  that  time  a  nervous  girl,  and  the 
idea  of  sleeping  quite  alone  away  from  the 
house  aroused  not  the  slightest  uneasiness  in 
my  mind,  so  I  readily  acquiesced  in  the  propo.sal. 


"  I    I.EFT   THE    HOUSE,    PRECKDEIJ    i;V    A    MAID   CAKRYIKt;   A    LANTERN. 


39-' 


Till';     WIDE    WORl.n    MAGA/.lXi:. 


\\'c  passed  a  very  pkasant  evening.  Most  of 
the  other  i;uests  were  known  to  nie,  and  Norah 
and  her  husband  made  an  exeellent  host  and 
hostess.  \\'hen  we  were  in  the  drawing-room 
after  dinner  the  conversation  somehow  turned 
upon  superstitions,  and  from  those,  very  naturally, 
drifted  to  ghosts,  and  we  amused  ourselves  by 
recalling  all  the  stories  of  the  kind  we  could 
remember  till  the  hour  arrived  for  bed. 

"  Very  silly  subject  for  us  to  have  hit  on,  Miss 
Bentley,"  said  Colonel  Chudleigh,  as  he  bade 
me  good-night,  "when  you  are  going  to  sleep 
in  such  solitary  seclusion." 

*•  Oh,  Mary  is  not  frightened ;  you  don't  be- 
lieve in  any  of  those  things,  do  you  ?  " 

"Not  I,  Norah,"  I  answered,  laughing;  "it 
would  take  a  very  special  kind  of  ghost  to 
frighten  me." 

Early  hours  were  the  custom  at  "  Rathlin," 
and  it  was  only  a  little  after  eleven  o'clock  when 
I  left  the  house,  preceded  by  a  maid  carrying  a 
lantern.  My  room  looked  very  bright  and  cosy. 
A  good,  big  fire  was  burning  brightly,  and  a 
shaded  lamp  stood  on  one  of  the  tables. 

The  girl  inquired  whether  there  was  any  way 
in  which  she  could  assist  me  further,  and 
receiving  a  reply  in  the  negative,  was  about  to 
leave  the  room  when  she  suddenly  turned  back, 
.saying,  "  There  is  something  wrong  with  this 
lock,  miss,  and  the  door  won't  fasten  on  the 
inside.  Hut  if  you  like  I  will  lock  it  on  the 
outside  and  take  the  key  away  with  me,  and 
when  I  come  with  your  hot  water  in  the  morn- 
ing I  can  unfasten  it." 

I  did  not  much  like  the  idea  of  being  locked 
in,  but  as  the  girl  said  she  would  be  sure  to 
come  early,  and  hinted  that  they  had  lately  been 
n:uch  troubled  with  tramps  in  that  neighbour- 
hood, I  thought  it  best  to  agree. 

As  soon  as  she  was  gone  beyond  recall,  how- 
ever, I  wished  I  had  never  consented.  The 
possibility  of  fire  for  the  first  time  presented 
itself  to  my  mind,  and  I  vividly  pictured  myself 
locked  in  there  with  no  chance  of  escape,  and 
being  burnt  to  death  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  my  friends.  However,  there  was  no  help  for 
it  now,  and  I  commenced  to  undress.  Before 
I  had  finished  I  was  laughing  at  myself  for  my 
fears. 

As  I  turned  out  the  lamp  I  thought  I  heard 
a  slight  sound.  I  listened,  but  it  was  not  re- 
peated. "  Only  imagination  or  something  out- 
side," I  murmured  to  myself,  and  getting  into 
bed  was  asleep  in  a  very  few^  minutes. 

I  must  have  been  in  bed  a  couple  of  hours, 
I  should  think,  when  I  awoke  with  a  start  and 
that  horrid  feeling  of  having  been  awakened  by 
a  vague  something  without  knowing  what. 

I  sat  up  in  bed  and  peered  across  the  room. 


The  fire  had  burnt  so  low  that  only  the  mere 
outlines  of  the  furniture  were  visible;  whilst 
all  the  corners  were  in  absolute  darkness.  I 
listened  intently  for  some  minutes,  but  not  a 
sound  broke  the  silence  except  a  faint  tai)ping, 
caused,  I  knew,  by  the  ivy  being  blown  against 
the  window-pane.  I  lay  down  again,  and  was 
just  dozing  off  w^hen — that  sound  was  repeated. 
N'cs,  there  was  no  doubt  about  it  this  time.  A 
peculiar  scuffling  noise,  and  a  panting  sort  of 
breathing  like  that  of  some  large  animal  — 
issuing,  it  seemed  to  mt,/rom  under  tiiy  bed ! 

A  horrible  sickening  fear  seized  me.  All  the 
stories  of  the  evening  before  flooded  back  on  my 
memory.  How  absurd  my  own  words  seemed 
to  be  now — "  I  should  not  be  frightened  !  " 
Not  be  frightened,  indeed,  when  I  was  quaking 
so  wnth  fear  that  I  could  hardly  breathe  ! 
The  noise  had  been  gradually  increasing,  and 
suddenly  some  frightful  thing  rushed  out  from 
under  my  bed,  scuffled  across  the  room,  and 
flung  itself  down  in  front  of  the  fire. 

It  appeared,  so  far  as  I  could  make  out  in 
the  dim  light,  to  be  a  shaggy  sort  of  animal, 
rather  bigger  than  a  large  dog.  Of  course,  I 
guessed  at  once  what  it  was.  Some  wild  beast 
had  escaped  from  a  travelling  menagerie  and, 
wandering  into  the  grounds,  had  arrived  at  the 
open  door.  Going  in,  it  had  found  a  comfort- 
able spot  under  the  bed  and  had  gone  to  sleep 
there.  Such  was  my  theory  formed  in  a 
moment  of  utter  terror. 

I  lay  speculating  as  to  whether  it  would  be 
possible  for  me  to  reach  the  door  and  escape 
before  the  creature  noticed  me.  Then  I 
suddenly  remembered  that  even  if  I  reached 
the  door  in  safety  I  should  be  unable  to  get 
out  !  Horror  of  horrors  !  I  was  obliged  then  to 
spend  the  whole  night  locked  in  with  a  wild 
beast  ! 

What  I  endured  no  words  can  tell.  My  fore- 
head and  hands  turned  cold  and  clammy,  and  I 
trembled  so  with  fear  that  I  expected  every 
moment  the  creature  would  hear  the  bed 
shaking  and  thus  become  aware  of  my  presence. 
Half  an  hour,  or  perhaps  an  hour  (it  seemed  ten 
to  me  at  the  time),  passed  without  anything 
occurring,  and  then  the  beast  suddenly  arose, 
and,  bounding  across  the  intervening  space, 
sprang  on  to  the  foot  of  my  bed.  I  should 
have  screamed  if  I  had  been  able.  Thank 
God,  fear  had  deprived  me  of  the  power.  Still 
the  creature  did  not  seem  to  have  noticed  me, 
for  it  only  made  a  queer  sort  of  clucking  noise, 
and  then  curled  itself  up,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
I  heard  it  commence  to  snore. 

All  through  the  long,  long,  weary  hours  of  the 
night  I  lay  there,  not  daring  to  close  my  eyes 
for  an   instant,   and    in    mortal   terror  lest   any 


IN    THE    CHUDLEIGHS'    SUMMER-HOUSE. 


593 


minute  the  brute  might  wake  up  and  tear  me  to 
pieces.  Never  before  or  since  have  hours 
seemed  to  pass  so  slowly.  The  fire  burned 
itself  out  in  a  very  short  time,  and  I  was  left 
with  my  horrible  companion  in  the  pitch  dark- 
ness, and  dread  and  agony.  I  hardly  dared 
even  to  breathe  as  I  listened  to  the  deep 
snoring  of  the  dreadful  thing  ;  and  w'henever 
the  sound  grew  softer  my  heart  itself  almost 


steel  myself  for  the  revelation,  and  was  expect- 
ing I  might  see  a  wolf,  a  baboon,  or  even  a 
bear;  but  in  my  wildest  imaginings  I  had  never 
dreamed  of  the  possibility  of  this!  Merciful 
heavens  !  what  should — what  could  I  do? 

The  shock  of  the  awful  discovery  overcame 
me  completely.  I  was  perfectly  paralyzed 
With  fear,  and  every  other  sense  was  numbed  for 
the  time  being.     I    lay  thus   in  a  half-fainting 


IT  APPEARED    IN   THE    DIM    LIGHT   TO    HE   A    SHAGCiV   SORT   OK    ANIMAL,    RATHER    BIGGER    THAN    A    LARGE   DOG. 


ceased  to  beat  with  the  appalling  belief  that  my 
last  hour  had  come  at  last. 

How  ardently  I  longed  for  dawn  Heaven 
only  knows.  I  really  felt  at  last  that  if  it  did 
not  come  soon  I  could  not  bear  the  strain  of 
this  terrible  expectancy  any  longer  and  must  go 
out  of  my  mind.  To  add  to  my  misery  I  was 
beginning  to  suffer  from  most  dreadful  cramp, 
brought  on  through  lying  still  for  so  long  in  the 
same  attitude.  And  I  hardly  dared  to  move  in 
any  way  to  ease  myself  for  fear  of  waking  the 
loathsome  creature.  At  length  a  pale  line  of 
light  appeared  on  the  wall  opposite  to  me,  and 
as  it  gradually  increased  in  brilliancy  and 
dimensions  I  was  able  to  distinguish  first 
various  objects  about  the  room,  and  then  the 
hideous  thing  on  the  bed. 

At  first,  of  course,  it  was  only  an  indistinct 
mass ;  but  as  the  light  grew  and  it  became 
more  clearly  visible  the  horrible  truth  was 
forced  upon  me.       I  had    been    attempting    to 

Vol.  vi.— 44. 


condition,  until  the  sound — oh,  how  unspeak- 
ably welcome  ! — of  the  key  in  the  lock  roused 
me  to  action.  I  sprang  from  the  bed,  and, 
rushing  from  the  room,  almost  knocking  over 
the  maid  as  I  did  so,  dragged  the  door  to, 
screaming,  "  Lock  it !  Oh,  lock  it  !  "  and  fell 
insensible  at  her  feet. 

The  rest  of  this  narrative  I  did  not  learn  till 
some  months  afterwards.  The  maid,  dreadfully 
alarmed,  instinctively  did  as  I  told  her,  and  then 
ran  for  help.  I  was  carried  to  the  house,  where 
I  received  the  prompt  care  and  attention  of  a 
doctor  who  was  numbered  among  the  guests. 

He  said  that  I  must  have  received  a  very 
severe  shock  ;  of  what  nature  he  was,  of  course, 
unable  to  say.  He  expressed  grave  fears  as  to 
what  the  effect  might  be  on  my  brain,  and 
ordered  that  I  was  to  be  kept  absolutely  quiet 
and   on   no  account  to   be  questioned  in    any 


way 


Thus  all  chance  of  finding  out  the  cause  from 


1 


394 


THE     WIDi:     WOKl.l)    MAt'.AZINE. 


me  was  effectually  put  a  stop  to.  I'he  only  way 
that  remained  was  to  interrogate  the  servant. 
She  was  sent  for,  and  eagerly  detailed  the  little 
that  she  knew,  with  the  result  that  it  was 
resolved  to  go  and  examine  the  room.  Colonel 
Chudleigh,  accompanied  by  several  of  the  other 
gentlemen,  immediately  set  off  for  the  purpose. 
As  they  were  crossing  the  lawn  they  observed 
two  men  in  uniform  searching  among  the  shrubs 
and  bushes. 

On  catching  sight  of  the  Colonel  they  imme- 


might  have  entered  these  grounds  and  concealed 
himself  somewhere,  but  as  they  had  found  no 
trace  of  him  such  was  evidently  not  the  case. 
At  this  point  one  of  the  gentlemen  suddenly 
exclaimed,  "  Look  in  the  summer-house  !  "  The 
whole  party  hurried  thither,  the  door  was  un- 
fastened, and  sure  enough  the  dangerous  maniac 
was  found  there  ! 

He  was  secured  after  a  desperate  struggle,  in 
which  he  succeeded  in  wounding  one  of  the 
keepers  with  a  knife   (how   and  from   whence 


HE   WAS   SECURED   .\FTEK    A    DESl'ERATE   STRUGGr.E,    IN    WHICH    HE   SUCCEEDED    IN    WOUNDING   ONE   OF    THE    KEEPER 

WITH    A    KNIFE." 


diately  came  forward  and  explained  that  they 
were  looking  for  a  dangerous  lunatic  who  had 
escaped  from  the  Elmersfield  Asylum  two  days 
before.  They  had  been  beating  the  whole 
countr)'-side,  but  their  efforts  had  so  far  been 
'     ■'  -s.     They  had  thought  it  just  possible  he 


procured    remains    a    mystery)  ;    but   he    was 
ultimately  safely  taken  back  to  the  asylum. 

In  course  of  time  I  got  better,  but  it  was 
years  before  I  quite  recovered  from  the  horrors 
of  the  night  I  spent  locked  up  with  what  proved 
to  be  a  homicidal  maniac. 


A    Missionary  in   New   Guinea. 

By  Charles  W.  Abel,   of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 

A  very  experienced  missionary  of  the  L.M.S.  staff  here  tells  us  something  of  the  fascinating  people 
among  whom  he  has  laboured  for  many  years  ;  his  descriptions  of  Papuan  daily  life,  manners  and 
customs,  etc.,  being  illustrated  in  a  remarkable  way  by  the  New  Guinea  photographs  accompanying  the  text. 


A^wt^n 


T  is  only  here  and  there,  at  wide 
intervals  along  a  vast  coast  -  line, 
that  civilization  has  intruded  itself 
amongst  the  scattered  peoples  of 
British  New  Guinea.  At  Samarai. 
Port  Moresby,  and  Daru,  the  principal  ports  of 
our  possession,  foreigners  have  brought  the 
inevitable  corrugated  iron,  and  have  erected 
their  dwellings  ;  and  they  are  busy  unobtru- 
sively laying  the  foundations  of  a  British 
Colony.  At  these  places  a  cluster  of  low, 
whitewashed  Government  offices,  stores,  hotels, 
and  humpies  denote  the  unpretentious  invasion 
of  the  European.  Between  these  widely- 
separated  ports  an  isolated  mission  station  or 
a  trader's  shanty  may  be  seen  occasionally  as 
you  pass  along  the  coast ;  but,  speaking  gener- 
ally, the  natives  are  very  little  disturbed  by  this 
new  order  of  things. 

It  is,  of  course,  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the 
Government  that,  whilst  this  is  so,  the  natives 
all  along  the  south-east  coast-line  are  living 
under  British  rule.  A  firm  and  just  administra- 
tion of  native  affairs  has,  in  a  dozen  years  or  so, 
not  only  brought  these  various  tribes  under 
British  law,  but  has  succeeded  in  showing 
savages,  who  it  is  almost  needless  to  add  are 
not  deficient  in  common  sense,  the  advantages 
of  this  new  regime.  Doubtless  the  slow  develop- 
ment of  the  country  from  a  commercial  stand- 
point has  contributed  to  this  satisfactory  and 
perhaps  unique  conversion  of  savages  into 
British  subjects  in  so  short  a  time.  At  most 
of  the  large  villages  along  the  coast,  between 
the  townships  above  referred  to,  a  stranger 
landing  would  probably  be  met  and  welcomed 
by  a  dark-skinned  South  Sea  Island  missionary, 
whose  more  pretentious  house  and  native-built 
church  would  yet  be  in  harmony  with  their 
surroundings.  He  would  probably  also  find 
that  the  village  constable  had  slipped  into  his  neat 
blue  uniform,  and  was  ready  to  do  the  honours 
for  the  Government.  But  otherwise,  save  for  a 
little  turkey-red  and  a  few  tomahawks,  so  far  as 
he  could  see  foreign  influence  has  not  been 
aggressive.  Of  course  if  the  visitor  expected  to 
be  mauled  and  eaten,  the  stoical  but  by  no 
means  inhospitable  reception  received  from  the 
natives  would  come  as  an  agreeable  surprise, 
and  he  would  have  to  thank  the  Law  and  the 


Gospel,  which  he  saw  so  quickly  and  respectably 
represented  by  the  policeman  and  the  teacher, 
for  this  satisfactory  state  of  things. 

The  pictures  which  are  here  reproduced  cover 
a  very  considerable  coast-line,  and  deal  with 
very  distinct  tribes.  These  small  communities, 
while  they  vary  every  few  miles  in  language, 
and,  to  some  extent,  in  appearance  and  custom, 
have,  broadly  speaking,  many  points  of  similarity. 
Science  has  been  busy  for  some  years  investigat- 
ing the  origin  of  the  Papuan,  but  it  has  not,  I 
think,  definitely  told  us  yet  whether  he  came 
with  the  south-east  monsoon  from  the  South 
Seas,  as  his  dialects  might  suggest,  or  whether 
he  has  crept  along  the  coast  from  the  west  and 
north  and  is  of  Malay  extraction.  However, 
our  suspense  on  this  point  should  soon  be  at 
an  end,  and  the  patience  of  those  who  have 
taken  the  imprints  of  thousands  of  Papuan 
thumbs,  together  with  the  zeal  of  those  who 
have  measured  thousands  of  Papuan  noses, 
deserves  at  least  to  be  rewarded  with  something 
definite  about  the  Papuan's  real  history.  Viewing 
him  generally,  as  we  find  him,  cut  up  into  little 
tribes  every  few  miles  along  the  coast,  he 
appears  to  be  the  same  man  everywhere.  View- 
ing him  particularly,  however,  he  appears  to  be 
somebody  quite  distinct  from  his  next-door 
neighbours.  I  have  lived  just  between  two 
tribes  for  a  good  many  years,  and  I  know  them 
both  intimately,  and  find  in  them  a  most  per- 
plexing inconsistency  in  the  dissimilarity  of 
their  similarity,  so  to  speak.  No  doubt  science 
is  deliberating  these  ■  points,  and  finds  them 
knotty ;  but  with  all  this  diversity  of  legend,  of 
language,  of  custom,  in  a  single  race,  when  his 
origin  is  discovered  it  will  still  have  to  be  very 
freely  admitted  that  in  himself  the  Papuan  was 
original. 

Nearly  all  the  Papuans  are  good  sailors.  Their 
canoes  differ  in  size  and  build,  from  the  handy 
clinker-built  craft,  with  their  oval  mat  sails,  in 
the  east,  to  the  huge  dug-outs,  with  their 
crescent-shaped  sails,  farther  west.  Between 
these  varieties  the  craft  of  the  principal  inter- 
vening tribes  differ  more  in  regard  to  the  build 
of  the  hull  than  the  cut  of  the  sail ;  modifications 
of  the"  crescent  rig  being  common  over  a  very 
wide  area. 

Two  illustrations  are  given  here  :  the  first  of 


39^ 


THH     Wini.     WOKLl)     MAGAZINE. 


the  Mailu  ilo  under  way,  with  the  sail  hoisted, 
and  the  foot  hauled  down  and  made  fast.  It 
will  be  observed  that  these  ilos  are  constructed 
with  a  long,  buoyant  float,  which  is  attached  to, 
and  runs  parallel  with,  the  canoe.  The  space 
between  the  canoe  and  the  float  is  decked  in, 
and  is  used  as  extra  accommodation  for  passen- 
gers and  cargo.  In  moderate  weather  these 
vessels  are  able  to  beat  against  the  wind  and 
make  good  passages.  The  Mailu  men  think 
nothing  of  a  vovaije  of  two  hundred  miles. 


THK,    CURIOUS   •n^ADING    "kEPO,"   WITH    HKN    SAIL    OF    ri.AirKI) 
From  a]  gkass.  [P/ioio. 

illustration  the  foot  of  the  sail  is  being 
hauled  down,  so  that  when  it  is  set  the 
horns  of  the  crescent  are  towards  the  top. 

These  are  the  deep-sea,  long-journey 
cargo-boats  of  the  Papuans.  By  far  the 
most  numerous  canoes  are  the  smaller  and 
simpler  craft,  propelled  principally  with 
paddles.  Except  around  the  shores  of 
Milne  Bay,  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  New 
(luinea,   these  have    outriggers    and  floats. 


i-  J  on:  a\     "I  HK  '-All. 


\l  iitjto. 


The  Kepo,  which  be- 
longs to  Bulaa,  generally 
trades  between  that  village 
and  Hanuabada,  Port 
Moresby,  thirty  miles  to 
the  west,  where  she  is 
used  for  fishing,  her  pro- 
duce being  bartered  for 
cooking-pots.  This  canoe 
consists  only  of  two  dug- 
outs, lashed  together,  with 
no  outrigger.  Her  sailing 
qualities  are  necessarily 
all  before  the  wind.  The 
huge  mat  sail  is  made  of 
plaited  grass,  and  in  the 


•^v 


/•rotii  a\ 


A    h.MALL   CANuK    Willi    O'.  1  iilL.Gl,k.S. 


il'koto. 


A    MISSIONARY    IN    NEW    (GUINEA. 


397 


m 

k 

» 

^ 

''-^cK  -'i^^^^aVV^ 

p  4 

"^'  ^ 

'^"s 

'■■■■'■V  '                *  ^^^^^^1 

-'^'V^^^H 

J-r. 


A    DAMJV    IKU.M    lui;T    MORESIiV. 


{i'lioto. 


Frontal      a  milne  day  nativi-;  in  i-estive  aitike. 


\_i-'lioio. 


They  ply  up  and  down  the  coast,  between 
friendly  villages,  and  when  a  fair  wind  prevails 
they  are  rigged  with  small  oblong  sails,  made  of 
plaited  cocoa-nut  leaves,  attached  to  an  impro- 
vised mast. 

By  nature  thc^ 
Papuan  is  by  no 
means  repulsive 
in  appearance. 
Perhaps  the  Mo- 
tuans  are  the  most 
favoured  in  this 
respect;  their  fea- 
tures being  more 
even  and  pleasant 
and  their  forms 
more  symmetrical 
than  their  neigh- 
bours to  the  east 
and  west.  It  is 
only  when  they 
try  by  personal 
adornment  or  dis- 
figurement to  em- 
bellish Nature 
that  humanity  is 
caricatured. 

Their  particular 


/'roiii  a\ 


\    iMILNE    bAV    HOUM-. 


taste  may  consist,  as  in  the  Motuan  shown  here, 
of  a  long,  carved  shell-stick  thrust  through  the 
septum  of  the  nose,  a  string  of  shells  lied  round 
the  forehead,  and  other  ornaments  of  a  like  kind 

attached  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the 
body.  Or  it  may 
take  the  more 
extravagant  form 
of  bedaubing  the 
face  and  body 
with  spots  and 
lines  of  lime  and 
lamp-black,  which 
mode  has  been 
adopted  by  the 
unamiable  -  look  - 
ing  man  at  Bou, 
in  Milne  Bay. 
But  it  is  only  fair 
to  say  that  this  is 
the  Papuan  in  his 
"  giddy  "  or  mis- 
chievous moods. 
He  does  not 
always  decorate 
himself,  and  is 
more    often 


198 


THE    WIDE     WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


dressed  in  his  sober  skin  than  in  his  ex- 
travagant paints  and  shells  and  feathers. 
Even  savage  life  brings  its  round  of  duties, 
which  demand  attention,  and  these  often 
compel  the  vainest  dandy  to  neglect  his 
toilet  in  the  interests  of  business. 

The  Papuan  everywhere  is  also  an  expert 
house-builder.  Not  only  does  he  shine  in 
the  construction  of  his  house— his  floors 
being  sound,  his  walls  and  roof  neat  and 
waterproof— but  his  architecture  is  nothing 
to  be  ashamed  of.  All  the  tribes  build 
upon  piles,  so  that  the  floor  of  the  house 
is  from  3ft.  to  6ft.  above  the  ground.  In 
this  particular  the  similarity  of  these  isolated 
peoples  is  very  striking.  lUit  once  the 
piles  are  in  the  ground  the  similarity  ends, 
and  the  architecture  diff"ers  every  few  miles 
along  the  coast.  There  is  usually  a  rough 
platform  erected  in  front  of  the  house, 
nearer  the  ground  than  the  floor  of  the 
dwelling,  and  this  is  practically  where  the 

owner  lives  when  he  is 
at  home.  His  house 
serves  as  the  recep- 
tacle for  the  storage 
of  his  worldly  posses- 
sions. Here  you  will 
lind,  in  the  east,  the 
skulls  of  his  ancestors, 
snugly  tucked  away  in 
the  thatch.  His  orna- 
ments are  also  kept  in 


From  a\ 


A    N.  ElKD     ItKKACE    I.N'    .■.lAll.U. 


THE   FLOOR   Ol"    THE    HOU.SE   IS    KKOM  3KI.    lo  OKI.  AbuVE   1  HE  GKOUNU. 

From  a  Photo. 


some  secret  corner  between  the 
roof  and  the  walls  ;  and  his  pig 
and  fishing-nets  hang  in  festoons 
from  the  ridge-pole. 

The  necessity  for  other  aperture 
than  the  small  doorway  through 
which  he  must  stoop  very  low  to 
enter  does  not  seem  to  have  struck 
the  Papuan,  for  his  house  has  no 
windows.  A  fire  usually  smoulders 
on  the  floor,  and  seeing  that  the 
smoke  has  to  filter  its  way  out 
through  the  thick  thatch,  it  not 
only  colours  everything  within  the 
place  a  glossy  burnt  amber,  but  it 
imparts  a  heavy,  pungent  odour, 
.\hich  is  anything  but  refreshing. 

House  -  building,  amongst  the 
people  I  know  best,  is  a  most 
formidable  undertaking.  It  is  only 
when  you  begin  to  realize  what  it 
means  to  a  native  to  erect  a  new 
house  that  you  cease  to  wonder 
ii'iwto.        why,  with  so   much  good  building 


A    MISSIONARY    IN    NEW    GUINEA. 


399 


llinv    THE    NATIVES   COMMENCE    HOLSE-IL  Il.niNG  — KKINCING    IX    A 

From  a  Photo. 


material  around  him,  he  continues  to  Hve  for 
years  in  dwellings  which  threaten  to  collapse 
with  decay,  and  have  canted  so  far  out  of  the 
perpendicular  that  the  internal  arrangements 
must  be  very  embarrassing  to  the  occupants. 
Nearly  all  natives  lack  individuality.  Initiative 
is  always  a  public  function  ;  seldom  a  personal 
responsibility.  A  man  will  throw  out  the 
suggestion  in  an  apologetic  way  that  he  needs 
a  new  house ;  and  the  idea  is  allowed  to 
develop  gradually  into  a  publicly  recognised 
fact  that,  in  course  of  time,  building  opera- 
tions will  be  commenced.  He  is  quite 
dependent  upon  his  fellows,  and  would 
never  think  of  starting  with  his  own  family 
to  collect  material.  What  it  is  exactly  which 
brings  the  matter  to  a  head  I  have  never 
been  able  to  find  out  \  but  a  time  comes 
when  everyone  seems  fully  seized  with  the 
absolute  necessity  of  making  a  start.  Then 
with  yells  and  shouts,  altogether  out  of  pro- 
portion with  the  slender  task  on  hand,  the 
bush  is  invaded,  and  timber  and  material  for 
the  walls  and  roof  collected.  Great  excite- 
ment prevails  for  a  little  while,  and  presently 
a  strong,  well-built  frame  is  ready  to  be 
walled-in  and  roofed.  Two  fine  ulabo  posts 
are  firmly  established  in  the  earth,  and  rising 
up  at  the  ends  of  the  house  carry  the  ridge- 
pole. 

But  death,  perhaps,  plunges  the  owner  into 
unexpected  grief,  and  to  show  the  strength 
of  his  regard  for  his  late  relative  he  steps 
forth,  deliberately  hacks  away  ^at  the  prin- 
cipal support  of  the  house  with  his  tomahawk, 
and    only  stops  just   short  of   bringing    the 


structure  down 
with  a  run.  The 
workmen  look 
on  in  silence, 
much  impressed 
with  the  won- 
derful feeling 
which  exhibits 
itself  in  such  a 
sacrifice.  The 
roof  is  then 
thatched  very 
neady  and  skil- 
fully with  sago- 
pa  1  m  leaves. 
Anyone  not 
knowing  how  to 
build  a  native 
house  would 
naturally  think 
this  was  the  most 
critical  condition 
o  f  t  h  e  whole 
operation.  A  light  frame,  surmounted  by  a 
heavy  roof  and  no  walls,  would  be  expected  to 
fly  away  like  an  umbrella  in  a  gale  of  wind. 
And  yet  it  is  just  when  the  work  has  proceeded 
thus  far  that  the  workmen  lay  down  their  tools 
and  disperse.  The  owner  manages  to  tie  up 
some  saso  leaves  and  an  odd  mat  or  two  on  the 


LOG    OF    WOOD    IRoM     THE    FOREST. 


INLAND    Tr.ER-HOJSE    FROVIDED   IN    CASE   or    SUUDEX    ATTACK. 

Frnii  n  Photo. 


400 


■nil-:    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


Fioiii  a  1 


A    VILLAGE    BUILT   ON    FILES   OUT    IN    THE   SEA 


[Photo. 


weather-side,  as  a  protection  from  the 
elements  for  himself  and  his  family, 
and  for  months  they  live  under  the 
most  uncomfortable  conditions.  Then, 
when  the  roof  is  getting  blown  to 
pieces,  and  the  frame  is  perishing  in 
the  wet,  more  energy  is  displayed  over 
a  feast ;  this  gorge  of  pig  and  yam 
being  indispensable  to  further  develop- 
ments in  house-building.  I'hen  the 
walls  are  put  in  and  the  house  finished; 
and  the  owner  and  his  family — those 
of  them  who  have  survived  the  expo- 
sure— live  happily  ever  after. 


Froftt  a-\ 


\t.I<ICLLTi;KAL     LAb 


l-fOltl  a\      ANOTHEK    LAUOUREK    WITH    A    CURIOUS    U.Il'LEMENT.      ,  {PJwto. 

The  custom  here  illustrated  of  building  villages 
in  the  sea  was  adopted  originally  as  a  means  of 
protection  against  inland  tribes,  who  used  periodi- 
cally to  make  raids  on  the  coastal  villages,  generally 
in  the  dead  of  night,  sometimes  massacring  whole 
communities.  They,  to  protect  themselves  from 
return  attacks,  betook  themselves  to  the  trees, 
building  their  houses  some  height  up,  whence  they 
had  the  advantage  of  the  approaching  enemy.  In 
the  present  peaceful  state  of  affairs  both  marine 
villages  and  tree-houses  will  soon  be  things  of  the 
past. 

There  is  only   one   place   in    New   Guinea,    the 


A    MISSIONARY    IN    NEW    GUINEA. 


401 


Trohriands,  where  the  native  can  be  regarded  as 
an  agriculturist  on  a  scale  which  enables  him 
to  supply  large  outside  demands  for  his  produce. 
On  this  island,  which  is  almost  half-way  between 
the  mainland  of  New  Guinea  and  the  Solomon 


particular  to  avoid  the  least  waste  ;  then  they 
wash  it  several  times  in  sea  water,  when  it  is  put 
into  large  earthenware  pots  and  boiled.  Only 
one  meal  is  prepared  each  day,  and  this  the 
natives  partake  of  at  sundown — about  six  o'clock. 


■.  I1\K.    WOMEN    1-KKl'ARING    FOOD    FOR    THEIR    MASTERS. 


Islands,  the  yam  is  very  extensively  cultivated, 
and  every  year  hundreds  of  tons  are  bought  by 
traders,  who  visit  the  island  for  this  purpose  in 
their  small  vessels.  On  the  mainland  the 
natives  rarely  plant  more  than  will  sufifice  for  their 
own  consumption  and  for  their  annual  feasts. 
As  a  rule  the  men  do  the 
hard  work ;  that  is,  clear- 
ing the  bush  and  digging 
and  fencing  the  land  ;  but 
when  this  is  done  all  the 
rest  is  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  women,  who  plant  and 
weed. 

Two  illustrations  (repro- 
duced on  the  preceding 
page)  show  the  only  im- 
plements the  natives  have 
for  breaking  up  the  ground. 

Great  care  is  exercised 
by  the  women  in  the  pre- 
paration of  their  food 
before  it  is  cooked.  They 
remove  every  particle  of 
skin    with    a   sharp   shell, 

and  in  so  doing  are  very       Froma\ 
Vol.  vi. -45. 


In  the  east  of  New  Guinea  some  very  curious 
customs  prevail  with  reference  to  the  dead.  The 
body  is  usually  buried  in  a  reclining  posture, 
and  a  couple  of  months  after  interment  the 
head  is  taken  up  and  carefully  scraped  and 
washed.      Then,   after  being  anointed  with  oil 


A   QUIET   DINNER   AT   MILNE    BAY. 


U'hoto. 


4°- 

aiul  aromatic 
herbs,  the  skull 
is  kept  in  the 
thatcii  of  the 
house,  as  a  relic, 
by  the  next-of- 
kin  of  the  de- 
ceased. A  small 
house  is  usually 
erected  over  the 
new  grave,  and 
this  is  carefully 
guarded  by  rela- 
tives for  some 
days  and  nights, 
as  a  safeguard 
against  untoward 
spiritual  influ- 
ences. Black  is 
the  mourning 
colour,  as  in  civi- 
lized countries  ; 
but  as  the  native 
cannot  exhibit 
his  grief  in  his 
dress  (seeing  that 


THE    WIDl-:    WORl.n     MAGAZINE. 


/•; 


he 


KKLATIVES    WATCHIM;    AT    THE    "  HOUSE  '     OF    A    DEAD    MAN. 


[Photo. 


has  none)   he   freely  be- 
daubs his  body  with  a  pigment  of  soot  and  oil. 


as 


of  mourning  the  native  sorrows  as  little 
possible,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that  a  public 
wail  over  the  dead  is  a  vigorous  and  distress- 
ingly dismal  function.  Cutting  the  face  with 
sharp  stones  is  often  an  accompaniment  to 
these  public  exhibitions  of  grief.  A  native's 
troubles,  however,  are  soon  over.  No  refer- 
ence is  ever  made  to  the  dead  ;  when  a  man 
dies  his  name  dies  with  him,  for  Papuan 
etiquette  forbids  the  mention  of  it  again. 


HEitE    '.VE    ^EE    A 


l-LhLIC    WAIL        IN    I'KOOKESS    OVER    A    COKI'SE. 

From  a  Photo. 


This  is  worn  for  a  length  of  time,  which  varies 
according  to  the  relationship  he  bears  to  the 
deceased.  Mourning  ornaments  are  also  worn,  and 
are  not  entirely  discarded  by  near  relatives  for  many 
months.     Apart  from  these  external  manifestations 


/•'•out  II \ 


A   V  II>(iu  ,i\    "  wEF.ns, 


Photo. 


Karadja   Bey — the  Brigand-Catcher. 

By  Tom  C.  Newton,  of  Vathy,  Isle  of  Samos. 

Mr.  Newton    knows  well   the   Near  East,  having   lived  in    Constantinople   for   many  years.     Here   he 
tells  how  he  accompanied,  on  a  brigand-hunting  mission,  Karadja  Bey,  the  famous  Turkish  Colonel  ot 
Gendarmes,  whose  renown  is  great  throughout  Asia  Minor.      Incidentally  the  narrative  affords  many 
picturesque  glimpses  of  life  in  certain  wild  and  lawless,  regions  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 


KURD,  and  chief  of  a  tribe  inliabit- 
ing  the  range  of  hills  that  extend  in 
a  south-west  direction  from  Angora 
to  Sivrihissar,  in  Asia  Minor  ;  owner, 
too,  of  many  flocks  and  herds,  and 

possessor     of     much    fertile 

land  on  the  mountain  slopes, 

Karadja    Bey    preferred    the 

avocation  of  Colonel  of  Gen- 
darmes  to   the   care    of   his 

flocks  and  farms.     These  he 

left  to  capable  assistants    to 

manage  for  him. 

My  first  meeting  with  him 

was    most    characteristic    of 

the  man  and  his  occupation. 

He  was  on  the  war-path  after 

brigands.       I    was   travelling 

one  day  with  two  com- 
panions,   and    had    to   pass 

through   a   ravine  which   had 

an  evil  repute  as   being  the 

favourite  hunting-ground  of 

robbers,  where    many  travel 

lers    had    been    "  held   up." 

The  path  in  some  parts  was 

so    narrow   that    the    horses 

could  only  go  in  single  file. 

The  sides  of  the  pass  were 

very  steep,  and  covered  with 

stunted  brush  and  boulders, 

which  made  it  a  safe  hiding- 
place  for  bandits,  and  com- 
manded the  narrow  bridle- 
path below. 

We  had  got  a  little  more 

than    half-way    through    the 

pass,  and  were  congratulating 

ourselves  on  our  good  luck, 

when    a    startling    shout    of 

"  Aeylen,     aeylen  "    (Stop, 

stop  !)    echoed   through    the 

ravine.      The     shout     came 

from    the  steep   side  of  the 

pass   about   half-way  up  to  our   left 

to  look,   we  saw  a  man's  head  and  shoulders 

protruding  out  of  a  bush. 

^Ve  took  no  notice  of  the  call  and  kept  on 

our  way.     We  had  not  gone  many  yards,  how- 


ever, before  a  still  more  peremptory  summons 
came.  The  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  rang  out  also, 
and  echoed  through  the  pass.  A  bullet  struck 
the  rock  with  a  curious  thud  about  a  yard  to 
the  right  in  front  of  us. 


'  A  STARTLING  SHOUT  OF  '  AEYLEN,  AEYLEN  '  (sTOr,  STOI')  ECHOED  THROUGH  THE 

R.^VINE.'' 


Turning 


"Close  shooting,"  I  remarked  to  my  com- 
panions ;  "  we  had  better  stop,  or  perhaps  the 
next  bullet  will  be  closer  still." 

"  Brigands,  sure  enough,"'  I  thought;  "we  are 


in  for  it  now. 


, )' 


404 


THE    WlDl-:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


They  called  oul  to  us,  "  Two  of  you  come 
up  here."  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  obey. 
Dismounting,  I  and  one  of  my  companions  were 
depositing  our  guns  and  cartridges  under  a  bush, 
when  a  sharp  command  reached  us  :  "  Bring 
your  guns  up  with  you." 

"  There  goes  my  gun,  and  probably  my  horse 
too,''  I  thought. 

With  some  difficulty  we  managed  to  climb  the 
steep  side  of  the  pass,  and  approaching  near  to 
the  clump  of  bushes  where  the  voices  came  from 
I  could  see  the  muzzles  of  several  murderous- 
looking  Martini  rifles  peeping  through  the 
bushes  and  pointed  directly  at  us. 

I  did  not  like  the  look  of  those  black  nozzles, 
but  I  knew  that,  whether  they  were  brigands  or 
not,  they  would  not  fire  at  us  in  cold  blood. 
Through  an  opening  in  the  bushes  I  could  see 
a  hand  beckoning  us.  By  this  way  we  passed 
and  found  ourselves  in  an  open  space,  when,  to 
our  joy  and  surprise,  there  stood  in  front  of  us 
eight  gendarmes  and  their  officer  in  command  ! 
So  my  breech-loader  and  horse  were  safe  ! 
That  was  my  first  thought. 

The  officer  questioned  us  as  to  the  reason  of 
our  presence  in  this  dangerous  pass  without  an 
escort. 

As  I  was  well  known  by  name  in  the  district 
he  appeared  satisfied  with  my  explanations,  and 
added,  "  It  is  lucky  for  you  that  we  were  here, 
otherwise  in  all  probability  you  would  not  have 
got  through  the  pass  safely,  for  there  is  a  band 
of  brigands  about,  and  they  may  possibly  be 
somewhere  in  the  vicinity  at  this  moment." 

I  thanked  him,  and  asked,  "  Who  are  you  ? 
I  know  most  of  the  Government  officials,  but  I 
do  not  recognise  you." 

"  I  am  Karadja  Bey,"  he  answered,  "  an 
officer  in  the  service  of  my  august  master,  the 
Sultan." 

It  was  with  a  thrill  of  pleasure  that  I  heard 
his  name.  I  had  long  wished  to  meet  this 
redoubtable  brigand-catcher.  We  shook  hands 
most  cordially,  and  so  began  my  friendship  with 
a  chivalrous  officer,  a  brave  man,  and  a  gentle- 
man. 

His  appearance  was  not  one  to  instil  terror 
into  anyone.  He  was  about  the  middle  height 
— thin  and  wiry,  with  a  sallow  face  and  deep-sef; 
eyes,  that  seemed  to  light  up  like  fire  and  pierce 
one  through.  Cool,  cautious,  he  was,  and  of 
indomitable  courage,  never  shrinking  or  hesitat- 
ing when  danger  was  near. 

These  characteristics  may  have  been  due  to 
the  Moslem's  fatalism,  but  I  am  more  inclined 
to  think  they  were  part  of  his  natural  character. 
I  have  seen  him,  when  leaden  messengers  of 
death  were  whizzing  about  him,  smile  and  ridicule 
the  bad  shootinii. 


A  splendid  horseman  was  Karadja  Bey  ;  and 
as  he  sat  on  his  Kurdish-Arab  stallion  he  seemed 
part  and  parcel  of  the  animal. 

But  what  made  his  name  so  much  feared  by 
brigands  was  that  he  w-as  a  dead  shot.  They 
knew  that  when  once  within  range  of  his  rifle 
they  must  either  surrender  or  die.  They  wisely 
adopted  the  former  course,  as  a  rule.  With  his 
rifle  the  Bey  could  easily  split  small  water- 
melons one  after  the  other  at  two  hundred  yards. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  once  to  accompany 
him  for  several  days,  tracking  a  band  of 
brigands. 

I  was  paying  a  visit  to  the  Caimakam  of 
Maden,  when  a  telegram  arrived  from  the 
Governor-General  of  the  province  stating  that 
brigands  had  robbed  the  post  and  shot  one 
of  the  escort  at  a  certain  part  of  the  road,  about 
a  day  and  a  half  from  Maden.  The  Caimakam 
was  instructed  to  dispatch  Karadja  Bey  in 
pursuit  of  them,  and  to  capture  them,  dead  or 
alive. 

The  Bey  was  at  once  sent  for,  and  on  coming 
into  the  room  the  Caimakam  handed  him  the 
telegram.  As  he  read  his  eyes  brightened. 
His  firm  mouth  had  a  firmer  look. 

"  When  can  you  start  ?  "  asked  the  Caimakam. 

"  In  two  hours'  time,"  he  answered,  quietly. 
"  The  horses  must  have  a  good  feed  before 
starting,  as  I  shall  make  one  break  only  on  the 
journey." 

"  Take  as  many  gendarmes  as  you  like,"  said 
the  Caimakam. 

"Eight  will  be  enough,"  he  said;  "but  I 
must  have  Hassan  and  Ahmet." 

These  two  dare--devils  were  fine  fellows — 
could  handle  a  rifle  well  and  were  excellent 
horsemen. 

"  I  would  like  to  go  with  him,"  I  thought, 
eagerly.  As  I  was  holding  an  official  position 
under  H.B.M.'s  Government,  however,  it  would 
not  have  done  to  let  the  Caimakam  know  my 
intention,  as  he  was  responsible  for  my  safety 
whilst  travelling  in  that  part  of  the  province 
under  his  jurisdiction.  So,  trusting  to  my  friend- 
ship with  Karadja  Bey,  I  followed  him  out  of 
the  room. 

"  Bey  EfFendi,"  I  said,  "  I  am  going  with  you 
on  this  brigand-hunl." 

"  No,  no,  my  son,"  he  replied,  "  it  would  not 
do.  There  is  sure  to  be  some  shooting,  and  if 
anything  happened  to  you  I  might  get  into 
trouble." 

After  some  persuasion,  however,  he  said  I 
could  go,  but  made  me  promise  that  I  would 
place  myself  entirely  under  his  instructions  and 
do  whatever  he  told  me.  I  gave  the  required 
promise  at  once,  right  glad  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  taking  part  in  a  brigand-hunt. 


KARADTA    BEV— THE    BRIGAND-CATCHER. 


405 


It  wanted  about  two  hours  to  sunset  when  we 
set  out  from  the  town  of  Maden  for  a  long  ride 
of  eighty  miles.  Our  party  consisted  of  Karadja 
Bey  and  myself,  with  eight  stalwart  gendarmes, 
armed  with  Martini  rifles,  revolvers,  and  swords. 

Several  hundreds  of  the  townspeople  came  to 
see  us  off,  and  cries  of  "  Allah  Selamet  olsoun  " 
(May  God  protect  you)  greeted  us  as  we  started 
out  at  a  brisk  trot. 

Our  ride  that  night  was  uneventful.  At  day- 
light next  morning  we  reached  the  village  of 
Assizuzgat,  and  dismounted  to  give  our  horses  a 
feed  and  a  rest,  and  provide  for  ourselves  as 
well.  Coffee  was  at  once  prepared,  and  shortly 
after  copper  pans-  full  of  steaming  and  well- 
cooked  food  were  placed  before  us.  We  were 
all  ravenous  after  our  night  ride,  and  did  full 
justice  to  the  viands.  Then  we  lit  our  cigarettes. 

The  Bey  inquired  if  the  brigands  had  been 
seen  in  the  neighbourhood. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  they 
have  not  been  near  the  village,  but 
'  held  up '  some  travellers  yesterday, 
about  forty  miles  farther  on  in  the 
Kara  Dere  (Black  Pass)." 

"  H'm,"  muttered  Karadja  Bey. 
"  A  dangerous  place." 

Men  and  horses  having  had  a 
good  rest  and  a  feed,  Karadja  Bey 
gave  the  order  to  mount. 

A  forty- mile  ride  lay  before  us, 
over  a  mountainous  country ;  and 
we  expected  to  approach  the  brigands 
before  nightfall.  A  ride  of  six  hours 
brought  us  near  the  pass,  when  we 
came  across  some  shepherds  whom 
the  Bey  questioned. 

They  said  they  had  seen  smoke 
issuing  from  among  the  bushes  in 
the  Kara  Dere  that  morning. 

"  In  what  part?"  asked  the  Bey. 

They  located  the  place,  and  the 
Bey,  turning  to  me,  said  :  "  This  is 
the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  pass, 
and  we  cannot  get  through  without 
exposing  ourselves  to  the  bullets  of 
the  brigands." 

Riding  to  the  village  near  the 
entrance  of  the  Dere,  we  left  our 
horses  in  charge  of  some  of  the 
local  men,  and  explained  the  reason 
of  our  presence. 

Some  of  the  villagers  asked  per- 
mission   to   accompany  us,   and  the    Bey  told 
them  that  whoever  had  guns  might  come. 

Instead  of  going  by  the  sinuous  path  through 
the  ravine,  we  climbed  the  steep  side  of  it,  the 
side  opposite  the  one  where  the  brigands  had 
been  located  by  the  shepherds. 


Near  the  top  we  could  see  the  narrow  and 
tortuous  bridle-path  several  hundred  feet  below 
us,  and  I  realized  the  truth  of  the  Bey's  remark 
that,  '-  They  would  just  cut  us  up."  It  was 
indeed  a  dangerous  place — a  dozen  good  shots 
could  simply  annihilate  a  regiment. 

The  Bey  gave  instructions  to  his  men  not  to 
expose  themselves  and  keep  well  together. 
Then  working  our  way  slowly  and  steadily  under 
cover  of  the  juniper  bushes  and  large  boulders, 
we  had  gone  nearly  a  mile,  and  were  approaching 
the  most  dangerous  part,  when  Karadja's  sharp 
eyes  detected  a  movement  among  the  bushes  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  which  was  about 
two  hundred  yards  wide. 

"  Lie  low,"  he  whispered,  "and  don't  fire." 
Then  he  stepped  on  to  a  boulder  and  called  out 
"  Kim  oh  ?  "  (Who's  there  ?  ).  Immediately  two 
men    showed    themselves ;    theii   another,    and 


HE   STEl'PEU   ON    TO    A    BOU 


LDEK    AND    CALLED   OUT    '  KIM    OH?'   (wHo's  THERE '?)." 


another,  until  I  counted  nine  of  them.  All 
were  armed,  which  told  us  pretty  plainly  that 
we  were,  face  to  face  with  the  band. 

Karadja  at  once  recognised  the  leader  as 
Khel  Osman,  a  noted  brigand,  who  had  some 
months  previously  escaped  from  prison. 


4o6 


IHE     WIDE    WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


"  You  have  robbed  the  post  and  shot  one  of 
the  escort,"  the  Key  called  out  to  them :  "  1  com- 
mand you  to  surrender,  in  the  name  of  the 
Sultan." 

Their  answer  was  a  derisive  laugh  and  the 
crack  of  a  rifle.  A  bullet  whizzed  through  the 
bushes  close  to  Karadja,  and  the  brigands 
rushed  to  cover.  I  heard  Karadja  mutter  some- 
thing between  his  clenched  teeth,  and  quick  as 
lightning  he  brought  the  rifle  to  his  shoulder, 
and  before  the  echo  of  the  report  had  died  away 
down  the  ravine  the  brigand  who  had  fired 
staf'trered  and  fell  forward,  shot.  1  afterwards 
found  out  that  he 
had  been  shot 
through  the  head. 

"  Spread  out  and 
keep  well  under 
cover,"  was  the  Bey's 
next  order.  "  Blaze 
at  them,  but  don't 
fire  twice  from  the 
same  place  ;  move 
a  pace  or  two  to 
the  right  after  each 
shot." 

The  men  soon 
got  into  position, 
and  crack,  crack, 
crack,  merrily  rang 
out  the  Martinis.  I 
was  delighted.  We 
were  quickly  an- 
swered from  the 
other  side,  but  it 
was  wild  shooting. 
The  outlaws  could 
not  locate  us,  as 
we  had  smokeless 
powder. 

Each  puff  of  smoke 
from  the  other  side 
was  quickly  an- 
swered by  several 
shots  from  ours. 

Now  and  again  I  could  hear  the  dull  thud  of 
a  bullet  against  a  boulder  or  a  branch  of  a  bush 
snapped  off.  This  desultory  firing  went  on  for 
about  half  an  hour,  with  what  result  we  did  not 
know. 

We  were  now  reinforced  by  a  dozen  villagers, 
armed  with  all  sorts  of  guns  —  double  and 
single  barrelled  muzzle  -  loaders  of  enormous 
length. 

Firing  from  our  side  now  became  fast  and 
furious.  We  were  making  it  hot  for  the 
brigands.  Now  and  again  I  could  see  them 
bolting  from  bush  to  bush,  or  from  rock  to  rock, 
working  their  way  to  the  hill  abovj  them. 


Before  they  could  get  over  the  crest  they  had 
to  cross  an  intervening  space,  which  was  entirely 
without  cover.  Karadja  saw  this,  and  called  out 
to  his  own  men  : — 

"  Reserve  your  fire  until  they  cross  the  open 
space,  and  you  villagers  blaze  away  at  them." 
Meanwhile  bang,  bang,  went  the  long-barrelled 
guns,  sending  splinters  of  rock  and  leaves  in 
all  directions. 

The  brigands  evidently  found  their  cover  was 
getting  too  warm,  and  one  made  a  bolt  across 
the  open  space.  Karadja's  rifle  was  at  his 
shoulder  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  draw- 


ORAWING   A    I5EAD   ON    THE    DKUiANO,    KAKADJA    KOI. LED    HIM    OVEK. 


ine  a  bead  on  him  he  rolled  him  over.  Two 
more  then  made  a  rush  and  eight  Martmis  sent 
their  contents  at  them.  One  man  fell  and  the 
other  reeled  and  staggered,  but  managed  to  get 
over  the  top. 

The  remainder  of  the  band  then  bolted,  and 
"crack  "again  went  Karadja's  rifle,  and  down 
went  another.     It  was  magnificent  shooting. 

"Quick,  quick  !— to  horse,"  shouted  Karadja, 
suddenly.  "  We  may  cut  them  off  in  the  plain  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hill." 

The  villagers  were  ordered  to  bring  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  brigands  into  the  village,  and  if  any 
were  alive  not  to  kill  them. 


KARADJA    BEY—THE    BRIGAND  CATCHER. 


407 


We  had  accounted  for  four,  hut  the  leader, 
Khel  Osman,  had  got  away.  On  our  side  the 
only  casualty  was  the  redoubtable  Ahmet,  who 
had  the  fleshy  part  of  his  thigh  ripped  across  by 
a  bullet. 

We  were  soon  down  at  the  village,  and,  our 
horses  being  ready  saddled,  we  galloped  off  at 
full  speed,  Ahmet  with  us,  notwithstanding  his 
wound. 

Half  a  mile  in  front  was  the  spur  of  a  hill 
jutting  out  into  the  plain,  hiding  it  from  our 
view.  We  soon  rounded  the  spur  and  saw  the 
five  brigands  galloping  across  the  plain  about 
two  miles  ahead. 

"Chabouk!"  (Quick)  shouted  Karadja,  "we 
shall  miss  them  if  they  get  to  the  forest  before 
us." 

On  we  went  at  a  mad,  break-neck  pace, 
Hassan  and  Ahmet  whooping  wildly  and  racing 
neck  and  neck.  These  two  dare-devils  were  in 
their  element  now.  With  the  quarry  before  them 
they  were  determined  not  to  lose  the  game. 
Holding  the  reins  tightly  with  their  left  hands, 
in  their  right  they  grasped  their  rifles,  waiting  for 
an  opportunity  to  shoot. 

Karadja,  Ahmet,  and  Hassan,  stooping  low  in 
the  saddles,  were  leading.  We  had  now  got 
within  five  hundred  yards  of  the  brigands,  when 
suddenly  they  swerved  to  the  right.  They  had 
evidently  given  up  all  hopes  of  reaching  the 
forest  before  we  could  overtake  them,  and 
they  now  headed  for  a  sheepfold  a  few  hundred 
yards  away. 

"  Confound  them,"  I  heard  the  Bey  mutter ; 
"if  they  get  in  there,  we  can't  get  at  them. 
Head  them  off!"  he  called  out.  He  himself 
was  first,  and  the  turning  move  speedily  brought 
them  within  range.  The  Bey,  reining  up  his 
horse,  took  a  long  aim  and  fired.  C)ne  of  the 
brigands  promptly  fell  off  his  saddle. 

"  Kopeckin  dule "  (Son  of  a  dog),  "  sleep 
there,"  Karadja  said.  The  other  four  soon 
reached  the  sheepfold  and  dismounted.  Two 
of  them  turned  and  fired  carefully  at  Karadja. 
This  time,  unfortunately,  a  bullet  struck  his 
ankle,  smashing  some  of  the  small  bones.  He 
took  no  notice  of  it,  however,  and  merely  com- 
manded his  men  to  get  out  of  range. 

As  I  always  carried  arnica,  carbolic  acid,  etc., 
in  my  saddle-bag,  I  prevailed  on  Karadja  to 
allow  me  to  dress  his  wound.  Having  done  so 
and  bandaged  it  up,  he  said  he  was  all  right 
and  quite  ready  for  "  the  devils  in  the  sheep- 
fold." 

The  fold  was  built  of  stone,  with  a  flat  roof 
of  dried  mud.  The  walls  were  loopholed  in 
places,  which  made  it  more  like  a  miniature 
fort  than  a  refuge  for  sheep. 

The  four  desperate  fellows  inside  could,  of 


course,  keep  a  regiment  at  bay.  Our  little  force 
could  not  do  anything  but  sit  down  out  of 
range,  for  if  any  of  us  came  in  reach  of  their 
bullets  we  knew  we  should  be  done  for. 

"\Vhat  are  you  going  to  do  now,  Bey 
Effendi?"  I  asked. 

"Starve  the  jackals  out,"  he  answered  :  "  but 
it  will  be  slow  work." 

He  then  sent  one  of  the  gendarmes  to  the 
village  for  food  for  ourselves  and  the  horses, 
and  to  requisition  all  the  able-bodied  men  to 
assist  at  the  investment  of  the  brigands. 

The  slanting  rays  of  the  setting  sun  had  now 
faded  away,  and  darkness  was  fast  approaching, 
when  about  fifty  villagers  arrived  bringing  ample 
supplies. 

The  horses  were  looked  to  first,  and  then  we 
squatted  down,  with  the  grass  for  a  table-cloth. 
We  had  had  little  to  eat  that  day,  and  were 
terribly  hungry.  Our  meal  was  not  sumptuous 
by  any  means,  consisting  of  black  bread,  yhourt 
(coagulated  milk),  cheese,  and  hard-boiled  eggs, 
which  we  thoroughly  relished. 

By  the  time  we  had  finished  our  frugal  meal 
the  moon  was  just  showing  herself  over  the 
mountain-tops,  and  the  door  of  the  sheep-pen 
was  discernible.  The  Bey  had  already  placed 
the  villagers  to  watch.  We  occupied  a  post 
nearest  to  the  forest,  as  we  felt  sure  Osman 
would  make  a  dash  in  that  direction. 

Stretching  ourselves  on  the  ground  with  our 
saddle-bags  for  pillows,  we  commenced  our 
vigil.  The  eighty-mile  ride  and  subsequent 
events  had  thoroughly  tired  us  all,  except 
Karadja.  He  was  alert  and  vigilant,  never 
taking  his  keen  eyes  from  the  door  of  the  fold. 

It  was  a  slow,  weary, and  monotonous  waiting, 
hour  after  hour,  and  it  was  difiicult  to  keep 
awake. 

Close  upon  midnight  Karadja  jumped  to  his 
feet  and  cried  out,  "  Kalk  "  (Get  up). 

We  saw  the  four  brigands  mounting  their 
horses,  and  a  moment  or  two  later  they  came  at 
full  gallop  in  our  direction.  This  was  most 
unaccountable,  as  they  were  riding  into  the  very 
jaws  of  death.  Had  they  gone  where  the 
villagers  were  posted  there  might  have  been 
some  chance  of  escape. 

"  Gel,  couzoum,  gel "  (Come,  my  lambs, 
come),  the  Bey  muttered,  triumphantly.  On 
they  tore  at  furious  speed,  but  when  within 
two  hundred  yards  they  suddenly  swerved  to 
the  left.  They  must  have  seen  the  moon's  rays 
shining  on  the  soldiers'  sword-scabbards.  But 
it  was  too  late  now.  The  sharp  crack  of  the 
nine  Martinis  and  the  loud  bang  of  the 
villagers'  guns  echoed  among  the  hills.  Three 
saddles  were  emptied,  and  three  riderless  horses 
went  careering  over  the  plain. 


4oS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    iMAGAZlNE. 


The  fourth  made  for  the  forest,  the  villagers 
banging  away  at  him  :  hnt  he  managed  to 
escape. 

The  li^jht  at  the  moment  was  bad,  a  passing 
cloud  obscuring  the  moon's  rays.    The  brigands 


'    THE    KOLKTH    MADE    FOR   THF,    FOREST,    THE    VILLAGERS    HANOINC    AWAV  AT    HLM. 


must  have  noticed  this,  and  taken  the  oppor- 
tunity for  a  bolt. 

We  went  up  to  the  three  men  lying  on  the 
grass.  One  was  already  dead,  shot  through  the 
head,  the  other  two  were  badly  wounded.  Khel 
Osman  was  not  among  them  ;  he  was  the  only 
survivor  now. 

"  Never  mind  ;  it's  our  Kismet,"  said  the 
Bey.     "  But  we'll  have  him  yet." 

Messengers  were  then  sent  to  the  surrounding 
villages  with  instructions  that  all  the  roads  and 
passes  should  be  watched  to  prevent  Osman's 
escape. 

We  returned  to  the  village  to  see  the  four 
that  had  been  shot  in  the  pass.  We  found  two 
alive,  but  severely  wounded.  They  informed 
Karadja  that  Osman's  intention  was  to  escape 
westwards  in  the  direction  of  Kowah. 

We  dressed  the  fellows'  wounds  as  well  as  we 
could,  but  it  was  hopeless,  and  both  died  the 
following  day. 

The  Bey  was  restless  and  said  we  must  be  on 


the  move  after  Osman  ;  so  we  made  our  way  to 
a  village  on  the  confines  of  the  forest  in  which 
the  outlaw  had  taken  refuge.  Here  we  waited 
two  days  without  any  tidings  of  him.  On  the 
third  day,  however,  a  shepherd  came  in  with  the 
information  that  Osman  was  on 
the  mountains  some  eight  miles 
to  the  west,  and  had  come  to  him 
during  the  night  and  taken  his 
scanty  store  of  bread. 

By  this  time  all  the  villagers 
were  out  watching  on  every  knoll 
and  hill-top.  At  night  they  lit 
bonfires,  which  could  be  seen  in 
all  directions  reddening  the  sky. 

We  went  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated, but  could  find  no  trace  of 
Osman.  He  was  no  doubt  hiding 
during  the  day,  and  moving  only 
at  night. 

On  the  fourth  day  we  made 
our  way  westward,  the  villagers 
moving  in  a  line  with  us  over  the 
surrounding  hills.  Towards  even- 
ing we  came  across  marks  of  a 
horse's  hoof  and  a  partly  consumed 
heap  of  grass,  evidence  that  Osman 
was  in  front  of  us. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth 
day  we  were  riding  slowly  west- 
ward, sparing  our  horses,  and 
approaching  the  foot  of  a  moun- 
tain over  which  our  road  passed. 
On  the  highest  point  was  a  group 
of  villagers,  watching  for  the  fugi- 
tive. As  we  began  the  ascent  we 
noticed  the  villagers  on  the  top 
to  us.  We  increased  our  pace, 
but  Karadja  would  not  allow  us  to  go  too 
quickly.  The  plain  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain,  it  appeared,  had  a  long  level  stretch 
of  about  ten  miles,  and,  as  the  Bey  remarked, 
"  If  we  come  in  sight  of  Osman,  there  is  a  long 
ride  before  us." 

We  had  a  hill  of  some  3,000ft.  to  ascend,  and 
a  still  deeper  descent  on  the  other  side,  which 
tries  horses'  shoulders  more  than  ascending. 

One  of  the  villagers  had  come  down  to  meet 
us.  He  said  that  a  solitary  horseman  was 
crossing  the  plain  ;  it  was  thought  to  be  Osman. 
On  reaching  the  summit  we  saw  the  horseman 
some  two  miles  away,  going  slowly  towards 
the  meandering  Kizil  Irmak  (Red  River).  Dis- 
mounting, we  began  the  steep  descent,  and 
when  about  half-way  down  the  horseman  on 
the  plain  caught  sight  of  us  and,  turning  round, 
fired  a  defiant  shot  in  our  direction  as  he  started 
off  at  full  speed.  The  villagers'  surmise  was 
correct.     It  was  Osman,  sure  enough. 


beckoning 


KARADJA    BEY— THE    BRIGAND-CATCHER. 


409 


We  soon  reached  the  level  and  quickly 
mounted.  Before  starting,  Karadja,  who  was  at 
the  head  of  us,  turned  round  in  his  saddle  and 
said  to  the  gendarmes  :  "  Do  not  shoot  him  ;  I 
must  have  him  alive.  I  learnt  from  one  of  his 
men,  who  is  now  beyond  speech,  that  he  has  a 
considerable  sum  of  money  hidden  away,  and 
he  is  the  only  one  now  alive  who  knows  where 
it  is.     Now  come  along." 

We  started  at  full  gallop,  the  Bey,  Hassan, 
and  Ahmet  again  leading.  We  had  not  gone 
far  before  Osman  furiously  headed  his  horse 
towards  the  River  Kizil  Irmak.  Night  was 
coming  on,  but  we  hoped  to  overtake  him  at 
the  river  before  darkness  set  in.  It  was  now  a 
mad,  headlong  race  ;  even  the  horses  seemed  to 
have  caught  the  excitement  of  the  pursuit,  and 
rattled  along  without  urging. 

The  three  leaders  had  forged  ahead  and 
gained  considerably  on    the  fugitive,   who  was 


turbulent  waters  below  him.  "After  him!" 
shouted  Karadja,  who  had  scarcely  time  to 
throw  away  his  saddle-bags  and  rifle  ;  Hassan 
and  Ahmet  doing  the  same,  so  as  not  to  impede 
the  horses  in  the  river. 

My  heart  stood  still  as  I  saw  Karadja  take  a 
flying  jump  into  the  river,  followed  by  his  two 
companions.  It  was  sheer  madness,  risking 
their  own  lives  and  their  horses,  but  Karadja's 
blood  was  up  with  his  prey  almost  within  his 
grasp.  As  for  Hassan  and  Ahmet,  they  were  in 
their  element.  Osman,  in  the  madness  of 
despair,  knew  that  his  end  was  near,  and  it 
mattered  little  if  his  career  should  end  in  a 
watery  grave  or  at  the  end  of  a  rope. 

He  had  now  only  a  dozen  yards'  start  of  his 
pursuers  ;  but  his  horse  laboured  heavily  in  the 
racing  current,  while  Karadja's  horse  swam 
steadily  across,  the  other  two  close  behind  him. 

The  brigand  had  reached  the  middle  of  the 


'the    brigand   chief    next   drew    his    revolver   and   AiriED   AT   HIS   XVOULD-BE   CAFTOR. 


now  nearing  the  river,  which  we  thought  he 
would  never  attempt  to  cross,  as  it  was  a 
dangerous  part,  with  the  current  strong  and 
deep.  As  pursuer  and  pursued  neared  the 
bank,  Karadja  called  out,  "Teslim  ol"  (Sur- 
render). Osman,  by  way  of  reply,  turned  in  his 
saddle  and  fired  point-blank  at  Karadja,  but 
missed  him.  Then  driving  his  spurs  into  his 
horse's   side,    he   made   a   mad   leap   into    the 

Vol.  vi.— -1?. 


river  when  Karadja,  sword  in  hand,  overtook 
him.  "  Give  in,  Osman,"  Karadja  said  to  him. 
But,  no ;  he  was  not  going  to  surrender  so 
tamely.  He  had  already  unsheathed  a  mur- 
derous-looking knife  and  made  a  savage  cut  at 
his  pursuer,  who  avoided  it,  and  in  return 
brought  down  his  heavy  cavalry  sword  with  a 
terrible  swiftness  on  to  Osman's  left  arm,  dis- 
ablina:  it.     Hassan  and  Ahmet  now  joined  in 


4IO 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  death  struggle,  uttering  imprecations  and 
fighting  like  demons  with  Osman  and  the  ruth- 
less current,  which  had  now  caught  the  whole 
four  and  was  bearing  them  down  the  ri\er.  They 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  controlling  their 
horses  and  keeping  them  from  striking  each 
other  with  their  fore -feet.  It  was  a  curious 
combat. 

Hassan  was  the  first  to  get  his  horse  undfer 
control  and  managed  to  get  alongside  of  Osman, 
who  made  a  savage  lunge  at  him  with  his  knife. 
Hassan,  leaning  over  the  side  of  his  horse,  just 
escaped  the  blow. 

The  brii^and  chief  next  drew  his  revolver,  a 
muzzle  -  loader,  and  aim.ed  at  his  would-be 
captor.  A  sharp  click  was  the  only  result  ;  the 
priming  was  evidently  saturated  with  water, 
which  gave  Hassan  his  life. 

Karadja  and  Ahmet  now  got  into  close 
quarters,  and  the  latter,  dexterously  slipping  off 
his  horse,  got  on  to  Osman"s,  behind  him,  and 
pinned  him  by  the  arms.  It  was  now  a  critical 
moment.  The  weight  of  the  two  men  bore 
Osman's  horse  under  the  water,  and  both  men 
fell,  struggling  with  each  other  in  the  current. 
The  two  riderless  horses  w-ere  plunging  violently, 
making  it  extremely  dangerous  for  the  others. 
Eventually  extricating  themselves,  the  horses 
headed  for  the  opposite  bank  and  got  safely  to 
dr}-  land. 

Karadja  again  got  close  to  the  two  men  and 
managed  to  grasp  Osman's  wrist  with  a  firm 
hold.  The  robber  who  had  fought  so  gallantly 
was  now  all  but  exhausted,  and  gave  up  the 
struggle. 

Ahmet,  too,  was  almost  disabled,  but  he  had 
strength  enough  to  grasp  Hassan's  stirrup. 

Karadja,  still  retaining  his  grasp,  turned  his 


horse's  head  towards  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  and  Hassan,  assisting  his  companion, 
Ahmet,  did  the  same.  They  soon  reached  the 
other  side,  where  the  other  horses  were  grazing 
quite  unconcernedly,  apparently  none  the  worse 
for  the  dangerous  struggle  in  the  muddy  and 
turbulent  river. 

I  felt  a  deep  sense  of  relief  when  I  saw 
Karadjn,  his  prisoner,  and  the  two  brave  gen- 
darmes safe  on  dry  land.  I  called  out  my  con- 
gratulations, and  the  Bey  replied,  "Come  over 
to  the  village."  We  started  for  the  ford,  and  in 
half  an  hour  were  at  the  village,  where  we  found 
our  friends  and  their  prisoner. 

Karadja  and  Hassan  were  already  in  dry 
clothes,  lent  by  the  villagers.  Ahmet  and 
Osman,  wrapped  in  blankets,  were  in  front  of  a 
roaring  fire  drying  their  soaked  garments. 

Next  morning,  with  Osman  securely  bound 
and  placed  on  a  horse,  we  started  for  Angora, 
a  hundred-mile  journey,  and  arrived  without 
further  adventure.  Here  we  delivered  up  to 
the  authorities  the  redoubtable  Osman,  whose 
career  as  a  brigand  was  now  brought  to  an  end. 
He  v.'as  eventually  sentenced  to  imprisonment 
for  life. 

All  of  us  were  glad  of  a  rest,  having  been  in 
the  saddle  for  twelve  days  and  nights,  more  or 
less. 

It  was  some  time  before  Osman  could  be 
made  to  confess  the  whereabouts  of  the  hidden 
money.  It  was  eventually  recovered,  however, 
and  amounted  to  twelve  hundred  pounds, 
beside  a  goodly  collection  of  arms  of  all  kinds, 
evidently  spoils  of  the  road. 

Karadja  Bey  and  his  eight  soldiers  received 
part  of  the  money,  the  balance  going  into  the 
coffers  of  the  Imperial  Government. 


Odds  and  Ends. 

Riding  through  a  Fallen  Tree-Ivory  Caravans  in  East  Africa-Photography  bv  Locomotive  Search- 
light—An  Oil  Mill  on  Fire— A  Race-Course  on  the  Ice— An  Episode  from  the  Holy  Land— An  Indian 

Pilgrimage— Lion   Shooting  from  the  Train,  etc.,  etc. 


I. — KIDl.NG   THKOLGH    A    FALLICN    GIANT   OK   THE   CALIFOKNIA    FOKKST. 

From  a  Photo,  ly  Taber,  San  Francisco. 


X  various  parts  of  California,  as  is 
well  known,  there  are  groves  of 
magnificent  trees  of  great  antiquity 
and  huge  size,  known  to  botanists 
as  the  Sequoia  Gigaiitea.  A\'hen  by 
chance  one  of  these  forest  giants  falls  an  even 
better  idea  of  its  vastness  can  be  obtained  than 
when  it  reared  its  vast  bulk  skywards  amid  the 
interlacing  branches  of  its  fellows.  The  ac- 
companying photograph --taken  in  the  famous 
Mariposa  (Jrove — shows  a  portion  of  the  trunk 
of  one  of  these  magnificent  trees,  which  has  been 
hollowed  out  by  fire.  Though  the  portion  of 
the  trunk  shown  in  the  photo,  is  no  less  than 
Soft,  from  the  base  of  the  tree,  it  is  still  large 
enough  to  comfortably  accommodate  the  man 


on  horseback, 
who  rides 
through. 

The    accom- 
panying snap- 
shot    represents 
part  of  an   ivory 
caravan    passing 
through    Kikuyu 
on  its  way  from 
Uganda  to  Mom- 
basa,   in    British 
East  Africa. 
Ivory  traders  go 
up-country   from 
the    coast,     and 
are  sometimes 
away    for    years. 
The    leader  of 
this  i)articular 
caravan,    for 
instance,     said    it    was    three    years    since    he 
started.     The   Swahili   porters   are    very   proud 
to  carry  ivory,  and  would  much   rather  carry  a 
tusk  weighing  ninety  or  a  hundred  pounds  than 
the    ordinary    sixty  -  pound    load    of    travellers' 
baggage.     An  ivory  caravan  will  consist  of  as 
many  as   three  or  four  hundred  men,   and  as 
they  wind  in  single  file  through  the  jungle  paths, 
each  carrying  a  tusk   on  his   shoulder,   one   is 
presented  with  a  curious  study  in    black   and 
v.-hite.    Grey  Uganda  parrots  are  usually  perched 
on  the  top  of  each  load,  for  the  porters,  with  a 
keen  eye  to   business,  know  that  they  will  be 
able  to  dispose  of  these  on  their  way  to  the  coast. 
The  passage  of  an  ivory  ''  safari "'"  is  quite  a  local 
event,  and  everybody  turns  out  to  watch  it  pass. 


From  a\ 


2.— HERE  WE  SEE  AN    W'OlVi   CARAVAN    ON    ITS   V.AY   i- KU.M    LUANDA  TO    MO.MBASA. 


412 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


;.--.!   :.:.M  ,;.!i- :cEM      .....  ...      -..i.iG 

From  a  Photo,  hy  A.  C.  Gonus  or  Co., 

Talking  about  ivory,  our  next  photograph 
shows  one  of  the  largest  tusks  ever  brought  down 
to  the  coast.  This  superb  specimen  weighed 
over  2oolb.,  and  it  took  four  Swahilis  to  support 
it  while  it  was  being  photographed  outside  the 
merchant's  house  in  Zanzibar.  The  tusk  was 
brought  from  the  far  interior,  near 
the  great  mountain  of  Kilimanjaro. 

We  reproduce  herewith  a  portrait 
of  Mr.  Abu-Rasheed,  of  Jerusalem, 
who  owes  his  life  to  an  act  of  grati- 
tude on  the  part  of  a  brigand.  We 
will  let  him  tell  the  story  in  his  own 
words:  "  My  father  owned  a  grocery-  , 

store  near  the  Bab-il-Amud  (one  of 
the  principal  gates  of  Jerusalem). 
One  Friday  noon  as  I  sat  in  the 
shop  during  my  father's  absence  at 
the  mosque  a  stalwart  Badawi  drew 
near  and  begged  for  something  to 
eat,  saying  that  he  had  not  tasted 
food  for  three  days.  The  man's  pale 
and  emaciated  face  testified  to  the 
truth  of  his  words,  and  my  heart 
was  moved  with  pity,  so  I  gave  him 
three  loaves  and  some  dried  figs, 
which  he  devoured  hungrily.  I  then 
ordered  a  cup  of  bitter  coffee,  as  is 
the  custom,  and  he  poured  it  down 
his  throat  steaming  hot.  Seeing 
that   he   was  somewhat   revived,    I 


ended  by  filling 
his  pipe  and 
tobacco  bag, 
and  then, giving 
him  a  match 
instead  of  his 
flint,  I  sent  him 
away.  A  few 
weeks  after  this 
incident  the 
^\  m  e  r  i  c  a  n 
Consul,  Dr.  De 
Hass,  ordered 
me  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the 
Jordan.  The 
third  day  after 
our  arrival  I  was 
commanded  to 
return  to  Jeru- 
salem with  our 
Badawi  guide, 
Mahommed 
Arekaat,  to 
fetch  the  Con- 
sul's mail  and 
some  cash. 
Arrived  at 
Jericho,  the  guide  begged  to  be  left  behind, 
as  he  felt  ill,  and  as  a  compromise  he  gave  me 
his  beautiful  mare  to  ride.  At  Jerusalem, 
INIrs.  De  Hass  gave  me  the  letters,  the  banker 
filled  my  bag  with  mejidies,  and  I  started 
back.      I  had  hardly  reached   Khan-il-Ahmar, 


lil.'.G    OVER   200LU. 

Zanzibar. 


.JiBU-RASHEEL),    OF   JERUSALEM,    WHO   OWES   HIS    LIFE    TO    A    GRATEFUL    BKiiiAND- 

From  a  Photo. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


413 


now  a  restaurant  for  tourists,  when  I  was  struck 
from  behind  with  a  club  and  hurled  to  the 
ground.  One  of  my  assailants  snatched  my 
money  -  bag,  another  stripped  me  of  my  new 
head-cover,  while  a  third,  dismounting,  un- 
sheathed his  sword,  and  was  bringing  it  down 
to  cut  my  throat  when  the  hand  of  one  of  his 
companions  stopped  him.  '  Abu-Rasheed,' he 
cried,  '  is  it  you  ? '  Then,  turning  to  his  com- 
panions, he  said,  '  Ya  Hussein,  this  man  is  our 
friend  and  my  brother;  no  one  shall  touch 
him.'  Thereupon  he  helped  me  up,  besought 
my  forgiveness,  and  related  how  I  had  given 
him  food  and  drink  when  he  was  starving. 
Finally  he  returned  everything  they  had  taken 
from  me,  set  me  on  my  horse,  and  accompanied 
me  as  far  as  Jericho,  where  he  took  his  leave." 


may  often  be  found  here  at  one  time.  They 
are  taken  across  to  the  island  in  curious  square,, 
flat-bottomed  boats,  propelled  by  a  dozen 
paddles,  and  overloaded  to  a  most  alarming 
extent.  Once  landed  on  the  island  the 
pilgrims  feed  the  sacred  monkeys  (special 
proteges  of  Siva,  the  presiding  god  of  the  place); 
throw  coins  to  the  hordes  of  importunate 
beggars ;  buy  consecrated  curios  or  relics ;  and 
worship  in  the  temples  which  literally  cover 
every  available  ledge.  It  is  only  by  ceaseless 
vigilance  that  the  paternal  Indian  authorities 
are  able  to  prevent  fanatical  devotees  from  leap- 
ing over  the  precipice  into  the  rushing  stream 
below  in  honour  of  their  god ;  and  the  spot 
from  which  they  used  to  jump  is  still  pointed 
out  with  pride.   The  palace  of  the  local  Rajah  is. 


J-  >  out  a] 


-A    PLACE   OF    PILGRIMAGE   ON   THE   RIVER    NERBUDDA,    IN    CENTRAL   INDIA. 


[Photo. 


The  striking  photograph  next  produced  shows 
the  vast  pilgrim  encampment  at  the  sacred  Isle 
of  Mandhata,  on  the  River  Nerbudda,  in  Central 
India.  This  island— from  the  topmost  crag  of 
which  devotees  used  to  hurl  themselves  into  the 
water— has  been  a  place  of  pilgrimage  for  cen- 
turies, and  pilgrims  come  from  all  parts  of  India 
to  worship  in  its  innumerable  temples.  On 
especially  important  occasions   20,000  pilgrims 


seen  on  the  left  in  our  illustration  ;  and  the  lady 
who  sent  us  the  photo,  visited  Mandhata  on  one 
of  His  Royal  Highness's  elephants. 

The  impressive  photograph  next  reproduced 
shows  the  burning  of  the  Merchants'  and 
Planters'  Oil  Mill  at  Houston,  in  Texas— one  of 
the  largest  mills  in  the  world.  This  great  fire 
arose  in  a  rather  curious  fashion.  Some  time 
previously  a  number  of  the  sheds  at  the  miU 


414 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


From  a\ 


6. — THE  BURNING  OF  A  HUGE  OIL  MILL  IN  TEXAS 


VEKED  THX  ACRE? 


[Photo. 


were  unroofed  by  a 
of  the  sun,  explodi 
were  stored  in  one 
of  the  roofless 
sheds,  set  fire  to 
the  whole  vast 
range  of  buildings, 
which  covered  an 
area  of  ten  acres. 
The  heat  from  the 
immense  confla- 
gration, fed  by  the 
inflammable  con- 
tents of  the  mill, 
was  simply  appal- 
ling, and  many  of 
the  firemen  were 
overcome  by  it. 
Indeed,  it  was  as 
much  as  they 
could  do  to  pre- 
vent their  own 
apparatus  from 
being  devoured  by 
the  flames.  The 
damage  done  was 
estimated  at 
40o,ooodols., partly 
covered  by  insur- 
ances amounting 
to  262,ooodols., 


severe  storm,  and  the  rays 
some   chemicals   which 


divided 


among 


no   fewer    than 


"g 


insurance  companies,  not  a 


7. — THIS    I.ION    WAS   SHOT    FRO.M    THE   CAKKIAC.E   WINDOW  OF    A 

from  a]  Uganda  railway. 


IK.vIN    I  IN    THE 

[F/wto. 


forty  different 
few  of  which  were 
British. 

At  first  sight  the 
accompanying 
pho  t ograph  — 
taken  on  the 
Uganda  Railway — 
looks  distinctly 
alarming.  We.  see 
a  full-grown  lion, 
assisted  by  a  kind 
indi\-idual  with  a 
stick,  endeavouring 
to  climb  into  the 
rear  of  a  railway 
carriage.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, the  magnifi- 
cent brute  is  dead, 
having  been  shot 
from  the  carriage 
window  as  the  train 
was  on  its  way  up- 
country;  and  it  was 
merely  posed  on 
the  platform  of  the 
carriage  for  photo- 
graphic purposes. 
A  railway  on  which 
lion -shooting   can 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


415 

be  indulged  in 
from  the  car- 
riage windows 
surely  offers 
unique  attrac- 
tions to  sports- 
men. 

In  mid-win- 
ter ,  the  solid, 
frozen  surface 
of  the  St.  Law- 
rence,   oppo- 
site Montreal, 
becomes     not 
only   a    tho- 
roughfare   for 
vehicular 
traffic  between 
the    city    and 
Longueil,    but 
also  a  general 
playground. 
The   roads 
across  the  ice 
are    marked 
out  by  rows  of 
young    cedar 
trees,  as  other- 
w  i  s  e    they 
would  soon  be 
obliterated  by 
snow-storms. 
It  is  necessary 
to   keep   to 
these  roads, 
for   there    are 
many  holes  in 
the    unex- 
plored reaches 
where    a    slip 
would  be  fatal. 
Our  illustra- 
tion   shows   a 
huge    race- 
track   which 
was     con- 
structed   on 
the  ice  a  short 
distance  from 
the    shore. 
Sleigh  races — 
one     of    the 
chief  winter 
amusements 
of   the   Cana- 
dians —  were 
held  here,  and 
caused     the 
most     inten.se 


4i6 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


J.-    ..-IS   REMARKACLE    THOTOGRAIH    WAS   TAKEX    AT    NIGHT    BY    MEA 
J'ront  a]  OX    AN    AMERICAN    ENGINE. 

excitement.  Light  "  sulkies  "  mounted  on 
runners  are  used  in  these  races,  and  the  speeds 
attained  are  something  tremendous. 

Photos,   by  locomotive  head-Hght  are  surely 
the  latest   innovation  in  the  photographic  art  ! 
The   remarkable    photograph  here   reproduced 
was  taken  at  night  by     ^__.   __ 
the  rays  of  the  power-     • 
ful  electric  head-light 
of  an    engine   on   the 
Peoria    and     Eastern 
Division    of  the   Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago,  and 
St.    Louis  Railway. 
The  place  chosen  for 
this  interesting  experi- 
ment was  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  City  of 
Indianapolis,  and  the 
night    was    dark    and 
moonless.    The  bridge 
seen    in    the   distance 
in  the  photograph  was 
about     i,oooft.    away. 
The   engine  was   one 
used   in    the  ordinary 
passenger    service    of 
the  railway,  and   car- 
ried a  "  Pyle  "  electric 
head-light.     Two 
cameras    were    em- 
ployed,   the   exposure 
given    being   about 


forty  minutes. 
The  photograph 
demon  s  t  rates 
clearly  the  enor- 
mous capacity  of 
the  electric  head- 
light for  illumi- 
nating the  track 
ahead  —  trees, 
stones,  and  even 
tiny  blades  of 
grass  standing 
out  with  startling 
distinctness. 

One  of  the 
strangest  of 
homes  is  surely 
that  of  a  police- 
man in  the  old 
village  of  Wil- 
liams-bridge, in 
the  suburbs  of 
New  York. 
About  a  year  ago 
his  house  was 
burnt  down.  He 
then  secured  three  old  street-cars,  and  placing 
them  side  by  side  and  cutting  out  sections  of  the 
sides,  he  formed  quite  a  cosy  little  house  con- 
taining several  rooms.  It  makes  a  comfortable 
home,  both  in  summer  and  winter,  as  you  may 
judge  from  the  accompanying  photograph. 


NS   OF    THE    ruWEKKLL   bE.\ktH-LlGHT 

[Photo. 


-THREE  OLD 


■■\i:,^    THE    RESIDENCE   OF    A   NEW   VOKK    I'OLlCt.MAN. 
from  a  Photo. 


"AS    THE   SENTRY    WENT    REELING    TO    LEEWARD,    CONEY    OPENED    THE    DOOR    OE 
THE     STATE-ROOM,     AND     DL\Z,    OETTING     IN     ERONT     OE     THE     PURSER,     WALKED 

SWH'TLY     1  ORWARD.  ■ 


(s!:k  i'At;K  421.) 


The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


Vol.   VI. 


MARCH,     1901. 


No.  3  = 


Mow  Mr.   Coney  Saved  the  President. 

By  Professor  C.  F.  Holder,  of  Pasaden.\,  Cal. 

The  Presidents  and  high  political  officials  of  Southern  America  often  experience  remarkable  vicissi- 
tudes of  fortune,  of  which  the  following  interesting  episode  is  a  good  example.  President  Porforio 
Diaz,  the  present  President  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  fled  from  his  country,  and  in  returning  had 
the   narrowest    possible    escape  from    arrest   and    death.      The   details    of   how    he  was    saved    by    the 

purser  of  the  steamer  are  both  exciting  and   amusing. 


RESIDENT  DIAZ  once  had  a  very 
narrow  escape  from  not  being  Presi- 
dent— an  escape  due  to  the  pluck 
of  an  American  named  Coney.  The 
Mexican  Government  would  have 
given  a  good  deal  to  have  the  information, 
and  tried  hard  to  find 
the  man  who  assisted 
President  Diaz,  but  Mr. 
Coney's  secret  was 
never  divulged  until  he 
gave  the  word,  long  after 
Diaz  was  in  the  Mexi- 
can "  White  House  " 
and  the  purser  had  be- 
come theConsul-Ceneral 
of  Mexico  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  was 
highly  respected. 

It  is  in  the  series  of 
battles  which  followed 
between  the  new  Em- 
peror Maximilian  and 
the  Mexican  patriots 
that  we  first  hear  of 
Diaz.  He  was  a  Gene- 
ral ;  and,  winning  a  fine 
victory  at  Puebla,  his 
name  was  on  every  lip. 
Not  long  after  he  forced 
the  surrender  of  the  City 
of  Mexico. 

Diaz  now  became  a 
prominent  figure  in  politics,  and  was  presently 
running  for  the  Presidency  against  Juarez. 
As  a  result  there  was  a  series  of  revolutions 
with  Diaz  and  his  claims  as  a  casus  belli.  The 
people,  in  overwhelming  numbers,  wanted  Diaz  ; 

Vol.  vi.-47. 


THE    CENTRAL    FIGUKE     OF   THIS    NARRATIVE,    SEN'OR   I'OKFORIO 
niAZ,    THE    PRESIDENT   OF    MEXICO. 

Fro7u  a  Photo,  by  Taber,  San  Francisco. 


but  politicians  defeated  them  time  and  again,  and 
Diaz  finally  took  the  field  with  his  supporters, 
determined  to  fight  it  out.  They  were  defeated 
in  the  end,  however,  and  Diaz  was  driven  from 
Mexico,  Lerdo  being  President.  But  Diaz  by 
no   means  gave   up.     He   went  as  far  as  New 

Orleans,  then  communi- 
cated with  his  friends, 
and  decided  to  return 
and  continue  the  fight. 
It  was  at  this  stage  that 
Consul  -  General  Coney 
saved  his  life.  Coney 
was  then  purser  on  the 
steamer  City  of  Havana. 
He  was  a  fine  fellow, 
was  Coney,  but  had  not 
the  slightest  reason  to 
think  that  he  would  ever 
be  more  than  a  purser. 
The  fates,  however,  had 
stored  away  a  prize  for 
him,  and  by  merely 
standing  by  a  fellow- 
man  he  won  fame  and 
fortune.  It  came  about 
in  this  way  :  General 
Diaz,  who  was  watching 
for  an  opportunity  to 
return  to  Mexico,  took 
passage  secretly  on  the 
Ctly  of  Havatia,  under 
the  name  of  "Dr.  de 
la  Boza."  No  one  knew  that  he  was  on  the  vessel 
until  she  reached  Tampico,  where  a  large  body  of  ■ 
troops  were  taken  on  board.  As  it  happened, 
the  very  man  who  had  recently  defeated  General 
Diaz   and   his    men    was   among    them.     It    is 


420 


THE    WIDE    \Vi)Rl.l)     MAGAZINE. 


assumed  that  Diaz  thought  he  was  about  to  be 
captured.  .\t  all  events  he  slipped  off  his 
clothes,  rushed  from  his  state-room,  and  plunged 
overboard,  beginning  a  plucky  swim  through 
bad  shark)"  water  for  some  American  vessels 
lying  in  the  distance.  The  sight  of  a 
man  overboard  naturally  attracted  a  good 
deal   of    attention,   and    a    great    shout    went 


reality,  however,  she  threw  the  sheet  over  his 
head,  so  that  he  passed  through  the  crowd 
without  being  seen  again  and  so  reached  his 
state-room. 

Capture  was  now  almost  certain,  and  in  a 
few  moments  Mr.  Coney  had  a  call  from  the 
Mexican  mail  agent,  who  now  fills  an  honoured 
position,     for     Diaz     never     forgets    a    friend. 


\ 


"  BEGAN   A    PLUCKY   SWIM   THROUGH    BAD   SHARKV    WATER    FOR    SOME   AMERICAN    VESSELS   LYING    IN    THR    DISTANCE." 


up.  A  boat  was  lowered  and  the  unfortunate 
(jeneral  was  rescued,  tiolens  volens,  and  brought 
back  to  the  steamer.  He  was  a  striking  figure, 
and  as  he  stepped  on  the  gangway  some  of  the 
men  thought  they  recognised  Diaz  and  shouted 
his  name.  But  luckily  a  woman,  who  was  a 
friend  of  the  General's,  saw  the  situation  and, 
seizing  a  sheet  from  a  state-room,  rushed  down 
the  gangway  and  pretended  to  cover  him.      In 


Zamora  —for  that  was  his  name — was  a  friend 
of  Diaz,  and  explained  the  situation  to  Coney. 
He  said  Diaz  was  a  brave  man,  a  patriot;  and  in 
a  word  asked  his  aid  on  behalf  of  the  fugitive 
IVesident.  Coney  consented  to  see  Diaz,  and 
went  to  his  state-room,  Zamora  leaving  them 
alone  for  the  interview.  Diaz  was  exhausted 
and  bruised,  and  Coney  immediately  gave  him 
some   restoratives.      Diaz    gave    the    purser   the 


HOW    MR.    CONEY    SAVED    THE    PRESIDENT. 


421 


^Masonic  signal  of  distress  as  soon  as  he  came 
in,  and  Coney,  being  a  Mason  liimself,  at  once 
responded.  In  fact,  all  his  following  acts 
proved  his  desire  to  help.  Coney  did  not 
know  quite  what  to  do,  however,  and  suggested 
to  the  General  that  he  should  ask  an  American 
man-of-war  to  take  him  off  the  steamer.  Diaz, 
however,  doubted  the  expediency  of  this,  and 
thought  if  Coney  would  stand  by  him  he  could 
yet  outwit  his  enemies. 

During  this  time  the  soldiers  who  had 
.seen  Diaz  come  aboard  naked  had  reported 
to  the  Colonel,  who  promptly  looked  the 
matter  up,  and  found  that  the  supposed 
Diaz  had  come  aboard  as  Dr.  de  la  Boza. 
As  there  was  evidently  something  in  the 
report,  he  at  once  went  to  the  captain  and 
demanded  the  surrender  of  Diaz.  The  Colonel 
could  not  speak  English,  and  the  captain  could 
not  speak  Spanish,  so  Mr.  Coney,  the  purser, 
was  sent  for,  coming  directly  from  Diaz  and 
having  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  aid  him 
to  the  utmost.  The  Colonel  made  his  formal 
demand,  which  Coney  translated  to  the  captain. 
*'  I  demand  the  surrender  of  General  Diaz,"  said 
the  Colonel.  Tiiis  was  duly  translated  to  the 
captain,  who  replied  :  "  You  can  see  the  gentle- 
man when  he  leaves  at  Tuxpan.  I  am  not 
aware  that  he  is  Diaz."  "  Can  I  place  sentries  at 
his  state-room  door  so  that  he  cannot  escape?" 
"  You  may,"  replied  the  captain.  "  You  cannot," 
mis-translated  Coney,  "  but  you  may  place  a 
sentry  at  the  stern  of  the  ship  "  ;  and  so  the 
audience  ended.  A  lieutenant  from  the  man- 
of-war  now  came  aboard  with  despatches,  and 
Mr.  Coney  interviewed  him  and  sent  a  message 
to  the  commander.  But  as  he  could  not  interfere 
in  such  a  matter  without  causing  international 
complications,  Mr.  Coney  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  with  a  shipload  of  anti-Diaz  soldiers, 
and  not  ten  feet  away  poor  Diaz  himself.  He  put 
the  whole  thing  to  Diaz,  and  told  him  that  he 
would  try  and  run  him  through  if  he  could  put  up 
with  some  disagreeable  treatment.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  that  the  brave  President  was  ready 
for  anything,  and  felt  that  he  had  run  across  a 
friend  indeed. 

There  were  three  persons  in  the  scheme — 
Alejandro  K.  Coney,  Manuel  Gutierrez  Zamora, 
and  an  American  doctor — and  you  can  imagine 
the  difficulty.  The  Colonel  of  the  troops  had 
stationed  a  sentinel  at  the  stern  with  strict 
orders  not  to  take  his  eyes  from  the  door  of  the 
state-room  of  the  alleged  Dr.  Boza,  and  to  call 
the  guard  if  he  appeared.  Not  only  this, 
but  the  Mexican  Colonel  kept  an  eye  on  it 
himself  and  placed  several  men  on  the 
trail  as  detectives,  who  every  few  minutes 
made  a  pretence    to    walk    by    the    state-room. 


There  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  this 
was  to  get  Diaz  out  of  the  suspected  room. 
But,  unfortunately,  at  this  time  he  was  taken  ill, 
and  it-  required  some  time  to  get  him  in  condi- 
tion. In  the  meantime  it  was  given  out  that 
the  Dr.  Boza  was  a  crazy  American,  and  the 
fact  that  he  had  jumped  overboard  was  indi- 
cated as  proof.  Coney  now  began  to  lay  out 
his  scheme,  which  was  to  pretend  that  Dr.  Boza 
had  again  jumped  overboard  !  The  ship  lay  at 
Tampico  for  several  days,  riding  out  a  gale  of 
wind ;  and  at  this  time  Coney  carried  a  suit  of 
his  own  to  Diaz,  the  scheme  being  that  the 
latter  was  to  leave  all  his  own  clothes  in  the 
stateroom  when  he  deserted  it.  How  to  get 
Diaz  out  of  the  watched  room  was  a  very 
awkward  problem  indeed.  Mr.  Coney  selected 
a  stormy  night  when  it  was  blowing  a  howling 
gale  of  wind.  The  state-room  of  Diaz  was 
well  astern  to  the  windward,  and  by  watch- 
ing the  sentry  the  President's  helper  noticed 
that  the  man  ran  back  to  leeward  every 
few  moments  when  a  big  sea  struck  the  ship. 
He  estim.ated,  therefore,  that  he  could  slip 
the  General  out  at  this  time.  So,  walking 
up  and  down  for  awhile,  and  having  inspected 
all  the  officers,  he  waited  until  a  heavy  sea 
struck  the  ship.  Then,  as  the  sentry  went 
reeling  to  leeward.  Coney  suddenly  opened  the 
door  of  the  state-room,  and  Diaz,  getting  directly 
in  front  of  the  purser,  who  was  a  large  man, 
walked  swiftly  forward  and  safely  reached 
Coney's  store-room,  which  was  well  forward. 
Here  he  was  at  once  put  in  a  narrow  clothes- 
press.  This  accomplished,  Coney  next  hunted 
up  the  American  doctor,  and  told  him  to  open 
up  the  room  of  the  supposed  doctor,  toss  over  a 
life-preserver,  and  shout  "  Man  overboard."  In 
the  meantime,  the  future  President  of  Mexico 
was  doubled-up,  almost  breaking  his  back  in  the 
narrow  box,  and  Coney  was  in  bed  pretending 
to  snore  loudly.  Soon  things  began  to  happen 
just  as  they  had  been  arranged.  A  thunderous 
knock  came  at  Coney's  state-room.  He  replied, 
sleepily,  "  Come  in,"  whereupon  several  officers 
and  the  Colonel  rushed  in  excitedly.  "  What's 
the  matter?"  asked  Coney,  rising  up  lazily  in 
his  small  berth.  "  Matter  enough,"  yelled  the 
Colonel,  looking  around  the  state-room  with  the 
eyes  of  a  hawk  ;  "  Diaz  has  escaped  !  The 
state-room  is  empty." 

The  Colonel  could  not  believe  the  evidence 
of  his  eyes.  He  had  at  once  assumed  that 
Coney  had  hidden  the  missing  man  in  his 
room,  but  here  he  was,  filling  the  little  bed,  and 
apparently  willing  that  they  should  come  in  ; 
and,  in  reality,  there  was  Diaz  himself,  not  two 
feet  away,  wanting  to  cough  so  badly  tiiat  he 
was    nearly   suff'ocated  '.     Coney   was   so  sleepy 


422 


THE    Wini-:     WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


(or  pretended  to  he)  that  it  took  them  some 
lime  to  explain  that  the  man  liad  really  jumped 
overboard  with  a  life-preserver  in  a  heavy  sea. 
Coney  expressed  a  doubt  as  to  this,  but  said  if 
they  would  excuse  him  while  he  put  his  clothes 
on  he  would  aid  them  in  an  investigation,  and 
show  them  where  the  man  might  be  concealed. 
He  presently  joined  them,  and  led  a  party  all 
over  the  ship.  He  took  them  into  the  coal- 
bunkers  and  urged  them  to  search  the  foulest 
corners.  Einally,  worn  out,  the  officers  and 
men  were  satisfied  that  the  crazy  doctor  had 
jumped  overboard.  There  was  one  man,  how- 
ever, who  was  very  sceptical,  and  he  was  the 
Colonel.  The  wily  Coney  felt  that  his  eyes 
were  on  him  all  the  time. 

It  was  necessary  to  feed  Diaz,  of  course  ;  and 
this  could  only  be  done  surreptitiously.  Coney 
would  not  trust  anyone  ;  even  his  friends  did 
not  know  where  the  hidden  President  was,  and 
he  procured  food  by  dropping  bread  and  meat 
mto  his  lap  and  carrying  it  to  his  pocket.  By 
taking  his  meals  earlier  and  later  than  the  rest 
he  was  able  to  do  this  and  keep  Diaz  alive.  It 
is  a  singular  fact  that  President  Diaz  nearly  lost 
his  life  at  this  time  from  an  entirely  unexpected 
cause.  The  dresser  in  which  he  stood  had  a 
small  window,  and  the  Mexican  soldiers  one  day 
conceived  the  idea  of  using  their  bayonets  to  fish 
out  .some  of  the  purser's  clothes.  While  Coney 
was  searching  the  ship  with  the  party  Diaz 
heard  a  cutting,  scraping  sound,  and  in  came  a 
bayonet  sliding  along  his  cheek,  then  another, 
and  another.  The  soldiers  had  pushed  back 
the  window,  and  were  trying  to  hook  out  some 
clothes :  but  beyond  alarming  Diaz,  who  was 
afraid  thev  would  run  him  through  or  "ouge 
him  in  the  eye,  they  accomplished  nothing.  It 
would  have  been  a  singular  thing  for  Coney  to 
have  found  Diaz  killed  in  his  closet  by  accident, 
and  a  very  hard  fate  indeed  for  the  President 
himself. 

On  the  night  following  the  search  Coney  took 
Diaz  out  of  his  wardrobe  and  found  him  so 
stiff  that  he  could  hardly  move.  He  ])Ut  him 
in  his  own  bed  and  sat  up  all  night,  locking  him 
up  in  the  wardrobe  early  in  the  morning  again. 
As  I  think  of  it,  it  seems  incredible  that  all  this 
could  have  been  done,  as  the  steamer  was  so 
crowded  with  the  twelve  hundred  soldiers 
and  their  women  -  folk  that  one  could  hardly 
move  without  falling  over  them,  and  they  were 
constantly  falling  against  the  door.  As  I 
have  said,  there  was  a  persistent  sceptic 
aboard,  and  he  evidently  decided  to  run 
a  big  bluff  on  Purser  Coney,  for  a  few  hours 
before  they  reached  Vera  Cruz  he  sent  for  him, 
and  with  a  great  play  of  secrecy  placed  a  sentry 
at  the  door,  with  orders  not  to  admit  anyone. 


He  waved  Coney  to  a  seat,  offered  him  a  cigar, 
and  looked  him  in  the  eyes.  Now,  Coney 
was  a  handsome  man,  weighing  two  hundred 
pounds,  with  bright,  piercing  eyes,  and  a  certain 
childlike  expression  invaluable  alike  to  a  poker 
player  or  a  diplomat.  The  Colonel's  gaze  he 
returned  with  the  look  of  innocence  itself  The 
Colonel  wasted  no  time,  and  began  at  once 
something  like  this  :  "  Mr.  Coney,  I  desire  to 
thank  you  for  your  many  courtesies,  and  to  say 
that  I  have  conceived  in  the  few  days  of  our 
acquaintance  a  regard  that  makes  me  more 
than  solicitous  for  your  welfare."  "  \Vhat  do 
you  mean  ? "  asked  Coney,  puffing  a  ring  of 
smoke  into  the  air.  "  Why,"  replied  the  Colonel, 
glancing  at  Coney  with  solicitude,  "  I  regret  to 
see  so  young  and  brilliant  a  man  as  yourself 
shot."  "  Shot,"  repeated  Coney,  wondering  if 
the  Colonel  was  going  to  try  it  on  there.  "  Yes, 
shot,"  was  the  reply.  "  Shot  you  certainly  will 
be."  "And  for  what?"  asked  Coney,  calmly. 
"  W'hy,  for  aiding  in  the  escape  of  General 
Diaz.  This  man,  mark  you,  is  a  murderer,  a 
scoundrel,  and  a  brigand.  Look  at  the  civil 
war  he  has  brought  on ;  and  he  is  on  his  way 
now  to  incite  the  ignorant  to  rise  against  the 
lawful  President.  I  shall  have  to  make  my 
report  that  you  have  aided  in  his  escape,  and 
the  President  will  order  you  to  be  shot."  "  He 
will,  eh  ?  "  responded  Coney.  "  Let  me  tell 
you,  my  dear  Colonel,  that  I  am  an  American 
citizen,  and  that  the  moment  your  people  lay 
their  hands  on  me  the  whole  fabric  of  your 
Government  would  be  swept  away.  I  will  take 
my  chance  of  being  shot." 

The  bluff  was  returned  with  interest,  and  the 
Colonel  was  evidently  puzzled.  "  It  is  your 
duty,"  he  said,  "  to  give  me  this  information. 
By  letting  Diaz  go  you  sacrifice  thousands  of 
lives  which  would  be  saved  with  him  out  of  the 
way.      Not  only  that,  but  you  will  be  shot." 

"  So  you  think  I  will  be  shot,"  said  Coney, 
laughing.  "  Now,  let  me  tell  you.  Colonel, 
thatj)'<?«  are  the  man  who  is  going  to  be  killed. 
You  knew  it  was  Uiaz,  and  it  was  vour  business 
to  secure  him.  You  had  twelve  hundred  men 
on  board,  yet  you  let  the  man  who  has  caused 
the  war  leap  overboard  twice  right  in  your 
midst.  You  neglected  the  opportunity  of'  your 
life,  and  when  your  Government  hears  of  it  you 
may  be  sure  they  will  take  action,  and  it  will 
not  be  to  shoot  me." 

The  Colonel  was  fairly  paralyzed  by  this. 
"  What  shall  I  do?  "  he  stammered,  now  appeal- 
ing to  the  amused  purser. 

"Why,"  said  Coney,  holding  back  the  laugh 
he  wished  to  indulge  in,  and  enjoying  the  effect 
of  his  bluff,  "  accept  the  story  of  the  crazy 
doctor   and    tell    it    in    your   report.      Make   a 


HOW    MR.    CONEY    SAVED    THE    l'RESH)EXl' 


423 


requisition  on  nie  for  his  clothes  and  effects, 
which  I  will  give  you,  otherwise  I  would  not 
care  for  your  chances."  This  good  advice  the 
Colonel,  after  some  hesitation,  decided  to  accept. 
With  Diaz  still  in  the  clothes-press,  the  steamer 
at  length  reached  Vera  Cruz.  Coney  was 
doubtful  about  getting  him  ashore,  and  advised 
him  to  go  on  to  Havana  ;  but  Diaz  was  not  the 
man  to  back  down  at  this  stage,  and  said  that 
he  was  determined  to  land,  go  to  his  people, 
and  stand  with  them  for  the  right  if  only  Conev 
would  still  aid  hiui,  which  that  excellent  fellow 
of  course  said  he  would  do.      As  a  result  of  tlie 


The  scheme  now  was  to  get  Diaz  into  the 
costume  of  a  labourer  and  have  him  mingle  with 
the  men  and  so  get  ashore.  He  bribed'a  man 
to  bring  him  a  working  man"s  suit,  paying  a  large 
price  for- it.  As  Diaz  was  getting  into'  it  there 
came  a  knock  at  the  door  of  the  state-room, 
and  the  Colonel,  who  had,  it  seems,  somewhat 
recovered  from  the  bluff,  walked  in  just  as  Diaz 
crawled  into  the  clothes-press,  where  he  had 
passed  so  many  weary  hours.  "  Seiior  Coney," 
he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  make  one  more  effort. 
I  still  believe  that  General  Diaz  is  concealed  on 
this  vessel,  and  I  am  hereby  authorized  to  offer 


iIAZ    WAS    (iKl'TINt;    INI.)     IHE    SUIT    THKKE    CAME    A    KNOCK    AT     THE    DOOR    OF-'    THE    SIAIE-KUO. 


conversation  through  the  walls  of  the  wardrobe 
it  was  decided  that  (^oney  should  be  left  to  his 
own  devices,  as  he  had  certainly  shown  a  talent 
for  the  work  thus  far. 

"  Have  you  a  friend  vou  can   trust  ?  "  asked 
Diaz. 

"  I  know  General  Enriquez,"  replied  Coney. 
"  Just  the  man,  he  is  a  follower  of  mine." 
Coney  then  went  on  deck,  and  when  the 
liealth  officer  had  examined  the  ship  he  sent 
word  ashore  to  General  Enriquez  that  Diaz  was 
aboard  and  asked  him  to  suercest  some  means 
tor  his  escape.  In  response  a  lighter  was  sent 
to  the  steamer  with  a  lot  of  men  on  her  with 
orders  to  receive  some  guns  which  had  been 
shipped. 


you  the  sum  of  5o,ooodols.  if  you  will  give  me 
but  an  indication  in  the  right  direction.  I  have 
on  the  ship  i8,ooodols.  in  cash,  and  will  at  once 
send  ashore  for  the  balance.  More  than  this, 
I  guarantee  the  friendship  of  the  Mexican 
Government,  from  which  you  can  obtain  any 
office  you  wish." 

Eor  a  moment  Coney  deliberated  :  he  was 
thinking  what  the  effect  on  Diaz  would  be  if  he 
knocked  the  Colonel  out  of  the  state-room,  but 
decided  that  it  would  not  be  a  good  move ; 
moreover,  the  officer  was  merel)'  attempting  to 
do  hia  duty.  Coney  politely  declined  the  offer, 
however,  and  asked  the  Colonel  to  "  kindly 
consider  the  affair  closed."  Diaz,  of  course,  was 
a  listener  to  this,  his  head  being  not  three  feet 


4-4 


THE    WIDE    WOREI)     ^rAClAZIXE. 


from  the  Colonel,  and  when  the  officer  had 
gone  he  came  out,  asking  Coney  for  paper  and 
ink.  "  I  want  to  assure  you,  Mr.  Coney,"  he 
said,  in  tones  of  earnest  gratitude,  "  that  your 
kindness  will  never  be  forgotten,  and  that  while 
I  stand  here  in  a  labourer's  suit,  without  a  cent 
in  my  pocket,  I  can  pay  my  friends  5o,ooodols. 
for  saving  me."  Diaz  meant  well,  but  he  deeply 
oflended  Coney.  "General,"'  he  said,  "lam 
an  American,  and  it  is  not  the  custom  of 
gentlemen  to  accept  pay  for  deeds  of  humanity 
or  where  honour  is  concerned."  Hardly  had 
he  said  this  when  he  was  sorry.  Diaz  was  not 
himself,  owing  to  the  terrible  strain  he  had  been 
under,  and  looking  at  Coney  a  moment,  as 
though  stupefied  to  find  a  man  who,  because 
he  was  a  ^Iasonic  brother  and  a  man  of  his 
word,  would  refuse  5o,coodols.,  he  burst  into 
tears  and  threw  his  arms  about  tlie  purser's 
shoulders.  "  Pardon  me,  my  dear  brother,"  he 
said.  "  Surely  I  have  indeed  found  a  true 
friend  and  a  man  whose  sense  of  honour  is 
e.xalted  ;  but  remember  that  as  long  as  I  have 
anything  in  this  world  it  is  yours."  Coney 
hastened  to  assure  him  that  he  had  already 
forgotten  the  offer,  and  they  then  prepared  for 
the  final  move.  The  troops  were  being  disem- 
barked, and  as  they  went  ashore  they  reported 
that  it  was  believed  Diaz  was  aboard  after 
all,  and  there  was  great  excitement,  as  you 
may  suppose.  The  lighter  was  alongside,  and 
when  the  coast  was  clear  President  Diaz, 
with  his  face  besmeared  with  coal-dust,  stepped 
out  on  deck,  and  Coney  pushed  him  along, 
be-rating  him  violently  in  Spanish,  pretending 
that  he  was  a  boatman.  The  deck  was 
crowded,  yet  they  pushed  their  way  sixty 
feet  to  the  steerage  gangway  without  creacing 
any  suspicion,  so  perfect  was  the  disguise 
of  Diaz.  Here  they  found  the  lighterman. 
The  labourers  were  at  work  in  the  hold 
hauling  over  cotton.  Diaz  joined  them  and 
worked  a  while,  then  made  an  excuse  to  go  on 
deck  and  stepped  on  the  lighter  from  a  porthole 
ostensibly  to  load  a  bale  ;  at  this  moment  Coney 
cast  off  the  lighter,  and  the  tide  swept  it  astern 
amid  the  curses  of  the  mate,  who  thought  it  had 


broken  away.  It  was  but  partially  loaded,  but 
the  man  in  charge  said  he  would  take  the  load 
ashore  now  they  were  loose  and  then  return. 

This  seemed  natural  enough,  as  another  empty 
lighter  was  alongside,  and  so,  sitting  on  a  cotton- 
bale,  Diaz  sailed  into  Mexico  again.  Hardly 
had  he  left  before  the  Vera  Cruz  chief  of  police 
came  on  board  the  steamer  with  a  force  to 
search  the  vessel.  The  purser  offered  to  show 
them  about  ;  in  fact,  he  led  the  search  as  before, 
and  did  it  in  such  a  business  -  like  way  that 
the  American  crew,  who  all  wanted  Diaz  to 
escape,  hooted  and  jeered  him,  and  refused  to 
speak  or  have  anything  to  do  with  him.  This 
was  the  hardest  part  of  the  whole  affair  to  Coney 
— to  have  his  shipmates  believe  that  he  was 
really  trying  to  find  Diaz  for  a  reward  that  was 
offered.  In  fact,  they  did  believe  it  until  weeks 
after,  when  they  learned  the  truth,  and  Coney 
became  a  hero.  Of  course  nothing  was  found 
but  the  clothes  of  the  old  doctor,  which  were 
duly  handed  over  to  the  police.  The  next  day 
President  Lerdo  heard  of  it,  and  was  said  to 
laugh  heartily  at  the  simplicity  of  his  soldiers. 
Diaz  was  never  there.  "You  may  be  sure  of 
that,"  he  said,  "as  there  is  not  a  Yankee  on 
top  of  the  earth  who  would  not  sell  his  own 
father  for  5o,ooodoIs.,  much  less  a  Mexican 
renegade." 

And  this  view  was  generally  received  until 
Diaz  met  Eerdo  at  the  head  of  his  troops 
at  the  Battle  of  Tecoac,  and  utterly  defeated 
him.  Then  it  was  seen  that  the  clever  Diaz 
had  eluded  them  all.  Mr.  Coney,  of  course, 
lost  sight  of  him  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  did  not  hear 
the  news  until  after  the  Battle  of  Tecoac  was 
flashed  over  the  world,  with  the  result  of  seating 
Diaz  and  making  him  President  ever  since. 
From  the  battlefield  Mr.  Coney  received  a 
letter  from  the  victorious  General  telling  him  he 
was  about  to  march  to  the  capital  to  take  his 
own,  and  inviting  him  to  visit  the  Presidential 
palace.  He  furthermore  said  that  he  had 
walked  through  the  forest  alone  from  Vera  Cruz 
to  Oajaca,  where  he  found  friends.  Here  he 
rallied  liis  forces,  with  the  results  known  to  all 
the  world. 


1| 


I 


Ploughing    the    Sea. 

Bv   Herbert  Vivian. 

An     account    of   a    unique    method    of    fishing   on    horseback,    which    has    survived     to    this    day   on 

the  coast  of    Flanders,    among    the    descendants    of    ancient    wreckers.       The    photographs    speak    for 

themselves,    and     show    the    different   phases  of  this    peculiar   industry.     In   order  that  it   may  not   die 

out    the   local  authorities  promote  competitions  and  offer  prizes  to  the  fishermen. 


HAD  met  Frenchmen  who  went 
out  shooting  on  horseback,  and, 
though  they  did  not  bring  home 
\ery  satisfactory  bags,  yet  they  con- 
trived to  .secure  a  certain  amount  of 
exercise  in  a  leisurely  way,  avoiding  all  the 
tedium  of  tramps  from  covert  to  covert,  the 
morasses  of  mud  in  ploughed  fields,  and  various 
other  drawbacks.  But,  until  I  went  to  Flanders 
the  other  day,  I  had  never  heard  of  fishing 
on  horseback. 
Indeed,  the 
idea  sounded 
supremely  ridi- 
culous at  the 
first  blush. 
However,  on 
closer  investiga- 
tion I  discovered 
a  strange  and 
very  interesting 
sport,  which  has 
existed  on  the 
Flemish  coast 
during  ma  n ) 
generations,  and 
may  be  relied 
upon  to  amaze 
any  orthodox 
disciple  of 
Walton. 

All  along  the 
edge  of  the  North  Sea  shrimping  is  one 
of  the  chief  industries  of  the  inhabitants, 
who  supply  Paris,  Northern  France,  and  the 
greater  part  of  Belgium  with  this  dainty.  Their 
ordinary  method  is  to  wade  out  to  sea,  or  else 
drift  about  in  small  boats,  and  rake  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  witli  their  nets.  But  it  is  not  thus 
that  the  best  shrimps  are  to  be  obtained.  The 
waders,  pushing  nets  in  front  of  them  by  means 
of  poles,  cannot  go  out  into  deep  enough  water, 
and  the  boatmen  cannot  force  their  nets  along 
►with  sufficient  vigour.  That,  at  least,  is  the 
opinion  of  the  fishers  on  horseback  ;  but  the 
others  retort  that  fishing  on  horseback  is  mere 
gleaning,  and  does  not  bring  in  a  return  suffi- 
cient to  compensate  for  the  keep  of  the  horses. 

Vol.  vi.— 48. 


Be  this  as  it  may,  the  old  practice  is  exceedingly 
fascinating  to  watch,  and  I  trust  that  it  may 
never  be  suffered  to  die  out. 

My  first  illustration  shows  one  of  the  fisher- 
men setting  out  from  his  cottage.  His  a[)pear- 
ance  is  that  of  a  mediceval  warrior.  His  slouch 
hat  recalls  the  helmet  of  an  Ironside ;  his 
baskets  might  be  shields  and  bucklers,  while 
the  poles  of  his  nets  suggest  pikes,  lances,  or 
halberds  ;     and    his    tarpaulin    jacket   and  leg- 


I-'roJil  a  r 


gings  glisten  like  armour.  When  you  see  him 
careering  along  a  remote  and  solitary  beach, 
with  his  great,  wing-like  nets  stretching  out  on 
either  side  of  his  crupper,  you  are  disposed  to 
hail  him  as  Don  Quixote  returning  from  a 
successful  tilt  at  the  windmills.  However,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Nieuport  he  presents  a 
very  familiar  figure,  and  you  will  remark  in  the 
picture-that  even  such  conservative  creatures  as 
cows  do  not  seem  at  all  disconcerted  by  the 
sight  of  him. 

The  process  of  saddling  his  horse  for  tlie  fray 
is  a  lengthy  one.  First  he  adjusts  a  thick  pack, 
padded  out  with  straw.  On  either  side  of  this 
are  large  panniers,  destined  to  receive  the  catch. 
The  traces  for  draggmg  the  net  are  attached  to 


426 


THE     \VI13E    WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


ENTERING    THE   SEA    IN    A    LINK    LIKE   A    SMALL    KKGLMEN  1. 

Front  a  Photo,  by  Alexandre,  Brusseis, 


the  collar  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  the  net  itself 

is  poised  behind  the  pack.      An  extra  basket 

is  hung  on  to  the  side  by  its  handle,  and  then  at 

last     the     man 

may     mount. 

This  is  no  easy 

business,     or  .^ 

would    not  be, 

save    by    the 

practice    of    a 

lifetime,     for 

there  is  not  too 

much  room   to 

spare    amid 

such    elaborate 

paraphernalia. 

Parties     of 
three     or      six 
fishermen 
generally   meet 
at   the  edge  of 
spread    out      their     nets 
behind  them  so  that  the 
poles    shall     keep    their 
mouths    widely  open, 
and     ride    out     to    sea. 
When     they    reach     the 
proper  distance  they  turn 
round    and    proceed    up 
and  down,  dragging  their 
nets  parallel  to  the  shore. 
They  will  have  drawn  lots 
for  their  places,  as  the  one 
who  is  farthest  out  to  .sea 
catches    the     most    fish. 
They  are  great  smokers, 
and  consume  an  inordin- 
ate    number    of     strong 
cigars  while  they  are  fish 


difficully 
back  to 
glistening 


J- rout  a  Photo.  by\ 

the  sea. 


it  will  be  observed  that 
two  have  cigars  in  their 
mouths,  and  the  third  is 
preparing  to  light  one. 

For  some  four  hours, 
while  the  tide  is  going 
out,  they  "  plough  the 
sea,"  covering  a  very  long 
stretch  before  they  turn 
back  and  proceed  over 
the  same  furrow,  where 
the  tide  will  have  set  out 
a  fresh  supply  of  fish 
meanwhile.  \Vhen  the 
time  comes  to  turn  the 
nets  are  getting  heavy,  as 

may    be    seen    from    the 

tautness  of  the  ropes  and 
the   horse's    increasing 
to  proceed.     Then    the  fishers   come 
shore   and    deposit    their   takings   in 
piles.      In  niv  next  illustration  some- 
thing seems  to 
have    gone 
wrong  with  the 
tackle,  and  the 
intelligent 
horse     appears 
as    anxious 
about     the 
matter    as    his 
master. 

When  each 
one  has  laid  out 
his  fish  upon 
the  shore  he 
sets  out  to  sea 
amin    and    the 


iiiE  NETS  AKE  (^Eiiisc.  iiEAVv.         {Alexandre,  Brtisseh. 


ing. 


In     the     photograph  From  a  Photo.  by\ 


WITH   THE   TACKLE. 


\Alexajtdre,  Brussels. 


PLOUGHING    THE    SEA. 


427 


advance  in  line  is  re- 
sumed. But  the  men 
have  now  changed 
places,  the  one  who  was 
outside  now  riding  along 
nearest  to  the  shore. 
This  change  happens  at 
every  turn,  so  that  each 
may  have  his  fair  chance 
of  the  best  draughts. 

It  is  a  curious  sight 
when  they  are  forging 
along  in  the  open  sea, 
and  I  have  been  fortu- 
nate in  securing  a 
characteristic  photo- 
graph. They  often  go 
so  far  out  that  their 
horses  are  obliged  to 
raise  their  heads  very 
high  to  enable  them  to 
breathe.  Now  and  again 
on   a  rouoh  dav  a  wave 


.'/,?.  I  i' 


Aiiiui>e,  Brusse/s. 


prints    and    potteries 
prove    that    in   old  days 
this  form  of  fishing  was 
practised   all    along   the 
coast  of  Flanders.     Now 
it     only    survives    at 
Nieuport,   Coxcide,   and 
a  few  neighbouring  com- 
munes.      It   is   certainly 
very    ancient,     and     the 
effect    of   this   unnatural 
exercise    upon    many 
generations  of  horses  is 
very  interesting  to  sports- 
men.    The   animals  are 
unusually   hardy  and 
vigoious  ;  their  coats  are 
allowed     to    grow    \ery 
thick,   and    their   intelli- 
gence   is    highly    devel- 
oped.   All  sorts  of  stories 
are  told  about  the  extra- 
ordinary   sagacity     they 
display,  both  in  and  out 
of  the  sea.     Their  necks  are  unusually 
short  and  thick-set. 

My  next  illustration  shows  one  of  the 
fishermen  returning  home  after  a  hard 
day,  the  horse  proceeding  with  difficulty 
beneath  a  heavy  load  of  fish.  Then 
we  see  him  taking  his  ease  in  his  cottage, 
enjoying  a  well-earned  pipe,  while  the 
great  windmill  net  is  set  out  to  dry 
against  the  shrubs.  The  wife  and 
children  are  put  to  work  to  sort  the 
day's     takings,      an      operation  -  which 


i 


-   r     im;     hi   I  IHli     HOUSES     HAVl 

HAISE   THtlk    lU  .1.-.    ...    OKDER  TO   BREATHE. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Alexandre,  Brussels. 

will  come  along  and  completely  sub- 
merge both  horses  and  riders  for  several 
seconds.  However,  in  the  interests  of 
good  fishing  it  is  necessary  to  venture 
as  far  out  as  possible.  There  is  really 
little  danger  and  accidents  are  rare, 
particularly  as  horses  and  men  alike  are 
so  much  at  home  at  this  craft.  Still, 
both  need  an  unusual  amount  of  pluck 
and  endurance,  and  a  novice  would  be 
hard  put  to  emulate  them. 

When  the  day's  work  is  done,  the  men 
proceed  to  fill  their  panniers  from  the 
heaps  they  have  collected  on  the  shore. 
Here  the  smaller  basket  comes  in  useful. 

In  all  these  photographs  it  is  interest- 
ing to  remark  the  specimens  of  a  breed 
of  horse  which  is  certainly  unique.     Old 


AXOTHER   LARGE  CONTRir.UTION-. 
From  a   Photo,   hy  .Aiexaiidrc,  Brussels. 


42S 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)    MAGAZINE. 


KETURNING  HOME  AKTEk  A  HARD  DAV. 

From    a    Photo,    by   Aicxandrc,    Brnsseh. 

attracts  the  interest  of  the  family  cat ;  and 
cooked  fishes  are  spread  out  steaming  upon 
a  rude  trestle,  formed  by  a  portion  of  net 
poised  upon  a  couple  of  baskets.  Most  of 
this  will  be  laid  down  for  winter  consumption, 
but  the  housewife  waits  with  a  plate  to  carry 
off  the  best  bits  for  the  master's  meal. 

The  cottages  are  generally  some  distance 
from  the  shore,  hidden  away  among  the  low 
hills  where  they  might  attract  the  least 
possible  attention,  for  in  old  days 
the  chief  occupation  of  their  owners 
was  wrecking  and  smuggling.  Even 
nowadays  they  can  scarcely  be  called 
professional  fishermen.  They  nre 
rather  small,  very  small,  peasant 
proprietors.  Their  sandy  soil  will 
scarcely  produce  anything,  and  they 
eke  out  a  hard  existence  by-  their 
periodical  raids  upon  the  sea  :  the 
fishing  -  horse  taking  his  turn  at 
agricultural  pursuits.  They  are  the 
most  old-fashioned  of  the  conser- 
vative peasantry  of  Flanders,  clinging 
longest  to  old  ideas,  habits,  and 
costumes. 

Their  cottages  are  certainly  not 
lu.xurious,  consisting  for  the  most 
part  merely  of  one  room,  where  the 
whole  family  lives  together.  The 
walls  are  fitted  with  a  number  of 
alcoves,  screened  with  stiffly  starched 
curtains  to  conceal  the  various 
couches  where  the  different  members 


spend  the  night.  There  is  very 
little  furniture,  and  that  of  the 
simplest  description  ;  but  every- 
thing is  scrupulously  clean.  The 
])avement  of  red  tiles  sparkles 
iVom  constant  scrubbing.  Inside 
a  huge  chimney  are  suspended 
brilliantly  polished  copper  pans  and 
(|uaint  specimens  of  old  Delft  pot- 
tery. Otherwise  there  is  little  else 
to  be  seen  but  an  enormous  cu[)- 
board,  where  changes  of  raiment 
and  a  store  of  family  linen  are 
kept. 

\W\\\  their  traditions  of  hostility 
to  the  world  at  large  it  is  not  to  be 
expected  that  these  lineal  descend- 
ants of  marauding  sea-dogs  shall 
receive  inquisitive  strangers  with 
open  arms.  They  are,  however, 
very  canny,  and  a  silver  key  will 
generally  induce  them  to  make  a 
semblance  of  opening  their  hearts. 
Moreover,  they  are  very  proud  of 
their  ancient  craft,  and  when  you 
have  once  penetrated  the  crust  of  their  surliness 
you  will  find  them  quite  susceptible  to  flattery. 
Like  all  people  connected  with  the  sea,  they  have 
vivid  imaginations,  and  can  tax  your  credulity 
very  far  with  their  yarns  of  perilous  experiences 
in  the  deep.  They  have  also  a  tender  corner  in 
their  hearts  for  their  sagacious  horses,  whom 
they  treat  quite  as  members  of  their  own 
families  and  playmates  for  their  children. 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  horses  need 


A   TVPICAi.        ii.MoE-FISHERMAN       AT    HOME. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Alexandre^  Bittsseh. 


PLOUGHING    THE    SEA. 


4^9 


"'the    family    is   set   to    work   to    SOKT  the   DAY! 
From  a  Photo,  by  Alexandre,  B>~iissc/s. 

no  special  training  for  their  arduous  and  un- 
natural exercise;  indeed,  as  one  of  the  fishermen 
remarked,   they  take    to   the  water   like   ducks. 
This    is    an    interesting    point    for   students    of 
heredity,  as  it  seems  to  show  that  a  new  instinct 
may  be  developed  by  compelling  an  animal  to 
perform    a    certain    task    during   a    number    of 
generations.     Indeed,  the  horses  actually  prefer 
fishing-days  to  those  of  their  ordinary  agricultural 
tasks.     Their  spirits  visibly  rise  when  the  packs 
and  nets  are  brought  out  and  their  noses  are 
turned  towards  the  sea.     Even  in  rough  weather, 
when    they  are  taken   so   far  out 
into    the     water     that     they    can 
scarcely   breathe    and   when    the 
waves    come  foaming   over   their 
heads,  they  exhibit  all  the  fierce 
joy  of  a  war-horse. 

Fishing  on  horseback  would  be 
practically  impossible  except  over 
a  very  smooth  bottom,  but  the 
animals  are  marvellously  expert  in 
avoiding  holes  under  the  water  : 
indeed,  their  owners  assert  that 
they  are  more  sure-footed  at  sea 
than  they  are  on  land.  They  have 
also  decided  theories  of  their  own 
about  currents,  and  obstinately 
refuse  to  venture  out  into  what 
they  consider  dangerous  waters. 
'I'hey  know,  too,  far  better  than 
their  riders  what  is  the  state  of  the 
net  they  are  dragging  and  which 


is  the  right  moment  to 
turn  in  to  shore  and 
deposit  their  catch. 
For  this  they  always 
give  the  signal,  and  it 
would  be  hard  to  induce 
ihem  to  proceed  farther 
than  they  deem  wise. 

I  believe  I  am  correct 
in  stating  that  nowhere 
else    in   the  world    has 
it  occurred    to  anyone 
to   attempt   fishing    on 
horseback.     Nor  is  the 
practice  likely  to  spread, 
unless  some  sportsman 
chanced  to  take  it  into 
his  head  to  secure  some 
of  these  horses  and  try 
this    exhilarating     pas- 
time.    But   I  sincerely 
hope  that  so  fascinating 
and  picturesque  a  sur- 
vival may  not  be  allowed  to  follow  so  many  other 
charming  old-world  habits  into  disuse.     It  is  at 
least    encouraging    to  learn  that   the  municipal 
authorities  at  the  little  watering-place  of  Nieuport 
have  taken  the  matter  up.     Every  August  a  com- 
petition of  fishers  on  horseback  is  held  there  in 
front  of  the  Casino,  and  prizes  are  awarded  for  the 
best  horse,  the  best  catch,  the  best  equipment,  and 
so  forth.  These  competitions  have  attracted  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  the  neighbourhood,  and,  when 
they  come  to  be  better  known,  should  bring  to- 
gether all  manner  of  sportsmen  from  far  and  near. 


PREPARI 


NG   THE  WELL-EARNED    MEAL   THAT   ENDS   THE   DAY. 

From  a  Photo,  by  .-iie.vandre,  Brussels. 


The  Writ  Served  on  ''Old  Man  Brown/' 

AND    WHAI"     HAPPENED    TO     THE     DEPUTY    SHERIFF. 
Bv  H.   M.  KiNGERv,  OF  Crawfordsville,  Indiana. 


The  Deputy  Sheriff,  all  unsuspecting,  undertook  the  perilous  mission  of  serving  a  writ  on  "  Old  Man 
Brown,"  a  farmer  of  local  renown  in  Western  Kansas.  "  Old  Man  Brown  "  objected,  and  his  indignant 
retainers  securely  bound  the  unhappy  Deputy  Sheriff  on  his  own  motor  bicycle,  and  then  turned  him 

loose  on  the  great  prairie   like  a  modern  Mazeppa. 


ERE,  Fitz,  I  wish  you  would  serve 
this  writ  on  Old  Alan  Brown,"  said 
the  Sheriff,  in  a  casual  manner, 
just  as  he  was  starting  for  home 
at  the  close  of  business  one  day. 
*'  He  may  kick  at  first,  but  don't  mind  that. 
lust  hold  on,  and  he'll  soon  cool  down.  Go 
six  miles  east  and  eight  south.  Small,  unpainted 
house,  and  big  red  barn.  You  can't  miss  it. 
With  your  locomotive  you  ought  to  be  back 
easily  before  dark." 

The  writ  in  question  was  notice  of  a  judg- 
ment recently  obtained  from  the  county  court 
against  "  Old  Man  Brown."  Fitz  took  the  paper 
with  some  little  pride  as  repre.senting  his  first 
independent  mission,  and  with  no  suspicion  of 
the  possibilities  involved  in  it.  He  had  been 
in  Western  Kansas  but  a  short  time,  and  a  few 
days  before  this  had  been  appointed  deputy 
pro  tern,  to  the  Sheriff,  who  was  his  older 
brother.  The  "  locomotive  "  was  a  motor 
bicycle  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
the  East,  and  was  the  idol  of  his  heart.  He 
rode  it  during  all  his  leisure  hours  when  awake, 
and  dreamed  of  it  in  his  sleep.  To  be  ordered 
to  ride  out  of  town  on  official  business  afforded 
the  double  delight  of  a  satisfied  conscience — for 
was  it  not  in  the  line  of  duty,  which  too  seldom 
proved  pleasant  ? — and  license  to  ride  (literally) 
his  one  hobby. 

Now,  "  Old  Man  Brown "  was  a  character. 
He  owned  a  fine  farm,  well  stocked  and  well 
kept  up.  He  lived  simply,  saved  carefully,  and 
was  called  "  close  "  by  his  neighbours.  He  w-as 
a  great  chimney-corner  politician,  believing 
firmly  in  the  virtue  of  free  silver  as  a  political 
panacea,  and  hating  nothing  so  dearly  as  that 
vague  monster.  Monopoly.  He  had  implicit 
confidence  in  the  efficacy  of  lightning-rods,  and 
it  was  this  belief  that  led  more  or  less  directly 
to  the  adventure  we  are  now  to  tell.  Some 
months  before  a  travelling  peddler  had  con- 
vinced the  old  farmer  that  his  barn  reciuired  better 
protection — though  it  already  had  four  tips  well 
distributed  along  the  ridge-pole — and  the  wily 
one  had  persuaded  him  to  sign  a  contract  for 
several  additional  ones.     By  a  familiar  device. 


the  contract  was  so  printed  that  by  proper  trim- 
ming a  promissory  note  was  left.  This  had  been 
negotiated,  and  when  time  of  payment  came  was 
held  by  an  innocent  purchaser,  who  had  no 
difficulty  in  securing  judgment  upon  it.  Brown 
was  furious.  He  swore  he  never  would  pay 
the  note,  and,  what  was  more,  would  kill 
anyone  who  tried  to  serve  notice  of  the 
judgment.  This  was  the  alarming  situation 
into  which  Fitz  was  about  to  thrust  himself  un- 
knowingly. 

A  rapid  run  brought  him  in  less  than  an  hour 
to  the  place  designated,  where  all  were  engrossed 
in  the  great  event  of  the  year — wheat-thrashing. 
The  huge  separator  was  humming  and  roaring 
as  it  devoured  the  sheaves,  which  half-a-dozen 
waggons  were  working  under  high  pressure  to 
supply  from  the  shocks  in  the  field  near  by. 
Presently  the  breakdown  of  one  of  these 
waggons  brought  a  breathing  spell,  and  of 
this  Fitz  took  advantage  to  serve  his  writ. 
The  next  moment  he  found  himself  flat  on  his 
back  under  the  "  old  man,"  who  was  doing  his 
best  to  throttle  him.  The  "  hands  "  gathered 
around  to  enjoy  the  sight,  until  it  seemed  the 
matter  was  going  too  far,  when  they  interfered 
and  rescued  Fitz  from  his  imminent  peril. 
Then  one  of  the  men  evolved  a  brilliant  idea, 
and  exclaimed :  "  I  tell  you  what,  fellows  ! 
Eet's  tie  him  to  his  steam-engine  and  start  him 
home  flying.  We'll  not  hurt  him,  and  if  he 
should  meet  any  accident  between  here  and 
town  it's  not  our  fault." 

The  proposition  was  adopted  with  a  hurrah. 
Before  he  fairly  realized  their  intention  the 
young  man  was  bound  firmly  in  the  saddle, 
with  an  extra  turn  or  two  of  rope  about  the 
upper  tube  of  the  diamond-frame  by  way  of 
additional  security.  His  hands  were  placed  on 
the  handle-bars  and  securely  fastened  there 
with  cords  about  the  wrists.  Then  each  foot 
was  tied  firmly  to  one  side  of  the  "  fork,"  and 
his  bonds  were  complete.  Thus  trussed  he  was 
wheeled  out  to  the  road,  escorted  by  an  en- 
thusiastic mob  which  included  all  the  people 
on  the  place — no  inconsiderable  number  on 
thrashing-day. 


THE    WRIT    SERVED    ON     "OLD    MAN     liROWN." 


431 


All  being  ready,  the  engine  was  started  slowly, 
while  two  men,  one  on  each  side,  supported  the 
rider— first  walking,  then  running,  and  finally 
letting  him  go  with  a  tremendous  shove.  At 
the  same  instant  the  valve  which  controlled  the 


shakmg-up  as  he  had  not  imagined  possible  on 
such  a  conveyance.  His  teeth  cliattered  and 
his  head  began  to  ache,  as  well  as  his  back.  It 
seemed  to  him  his  whole  internal  economy  must 
be  deranged.     Fortunately,  the  bicycle  was  per- 


EACH    10,. I     >VAS   Tllit)    IlKMLV    TO   ONK    S!l)E   OK    THD'    FORK,    AM)    HIS    ISOXOS   \VE|;E   CllMrLElE." 


supply  of  gasoline  was  opened  wide,  and  the 
machine  set  out  at  a  lively  pace  across  the 
prairie. 

Had  it  not  been  for  his  cramped  position 
Fitz  would  have  enjoyed  the  rapid  motion. 
Bound  as  he  was,  he  could  still  sway  his  body 
and  move  the  handle-bars  far  enough  to  maintain 
his  balance  and  guide  the  wheel  to  a  certain 
extent.  He  realized  fully,  however,  that  a  fall 
would  be  a  very  serious  matter,  as  he  would  be 
unable  to  land  on  his  feet,  and  would  be  in 
great  danger  of  injury  from  the  continued 
motion  of  the  machinery.  He  therefore  grimly 
determined  not  to  fall. 

The  impulse  of  the  final  shove  had  taken 
Fitz  out  into  the  open  prairie,  away  from  the 
travelled  road.  The  ground  had  looked  per- 
fectly smooth  before  him.  There  were  slight 
inequalities,  however,  in  the  hard  soil,  and  the 
tougii  roots  of  the  prairie  grass  contributed  their 
quota  to  a  conformation  that  afforded  anything 
but  easy  cycle  riding— especially  at  high  speed. 
In  a  very  few  minutes  Fitz  had  received  such  a 


fectly  sound,  or  it  never  would  have  stood  such 
a  test.  It  rattled  and  creaked,  but  it  held 
together  and  continued  its  mad  race. 

To  make  matters  worse  it  was  growing  dark. 
Unless  he  could  be  stopped  in  some  way  there 
was  no  prospect  that  the  gasoline  would  become 
exhausted  and  the  machine  stop  of  its  own 
accord  in  much  less  than  two  hours.  If  he 
could  hold  out  so  long  he  might  indulge  the 
faint  hope  of  falling  in  some  soft  spot  where  he 
would  be  safe  till  help  came  or  he  succeeded  in 
extricating  himself  Meantime  he  was  too  fully 
occupied  in  guiding  the  wheel  to  attempt  release 
further  than  to  tug  vainly  at  the  cords  which 
bound  his  wrists. 

After  the  first  few  minutes  he  had  lost  entirely 
the  sense  of  direction,  and  could  not  be  sure 
even  of  where  the  road  lay.  All  he  could  do 
was  to  keep  his  balance,  steer  clear  of  serious 
obstructions,  and  trust  to  fortune  to  bring 
him  out.  of  the  scrape.  He  had  little  hope  of 
help  from  anyone  he  might  meet  or  overtake, 
for  with   the   best    intentions  in   the  world  one 


4t  " 


THE    WIDE    WOKLD    MAGAZINE. 


would  find  it  hard  to  aid  a  man  flying  across  the 
prairie  at  fifteen  miles  an  hour. 

Aside  from  the  jolting  and  racking  there  was 
no  incident  for  perhaps  half  an  hour.  By  that 
time  it  was  entirely  dark,  and  the  peril  of  dash- 
ing across  an  unknown  country  at  such  speed 
\Yas  heightened  by  the  impossibility  of  seeing 
where  he  was  going.  "Just  my  luck!"'  ex- 
claimed I-"  i  t  z  . 
"Just  my  luck  to 
be  caught  in  such 
a  situation  in  the 
dark  of  the  moon  I "'  . 

At  last  he  came 
to  a  road,  and 
turned  into  it  at  the 
imminent  risk  of 
capsizing.  The 
next  minute  he 
wished  heartily  he 
had  let  bad  enough 
alone.  For  one 
thing,  he  had  no 
idea  whither  this 
road  led,  and  for 
another,  the  diffi- 
culty of  riding  was 
increased  instead  of 
being  diminished. 
Like  many  new 
prairie  roads,  this 
had  been  made 
only  by  use  —  that 
is,  no  roadway  had 
been  built,  but  its 
course  over  the 
hard  surface  of  the 
prairie  had  been 
fixed  by  common 
consent  and  a 
common  direction. 
By  the  repeated 
pa.ssing  of  waggons, 
always  drawn  Ijv 
two  horses,  the 
wheel  -  tracks  had 
been  worn  into 
deep  ruts,  leaving 
between  them  a 
ridge  a  foot  and  a 

half  or  two  feet  wide  and  of  the  same  height 
as  the  level  ground  outside.  A  common 
bicycle  would  have  fared  badly  in  one  of  these 
ruts,  because  its  pedals  would  have  been  con- 
stantly striking  one  side  or  the  other,  and  would 
have  been  bent  or  broken.  Fitz,  however,  had 
had  pedals  and  cranks  removed  from  his  motor 
machine,  and  had  he  been  free  to  manage  it  as 
usual  he  would  have  had  little  or  no  trouble  in 


FITZ    FOUND    HI,MSF;I.F    I'l.U 
DARK 


guidii\g  it  in  the  rut.  Now,  however,  cramped 
l)y  his  position  and  unnerved  by  the  shaking 
up  he  had  received,  and  bothered  furthermore 
by  the  darkness  which  prevented  his  seeing  the 
road  clearly,  he  had  little  control  over  his  wheel. 
As  a  consecjuence  it  "  wobbled,"  striking  now 
one  side  and  then  the  other  of  the  narrow  rut 
with  a  horrible,  grinding,  tearing  sound.     Many 

a  fall  was  escaped 
as  by  a  miracle, 
and  the  added 
strain  became  terri- 
ble. There  was  no 
getting  out  of  the 
rut,  and  the  best 
the  helpless  rider 
could  hope  was 
that  he  might  keep 
his  seat  till  some 
opening  in  the 
road  should  be 
readied. 

Suddenly  the 
ground  seemed  to 
give  way  beneath 
him,  and,  with  a 
sensation  like  that 
felt  in  a  rapidly- 
descending  eleva- 
tor, Fitz  found 
himself  plunging 
downward  into 
some  dark  abyss. 
Then  came  a  rush 
and  a  splash,  and 
the  wheel  was  tear- 
ing uphill  instead 
of  down.  Nothing 
had  liappened,  after 
all,  except  the  road 
just  there  forded 
one  of  the  deep 
narrow  creeks  or 
"  kissawas  "  which 
abound  in  the 
prairies.  One  more 
element,  however, 
had  been  added  to 
the  rider's  discom- 
fort, for  though  the 
water  was  not  deep  he  had  been  thoroughly 
drenched  by  the  splashing  as  he  dashed  through, 
and  in  the  cold  night  air  he  soon  became  chilled 
to  the  bone. 

Occasionally  a  solitary  farmhouse  was  passed, 
but  by  this  time  the  runaway  was  so  exhausted  he 
could  hardly  speak  at  all  ;  and  even  if  he  had 
been  able  to  make  himself  heard  he  would  have 
been  far  away  before  a  door  cou.  J  be  opened  or 


N(;iNC;    IJOWNWARD    INTO   SOMF. 
AI'.VSS." 


THE    WRIT    SERVED    ON    "OLD    MAN     IJROW  X." 


433 


his  pl'o^^'-  i^i^de  Kiiown.  Once  a  huge  dog  which 
happened  to  be  near  the  roadside  came  rushing 
at  him  with  a  threatening  bark,  but  was  soon 
left  far  behind.  A  Uttle  later  he  dashed  into 
and  through  a  small  village.  As  he  darted  past 
the  open  door  of  a  shop  he  gave  an  almost 
inarticulate  cry  for  help,  and  a  man  lounging 
outside  appeared  to  understand,  for  he  hurriedly 
mounted  a  horse  and  started  in  pursuit.  He 
was  speedily  distanced,  however,  though  the 
sound  of  hoof-beats  continued  for  some  time  to 
reach  the  fugitive's  ears. 

On  leaving  the  village  Fitz  avoided  the  rut 
which  had  given  him  so  much  trouble,  and 
struck  out  once  more  across  the  open  prairie. 
This  came  near  being  his  undoing,  for,  while 
fences  were  few  in  that  region,  it  happened  that 
one  old  settler  had  recently  inclosed  his  fields 
with  barbed  wire.  Approaching  this  at  an  angle 
Fitz  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  posts  just  in  time 
to  swerve  aside  and  escape  a  direct  collision, 
whose  results  must  have  been  disastrous.  As 
it  was  the  upper  wire  tore  both  clothing  and 
skin  from  his  right  side  ;  but  the  contact  was 
only  momentary,  and  the  wild  wheel  with  its 
rider  sped  on  into  the  night.  This  last  ex- 
perience well-nigh  destroyed  what  little  courage 
he  had  left.  If  the  country  were  cut  up  by 
barbed  wire  fences  he  might  as  well  give  up  at 
once  and  have  the  agony  over. 

The  next  diversion  was  a  run  through  a 
prairie-dog  town.  Here  the  wheel  went  bound- 
ing and  plunging  and  sliding  over  and  around 
the  hillocks,  now  grazing  one  and  swerving  so 
suddenly  and  violently  as  to  make  the  preserva- 
tion of  his  equilibrium  appear  impossible. 
Killing  as  it  was,  this  lasted  but  a  moment,  for 
the  town  was  a  small  one.  But  now,  from  cold, 
weariness,  and  nervous  strain,  Fitz  was  hardly 
conscious.  Almost  automatically  he  kept  his 
balance,  but  as  to  direction  he  could  only  let 
the  machine  have  its  own  way.  Often  he 
imagined  the  speed  was  slackening,  but  as  often 
found  that  this  was  due  to  an  up-grade,  and 
that  when  the  summit  was  reached  a  new  burst 
of  speed  followed. 

\'ery  fortunately  no  more  fences  or  "kissawas  " 
had  been   met,   but  now  a  dangerous  spot  was 


near  and  the  crazy  wheel  was  fast  approacliing 
it.  The  ''  kissawa  '"  is  a  small  stream  tlial  winds 
its  way  across  the  prairie,  into  which  il  has  cut 
a  deep  channel.  One  had  been  passed  aheady, 
but  at  a  point  where  the  road  dipped  down  into 
it  and  ma'de  the  passage  comparatively  easy. 
Now  another  was  just  in  front,  and  the  wheel 
was  approaching  it  where  the  bank  was  sheer. 
Fitz  saw  the  danger  when  it  was  too  late,  and, 
attempting  to  turn  aside  on  the  very  brink  of  the 
dark  chasm,  he  only  succeeded  in  plunging  into 
it  diagonally  instead  of  at  right  angles.  'J'here 
was  a  dizzy  sensation  of  falling,  a  violent  shock, 
a  blinding  flash,  and  the  hot  breath  of  flame — 
and  then  unconsciousness. 

When  he  came  to  himself  again  it  was  growing 
light.  It  seemed  to  him  that  every  joint  was 
aching  and  every  nerve  tingling  with  a  separate 
pain  of  its  own.  He  was  half-lying,  half-sitting 
in  the  water,  which  almost  wholly  covered  his 
body.  His  head  rested  against  a  tuft  of  grass 
at  the  water's  edge,  with  one  ear  submerged. 
The  violence  of  the  fall  had  wrenched  one  hand 
free  from  its  bonds,  but  at  the  same  time  had 
sprained  the  wrist,  which  now  was  badly  swollen 
and  discoloured.  ^Vith  infinite  difficulty  and 
much  suffering  he  succeeded  in  drawing  his 
knife  from  his  pocket  and  with  it  cutting  the 
cords  that  bound  his  feet  and  held  him  in  the 
saddle.  Even  then  it  was  some  time  before 
he  could  rise  and  stand,  or  even  straighten  out 
his  aching  limbs.  Then  he  surveyed  himself, 
and  a  piteous  spectacle  he  saw  !  Clothing 
was  torn,  scorched,  and  saturated  with  muddy 
water  ;  hair  and  moustache  were  singed  ;  flesh 
torn  by  the  barbed  wire  and  burnt  and  blistered 
by  the  explosion  ;  and  every  joint  chilled  and 
numb  from  the  long  immersion  in  the  water. 
After  a  time  he  found  a  place  where  he  could 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  high  bank,  and  fortu- 
nately saw  a  farmhouse  not  far  away.  Thither 
he  struggled,  and  there  spent  many  days  in 
recovering  from  the  injuries  and  the  nervous 
shock. 

The  reader  may  be  interested  to  know  that 
"  Old  Man  Brown  "  finally  had  to  pay  the 
judgment,  and  so  Fitz's  first  official  errand  was 
not  in  vain. 


Vol. 


49. 


My  Travels  in  Central  Asia.  - 1, 


By  Captain  11.   H.  P.  Deasy,  late  i6th  Queen's  Lancers. 

GOLD    iMEDALIST   OF   THE    ROYAL   GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY. 

We  have  much  pleasure  in  presenting  the  first  of  Captain  Deasy's  articles,  illustrated  with  his  own 
remarkable  photographs,  which  he  has  been  induced  to  write  for  "  The  Wide  World."  Of  Captain 
Deasy's  distinction  as  an  explorer  there  is  no  need  to  speak.  He  has  secured  the  Blue  Riband  of 
the  traveller — the  Gold  Medal  of  the  R.G.S.  On  one  occasion  to  cover  twelve  miles  he  had  to  make 
a  detour  of  ten  and  a  half  marches  and  cross  five  passes,  one  of  them  17,000ft.  high  ! 


OR  many  years  it  had  been  my 
ambition  to  make  an  extended 
journey  into  unknown  lands,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  spring  of  1S96 
that  I  was  able  to  carry  out  my 
desire.  As  a  preliminary  to  my  first  journey 
of  exploration  I  studied 
under  the  tuition  of 
Colonel  Gore,  R.E.,  now 
Surveyor-General  of  India, 
at  the  Trigonometrical 
Branch  of  the  Survey  of 
India  at  Dehra  Dun ;  also 
with  Mr.  John  Coles,  the 
late  map  curator  and 
instructor  to  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society.  Nor 
did  I  forget  to  make  my- 
self partially  acquainted 
with  the  theory  and  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and 
surgery,  realizing  how 
necessary  such  a  know- 
ledge is  when  thrown  on 
one's  own  resources  in 
an  uninhabited  country 
and  miles  away  from  any 
doctors. 

Tibet  was  the  goal  of 
my  ambition,  and  more 
especially  that  part  of  it 
marked  "  unexplored  "  on 
the  map.  It  is  the  most 
difficult  portion  of  Asia 
for  a  European  to  pene- 
trate, as  the  natives  have 
an  intense  dislike  of  strangers,  accentuated 
by  their  fear  of  the  Pombos  or  head  men  of 
Tibet,  who  threaten  vengeance  against  those 
who  guide  strangers  into  the  Chang  —  a 
vengeance  which  extends  even  to  all  relations 
of  the  unlucky  guides.  Still  I  determined  to 
make   the   attempt   with   the   main    object    of 


CAITAIN    II.    H.    1'.    DKASV,    I.ATE     i6tH    QUEKN's    LAiN'CERS 

— HE    HAS    BEEN    AWARDED  THE   GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY'S 

GOLD   MED.^L    KOR    HIS   RESEARCHES    IN    CENTRAL    ASIA. 

J'roiii  a  Photo,  by  Elliott  &'  Fry. 


exploring  and  surveying  the  unknown  parts  of  the 
country. 

My  first  step  was  to  purchase  transport 
animals.  Curiously  enough,  I  found  that  sheep 
made  the  best  beasts  of  burden  ;  you  see,  they 
do  not  require  corn  or  shoes,  and  if  in  good 

condition  they  can  carry 
a  load  of  2  2lb.  One  shep- 
herd has  usually  a  flock 
of  about  fifty  in  his 
charge,  and  is  quite 
capable  of  loading  and 
looking  after  them  un- 
aided. Mules  and  ponies 
were  also  purchased  to  the 
number  of  sixty-six.  We 
had  to  carry  provisions 
for  many  months  for  both 
men  and  animals ;  and 
had  also  to  provide  for 
every  emergency,  as  we 
were  about  to  explore 
without  guides  an  un- 
known land,  which  is 
almost  entirely  unin- 
habited ;  we  never  knew 
when  water  and  grass 
might  fail  us  ;  and  we  had 
always  to  face  the  con- 
tingency of  our  men  desert- 
ing in  the  night  with  the 
food  and  animals.  I'hen 
again,  in  engaging  caravan 
men,  we  had  to  select 
those  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  work  in  rarefied 
air.  The  Arguns  of  Ladak  are  the  most  suitable 
for  this  purpose,  but  though  they  can  work  with 
ease  at  great  altitudes,  they  are  devoid  of  all 
fighting  qualities,  and  when  attacked  will  make 
little  or  no  resistance. 

We  decided  to  enter  Tibet  by  way  of  Ladak 
and  the  Lanak  Pass.     Final  preparations  were 


MY    TRAVELS    IN    CENTRAL    ASIA. 


435 


were  complete  we  were  paddled  across  the  lake  to 
its  western  shore,  and  soon  left  behind  us  the 
Scinde  Valley,  and  approached  the  much-dreaded 
Zoji  La  Pass.  We  had  engaged  more  than  one 
hundred  coolies  to  carry  the  baggage  over  the 
pass,  which  they  had  agreed  to  cross  during  the 
night  because  the  deep  snow  would,  at  that  time, 
be  firmer,  owing  to  a  lower  temperature,  ^\'hen 
I  called  them  to  begin  the  nocturnal  march  they 
suddenly  discovered  that  it  was  forbidden  by  one 
of  the  great  gods  of  India  ("  dustour,"  or  custom) 
to  start  before  about  4  a.m.  Accordingly  at  about 
that  hour  they  condescended  to  move,  though  the 
weather  looked  threatening  and  there  was  but  little 
moon.  The  long  march  and  stiff  climb  througli 
deep,  soft  snow  proved  very  wearisome,  and  many 
and  many  a  time  did  the  coolies  rest  their  weaned 


CAPTAIN    DEASY   IS   READY   TO    START    FROM    SRINAGAR. 

Fi-oiit  a  Photo,  by  T.  IVinter. 

to  be  made  at  Srinagar  and  Leh  ;  my  com- 
panion, Mr.  Arnold  Pike,  and  I  providing 
ourselves  with  an  outfit,  and  getting  all 
that  was  wanted  for  the  sub-surveyor  and 
two  orderlies  from  the  ist  Battalion  of  the 
2nd     Gurkhas.      When    all    arrangements 


COOLIES    RESTING    IN    THE   SNO\v  ON    THE   ZOJI    LA    PASS. 

From  a  Photo. 


I'')Oiii  a 


E   APPROACH    TO  THE   ZOJI    LA    PASS. 


[Photo. 


backs.  It  was  not  till  late  in 
the  evening  that  we  reached 
Matayan,  where  a  small  rest- 
house  has  been  erected. 

After  several  days'  journey 
we  arrived  at  Leh,  where 
much  work  had  to  be  done  ; 
all  the  loads  had  to  be  re- 
arranged and  weighed  and 
their  contents  catalogued.  It 
was  here  that  we  engaged  all 
our  caravan  men— a  difficult 
proceeding,  as  we  could  not 
tell  them  our  destination,  not 
knowing  it  ourselves.  Wc 
fully  expected  to  be  without 
guides  for  at  least  a  couple  of 
months,  and  had  no  hope  of 
meeting  inhabitants  until  our 
animals  became  so  enfeebled 
that  fresh  ones  would  be  indis- 


43^ 


THE    WlDi:     WORLD    MAOAZINE. 


pensable.  Rut  it  would 
nevcT  have  done  to  hint  at 
this  most  serious  outlook, 
or  tell  them  that  we  trusted 
in  Providence  to  get  us  out 
of  the  country  and  by  some 
unexplored  route. 

All  we  could  promise  them 
was  to  bring  them  back 
safely  to  their  own  countr) 
and  "live  them  backsheesh 
in  proportion  to  the  manner 
in  which  they  served  us. 
Again  we  had  to  delay  de- 
parture in  order  that  the 
observe     two 


men     might 


;    EXPEDITION    LEAVES   LEH    AFTER    HAVING    FITTED   OUT    IN    THAT   TOWN. 

From  a  Photo. 


HOW   THE   CARAVAN     LOOKED    ON    ITS 
From  a]         WAY  TO  LEH.        {Photo. 

the  Pangkong  Lake,  being 
still  impracticable  for 
animals,  they  had  to 
make  a  long  detour, 
while  Mr.  Pike  and  I 
visited  the  celebrated 
Himis  Mona:stery.  The 
Changzote,  or  head  lama, 
paid  us  the  compliment 
of  coming  to  meet  us  a 
few  miles  from  the  estab- 
lishment, and  offered  us 
tea  and  chang  by  the  road- 
side. Chang  is  a  drink 
made  from  barley,  and  is 


"burrah  dins"  (holy 
days),  no  doubt  arranged 
for  the  occasion  ;  but  at 
length,  on  May  25th,  we 
departed  from  Leh  amid 
a  scene  of  great  excite- 
ment. Our  caravan  had 
quite  an  imposing 
appearance,  and  was  in 
charge  of  the  sub- 
surveyor,   S R ; 

familiarly  known  as 
"  Dan  Leno."  He  was 
indeed  quite  ready  to 
answer  even  to  the 
abbreviation  "  Leno." 

The  Chang  La,  a  very 
high  pass  on  the  direct 
route  between  Leh  and 


Fro: 


THE    ENTRAN 


[Photo. 


MY    TRAVELS    IN    CENTRAL    ASL\. 


437 


MR.    ARNOLD    PIKE   EXPLAINS   HIS   CAMERA   TO   THR    LAMAS    AT    THE    HIMIS   MONASTERY. 

I'voiH  a  Photo. 

said  to  be  an  intoxicant,  but  I  could  never  find 
that  I  got  any  "  forrarder  "  on  it. 

Having  recrossed    the   Indus,   we  spent   the 
night  at  Zingral 
in  a  wretched 
shelter    about 
1,400ft.    below 
the  top  of  the 
Chang  La.  Up 
to    this    point 
we    had    been 
able   to   ride 
ponies  ;     but 
now,  owing  to 
deep  snow,  we 
hadtocontinue 
the    ascent  on 
foot.     Pushing 
on  we  reached 
Fobrang,  just  a  cluster  of 
some  half-a-dozen  houses, 
and  probably  the  highest 
cultivated    place     in     the 
world.      Here    we   waited 
for  the  caravan  to  join  us, 
which  it  did  without  mis- 
hap, enabling  us  to  leave 
Fobrang,    the   last   village 
we    should    see    for    five 
months,  on  June  9th. 

The  snow  on  the  Tibetan 
side  of  the  very  high  Mar- 
semik  Pass  proved  very 
trying  for  our  heavily  laden 
animals,    and    soon    after 


there  was  hardly  an  annual 
carrying  a  load.  They 
speedily  began  to  wander 
from  the  track,  and  floun- 
dered about  in  the  soft, 
deep  snow  in  a  most  dis- 
tressing manner.  It  being 
my  own  first  acquaintance 
with  a  great  height  I  was 
physically  unable  to  render 
much  assistance,  for  I 
suffered  a  good  deal  from 
the  effects  of  the  rarefied 
air. 

We   came   across   some 
wild   yak   in   the  valley 
which  runs  into  the  north- 
east side  of   Horpa    Cho, 
and  also  near  Charol  Cho, 
where  my  first  victim  gave 
me  a  surprise.      It  was  a 
splendid  bull,  and  having 
laid  it  low  with  a  few  shoes 
from  my  carbine,  I  was  standing  a  couple  of 
yards  off,   admiring  its   horns,  when   the   brute 
suddenly  rose  with  an   angry  look  and  lowered 

head.  Fortu- 
nately my  car- 
b  i  n  e  was 
loaded,  and  a 
well  -  directed 
shot  stopped 
the  charge. 

It  was  near 
Yeshil  Kul,  a 
salt  lake  in 
Tibet,  that  I 
was  prostrated 
by  high  fever, 
and  the  e  n  - 
forced  halt  was 


beginning  the  descent 


CAPTAIN    DEASY   SHOOTS   HIS   FIRST  YAK. 


\Photo. 


43^ 


rm-:   wum:   world   magazine. 


OliSEKVAMUNb   WtkE   TAKliN    ALMOST   t\  EKV    KVKNING, 

From  a]  stokms  were  raging. 


EVEN    WHEN    GREAT 

[Photo. 


a  waste  of  very  precious  time,  and  besides  made 
a  serious  inroad  into  our  supplies,  ^\'l^ile  I  was 
very  slowly  becoming  convalescent  it  was  far 
from  cheering  to  be  continually  told  that  several 
animals  had  died  from  the  severity  of  the 
weather,  which  also  affected  some  of  the  men. 
It  was  impossible  to  banish  from  my  mind  the 
fact  that  this  enforced  halt  of  several  days  was 
most  serious,  for  most  valuable  provisions  were 
being  consumed,  and  we  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  as  to  when  or  where  further  supplies  would 
be  obtained. 

A\"hile  "  Leno  "  was  away  from  "Fever  Camp" 
for  a  few  days  surveying  he 
noticed  several  pillars  of 
stones,  and  the  horns  of 
antelopes  and  yaks  built  up 
with  mud,  all  close  to- 
gether, while  in  their  vicinity 
were  circular  ditches  about 
a  couple  of  miles  in  dia- 
meter, one  foot  deep  and 
four  broad.  The  Ladakis 
said  that  the  Changpas,  or 
natives  of  the  Chang,  built 
them  as  places  of  worshij). 

For  a  man  like  myself, 
still  much  enfeebled  from  a 
severe  illness,  it  required 
a  considerable  amount  of 
enthusiasm    to    make    me 


in  a  strong  wind  to  take  astronomical  obser- 
\alions.  The  lantern,  used  to  illuminate 
the  wires  of  the  theodolite,  generally  went 
out  at  a  critical  moment,  and  the  theodolite 
stand  had  often  to  be  protected  from  being 
blown  over  altogether  by  the  west  wind  by 
jiiling  stones  round  it. 

The  next  episode  really  proved  a  most 
serious  calamity.  One  morning  a  large 
number  of  animals  could  not  be  found  near 
Camp  31,  and,  as  we  suspected  that  this 
was  only  a  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  caravan 
men  to  delay  our  journe)',  we  left  a  few 
men  behind  to  search  for  the  missing 
mules  and  ponies,  and  moved  on  a  short 
march.  On  the  next  day  one  of  the  men 
left  behind  arrived  with  the  information  that 
some  Chukpas  (robbers)  had  visited  camp 
soon  after  our  departure,  and  bound  the 
men  while  they  looted  the  baggage.  This 
news  accounted  for  the  disappearance  of 
eleven  of  our  finest  mules,  so  we  promptly 
held  a  council  of  war  to  decide  on  the  best 
means  of  regaining  them.  It  was  settled 
that  one  party  should  follow  the  marauders 
while  the  others  guarded  the  camp.  Pike 
determined  to  attempt  the  hazardous  under- 
taking of  tracking  the  Chukpas  and  recovering 
our  precious  goods,  and  by  dawn  on  the  follow 
ing  morning,  accompanied  by  only  one  man,  who 
was  staunch,  he  crept  quietly  up  to  the  nearest 
tent  of  the  robbers.  There  was  no  sign  of  the 
missing  mules,  but  the  stolen  food  was  recovered, 
and  the  owner  of  the  tent  was  deprived  of  his 
arms  and  ammunition  as  a  punishment.  Rather 
than  the  Chukpas  should  benefit  any  further  we 
burned  all  the  baggage  that  was  inflammable 
and  could  not  be  carried — even  the  beautiful 
Berthon  boat,  which  had  been  brought  so  far 
with  such  expense  and  trouble. 


turn  out  almost  everv  night 


Froiiia]      oni,iGi:n  TO  r.i'RN    iirr.  ufaltii-lm,  i  itti.k  Chi.i.apsihi.f,  iserthon  boat.       {Photo. 


MY    TRAVELS    IN    CENTRAL    ASL\. 


439 


From  a]        hiding  provisions  in  specially  arranged  "caches"  at  camp 


We  were  now  in  a  most  dismal  plight, 
and  our  spirits  were  correspondingly  low.  It 
was  quite  evident  that  our  much  impoverished 
animals  could  not  possibly  carry  their  loads 
anywhere  near  as  far  as  Fobrang,  the  nearest 
village  we  knew  of,  which  was  more  than 
300  miles  distant.  The  country  was  un- 
mapped, and  was  absolutely  unknown  to  us 
or  our  men,  and  we  were,  as  usual,  without 
guides.  The  only  course  to  adopt  was  to  go  on, 
follow  the  easiest  direction,  and  trust  to  Provi- 
dence to  guide  us  to  inhabitants  who  would 
supply  us  with  provisions  and  fresh  animals 
before  all  ours  died  and   starvation   ended   our 


whicii  were  "  caclied  "  at 
ihc  foot  of  some  mountains 
in  an  old  sheep-pen  near 
Camp  T^T^.  These  were 
piled  in  a  square  heap,  and 
covered  with  a  thick  coat- 
ing of  stones  and  earth, 
partly  as  a  protection 
against  wild  animals  and 
partly  to  serve  as  a  land- 
mark for  other  travellers. 

After  several  days  Pike, 
who  had  ascended  a  com- 
manding mountain  to 
search  for  water,  of  which 
we  were  absolutely  desti- 
tute, "  spotted  "  some  tents 
only  a  few  miles  distant. 
Ignorant  as  to  whether 
their  owners  were  Chukpas 
or  merely  peaceful  nomads,  we  approached  them 
well  armed.  Our  appearance  evidently  created 
much  consternation,  for  their  shepherds  hastily 
drove  off  their  flocks,  no  doubt  fearing  that  we 
were  robbers.  Yet  the  few  people  seated  near 
their  miserable  tents  took  our  visit  quite 
quietly.  As  soon  as  we  had  quenched  our 
thirst  at  an  excellent  spring  we  gradually 
approached  the  all-important  topic  of  guides. 
One  man  consented  to  sell  us  a  yak,  and 
another  to  guide  us  to  the  nearest  encampment, 
for  the  trifling  sum  of  two  hundred  rupees.  At 
this  period  of  the  negotiations,  however,  the 
head   man   promptly   forbade  any  assistance  to 


[Photo. 


NABU,    THE   bllLi 

From  a] 


WERE   MADE 


wLiLi.:  i.   1  li..  1    1  ■;! 

TO   CARRY   STORES. 


lIliEI',    THOUGH    INTENDED   AS   FOOD, 

[Pholo. 


lives.  But  before  proceeding  it  was  absolutely 
imperative  to  reduce  the  weight  of  our  baggage 
still  further. 

We  gave  to  the  men  what  was  not  absolutely 
necessary,  on  condition  that  they  ate  what  was 
eatable  and  carried  the  rest.  What  was  not  thus 
disposed  of   was  packed   into   the  mule-trunks. 


be  rendered,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  contrary 
to  orders  to  allow  strangers  into  the  country  at 
all.     The   oifer  of  large  rewards  proving  of  no 


avail,   we  had  to   be 


content  with  the  general 


direction  being  pointed  out — even  this  scanty 
information  costing  five  rupees  !  Pike  left  camp 
first,  but  I,  fearing  treachery  on  the  part  of  the 


44° 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)    AL\(;AZINE. 


nomads,  waited  to  see  all  the  animals  back 
from  watering.  Finally  I  went  on  alone  in  a 
direct  line  according  to  instructions. 

After  some  hours"  hard  walking  1  came 
across  a  large  pool  of  muddy  water,  which,  I 
had  been  led  to  believe,  was  the  only  water  in 
the  neighbourhood.  Having  rested  for  a  brief 
while,  I  climbed  an 
adjacent  range  of 
comparatively  low 
mountains  to  recon- 
noitre for  the  next 
day's  journey.  By 
about  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  it 
gradually  dawned 
upon  me  that  as  the 
caravan  was  not  in 
sight  it  could  not 
have  followed  m\ 
tracks,  and  that  1 
was  really  lost  in  the 
desert. 

Thinking  that  the 
caravan  might  have 
gone  to  a  neighbour- 
ing valley  many  miles 
distant,  I  started  off 
in  that  direction, 
but  darkness  over- 
took me  before  it  was  reached.  I  tried  to  rest 
in  some  of  the  numerous  shallow  and  dry  water- 
courses which  afforded  partial  shelter  from  the 
strong,  biting  winds ;  but  the  low  temperature, 
many  degrees  below  freezing-point,  soon  chilled 
me  to  the  marrow  and  forced  me  to  keep 
moving  on. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  stumble  on 
in  the  dark  as  best  I  could,  tightening  my  belt 
to  minimize  the  fast-increasing  discomfort  of  an 
empty  stomach.  At  intervals  I  fired  several 
shots,  but  echoes  were  the  only  response.  I 
was  tired,  footsore,  hungry,  without  a  compass, 
and  with  only  a  little  muddy  liquid  in  my 
water-bottle.  The  dangers  were  great,  indeed, 
for  every  step  increased  my  peril.  To  remain 
stationary  was  impossible  :  to  move  on  might  be 


II\E    RUI'EES   ARE    TAII)    FOR    SCANl'.      \ 

From  a  Photo. 


to  plunge  into  unknown  evils.  I  felt  that  my 
strength  could  not  hold  out  nuich  longer  against 
combined  hunger  and  thirst,  and  if  relief  did 
not  come  promptly  I  should  be  in  a  sad  plight. 

However,  I  was  sustained  by  the  knowledge 
that  my  comrade  Pike  would  never  leave  this 
tract  of  country  till  I  was  found. 

At  length  the  moon 
rose,  and  by  its  light 
I  plodded  on,  gene- 
rally in  a  semi-erect 
attitude,  but  often 
the  reverse,  as  1  had 
to  grope  for  the 
stones  and  irregulari- 
ties of  ground  half 
concealed  in  the 
shadows  from  the 
mountains.  Owing 
to  the  certainty  of  a 
compass  seriously 
affecting  the  chrono- 
meter watches  which 
I  always  carried  I 
was  forced  to  dis- 
pense with  one.  For- 
tunately, however,  the 
night  was  clear,  and 
by  the  aid  of  the  stars 
I  guided  myself  by 
a  short  cut  back  to  my  starting-place,  which 
was  reached  about  daybreak.  I  was  thankful 
indeed  when  dawn  broke  and  the  welcome 
sun's  rays  somewhat  warmed  me.  At  length 
I  thought  I  discerned  in  the  far  distance  the 
long-wished-for  smoke  from  the  camp  fire.  I 
was  still  several  miles  from  it,  and  so  intently 
did  my  thoughts  dwell  on  the  inspiring  column 
of  smoke  towards  which  I  dragged  my  en- 
feebled frame  that  I  never  saw  either  Pike  or 
the  man  who  accompanied  him  till  they  were 
quite  close  to  me.  Our  meeting,  as  you  may 
imagine,  was  very  cordial  ;  and  when  I  was 
revived  by  food  and  drink  1  thankfully  climbed 
on  to  Pike's  mule.  Quite  an  ovation  greeted 
me  as  I  entered  camp,  and  after  a  much-needed 
sleep  I  was  soon  myself  again. 


(To  be  contbmed.) 


The  Woman  Miller  of  Fredericktown. 

By  J.  S.  Wilson,  of  Bardstown,.  Kentucky. 

With    photographs    of   herself,    her    husband,    her   cabin,    and   her   pretty   little   mill   on    Cartwright's 

Creek.      Her  history  is  an  exceedingly  romantic  one.      The    author   is  the  editor  of  the   "  Bardstown 

Observer,"  who  has  taken  a  good  deal  of  interest  in  Mrs.  Bailey. 


.MRS.    WINIFRED    BAII.EY,   THE   WOMAN    MILLER —      ONE  OF  THE 
MOST    INTEKESTl.NG    CHARACTERS    IN    KENTUCKY  " 

Front  a  Photo. 


NE  of  the  most  interesting  characters 
in  Kentucky  is  Mrs.  Winifred  Bailey, 
the  woman  miller.  Mrs.  Bailey 
owns  and  manages  a  small  water- 
power  grist  mill.  The  mill  is 
situated  on  Cartwright's  Creek,  a  small  tributary 
of  the  Rolling  Fork  River,  near  the  little  village 
of  Fredericktown,  six  miles  from  Bardstown. 
Mrs.  Bailey  is  also  known  as  the  "  woman 
hermit,"  from  the  fact  that  she  never  mingles 
with  her  neighbours,  but  lives  alone  in  a  little 
log  cabin  near  the  mill.  Her  only  home  com- 
panions are  a  dog  and  a  cat.  Although 
advanced  in  years,  Mrs.  Bailey  is  an  active 
woman  and  attends  to  the  duties  of  the  mill 
with  only  the  assistance  of  a  half-grown  boy. 
I'here  is  a  thrilling  story  in  connection  with 
this  woman's  life. 

In  1836  Winifred  Holloway  was  a  girl,  living 
with  her  parents  near  Fredericktown.  Her 
father  was  a  miller,  and  a  highly-respected  man. 
Winifred  being  an  unusually  pretty  girl,  indus- 
trious, modest,  and  amiable,  she  naturally  had 
many  suitors  for  her  hand.  Among  them  was 
one  Stephen  Letton,  a  prosperous  young  farmer 
of  the  neighbourhood.  This  man  was  conceded 
to  be  Winifred's  accepted  lover. 

Vol.  vi.-50. 


The  Holloway  residence  was  situated  near 
the  public  highway,  and  travellers  were  fre- 
quently entertained  there.  During  the  summer 
of  1836  a  stranger,  giving  his  name  as  Thomas 
Bailey,  stayed  a  few  weeks  with  the  Holloways. 
He  stated  that  he  was  from  Boyle  County 
and  was  in  quest  of  mules,  which  he  was 
buying  for  the  Southern  market.  He  was  a 
handsome  man,  and  to  all  appearances  a  gen- 
tleman of  high  standing.  An  attachment  sprang 
up  between  Winifred  and  the  stranger,  which 
resulted  in  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1837  — 
not,  however,  before  Mr.  Holloway  had  satisfied 
himself  that  Bailey  was  all  that  he  represented 
himself  to  be.  After  the  wedding  Bailey  took 
up  his  residence  with  his  father-in-law,  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  a  strong  intimacy  was 
formed  between  him  and  young  Letton,  \\m\- 
fred's  rejected  lover.  If  Letton  felt  any  resent- 
ment at  his  treatment  from  the  young  lady  he 


HER    HUSBAND,    THOMAS   BAILEY,    WHO   DIED   IN    PRISON    FOR   A 

From  a]  crime  he  never  committed.  [F/ioto. 


442 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


gave  no  evidence  of  it,  but  continued  on  the  house  before  leaving.  'I'lie  building  burned 
most  friendly  terms  with  the  entire  family.  In  the  slowh',  however,  and  the  neighbours  were 
autumn    followinLr    Winifred's    marriasie  Letton         enabled  to  extinguish  the  flames  and  discover 


sold  his  property  and  announced  his  intention 
of  emigrating  to  what  is  now  West  Virginia, 
alleging  that  he  had  purchased  an  interest  in  a 
coal  mine  there.  About  this  time  Bailey  decided 
to  return  to  Boyle  County  to  settle  up  some  un- 
finished business  and  then  to  journey  to  Eastern 
Kentucky  in  search  of  mules. 

As  Letton's  route  led  him  also  in  that  direc- 
tion the  two  men  decided  to  travel  together. 
After  tarrying  near  Danville  a  few  days  the  two 
friends  continued  their  journey.     On  arriving  in 


the  murderous  work  which  had  been  done. 
The  assassin,  before  leaving  the  yard,  had  torn 
open  the  wrapper  of  the  package  and  thrown  it 
to  the  ground.  This  was  picked  up  by  oflJicers 
of  the  law,  and  was  the  only  clue  in  their 
possession. 

Shortly  after  Bailey's  return  to  Springfield  he 
received  the  money  which  Letton  owed  him. 
Detectives  suspected  Bailey  of  murdering  the 
drover,  because  he  was  known  to  have  been 
intimate  with  him,  and  had  stopped  at  his  house 


THIS    PHOTOGRAPH    OF    iMKS.    .'iAH-EY  S    I'lClURESOUE   MILL   WAS   TAKEN    BY   THE   AUTHOR,    MK.    WILSON. 


Boyle  County  they  repaired  to  the  house  of  a 
wealthy  drover  with  whom  Bailey  had  fre- 
quently transacted  business.  Here  the  travel- 
lers separated.  Before  Letton  took  his  leave  of  ■ 
Bailey,  however,  he  borrowed  a  sum  of  money, 
which  he  promised  to  repay  on  reaching  his 
destination,  claiming  that  his  money  had  all 
been  invested  there. 

The  night  following  Bailey's  departure  from 
the  drover's  house  it  was  entered  by  an  assassin, 
who  killed  the  inmates  and  secured  a  package 
containing  i,8oodols.  in  bank-notes.  In  order 
to  conceal  his  crime  the  murderer  set  fire  to  the 


shortly  before  the  commission  of  the  crime. 
Consequently,  an  experienced  officer  was  put  on 
the  suspected  man's  track,  and  he  was  kept  under 
constant  surveillance  for  several  months. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Bailey's  health  began 
to  fail,  and  her  husband  decided  to  take  her  on 
a  Southern  trip.  Detectives  followed  him. 
Wherever  Bailey  paid  his  hotel  bill  or  offered 
money  for  any  purpose  the  officer  secured  the 
bank-note  which  had  been  in  the  former's 
possession.  Finally  the  shadowed  man  paid 
out  a  2odol.  bill  which  had  a  red  mark  in  one 
corner.   The  detective  immediately  arrested  him. 


THE    WOMAN    MILLER    OF    FREDERTCKTOWN. 


443 


At  the  trial  the  torn  wrapper,  with  its  smear 
of  blood,  was  identified  as  having  been  in  the 
drover's  possession.  The  bank-note  which  had 
been  traced  to  Bailey  was  also  shown.  The 
stain  of  blood  on  the  wrapper  corresponded 
exactly  with  the  mark  on  the  bank-note.  A 
strong  magnifying  glass  revealed  unerringly  that 
the  murderer's  thumb,  in  tearing  open  the 
envelope,  had  touched  the  topmost  bank- 
note. 

Bailey  stoutly  protested  his  innocence,  averring 
that  the  blood-stained  money  had  been  paid  him 
by  Stephen  Letton  ;  that  he  (Bailey)  had  plenty 
of  money    without    resorting    to    robbery   and 


soon  followed,  Bailey  was  given  a  life  sentence 
in  the  penitentiary. 

Mrs.  Bailey  never  doubted  her  husband's 
innocence,  and  after  his  incarceration  made 
repeated-  efforts  to  secure  his  pardon,  but  they 
were  of  no  avail,  and  ten  years  after  his  con- 
viction Bailey  died  of  consumption. 

A  few  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband 
Mrs.  Bailey  received  a  letter  bearing  the  post- 
mark of  San  Francisco.  It  was  signed  by  a 
notary  public  and  a  minister  of  the  Gcspel,  and 
its  contents  were  remarkable.  It  went  on  to 
say  that  one  Stephen  Letton,  fatally  wounded 
in  a  bar-room    brawl,,  had   made   a  death-bed 


From  a\ 


THIS   IS   THE   LOG   CABIN    IN   WHICH    THE   WOMAN   MILLER    LIVES   ALL   ALONE. 


iPhofo. 


murder ;  that  the  drover  and  himself  were  the 
best  of  friends,  and  he  could  have  no  motive  to 
murder  him.  But  unfortunately  for  him  he  was 
unable  to  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  jury 
where  he  had  been  on  the  night  of  the  murder. 
He  claimed  to  have  stayed  at  a  cabin  on  a  by- 
road some  distance  from  the  main  road  which 
he  had  set  out  upon,  but  when  the  place  was 
visited  by  an  officer  the  cabin  was  deserted,  and 
no  one  could  tell  the  whereabouts  of  its  last 
occupant.  The  detectives,  to  make  a  record  for 
themselves,  had  set  their  hearts  on  finding  a 
victim.  A  thorough  search  was  made  for  Letton, 
but  he  could  not  be  found.     At  his  trial,  which 


confession,  in  which  he  stated  that  he  had 
wilfully  murdered  a  drover  in  Kentucky,  and 
had  caused  the  crime  to  be  fastened  on  one 
Bailey,  a  wholly  innocent  man,  because  he  had 
deprived  him  (Letton)  of  the  girl  who  had 
promised  to  be  his  wife.  His  motives  were 
purely  those  of  revenge,  but  now,  being  about 
to  die,  he  desired  to  make  what  reparation  lay 
in  his  power. 

Shortly  after  this  Mrs.  Bailey's  parents  died. 
Having  spent  her  means  in  her  husband's 
behalf  she  gave  up  everything  but  the  old  mill 
and  the  log  cabin,  to  which  she  retired  to  finish 
her  days  in  solitude. 


By  Robert  L.  Jkfferson,   F.R.G.S. 

Author  of  ".]/)'  Cycle  Ride  to  Khiva:' 

In   "The   Wide  World"   for  March,    1899,   Mr.  Jefferson  has   ah-eady  given   us   an    account,    copiously 

illustrated  with  his  own'  photographs,  of  his  famous  bicycle  ride  across  Europe  into  Central  Asia.     The 

following  serious  predicament  was  one    of  the  incidents   of  this  memorable  journey. 


\\Y.  incident  I  am  about  to  relate 
occurred  in  the  year  1898,  when  I 
successfully  attempted  what  had 
never  before  been  accomplished -- 
the  riding  of  a  bicycle  across  Siberia. 
Siberia  possesses  no  main  roads,  and  so 
sparsely  populated  is  the  country  that  in  parts 
many  hundreds  of  miles  have  to  be  traversed 
before  human  habitation  can  be  located.  This 
is  particularly  the  case  on  the  steppe  lands, 
which  are  in  Western  Siberia,  between  the  Ural 
Mountains  and  the  River  Tom. 

But  the  great  steppes,  stretching  north  and 
south  for  hundreds  of  miles,  are  the  most 
cheerless  and  forsaken  tracts  of  land  to  be 
found  anywhere.  Literally,  they  are  deserts 
minus  the  sands.  Perfectly  flat,  without  a  tree 
or  a  bush  to  relieve  its  awful  monotony,  the 
steppe  envelops  the  traveller  so  that  the  impres- 
sion he  conceives  as  he  toils  on  day  after  day 
is  that  he  is  in  the  centre  of  a  huge  basin,  the 
edges  of  which  are  the  horizon. 

Leaving  the  Ural  Mountains,  the  steppe  lands 
are  really  reached  at  Tiumen,  from  which  town- 
ship the  Little  Tartan  Steppe  has  to  be  crossed 
before  the  fairly  important  town  of  Omsk  is 
reached.      This    Little   Tartar   Steppe   is  com- 


paratively easy  to  traverse  in  dry  weather,  as 
the  so-called  road,  which  is  a  cart-track  through 
the  abundant  grass  and  wild  flowers,  is  fairly 
well  defined.  At  Omsk,  however,  the  traveller 
finds  himself  on  the  edge  of  the  biggest  steppe 
in  Siberia.  This  is  called  the  Barabinski,  and 
is  simply  a  plain  separating  the  rivers  Irtish 
and  Obi.  Northward,  this  gigantic  steppe  goes 
for  some  thousands  of  versts  until  it  becomes 
merged  in  the  frozen  tundra  of  the  Arctic 
regions,  and  southward  it  stretches  an  equally 
appalling  distance  until  the  torrid  sands  of 
Turkestan  are  reached.  Through  this  "  howling 
wilderness  "  the  Great  Siberian  Road  winds  its 
way.  Road,  indeed !  It  is  not  even  a  well- 
defined  cart-track.  In  places  it  ends  abruptly, 
where  the  tall  steppe  grass  has  obliterated  the 
cart-ruts  which  alone  can  distinguish  it  from 
the  surrounding  country. 

This  was  the  sort  of  highway  which  I  was 
called  upon  to  cycle  over  ;  and  I  confess  that  I 
was  filled  with  some  sort  of  misgivings  when  I 
set  out  from  Omsk  to  cover  that  nine  hundred 
odd  miles  which  separated  me  from  Tomsk,  the 
next  town.  Between  these  two  places  one  or 
two  squalid  villages  exist — mere  huddles  of  huts, 
which  have  grown  up  around  the  Government 


LOST    ON    THE    SIBERIAN    STEPPES. 


post-stations.  Really,  the  only  means  of  findinp; 
one's  way  is  to  keep  to  the  telegraph-line,  '.vliieh 
goes  as  straight  as  an  arrow  across  the  steppe. 
The   track  follows   tlfe  telegraph  as   closely  as 


445 
expect  an 


and  the 
nomadic 

in  their 
and   the 


THIS     I'HOTO.     GIVES     AN      IDEA    OK     THE     KOAD     WHICH    THE   AUTHOR   HAD   TO   FOLLOW 
OVER    THE   BARAUINSKI    STEPPE.      THE    TELECRAI'll-l'OSTS    ARE   THE   ONLY   GUIDE. 


possible,  but  owing  to  many  parts  of  the  steppe 
being  covered  with  deep  sand  and  in  places 
treacherous  morass,  wide  detours  have  to  be 
made.  It  is  when  one  is  compelled  to  follow 
the  track  and  sees  the  telegraph- 
posts  trailing  away  in  another 
direction  that  the  dreadful  solem- 
nity of  this  abundance  of  space 
is  fully  realized. 

At  every  forty  or  fifty  versts 
(say,  twenty-seven  to  thirty-eight 
miles)  the  Government  has  erected 
what  are  called  Poshtova  Staficia, 
or  post-stations,  where  are  kept  a 
certain  number  of  horses  for  the 
use  of  those  hardy  travellers 
whose  business  takes  them  be- 
tween Om.sk  and  Tomsk.  These 
structures  are,  as  a  rule,  mere 
huts,  although  there  are  one  or 
two  which  are  really  habitable 
and  possess  some  sort  of  com- 
fort. Here  black  bread,  milk,  and 
sometimes  eggs  can  be  obtained  ; 
while  sleeping  accommodation  is 
provided  in  the  shape  of  a  com- 
mon room,  where  travellers  by 
tarantass  or  sledge  may  spend  the  night ;  for  to 
travel  in  the  darkness  is  only  to  court  the 
chance  of  losing  oneself  on  the  steppe. 

For  the  first  three  days  I  got  on  comfortably 
enough,  the  weather  being  fine,  though  hot,  and 


the    track   as   smooth   as  one   could 

earth  rcjad  to  be. 

Of   travellers    I    had     met     none  ; 

only  people  I  had  seen  were  a  few 
Bashkires  encamped 
yi/rts,  or  black  tents, 
people  at  the  post-stations.  At 
best  I  could  only  do  two  stations 
a  day,  though  I  rode  from  sunrise 
to  sundown.  The  heat  was  terrific, 
and  my  way  was  made  interesting 
by  the  mosquitoes,  which  followed 
me  in  dense  clouds.  This  third 
day  brought  me  to  the  station  of 
Kozschala,  one  of  the  best  on  the 
track,  where  the  black  bread, 
eggs,  and  tea  were  amplified  by 
a  dish  of  pehnifii,  or  Siberian 
soup,  made  with  pieces  of  sausage- 
meat  inclosed  in  batter,  and 
boiled. 

Next  day  it  rained  horribly, 
and  I  knew  how  useless  it  was  to 
attempt  to  go  forward.  The  track, 
being  merely  earth,  is  converted 
into  a  quagmire  at  every  shower. 
One  sinks  into  this  ankle  deep, 
wheels  of  the  bicycle  absolutely 
budge.      I    waited    at    the    station 


and    the 

refuse    to 

until  midday,  the  station-master,  or  starisfa,  as 

he  is  called,  urging  me  to  stay  the  night,  as  it 


^SSiik 


.»_■*  -..  <=!. 


From  a]     A  bASHkiKE  ''  vu'rt,"  or  hut,  on  the  barabinski  steppe. 


[Phoio. 


was  some  forty-five  versts  (or  over  thirty  miles) 
to  the  next  stopping-place. 

However,  in  the  afternoon  it  cleared  up. 
The  hot  sun  came  out  and  speedily  dried  the 
surface   of    the   road— sufficient  at  any  rate  to 


446 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


permit  the  wheels  of  the  bicycle  to  revolve.  horizon  eagerly,  not  a  trace  of  the  posts  could 
Therefore  I  set  out  with  the  determination  of  I  see,  while,  to  add  to  the  anxiety  which  was 
reaching  the  next  station   before    nightfall.       I         flxst  coming  upon  me,  I  noticed  that  the  track  I 


/•)Oiii  a] 


made  fairly  decent 
progress  for  an 
hour  or  so,  doing 
something  like 
eight  miles  an 
hour,  when  the 
storm-clouds 
gathered  again 
and  down  slashed 
the  rain  with  al- 
most tropical 
violence. 

Perforce  I  was 
compelled  to 
abandon  cycling, 
and  with  a  tele- 
graph-pole as  my 
only  shelter  I 
waited  as  patiently 
as  was  possible 
under  the  circum- 
stances. As  soon 
as    the    rain    left 

off  I  shouldered  my  bicycle  and  commenced  to 
trudge  through  the  foot-deep  mud  of  the  track 
until  the  sun  had  dried  the  surface  sufficiently 
to  allow  me  to  ride. 

I    now   noticed   that   I   was  in   an  extremely 
swampy  district,  and   that  the  track  made  many 
wide  detours,  frequently  leaving  the  line  of  tele- 
graph posts     miles 
to  the  right  or  left, 
as  the  case  might 
be.     I  was  careful, 
however,     not     to 
lose   sight    of  the 
posts  —  my     only 
guide   across    that 
melancholy  plain. 

Night  was 
rapidly  coming  on, 
and  I  knew  that 
I  should  have  to 
increase  my  pace 
if  I  were  to  reach 
the  post  -  station 
before  dusk.  Once 
again  the  track 
started  on  a  right- 
angle  detour  from 
the  telegraph-line, 
and  I  pedalled 
along   at    a    good 


AT    A    FOST-STATION    ON    THE    SlEPl'E. 


[Photo. 


was  following  was 
becoming  fainter 
and  fainter.  By 
rough  calculation 
I  made  out  that 
I  had  done  over 
twenty  miles, 
and  in  that  flat 
country  I  ought 
soon  to  be  able 
to  see  the  post- 
station.  My  chief 
trouble,  however, 
was  with  regard 
to  the  telegraph- 
posts,  and  the 
conviction  gradu- 
ally forced  itself 
upon  me  that, 
somehow,  I  had 
got  off  the  main 
trail,  and  was  fol- 
lowing a  camel- 
path  used  by  the  nomadic  Bashkires,  which 
might  lead  me  on  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
wilderness. 

At  length  it  became  extremely  difficult  to 
follow  the  track,  so  overgrown  was  it  with  grass, 
and  then  it  suddenly  came  to  an  abrupt  ter- 
mination.    Night   was   closing   in  ;    already  the 

horizon  was  black, 
and  a  faint  mist 
was  creeping  up 
over  the  steppe.  I 
stopped  in  per- 
plexity, realizing 
that  I  was  off  the 
track,  while  the 
necessity  of  action 
was  all  too  ap- 
parent. 

I  had  left  the 
telegraph-posts  to 
the  southward; 
and,  knowing  that, 
I  did  what  was, 
perhaps,  the  most 
foolish  thing  pos- 
sible under  the 
circumstances.  I 
jumped  on  my 
bicycle  and  head- 
ed away  from  the 
rate,  confident  of  reaching  the  posts  again  in  vicinity  of  the  track  I  had  followed,  riding  in  a 
the  course  of  a  mile  or  so.  But  I  rode  for  due  southward  direction.  The  grass  grew  up 
over   an    hour,    and,    though    I    scanned    the        to  my  knees  in  places,  and  unknown  pitfalls  sent 


ftWf^JJWOSn, 


J-roiii  a] 


THIS   .SHuWs   A 


I  HE   STEl'l'l 


[Photo. 


LOST    ON    THE    SIBERIAN    STEPPES. 


447 


I    possessed 
compass     I 


nie  floundering  now  and  again.  Eor  over  an 
hour  I  kept  on  like  this,  when,  without  warning, 
my  bicycle  suddenly  slipped  from  under  me, 
and  I  found  myself  floundering  up  to  my  waist 
in  mud  and  water. 

Instinctively  I  grabbed  for  the  bicycle  with 
one  hand  and  with  the  other  caught  hold  of 
some  long  grass  and  reeds  which  grew  near. 

Fortunately,  the  part  of  the  morass  into 
which  I  had  ridden  was  not  deep,  and  I  soon 
scrambled  to  dry  land  again,  dragging  my 
bicycle  after  me.  I  knew  then  that  it  would  be 
foolhardy  to  attempt  to  go  forward.  Further 
than  this,  the  accident  had  thrown  me  out  of 
my  bearings,  and 
as 
no 

had  no  clear  idea 
as  to  which  was 
north  and  which 
south. 

The  only  thing 
to  do  was  to  wait 
for  dawn,  a 
matter  of  si.x 
hours.  Feeling 
now  very  hungry, 
I  remembered 
that  I  had  a  small 
pot  of  concen- 
trated beef  in  the 
pack  which  was 
strapped  on  the 
machine.  Bread 
I  had  none,  nor 
had  I  water,  and 
when  I  crept 
down  to  the  edge 
of  the  morass  it 
was  to  find  the 
waterso  salt  there 
as  to  be  quite 
undrinkable. 

I  lit  my  bicycle 
lantern  and  got 
out  the  pot  of 
beef,  which  I  ate 
greedily  just  as  it  was.  It  was  so  extremely 
salt,  however,  that  half  an  hour  afterwards  I  was 
consumed  with  a  raging  thirst.  Added  to  this, 
the  night,  as  is  the  case  in  Siberia,  became 
terribly  cold.  The  immersion  in  the  morass 
had  chilled  me  to  the  bone,  and  I  had  to  keep 
stamping  up  and  down  to  retain  the  circulation 
in  my  lower  limbs.  I  was  able  to  keep  my 
fingers  from  freezing  by  holding  them  over  the 
hot  top  of  the  lantern. 

Through   the  whole  night   I   remained   thus. 
I   dared   not   sleep,   as    the    summer    nights    of 


1    l.iT   MY   BICYCLE   LANTERN   AND  GOT 
GREEDILY  JUST 


Siberia  bring  with  them  a  frost  far  greater  than 
we  experience  in  a  British  winter.  Now  and 
again  I  felt  myself  dropping  off,  and  only  pre- 
vented myself  from  slumbering  by  walking  up- 
and  down_  with  my  lantern  in  my  hand.  At 
length  the  welcome  dawn  appeared  over  the 
eastern  horizon,  and  with  the  increasing  light 
of  day  I  was  able  to  perceive  how  near  I  had 
been  to  a  miserable  end.  The  morass  into 
which  I  had  ridden  was  of  great  extent,  and  I 
saw  that  where  I  had  fallen  there  was  a  sort  of 
small  lagoon  or  branch  of  the  greater  swamp. 
Had  I  fallen  in  on  any  other  side  nothing  could 
have  saved  me  from  being  smothered. 

The  steppe  I 
now  saw  was 
covered  with  a 
white  mist ;  but 
as  soon  as  it  was 
light  enough  I 
set  to  work  en- 
deavouring to 
find  the  trail. 
Bitterly  I  now 
reproached  my- 
self for  leaving  it 
on  such  a  fool- 
hardy expedition 
as  I  had  under- 
taken. I  searched 
in  every  direc- 
tion, riding  north, 
south,  and  west, 
but  not  a  trace 
of  cart-rut,  hoof- 
mark,  or  camel- 
pad  could  I  dis- 
cern. Gradually 
the  mist  cleared 
away,  the  hot  sun 
came  out,  and  I 
saw  around  me 
nothing  but  the 
boundless  wilder- 
ness of  steppe 
grass  ;  not  a  hil- 
lock, not  a  bush, 
nothing  to  relieve  its  appalling  monotony  and 
sterility. 

Midday  came  and  passed,  and  I  was  then  in 
a  pitiable  condition.  My  thirst  was  almost 
unbearable,  and  my  hunger  had  rendered  me  so 
weak  that  I  could  scarcely  sit  upright  on  the 
bicycle.  I  fell  many  times,  only  to  pick  myself 
up,  hop  on  again,  and  continue  my  slow  and 
painful  progress  towards  the  south-west,  where 
instinct  'seemed  to  tell  me  I  should  find  the 
missing  telegraph-line. 

As  the  afternoon  wore  on   I  became  frantic. 


OUT   THE   POT  OF    BEEF,    WHICH    I    ATE 
AS    IT    WAS." 


448 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MACxAZINE. 


I  bo^an  to  think  that  I  was  inctrievably  lost.  I 
had  heard  of  people  missing  the  trail  and,  after 
wandering  hither  and  thither  in  search  of  it, 
ultimately  dying  miserably  for  want  of  food  and 
water.  It  was  patent  to  me  that  I  could  not 
keep  up  much  longer.  ^^'ith  every  lurch  of  the 
bicycle  I  went  sprawling,  and  it  is  hardly  to  be 
wondered  at  that  I  began  to  despair. 

The  afternoon  was  well  on  when  I  saw  some- 
thing which  caused  me  to  shout  with  joy.  It 
was  a  tiny  wreath  of  smoke,  curling  in  the  air 
many  miles  ahead.  I  thought  at  first  that  it 
was  a  mere  illusion,  conjured  up  by  my  excited 
brain,  but  nevertheless  I  kept  my  eyes  glued 
upon  it,  fearing  that  if  my  gaze  wandered  I 
should  lose  it  for  ever. 

Exhausted  as  I  was,  I  rode  with  desperation. 
Soon  the  smoke  grew  larger,  and  I  saw  a  little 
round  black  speck,  which  I  knew  to  be  ajivV/Y, 
or  tent  of  the  Bashkires.  I  rode  furiously  then, 
caring  not  for  the  shocks  which  were  imparted 
to  the  machine 
and  the  long 
grass  w  h  i  c  h 
wound  around 
the  cranks,  and 
at  times  nearly 
brought  me 
down. 

As  I  bore 
upon  that  tent  I 
saw  half-a-dozen 
men,  w  o  m  e  n , 
and  children 
seated  aroimd  a 
fire,  over  which 
a  huge  iron  kettle 
was  suspended. 
I  rode  straight 
for  them,  and  fell 
rather  than  got 
off  my  bicycle. 
''Soo/Soo/"  (the 
Bashkire  for 
water),  I  howled, 
as  soon  as  I 
scrambled  to  my 
feet. 

One  may  well 
imagine  the  con- 
sternation which 
my  sudden  and  strange  appearance  must 
have  caused  amongst  these  simple  children  of 
the  steppe.  The  bicycle  itself  was  enough  to 
frighten  any  self-respecting  Bashkire  out  of  his 
seven  senses,  for  such  an  instrument  of  locomo- 
tion they  had,  of  course,  never  seen  before. 
Had  I  been  in  any  other  condition  I  should 
probably    have    yelled    with    laughter    at    the 


commotion  which  took  place.  The  women  fell 
over  one  another  as  they  scrambled  for  their 
tent,  shrieking  lustily.  l"he  children  tumbled 
this  way  and  that,  howling  fiercely  in  their  fright; 
while  the  men  started  to  their  feet,  grabbed  the 
first  things  they  could  lay  hands  on,  and  backed 
to  the  tent,  scared  out  of  their  wits,  but  mani- 
festly prepared  to  sell  their  lives  dearl)'. 

It  didn't  take  me  long  to  demonstrate  my 
friendly  intentions.  I  saw  a  water-tub  on  the 
ground  and  flung  myself  upon  it,  drinking 
greedily.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  sensation  of 
thrit  moment  when  the  water  trickled  down  my 
throat.  If  those  Bashkires  had  killed  me  the 
next  second  I  would  not  have  relinquished  my 
hold  of  the  tub.  I  drank  with  all  my  might, 
until  with  a  gasp  and  a  splutter  I  was  forced  to 
pause  for  breath. 

The  men  had  now  gathered  around  me,  and  I 
smiled  at  them  reassuringly,  addressing  them  in 
broken  Russian,  for  of  Bashkire  I  knew  next  to 


SOO  !    SOO  !  '   (water),    I    HOWI.HD,    as   soon    as    I    SCRAMUI.F.D    TO    MV    FEET." 


nothing.  Theylaughed  and  patted  their  stomachs. 
The  laugh  and  the  action  told  me  I  had  nothing 
to  fear  from  them,  though  — poor,  simple  wan- 
derers— they  bear  a  bad  name  in  Siberia. 

We  were  soon  on  friendly  terms.  One  of 
them  spoke  a  little  Russian,  so  that  I  was  able 
to  make  myself  understood.  The  cook-pot 
over  the  fire  contained  a  lump  of  mutton,  and 


LOST  ON  THE  SIBERIAN  STEPPES. 


I     UASHKIRE   NOMADS   WHO    INIIALIT    1  H  t    I    \KAbl\SkI    srill'E. 


it  was  a  feast  for  the  gods — it  seemed  to  me — 
when  that  deHcious  lump  of  steaming  meat  was 
dragged  out  and  we  set  to  work  on  it  Hterally 
with  tooth  and  nail.  The  timid  women  and 
children  came  out  of  the  tent  to  gaze  curiously 
upon  me  and  the  bicycle,  or  to  receive  the 
scraps  of  mutton  which  their  lords  and  masters 
threw  to  them. 

I  spent  that  night  in  the  yi'irt^  the  guest  of 
the  Bashkires,  and  next  morning  persuaded  one 
of  the  men  to  mount  his  horse  and  pilot  me  to 


449 

the  track.  This 
the  chief  did 
willingly  enough, 
and  after  a 
couple  of  hours' 
riding  I  saw  the 
vagrant  tele- 
graph-posts trail- 
ing along  the 
horizon  like  a  row 
of  match-sticks. 

As  soon  as  the 
track  was  reach- 
ed I  parted  with 
my  kind-hearted 
host.  I  wanted 
to  reward  him  by 
making  him  a 
present  of  a  few 
roubles,  but  he 
waved  the  offer 
aside  with  some 
shovv'  of  dignity. 
"  No,  no,  Barin  ;  it  is  not  for  the  poor  Bash- 
kire  to  take  money  from  you.  Surely  you  must 
be  very  poor,  else  why  do  you  ride  such  a  horse 
as  that,  instead  of  riding  in  a  tarantass  with  real 
horses  and  a  driver?  You  are  welcome  to  what 
the  poor  Bashkire  can  give.'"'  I  did  not  un- 
deceive the  simple  fellow,  but  shook  his  hand 
and  hopped  into  the  saddle.  A  mile  or  two 
farther  on  I  looked  around,  and  saw  my  puzzled 
host  still  in  the  same  place,  seated  like  a  statue 
on  his  horse,  and  gazing  steadfastly  after  me. 


[Photo. 


/■■?oma]       IN    THE   CF.NTKK   OF    THIS   GROUP   MR.    JEFFERSON    APPEARS   AS   HE    LOOKED    WHEN    RIDING   OVER   THE    STEPPE.  [I'UolO. 

Vol.    VI.— 51. 


Hunting   the    White    Whale. 

By  j.  P.   1-oRD. 

This    narrative   describes   the   hunting    and    capture    of    an    enormous    narwhal,    or    white    whale,    in 

Golovin  Bay,  on  the   coast  of  North-West   Alaska.     The   author  and    his   friend   (whose  portraits  are 

given)  were   accompanied  by  a  party  of  Esquimaux  in  a  frail  native   boat. 

T  was  my  good  fortune,  while  pro-  back  in  the  bottom  of  the  dory.  The  wash 
specting  for  gold  on  the  Alaskan  from  the  passing  whale  poured  over  the  gun- 
coast  last  summer,  to  assist  in  the  wale,  quite  drenching  me.  The  water  of 
chase  and  Behring  Sea  is   never 

warm,  but  its  icy  shock 
made  me  recover  at 
once  from  the  terrific 
blow  of  the  oar.  I 
jumped  up,  eager 
above  all  things  to  see 


capture  of 
a  specimen  of  the  rare 
narwhal,  or  white 
whale.  For  excitement 
and  novelty  no  hunting 
of  big  game  in  African 
jungle  or  on  the  slopes 
of  the  Rockies  could 
compare  with  this  re- 
markable experience. 

In  companv  with 
Mr.  \V.  Nicolay,  of 
Victoria,  B.C.,  I  was 
rowing  by  the  entrance 
to  Golovin  Bay  on  the 
i6th  of  June  last  year. 
Golovin  Bay  is  a 
superb  estuary  of 
Behring  Sea,  indent- 
ing the  coast  of  North- 
West  Alaska  just 
beneath  the  Arctic 
Circle.  • 

Our  boat,  a  20ft.  dory,  heavily  laden  with  tents,  terrupted  my  partner- 
provisions,  and  miners' impedimenta,  was  making  Following  his  gesture,  I  saw  about  two  bun- 
weary  progress  against  a  choppy  head  sea.  Nico-  dred  yards  to  the  leeward  a  long,  greyish-white 
lay  was  at  the  steering  curving  back  rising  out 
oar,  while  I  was  awaken-  I  I  of  the  water,  and  then  a 
ing  recollections  of  thin  column  of  white 
University  days  by  toil-  spray  shot  into  the  air 
ing  at  a  pair  of  "  drift-  as  the  glistening  bulk  of 


THE   AUTHOR  (ON    THE   RIGHT)  WITH    HIS  COMRADE,  MR.  W.   NICOLAY, 

From  a]  of  victoria,  b.c.  [Photo. 


this  sudden  visitor 
whose  huge  tail  was 
now  just  disappearing 
beneath  the  surface 
fifty  yards  astern  of 
our  boat. 

"A  narwhal,  a  nar- 
whal ! "  cried  Nicolay, 
excitedly. 

"Good  heavens,"  I 
replied,  "  I  thought  it 
was  a  submarine  earth- 
quake accompanied  by 
a  tidal  wave,"  and  I 
rubbed  my  chest  rue- 
fully. 

"  Look,  look  !  "  in- 
'  there  he  is  again." 


wood  "  oars. 

Suddenly  Nicolay 
shouted  :  "  Pull  hard  on 
your  starboard  oar."  I 
half  instinctively  took 
two  strokes  when,  with  a 
mighty  rush,  and  bring- 
ing with  it  a  swelling 
wave,  a  huge,  dirty-white 
bulk  surged  by  the  gun- 
wale, not  3ft.  from  the 
boat.  As  it  passed  it 
touched  the  heavy  oar, 
cau.sing  the  handle  to 
strike  me  a  blow  in  the 
chest  that  laid  me  on  my 


THK    AUTHORS    WINTER    III    1     W     i.mIj.'.TN     liAV,    ALASKA.    NKAK 

From  a]  the  scenk  uv   vnv.  adventure.  {Photo. 


what  we  now  knew  to 
be  a  "  white  whale  "  slid 
softly  beneath  the  surface 
again. 

"  He  is  heading  for 
the  sound,"  said  Nicolay; 
"  let  us  follow  him." 

"  Do  you  think  we 
are  a  steam-whaler  or  a 
torpedo-chaser  ?  "  I  re- 
plied, sarcastically, 
emptying  the  water  out 
of  my  sea -boots  as  I 
spoke.  "  Perhaps  you 
had  better  lasso  him 
and  get   us  a  free   tow 


HUNTING    THE    WHITE    WHALE. 


451 


THE    ENTRANCE    TO    GOI.OVIN     BAV— THE    NAkWHAL    WAS     FIRST    SEEN    ABOUT    A 
HUNDRED   YARDS    FROM    THE    LOFTY    HEADLAND    ON    THE    RIGHT. 

From   a  Photo. 


up  Golovin  Bay,"  I  continued,  remembering  the 
cowboy  experiences  of  my  partner. 

"Don't  be  so  funny,  old  chap,"  said  he,  nearly 
capsizing  the  boat  as  he  reached  for  his  heavy 
walrus  rifle. 

"  I  am  not  sarcastic,  but  merely  elated  by  a 
salt-water  bath — temperature  38deg.,"  said  I. 
"  It  occurred  to  me  that  if  we  could  only 
'  tail  on '  to  your  friend  the  narwhal,  I  might 
have  leisure  to  hang  out  my  clothes  to  dry." 

By  this  time 
N  i  c  o 1 a  y  was 
bending  his  rifle 
in  the  direction 
where  the  whale 
might  be  ex- 
pected to  come 
up  next,  and  so 
he  would  not 
take  me  seriously. 
Wq  had  carried 
that  rifle,  which 
weighed  fifteen 
pounds,  over 
3,000  miles  of 
land  and  sea :  it 
carried  a  •45- 
calibre  explosive 
bullet,  and  in 
consequence    we 

had  not  yet  met  game  large  enough  to  pick  up 
after  it  had  been  dismembered  by  one  of  those 
bullets.     Hence  Nicolay's  eagerness. 

"  Put  up  your  gun,"  I  said  ;  "  and  if  you 
want  to  hunt  the  white  whale  we  will  pull  asliore 
and  hire  those  Esquimaux  with  their  big  walrus- 
boat."  For,  on  the  whole,  I  was  by  no  means 
loth  to  take  revenge  for  my  bruised  ribs  and 
unwelcome  bath. 

Two  huge  rocky  headlands  bound  the  entrance 
to  Golovin  Bay.  We  were  just  then  rounding 
the  westernmost  of  these.  Cape  Ferguson,  when 
the  narwhal  passed  us.  He  had  then  doubled 
on  his  course  and  was  going  in  by  the  cape. 

There  was  just  coming  into  view  a  native 
encampment  of  a  dozen  tents,  with  several 
"  kyaks,"  and  one  big  walrus  canoe  was  drawn 
up  on  the  shore. 

By  the  time  we  reached  the  beach  and  were 
hauling  out  the  dory  the  narwhal  had  ,"  blown" 
again,  this  time  a  mile  to  the  northward  and 
less  than  half  a  mile  from  the  camp.  The 
Esquimaux,  too,  had  sighted  the  whale  and  were 
gathering  in  an  excited  group  pointing  to  the 
a/oak.  In  bygone  days  they  not  infrequently 
hunted  the  whales  when  these  entered  tidal 
estuaries.  Of  late  years,  however,  the  scarcity 
of  whales  and  the  degeneration  of  these  people 
through  the  effects  of  the  white  man's   whisky 


have  caused  a  diminution    of  the  Esquimaux 
powers  in  this  respect. 

It  was  with  some  difficulty,  therefore,  that 
Nicolay  and  I  persuaded  them  to  join  us  with 
their  boat  .in  this  dangerous  and  novel  chase. 
By  the  use  of  sundry  plugs  of  tobacco,  however, 
and  the  promise  of  fine  silver  dollars  in  case  of 
success  we  prevailed  upon  them. 

Ten  of  them,  lithe  and  swarthy,  besides  our- 
selves, made  up   the  crew.      They    were  small, 

agile  men,  .skin- 
clad  and  bare- 
headed,  with 
matted  black 
hair. 

Their  boat,  a 
type  of  many  on 
this  coast,  was 
about  30ft.  long, 
6ft.  in  width,  and 
2ft.  deep.  It  was 
built  of  light 
round  poles,  bent 
to  the  required 
shape  and  bound 
together  with 
w  a  1  r  u  s  -  h  i  d  e 
thongs.  Over 
this  light  tough 
frame  walrus 
skins  were  tightly  stretched,  the  resulting  craft 
being  both  light,  strong,  and  seaworthy. 

In  ten  minutes  from  the  time  of  our  landing 
we  were  being  swiftly  propelled  along  the  shore 
in  this  boat.  Eight  natives  plied  their  paddles, 
while  two  stood  in  the  bow  with  walrus  harpoons  ■ 
in  hand.  Behind  these,  and  to  their  evident 
uneasiness,  stood  Nicolay  with  his  formidable 
rifle.  It  was  a  specially  made  and  really 
very  effective  repeater,  before  which  an  elephant 
would  stand  no  chance  and  a  Polar  bear  be 
quite  helpless  before  a  cool  marksman. 

There  was  room  for  interesting  doubt,  how- 
ever, as  to  the  effect  of  the  weapon  on  a  50ft. 
whale. 

In  the  stern  of  the  boat  I  stood  with  my  •45- 
calibre  Colt's  ivory  revolver,  a  weapon  of  more 
moral  than  material  assistance  in  the  present 
instance. 

Meantime  the  light  and  speedy  craft  was 
forging  through  the  comparatively  smooth  water 
with  astonishing  speed.  Our  plan  was  to 
harpoon  the  narwhal  and  then  to  plant  a  bullet 
in  his  brain.  Difficult  of  achievement  this, 
even  with  proper  whaling-gear  and  a  whaler's 
"  bomb  "  gun  ;  so  it  was  almost  a  forlorn  hope 
with  ourfrail  equipment.  But  there  is  nothing 
true  sportsmen  will  not  undertake,  however  small 
the  chance  of  success.     That  swift,  exhilarating, 


452 


THE    WIDE    WORLti    MAGAZINE. 


riskful   spin   in  the    walrus  -  boat    was    in    itself 
sutticient  reward. 

All  whales  come  to  the  surface  every  twenty 
minutes  or  so  to  breathe.     From  the  direction 
in  which  the  narwhal  disappeared  we  concluded 
that,  had  he  swum  slowly,  we  should  now  be 
nearly  over  the  spot  where  he  would  come  u\). 
In   deep   water   whalers   usually  pursue  a  fairly 
straightaway  course.     Here,   however,  we  were 
running  by  shoals  and  outcropping  headlands, 
and  the  narwhal  might  again  have  doubled  on 
us.       While    we 
were   debating 
this  point  doubt 
was   set  at   rest 
in     a    terrifying 
manner    by   the  ; 

sudden  appear- 
ance of  the  huge 
manmial  rising 
to  the  surface 
"  head  on  "  just 
off  the  port  bow 
of  our  boat. 

Now,  it  is  not 
conducive  to 
tranquillity  of 
mind  or  careful 
shooting  to  see 
about  25  ft.  of 
live  narwhal 
shoot  out  of  the 
water  in  a 
bounding  curve, 
with  a  vigorous 
suggestion  of  as 
much  more  be- 
hind ;  the  whole 
mass  propelled 
by  a  tail  with  a 
fifty-horse  power 
thrust.  Add  the 
sight  of  the  se- 
pulchral colour 
of  this  almost 
legendary 
animal,  and  you 
have  a  sight  that  would  make  even  experienced 
whalemen  hesitate. 

We  were  expecting  that  whale,  to  be  sure,  but 
certainly  not  coming  directly  towards  us  at  short 
range  and  a  twelve-knot  speed.  As  nearly  as  I 
can  recollect  the  events  of  that  crowded  moment 
they  were  these.  First  of  all  three  Esquimaux 
dived  overboard,  Nicolay  fired  his  rifle  at  Cape 
Ferguson,  and  we  all  united  in  a  great  yell, 
calculated  to  unnerve  the  coolest  whale. 

The  celerity  with  which  that  narwhal  vanished 
to  the  security  of  the  deep  showed  clearly  which 


THREE    ESQUIMAUX    DIVED    OVERBOARD,    AND    NICOLAV    FIRED    HIS    RIFLE   AT 

CAPE    FERGUSON." 


party  was  the  more  alarmed.  The  Esquimaux, 
captain  was  the  least  disconcerted,  and  had 
caught  the  direction  of  the  whale  as  he  dived. 
"  KulacJnik,  kulachuk^  pitach,  ebon"  he  cried — • 
"  Paddle,  paddle,  quickly  to  the  left." 

Our  only  hope  now  of  capturing  the  fleeing 
narwhal  was  the  chance  that  he  might  run  up 
the  narrow  bay  at  the  entrance  of  which  we  now 
were.  It  is  an  off-shoot  of  the  main  bay  and 
full  of  shoals  interspersed  with  deep  but  narrow 
channels.       On   one  of  these  shoals  we   might 

get  at  him  when 
he  could  not 
dive. 

There  is  no 
boat  of  its  size 
that  gathers 
speed  m  ore 
quickly  than  an 
Esquimaux 
walrus-  boat. 
Rescuing  the 
three  natives,  we 
were  now  swiftly 
pushing  up  the 
little  bay. 

"  He's  in  the 
shoal  water — 
he'll  ground, 
he'll  ground  !  " 
shouted  Nico- 
lay. And  sure 
enough  to  our 
supreme  delight 
we  saw,  two- 
thirds  up  the 
bay,  the  white 
whale  flounder- 
ing about  in  a 
tangle  of  shoals, 
darting  first  here 
and  then  there 
with  the  increas- 
ing fury  of  un- 
certainty and 
bewilderment. 
An  old  sperm 
whale  would  have  taken  his  time  and  swung 
safely  out  of  the  intricate  channel,  but  the  very 
timidity  of  the  narwhal  resulted  in  his  destruc- 
tion. 

In  five  minutes  we  were  within  striking 
distance.  Nicolay,  ordinarily  a  good  shot,  was 
as  badly  excited  as  the  whale,  and  plumped 
shot  after  shot  from  his  rifle  wherever  the 
narwhal  showed  himself.  Once  the  Esquimaux 
harpooner  made  a  throw  at  the  whale  as  he 
passed,  but  at  so  great  a  distance  that  the  point 
of  the  weapon  barely  grazed  the  blubber. 


HUNTING    THE    WHITE    WHALE. 


453 


But  though  at  long  range  for  the  harpooner  it 
was  short  range  for  the  rifle.  Nicolay,  now 
made  cooler  by- the  best  chance  of  the  hunt  as 
yet,  at  length  managed  to  place  a  bullet  near 
the  base  of  the  skull. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous.  The  whale's 
struggles  grew  violent  in  the  extreme.  It  was 
no  longer  safe 
to  be  at  close 
quarters  with 
him,  as  we  had 
worked  into 
shoal  water  and 
a  channel  so 
narrow  that  we 
were  in  con- 
stant danger  of 
being  over- 
turned by  his 
terrific  plunges. 
Shots  directed 
at  his  body 
seemed  to  have 
no  decided 
effect,  and  har- 
pooning him 
seemed  now 
out  of  theques- 
t  i  o  n .  One 
might  as  well 
harpoon  a 
steam  thrash- 
ing machine. 

Hitherto  he 
had  not  made 
directly  at  the 
boat,  but  a  few 
moments  after 
the  last  shot 
his  timidity 
seemed  to  give 

way  to  wrath.  He  was  perhaps  a  hundred  yards 
away,  and  we  suddenly  saw  him  coming  on  with 
a  rush  that  left  no  doubt  of  his  intentions.  His 
head  was  quite  visible  and  his  enormous  jaws 
slightly  parted. 

The  natives  needed  no  command,  but  instantly 
ran  the  boat  on  an  adjacent  sand-bar,  where  we 
all  jumped  out  by  the  bow,  just  as  the  whale 
crumbled  the  stern  of  the  boat  into  a  shapeless 


so  CLOSE    DID   THF,   VVHAI.E   COME  THAT 
IN   THE   SOFT   SAND   BY 


mass  with  his  frightful  impetus.  With  such 
momentum  had  he  dashed  at  the  boat  that  a 
most  extraordinary  result  followed.  His  long 
form  shot  fully  30ft.  up  on  the  shallow  bar  and 
grounded  helplessly.  So  close  did  the  whale 
come  to  catching  and  crushing  me  that  my  left 
leg  was  actually  embedded  in  the  soft  sand  by 

his  huge,  (jui- 
vering  flank. 
But  these  shift- 
ing sands  were 
so  fluent  with 
water  that  I  ex- 
tricated myself 
without  diffi- 
culty or  serious 
injury.  Lying 
before  me  was 
one  of  the 
walrus  har- 
poons, which  I 
now  seized, 
wild  with  ex- 
citement, and 
turning  I 
plunged  it  fully 
4ft.  into  the 
whale's  vitals. 
It  was  the 
death  -  stroke. 
The  powerful 
tail  crashed  and 
winnowed  the 
water,  the  last 
quivers  ran 
through  the 
giant  frame,  and 
then  we  knew 
we  had  cap- 
tured and  killed 
a  white  whale. 
The  Arctic  sun  was  hanging  low  over  the 
hills  in  the  north-west.  The  Esquimaux  were 
preparing  to  fill  their  partially  wrecked  boat  with 
blubber  after  hasty  repairs.  Nicolay  and  I 
were  silently  measuring  the  huge  quarry  with 
thoughtful  glances. 

Finally  Nicolay  said:  "Well,  if  you  killed 
him,  I  winged  him."  But  we  were  both  quite 
satisfied. 


MY   I.EFT   LEG   WAS   ACTUALLY    ElM  BEDDED 
HIS   QUIVERING   FLANK." 


Mountaineering    in    the    Australian    Alps. 

Bv  N.  Phelps  Richards,  of  Svdnky. 

This    account    of    the     hardships    of    Australian    mountain    climbing    will    come    as    a    surprise    to 

English    readers,   who    only  know  of    Australia   as    possessing    an    exceedingly  warm    climate.     Both 

the    author   and    the    photographer   were    in    the    party  that    essayed    the    ascent    of    far-away  Mount 

Bogong,  in    the  Snowy  Mountains,  four  hundred  miles  from    Sydney. 


I  YEN  the  average  Australian  knows 
little  or  nothinij  of  the  mountains 
wliich,  less  than  four  hundred  miles 
from  Sydney,  are  snow-covered  even 
in  the  hottest  summer,  and  in  winter 
are  covered  for  miles  and  miles  with  virgin 
snow  seldom  disturbed  by  the  footprint  of  man. 

The  Snowy  Mountains,  as  they  are  locally 
called,  possess  great  attractions  for  the  hardy 
English  traveller  or  resident  in  the  Colonies — 
attractions  that  the  native  Australian,  living  only 
a  ittw  miles  from  the  snow 
limit,  cannot  understand, 
and  so  he  gives  many  a  jeer 
and  jest  at  the  mountaineer- 
ing parties  travelling  past 
his  homestead  on  their  way 
to  the  snow-covered  heights 
beyond. 

On  Thursday  evening, 
August  3,  1899,  the  follow- 
ing party  met  in  the  hotel 
at  Jindabyne,  a  small  town- 
ship on  the  banks  of  the 
Snowy  River,  nestling  cosily 
among  the  lower  hills,  from 
the  tops  of  which  can  be 
seen  the  bare  and  lofty 
peaks  of  the  Australian 
Alps:  — 

Messrs.  E.  A.  Holden, 
C.  H.  Kerry,  J.  Whelan,  R. 
Hill  (with  a  lady  relative 
who  had  braved  Mrs. 
Grundy) ;  the  author,  and 
last — but  by  no  means  least 
— Mr.  W.  S.  McAlister,  the 
manager  of  the  Bogong 
Gold  Mine,  which  is  always  deserted  in  winter 
on  account  of  the  heavy  snow  and  cold.  He  had 
kindly  offered  to  guide  us  out  to  the  mountains 
which  we  were  to  explore,  and  had  placed  his 
cottage  on  the  mine  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Alpine  Club  as  a  base  of  operations. 

Early  next  morning  we  started  on  our  fust 
stage,  a  seventeen- mile  ride  on  horseback  to  a 
miner's  hut  on  the  Snowy  Plains,  where  we  were 
to  camp  for  the  night.  The  day  broke  wet  and 
cloudy,  and  before  we  had  gone  very  far  on  our 
journey  we  were  all  drenched  to  the  skin  by  a 
heavy  rain    that    made    the    mountain    passes 


THE     AUTHOR,      MR.     N.     P. 
DESCRIBES    HIS    MOUNTAI 

From  a 


slippery  and  treacherous,  even  to  the  sure-footed 
Monaro  horses  that  are  so  used  to  climbing 
these  mountains.  The  consequence  was  that 
we  had  one  or  two  nasty  falls  ere  we  emerged 
from  the  forest  that  covers  the  mountain-side 
on  to  the  Snowy  Plains  at  an  elevation  of 
1, 000ft.  above  Jindabyne.  Here  we  had  a  smart 
hand-gallop  for  three  or  four  miles,  forded  the 
Gungarline  River,  and  arrived  just  before  dark 
at  the  miner's  hut,  where  we  monopolized  what 
little   spare   clothing   he  had   in   the  shape  of 

moleskin  trousers  and  old 
Bluchers.  We  also  mono- 
polized the  whole  of  the 
fire,  round  which  we  con- 
gregated to  dry  ourselves 
and  to  partake  of  the 
hospitable  miner's  tea  and 
the  provisions  we  had 
brought  with  us. 

Morning  broke  upon  a 
white  world  !  The  rain  of 
the  day  before  had  changed 
to  snow,  and  we  eagerly 
watched  the  sunrise  and 
tried  our  hands  at  weather 
prophecy.  Our  journey  for 
the  day  was  nineteen  miles, 
and  the  whole  distance 
would  have  to  be  negotiated 
on  snow-shoes ;  so,  disre- 
garding the  miner's  warn- 
ings as  to  what  the  day 
would  bring  forth,  we 
mounted  our  snow-shoes 
and  sallied  forth  into  the 
wintry  waste,  carrying  no- 
thing with  us  but  the  camera 
and  the  clothes  we  stood  up  in,  together  with 
our  alpenstocks  or  "  brake-sticks,"  as  they  are 
locally  called,  in  our  hands. 

But  we  soon  had  reason  to  wish  we  had  not 
disregarded  our  friend's  warnings,  for  when  we 
arrived  at  the  Brassy  Gap,  a  mountain  pass 
about  five  miles  from  Snowy  Plains,  we  found 
the  mountain-tops  enveloped  in  a  whirling  mass 
of  cloud,  and  a  perfect  blizzard  of  snow  struck 
us  as  soon  as  we  emerged  into  the  open  on  the 
gap.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  lady,  at  any 
rate,  would  have  to  return,  and  as  J^Ir.  Hill 
was  having  rather  a  bad  time  of  it  he  and  Mr. 


.     RICHARDS,      WHO      HERE 
NEERING   EXPERIENCES. 

Photo. 


MOUNTAINEERING    IN    THE    AUSTRALIAN    ALPS. 


455 


Whelan  escorted  the  lady  back  to  our  resting- 
place  of  the  night  before,  while  the  rest  of  the 
party  struggled  on  for  two  or  three  miles  until  it 
was  found  impossible  to  continue.  We  then 
beat  a  hasty  retreat,  determined,  however,  to  try 
again  next  day. 

When  day  broke  it  was  found  that  the  weather 
had  not  improved  very  much,  so  Messrs.  Hill 
and  Whelan  decided — wisely,  but  unwillingly — 
to  escort  the  lady  back  to  Jindabyne,  en  7-oute 
for  Sydney  and  civilization.  The  party  being 
now  reduced  to  four,  we  persuaded  Tom  Bolton, 
the  miner's  son,  to  accompany  us  ;  and,  having 
taken  the  camera  as  much  as  possible  to  pieces, 
we  divided  the  sections  between  us,  put  a  few 
sandwiches  and  a  little  chocolate  in  our  pockets, 
and  started  once  more  on  our  nineteen  -  mile 
journey. 

At  Brassy  Gap  the  weather  proved  a  little 
better  than  the  day  before,  so  we  decided  to 
push  on.  Two  miles  from  the  gap  we  came 
to  Dominic's  Camp,  a  rude  shelter  of  brush- 
wood ;  here  we  found  a  billy-can  and  a  couple 
of  pannikins,  so  we  made  a  fire,  melted  some 
snow  for  water,  and  had  a  cup  of  chocolate  and 
ate  our  sandwiches.  Here  McAlister  told  us 
that  he  would  take  us  by  a  short  cut  that  would 


S.N'OW-SHOEING   ON   THIi    UOGO.NG   .MOUN  TAIN  — NEGUTlAl  ING     illE   SHORT    CUT 

From  a  Photo,  by  C.  H.  Kerry. 


save  about  a  mile.  Therefore,  finishing  our 
modest  repast,  we  made  a  fresh  start,  and  before 
long  arrived  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  where 
we  left  the  track  and  started  on  a  long, 
steep  climb,  which  formed  a  feature  of  the 
short  cut.     This  proved  to  be  over  an  hour's 


climb,  and  I,  for  one  (I  was  the  only  absolute 
novice  on  snow-shoes),  was  quite  exhausted  on 
reaching  the  summit.  But  snow  was  falling, 
and  the  landscape  was  fast  becoming  obscured, 
so  it  was  necessary  to  push  on  at  all  hazards. 

The  flat  country  here  met  with  was  entirely 
bare  of  vegetation,  and  as  we  straggled  out 
across  the  plain  I  was  left  considerably  in  the 
rear,  toiling  painfully  along  and  struggling  to  at 
least  keep  the  nearest  man  in  sight.  But  a 
thick  fog  fell  upon  us,  and  I  lost  sight  even  of 
him,  and  for  a  moment  felt  myself  utterly  lost, 
though  I  knew  the  others  could  not  be  very  far 
away.  By  "  cooeying "  vigorously  I  got  in 
touch  with  Holden,  and  we  united  our  voices  in 
one  prolonged  "coo-oo-ee,"  but  received  no 
answer.  We  could  not  see  the  tracks  of  the  men 
in  front  owing  to  the  falling  snow  ;  and  though  I 
had  a  small  compass  on  my  watch-chain,  neither 
of  us  knew  which  point  to  steer  for.  However, 
we  "  cooeed  "  again  and  again,  until  a  faint  and 
far-distant  reply  gave  us  our  direction,  and  we 
found  the  others,  together  it  is  true,  but  just  as 
much  lost  as  we  were,  until  I  produced  the 
compass,  and  then  Mac  told  us  our  course  was, 
or  should  be,  due  west.  Pushing  ahead  by  the 
aid  of  the  compass  and  keeping  close  together, 
we  mounted  a  sharp  incline,  and 
most  fortunately  came  upon  a 
curiously-shaped  rock  standing  up 
out  of  the  snow  and  uncovered  on 
two  sides.  This,  our  guide  knew, 
was  close  to  the  proper  track,  so 
we  pushed  on,  refreshed  by  a 
westerly  breeze  that  sprang  up  a 
few  moments  later  and  rapidly 
dissipated  the  fog. 

But  one  trouble  only  gave  place 
to  another,  for  the  breeze  increased 
to  the  violence  of  a  gale,  and,  being 
right   in  our    teeth,   it    made    the 
going    very   difiicult ;     the    snow 
which  accompanied  it  freezing  to 
our  moustaches  and  beards  in  a 
most  uncomfortable  fashion.     At 
the  Valentine  River  we  had  to  get 
off    our    snow-shoes    and    wade 
across,     luckily   finding    a    place 
where   the   water    did   not   quite 
cover  our  indiarubber  boots  ;  and 
about  two  miles  farther  on  we  re- 
peated   the    performance   at    the 
Rocky  Plains  River. 
Another  half-hour  and  it  was  beginning  to  get 
dusk  ;  the  rest  of  the  party  were  on  ahead  and  I 
was  following  by  their  tracks,  when,  roundmg 
the  base  of  a  hill,  I  found  Holden  having  rather 
time  trying  to  mount   the  incline.     On 
him    up    I    asked    him    how    he    was 


bad 


catching 


456 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


getting  on.  "I  don't  know,"  he  replied, 
dubiously  :  "'  these  beastly  snow-shoes  seem  to 
go  only  one  way — and  that's  backwards."  As  I 
was  only  a  novice  and  unable  to  help  him, 
I  went  on  up  the  hill  and  met  Mac  about  half- 
way up  taking  a  rest,  and  rather  anxious  about 
Holden  and  mvself.      I  told  him  how  I  had  left 


my  waist  in  snow  down  the  whole  five  hundred 
yards  to  the  creek,  where  I  found  my  shoe  ; 
then  I  followed  the  course  of  the  creek  for  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile,  till  I  found  some  broken 
snow,  showing  where  the  others  had  crossed. 
I  followed  their  tracks  to  the  hut,  now  not  far 
distant,  where  the  previous  arrivals  and  myself 

soon  busied  our- 


TlIE  WINTER   QUARTERS   OF    THE   ALPINE  CLUH— f.Mk. 

Frov!  a  Photo,  by  C.  H.  Kerry. 

Holden,  so  he  w^ent  back  to  help^  while  I 
struggled  along  on  the  tracks  of  Kerry  and  Tom 
Bolton. 

Pushing  on  up  the  hill,  nearly  exhausted,  and 
half  blinded  by  the  blizzard  which  was  blowing 
in  my  face  and  fast  obliterating  the  tracks, 
I  slipped  and  fell  on  a  patch  of  frozen  snow  just 
as  I  was  rounding  the  brow  of  the  hill.  Picking 
myself  up,  I  found  that  one 
shoe  was  gaily  careering 
down  the  side  of  the  hill  at 
right  angles  to  the  track, 
and  I  could  just  see  it  fetch 
up  on  the  bank  of  a  creek 
that  wound  round  the  base 
of  the  hill  five  hundred 
yards  below  me.  Here  was 
a  predicament  :  What  was 
I  to  do  ?  I  had  heard  tales 
of  expert  ski-runners  who, 
when  they  had  lost  a  shoe, 
rode  down  the  hill  on  the 
other,  balancing  themselves 
on  one  foot,  so  I  tried  the 
experiment  —  but  without 
success.  After  two  or  three 
more  falls  I  gave  it  up,  and 
ploughed  through  it  up  to 


selves  in  fetching 
water  from  the 
"  race  "  and  light- 
ing a  fire  with 
the  wood  that 
Mac  had  left  in 
the  hut  when  he 
came  out  in  the 
autumn. 

It  was  dark 
when  I  arrived, 
and  it  was  not 
until  two  hours 
later  that  Mac 
brought  Holden 
in  and  we  heard 
how  he  had 
found  him  sitting 
on  a  lump  of 
snow,  counting 
the  crystals  and 
wondering  if  they 
were  alive ;  his 
only  other  desire  in  life  being  to  go  to  sleep  ! 
For  he  had  been  overcome  by  that  worst  of  all 
enemies  to  the  Australian  Alpine  traveller — snow- 
sleep— and  Mac  had  had  a  bad  half-hour  trying 
to  waken  him  to  full  consciousness  and  get  him 
going  once  more.  But  he  had  most  happily 
succeeded,  and  the  whole  party  was  now 
re-united  under  McAlister's  hospitable  roof. 


K  S    MOUNTAIN    hut). 


Front  a  Photo.  by\     ai.i,  hands  help  to  rrin'g  firewood  to  the  caimp.  [C.  H.  Kerry. 


MOUNTAINEERING    IN    THE    AUSTRALIAN    ALPS. 


457 


,5-== 


^,0*- 


THE  GOVEKNMENT   .SURVEYORS    HAD    PLACED   A   '  TRIC,   MARK*  ON 
A   CAIRN    OF    .STO.SES   AT   THE   SU.MMIT." 

Frovi  a  Photo,  by  C.  H.  Kerry. 

Here,  unfortunately  (for  time  was  short),  we 
were  snowed  up  for  two  days,  the  whole  land- 
scape being  blotted  out  of  our  vision  by  the 
thick  snow  that  was  continually  falling ;  con- 
sequently our  only  trips  were  to  the  "race"  for 
water,  to  the  top  of  the  hill  behind  the  hut  in 
search  of  firewood  (we  found  a  bru.sh  fence  half 
buried  in  snow 
and  made  the 
most  of  it),  and 
to  the  mine  close 
by,  where  we 
spent  an  enjoy- 
able half-hour  in 
the  tunnel  look- 
ing at  lumps  of 
stone  that  might 
have  contained 
gold,  or  might 
not,  for  all  our 
unpractised  eyes 
could  tell.  All 
this  -by  the  light 
of  several  very 
small  pieces  of 
candle  left  there 
by  the  miners. 

The  third  day, 
Wednesday, 
broke  fine  and 
clear,  and  we 
decided  to  make 
an  early  start  on 

Vol.  vi.— 52. 


our  attempt  to  climb  the  Big  Bogong  Mountain, 
ior  we  were  the  first  to  make  the  altemjjt  in 
winter,  though  the  Government  surveyors  had, 
in  summer,  placed  a  "  trig  mark  ''  on  a  cairn  of 
stones  at  the  summit  a  few  years  previously. 

Si.x  miles  from  our  hut  as  the  crow  flies  the 
summit  of  Big  Bogong,  the  only  truly  Alpine- 
looking  peak  of  the  Snowy  Mountains,  could 
be  faintly  seen  shaping  gauntly  out  of  the  mist 
above  the  heights  of  the  Munyong  Range.  At 
nine  o'clock  we  got  away,  the  day  being  cold 
and  fine.  We  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  run 
down  the  hill  in  front  of  the  hut  across  the 
creek,  and  the  stiff  climb  to  follow.  The  route 
taken  was  about  eight  miles,  mostly  uphill,  but 
we  stopped  here  and  there  to  admire  the  glorious 
landscape,  or  to  gaze  upon  the  fairy-like  scene 
as  we  wended  our  way  over  the  snow  through 
the  tops  of  the  trees,  whose  leaves  and  branches 
bore  tons  of  newly-fallen  snow,  here  in  heavy 
masses,  and  there  in  the  most  delicate  tracery, 
glistening  like  diamonds  in  the  morning  sun. 
Thus  it  was  not  till  one  o'clock  that  we  reached 
the  base  of  the  peak  itself,  where  we  had  a 
light  lunch  before  beginning  the  more  arduous 
part  of  the  climb. 

The  heavy  snowfall  of  the  previous  days  had 
so  covered  the  eastern  spur  of  the  mountain 
that  by  making  a  detour  we  were  enabled  to 
travel,  contrary  to  expectation,  on  our  snow- 
shoes  up  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
summit,  where,  shouldering  our  ski,  we  raced  up 
the   rough,    almost    precipitous,   slopes   for  the 


Fro7n  a  Photo.  ly\     "  we  stopped  hek£  and  THEJiE  TO  gaze  upon  the  fairy-like  SCENE. 


[C.  H.  Kerry. 


45S 


THE    WlDi:     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


honour  of  being  the  first  to  reach  the  top. 
Tliat  honour  fell  to  me,  and,  breathless  with 
the  exertion,  I  waved  my  cap  from  the  top  of 
the  cairn  before  stopping  to  gaze  around  on  the 
glorious  panorama  that  rolled  out  like  a  map 
beneath  our  feet. 

Northward,  thirty  miles  away,  lay  Kiandra, 
the  little  mining 
township  v.here 
the  snow  -  shoe 
races  are  held 
annually,  with 
the  precipitous, 
square- topped 
mountains  be- 
yond toa  distance 
of  fifty  or  sixt\ 
miles.  South- 
ward, thirty  -  five 
miles  away,  Kos- 
ciusko, the  high- 
est mountain  in 
Australia,  could 
be  seen,  its  sum- 
mit enveloped  in 
cloud,  the  heavy 
gum  trees  show- 
ing a  deep  purple 
against  the  snow 
in  the  precipitous 
and  impassable  gorges  that  flank  its  western 
slopes.  Westward  we  could  trace  the  country 
over  which  we  had  recently  travelled,  right  back  to 
the  brown  plains  of  Cooma,  seventy  miles  away  ; 
while  to  the  east,  across  the  Victorian  border, 
we  could  trace  the  course  of  the  Murray  River 
for  a  hundred  miles,  flakes  of  cloud  dotting  the 
blue  landscape  far  beyond  the  snow  limit,  and 
Mount  Wells  and  Feathertop  forming  a  fitting 
background  eighty  miles  away. 

"  I  .say,  Kerry,  hurry  up  with  those  photos.," 
said  Mac;  "it's  getting  pretty  cold  up  here." 
And  .so  it  was,  for  the  sky  had  clouded  over 
and  it  was  freezing  hard,  poor  Tom  Bolton 
complaining  bitterly  of  cold  feet. 

At  length  we  started  for  home,  Mac  getting 
away  first,  and  the  rest  of  us  waiting  to  time  him 
down  the  mountain-side  to  the  place  where  we 
had  had  lunch.  He  did  the  distance — a  mile 
and  a  quarter  as  near  as  we  could  judge — in  a 
minute  and  a  half.  It  had  taken  nearly  two 
hours  in  the  ascent.  We  amateurs  came  down 
much  more  slowly,  using  our  brake-sticks  most 
of  the  way,  in  the  useful  but  exceedingly  un- 
comfortable manner  of  sitting  astride  them 
hobby-horse  fashion. 

We  got  back  to  our  quarters,  utterly  tired  out, 
just  before  dark  ;  and  we  promptly  proceeded  to 


rub  poor  Tom's  feel  with  snow,  for  several  of 
his  toes  had  gone  black  with  frost-bite.  And, 
certainly  in  this  case,  "a  hair  of  the  dog  that 
bit  you  "  is  the  best  cure.  That  night  the  mer- 
cury in  the  thermometer  disappeared  into  the 
bulb  altogether  (the  thermometer  only  registered 
ten  degrees  below  zero),  so  we  hoped  for  fine 


From  a  Plioto.  ty\ 


MOUNT    KOSCIUSKO    FROM    THE    SUMMIT   OF    BIG    BOGONG. 


[C.  //.  Kerry. 


weather  for  our  journey  into  Jindabyne  next 
day,  for  we  had  decided  to  try  and  break  a 
record  by  doing  the  whole  distance  in  one  day. 

But  we  were  doomed  to  disappointment  as 
regards  the  weather,  for  we  woke  up  to  hear  the 
wind  howling  round  the  hut  with  hurricane 
force,  blowing,  unfortunately,  from  the  east. 
^Ve  were  not  to  be  deterred,  however,  so, 
packing  up  the  camera  and  some  lunch,  we 
sallied  forth  with  the  fixed  determination  of 
sleeping  the  night  in  Jindabyne  if  possible. 

It  was  a  far  worse  journey  than  it  had  been 
coming  out,  but  we  were  all  in  better  form,  and 
in  spite  of  the  gale,  which  in  the  more  exposed 
parts  blew  us  right  off  our  course,  we  arrived  at 
the  hut  on  Snowy  Plains  at  seven  o'clock  at 
night.  Here  we  had  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  short 
rest,  and  then  started  again  a  little  before  nine. 

The  night  was  pitch  dark,  and  it  was  im- 
possible to  see  a  yard  in  front  of  us  ;  and  it  was 
only  by  giving  our  horses  a  free  rein  that  we  got 
through  safely.  At  the  Eucumbene  River  we 
found  that  the  water  had  risen,  owing  to  the 
recent  snow  and  rain,  and  we  had  to  swim  our 
horses  across,  arriving  at  Jindabyne,  at  half-past 
one  in  the  morning,  almost  unrecognisable  from 
snow-tan  and  exposure — wet  and  muddy,  too, 
and  thoroughly  exhausted. 


The  Adventures  of  Queenie  and  the  Count. 

By  H.  Valentine  Geere. 

Every   dog-lover,  and    in    fact  every  class    of  reader,  will   relish   this  amusing   narrative    of  two  huge 

Danish    boarhounds,    which  were  taken    out    to    Asiatic   Turkey  by  the  author  to  serve  as  watch-dogs 

to   an  American  archaeological  expedition.     The  clearing  of  the  decks  and  bazaars,   the   incident  of  the 

irate  "  cawass,"  and  the  general  terror  inspired  by  the  Count  make  most  entertaining  reading. 


OUNT  CERBERUS,  the  principal 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  Danish 
boarhound  (or  Great  Dane),  who 
was  well  known  on  the  show  bench, 
and  might  almost  be  said  to  have  an 
international  reputation.  For  his  birthplace  was 
in  Germany  ;  he  was  imported  into  this  country 
in  his  puppyhood,  and  after  many  vicissitudes 
of  fortune  he  died  in  Asiatic  Turkey. 

He  was  a  splendid-looking  animal,  and  one 
of  the  tallest  dogs  ever  seen  in  England  ;  but, 
unfortunately,  his  disposition  was  m?f  such  as  to 
endear  him  to  those  who  were  brought  into  con- 
tact  with  him.  Indeed,  were  he  not  dead,  he 
might  very  well  be  described  as  "a  brute'"'  in 
every  sense  of  the  word;  hwX. '■'■  de  mortiiis  nil 
nisi  bomi//t"  so  of  his  characteristics  nothing 
need  now  be  said. 

In  the  autumn  of  1898  I  was  asked  to 
purchase  a  pair  of  Great  Danes  to  be  taken 
out  to  Niffer,  to  act  as  auxiliary  guards  at 
the  camp  of  the  American  expedition  that 
was  about  to  carry  on  excavations  at  that  spot, 
and  to  which  I  had  the  honour  to  belong. 

I  very  readily 
secured  one, 
k n o w n  in  the 
kennel  world  as 
Queen  Zara  of 
Denmark,  but 
familiarly  called 
Queenie  ;.  but 
when  it  came  to 
procuring  a  mate 
for  her  it  was 
quite  a  different 
matter.  AVhat 
was  wanted  was 
not  a  show  speci- 
m  e  n ,  whose 
qualities  would 
be  literally 
"  wasted  on  the 
desert  air,"  but  a 
powerful  and 
courageous  dog 
that  would  in- 
spire terror  by 
his     appearance, 


THIS   SNAP-SHOT   SHOWS   QUEENIE  OM    BIJAKD   THE 

HEK   CONSOKT   WAS   TOO    FIERCE   TO    BE    PHOTOGRAPHED. 


and  be  a  real  protection  for  the  camp  in  the  wild 
parts  to  which  we  were  going.  In  brief,  a 
good  watch-dog.  Unfortunately  the  time  avail- 
able for  selection  was  limited,  for  the  boat  our 
party  was  to  sail  on  was  to  leave  Manchester 
in  ten  days  from  the  date  that  the  matter  was 
placed  in  my  hands,  and  I  had  a  great  many 
important  things  to  attend  to  in  the  interval. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  there  were  very  few 
dogs  that  seemed  at  all  suitable  to  our  re(|uire- 
ments  to  be  heard  of  just  then  ;  and  although 
I  spent  a  small  fortune  on  telegrams,  postage, 
and  carriage  of  dogs  for  inspection,  I  failed  to 
find  anything  suitable.  llien,  in  despair,  I 
wrote  to  a  fancier  at  Crewe,  who  had  advertised 
Count  Cerberus  for  sale  ;  and  in  consequence 
of  the  reply  I  received  I  telegraphed  asking 
that  the  dog  might  be  brought  to  Manchester 
for  inspection. 

I  was  taking  Queenie  to  the  great  cotton  city 
to  ship  on  the  steamer  that  we  were  to  travel  to 
Busreh  by  the  day  before  her  sailing ;  so  that 
it  was  evident  that  if  the  Count  failed  to  suit 
we  should  be  left  with  only  half  of  the  pair  we 

required. 

Queenie  and  I 
travelled  up  to 
Waterloo,  \\here 
she  was  the 
centre  of  an  ad- 
miring crowd  ; 
and  afterwards 
drove  across 
London  in  a 
station  'bus 
(greatly  to  her 
excitement),  and 
journeyed  on  to 
Manchester  com- 
fortably enough. 
She  was  a  sweet- 
tempered  crea- 
ture, and  made 
great  friends  with 
the  guard,  who 
took  off  her 
m  u  z  7. 1  e  and 
shared  his  dinner 

STEAMER    "ARABISTAN."  witll    \\CX. 


460 


THE    WlDi:     WORLD     MACJAZINE. 


Arrived  at  ^^allchester  I  looked  around  for 
sii;ns  of  mv  man  and  the  do:.^.  (\ieenie  saw 
them  before  I  did,  and  drew  my  attention  to 
them  by  pulhng  frantically  at  her  chain  in  lier 
feminine  curiosity  to  inspect  her  future  com- 
panion. Naturally  thinking  it  perfectly  safe  to 
approach  the  terrible  Count  in  the  company  of 
such  an  attractive  lady  (although  I  had  heartl 
evil  reports  of  his  queer  temper),  I  advanced  to 
meet  the  man  who  was  struggling  gallantly  to 
hold  his  noble  charge  in  check.  The  latter 
task  was  no  easy  one,  however,  for  the  dog  —who 
certainly  looked  a  most  powerful  fellow — simply 
tugged  his  owner  across  the  platform  to  meet  us 
in  a  hiiihlv  undignified  manner. 

Betbre  I  quite  knew  what  had  happened  the 
huge  animals  had  met,  and  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye  poor  Queenie — totally  unprepared  for 
such  ungentlemanly  conduct  from  a  Count, 
even  a  Cerman  Count — was  lying  on  the  plat- 
form, while  Cerberus  was  standing  over  her 
vainly  endeavouring  to  lay  hold  of  her  through 
his  muzzle.  Of  course,  a  small  crowd  of 
spectators  gathered  round  at  once,  eager  to  see 
the  fun  ;  but  they  dispersed  with  wonderful 
alacrity  when  the  dog,  after  being  dragged  away 
from  Queenie  by  his  master,  made  a  spring  at 
an  elderly  gentleman,  and  would  certainly  have 
knocked  him  down  if  the  impetus  of  his  leap 
had  not  been  broken  by  a  quick  jerk  on  his 
chain.  The  indignant  gentleman  made  use  of 
several  unparliamentary  expres- 
sions and  then  beat  a  hasty 
retreat,  leaving  us  with  our  dogs. 

Eager  to  get  Queenie  to  the 
docks  as  quickly  as  might  be,  I 
arranged  for  Cerberus  to  be 
brought  on  there  for  further 
inspection.  We  had  to  take  a 
station  'bus  for  him  and  his 
owner,  it  being  impossible  to 
squeeze  him  into  a  cab  ;  Queenie 
and  I,  however,  travelled  down 
in  a  cab  together. 

Arrived  at  the  docks  we  made 
our   way   to    the   vessel's    side, 
and    I     put    Queenie    aboard. 
Then  I  went  ashore  to  nego- 
tiate for  Cerberus.     While  we 
v.ere  discussing  the  matter  he 
tried   hard   to  get  at  a  dray- 
horse  that  passed,  and  badly 
frightened  a  lady,  who  offered 
to  pat    him,    by    springing  at 
her  and  nearly  knocking  her 
into  the  water. 

Prom  these  signs  I  con- 
cluded that  he  was  certainly 
not  a  very  gentle  animal-;  but 


it  was  a  choice  between  him  and  nothing,  so 
finally  the  bargain  was  driven  and  he  was  lugged 
on  board,  struggling  violently  the  while. 

A  large  kennel  had  been  provided  for  the 
two  dogs,  but,  from  what  I  had  seen  and  been 
told  of  Cerberus,  I  concluded  that  it  would 
be  better  for  them  to  have  separate  quarters. 
I  therefore  arranged  for  Queenie  to  be  kept 
under  shelter  forward,  while  Cerberus  was  to 
be  kept  chained  to  the  kennel  and  muzzled  all 
the  time.  His  late  owner  had  told  me  that 
this  latter  precaution  was  an  absolute  necessity 
until  the  dog  had  learned  to  recognise  someone 
as  his  master.  Then,  everything  having  been 
arranged  for  their  feeding  and  comfort,  I  set 
about  retracing  my  steps,  and  saw  no  more  of 
the  pair  until  I  joined  the  steamer  at  Marseilles, 
ten  days  later.  The  first  news  I  received  when 
I  went  on  board  was  not  very  encouraging,  for 
it  seemed  that  as  soon  as  they  got  to  sea 
Cerberus  had  managed  to  wriggle  out  of  his 
muzzle  and  slip  his  collar.  Then,  finding  himself 
at  liberty,  he  took  possession  of  the  entire  ship. 

He  first  drove  the  crew  to  seek  refuge  in 
the  rigging,  and  after  making  several  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  get  at  some  sheep  that  were 
being  carried  for  butchering  aboard,  he  patrolled 
the  deck  with  a  watchful  eye  on  the  men  aloft. 


II 


CKKUKRUS    PATROLI.EIi     I  HI.   UKCK    V.ITII    A    WATCHFUL    I  VE   ON     TMH    MEN    AlciFl. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  QUEEN II'  AND  THE  COUNT. 


461 


The  discipline  of  the  vessel  was  wholl)'  tluown 
out  of  order,  and  it  was  evident  that  such  a  state 
of  affairs  could  not  be  tolerated.  With  a 
readiness  and  resource  thoroughly  characteristic 
of  a  seaman,  the  captain  hit  upon  a  plan  for  the 
capture  of  the  dog,  and  the  carpenter,  a  fine 
old  Swede,  who  had  been  used  to  dogs  all  his 
life,  volunteered  to  carry  it  out.  Armed  with  a 
tempting  bone  he  succeeded  in  coaxing  the  dog 
up  to  his  kennel.  He  then  threw  the  bone  into 
the  farthest  corner,  and  the  Count  scrambled 
after  it  with  a  warning  growl.  But  before  he  had 
time  to  turn  round  the  carpenter  swung  a  large 
empty  box,  that  he  had  placed  handy  for  the 
purpose,  across  the  entrance,  and  the  dog  was 
safely  shut  up. 

Then  the  crew  descended   from   their  places 
of  refuge  in  the  rigging,  and  a  couple  of  them 
helped    the     carpenter     to     fasten 
strips  of  boarding  across  the  door- 
way of  the  kennel,  thus  converting 
it  into  a  cage. 

This  accomplished  the  box  was 
removed,  and  the  dog  left  to  reflect 
on  the  loss  of  his  brief  liberty. 
No  doubt  his  reflections  were  not 
pleasing  to  him,  for  one  of  the 
sailors  told  me  that  "  'e  growled 
something  orful  whenever  anyone 
passed  'is  cage,  and  was  always 
struggling  to  get  out." 

When  I  approached  him  he  flew 
at  the  bars  in  a  very  savage  way, 
and  drove  his  strong  white  teeth 
into  them  in  a  manner  that  made 
me  glad  to  be  outside.  However, 
I  managed  to  quiet  him  somewhat 
by  talking  to  him  soothingly,  and 
then  I  consulted  with  the  carpenter 
as  to  how  to  get  him  out,  for  it  was 
evident  that  the  poor  fellow  must 
have  exercise.  The  old  Swede  told 
me  that  he  was  not  at  all  afraid  of 
dogs  ;  that  he  had  frequently  had 
charge  of  many  to  take  across  the 
Atlantic ;  and  that  he  was  ready  to 
assist  me  in  any  way  I  suggested. 
"  For,"  said  he,  compassionately,  ''  the  dog  can't 
be  left  shut  up  in  there  all  the  time,  poor 
fellow,  or  he'll  die." 

It  was  too  late  in  the  day  for  anything  to  be 
done  just  then,  but  next  morning  we  set  to 
work,  and  by  first  removing  one  bar,  which  just 
allowed  him  room  to  put  his  head  out,  we  got 
him  muzzled.  Next  his  collar  was  put  on  and 
his  chain  secured  ;  then  the  bars  were  taken 
away  and  he  was  led  out,  rejoicing  greatly  in 
his  liberty.  Apparently  the  rough  voyage  he 
had    been     through,     together    with     his     past 


experience,  had  sobered  him  down  somewhat, 
for  he  was  certainly  on  his  best  behaviour  then, 
and  gambolled  about  the  deck  as  friskily  as  a 
young  kid.  As  we  became  better  acquainted 
he  rubbed'himself  against  me  and  tried  so  hard 
to  show  that  he  was  the  quietest  and  best  of 
dogs  that  I  took  quite  a  fancy  to  him,  and  after 
a  little  while  took  off  his  muzzle — still  keeping 
him  on  the  chain,  of  course.  Still  he  seemed 
docile  enough,  and  allowed  himself  to  be  led 
about  quite  quietly. 

When  the  luncheon  bell  summoned  me  below 
I  secured  him  to  a  ring  in  the  deck  and  left 
him,  feeling  perfectly  satisfied  that  I  should  be 
able  to  handle  him  all  right  thenceforward. 

After  lunch  I  went  to  my  cabin  (which  had 
a  porthole  that  opened  out  on  to  the  deck 
forward)    to  see  how  the  Count  was  behaving 


HtKE    WE   SEE 

Front  a\    the 


SOME  OF   THE    PERSIAN    PASSENGERS   ON    BOAKD   THE    "  AKABISTAN,  ' 
VESSEL  ON    WHICH   CERBERUS    HAD    SUCH    STIRRING   TIMES.       [Photo. 

himself,  when,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  him  pro- 
menading the  deck  at  his  pleasure.  He  had 
evidently  just  slipped  his  collar  again,  although 
I  had  carefully  examined  it  before  leaving  him 
and  it  had  seemed  perfectly  secure. 

Of  course  I  knew  that  it  would  be  necessary 
to  secure  him  at  once,  so  I  hurried  up  on  deck 
and  called  him  to  me.  He  ran  up  in  quite  a 
friendly  way,  wagging  his  tail;  but  immediately 
rushed  off  again  to  finish  a  piece  of  biscuit  he 
had  been  eating.  Knowing  it  would  be  better 
to  let  him  finish  his  food  in  peace  I  waited  for 


462 


THE    WIDE    WOKl.l)    MAGAZINE. 


him  to  do  so,  talking  (juietly  to  him,  while  he 
continued  wagging  his  tail  all  the  lime.  When 
he  had  linished  Tcalled  him  again,  holding  the 
collar  in  readiness  to  slip  over  his  head.  He 
came  bounding  playfully  to  me,  still  wagging  his 
great  tail  and  apparently  gentle  as  a  kitten  ;  but 
no  sooner  did  I  move  the  collar 
than — before  I  had  time  to  think 
of  treachery — he  seized  my  left 
hand  and  crushed  it  terribly  in 
his  tremendous  jaws. 

Anyone  who  has  ever  been 
bitten  by  a  large  dog  will  know 
what  a  horrible  sensation  this 
crushing  process  is.  The  tearing 
is  nothing  to  it,  but  the  pressure 
is  almost  unbearably  painful. 
Fortunately,  I  realized  that  if  I 
attempted  to  draw  my  hand  away 
it  would  only  make  matters  worse, 
so  I  made  a  grab  at  his  throat 
with  my  right  hand,  which  was 
free.  But,  quick  as  I  was,  the 
Count  was  quicker,  and,  drop- 
ping my  left  hand,  he  snapped 
on  the  right.  I  saw  at  once  that 
since  I  could  not  save  myself 
from  being  bitten  the  best  thing 
to  do  was  to  let  him  have  my 
sleeve  first.  So,  as  he  closed 
his  jaws,  I  thrust  my  arm  as  far 
into  his  throat  as  I  could,  thus 
preventing  him  from  closing  his 
mouth  so  firmly  as  before  ;  but, 
nevertheless,  he  hung  on,  growl- 
ing in  savage  manner  the  while. 

There  was  nobody  else  about 
at  that  part  of  the  ship  just  then, 
and  I  had  to  get  on  with  the 
brute  as  best  I  could.  I  tried  to  get  a  hold 
on  his  tongue,  but  he  at  once  shook  my 
arm  in  such  a  {)ainful  way  that  I  desisted 
immediately.  All  the  demon  in  him  was 
now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  I  realized  that 
if  he  managed  to  get  me  by  the  throat,  or 
knock  me  down,  it  would  be  a  pretty  bad  thing 
for  me.  I  therefore  looked  around  for  some- 
thing to  serve  as  a  weapon,  but  in  vain.  Then 
it  struck  me  that  if  I  could  throw  the  dog  off 
his  feet  it  might  cow  him.  The  decks  were 
rather  slippery  at  the  time,  which  proved  a  most 
fortunate  thing  for  me,  as  it  aided  me  in  the 
fulfilment  of  my  purpose. 

The  dog  had  a  good  hold  of  my  arm, 
although  I  fancy  he  was  not  very  comfortable 
over  it,  as  I  had  managed  to  thrust  my  fist  well 
into  the  back  of  his  throat. 

Bracing  myself  firmly  on  my  feet  I  made  an 
effort,  and  managed  to  lift  him  on  to  his  hind 


legs  ;  although  it  naturally  caused  a  good  deal 
of  pain  to  do  so.  Then,  throwing  myself 
forward,  1  bent  my  assailant  backward  until  I 
thought  his  spine  would  snap.  Evidently  not 
liking  this  treatment  he  let  go  of  me  and  fell 
back  heavily  on  the  deck,  striking  his  head  with 


TIIKOWINIJ    MYSELF    FORWAUD,    I    BENT   MY   ASSAILANT    BACKWARD    UNTIL    I    THOUGHT 

HIS   SPINE   WOULD   SNAP." 


considerable  violence.  This  seemed  to  take  the 
fight  out  of  him,  for  he  picked  himself  up  and 
slunk  off  to  his  kennel  immediately,  where  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  secured  easily  enough. 

Naturally  the  incident  caused  a  regular  stir  on 
board  ;  and  the  skipper  declined  to  allow  the 
dog  to  be  taken  out  of  his  kennel  any  more. 
My  hands  and  right  forearm  w-ere  in  a  bad 
way,  but  I  washed  them  well  in  hot  water  and 
then  had  them  cauterized,  after  which  they  were 
dressed  with  iodoform  and  lint. 

For  some  time  after  this  event  I  did  not  feel 
inclined  to  have  any  further  dealings  with  the 
Count ;  but  when  I  heard  that  he  was  not  on 
any  account  to  be  allowed  out  of  his  kennel 
again  during  the  voyage,  I  could  not  help  feel- 
ing sorry  for  him.  The  close  confinement  cer- 
tainly did  not  improve  his  temper.  At  Port 
Said  and  Suez,  and  indeed  at  every  port  that  we 
touched  at,   he  and    Queenie  were    objects   of 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  QUEENIE  AND  THE  COUNT. 


463 


terrified  interest  to  all  the  coolies  and  natives 
who  came  aboard  ;  and,  on  their  part,  both 
dogs  evinced  intense  dislike  for  the  dark-skinned 
people.  Even  Queenie  had  to  be  secured, 
while  the  Count  was  like  a  mad  thing,  barking 
and  growling  and  doing  his  very  best  to  force 
his  way  out  of  the  cage  to  get  at  them. 

This  promised  well  for  his  usefulness  in  camp, 
but  made  him  extremely  unpopular  aboard, 
especially  with  the  men  in  charge  of  the 
donkey-engine,  which  was  just  in  front  of  his 
kennel.  These  good  fellows  resented  the  din 
that  he  made  as  much  as  he  seemed  to  resent 
the  rattle  of  their  engine. 

However,  all  went  well  until  we  got  to 
Djibouti  —  that  miserable,  fever -stricken  little 
"  colony  "  that 
is  held  by  the 
French  as  an 
offset  to  our  own 
Aden.  Here  we 
stopped  to  un- 
load an  iron 
lighter  and  a 
quantity  of  rail- 
way material  for 
the  railroad  that 
is  to  do  such 
wonders  for 
Abyssinia. 

At  this  place 
the  Count  caused 
quite  a  panic 
aboard  by  man- 
aging to  tear  a 
way  out  of  his 
kennel  and  get- 
ting at  large 
again.  It  was 
fortunate  that 
none  of  the 
shore  natives 
were  on  the  boat 
at  the  time,  for  all  day  the  Count  had  been 
nearly  frantic  at  the  sight  of  them,  and  would 
certainly  have  done  a  mischief  to  some  of  them 
had  he  but  had  the  chance. 

His  ire  had  been  especially  roused  by  a  set  of 
diving-boys,  who  had  come  off  to  get  backsheesh 
out  of  the  passengers,  and  had  amused  us  all 
(except  the  Count)  by  their  skill  in  the  water 
and  their  singing  of  such  songs  as  "  Daisy  Bell," 
"  Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay,"  and  "  The  Man  that 
Broke  the  Bank  at  Monte  Carlo."  It  may  have 
been  the  singing  of  these  youngsters,  or  it  may 
have  been  merely  the  general  excitement  of  the 
day's  work,  that  drove  the  dog  into  such  a  state 
of  frenzy  that  at  last  he  managed  to  tear  up  two 
of  the  flooring-boards  of  his   cage  and  sc^ueeze 


ANuTilEK    INCIDENT   OF    AN    EVENTI  Ul, 

Frotn  a 


his  way  through  the  aperture.  How  he  managed 
it  we  could  not  make  out ;  but  manage  it  he 
did,  and  just  after  dinner  I  was  asked  to  go  up 
on  deck,  as  "that  awful  dog"  was  loose  again. 
I  went  up  at  once  and  found  him  wandering 
about  the  decks,  not  offering  to  attack  anyone, 
but  growling  at  those  who  attempted  to  go  near 
him. 

While  I  was  meditating  how  best  to  deal  with 
the  dilemma  the  carpenter  was  repairing  the 
damaged  floor  of  the  cage  and  inspecting  it  with 
a  view  to  finding  any  other  weak  spots.  To  be 
perfecdy  candid,  I  did  not  relish  the  idea  of 
tackling  the  huge  and  savage  brute  again.  The 
old  proverb,  "  Once  bit,  twice  shy,"  applied  to 
my  case  very  aptly,  indeed.     I  had  my  revolver 

on  me  ready  for 
emergencies,  but 
was  naturally 
loth  to  shoot 
the  animal  after 
we  had  had  so 
much  bother  to 
get  him  so  far 
and  wanted  him 
so  badly  after- 
wards. More- 
over it  must  be 
understood  that 
he  did  not  be- 
long to  me,  but 
to  the  head  of 
the  expedition. 
I  had  merely 
taken  charge  of 
him  because  I 
am  fond  of  dogs 
and  have  had 
a  lot  of  them 
nearly  all  my  life. 
The  anchor 
had  just  been 
got  in,  and  the 
captain  was  up  on  the  bridge  personally  taking 
us  out  of  the  harbour,  which  is  a  very  nasty 
place  to  get  in  or  out  of ;  but  he  sent  down 
word— "with  his  compliments  "—that  if  the 
dog  was  not  caged  at  once  he  would  have  to 
shoot  him  as  soon  as  he  could  leave  the  bridge. 
Darkness  was  fast  settling  down  upon  us,  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  Count  had  to  be  got  into 
his  kennel  at  once  somehow  or  another.  ^^  hile 
I  was  debating  in  my  own  mind  whether  it 
would  be  safe  to  try  force  on  him,  and  not  half 
relishing  the  idea,  the  beast  came  strolling  up 
to  me  •  and  actually  licked  my  hand— stfll 
bandaged  up.  I  am  open  to  admit  that  I  felt 
decidedly  uncomfortable  at  that  moment. 

Just  then  the  chief  engineer  carne  aft  carrying 


VOYAGE- 
Photo. 


-DIVING    BOYS   AT    DJIBOUTI. 


464 


THE    WTDK    WORT.D    ATAGAZINE. 


a  wlvp  of  some  sort,  which  he  proceeded  to 
crack  smartly.  'J'he  dog  looked  slmrply  round, 
but  appeared  unable  to  distinguish  whence  the 
sound  came.     Then  to  my  great  surprise,   and 


From  a\ 


THE   AUTHOR    AND   QUF.ENIE   ABOUT   TO    I.AM). 


Still  greater  relief,  he  turned  away  and  went 
quietly  to  his  kennel,  where  he  allowed  himself 
to  be  secured  again. 

The  only  regrettable  incident  on  this  occasion 
was  that  the  engineer,  elated  by  the 
success  of  his  experiment,  declared  that 
he  would  undertake  to  feed  the  Count. 
Despite  warnings  and  protestations  he 
proceeded  to  do  so  ;  and  having  in- 
cautiously put  his  hand  a  little  way 
into  the  cage,  lie  got  his  thumb  bitten 
right  through.  After  that  we  all  agreed 
that  the  animal  was  too  treacherous 
and  unreliable  to  be  dealt  with  other- 
wise than  as  a  hardened  offender  ;  and 
he  was  kept  bo.\ed  up  until  we  got 
to  Busreh,  in  the  Persian  Oulf,  where 
we  were  to  quit  the  boat. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  excitement 
caused  by  the  Count's  arrival  in  that 
insalubrious  Turkish  port. 

Queenie  was  landed  easily  enough 
in  a  belium — a  local  form  of  the  caiqtte. 
But  it  was  some  trouble  to  sling  his 
Countship's  house  into  another  boat ; 
and  the  fuss  he  made  during  the 
process— especially  when  he  was  swung 
over  the  side  of  the  ship  by  the  crane 
— baffles  description.  His  kennel  was 
strained  in  the  process  of  lifting,  and  he  as 
nearly  as  possible  got  out  ;  but  our  friend  the 
carpenter  patched  up  the  damage   once   more  ; 


and  we  set  off  up  I'.usreh  creek  in  our  boats. 
News  of  tlic  arrival  of  two  "  strange  wild 
animals  "'  had  spread  all  over  the  town  during 
the  ten  days  that  we  liad  liecn  lying  in 
(|uarantine  in  the  river  ;  and  our 
l)rogress  up  to  the  American 
mission  -  house,  where  we  were 
the  guests  of  the  missionaries, 
was  watched  by  half  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  town.  Turks  and 
Arabs,  Indians  and  Persians, 
Greeks,  Armenians,  and  Jews  all 
stared  open-mouthed  at  Queenie 
and  the  cage  in  which  her  lord 
was  tearing  and  snarling  at  the 
bars.  The  boatmen  of  the  craft 
he  was  on  were  in  mortal  terror 
lest  he  should  succeed  in  getting 
out,  and  were  prepared  to  jump 
overboard  at  a  moment's  notice. 
However,  he  reached  his  desti- 
nation safely,  and  after  he  had 
grown  calmer  we  let  him  out  of 
the  box,  adopting  the  same  pre- 
cautions as  before.  Exercise  on 
the  chain  did  him  good,  but  his 
muzzle  was  never  removed,  even 
when  he  was  fed.  While  he  was  being  led  about 
he  was  always  fairly  tractable,  but  when  he  was 
once  chained  up  it  was  quite  a  difficult  matter 
to  get  near  enough  to  feed  him  or  unchain  him 


[riwto. 


Pront  a\ 


GOING    ASHORE    AT    liUSREH. 


[Photo. 


again.  Although  the  muzzle  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  bite  anyone,  he  would  always  spring 
at  them,  and  his  claws  were  nastv  things  to  get 


THE  ADVENTURES  OK  QUEENIE  ANJ)  THE  COUNT 


46; 


a  scratch  from.  At  Busreh  he  was  "all  the 
town's  talk "  during  our  stay  there ;  and  on 
board  the  river  steamer  up  to  Bagdad  his  repu- 
tation was  such  that  no  one  would  go  near  that 
part  of  the  vessel  where  he  was  chained  up. 
The  pilgrims  en  route  for  Nedjef  and  Kerbellah 
especially  fought  shy  of  him,  which  was  a  bless- 
ing for  us,  as  we  had  only  to  lead  him  about 
in  order  to  clear  the  way  whenever  we  wanted 
to  take  a  walk  on  the  crowded  decks. 

No  doubt  the  Moslem  idea  that  a  dog  is  an 
unclean  animal  had  something  to  do  with  this  ; 
but  I  noticed  that  when  Queenie  trotted  about 
the  natives  would  not  trouble  to  get  out  of  her 
way,  and  would  even  sometimes  feed  her ; 
whereas,  when  the  Count  took  his  promenades, 
they  always  scuttled  off  like  sheep  before  a  wolf, 


caught  sight  of  him  straining  at  his  chain  than 
they  fled  to  places  of  safety.  Never  have  I  got 
through  the  crowded  bazaars  and  narrow  alleys 
of  Bagdad  so  easily  and  quickly  as  I  did  that 
day.  The.  dog  seemed  highly  pleased  with  the 
impression  he  had  created,  and  was  very  good 
tempered  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  We,  too, 
were  glad  to  have  his  reputation  noised  abroad^ 
for  it  was  certain  to  speedily  reach  the  field  of 
our  future  operations,  where  it  was  bound  to 
have  an  excellent  moral  effect. 

He  speedily  made  himself  at  home  in  the 
house  that  had  been  secured  for  our  temporary 
quarters ;  but  grew  no  more  amiable  as  he 
became  better  acquainted  with  us. 

I  recall  one  funny  scene  that  occurred  soon 
after    our    arrival    in   Bagdad.      The   manager 


AS    I    LED    HIM    THROUGH    THE   STREETS  AND    BAZAARS   THE    PEOPLE   ALL    DISAPPEARED   AS   IF    BY   MAGIC. 


and  many  were  the  curses  hurled  at  him,  and  at 

us,  by  the  pious  followers  of  Mahomet. 

In  Bagdad  again  "he    caused  a   tremendous 

sensation    on    his    arrival,    and   as    I    led   him 

through  the  streets  and  bazaars  the  people  all 

disappeared  at   his  approach   as  if  by   magic. 

The   sukkahs  (or   water-carriers)   turned   their 

donkeys   down    by-ways ;    the  women-folk  and 

children    made   off  screaming ;    the  merchants 

and   their  customers    took    refuge    in    the    tiny 

shops ;    and  even  the  beggars,  on  the  lookout 

for  new-comers  as  they  always  are,  no  sooner 
Vol.  vi.— 53. 


and  assistant-manager  of  the  Imperial  Ottoman 
Bank  came  to  call  on  us,  escorted  by  the  bank 
caivass,  a  fine  specimen  of  the  better  class  of 
Turk.  This  official  wore  a  picturesque  uniform 
and  carried  a  handsome  sword.  As  the  party 
crossed  the  courtyard  they  passed  rather  near 
to  the  dog,  who  was  chained  to  one  of  the 
wooden  pillars  that  supported  a  balcony  above. 
The  savage  brute  thereupon  made  a  business- 
like spring  at  the  cazvass.  Instantly  the  Turk 
sprang  back  and  drew  his  sword,  with  the 
intention  of  giving  the  dog  a  taste  of  its  quality. 


466 


THi:    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


"he  danced  round,  brandishing  his  sword,  while  the  dog 
legs  and  i'awed  frantically  at  him." 


The  sight  of  the  steel  in  no  wise  alarmed 
Cerberus,  however,  who  tugged  at  his  chain  and 
growled  defiance  at  his  opponent. 

Much  amused  at  the  tableau,  our  callers  told 
the  canvass  not  to  touch  the  dog ;  but  he  could 
not  refrain  from  making  a  few  passes  in  the  face 
of  the  "  unclean  animal,"  and  the  way  he  danced 
round,  brandishing  his  sword,  while  the  dog 
stood  on  his  hind  legs  and  pawed  frantically  at 
him,  was  extremely  amusing  to  see. 

It  was  a  matter  of  some  litde  difficulty  to  get 
the  servants  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  two 
animals ;  and  the  task  of  finding  a  man  to  make 
muzzles  for  the  Count  seeemed  well-nigh  hope- 
less. We  wanted  to  get  half-a-dozen  leather 
muzzles  made  for  liim,  because  the  wire  one  that 
he  had  on  was  evidently  hurting  him,  and  he  wore 
out  leather  ones  by  constant  rubbings  ;  but  it 
was  a  difficult  matter,  for  nobody  in  Bagdad 
had  ever  done  such  work  before,  and  everyone 
declared  that  they  could  not  do  it  then.  But 
at  last  a  man  was  found  who  succeeded  in 
making  some  very  fair  muzzles  after  the  pattern 
we  gave  him. 

AVhen  they  were  tried  on  the  dog  had  to  be 
held  firmly  by  the  collar  by  two  of  us,  while  a 
third  person  fixed  the  muzzle  in  place  ;  and  he 
always  tried  his  best  to  get  a  bite  at  one  or 
other  c#  us  during  the  process. 

He  was  a  terrible  trouble  in  many  ways,  and 


STOOD   ON    HIS    HIND 


evidently  too  hardened  in 
savagery  to  ever  become  docile. 
Unfortunately  an  attack  of 
typhoid  prevented  me  from 
going  on  with  the  party  when 
they  left  Bagdad  ;  but  I  heard 
by  post  all  about  the  adven- 
tures of  the  Count  on  the 
road  ;  and,  after  my  recovery, 
on  my  journey  down  to  our 
camp  I  was  told  many  strange 
things  concerning  his  size, 
strength,  and  ferocity  by  the 
people  on  the  route,  who  did 
not  expect  that  I  could  have 
told  them  just  how  much  truth 
they  wrapped  up  in  their 
fictions.  One  zaptieh  said  to 
me  :  "  By  Allah,  he  was  large 
as  a  lion,  and  as  fierce";  then, 
emphatically,  "  Ah,  he  was  a 
dog."  It  seems  that  Queenie 
ran  all  the  way  from  Bagdad 
to  Hillah,  a  distance  of  about 
forty-five  miles,  and,  although 
rather  tired,  very  soon  picked 
up  again  ;  whereas  Cerberus 
had  to  be  taken  up  into  the 
cart,  absolutely  exhausted  in  a 
very  short  time.  From  Hillah  the  journey  was 
continued  by  boat  down  the  Euphrates.  The 
Count's  experiences  on  the  road  had  so  tired 
him  that  for  some  days  after  his  arrival  in  the 
camp  he  was  remarkably  quiet,  and  allowed 
himself  to  be  handled  quite  freely.  But  he 
soon  reverted  to  his  old  savage  ways,  and  his 
name  became  a  terror  to  the  neighbourhood. 
Whenever  he  was  taken  out  for  exercise  over 
the  mounds  that  we  were  excavating  all  the 
workmen  gave  him  a  very  wide  berth ;  and  on 
one  or  two  occasions  when  he  bfoke  his  chain 
and  bounded  about  the  place,  in  his  delight  at 
being  free,  he  caused  a  perfect  panic. 

The  sheiks  of  the  neighbourhood,  who  came 
to  call  on  the  party,  were  all  very  anxious  to  see 
him,  for  his  fame  had  gone  before  him,  as  we 
had  anticipated  it  would  do.  One  of  them 
asked  :  "  What  kind  of  animal  is  that  ?  "  On 
being  told  that  it  was  a  dog  he  laughed  con- 
temptuously and  replied  :  "  No,  no  !  I've  seen 
many  dogs,  but  never  such  a  one.  Perhaps 
he  is  a  lion,  but  he  certainly  is  not  a  dog." 

About  a  month  after  the  party  reached  the 
camp  Queenie  gave  birth  to  twelve  puppies, 
but  none  of  them  turned  out  well.  Probably 
the  reason  was  because  it  was  too  great  a  strain 
for  her  to  care  for  them  properly  in  such  a  hot 
climate,  although  she  made  a  most  excellent 
mother.     An  act  of  genuine   kindness  towards 


I 


THE  ai)Vj:nj'l;ri:s  ov  queenie  and  the  count. 


467 


these  little  dogs,  on  the  part  of  one  of  the 
servants,  must  be  recorded  here,  for  it  shows 
how  truly  humane  the  "  terrible  Turk "  can 
be  at  times,  even  towards  a  dog. 

When  the  puppies  were  about  three  days  old 
the  director  of  the  expedition  had  occasion 
to  give  some  instructions  to  the  head  man, 
Mustapha,  very  late  in  the  evening,  after  every- 
one had  retired  to  rest.  Not  wishing  to  call  up 
the  man,  who  was  suffering  from  a  bad  cold,  he 
went  down  to  his  quarters,  but  was  surprised  to 
find  them  empty.  Subsequent  search  revealed 
Mustapha  curled  up  in  Queenie's  inclosure, 
with  the  twelve  puppies  nestled  up  against  him, 
all  wrapped  in  his  overcoat.  When  asked  why 
he  exposed  himself  to  the  risks  of  making  his 
cold  very  much  worse  he  replied,  "  Queenie 
c/ioA  tired  "  {i.e.,  Queenie  is  very  tired),  "  and 
the  puppies  worry  her,  so  I  thought  I  would 
keep  them  quiet  and  warm  and  let  her  have  a 
sleep  !  " 

Some  of  these  puppies  are  now  in  Bagdad, 
some  in  Busreh,  and  several  are  dead. 

Count  Cerberus  himself  died  rather  myste- 
riously, after  being  ailing  for  only  a  few  days 
with  what  appeared  to  be  nothing  worse  than  a 


slight   cold.       Poor    brute,    he    died    with    liis 
muzzle  on — in  harness,  so  to  speak. 

Queenie  survived  all  the  trials  of  the  climate 
and  other  discomforts,  and  returned  to  Bagdad 
when  the  work  was  temporarily  given  u[)  in  May 
of  last  year.  But  subsequently  the  long  and 
trying  journey  overland  from  Bagdad  to  Aleppo 
proved  too  much  for  her,  and  she  died  two  days' 
journey  from  the  latter  city. 

Undoubtedly,  the  pair  served  a  useful  pur- 
pose as  watch-dogs  for  the  party,  for  their 
reputation  in  the  neighbourhood  was  certainly 
sufficient  to  keep  off  any  but  the  most  hardy 
and  daring  thief. 

Poor  Queenie's  death  was  greatly  regretted  by 
all  the  party  ;  but  her  companion  was  too  greatly 
feared  to  be  loved.  Nevertheless,  there  was 
something  tragic  in  his  death  so  far  away  from 
his  fatherland  and  the  scene  of  his  past  triumphs. 
His  remains  are  buried  amongst  the  bones  and 
relics  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  in  the 
world  ;  and  perhaps  at  some  future  time  they 
may  be  dug  up  by  enterprising  archcxologists, 
and  adduced  as  proof  of  the  Deification  of  the 
Dog  in  ancient  Babylonia  on  similar  lines  to 
the  Cult  of  the  Cat  in  old  Egypt. 


/•>  ow  a] 


THE   AUTHOR,    WITH    SO.ME  OF    THE    NATIVE   SERVANTS   OK    THE   EXPEDITION. 


iPhoio. 


h 


The    Strange   Household   of   Wainoni, 

Bv  Miss  Constanck  Barnicoat,  of  New  Zealand. 

This  is  a  complete  and  detailed  description  of  a  Federative  Home—the  dream  and  design  of 
Professor  A.  W.  Bickerton,  of  Christchurch,  New  Zealand.  The  inmates  of  the  Home  have 
everything  in  common,  and  many  of  them  live  in  elegant  paper  houses  invented  by  the  Professor 
— from  whom,  by  the  way,  the  authoress  procured  all  her  information.  The  photographs  (by  Mr. 
W.  Bickerton)   will  be  found  exceptionally  bright  and  interesting. 


■  X  the  wide  Canterbury  Plains,  near 
the  pretty  town  of  Christchurch,  in 
the  south  of  New  Zealand,  a  most 
intere-Sting  experiment  is  being 
carried  on.  So  far  it  is  distinctly 
successful.  Christchurch,  besides  having  a 
cathedral,  has  also  a  University,  and  is  a  hot- 
bed of  all  sorts  of  unorthodox  beliefs,  revo- 
lutionary,    socialistic. 


scientific;  and  there  are 
probably  few  forms  of 
faith  and  unfaith  not 
represented  at  its  Uni- 
versity College,  where 
the  chair  of  chemistry 
and  physics  is  filled  by 
Professor  A.  \\'.  Bicker- 
ton, the  originator  of 
the  idea  of  Federative 
Homes  and  the  author 
of  many  other  novel  and 
striking  scientific  and 
social  experiments.  His 
astronomical  theories 
are  now  finding  much 
acceptance  in  England. 

The  keynote  of  the 
Professor's  philosophy 
is  to  be  found  in  some 
doggerel  lines  written 
by  one  of  his  students  ; 
for,  squabble  as  they 
may  over  their  other 
teachers,  they  all  agree 
in  devotion  to  the 
altruistic  autocrat  of 
the  science  rooms. 

The  Professor's  face  is  that  of  a  thinker  and 
a  philanthropist,  with  the  broad  space  between 
the  eyes  which  Lombroso  recently  said  was 
always  to  be  noticed  in  all  idealists.  His  attempt 
to  "  solve  the  difficulties  and  anxieties  of  the 
present  style  of  living  "  is  but  one  of  the  many 
interesting  experiments  in  which  he  has  engaged. 
Long  years  of  thought  upon  the  social  ills  that 
we  have  made  our  flesh  heir  to  have  resulted 
in    the    Professor's    establishing   a    Federative 


PROFESSOR     A.     \V.     lilCKERTON,      THE     KOUNDEK     OF     THE 
FEDERATIVE    HOJIE. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Statidish  Pj-eece,  Christchurch,  N.Z. 


Home  at  his  own  private  residence,  some  miles 
out  of  Christchurch.  Professor  Bickerton  had 
best  explain  his  own  idea. 

"  The  members  of  the  Co-operative  or 
Federative  Home  believe  that  living  as  they  do 
insures  to  them  a  true  privacy  impossible  to  be 
obtained  in  the  detached  household.  Lone- 
liness,     too,      is     banished,     and      a     life     of 

greater      social      unity, 

i       richer    in     beauty    and 

in  the  enjoyment  of  all 
forms  of  art,  may  be 
lived  with  less  expendi- 
ture than  in  the  extreme 
duplication  of  the  iso- 
lated home.  They  say 
the  manifest  folly  of  a 
row  of  a  hundred  tene- 
ment houses,  in  each  of 
which  an  overworked, 
weary  wife,  assisted  by 
restless  babies,  is  cook- 
ing on  one  of  a  hun- 
dred separate  stoves, 
can  hardly  be  beaten  ; 
where  a  hundred  little, 
poky  parlours  have  to 
be  dusted  and  kept  in 
order  because  of  the 
possible  intrusion  of 
the  casual  visitor;  where 
to  each  home  is  the 
separate  dust-heap  and 
aesthetic  rubbish  -  box 
awaiting  the  dust-cart ; 
where  the  hundred  little 
gutters  or  drains  have 
to  be  flushed  and  swept,  and  kept  fit  for  the 
eyes  of  the  vigilant  inspector;  where  a  united 
waste  of  material,  of  energy,  of  time,  and  of 
good  human  life  is  so  appalling  that  it  is 
only  by  not  thinking  about  it  that  it  is  possible 
it  continues." 

There  could  hardly  be  a  more  charming 
site  for  such  a  home  than  that  of  Professor 
Bickerton's  house,  which  is  known  as  Wainoni, 
a  Maori  word  meaning  the   bend  of  the  water. 


THE    STRANGE    HOUSEHOLD    OF    WAINONI. 


469 


for  the  silvery  River  Avon,  as  it  flows  past, 
makes  a  complete  horseshoe  in  its  course. 
From  the  house  there  is  a  view  across  sixty 
miles  of  the  great  Canterbury  Plains,  away  to 
the  snow-covered  Southern  Alps  of  New  Zealand 
— one  of  those  immense,  far-stretching  views 
seen  only  in  a  land  where  such  is  the  clearness 
of  the  atmosphere  that  the  eye  can  see  literally 
as  far  as  the  rotundity  of  the  earth  will  allow. 
In  winter  the  Southern  Alps  are  as  a  great  white 
wall  against  the  blue  sky ;  in  summer  they 
change   to  every   shade   of   purple,    blue,   and 


mauve. 


The   Federative    Home,   composed  partly  of 
Professor  Bickerton's  original  house  and  partly 


planted  thick  with  spicy-smelling  pines  and 
firs,  already  grown  to  great  height  and  ojrth. 
Beeches  and  sycamores  are  also  planted,  but  do 
not  thrive  so  well  as  pines  upon  the  sandy  soil. 
You  can  walk  for  miles  under  the  firs,  on 
ground  carpeted  with  moss  and  pine-needles, 
and  gay  in  spring  with  daffodils  and  narcissus. 
Grass  will  only  grow  gradually,  but  the  sand- 
hills are  covered  with  a  kind  of  sea-plant  called 
"pig's  foot,"  for  Wainoni  is  only  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  by  bicycle  from  the  open  Pacific.  Such 
are  the  scenes  in  which  the  Federators  live  and 
have  their  being. 

And  this  home,  encircled  by  i)ines  and  em- 
bowerea    in    roses— upon  what  principles  is   it 


From  d\ 


A    FRONT   VIEW   OF    THE    HO.MK,    SHOWING    I'ART   OF   THE   GARDEN. 


{Photo. 


ot  buildings  added  in  consequence  of  large 
and  continuous  increases  of  his  miscellaneous 
family,  is  a  mass  of  white  buildings — wooden, 
of  course,  and  one-storied,  and  built  upon 
terraces  of  the  brightest  flowers.  And  flowers 
are  bright,  indeed,  in  that  sunny  southern  land. 
In  front  there  is  a  beautiful  garden,  where 
English  roses  twine  round  New  Zealand  cabbage 
trees,  and  native  flax,  tropical  palms,  and 
Mexican  yuccas  unite  to  adorn  the  smooth  and 
daisied  lawns.  The  brilliant  sunshine,  the 
rarefied  air,  and  deep  blue  sky  are  those  of 
Italy,  not  of  England.  Roses  grow  as  they 
never  do  in  these  chill  isles.  In  the  warm 
southern  sun  many  a  plant  flourishes  out  of 
doors  that  can  hardly  be  coaxed  to  live  in 
England,  even  in  a  conservatory.  And  yet  only 
fourteen  years  ago,  when  the  future  founder  of 
a  Federative  Home  bought  Wainoni,  it  was 
but  thirty  acres  of  barren  sandhills,  with 
not  a  tree  or  a  flower.     Now,   however,    it   is 


worked?      The   best  way  to   establish   such   a 
home,  its  founder  thinks,   is  to  do  very  much 
as   he   has,    in   fact,   done   himself — to   find   a 
moderately    large    piece  of  land,   with   a  fairly 
large  house  upon  it,  this  house  to  be  the  centre, 
with    which    the    children's    quarters,    sleeping- 
rooms,    kitchens,    laundries,   dining   and    social 
halls  could  be  connected  by  corridors.      The 
Professor's  own  house,  designed  like  no  other 
house  that  anyone  ever  saw,  is  the  nucleus  of 
the  home.      Reserving  a  few  rooms  for  himself 
and    his    family,    the    large    drawing-room,    the 
brilliant   and    lovely    conservatory,   the    dining- 
room,  and  the  social  hall  are  all  shared  by  the 
Federators   and    his    own    family    in    common. 
Everyone  uses  them  alike,  and  all  receive  their 
friends  in  them  without  distinction  of  caste  or 
rank.     The  entrance-hall  is  a  large  conservatory, 
full  of  gorgeous  flowering  plants,  palms,  and  tall 
tree  ferns  from  the  native  bush. 

At  four  o'clock  everyone  meets  in  the  drawing- 


I 


470 


THE    WIDi:    WORLD    .MACA/INE 


•^^^    ^^^S^Z^^^^mf^'- 


Froin  a\ 


IHK    KNTKAN,E-H.\LL    IS   A    I.AKGE   CONSEiiVATc  IRV,    KUl.I,   Ol-'    CORGEOUS    1?  I.OWKRlNl,    IT.ANTS. 


\Photo. 


room  for  afternoon  tea  ;  but  all  other  meals  are 
more  or  less  "  movable  feasts,"  served  from  one 
common  kitchen,  somewhat  in  hotel  fashion,  to 
suit  the  different  modes  of  life  and  habits  of  the 
Federators.  In  an  illustration  reproduced  the 
Professor,  his  wife,  and  the  pioneers  of  the 
growing  band  of  I'ederators  are  shown  in  the 
dining-hall  at  their  first  federal  lunch.  The 
party  has  now  grown  out  of  recognition. 

Meals  are  necessarily  simple,  lircakfast  is 
served  from  7.30  till  9  ;  lunch  (for  those  who  are 
at  home  during  the  day) 
at  about  noon;  and 
dinner  at  si.x.  Provisions 
are  bought  wholesale. 
Potatoes  can  thus  be  had 
for  30.S.  a  ton ;  mutton, 
bought  by  the  half-sheej), 
for  2d.  a  pound;  and  milk, 
per  gallon,  8d.  Veget 
ables,  however,  are  a  little 
dearer  than  in  England. 
PVuit  is  grown  on  the 
place,  but  the  sandy  soil 
is  not  suited  for  kitchen 
gardening. 

Professor  Bicker  ton 
lays  it  down  as  one  of 
his  principles  that  Federal 
Homes  should  not  be 
agricultural,  arboricultural, 
or  horticultural,  nor 
depend  (like  communistic 
experiments)  upon  in- 
dustries within  the  home.        /.vX^'^,'"^''''"  " ''"" 


If  convenient,  however,  he  thinks  it  would  be 
well  for  a  home  to  supply  itself  with  milk,  fruit, 
and  vegetables  ;  but  at  first  this  is  not  necessary, 
the  main  point  being  that  the  members  should 
have  profitable  outside  occupations.  Within 
the  home  work  can  always  be  provided  for 
those  who  need  it.  Indeed,  a  Federative  Home 
must^  be  a  kind  of  hive,  but  a  hive  without 
drones,  in  which  all  work.  Therefore,  if  you  are 
an  idle  person,  keep  away  from  Wainoni. 

Each  family  or  married  couple  have  their  own 


AT    THEIR    FIRST    I.UNCHEON- 
OUT   OF    RECOCNn  ION." 


THE    I'Akl'l'    HAS    NOW    i;R(IU\ 


-TFIE    STRANCIE    HOUSF^HOIJ)    OF    AVAlNONl. 


private  rooms,  one  of  which  is  always  a  sitting- 
room,  where  the  occupants  can  receive  their 
friends,  if  they  like,  and  for  the  keeping  in 
order  of  which  they  are  responsible.  Fine 
ladies  who  will  not  sweep  and  dust  cannot 
be  tolerated  ;  unless,  of  course,  they  are 
willing  to  pay  the  price  of  their  squeamish- 
ness. 

The  details  of  management  are  looked  after 
by  a  committee,  meeting  weekly,  which  arranges 
who  shall  attend  to  the  cooking  and  who  shall 
be  responsible  for  the  good  order  of  the  various 
rooms. 

The  natural  question  was,  "  What  about  the 


471 


agree  to  live  together.  It  is  hardly  likely  that 
a  home  could  be  begun  with  as  many  as  one 
hundred  members;  but  any  attempt  that  does 
not  have  that  number  as  its  ultimate  goal,  and 
that  is  not  steadily  growing  towards  that 
number.  I  would  not  consider  to  contain  the 
elements  of  success." 

"  What,  then,  is  your  chief  difficulty  ? "  I 
asked. 

"  Chiefly  those  characteristics  evolved  in  our 
present  isolated  life,"  answered  the  Professor,  in 
whom  the  ardent  social  reformer  and  the 
scientist  are  continually  struggling  for  the  upper 
hand.     "Our   anxious  mothers    are   our   worst 


From  a] 


A  CROWD  OF   CONTENTED   FEDERATORS   IN   FRONT  OF   THEIR   HOME. 


[Photo. 


disagreeable  work?  Does  not  everyone  shirk 
that  ?"  To  this  Professor  Bickerton  answered  : — 
"  No,  not  at  all.  There  has  never  been  any 
trouble  of  that  sort.  I  never  found  those  who 
lived  with  us  unwilling  to  do  their  full  share  of 
the  work.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  willing  to 
undertake  more  than  their  share." 

"And  you  have  not  found  them  squabble?" 
"  No.  There  has  never  been  any  friction 
whatever  of  that  kind.  The  plan  of  two  or 
three  families  living  together,  however,  would, 
I  believe,  be  almost  absolutely  certain  to  be 
attended  with  disastrous  failure ;  but  that  is 
not  the  case  when  a  large  number  of  families 


difficulty  :    the    mothers    who  are  never  happy 
unless   their   children   have  not  only  their  fair 
share  of  all  the  good  things  going,  but  some- 
thing more.      Then  there  are  the  mothers  who 
will  work  themselves,  but  will  not  allow  their 
children  to  do  a  hand's  turn — at  least  not  for 
the  Federation  as  a  whole.      They  have  such  a 
dread  that  their  boy  shall    be    made   useful- 
useful     for    the    community,    although     it     is 
obviously  for  his  good  that  he  should  be  so. 
They  are  ever  imagining  that  he  is  the  victim  of 
other  children's  spite  ;  and,  of  course,  he  is  such 
an  angel  himself!     Then  we  have  to  contend 
against    the    family   solidarity    that    takes    no 


4;-^ 


TH1-:  wini-:   world   magazine. 


interest  in  the  prosperity  of  any  but  the  members 
of  that  flimily  itself ;  and  the  greed  that  one  may 
not  get  tlie  full  share  of  the  work  put  into  the 
Federation.'' 

And  vet  children  brought  up  in  the  pine 
woods  of  Wainoni,  are  they  not  blessed  from 
birth  ?  There  is  everything  for  them  here — the 
most  spacious  play-grounds,  a  gymnasium,  a 
play-room,  indeed  a  whole  department  to  them- 
selves. 

The   home   is   shortly   to   be  turned    into   a 


The  profits,  it  is  hoped  (for  it  will  be  run  as 
a  public  business  concern  and  not  as  a  private 
enterprise),  will  be  divided  amongst  the 
members  of  the  home ;  Professor  Bickerton 
himself  paying  on  the  same  scale  as  any  other 
Federator. 

It  is  recognised  in  this  home  that  the  work  of 
the  women  who  attend  to  the  cooking  and 
laundry  has  just  as  much  an  economic  value  as 
that  of  the  men  who  attend  to  the  garden  and 
conservatories.     At   first   the   plan    of    having 


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Ircin  a\ 


A  MERRY-GO-ROUND   FOR   THE   CHILDREN. 


[Photo. 


company  and  the  place  let  at  a  very  low  rental. 
Some  of  the  Federators,  the  value  of  whose 
services  exceeds  the  cost  of  their  keep,  pay  no 
rent.  Some  are  even  so  valuable  that  they  are 
paid  besides  being  kept  free.  Others,  again, 
pay  full  rent,  varying  from  eight  shillings 
upwards.  The  cost  of  living  Federally  is 
undoubtedly  far  lower  than  it  would  be  if  the 
Federating  families  lived  each  in  its  own  little 
home.  "  Profitable  occupation  "  in  the  case 
of  Wainoni  means  a  very  small  sum  indeed. 
Professor  Bickerton  reckons  that  anyone  earn- 
'"y  jCs°  ^  year  is  profitably  occupied  so  far  as 
a  Federal  Home  is  concerned.  With  Wainoni 
the  average  sum  contributed  in  money  would 
certainly  not  amount  to  8s.  a  week  per  Federator. 
Wainoni  indeed  has  all  the  advantages  of  an 
excellent  club  at  the  cost  of  a  second  or  third 
rate  lodging.  There  are  more  freedom,  greater 
privacy,  and  no  loneliness — these  are  its  watch- 
words. 


servants  was  tried  ;  but  so  "  independent "  are 
these  ladies  in  New  Zealand  that  they  were  soon 
found  far  more  trouble  than  they  were  worth, 
and  were  consequently  dismissed  as  a  "  good 
riddance.''  It  has,  however,  sometimes  been 
necessary  to  resort  to  them  again  ;  but  the  ideal 
always  is^no  servants.  Some  hired  labour  is, 
nevertheless,  employed,  chiefly  for  the  heavy 
gardening  and  building  work.  Several  working 
men  have  themselves  become  ardent  Federators; 
and  although  at  fi'rst  they  disappeared  after 
dinner,,  not  to  reappear  till  the  following 
morning,  they  soon  began  to  enter  the  social 
hall  and  mix  with  the  other  inmates  of  the 
home.  But  let  it  always  be  remembered  how 
great  is  the  difference  between  the  intelligence 
and  education  of  the  average  New  Zealander 
and  the  average  English  working  man.  For 
years,  indeed,  Wainoni  has  been  a  meeting  place 
for  people  of  every  social  grade  and  every 
phase    of    thought    and    opinion  —  impossible 


THE    STRANCIE    HOUSEHOLD    Ol.'    WAINOXI. 


I'rojii  a] 


A   GREAT   SUNDAY   MEETING   OF   CYCLISTS   AT   WAINONI. 


[fVioio. 


people,  as  it  were ;  impossible,  indeed,  for 
anyone  to  bring  together  except  the  genial 
Professor,  whom  everyone  is  ashamed  to  offend. 
Sometimes  it  will  be  a  garden-party,  sometimes 
an  afternoon  tea  ;  at  other  times  a  great  Sunday 
meeting  of  cyclists,  who,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
photograph,  have  ranged  themselves  in  every 
conceivable  and  inconceivable  position  about 
one  of  the  numerous  buildings  belonging  to  the 
home.  This  picture  shows  clearly  on  what  a 
sandy  soil  the  Eederators  have  built  their  dwel- 
lings. In  it  also,  as  in  all  the  other  photographs, 
the  depth  of  the  shadows  shows  how  bright  is 
the  sunshine  and  how  clear  the  air  under  the 
Southern  Cross. 

The  most  absolute  liberty  is,  of  course,  left  to 
the  inmates  of  such  a  home  to  follow  whatever 
oecu[)ation  they  [)lease,  to  Hve  their  own  lives 
in  their  own  way,  and  to  be,  in  fact,  as  orthodox 
or  as  unorthodox  as  they  choose.  It  must, 
however,  be  admitted  that  the  atmosphere  of 
^\'ainoni  somehow  has  not,  so  far,  been  condu- 
cive to  orthodoxy.  Its  founder  does  not  like 
rules  and  regulations,  and  does  as  he  would  be 
done  by  in  not  imposing  any  upon  his 
Federators.  But  there  are  one  or  two  unwritten 
— almost  unspoken — laws,  to  which  everyone 
adheres  far  more  loyally  than  they  would  to  any 
printed  code  of  rules.  The  fruit  in  the  large 
garden,  for  instance,  not  to  mention  the  grapes 

Vol.  vi.-54. 


IS 


not  to  be  gathered 


in   the   spacious   vinery, 

until  it  is  ripe,  when  it  becomes  everyone's  pro- 
perty. Flowers,  also,  are  not  to  be  gathered  from 
the  front  garden,  where  they  might  be  missed ; 
but  there  are  quantities  of  beautiful  flowers  in 
the  fruit  garden  at  the  back,  which  everyone  is 
free  to  gather  ;  and  as  for  violets — great  Russian 
violets — there  is  such  a  wealth  of  them  that  they 
can  hardly  be  pulled  too  fast.  Under  the  pines 
in  spring  the  narcissus  and  daffodils  grow  so 
thick  that  every  child  may  fill  its  hands  with 
them,  and  none  be  missed. 

For  the  out-of-work,  in  particular,  careful 
provision  is  made.  As  a  rule,  the  Federators 
are  busy  people.  Those  who  are  not  employed 
in  the  home  itself  are  either  students  attending 
lectures  daily  at  the  University,  or  are  engaged 
in  some  business  in  Christchureh  itself.  Should 
one  of  them  lose  his  occupation,  however,  plenty 
of  work  can  always  be  found  for  him  at  Wainoni, 
where  he  can  earn  at  least  enough  to  support 
himself  until  he  has  found  other  employment. 

Several  industries  are  being  carried  on,  chiefly 
by  members  of  the  Professor's  family.  In  one 
part  of  the  grounds  at  Wainoni  there  is  a  factory 
for  ships'  signal-lights  and  every  kind  of  fire- 
works— the  only  factory  of  the  kind  in  New 
Zealand.  '  In  another  part  there  is  a  very  pretty 
chalet  specially  built  for  manufacturing  effervesc- 
ing fruit   powders  for  summer   drinks.     So  far 


474 


THE    WTDl-:     WoRl.D     MACA/IN 


the  demand  for  the  pro- 
ducts of  this  factory  has 
been  greatly  in  excess  of 
the  supply. 

The  Professors  own 
sons  are  all  engaged  on 
the  place,  and,  like  him. 
they  are  all  "  handy 
men."'  One  of  them  is 
an  artist  who  has  in 
herited  his  father's  re- 
sourcefulness, and  ha>. 
built  for  himself,  tucked 
away  amongst  the  pines, 
what  is  probably  one  of 
the  most  original  studios 
in  the  world.  It  is  built 
of  "  nigger-heads"  (a  kind 
of  native  grass)  with  a 
thatched  roof,  the  rushes 


THE     PROFESSOR  S      SONS      BUILDING 
THE  STUDIO — PUTTING  THE   FINISH- 
ING   TOUCHES   TO   THF;   ROOF. 

Front  a  Photo. 

the  artist  and  his  brother 
made  a  special  trip  in 
order  to  photograph  and 
paint  these  birds. 

Besides  the  studio,  there 
is  a  castle  built  on  one  of 
the  largest  sandhills,  not 
far  from  the  house,  and 
approached  by  a  rustic 
bridge ;  and  besides  the 
castle,  gardens,   conserva- 


1 


for  which  came  from  the  Pacific 
coast  close  by.  In  the  illustra- 
tion the  artist  and  one  of  his 
brothers,  with  other  workmen, 
are  shown  putting  the  finishing 
touches  to  the  roof.  The  interior, 
which  is  warmed  in  winter  with  a 
great  open  fireplace  piled  with  fir- 
logs,  contains,  of  course,  the  re- 
quisite artistic  litter,  but  also 
some  wonderful  stuffed  penguins 
from  Macquarie  Island,  to  which 


I  IIKIJF.    IS    A    CASTI.K     P.III.T    ON    DNF    (JF     T 

From  a\  uv  A  RUST 


UK     I.AROJ> 
IC    BRIDGE. 


AND    APPKliACHEll 

{Photo. 


THE    STRANGE    HOUSEHOLD    OF    WAIXOXI. 


475 


From  a\ 


[Photo. 


tories,  and  pine-woods,  the  Federators  also  enjoy 
a  rose  arbour,  a  fernery  (and  New  Zealand  ferns 
are  some  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world), 
a  hot  -  house,  and  about  a  dozen  summer- 
houses.  Then  there  are  an  asphalted  tennis- 
court,  always  in  use,  and  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  of  asphalted  paths  about  the  grounds, 
so  that  even  during  the  tempestuous  New 
Zealand  rains  it  is  possible  to  get  about 
dry-shod.  For  those  who  care  for  boating 
there  is  always  the  willow- 
fringed  River  Avon  —  a 
delightful  river  to  punt  or 
row  upon.  Then  there  is 
a  billiard-room,  which  is 
never  empty,  and  the 
table  in  which  (made  on 
the  place  for  ;£^  !)  is  pro- 
nounced to  be  an  excel- 
lent piece  of  workmanship. 
The  dining-hall  has  been 
so  constructed  that  it  can 
be  made  to  serve  as  a 
theatre,  and  almost  every 
week  some  entertainment 
is  given  in  it.  Here 
"  Patience  "  has  been  per- 
formed ;  also  "  She  Stoops 
to    Conquer,"   and    even 


sometimes  Federators  too.  For  those  who  care 
to  read  there  is  a  library  of  about  i,ioo  volumes, 
mostly  the  Professor's  own  private  collection, 
while  the  latest  magazines — including,  of  course, 
The  Wide  World — are  generally  lying  about. 

But  the  best  has  been  kept  till  the  last.  There 
is  nothing  about  this  most  original  scheme  quite 
so  original  as  Professor  Bickerton's  experiment 
in  cheap  house  -  building.  The  Professor  has 
always    been   a  great    experimenter;   and    after 


"As  You   Like   It.' 


All 


the  help  given  is  volun- 
teered, but  the  performers 
are  often  outsiders,  though 


IlIE    STACK    I\    THE    I^IMXG-KOCJM  — THERE    ARE    ENTER  TAIN.M  ENTS    XEARI.V    E\KRV    WEEK. 

From  a  Photo. 


47^^ 


rm-:   \mim-:   wori.I)   mac.azine. 


s[>eiKling  hours  in  ihe  University  lecture  liieatie, 
making  experiments,  ho  will  return  home  only 
to  make  more.  For  the  success  of  his  Federa- 
tive Home  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  find 
some  method  of  building  cheap  houses,  which 


The  brcwii  paper  thus  chemically  treated  perfectly 
withstands  the  weather — even  the  fierce  winds 
which  sometimes  sweep  across  the  (."anterbury 
Plains.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  paper 
houses    have    remained    tight    and    dry    when 


I 


From  a\ 


THE    I'AI'ICR    ISUILDIN'G    IN    COLKSE   OF    CONSTKUCTION — EKIXIIM.     IIIK    WuoDES    1  KAME-WOHK. 


{Photo. 


should  be  cheaper  than  even  the  wooden  ones 
almost  invariably  built  in  that  part  of  New 
Zealand.  Professor  Bickerton  therefore  began 
experimenting,  and  continued  experimenting, 
until  after  several  years  he  met  with  complete 
success.  First  of  all  he  erected  a  wooden 
lattice  frame-work,  as  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion. Then  he  took  long 
rolls  of  thick  brown  paper, 
which  he  tarred  on  both 
sides.  Then  he  plentifully 
sprinkled  the  tarred  sides 
with  some  of  the  sand 
from  his  sandhills.  Next, 
the  paper  was  nailed  on 
to  the  framework,  which 
is  all  that  is  needed  for 
the  walls.  The  roof  is 
kept  exactly  in  place  by 
wire  netting  covering  a 
wooden  frame,  the  netting 
being  absolutely  necessary 
to  keep  the  roof  from 
breaking  away.  The  ex- 
terior is  tarred  and 
sanded,  and  the  interior 
painted  in  some  light 
shade.  The  whole  build- 
ing   may    afterwards    be 

'  ,  I  111:    WONDEKKll.    I'A 

ornamented  to  any  extent.        yrovi  a] 


wooden  houses  have  let  in  the  water.  The 
building  has  to  be  done  during  the  summer,  as 
it  is  difticult  in  winter  to  get  the  chemical  con- 
stitution right.  The  necessity  for  this  great 
exactness  is  the  reason  why  paper  building, 
although  very  fretjuently  attemjjted  in  New 
Zealand,    has    never    succeeded    except    when 


IKK    IIOUSK    COMI'Uri:     -I  Ills    IS    NOW    I-'Ul'    VI'AK- 
l'F.RKECTI,V    WIND    AND   WEATHER    I'ROOr. 


Ol.l).     AND 


[Flwto. 


THE    STRANGE    HOUSEHOLD    OF    WAINONT. 


477 


either  Professor  Bickerton  or  one  of  those 
trained  under  him  lias  taken  it  in  hand. 
Ordinary  workmen  cannot  be  taught  to  be 
accurate  enough.  For  a  long  time,  indeed,  the 
Professor  always  superintended  the  construc- 
tion of  every  building  himself.  Yet  there  has 
never  been  the  least  mystery  about  the  process 
by  which  these  unique  buildings  are  made. 
The  first  of  them  is  shown  in  an  illustration  ; 
it  is  now  five  years  old,  and  has  proved  itself 
thoroughly  wind  and  weather  proof,  if  only  it  is 
re-coated  with  tar  about  once  in  two  years. 
Professor  Bickerton  believes  that  these  paper 
houses  will  last  fully  fifty  years — that  is  to  say. 


as  long  as  the  best-built  wooden   houses,  onlv  a         picture 


unintentionally,  which  showed  how  well  [)aper 
houses  could  withstand  fire.  Some  fireworks 
went  off  accidentally,  but  all  the  harm  done 
was  a  hole  in  the  wall,  another  in  the  ceiling, 
and  one  in  the  roof.  No  conflagration  took 
place.  r-he  paper,  tarred  and  sanded,  burns 
through  the  roof  and  fornis  a  draught,  chimney- 
fashion,  instead  of  spreading.  How  picturesque 
a  paper  building  may  be  is  shown  l)y  the  photo- 
graph of  the  Swiss  Chalet.  It  will  l)e  noticed 
that  the  sandy  soil  is  fast  getting  covered  with  a 
kind  of  ice-plant  with  a  brilliantly-gay  flower 
and  an  unpronounceable  name. 

The  chief   buildings  built  of  paper  are   the 


jallery,      photographic      studio,     and 


FrotJi  a\ 


1  HE    rtCTURESQUE   SWISS   CHALET,    BUILT  ON    A    SAXDHILL— IT   IS   WADE   OF    PAl'EK. 


{Photo. 


very  small  number  of  which  attain  that  age. 
Not  only  is  the  cost  of  a  paper  dwelling  less 
than  one-fifth  of  that  of  the  cheapest  wooden 
building,  but  it  is  also  excellent  in  case  of 
earthquake  —  a  serious  consideration  in  the 
northern  parts  of  New  Zealand.  Paper  build- 
ings are  also  remarkably  warm,  the  paper  drying 
as  hard  as  a  board,  and  there  being  a  space  of 
four  inches  between  the  outer  and  inner  walls. 
And  has  no  one  noticed  how  fond  cats  are.of 
.sleeping  amongst  papers,  even  when  there  are 
plenty  of  other  beds  for  them  ?  And  does  a 
cat  usually  choose  a  cold  or  uncomfortable 
place  ?     No,  indeed  ! 

An    experiment   was    one   day    made,    quite 


chemical  laboratory,  besides  some  scores  of 
small  houses'  sleeping -rooms.  But,  as  the 
home  grows,  more  and  more  will  have  to  be 
erected. 

"  The  chief  difficulty,"  the  Professor  confessed, 
"in  establishing  such  homes  is  that  scarcely 
anyone  is  a  free  agent.  As  a  rule,  perhaps,  one 
in  twenty  would  like  to  join,  yet  it  is  almost 
certain  that  those  to  whom  they  are  tied  will 
object  to  their  doing  so." 

Therefore  it  may  be  long  before  we  see 
another  such  Federative  Home  as  lovely 
Wainoni,  at  the  "  bend  of  the  river,"  unless, 
as  its  founder  always  hopes,  people  are  "carried 
forward  on  a  wave  of  enthusiasm  for  humanity." 


A  Raid  by  Geronimo, 


I'v  S.   II.   Lucas,  of  San  Dikco,  Cal. 

We  feel  sure  "Wide  World"  readers  will  agree  with  Mr.  Lvicas  in  his  plea  for  the  greater  con- 
sideration and  appreciation  of  the  men  who  "  made  the  frontier "  in  the  early  days  in  the  Far 
South -West.  Mr.  Lucas  has  lived  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  for  many  years,  and  during  part  of 
that  time  served  as  Inspector-General  on  the  staff  of  General  Lionel  A.  Sheldon.  The  photograph 
of  the  dreaded  Apache   chief  Geronimo  himself  will  be  found  particularly  interesting. 


\  ihc  j8th  day  of  May,  1885,  al)Out 
5.j^o  p.m.,  a  Mexican  came  riding 
into  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  at 
breakneck  speed,  with  blood  stream- 
ing from  his  arm  and  shoulder  and 
his  horse  covered  with  foam.  He  was  yelling 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Los  Apaches  !     Los 


These  homes  were  scattered  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  miles  up  and  down  the  streams 
and  in  the  valleys  farther  back  in  the  foot-hills, 
where  water  and  timber  could  be  found. 

It  was  always  customary  in  those  wild, 
eventful  days  on  the  frontier,  when  an  Indian 
outbreak  occurred,  for  the  citizens  to  meet  and 


Apaches!"   I  had  only  an  hour  before  returned         call      for    volunteers     to    ride 


IIP.    WAS   VKM.I.NG    AT    I'llF.     1  or   Ol-    MIS    VOICE,       I.OS   AI'ACHES 


from  the  Frisco  and  Gila  Rivers,  where  I  had 
gone  two  days  previously  with  others  to  warn  the 
settlers  that  Geronimo  and  his  bloodthirsty  cut- 
throats had  "  made  a  sneak,"  that  is,  left  their 
reser\-ation  and  were  on  the  war-path,  killing, 
murdering,  burning  property,  and  carrying  off 
captives,  and  heading  in  the  direction  of  the 
Upper  Gila  and  Silver  City.  There  were  quite 
a  number  of  families  at  the  time  w^ho  had  taken 
up  homes  in  isolated  spots  on  the  above-men- 
tioned streams,  where  water  could  be  obtained 
for  domestic  as   well  as   agricultural  purposes. 


to    those     iso- 
lated sections 
and  warn  the 
settlers      to 
seek  places  of 
safety     and 
keep  a   close 
watch  for  the 
m  u  r  d  e  rous 
Apache, 
whose    very 
name  would 
chill     the 
blood   in   the 
braves  t 
hearts.     Only 
those     Vv'  h  o 
have  lived  in 
an     Apache 
country     and 
witnessed    an 
Indian    out- 
break and  the 
fiendish     de- 
light    with 
which    they 
torture     their 
prisoners  and 
mutilate  their 
bodies    can     understand    the    feeling    aroused 
by    tlie    appearance    in     a     town     or    rancho 
of  one   riding,   as  this   Mexican   did,    into    our 
midst,  bareheaded,  his  hair  flying  in  the  breeze, 
the  blood  streaming  from  his  wounds,  his  horse 
ready  to  fall  from  exhaustion,  and  his  wild  and 
thrilling  yell  of  "  Los  Apaches  !   Los  Apaches  1"' 
The  town   for  several  days  had  been  full  of 
refugees,  who  had  been  warned  of  the  outbreak 
and  had  hurried  in  with  their  families.     Those 
who  lived   in   the  place  were  wild  with  excite- 
ment while  waiting  for  news ;    each  and  every 


A    RAID    \]y    CEROXniO. 


479 


one  expecting  lo  hear  of  the  murder  of  a  friend, 
or  perhaps  of  a  father,  brother,  or,  as  was  often 
the  case,  the  killing  of  an  entire  family.  There 
had  been  no  sleep  in  Silver  City  ;  for  several 
nights  the  people  had  congregated  in  the  business 
portion  of  the  town  for 
better  protection,  and  also 
to  get  the  earliest  possible 
news  of  the  outbreak.  The 
excitement  ran  high,  and 
was  out  of  the  ordinar)-. 
'["he  people  were  more  or 
less  accustomed  to  exciting 
times  on  the  frontier,  as 
it  was  a  common  occurrence 
for  some  drunken  cow-boy 
to  come  in  for  a  lark,  fill 
himself  up  with  "  nose 
paint,"  and  then  proceed 
to  "  shoot  up "  the  town  ; 
or  for  some  of  the  boys 
who  fingered  the  cards  to 
get  into  an  argument  that 
could  only  be  settled  with 
the  old  trusty  Colt.  This 
for  a  time  would  give  the 
community  something  to 
think  about  and  an  opi)or- 
tlinity  to  chatter  ;  but  after 
the  funeral,  and  the  victim 
had  been  safely  laid  away 
in  the  little  graveyard  on 
Chihuahua  Hill,  the  old  place  would  again  fall 
back  into  its  regular  order  of  business. 
When  an  Apache  outbreak  took  place,  how- 
ever, it  was  quite  another  thing :  it  seemed  to 
unite  everyone  into  one  family,  Americans, 
Irishmen,  Mexicans,  Jew.s,  and  Chinamen — even 
the  sr.eaking  Mexican  cur 
and  the  American  fine- 
bred  dog  would  move 
about  in  the  crowd,  wag- 
ging their  tails  and  com- 
muning with  one  another, 
and  seeming  to  understand 
that  hell  had  broke  loose 
on  the  outside,  and  that 
they  must  stay  with  the 
crowd  for  safety. 

The  wounded  Mexican 
informed  us  that  the  shoot- 
ing had  taken  place  at 
Kincon,  where  a  wood 
camp  had  been  estab- 
lished by  some  Mexicans, 
who  had  a  contract  to 
supply  wood  for  the  Flag- 
lor  Reduction  Works  in 
Silver   City.      The    camp 


nil-.   A I  III 
l-'roin  n] 


.Ml;,     s.     II.     I.ICA^.     A 
O:-      IIIK    U.S.    AU.MV. 


CHRO.Nl.MO,      TIIF.     IIRKAUI-.U     AI'ACHI'.    CHII-:!-,     liloIO 
GRAI'HF.D   IN    CAPTIVITY. 


was  situated  about  six  miles  north  of  the  town, 
and  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Pinos  Atlas  Mountain.s. 
He  further  stated  that  his  family,  together  with 
that  of  his  partner,  had  all  been  killed,  and  that 
a  child  had  been  carried  off  as  a  prisoner. 

Immediately  volunteers 
were  called  for,  and  by 
nine  o'clock  that  night  we 
started  with  twelve  men — or 
I  should  say  bo)s,  as  there 
was  but  one  in  the  party 
Ijesides  myself  who  was  over 
sixteen  years  of  age  !  The 
l)oys  selected  me  as  their 
leader,  promising  obedience 
and  to  do  the  best  they 
could.  But  before  proceed- 
ing further  I  want  to  say 
that  never  before  in  the 
history  of  the  frontier  was 
there  a  braver  crowd  of 
boys  got  together  than  this 
little  band,  who,  staking 
their  lives  that  moonlight 
night,  took  the  trail  after 
Ceronimo,  the  redoubtable 
Apache  chief  And  this  is 
the  kind  of  young  blood 
that  has  helped  to  build  up 
the  frontier  to  progress  and 
civilization. 

The  night  was  perfect  in 
every  detail.  The  full  moon  in  its  splendour 
shone  almost  as  light  as  day,  and  only  those 
who  have  lived  in  New  Mexico  or  Arizona  can 
appreciate  or  understand  how  perfect  the 
nights  are,  it  being  no  unusual  thing  to  see 
at  night  a  range  of  mountains  a  hundred  miles 

distant.  We  took  the 
main  road  north  at  9  p.m. 
and  started  on  double 
quick  for  the  scene  of  the 
massacre. 

Some  two  miles  out  of 
town  there  appeared  in 
the  road  ahead  of  us, 
approaching  from  a  point 
where  the  road  entered  a 
canyon,  an  object  that  at 
first  looked  like  a  coyote, 
and  one  of  the  boys  raised 
his  gun,  but  was  ordered 
not  to  shoot.  At  this 
juncture  the  object  turned 
from  the  road  in  a  westerly 
direction  toward  a  ledge 
of  rocks,  and  we  suddenly 
saw  it  was  a  child.  I 
called  to  him  and  he  came 


480 


THE    \\\\)i:    WORll)    ma(;a/ink. 


to  us.  It  was  a  little  Mexican  boy,  about  ten 
years  of  age,  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  his 
ieet  swollen  and  bleeding  from  the  sharp  rocks 
and  cacti,  while  in  his  arms  he  held  a  little 
baby — an  infant  a  few  months  old.  The 
little  fellow  was  almost  frightened  to  death, 
and  nearly  dead  from  fatigue,  exposure,  and 
thirst.  He  asked  for  a  drink  of  water  and 
something  to  eat  for  the  baby,  for  it  was,  he 
said,  very  hungry.  He  told  us  —  poor  little 
hero  I  —  that  all  his  family  had  been  killed  by 
the  Apaches  but  himself  and  the  little  one ; 
that     when      they 

attacked  the  camp  

he  was  out  in  the 
brush  playing  with 
the  baby,  and  that 
he  had  immedi- 
ately concealed 
himself  behind 
some  rocks.  When 
the  little  one 
began  to  cry  he 
would  put  his 
hand  over  its 
mouth  so  that  the 
Indians  might  not 
hear  it  :  and  after 
they  had  killed 
everyone  and  left 
the  camp  he  had 
started  for  town. 
He  was  taken  at 
once  to  the  home 
of  Territorial 
Senator  John  A. 
Miller,  near  by, 
where  he  was 
kindly  taken  care 
of.  Xever  once 
did  the  little  hero 
complain  of  his 
bruised  and  blis- 
tered feet  or  speak 

of  himself;  his  only  thought  was  the  care  of 
the  little  child. 

Onward  we  marched  into  the  low  foot-hills  of 
the  Pinos  xAltas  Range,  expecting  every  moment 
to  hear  the  whoop  of  the  Apache.  Carefully 
and  quietly  in  the  solitude  of  the  night  we 
pressed  on  our  way,  stopping  now  and  then  for 
a  moment's  rest  and  to  listen  for  some  sound  to 
warn  us  of  the  wary  foe  we  .sought.  l'"inally, 
about  twelve  o'clock,  hearing  the  howl  of  a  dog 
a  short  distance  ahead  of  us,  we  hurried  to  the 
spot,  and  there,  standing  over  the  mutilated 
remains  of  a  little  girl  about  four  years  of 
age,  was  the  dog,  guarding  and  protecting 
the   body   of    his   httle    friend   and    playmate. 


Illi   TOI.IJ    fS   THAI    A], I,    111.^    KA.\.U.V 
AND   Tirii    LIT 


The  laithful  brute  showed  a  disposition  to 
resent  the  ap|:)roach  of  anyone,  noi^  would  he 
allow  us  to  touch  the  corpse,  but  lay  prone 
on  the  little  girl's  body,  showing  his  teeth  and 
growling,  his  eyes  shining  like  coals  of  fire  in 
the  moonlight.  After  much  coaxing  he  per- 
mitted us  to  take  the  body  up,  and  we  carried 
it  with  us.  The  dog  by  his  actions  seemed  to 
want  to  lead,  and  we  followed  him  a  short  dis- 
tance across  a  ravine  and  on  to  the  wood  camp. 
There  a  sight  met  our  eyes  that  seldom  falls  to 
the  lot  of  anyone,  even  in  an  Apache  country. 

The  Indians  had 
attacked  the  camp, 
and  had  destroyed 
everything.  Such 
a  sight  !  It  is 
simply  impossible 
for  anyone  to  des- 
cribe the  awful 
scene  ;  the  look  of 
terror  in  the  dead 
faces,  showing  the 
agony  and  pain 
they  had  endured 
l)efore  their  souls 
passed  into  the 
(ireat  Tjeyond  ;  the 
naked  bodies,  the 
destroyed  camp — 
everything  mov- 
able scattered 
around  as  if  a 
cyclone  had  struck 
it.  We  laid  the 
bodies  out  side  by 
side  under  a  pine 
tree, -covered  them 
over  with  an  old 
waggon  sheet,  and 
again  took  the  trail 
which  led  to  the 
east  and  into  the 
main  range  of  the 
rinos  Altos.  From  this  point  we  could  see 
away  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  a  fire 
that  had  evidently  been  built  by  the  Indians. 
This  we  decided  must  be  the  camp  of  the 
Apaches,  and  we  concluded  to  investigate. 

Not  wishing  to  hold  my.self  solely  re- 
sponsible for  the  lives  of  these  young  boys, 
and  to  protect  them  as  much  as  possible, 
I  placed  them  behind  some  rocks  and  trees 
(much  against  their  will),  and  told  them  to 
remain  there  until  I  returned,  and  to  keep 
([uiet  and  not  leave  their  place  of  concealment 
unless  they  heard  me  call  for  help  or  heard 
shooting.  I  followed  the  trail,  determined  to 
reconnoitre  the  camping-place  of  the  Indians,  as 


HAD    BEKN    KH.I.I-ID    BUT    HIMSICl.l' 
IT.E   ONIi." 


A    RAID    BY    GERONIMO. 


481 


I  had  every  reason  to  believe  they  had  gone 
into  camp  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  where 
the  fire  was  plainly  visible.  Creeping  cautiously 
along,  keeping  myself  protected  as  much  as 
possible  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  and  rocks, 
never  taking  my  eyes  off  the  fire,  thinking  that 
I  might  see  a  figure  passing  between  me  and  the 
light,  I  had  proceeded  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  this  manner  when  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  an  object  lying  a  few  rods  ahead  of  me  that 
looked  like  the  figure  of  a  man,  and  so  it 
proved  to  be.  It  was  a  dead  Mexican,  who  had 
been  shot  through  the  muscle  of  his  left  arm  ; 
the  same  charge  had  gone  into  his  heart,  making 
a  large  hole  in  his  body.  On  the  ground  beside 
him  was  a  bell  and  hobble.  He  had  evidently 
made  a  run  for  his  horse,  which  had  been 
hobbled  out,  in  order  to  use  the  animal  in  making 
his  escape,  but  the  poor  fellow  had  been  over- 
taken just  as  he  had  secured  the  animal,  and  was 
killed.  His  body  had  been  frightfully  mutilated. 
I  lifted  the  body  of  the  unfortunate  man  on  my 
back  and  carried  it  back  to  camp,  placed  it  on 
the  ground  beside  the  remains  of  the  others, 
and  again  started  on  the  trail.  I  had  only  gone 
a  short  distance,  and  was  passing  a  juniper  tree, 
when  I  heard  something  under  the  branches 
that  sounded  like  the  crying  of  an  infant.     T 


%f  % 


"l   I.IPTF.D    UP   ONE   OF    THK    LOW    HRANCHES,    AND   THEliE    BEFORE 

OF    A   WEE,    SMALL  TOT." 

Vol.  vi.— 55. 


passed  on,  thinking  it  only  the  cry  of  a  night 
bird  (there  was  a  bird  in  that  section,  of  the 
"  whippoorwill "  species,  that  made  a  noise  like 
the  crymg  of  an  infant) ;  but  as  I  passed  on  the 
sound  was  still  more  like  a  baby's  cry— so  much 
so,  in  fact,  that  I  turned  and  went  back  to  make 
an  inve.stigation.  I  lifted  up  one  of  the  low 
branches,  and  there  before  me  was  the  body  of  a 
wee,  small  tot,  with  the  left  side  of  its  head  and 
face  badly  injured.  Taking  off  my  coat,  I 
wrapped  it  up,  carried  it  back  to  the  camp,  and 
laid  it  beside  the  bodies  already  there.  No 
wonder  the  wind  in  the  pines  a'"ove  them 
breathed  low  and  sighed  and  moaned  at  such  a 
scene  ! 

Once  more  I  started  for  the  Indian  camp, 
cautiously  creeping  along  in  the  most  protected 
spots  until  I  reached  the  fire  ;  there  I  found  a 
deserted  camp,  the  Indians  having  made  the  fire, 
stayed  long  enough  to  get  something  to  eat,  and 
then  moved  on  to  complete  their  fiendish  work. 
In  returning  to  the  wood  camp  I  picked  up  an 
Indian  pony  that  had  evidently  given  out  and 
had  been  abandoned  by  the  Apaches.  Before 
turning  it  loose,  however,  the  red  devils  had  badly 
mutilated  the  poor  animal.  I  led  the  pony  to 
camp,  and  before  we  reached  the  place  I  ran 
across  an  old  mule  that  had  belonged  to  the 
wood-choppers.  I  drove  both 
beasts  into  camp  and  we  har- 
nessed up  as  best  we  could, 
hitching  them  to  the  wood  wag- 
gon. After  placing  the  bodies 
in  and  covering  them  over 
with  the  old  waggon  sheet 
we  started  on  our  home- 
ward journey,  the  Mexican 
dog  following  underneath 
the  waggon. 
Such  a  funeral  procession  was 
surely  never  before  witnessed,  a 
boy  leading  each  animal  over  the 
rough,  stony  road. 

The  moon  had  already  passed 
beyond  the  western  mountains, 
shedding  a  faint  streak  of  light 
on  the  top  of  the  Pinos  Altos 
Range,  giving  to  the  canyons 
and  foot-hills  a  dark  and  forbid- 
ding look,  while  in  the  east  the 
sky  began  to  brighten,  and  we 
knew  that  morning  and  daylight 
would  soon  be  with  us.  Forward 
and  onward  we  wended  our  slow 
and  tedious  way  until  the  flat 
above  the  town  was  reached  and 
the  Cottonwood  trees  along  the 
side  of  the  road  seemed  to 
welcome  us  with  a  nod.     Their 


ME   WAS   THE    liOnV 


4S: 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    .\[AGAZINE. 


THIS    I'Hl.JTOGKAl'H,    TAKEN    .M;AK   THE   Sl'OT    WHERE   THE    MASSACRES    lOOK    ILACE,    SHOWS   THE    KIND   OF    COUNTRV. 


leaves  danced  and  sparkled  in  the  early 
morning  light,  and  the  drops  of  dew  that 
fell  from  their  branches  seemed  like  the 
shedding  of  tears  for  those  who  were  passing 
under  their  boughs.  At  last  the  town  was 
reached,  and  the  excitement  that  had  been  so 
great  for  days  was  nothing  to  be  compared  with 
that  which  stirred  every  heart  upon  our  arrival. 
The  people  were  simply  wild.  The  curses  that 
were  heaped  upon  the  heads  of  the  Apache 
tribe  were  enough  to  send  them  all  into  purgatory 
without  the  aid  of  powder  and  lead.  If  you 
were  to  visit  the  little  graveyard  on  Chihuahua 
Hill,  in  Silver  City,  you 
would  find  there  names 
painted  on  the  rough, 
wooden  head  -  boards  as 
follows  : — 

Feliz  Marquez,  age  24  years. 
Ralaela  Lechuga,  24  years. 
Juan  Lechuga,  i  year. 
jEsrs  Marquez,  4  months. 
Kosii.iA  Marquez,  4  years. 

Killed  by  the  Apaches  May  28, 
1885. 

If  you  were  to  continue 
your  stroll  through  this  silent 
city  of  the  dead,  and  read 
the  head-stone.s,  you  would 
be  astonished  to  note  the 
many  deaths  from  the  same 
awful  cause  —  "  Killed  by 
the  Apaches." 

How  verj',  very  little  do 
those  who  now  pass  through 


CHIEF    JOSH,    GERONIMO  S   CHIEF    LIEUTENANT. 
HE    WriHDKEW    HIS    BAND   OWING   TO    HIS   MASTER'S 

From  rt]        EXCESSIVE  cruelties.         [Photo. 


the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona 
in  their  palatial  sleeping-cars  of  to-day  realize 
the  dangers,  hardships,  suffering,  and  privations 
endured  by  those  pioneers  who  in  the  early 
days  took  their  lives  in  their  hands,  suffering 
untold  privations  and  dangers  to  build  up  and 
make  habitable  for  the  present  generation 
these  grand  territories.  Monuments  have  been 
and  are  being  erected  for  the  brave  ones  who 
gave  up  their  lives  for  their  country's  sake, 
and  to  perpetuate  the  names  of  those  fallen 
heroes.  Tell  me,  oh  gentle  reader,  can  you 
think  of  any  men  more  worthy  to  be  remem- 
bered, or  whose  names  are 
more  worthy  of  being  per- 
petuated, than  they  who 
have  given  up  their  lives  in 
the  building  up  of  the 
frontier?  The  capture  of 
Geronimo,  the  red-handed 
Apache  murderer,  by  the 
late  General  Lawton,  who 
at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  America's  favourite 
soldier,  is  an  oft-told  tale, 
and  is  so  well  known  by 
the  readers  of  to-day  that 
it  is  not  worth  while  to 
repeat  it.  All  honour  is 
due  to  him  for  subduing 
these  Indians,  thereby 
making  possible  the  rapid 
settling  up  of  these  terri- 
tories. 


The   Holy  Fair  at  Allahabad. 

Bv  Charles  Bertram. 

The  author  is  the  well-known  prestidigitateur  and  entertainer  who  recently  returned  from  a  lone 
professional    tour   in    India.      He   here   relates    what   he    saw  at    a    Holy  Fair,  and  provides  some 

impressive  photographs.' 


F  the  many  wonderful  sights  to  be 
seen  by  travellers  in  India,  none  is 
more  interesting  than  the  great 
religious  fair  and  festival  known  as 
the  Magh  Mela,  which  takes  place 
every  January  at  Allahabad.  The  fair  is  held 
upon  the  sandy  river-bed  at  the  junction  of  the 


tradesmen  for  stands  in  the  fair,  some  of  them 
paying  as  much  as  ^30  for  the  privilege  of 
having  a  stall.  All  sorts  of  side-shows  are  to 
be  found  jostling  one  another,  from  Edison's 
latest  phonograph  to  human  freaks  of  the 
Barnum  and  Bailey  order,  and  ever  and  again 
the  penetrating  sound  of  the  conch-shell  horn 


HIS  PARTICULAR  SPECIALITY  IS   SV.INGK.G   iii    Uj    Ij    ^vxwaKDS  OVER  A   FIRE  FOR  THREE  HOURS  DAILY. 

From  a  Photo,  by  T.  A.  Rust. 


Ganges  and  the  Jumna,  the  two  most  sacred 
streams  in  India.  The  area  of  the  strip  of  land 
left  dry  at  this  season  is  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  by  one  and  a  half,  and  this  is  entirely 
covered  with  huts,  roughly  made  of  grass  and 
reeds,  and  used  by  the  pilgrims  as  dwelling- 
places  during  the  festival.  The  main  thorough- 
fare of  this  curious  town  of  huts  is  lined  with  a 
varied  assortment  of  booths,  shows,  preaching 
platforms,  and  shrines. 

There  is  brisk  competition  among  the  local 


announces  that  some  important  priest  or  fakir 
is  at  his  devotions. 

Thousands  of  hideously -deformed  beggars, 
cripples,  lepers,  fakirs,  and  hawkers  of  every 
kind  assemble  at  the  fair;  while  the  pilgrims 
come  literally  in  hundreds  of  thousands  from  all 
parts  of  India  to  take  part  in  the  festival  and  to 
bathe  in  the  sacred  waters,  which  they  believe 
will  wash  away  their  sins.  It  is  said  that  over 
two  million  persons  visit  the  fair  annually  ;  and 
judging  by  the  swarms  of  people  present  every 


4S4 


THE    WTDF.    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


day  I  should  say  that  the  number  is  not  over- 
estimated. Hundreds  of  fakirs,  or  holy  men, 
journey  immense  distances  to  take  part  in  the 
proceedings,  and  they  are  held  in  great  respect 
by  the  people,  who  contribute  small  offerings  of 
food  and  money  to  satisfy  their  personal  require- 
ments. These  fakirs,  or  fanatical  devotees, 
present  a  curious  appearance.  They  whiten 
their  bodies  with  ground  ashes  and  clay,  and 
though  some  of  them  wear  a  few  rags,  the 
majority  are  perfectly  nude,  marching  in  this 
state  in  the  great  processions  to  the  river.  Other 
pilgrims,  again,  are  clad  in  an  amazing  variety 
of  apparel,  ranging  from  a  piece  of  gaily-coloured 
cord  or  a  chain  to  a  patchwork  (juilt  of  many 
colours. 

Last   year  the  fakirs  were   provided    with    a 


are  suspended  a  couple  of  slings.  These  he 
l^laces  under  his  arms  when  he  feels  sleepy,  to 
keep  him  from  falling.  Another  dirty,  ragged 
ascetic  lies  continually  on  a  bed  of  sharp 
spikes,  while  others  hold  one  or  both  arms  in 
the  air  until  they  become  atrophied  and  perfectly 
rigid,  and  in  many  cases  the  fmger-nails  grow 
completely  through  the  flesh.  One  man  told  a 
visitor  that  he  had  held  his  arm  erect  for  six 
years,  and  that  after  another  six  had  elapsed  he 
would  take  it  down  and  put  up  the  other  !  He 
had  already  quite  lost  the  use  of  the  limb. 

My  first  photograph  represents  a  member  of 
this  curious  fraternity.  His  particular  little 
speciality  is  swinging  head  downwards  over  a 
fire  for  three  hours  daily— hoping  thereby,  no 
doubt,   to  secure  special    consideration   in  the 


IN    THE   KVKNT   Ol-     IHE    HKK    1;I-.C' i.M  I  NO    I  NCi  >N  \EMIiNTl.Y    HOT    HE   CLKI.S    HI.M.SELF    L'l'    INTO    THIS    EXTKAdK'LMN  A  kV    I'OSITION. 

P'roiii  n  Photo,  by  T.  A,   Rust. 


special  camp  of  their  own,  a  hitherto  unaccus- 
tomed luxury.  Some  of  these  fakirs  impose 
upon  themselves  most  extraordinary  tasks  and 
penances,  to  the  edification  of  hundreds  of 
devout  worshippers,  who  throng  round  them  at 
all  hours  of  the  day.  One  man  may  be  seen 
who  has  never  sat  down  for  over  thirty  years. 
He  stands  under  a  bamboo  tripod,  from  which 


future  life.  As  you  may  see  in  the  picture,  he 
has  his  own  special  following  of  awestruck 
admirers.  In  the  event  of  the  fire  becoming 
inconveniently  hot  he  curls  himself  up  into 
the  extraordinary  position  seen  in  the  next 
photograph.  This  devotee  is  held  in  particu- 
larly high  esteem. 

One  curious  spectacle  usually  seen  at  the  fixir 


THE    HOLY    FAIR    AT    ALLAHABAD. 


4«5 


4oat  to  Kali — that  blood- 
before  a  paternal 
stop  to  it,  human 
This  goat  sacrifice 


is  the  sacrifice  of  a 
thirsty  goddess  to  whom, 
British  Government  put  a 
sacrifices  were  often  offered, 
is  a  sort  of  co-operative  business.  Each  on- 
looker contributes  some  small  amount  towards 
the  purchase  of  a  goat,  which  is  then  held  by 
half-a-dozen  men  while  the  priest  severs  its  head 
with  a  single  blow.  This  done,  prayers  are 
said  to  the  goddess,  imploring  her  to  avert 
calamities.  All  contributors  to  the  fund  are 
supposed  to  share  in  the  benefits  accruing  from 
the  sacrifice,  but  the  non-paying  public  are  not 
included. 

Another  devotee  who  is  greatly  venerated  is 


have  been  very  easily  acquired.  During  the 
early  days  of  the  fair  there  was  a  terrible^  hail- 
storm, and  our  fakir — probably  reflecting  that 
he  had  little  clothing  to  spoil,  and  that  undue 
haste  in  seeking  shelter  would  be  undignified — 
stopped  where  he  was  till  the  storm  was  over, 
gaining  thereby  undying  renown,  to  say  nothing 
of  more  substantial  benefit  in  the  shape  of  hard 
cash. 

Perhaps  the  most  impressive  sight  in  the 
whole  festival,  however,  is  the  'Idi//-fi/r,  more 
commonly  known  as  the  'Id  festival,  which  is 
celebrated  by  the  Mohammedans  when  the 
great  fast  of  Ramazan,  which  lasts  for  thirty 
days,  is  broken.     This  ceremony  is  well  repre- 


"  SHOWS   THE    WHOLE   OF   THE   VAST   SACKED   IN'CLOSURE 

Froiit  a  Photo. 

a  gentleman  whose  face  and  hands  arc  artistic- 
ally blackened  with  charcoal.  Disdaining  all 
such  extraneous  aids  as  spikes  and  uncomfort- 
able postures,  he  simply  sits  and  meditates, 
while  the  faithful  deposit  their  offerings  in  front 
of  him.  He  has  a  keen  eye  to  business  in  spite 
of  his  profound  meditations,  for  when  the  pile 
of  money  in  front  of  him  gets  at  all  big  it  is 
discreetly  removed,  lest  the  passers-by  should 
be  deterred  from  giving  by  the  sight  of  it  ! 
I'his    particular    fakir's    reputation    seems    to 


FU.LED   TO   OVEKKLOWING    WITH    WHITE-ROBED    pn.(iKi..i,-. 

!<y  T.  A.  Rust. 

sented  in  my  last  photograph,  which  shows  the 
whole  of  the  vast  sacred  inclosure  filled  to 
overflowing  with  white-robed  pilgrims.  After 
this  great  open-air  service  the  remainder  of  the 
day  and  night  is  spent  in  rejoicing  and  amuse- 
ments, and  singing,  dancing,  and  music  are  the 
order  of  the  fair.  As  you  may  see  in  the 
picture,  the  crowd  is  so  enormous  that  hundreds 
have  been  unable  to  gain  admission  to  the 
inclosure,  and  have  had  to  content  themselves 
with  worshipping  outside. 


The    Mystery  of    the    ''Midge.'' 

Bv  F.  C.  Niemann,  of  Melbourne. 

This  is  the  narrative  of  a  schooner  lost  in  the  bush,  her  passengers  existing  for  a  month  on 
whiskered  catfish.  The  author  is  the  brother  of  one  of  the  gentlemen  on  board.  The  scene  is 
the     alligator-infested    coast    of  the   Northern   Territories    of    South    Australia ;     and    the    adventures 

and    hardships    are    related    in    quite    a    cheerful    manner. 


t 


CAPTAIN'    r.RAUSH.WV  S    BOAT,    WHICH     SEARCHED    FOR    THK    MISSING    PARTY- 


h'lom  a\ 


IN    THE     BACKGROUND. 


HE  pearling  lugger  Afidge,  sixteen 
tons  register,  left  Port  Darwin  on 
June  14,  1899,  for  the  Victoria  River, 
carrying  a  cargo  of  machinery  for  a 
meat    factory. 


was  more  with  the  object 
of  settling  the  mystery 
that  overhung  their  fate 
than  with  a  hope  of  finding 
any  of  the  party  alive. 
However,  the  Midge  solved 
the  problem  herself  by  sail- 
ing up  to  her  anchorage  at 
Port  Darwin  once  more 
on  the  evening  of  Friday, 
28th  July,  having  been 
absent  forty  -  four  days. 
When  boarded  it  was 
found  that  she  had  brought 
back  Mr.  Nicholson  and 
all  her  crew,  and  had 
landed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nie- 
mann and  the  children  at 
Point  Charles  Lighthouse, 
where  they  were  being 
attended  to  by  the  keepers.  The  following 
detailed  narrative  of  the  adventures  of  the  party, 
which  have  attracted  much  sympathy  on  account 
of  the  lady  and  children  who  were  called  on  to 


-PORT    DARWIN 

[Photo. 


a  coloured  crew  of  four, 
and  a  party  of  Victorians, 
consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Niemann,  their  two 
daughters,  and  Mr.  T. 
Nicholson,  as  passengers. 
A  month  later  Captain  J. 
Dradshaw,  the  owner  of 
the  run  forwhich  they  were 
boiind,  reported  that  the 
vessel  had  not  arrived,  and 
considerable  anxiety  was 
felt  during  the  ensuing 
fortnight  regarding  the  fate 
of  the  party.  It  was  feared 
that  a  storm  which  arose 
soon  after  the  Midge  left 
port  had  either  wrecked 
her  or  blown  her  out  to 
sea.  Search  parties  were 
sent  out  by  the  Govern- 
ment, but  no  trace  of  the 
vessel  or  of  any  wreckage 
could  be  found.  Nor 
could  any  information  be 
gleaned  from  the  natives, 
and  though  fresh  parties 
were  being    organized,  it 


IIEUE    IS   THE    SHIPWRECKED    PARTY    WHO    WEN  1     THROUGH   THESE   ADVENTURES- 
CAPTAIN  BRADSHAW,  WHO  SOUGHT  FOR  THEM  IN  HIS  OWN  BOAT. 

Fioin  a  Photo,   by  H.    )V.  Christie. 


ON    THE    RIGHT 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    "MH)GE.' 


487 


endure  such  hardships,  has  been  furnished  me 
by  my  brother  (Mr.  J.  H.  Niemann)  himself: — 

Our  intention  originally  was  to  go  from  Port 
Darwin  to  the  Victoria  River  by  steamer,  as  the 
river  is  notoriously  difficult  to  navigate  by  sailing- 
boats  ;  but  being  unable  to  make  fresh  arrange- 
ments for  a  steamer  when  a  hitch  occurred  we 
had,  perforce,  to  take  the  largest  sailer  that 
could  be  obtained.  The  same  boat,  under  the 
same  skipper,  had  done  the  journey  in  three 
days  before,  and  we  thought  we  could  manage 
to  endure  the  discomforts  of  such  a  small  boat 
for  that  short  period,  or  a  little  longer  if 
necessary.  Provisions  and  water  were  taken 
on  board  to  last  a  fortni_ght  (they  were  eked 
out  a  litde  longer),  and  we  set  sail  with  a  fair 
wind  on  Wednesday,  the  14th  day  of  June. 

Our  adventures  commenced  early,  as  a  gale 
sprang  up  in  the  evening,  and  to  the  eyes  of  a 
land-lubber,  as  the  vessel  lay  over  to  the  wind 
with  her  scuppers  under  the  water  and  the 
waves  washing  buckets,  etc.,  along  the  deck,  it 
looked  as  if  the  end  was  at  hand — especially  as 
the  lifeboat  belonging  to  the  vessel  had  been  for 
some  reason  replaced  by  a  dingey  capable  only 
of  carrying  half  the  number  on  board  in  smooth 
water.  However,  the  Midge  is  not  only  the 
largest  Darwin  lugger,  but  also  the  strongest 
built,  and  one  of  the  best  sea-boats  into  the 
bargain.  The  seamen,  too,  had  stowed  the 
cargo  so  well  that  neither  then,  nor  during  her 
subsequent  rough-and-tumble  experiences,  did 
the  boat  suffer  by  its  shifting,  so  that  the  storm 
did  no  damage  except  to  a  few  ropes,  which 
were  repaired  on  the  15th  of  June  while  at 
anchor  in  a  sheltered  bay  behind  Cape  Ford. 

We  escaped  a  storm  that  raged  during  that 
night  outside  the  bay,  and  sailing  on  next  day 
arrived  at  Point  Pearce,  from  which  we  had  a 
quick  run  to  the  mouth  of  the  Victoria  River. 
This  river  empties  itself  into  the  Gulf  of  Cam- 
bridge, near  the  borders  of  West  Australia,  and 
discolours  the  waters  of  the  gulf  for  thirty  miles 
out  by  the  vol- 
umes of  sand  it 
brings  down.  All 
other  rivers  in 
the  Territory  are 
muddy,  not 
sandy,  an  d 
abound  in  tur- 
tles, large  crabs, 
mos(juitoes,  and 
muggy  heat,  all 
of  which  are  prac- 
tically  absent 
from  Victoria, 
which     has     for 


its  speciality  sandbanks,  sand  islands,  and  sandy 
water. 

We  saw  the  tide  eat  away  loft.  of  the  main- 
land in  three  days  at  one  spot,  dig  away  a  hole 
6ft.  deep  and  40ft.  square,  close  by  the  boat,  in 
the  same  time,  and  make  a  high  bank  in  another 
spot  where  previously  there  was  a  channel.  It 
rushes  in  at  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  an  hour, 
and  carries  everything  before  it.  For  instance, 
when  the  anchor  was  put  down  after  the  ship 
struck  the  tide  usually  carried  the  anchor  up- 
stream before  it  carried  the  ship. 

Add  to  this  that  the  bed  of  the  river  (or 
rather  of  the  Queen's  Channel,  as  this  part  is 
narned)  is  some  ten  miles  wide,  and  that  the 
spring  tide  rises  about  20ft.,  covering  banks 
and  islands,  except  here  and  there  the  tops 
of  trees  on  the  latter,  and  it  will  be  seen 
that  ordinary  navigation  rules  do  not  apply  to 
this  locality.  Charts,  too,  are  almost  useless, 
and  a  safe  passage  in  a  sailing-boat  must  always 
be  a  question  of  good  luck  as  well  as  good 
management.  Our  luck  was  "out,"  however, 
and  for  ten  days  we  dodged  banks  and  were 
carried  up  inlets  instead  of  up  the  channel, 
until,  on  the  26th  June,  when  the  tide  was  at 
its  highest  and  under  the  sportive  influence 
of  the  full  moon,  we  were  carried  some  fifteen 
miles  up  an  inlet  into  the  wild  bush,  five  miles 
farther  than  a  small  boat  could  row  at  low 
water  ;  and  we  were  left  high  and  dry  on  a 
sandy  flat  bordered  by  stunted  scrub,  and  about 
a  mile  away  from  a  deep  creek  bordered  by  a 
forest  of  gums. 

Before  entering  this  inlet  we  had  our  nerves 
tried  rather  severely.  We  had  anchored  for  the 
night  in  a  narrow  channel  between  a  small 
island  and  the  mainland,  and  had  all  retired  to 
rest,  only  to  be  aroused  at  midnight  by  a 
terrible  roaring  of  water,  and  then  more  effec- 
tually by  being  rolled  out  of  our  bunks. 
Quickly  as  we  could  disentangle  ourselves  we 
rushed  on  deck  to  find  that  the  boat  had  dragged 
her  anchor  and  drifted  into  shallow  water,  where 


Frotn  a  Photo,  h 


ECHO    ISLAND,    WHERE   THE    VESSEL   WAS    FINALLY    FLOATED. 


[T.  Nicholson. 


488 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


she  lay  over  on  her  side,  while  the  boiling  tide 
eddied  around  her.  Soon  it  reached  the  level 
of  the  deck,  and  we  gave  ourselves  up  for  lost, 
since  no  boat  could  have  floated  and  no  swimmer 
could  have  lived  in  such  a  whirlpool. 

Another  rush  of  water  came  on,  smote  the 
side  of  the  vessel,  and  sent  a  sprinkle  of  water 
into  the  hold,  but  at  the  same  time  lifted  her  a 
little,  so  that  we  breathed  more  freely,  and  in  a 
few  moments  were  afloat  again  on  an  even  keel. 
^^'e  named  the  place  near  which  we  had  this 
experience  Echo  Island,  on  account  of  the  per- 
fect manner  in  which  it  repeated  all  sounds,  but 
anyone  going  to  look  for  it  a  year  or  so  hence 
would  probably  find  that  it  had  disappeared. 

When    the   tide  on   the  -^jin  June  failed  to 
float   the    l)oat   properly,   and   it    became 
evident  that  there  was  no  hope  of  getting 
off  for  at  least  a  fort-  ,    \  ^ 

night,   Mr.    Nichol-  ,..     --Wjy 

son  and  the  captain 
started  off  on  an  ex- 
ploring expedition, 
intending  to  make 
the  station  overland 
if  possible.  After 
walking  half  a  day 
they  stopped  for 
lunch,  lit  a  small 
fire  to  bake  some 
cockatoos  they  had 
shot,  and  had  just 
disposed  of  them 
when  they  were 
startled  by  the 
descent  of  a  shower 
of  spears  within  a 
few  paces  of  them. 
These  were  the 
usual  clumsy  wea- 
pons which  can  only 
be  thrown  about 
fifteen  paces,  so  that 
the  natives  must 
have  been  very  close 
to  them,  but  they 
were  surrounded  by 
long  cane  grass, 
I  oft.  high,  and 
no  sign  of  the   enemy  was   to  be   seen. 

Perhaps  it  was  as  well  that  the  explorers  did 
not  have  the  opportunity  of  returning  the  fire, 
as  we  have  since  been  told  that  it  is  nearly  as 
risky  a  thing  in  the  Territory  to  kill  a  black 
in  self-defence  as  a  white  in  cold  blood.  We 
were  told  before  starting  that  the  blacks  were 
treacherous,  but  cowardly,  and  that  they  would 
never  attack  white  people  unless  there  was  cover 
near  by  to  which  they  could  retreat  after  firing 


^ 


TIIF.V   \Vi;iiE   STAKII.RD    I'.V    llll',    DESCF^NT   Or    A    SHOUEU    OI-'    SI'F.AKS, 


one  volley ;  and,  relying  on  this  information, 
and  on  the  fact  that  there  was  no  cover  within  a 
mile  of  the  ship,  we  kept  no  watch,  and  even 
went  so  far  as  to  leave  the  boat  once  without  a 
man  on  board. 

It  happened  that  on  this  very  occasion 
some  blacks  who  had  previously  visited  us 
begging  tobacco  made  their  appearance,  and 
one  clambered  on  board ;  but  when  Mrs. 
Niemann  picked  up  a  gun  and  threatened  him 
with  it  he  and  the  rest  speedily  retreated,  thus 
confirming  their  reputation  for  cowardice,  if  not 
hers  for  bravery.  However,  in  the  explorers' 
position,  the  ample  cover  around  left  them  at 
the  mercy  of  the  blacks  ;  and  when  the  spears 
were  thrown  the  two,  decided  to  return  to  the 
ship  during  daylight.  The 
captain  and  one  of  the  sea- 
^  /  men    took   the  dingey  when 

the  new  moon  tide  failed  to 
float  us  on  July  loth 
and  made  another 
exploring  effort,  but 
returned  after  three 
.  days'  absence    and 

stated  that  it  was 
impossible  to  make 
any  progress  in  it. 

They  dragged  the 
boat  to  within  a  mile 
of  the  ship  before 
sundown  with  the 
assistance  of  the 
other  sailors,  but 
were  too  tired  to 
bring  it  nearer,  and 
during  the  night  the 
natives  despoiled  it 
of  everything  mov- 
able, oars,  rowlocks, 
and  false  bottom 
included.  After  that 
we  saw  no  more 
signs  of  the  blacks. 
During  the  second 
week  we  saw  the 
necessity  of  econo- 
mizing food.  We 
therefore  put  our- 
selves on  two  meals  a  day,  and  endeavoured  to 
add  to  the  supply  by  fishing,  etc.  ;  but  we 
seemed  to  run  short  just  as  quickly,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  third  week  we  had  nothing  left  but 
two  packets  of  starch  (which  we  reserved  to  make 
"  maizena  "  for  the  children)  and  a  zlb.  packet  of 
self-raising  flour,  which  was  made  into  scones 
for  them  also.  There  were,  of  course,  no 
sugar,  milk,  or  other  "  covering "  for  the 
starch,   but  it  was  eaten  with    a  relish    all    the 


THE    MYSTERY    OF     THE    "MIDGE. 


489 


same,  for  the  children,  like  ourselves,  early 
learnt  the  truth  of  the  proverb  that  there  is 
"  no  sauce  like  hunger." 

Having  the  children  on  board  induced  us 
to  bring  some  powdered  magnesia  with  us  for 
use  as  a  medicine,  but  it  was  actually  used  as 
a  baking-powder  (mi.xed  with  spirits  of  salts) ; 
the  ship's  supply  having  become  damaged,  and 
there  being  no  soda  or  cream  of  tartar  to  take 
its  place. 

We  did  not  expect  to  have  any  difficulty  in 
securing  plenty  of  crabs  ;  but  the  only  kind  we 
saw  were  a  minute  species  about  the  size  of  a 
threepenny-piece  and  the  hermit  crab,  which  is 
no  more  useful  from  the  food  point  of  view. 
'J'his  queer  creature— the  hern)it  crab — resembles 
a  crayfish,  except  that  it 
has  only  one  large  claw, 
and  its  shell  only  covers 
the  forward  half  of  its 
body.  The  rear  half  is 
similar  to  a  white  grub, 
and  is  quite  as  destitute 
of  protective  armour.  To 
overcome  this  drawback, 
however,  it  draws  on  its 
back  the  shell  of  a  winkle 
or  other  shell-fish,  after 
first  eating  the  fish,  and 
this  appropriated  shell 
forms  its  armour  and 
residence,  being  carried 
about  as  a  snail's  is,  until 
the  shell  becomes  too 
small  for  its  growing  body, 
when  it  is  cast  aside  and 
another  is  secured  in  its 
place.  Thus  armed  these 
crabs  are  most  ferocious 
and  voracious.  They  will 
kill  and  eat  other  crabs 
double  their  size,  and  will 
eat  or  destroy  anything 
they  can  fix  their  claws 
in.  For  instance,  one  exploring  party  after  an 
absence  of  an  hour  or  so  had  to  mourn  the 
departure  of  a  tin  of  beef,  even  to  the  label,  a 
lump  of  damper,  together  with  a  hat  and  a  coat. 

Crabs  and  turtles  being  unobtainable,  our 
next  thought  was  game,  andw-hile  the  ammunition 
lasted  the  guns  brought  welcome  additions  to 
our  larder  in  the  shape  of  cockatoos,  seagulls, 
and  flying-fish.  The  cockatoos  would  have  been 
considered  tough  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
but  the  gulls  were  tender  and  the  fish  delicious. 
The  tide  carries  along  great  numbers  of  the 
little  fish  alluded  to  ;  and,  as  they  travel  in 
shoals,  a  good  bag  would  be  made  with  each 
shot.      They  resemble  a  mullet  in  shape,  but 

Vol.  vi.— 56. 


their  eyes  are  more  like  those  of  a  frog.  They 
swim  at  or  near  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
when  alarmed  shoot  out  into  the  air  at  express 
rate  and  for  a  distance  of  two  or  three  feet,  their 
own  length  being  only  some  six  inches. 

The  ammunition  was  practically  exhausted  a 
few  days  after  we  stranded,  and  we  then  realized 
the  fact  that  unless  we  could  find  some  vege- 
table food  we  would  have  to  depend  on  the 
fishing-lines  entirely  for  our  meals,  and  would 
have  only  one  variety  at  that— namely,  catfish. 
When  we  first  cooked  these  fish  their  scaleless 
bodies  and  great  whiskered  heads  caused  them 
to  be  regarded  with  some  repugnance  ;  but  we 
acquired  a  taste  for  them  very  quickly,  and  even 
now  a  hot  baked  catfish  would  be  an  invitins 


ims   I'HOTOGKAI'H    (.UY   T.    MCHOI.SOX)  SHOWS    J'HE    "nilDGli"    STKA.NDED. 


dish  to  any  of  us.  It  was  only  on  the  one  or 
two  occasions  when  we  caught  more  than 
sufficient  for  the  day  that  the  luxury  of  baking 
was  allowed,  the  rule  being  to  stew  them  until 
the  thick  skin  had  boiled  soft  and  the  soup  was 
thick  and  tasty. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  very  nourish- 
ing food — much  more  so  than  ordinary  fish.  If 
we  could  have  secured  enough  to  satisfy  our 
hunger  we  would  not  have  fared  badly,  but 
three,  averaging  about  alb.  each,  was  about 
the  usual  number  we  had  for  each  meal 
— very  often  only  one  or  two  ;  and  there  were 
nine  of  us  on  board  to  feed.  It  may  be  re- 
marked as  a  curiosity  that  one  energetic  seaman, 


490 


11 1 1:    WIDH    WORl.I)    MAGAZINE. 


known  to  us  as  I'etcr,  was  the  only  one  of  the 
crew  who  could  catch  many  fish  with  the  line  — 
we  had  no  net.  He  divided  the  honour  of 
food-supplier  with  Mr.  Nicholson,  though  the 
latter  scored  all  points  in  the  matter  of  water 
supply.  The  seamen  were  casting  anxious  eyes 
on  the  water-tank  from  tlie  first,  but  we  had 
plenty  of  tools  and  machinery  and  an  expert 
engineer,  so  had  no  anxiety  on  that  point — in 
fact,  when  Mr.  Nicholson  made  the  condenser 
and  set  it  to  work  enough  water  was  obtained 
in  one  day  to  last  a  fortnight. 

Our  search  for  a  vegetable  diet  was  not  very 
well  rewarded,  the  best  result  being  obtained 
from  a  species  of  mesembryanthemum,  the 
leaves  of  which  looked  and  tasted  somewhat 
like  young  French  beans  when  cooked.  The 
leaf  of  the  plant  resembles  the  garden  "pig-foce," 
and  it  has  a  small,  pink  flower  like  that  of  the 
"  ice-plant."  Another  palatable  dish  was  made 
from  a  small  pea  which  was  very  plentiful  but 
over-ripe.  The  pea  itself  is  small  and  cylin- 
drical in  shape.  The  plant  and  white  flower  are 
like  a  lupin  in  size,  and  the  leaf  similar  to  that  of 
the  common  wattle. 

Though  very  nice  we  all  found  our  stomachs 
too  weak  to  digest  these  things,  and  so  had  to 
abandon  their  use. 
They  seem  to  form 
the  main  diet  of  the 
birds  there.  We 
christened  them 
"  cockatoo  peas," 
and  ate  a  good 
many,  no  doubt,  in 
the  transformed 
shape  of  cockatoo 
flesh.  The  first  time 
we  had  this  dish,  by 
the  way,  one  of  the 
seamen  declined  his 
share  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  not  a 
cannibal.  "  No  eat 
bird  talk  English," 
he  said.  However, 
we  persuaded  him 
that  if  he  joined  in 
he  would  soon  be 
able  to  talk  English 
himself,  and  the 
argument  prevailing 
he  partook,  gingerly 
at  first,  but  freely 
later,  with  the  result 
that  his  English 
vocabulary  was 
much  enlarged,  and 
before    many    days 


ONE     EVEMNO    AI-TEK     WE     HAO    SET     THE    LINE     AN     M.I.IGATOK     MADE 
ITS   AI'1-EARANCE." 


he    could    swear    in    English     as    well    as    the 
others. 

'I'he  last  week  of  the  month  we  spent  on  the 
sandy  waste  was  the  most  trying,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  Previous  to  this  the  two  white  men 
succeeded  in  catching  many  fish  on  the  night- 
lines  stretched  across  a  channel  a  mile  above 
the  ship,  where  a  large  salt-water  creek  dis- 
appeared under  our  sandbanks,  and,  though 
there  was  always  a  fear  of  alligators,  one  of  us 
took  the  risk  of  swimming  and  the  other  of 
standing  waist-deep  in  the  water  to  set  the  line, 
and  were  more  than  satisfied  with  the  results. 
But  one  evening  after  we  had  set  the  line 
an  alligator  made  its  appearance  close  by, 
and  though  we  saw  no  more  of  him  he  must 
have  remained,  for  we  caught  no  more  fish  there 
after  that,  and  had  to  walk  the  five  miles  to 
the  water  channel  for  all  we  got — which  in  our 
weak  condition  was  a  big  undertaking,  especially 
when  after  fishing  far  into  the  night  our  haul 
would  at  times  be  only  one  or  two  fish. 

Fortunately  we  had  a  plentiful  supply  of 
medicines  with  us,  and  being  accustomed  to 
handle  them  were  able  to  check,  at  the  outset, 
any  symptoms  of  diarrhoea,  etc.  ;  so  that  we 
enjoyed  an  advantage  in  this  respect  over  most 

sufferers  from  ship- 
wreck. Besides,  we 
had  plenty  of  water. 
The  weather  during 
the  whole  period 
was  delightful  also, 
and  there  were  no 
mosquitoes  or  other 
insect  -  pests  to 
bother  us. 
=•  Apart    from    the 

feeling  of  weary 
weakness  —  more 
especially  in  the  legs 
and  arms — and  the 
craving  for  bread, 
the  worst  part  of  our 
experience  was  the 
angle  at  which  the 
boat  lay.  Fancy 
cooking,  eating, 
walking,  and  sleep- 
ing on  the  slope  of 
an  ordinary  galvan- 
ized roof,  with  a  few 
boards  nailed  on  to 
cling  to,  and  you  will 
have  as  good  an  idea 
as  can  be  given  of 
our  position  in  this 
respect.  The  chil- 
dren    left     Port 


'•'**'***"^'^ '~rT**^.~^~tS^ 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    "^HDOE." 


491 


Darwin  with  new  boots,  and  when  they  returned 
the  price  marks  were  not  even  rubbed  off  the 
soles,  but  the  uppers  were  completely  worn  out, 
and  we  all  developed  a  habit  of  holding  on  to 
something  constantly  by  one  hand,  whether 
waking  or  sleeping. 

\\'hen  the  tide  was  in  the  sandy  water  was  a 
great  nuisance,  decks,  dishes,  etc.,  washed  with 
it  having  a  coating  of  fine  .sand  left  on  them. 
And  when  one  was  so  imprudent  as  to  go  in 
for  a  swim,  the  hair  when  one  came  out  looked 
as  if  it  had  been  powdered  with  gold  dust,  from 
the  shining  mica  of  which  the  sand  is  in  large 
part  composed.  If  the  sand  were  as  golden  in 
reality  as  in  appearance  Eldorado  would  have 
been  found  at  last ;  in  fact,  if  it  contained  only  a 
few  grains  per  ton  it  would  provide  profitable 
work  for  thousands  of  dredges. 

On  Friday,  July  21st,  the  spring  tide  reached 
us  once  more,  and  we  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing the  children  ask  again,  "  Which  side  do  you 
think  we  are  going  to  capsize  over  to-day  ?  " 

On  Sunday  we  floated,  and  despair  seized 
hold  of  us  for  the  first  time  when  the  anchor 
refused  to  hold  as  usual,  and  the  ebb  left  us 
farther  up  the  bank.  But  next  morning  there 
was  a  strong  wind  from  the  south  and,  discard- 
ing the  anchor,  we  set  the  sails  against  the  tide. 
When  the  tide  reached  the  flood  the  wind  pre- 
vailed, and  we  floated  off  at  10  a.  m.  and  by  midday 
were  in  the  open  sea,  with  only  one  fish  for  food, 
and  too  thankful  to  bother  about  such  a  trifle. 

On  Tuesday  we  missed  the  kitten  we  had  on 
board,  and  soon  after  discovered  it  had  been 
eaten  by  the  sailors  during  the  night.  Later  on 
three  young  sharks,  weighing  about  41b.  or  51b. 
altogether,  were  caught  by  the  seamen ;  and  on 
Wednesday  one  rock  cod,  about  2lb.  weight,  of 
which  we  received  a  portion. 

On  Thursday  we  passengers  had  no  fish,  and 
would  have  been  in  a  very  serious  plight,  but 
Providence  had  reserved  for  us  in  the  medicine- 
chest  a  half-pound  tin  of  lean,  raw  minced  steak, 
which  had  been  preserved  in  Melbourne  many 
months  before  by  a  new  process,  and  placed 
among  the  medicines  to  see  how  long  it  would 
keep  in  a  tropical  climate.  When  found  it  did 
not  keep  long,  for  we  consumed  it  raw  on  the 
spot,  after  dividing  it  into  five  parts. 

Next  morning  at  9  a.m.  our  troubles  were 
ended.  We  arrived  at  the  Point  Charles  Light- 
house :  the  lifeboat  put  out  and  carried  us 
ashore,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  pangs  of 
hunger  were  things  of  the  past.  A  curious 
effect  of  the  first  meal  on  all  the  party,  seamen 
included,  was  that  it  practically  produced  intoxi- 
cation. Our  previously  slow,  feeble  pulses  beat 
like  steam-engines,  our  heads  felt  giddy,  and  the 
legs  of  the  strongest  were  far  too  unsteady  to 


cany  them.  Mr.  Christie,  the  chief  keeper, 
vied  with  other  friends  in  showing  us  constant 
kindness  and  attention,  which  we  repaid  so  well 
that  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Nicholson  was  able  to 
continue  his  journey  with  the  crew  to  Palmerston, 
where  he' was  hailed  as  one  risen  from  the  dead! 
Next   day  the   steamer    Victoria    brought  on 


POINT   CHARLES    LIGHTHOUSE,  WHERE  THE    P.^KTY    HIRST    LANDED  ON 

From  a  Photo.  lyy\  getting  back.  [//.  W.  Christie. 

the  rest  of  us,  and  we  were  escorted  home  by  a 
number  of  the  residents,  whose  prodigal  kind- 
ness of  heart,  so  loudly  praised  by  every  visitor, 
we  were  afforded  an  opportunity  of  sounding  to 
its  depths.  Sympathy  begets  sympathy,  and  if 
our  hearts  were  touched  when  the  band  played 
"  The  Old  Folks  at  Home,"  they  felt  and  feel  a 
warmth  towards  the  town  and  its  inhabitants 
which  no  other  place  or  people  has  ever 
succeeded  in  arousing.  The  care  and  atten- 
tion and  good  food  bestowed  on  us  by  the 
residents  of  the  town  soon  brought  us 
round  again,  and  anyone  seeing  us  would 
probably  find  it  as  difficult  to  imagine  that 
we  had  passed  through  so  much  as  we  find 
it  ourselves— though  we  still  dream  at  nights 
that  we  are  starving,  even  as  in  our  days  of 
starvation  our  dreams  w-ere  one  succession  of 
glorious  banquets  ' 


Mr.  Pratt  and  His    Travels  in   China. — //. 


TEN   THOUSAND    MILES    IN    FOUR   YEARS. 
Bv  P.   D.  Kennv. 


pT  was  in  early  summer  when  IVatt 
anchored  in  the  Min  River,  near 
Kia-ting-fu,  and  went  overland  for 
II  his  adventures  on  the  Tibetan  border 
among  the  mountains  round  Ta- 
Chien-lu,  Mou-si-Mien,  and  Pu-tzu-fong,  leaving 
most  of  his  native  servants  and  collectors,  in- 
cluding the  skipper,  behind  at  the  boat,  which 
was  to  be  their  home  and  head-quarters  during 
his  absence. 

After  he  had  left,  his  captain  had  an  idea — a 
Chinese  idea.  He  threw  out  the  ballast,  put  in 
salt,  and  bound  the  crew  to  keep  his  secret.  He 
knew  the  heavy  duty  on  salt  passing  from 
province  to  province.  In  short,  he  turned 
smuggler.  That  was  not  all.  He  meant  to 
carry  on  his  smuggling  by  means  of  his  master's 
boat,  under  his  master's  eyes,  and  without  his 
master's  knowledge.  Not  only  that :  he  meant 
to  make  his  master  the  means  by  which  the 
cargo  was  to  escape  detection.  Such  an 
apparently  impossible  scheme  would  not 
bear  li  terary 
analysis  had  it 
not  been  an 
actual  fact — an 
actual  Chinese 
fact. 

Returning  to 
Kia-ting  inabout 
four  months, 
after  the  adven- 
tures described 
below,  Pratt 
found  every- 
thing looking  fit, 
with  the  captain 
in  the  best  of 
moods,  and  with 
the  best  of  order 
among  the  men. 
Better  still,  his 
two  collectors, 
Wong  and  "Split 
Jaw,"  were  there, 
in  spite  of  their 
crime  at  Pu-tzu- 
fong,  where  they 
had  left  sud- 
denly, with  the 
authorities  on 
their    track    for 


something  worse  than  murder.  On  foot,  with 
no  apparent  means,  in  an  unknown  region,  and 
with  the  executioner  looking  for  their  heads, 
they  had  come  more  than  one  hundred  miles, 
arriving  at  Kia-ting  long  before  their  master, 
but  long  after  he  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever 
seeing  them  again.  There,  too,  were  the  coolie 
loads  of  collections  from  all  directions — live 
dogs  in  cages  and  dead  butterflies  in  boxes ; 
half -grown  Crossoptilotis  and  skins  of  the 
Lophaphorus ;  quaint  treasures  of  Tibetan  art 
work  and  equally  treasured  families  of  beetles. 

These  and  many  other  things  had  to  be 
taken  down  to  Shanghai — down  through  those 
roaring  rapids  and  gloomy  gorges  that  run  for 
hundreds  of  miles  west  of  I-Chang.  He  had 
not  too  many  men,  and  was  not  disposed  to 
lessen  their  number  by  turning  Chinese  police- 
man and  handing  over  two  of  them  for  execu- 
tion. Besides,  it  was  not  his  business.  The 
whole  result  of  two  expeditions  was  at  stake, 
and    he  particularly  desired   to   see   things  go 


MK.  IKATTS    liOAT,  THE        ALICE,      1>ESCE.NDING   THE  YANG-TSE — HEK   LAl-TAlN    HOISTED   AN    INFLUENTIAL    FLAG. 

From  a  Photo. 


MR.    PRATT    AND    HIS    TRAVELS     IN    CHINA. 


493 


smoothly.  No  doubt  this  mood  had  to  do  with 
his  indulgence  towards  his  captain's  new  scheme 
"  for  diminishing  the  difficulties  and  multiplying 
the  pleasures  of  the  journey." 

"  Master,"  said  the  Chinee,  "  we  make  trouble 
for  nothing.  The  people  do  not  trust  us.  They 
despise  us.  They  refuse  to  sell  to  us,  they 
refuse  to  work  for  us,  and  they  spit  in  our  faces. 
I  have  a  plan  to  change  all  this.  It  will  make 
them  honour  us,  and  it  will  make  them  feel 
honoured  in  doing  everything  for  us.'' 

"  Well,  your  plan  ?  " 

"A  flag,  master,  a  flag.  Let  me  get  a  great 
flag  and  put  words  on  it  to  say  who  we  are.  I 
can  get  the  flag  in  two  hours."' 

In  two  hours  the  "  lowban  "  returned  punctu- 
ally to  the  boat  with  a  most  gorgeous  flag, 
bearing  a  circumstantial  legend  in  Chinese — 
which  the  master  could  not  read.  The  flag 
was  hoisted  at  Kia-ting-fu  and  the  journey  to 
I-Chang  resumed. 

The  effect  was  immediate  and  magnificent. 
In  the  villages  along  the  river  the  natives  let  off 
fireworks  and  guns  were  heard  from  the  hills, 
all  in  honour  of  the  now  distinguished  traveller. 
At  first  he  had  doubts.  What  if  it  meant 
hostility  ?  What  if  the  words  on  the  flag  were 
meant  for  massacre  ?  Nothing  of  the  kind ; 
the  officials  who  had  scowled  at  them  on  the 
way  up  were  now 
kow  -  towing  to 
them  on  the  way 
down.  The  blue- 
eyed  nomad  of 
yesterday  had 
become  a  great 
personage,  with 
whole  communi- 
ties massing  in 
his  honour.  The 
words  must  be 
excellent  words, 
indeed,  but  the 
skipper  would 
not  translate. 
Better  still,  the 
official  inter- 
preter on  the 
boat  managed  to 
avoid  translating 
them. 

After  many 
days  they 
reached  the  fron- 
tier  of  Ssu- 
Chuan,  where, 
on  their  way  up, 
the  boat  had 
been  overhauled 


with  most  careful  insolence  by  the  revenue 
officials.  Now  these  officials  looked  at  the 
language  on  the  flag,  bowed  ceremoniously,  and 
refused  to  examine  farther  so  great  a  personage. 
In  a  moment  they  could  liave  discovered  the 
salt,  but  the  flag  was  enough  for  them. 

After  a  most  prosperous  and  unusually 
agreeable  journey  they. arrived  at  I-Chang  and 
anchored  there  in  the  Yang-tse,  while  deferential 
natives,  official  and  otherwise,  read  the  words 
on  the  flag  and  treated  everybody  on  board  with 
the  greatest  respect. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Eraser  was  British  Consul  at 
I-Chang,  and  the  morning  after  the  arrival  of 
the  boat  bodies  of  important  personages  came 
to  his  house  as  deputations  to  the  distinguished 
visitor.  While  all  this  went  on,  the  skipper 
quietly  got  out  his  salt  and  sold  every  ounce  of 
it.  Having  seen  the  deputations,  Mr.  Eraser 
came  on  board  and  said  : — 

"  Pratt,  do  you  know  what  flag  this  is  you  are 
flying?" 

"  Not  in  the  least,  but  I  know  it's  a  very  good 
flag,  and  I'm  sorry  I  didn't  get  it  sooner." 

"  Well,  you  are  travelling  under  the  style  and 
title  of  the  late  British  Minister  to  Pekin,  Sir 
Harry  Parkes." 

Here  is  the  traveller's  first  attempt  at  a 
dwelling  on   the   mountains  of  Mou-si-Mien,  in 


IMK.    PRATT  S    Fll  -  I 


AT    A    DWELLING   IN   THE    MOUNTAINS   OF    MOU-SI-MIEN 

From  a  Photo. 


494 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)    MAGAZINE. 


IIKKF.    IS    ANOTHF.R    OF    MR.    PRATT  S    STATIONS    FOR   THE   COLLECTION    OF    SCIF.NTIFIC    SPECIMENS. 

From  a  Photo. 


the  neighbourhood  of  Ta-Chien-lu,  more  than 
i2,oooft.  above  the  sea,  with  the  sun  scorching 
him  while  the  perpetual  snow  is  up  in  the  back- 
ground beyond  the  foliage.  He  holds  his 
lepidoptera  net  in  one  hand.  On  the  other  side 
sits  his  Tibetan  dog.  The  other  three  are  his 
native  assistants.  In  front  of  him  is  his  vessel 
for  developing  photographs,  hewn  out  of  a  solid 
tree  trunk.  See  what  finely  developed  trees  at 
an  altitude  nearly  three  times  as  high  as  the  top 
of  the  highest 
mountain  in  the 
United  King- 
dom. One  trunk 
leans  over.  One 
day  it  came 
crashing  down 
across  the  tent, 
but  no  one  was 
in. 

The  next 
photograph 
shows  another 
collecting  sta- 
tion, in  the  same 
neighbourhood, 
and  much  of  the 
same-  kind. 
They  have  been 
shooting  among 
the  forty  kinds 
of  pheasant 
that  flourish 
here.  The  com- 
panions  are   all 


Tibetans,though 
not  at  all  supe- 
rior types  of  the 
race.  It  is  a 
magnificent 
sporting  coun- 
try, with  fine 
game,  some 
birds  twice  as 
big  as  British 
geese.  A  skin 
of  one  iyLopho- 
pliorus  L'hteysii) 
is  now  in  the 
British  Museum. 
There  are  also 
deer ;  the  wild 
yak  and  a  variety 
of  antelope 
roam  among 
flowery  forests  of 
rhododendrons, 
some  with  trunks 
30ft.  to  40ft. 
The  pheasants  are 
China  is  the  real 


high  and  diameters  of  i2in 
equally  fine,  of  their  kind 
home  of  both  the  rhododendron  and  the  phea- 
sant, and  they  appear  to  be  nowhere  more  at 
home  than  on  the  mountains  of  Mou-si-Mien. 

The  dangers  are  as  prevalent  as  the  sport. 
At  any  moment  you  may  stumble  on  a  loose 
rock  as  big  as  a  house,  and  it  may  roll  down 
the  mountains  with  you.  Then  there  are  the 
natives  ;  China  would  be  all  right  but  for  the 


MR.    I'KA  r  1    S    IIU  I 

From  a\ 


DUKINT;  THE    SNOW-STORM    AVMICH     HE    WAS  SUPPOSED     PO    HAVp;    C.\LSEO,    .\NO 
OF    WHICH    HE    WAS    BANMSHED. 


ACCOUNT 

[Photo. 


MR.     PRATT    AND    HIS    TRAVELS    IN    CHINA. 


495 


Chinese.  They  put  up  tall  posts  with  flags 
on  them,  and  with  prayers  on  the  flags,  so  that 
the  prayers  may  be  lepeated  with  every  move- 
ment of  the  drapery  in  the  wind.  You  had 
better  not  make  too  free  with  this  ritualism,  and 
you  will  also  find  it  safer  not  to  remain  too  long 
in  one  place  ;  for  here,  as  elsewhere  in  China, 
your  movements  are  continually  traced  and 
reported,  and  the  longer  you  stay  in  one  place 
the  greater  the  chances  that  you  will  be  officially 
accused  of  tampering  with  the  praying  machines 
or  causing  Heaven  to  get  angry  against  your 
neighbours  for  not  cutting  your  throat.  Even 
in  China  they 
know  how  to 
interpret  the 
Divine  sanction 
in  favour  of  their 
prejudices. 

The  preceding 
picture  shows 
Pratt's  hut  after 
a  snow-storm  on 
the  5th  of  June. 
He  was  begin- 
ning to  have  "  a 
stake  in  the 
country,"  and 
looked  like  set- 
1 1  i  n  g  down; 
therefore,  his 
neighbours 
began  to  be  un- 
easy. His  pre- 
sence being  an 
offence  against 
Heaven,  they 
expected  all 
kinds  of  evil  as 
long  as  he  was  there.  What  could  he  want  with 
a  machine  for  making  pictures  ?  Why  should  he 
want  to  catch  butterflies  ?  A  minority  thought 
he  was  mad ;  all  put  him  down  as  dangerous. 
He  had  blue  eyes  and  a  white  skin.  Were  not 
these  gifts  from  the  devil?  Accordingly,  when 
the  snow-storm  came,  the  civil  mandarin  of 
Ta-Chien-lu,  acting  for  the  local  King,  ordered 
him  to  remove  immediately,  the  villagers  having 
petitioned  these  authorities  on  the  ground  that 
he  had  caused  the  storm  and  damaged  the  crops. 
There  was  no  arguing  against  the  will  of  Heaven 
so  clearly  expressed,  and  he  had  to  go. 

Look  at  this  street  in  Ta-Chien-lu,  by  the  way. 
It  is  a  main  street,  leading  out  through  a  main 
gate  in  the  tow-n  wall.  See  the  large  slabs  that 
make  the  street.  It  is  full  of  mud  between 
them,  for  this  is  a  rainy  district.  On  either  side 
you  have  to  climb  over  rocks  and  rubble  to  the 
doors   of    the    "  houses,"   with    their   walls   of 


bamboo  sticks  and  unmortared  rubble.  Weird 
creatures,  with  haggard  faces  and  long  black 
hair,  peep  through  the  smoky  doorways.  "  There 
is  no  water  system  ;  no  sanitation.  If  this  be 
the  front  of  a  front  street,  what  must  be  the 
back  of  a  back  street  ?  A  mountain  stream 
runs  down  through  the  litde  town,  and  that 
stream  has  to  do  nearly  all  that  is  done  in  the 
way  of  local  administration.  Still,  the  local  man- 
darin is  a  fat  and  comfortable  fellow,  and  knows 
how  to  make  a  fortune  out  of  his  official  position. 
There  are  rich  pickings  in  Ta-Chien-lu,  for  it  is 
the  Chinese  emporium  of  Tibetan  trade,  where 


THE    MAIN 
From  a] 


IN     1  A-CHIE.N-LU- 


OX    ElTHtk     siUE    VOU 
TO   THE    HOUSES." 


HAVE    TO    CLI.MB    uVlR    KuCKb    AND    KLUni.E 

U'Aoio. 


many  nations  meet  and  trade  and  put  money  in 
the  pocket  of  the  local  mandarin.  Some  years 
ago  the  regulation  of  the  local  trade  was  farmed 
by  a  man  who  made  even  more  out  of  it.  The 
permanent  population  is  about  10,000,  though 
the  "  Century  Gazetteer "  puts  it  at  500,000. 
From  this  terrible  place  Bishop  Biet,  of  the 
French  Catholic  Mission,  has  governed  his  see 
for  many  years,  and  Pratt  was  the  first  European 
he  saw  there  in  eleven  years.  The  old  gentle- 
man has  spent  about  twenty-five  years  in  China 
— has  become  almost  a  Chinee,  in  fact— and  is 
now  on  a  well-earned  holiday  at  the  Vatican. 

Sometimes  a  merciful  landslip  comes  down 
on  the  town  and  buries  a  few  hundreds  of 
Chinamen,  but  the  others  rebuild  over  the  fall, 
and  so  the  town  persists.  A  big  lot  of  the 
Bishop's  wine  was  so  buried  some  years  ago, 
together  with  the  fifty  Chinamen  who  were 
carrying  it  to  the  house.     '^'         •'"  ""■"  "l--^«1  ' 


There  is  one  "  hotel,' 


40(1 


IHR    A\Il)i:    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


>>;    1  il'.i-;  1  .\.\    M.  •NA-~i  F^■^  . 


1  A-L  HIFN-I.L  . 


where,    with    the   assistance   of  powerful  disin- 
fectants and  insect  destroyers,  you  may  be  able 
to   get  a  little  sleep  after  five  or  six  sleepless 
nights    as   a    preparatory    training,    and  where, 
after  you  have  learnt  to  sleep,  your  neighbours 
sometimes  come    in,   send  the  landlord  out  of 
the  way,  and  take  possession  of  everything  you 
have,  leaving  you  to  get  up  next  morning  with 
no  clothes  to  wear.     But  after  such   incidents, 
assuming  that  you  are  a  wise  and  experienced 
traveller,    you  will   smile   pleasantly,   and  wish 
every  Chinaman  you   meet  to  "live  a  hundred 
years."     Should  you,  however,  be  less  wise  and 
experienced,    some- 
thing  may   happen 
so  that  you  will  not 
need  any  more 
clothes.     The  place 
has    its    compensa- 
tions. 

A  Lamassary  near 
Ta-Chien-lu  is 
.shown  in  the  next 
illustration.  Ta- 
Chien-lu  is  in  Ssu- 
Chuan,  and  Ssu- 
Chuan  is  in  China, 
but  that  district,  or 
most  of  it,  was  in 
Tibet  until  the  last 
century,  and  its 
character  is  largely 
Tibetan  still.  There 
is  a  kind  of  King. 
with  his  palace  near       ^'^"^r""   "'^"'-^^-"^^  '''-"'  """^ 


the  town.  He 
is  a  Tibetan 
survival,  under 
Chinese  con- 
trol, with  a  local 
mandarin  to 
personify  the 
predomin  ant 
authority.  This 
arrangement  is 
a  political  curi- 
osity in  China, 
where,  unlike 
Europe,  the 
Imperial  idea 
generally  pre- 
cludes that  of 
dependent 
Royalty.  The 
people  about 
Ta  -  Chien  -  lu 
are  neither 
Chinese  nor 
Tibetans,  but  a 
other  ingredients 
district    is    more 


blend  of  both,  with  some 
added.  In  many  ways  the 
Tibetan  than  Chinese.  For  instance,  the  above 
Lamassary,  very  near  the  little  town,  is  a  pecu- 
liarly Tibetan  institution.  In  China  the  Bud- 
dhist minister  is  called  simply  a  priest ;  in  Tibet 
he  is  called  a  Lama.  This  is  not  the  only 
difference.  This  Lamassary  has  many  of  the 
peculiarities  of  a  mediaeval  monastery,  but  few 
of  its  virtues  or  beauties.  The  inmates  are 
supposed  to  be  separated  from  the  world.  They 
are  supposed  to  be  celibates.  They  are  sup- 
posed to  be  holy.     The  one  thing  certain  about 


KIGllT)    AND    HIS   COMPANIONS — THtY    WEKE   BESIEGED   AND    LOOTED 
BY   THE   NATIVES.  [PhotO- 


MR.     PRATT    AND    HIS    TRA\r:i.S    IN    CHINA. 


497 


them  is  that  it  is  very  hard  for  the  European  to 
get  any  direct  knowledge  of  them.  They  do 
not  like  the  camera.  In  getting  the  photograph 
Pratt  ran  nearly  as  much  risk  as  with  the  Tiger- 
god.  If  they  vmst  meet  you,  they  are  quite 
civil — even  polite.  And  if  you  say  you  will 
call  on  them,  they  will  make  every  show  of 
intended  hospitality ;  but  they  keep  immense 
dogs  specially  trained  to  be  savage  to  strangers, 
and  when  they  see  you  coming,  the  dogs  are  let 
loose.  If  you  hurt  them,  the  natives  may  take 
your  life  ;  if  you  don't,  the  dogs  will  do  it.  That 
is  how  a  Buddhist  monastery  keeps  up  its 
double  reputation  for  hospitality  and  seclusion. 

Prince  Henri  d'Orleans,  M.  Bonvalot,  and 
their  party  arrived  in  Ta-Chien-lu  on  the  24th 
of  June — the  day  before  Pratt  had  to  fly  to  that 
town  from  his  hut  for  having  "caused  the  snow- 
storm." The  Prince  had  come  from  Kulja,  on 
the  Russian  frontier,  and  through  Tibet,  via 
Lob-Nor,  Tangri-Nor,  and  Batang — a  very  fine 
achievement,  with  very  fine  results.  He  had 
passed  out  of  Russia  without  passports,  the 
I'ibetans  recognising  none ;  but  on  reaching 
China  he  was  equally  without  passports,  and 
the  Chinese  officials  at  Ta-Chien-lu  insisted 
on  them.  He  could  say  he  was  a  Prince,  but 
his  people  carried  neither  drums  nor  tom-toms. 
As  the  portrait  shows,  there  was  nothing  of  the 
Royal  courtier  about  his  clothes.  He  looked 
too  much  like  other  men.  He  could  not 
even  behead  a  few  of  his  devoted  followers  to 
demonstrate  his  princely  authority.  In  short, 
they  refused  to  accept  his  Royal  story. 

When  they  had  satisfied  themselves  that  he 
was  an  impostor  they  paid  him  a  midnight  visit  at 
the  "hotel"  above  described,  looted  his  property, 
and  took  away  every  cent  they  could  find  about 
himself  and  his  companions.  Without  pass- 
ports he  must  take  his  chances,  and  these  were 
some  of  his  chances.  A  sort  of  minor  siege 
followed.  By  this  time  Pratt  and  the  Prince 
had  joined  hands,  and  now  they  turned  the 
hotel  into  a  fortress,  which  was  steadily 
besieged  for  fourteen  days,  keeping  them 
practically  imprisoned  in  the  hideous  little 
rooms.  The  siege  ended  in  a  truce,  the  Prince 
undertaking  to  depart,  if  permitted.  He 
left,  finding  his  way  to  the  coast  at  Tong-king 
— another  remarkable  feat,  seeing  what  the 
dangers  are,  even  with  passports. 

Like  a  true  explorer,  he  shrank  from  having  his 
valuable  collections  run  the  same  risk  as  his  life, 
so  he  handed  them  over  to  Pratt,  to  be  placed 
in  the  care  of  one  of  the  French  Consuls  on  the 
Lower  Yang-tse.  The  arrangement  resulted  in  a 
nice  illustration  of  French  politics  on  Chinese 
soil.  It  is  as  well  not  to  mention  the  particular 
Consul,    but    when     Pratt    called    on    him     he 

Vol.  vi.-57. 


refused  to  liave  anything  to  do  with  the 
collections  !  Why  ?  After  some  inquiry,  Pratt 
found  out  the  reason  :  the  Consul  was  there  on 
behalf  of  La  Mpttblique,  and  the  Prince  was  a 
claimant  to  the  throne  of  P^rance  !  The 
Prince's  work  as  an  explorer  might  make  him 
too  popular  at  home,  and  the  loyal  Republican 
Consul  was  not  going  to  assist  in  bringing  about 
such  a  calamity. 

Here  are  some  extracts  from  Pratt's  diary 
during  the  Prince's  visit:  — 

"  Ta-tsien-lu,  July  2.— Trouble  grows.  The 
mandarin  has  accepted  the  Prince's  presents  but 
not  returned  his  visit.  The  people  seem  to 
think  that  I  am  here  by  arrangement  to  meet 
the  Prince  .  .  .  Yesterday  the  Prince's  inter- 
preter (Father  de  Daken,  a  Belgian  priest  from 
Mongolia)  went  to  the  mandarin  for  an  escort. 
The  mandarin  refused  to  see  him.  Father  de 
Daken  repeated  the  request,  urging  its  imme- 
diate importance,  and  the  mandarin  replied  by 
at  once  informing  the  people  that  the  stranger 
had  come  'to  rob  the  Treasury';  after  which 
the  people  and  the  lamas,  armed  with  sticks, 
mobbed  the  interpreter,  who  had  much  difficulty 
in  reaching  us  alive  at  the  inn. 

"  This  evening  the  mandarin  has  threatened 
to  put  all  the  Europeans  in  cages  and  take 
them  through  the  streets  of  Ta-tsien-lu.  He 
may  try,  but  before  he  can  do  it  a  few  will  be 
laid  out.  The  Prince  has  2,000  cartridges,  and 
that  is  not  all. 

"Ta-tsien-lu,  July  16. — -I've  given  my  gun 
and  500  rounds  of  cartridges  to  Father  Soulie. 
The  Prince  also  has  given  them  some  ammu- 
nition. I  cannot  but  marvel  at  the  heroism  and 
devotion  of  these  men,  with  their  lives  in  con- 
stant peril  and  without  a  friendly  face  to  be 
seen  from  Europe  for  ten  years  at  a  stretch." 

All  these  photographs  were  taken  by  Mr.  A. 
E.    Pratt  himself,  with   some  scores  of  others. 
The  collections   he    brought  home  resulted  in 
many    thousands   sterling,    and  are   now  repre- 
sented   in    various    places   on    both    sides    of 
the    Atlantic.       A    parcel    of    the    lepidoptera 
was    purchased     from      Mr.     Leech     by     the 
Natural  History  Museum  at  South  Kensington 
about  three   months  ago.     For   his   geographi- 
cal   work    on    the    Upper    Yang-tse    and    his 
paper  to  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  he  was 
made   Gill    Memorialist.     Apart   from    science, 
geography,  and  sociology,  he  has  much  interest- 
ing information  on  China.     Take  the  following 
as  commercial  samples.     In  one  district  he  was 
about  to  throw  his  empty  beer-bottles  overboard, 
when   it  occurred    to    him  that    he    might   sell 
them.     Without  the  least  trouble  he  sold  every 
bottle,  at  more  thati  the  price  of  itself  and  the 
beer  in  E?tgland  f 


Our  Sonthal  Bear  Shoot. 


By  Percy  Kelly. 

A    lively   narrative   of  sport  in    one    of  the    very  wildest   districts  of  Bengal.      It   gives  the   people    at 
home  an  accurate  idea  of  the  way  in  which  men  enjoy  an  "  off-day  "  in  the  wilder  parts  of  the  Empire. 


N  '98  I  was  staying  in  Dumka,  a 
small  "miifussil"  station  in  Bengal, 
and  the  head-quarters  of  a  wild, 
hilly  district  known  as  the  Sonthal 
Purgunahs.  The  country  round 
about  is  inhabited  by  tribes  of  Sonthals,  Paha- 
rias  (hill  men),  Ghatwals,  and  Hindustanis. 

The  Sonthals,  from  whom  the  district  derives 
its  name,  are,  perhaps,  the  most  numerous  and 
certainly  the  most 
interesting.  They 
are  a  crude  race  of 
aborigines,  speaking 
an  unwritten  lan- 
guage utterly  distinct 
from  the  Aryan  Ben- 
galis and  Hindu- 
stanis who  surround 
them.  In  religion 
they  are  devil-wor- 
shippers, and  at  one 
time  were  wont  to 
offer  up  human 
sacrifices  in  their 
sacred  sal  forests. 
For  the  rest,  they 
are  enthusiastic 
hunters — too  enthu- 
siastic, in  fact  ■ — 
thanks  chiefly  to 
them  a  district  once 
teeming  with  tiger, 
leopard,  bear,  and 
deer  is  now  almost 
played  out.  What 
there  is  to-day  is 
only  to  be  found  in 
the  densest  and 
most  inaccessible 
jungle,  where  even 
the  Sonthal  cannot 
penetrate. 

It  is  usually  from  one  of  these  preserves  that 
a  stray  bear  will  set  out  on  a  foraging  expedition 
during  winter.  Fruits  and  standing  crops,  which 
invariably  surround  the  Sonthal  village,  are  a 
great  inducement  for  a  night  visit ;  but,  alas  ! 
poor  "  Brer  Bear  "  is  often  not  discreet  enough. 
He  often  prolongs  his  repast  till  too  late,  and  is 
spotted  by  the  early-rising  villager.  All  uncon- 
scious, he  is  then  followed  by  three  or  four. 
The  day  begins  to  get  hot,  and  sun  and  a  big 
feed  have  the  usual  effect.  He  selects  a  shady 
spot  and  turns  in  to  sleep  off  his  gorge.  Then, 
while  a  couple  of  his  trackers  stay  to  mark  him 


rHE   AUTHOR,    MR.    PERCY    KE 

From 


down,  the  remainder  will  hurry  back  and  spread 
the  news  in  the  neighbouring  villages  and  get 
the  beaters  together. 

Should  there  be  a  station  near,  the  Europeans 
in  it  would  be  sure  of  getting  khubbur  (warning), 
for  the  Sonthal  in  all  his  ignorance  knows 
how  to  judge  between  bows  and  arrows  and  a 
rifle.  Besides,  the  "  sahib  "  gives  him  "  back- 
sheesh " — a  great  consideration. 

Under  circum- 
stances very  similar 
Armstrong,  the  Dis- 
trict Superintendent 
of  Police,  and  I  left 
Dumka  one  hot 
November  forenoon, 
fated  to  have  some 
very  lively  experi- 
ences. As  we  rode 
along,  Murul 
Manghi,  our  guide, 
every  now  and 
again  burst  forth 
into  glowing  descrip- 
tions of  the  size  of 
the  bear  —  how  he 
had  seen  it  with  his 
own  eyes  and  had 
marked  it  down  ; 
and  (with  a  grin  of 
anticipation)  what  a 
fine  day's  sport  we 
were  in  for  ! 

He  was  a  fine 
fellow,  this  Murul, 
and  possessed  the 
real  sliikari's  enthu- 
siasm and  grit.  In 
the  morning  he  had 
come  panting  into 
the  station  with  the 
news,  and  now  he 
ambled  along  by  the  side  of  our  horses,  his 
body  glossy  with  perspiration,  his  lips  parched 
— but  still  as  keen  as  ever.  His  right  forefinger 
was  deformed,  the  result  of  a  bear-mauling  in  his 
early  youth,  and  with  it  he  had  a  great  habit  of 
pointing.  This,  together  with  a  very  suggestive 
grin,  left  an  impression  that  Armstrong  and  I 
have  had  many  a  laugh  over,  and  will  ever 
associate  with  this  worthy  heathen. 

To  revert  to  the  narrative.  We  forded  the 
Moore  River  a  couple  of  miles  or  so  from 
Dumka,  where  I  had  some  difticulty  in  pre- 
venting  my   nag   from    indulging   in   a   bit   of 


LLY,    WITH    SOME    HINDU    n)f>LS 
a  Photo. 


OUR  SONTHAL  BEAR  SHOOT. 


499 


playful  rolling  in  the  shallow  water,  regardless 
of  saddle  and  rider.  This  is  a  little  peculiarity 
of  the  Indian  horse  when  hot,  as  many  a  new 
arrival  in  the  country  has  found  out  to  his  cost. 
The  only  antidote  is  a  liberal  use  of  spur  and 
whip. 

From  the  Moore  to  the  place  of  rendezvous 
was  about  five  miles,  and  we  arrived  shortly 
after  noon.  Here  were  gathered  some  two 
hundred    beaters,    armed    with    every    sort    of 


THE   DOCTORS    BUN(;Al.OW,    WHICH    WAS   THE   STARTING-POINT   OK    THE   EXPEDITION. 

From  a  Photo. 

weapon,  from  sticks  and  cudgels,  to  bows,  arrows, 
and  hatchets.  Quite  a  large  proportion  of  these 
were  mere  boys.  They,  too,  had  their  little 
bows,  and  were  as  keen  on  sport  as  their  fathers. 

We  dismounted  and  gave  our  horses  to  the 
"syces,"  who,  together  with  the  refreshments, 
were  to  remain  here.  This  was  unfortunate, 
especially  as  regards  the  latter.  The  bear,  they 
told  us,  was  on  a  thickly-wooded  hill  not  a  mile 
distant,  and  after  stationing  parties  of  beaters 
in  likely  spots  we  started  off  together. 

Armstrong  was  to  fire  the  first  shot,  for  we 
had  tossed  up  and  he  won.  To  say  the  truth; 
both  of  us  thought  we  were  in  for  a  soft  thing, 
and  that  a  matter  of  a  couple  of  shots  would 
terminate  the  day's  sport ;  but  as  events  turned 
out  we  were  much  mistaken.  Progress  through 
the  dense  undergrowth  was  slow,  and,  besides, 
the  ground  was  rocky  and  boulder-strewn,  and  a 
noisy  tumble  might  spoil  everything. 

The  last  few  yards  seemed  ages  ;  we  simply 
crawled.  Then  suddenly  Murul,  who  was 
leading,  stopped  and  pointed.  There,  not  forty 
yards  away,  down  a  slight  incline,  stood  a  huge 


bear.  Now,  in  our  excitement,  all  caution  was 
thrown  aside.  Armstrong  stood  up  and  fired, 
and  while  the  frightened  animal  made  off  down 
the  hill  I,  too,  put  in  a  hasty  shot.  Mine,  at 
any  rate,  .went  home— in  a  tree  a  few  yards 
ahead.  Meantime  our  quarry  had  made  off, 
and  on  carefully  examining  the  spot  no  trace  of 
a  wound  could  be  found.  It  was  a  bitter  disap- 
pointment, .shared  by  the  bands  of  Sonthals  who 
every  now  and  then  came  running  in  to  hear  the 

news. 

Murul,  however,  was  as 
usual  cheerful,  and 
motioned  us  to  follow 
him.  He  knew  this  bit 
of  country  off  by  heart, 
and  shrewdly  guessed  that 
the  bear  would  make  for 
a  narrow  gorge  leading 
up  to  Domun  Pahar. 
This  was  the  largest  hill 
round  about.  It  was  so 
thickly  wooded,  and  had 
in  it  so  many  caves,  that 
it  must  form  an  ideal 
shelter  for  the  fugitive 
animal. 

We    ran    towards    this 
gorge     along    a     narrow 
path,  and  took  cover  in 
it  a   few   yards   apart, 
and   hadn't    waited    long 
when  a   cracking  of  dry 
leaves  warned  us  of  the 
approach    of    the    bear; 
but  the  jungle  was  so  dense  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  see  anything.      He,  however,  sniffed  the 
danger  and  turned.     This  was  just  as  we  could 
have  wished  it,  and  a  couple  of  shots  sent  in  his 
direction,  together  with  the  fiendish  yells  of  the 
beaters,  sent  him  doubling  back  up  the  gorge 
for  all  he  was  worth. 

Just  after  this  a  Sonthal  handed  us  a  tuft  of 
hair  with  skin  attached.  This  he  found  near 
where  we  had  first  fired,  so  at  any  rate  our  (or 
rather  Armstrong's)  first  endeavour  had  not 
exactly  been  a  blank.  Then  after  a  short  wait 
we  heard  "  Hante-re,  hante-re  "  (Here,  here),  and 
with  heads  down  away  we  tore  in  full  cry.  The 
bear  had  taken  up  a  standing  position,  with  his 
fore-feet  over  the  branches  of  a  tree.  He 
showed  a  magnificent  white  chest,  at  which  I 
took  a  steady  aim  and  fired.  Down  he  came 
amongst  the  bushes.  I  thought  I  had  bagged 
him,  but  on  going  up  to  the  spot  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  a  few  blood-stains  on 
the  leaves  around. 

My  bullet,  as  we  afterwards  found,  lodged  in 
his    right    breast,    and,    although    explosive,    it 


;oo 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)    AL\(iAZINE. 


seemed  to  have  had  very 
toush  monster.     But  what 


little  effect  on  this 
had  become  of  our 
quarry  no  one  knew.  The  only  thing  was  to 
Avait  and  trust  to  the  bands  of  beaters  scattered 
through  the  jungle.  It  was  amusing  while  going 
through  the  forest  to  hear  someone  address  you. 
The  next  five  minutes  you  would  spend  in 
looking  for  the  owner  of  that  voice.  Then,  if 
not  in  too  much  of  a  hurry,  you  might  see  an 
almost  nude  figure  snugly  hid  up  a  tree,  or 
behind  a  rock,  or  in  a  cave — anywhere,  in  fact, 
where  there  was  a  chance  of  seeing  something. 
Such  being  the  case,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
that  there  was  every  probability  of  the  bear 
being  spotted  before  he  could  make  much 
progress  in  any  direction. 

^^'e  had  waited  some  twenty  minutes  when 
again  we  heard  the  "  Hante-re,  hante-re ! "  at 
first  faintly,  but  louder  and  louder  as  the  cry 
was  taken  up  by  the  beaters  all  along.  Snatching 
up  our  rifles  we  ran  off  in  the  direction.  The 
bear  had  been  located  in  a  narrow  strip  of  forest, 
which  at  one  extremity  gave  place,  to  the  open 
country,  and  at  the  other  led  down  to  the  jungle 
we  had  just  left  and  Domun  Pahar. 

Here,  again,   Murul  showed  his  good  judg- 
ment.    He  knew  full  well  that  so  long  as  there 
was  cover  the  bear  would 
unless  very  hard  pushed, 
decided  to  keep  him   in 
possible.      Therefore   Armstrong  with 
his  beaters  w^as  to  keep  to  the  outside 
of  the  jungle  till  he  got  to  where  it 
ended,  and  from  there  work    his  way 
down.     I   took  up   a  position  in  the 
middle  of  the  strip  ready  to  intercept 
the  bear  should  he  pass  my  way. 

My  thoughts  as  I  stood  there  with 
Murul  were  not  exactly  cheerful.  At 
the  outside  the  bear  must  pass  only  a 
few  yards  above  or  below  me,  the 
jungle  being  not  more  than  fifty  yards 
through.  Then,  too,  I  recollected 
having  read  somewhere  about  the 
fierceness  of  a  wounded  bear,  and  how 
an  officer  a  short  time  back  had  lost 
his  life  in  an  encounter  with  one  of 
these  animals. 

To  make  things  worse,  I  had  only  a 
single-barrelled  rifle,  which  had  a  nasty 
habit  of  jamming  the  exploded  cart- 
ridge. 

More  than  once  I  had  nearly  suc- 
ceeded in  convincing  myself  that  one 
could  get  just  as  good  a  shot  from  the 
edge  of  the  jungle.  But  Murul  had 
taken  great  pains  to  put  me  in  what  he 
considered  a  warm  corner.  "  There, 
sahib,"   he   said,    "  that's   where   he'll 


not  take  to  the  open 

So  it  was 
this  strip  if 


pass,"  and  he  pointed  with  one  of  his  inimitable 
grins  to  a  rut  just  five  yards  in  front.  It 
wouldn't  have  taken  much  now  to  have  made 
me  clear  out  altogether ;  but  looking  at  my 
companion,  who  had  no  better  weapon  than  a 
tliick  stick,  almost  made  me  feel  ashamed,  and 
I  was  content  with  putting  a  few  more  yards 
between  myself  and  the  aforementioned  rut. 
This  Murul  couldn't  quite  see  the  point  of,  but 
I  calmed  him  down  by  telling  him  that  the 
farther  removed  I  was  the  more  chance  the 
bullet  had  to  expand. 

Then,  suddenly,  there  was  a  report ;  it  was 
Armstrong  away  up  in  the  gorge.  I  was  terribly 
excited,  and  stood  with  my  eyes  riveted  on  the 
likely  spot.  There  was  a  slight  rustle,  but  it 
was  behind  us,  and  I  turned  just  in  time  to  see 
the  bear  disappear  at  a  great  pace  behind  a 
rock  not  ten  yards  above.  I  rushed  up  after 
him  and  put  in  a  b  sty  shot.  The  bullet  struck 
him  in  the  groin  ;  his  hind  legs  seemed  to  give 
way,  and  there  he  lay  struggling,  going  round 
and  round  on  his  fore-feet. 

I  was  delighted,  and  with  eyes  fixed  on  the 
wounded  animal  I  endeavoured  to  extract  the 
exploded  cartridge,  when  all  at  once  he  seemed 
to  find  the  use  of  his  legs  again,  and  with  a 
couple  of  sharp,  angry  roars  made  straight  for 


i 


COUl'LE   OF   SHARP,  ANtiKV  KOARS  THE  HEAR    MAt)E   STRAICHT  FOR    HH-:. 


OUR  SONTHAL  BEAR  SHOOT. 


501 


me.  I  looked  round  for  my  faithful  Murul,  but 
he  bad  mysteriously  disappeared— and  with  all 
my  cartridges  too. 

My  only  chance  now  lay  in  making  the  most 
of  my  legs,  and  with  a  lead  of  scarcely  five  yards 
I  ran  for  dear  life.  I  dared  not  look  round,  for 
a  stumble  or  collision  with  a  tree  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  fatal.  Luckily,  I  took  the 
direction  of  Armstrong  and  his  beaters,  but  they 
were  a  good  half  a  mile  away,  and  the  rustling 
behind  at  times  appeared  so  near  that  more 
than  once  I  had  almost  lost  hope.  It  was 
probably  only  the  yells  of  the  approaching 
beaters  that  sustained  me.  At  last  I  was 
among  them,  as  much  (or  probably  more)  to 
my  relief  as  Armstrong's,  for  Murul  had  come 
panting  up,  shouting  that  the  bear  was  killing 
the  sahib. 

On  remonstrating  with  Murul  for  bolting  and 
leaving  me  he  gave  as  excuse  a  very  laudable 
desire  to  bring  help,  and  pointed  with  his  usual 
grin  to  a  cut  on  his  shin— the  result  of  his 
zeal.  The  infuriated  bear,  it  appears,  had  been 
frightened  off  by 'the  shouts  of  the  approaching 
beaters,  and  once  more  made  off  down  the 
gorge.  A  party  of  beaters,  however,  intercepted 
him,  and  for  the  first  time  he  took  to  the  open. 
Then  we  had  an  exciting  chase  across  dry 
paddy  (rice)  fields,  our  quarry  keeping  about 
twenty  yards  in  front. 

Bang — bang  went  two  shots  from  Armstrong. 
Both  missed,  just  going  over  the  animal's 
shoulder.  He  was  angry,  and  turned,  but 
before  he  had  decided  whether  to  charge  or 
not  I  let  hiin  have  the  contents  of  my  rifle — 
missed,  too,  of  course,  for  all  this  running  was 
not  exactly  the  best  thing  for  a  steady  hand. 
However,  it  had  the  effect  of  sending  him  once 
more  in  full  career  ahead  ;  and  before  we  had 
(juite  realized  it  he  had  vanished  into  the  lower 
slopes  of  Domun  Pahar. 

I  could  see  the  shrub  moving,  and  so  took  a 
last  desperate  aim  and  fired.  A  hit,  evidently, 
for  the  animal's  progress  became  immediately 
slower.  Then  Armstrong  put  in  the  stopper, 
his  bullet  piercing  the  neck.  We  rushed  up 
the  slope,  and  there  lay  the  bear  badly  wounded 
but  still  defiant. 

Now  was  our  dilemma.  There  was  not 
apparently  a  single  cartridge  between  us  to  give 
the  "  coup  de  grace."  Boulders,  sticks,  and 
hatchets  were  in  turn  tried,  but  seemed  to  have 
absolutely  no  effect  on  his  tough  hide.  Once 
he  revived,  and  the  stampede  that  followed 
was   very   comical ;    Sonthals    tumbling    head- 


over-heels  over  rocks,  shouting  and  hustimg. 
and  some  of  them  leaving  their  scanty  garments 
stuck  fast  to  a  branch  of  a  tree— all  in  their 
eagerness  to  get  away.  Then,  while  searching 
my  pockets  over  again,  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  come  across  a  stray  cartridge,  and  from  a 
rock  just  above  put  a  bullet  right  through  the 
beast's  forehead,  and  there  he  lay— dead  at  last. 

Immediately  the  air  was  filled  with  fiendish 
yells  and  shouts  of  triumph  from  the  Sonthals  ; 
and  more  than  one  indulged  in  a  very  vigorous 
"light  fantastic"  in  order  to  ease  his  feelings. 

It  was  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
only  one  who  had  gone  through  a  similar  day 
can  picture  our  thirst.  The  refreshments,  how- 
ever, were  at  the  starting-point,  some  two  miles 
away.  At  last  our  well-stocked  hamper  appeared, 
and  the  pleasure  of  quenching  such  a  thirst  was 
in  itself  well  worth  the  day's  exertion.  Murul 
stood  eyeing  us  anxiously,  but  a  quart  of  Bass 
and  a  goodly  amount  of  "Highland  Uew" 
brightened  him  up  and  drew  from  him  a  short 
but  expressive  "  Udi-monge  "  (Very  good). 

So  pleased  with  ourselves  and  the  world  in 
general  were  we  now  that  a  rascal  of  a  native, 
who  informed  us  that  he  had  been  specially 
commissioned  by  the  god  of  Domun  Pahar 
to  get  five  rupees  from  the  sahibs  towards  a 
sacrifice,  was  actually  listened  to  complacently. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  had  we  the  money 
just  then  he  would  have  got  it,  but  next  day 
when  he  came  into  the  station — our  excitement 
and  enthusiasm  having  subsided — he  only  got 
one ;  for  we  explained  to  him  that  his  god  had 
given  us  far  too  much  trouble  to  deserve  the  full 
fee.  We  next  saw  to  the  bear  being  slung  on  a 
pole;  after  which  we  mounted  our  nags  and 
arrived  back  in  the  station  at  nightfall. 

It  was  a  jolly  dinner  that  night  in  the  doctor's 
bungalow.  The  courses  having  been  conscien- 
tiously gone  through,  over  smokes  and  sundry 
whisky  "pegs"  we  discussed  the  day's  experi- 
ences ;  and  when  I  retired  for  the  night  it  was 
with  a  mind  firmly  made  up  on  two  points — 
never  again  to  trust  a  "handy"  man  with  spare 
cartridges,  and  never  again  to  get  into  one  of 
Murul's  warm  corners. 


Next  morning 
the  station  gaol 
eighteen  stone, 
was  taken  away 
buted  among  the 
stition  with  them 
wild  beast  they  w 


the  bear  was  carried  across  to 
and  weighed ;  it  scaled  over 
After  being  skinned  its  carcass 
by  the  Sonthals  to  be  distri- 
village  boys,  for  it  is  a  super- 
that  by  eating  the  flesh  of  the 
ill  become  brave  huntsmen. 


The    Pigeon=Post    of   Santa    Catalina. 


Bv  De  ^^■lTT  C.  LocKwooD,  OF  San  Francisco. 

It   was   established     between  the     city  of  Los  Angeles    and    the    beautiful    pleasure    island    of    Santa 

Catalina,    twenty   miles    out    at    sea.     The   illustrations  include  photographs  of  the  birds   and  reduced 

facsimiles  of  the  messages,   which    in   many  cases  were  both  valuable  and  urgent. 


T  is  not  generally  known,  perhaps, 
that  a  regularly  organized  pigeon- 
post  has  been  in  active  operation  in 
California   for    several  years.      The 


Los 


Angeles 


and    Santa 


city  O: 
Catalina  Island  are  the  points  of  communication. 
This  island  is  one  of  the  chain  extending  along 
the  Californian  coast  from  Santa  Barbara  almost 
to  San  DiegOj  and  it  lies  some  twenty  miles  to 


before  the  inauguration  of  the  messenger- 
service,  that  a  community  of  from  4,000  to 
6,000  people  was  Avithout  means  of  communica- 
tion with  the  mainland,  which  is  plainly  visible 
not  twenty  miles  distant,  for  twelve  and  even 
thirty  hours  at  a  time. 

To  be  sure,  in  cases  of  emergency  a  power- 
launch  or  yacht  might  be  brought  into  requisi- 
tion, but  four  or  five  hours  at  the  least  would  be 


THE  TOWN'   OF    AVALON,    ON    THE    ISLAND   OF   SANTA   CATALINA,    WHERE   THE    PIGEON-POST  SERVICE   ORIGINATED. 

Fioin  a  Photo,  by  B.    Waiie. 


seaward.  It  was  singled  out  many  years  ago  as 
possessing  unusual  attractions  for  the  sportsman 
and  holiday-maker,  and  it  has  steadily  grown 
in  popularity,  until  to-day  it  is  one  of  the  most 
famous  resorts  in  the  State.    - 

The  resident  population  of  Avalon.  the  one 
town  of  which  the  island  boasts,  is  not  much 
over  one  hundred  ;  but  during  the  months  of 
summer  people  gather  there  in  thousands.  On 
special  occasions  two,  and  sometimes  three, 
steamers  are  pressed  into  service  to  accom- 
modate the  crowds  of  pleasure-seekers.  At 
other  times  one  steamer  alone  plies  back  and 
forth  daily,  and  it   not  infrequently  happened, 


consumed  in  making  the  trip  across  the  channel ; 
while  in  riotous  weather  few  would  care  to 
hazard  it. 

Thus  for  many  years  this  semi-isolation  from 
the  world  at  large  continued.  Then  something 
happened. 

It  began  with  an  item  in  a  local  paper  to  the 
effect  that  a  messenger-service  of  carrier-pigeons 
was  to  be  established  between  Los  Angeles  and 
Avalon.  The  announcement  was  received  with 
the  unspoken  comment  which  such  a  palpable 
canard  deserved. 

Later  the  rumour  materialized,  and  it  Wi^G 
presently   learned    be)ond   a    doubt    that   two 


THE    PIGEON-POST    OF    SANTA    CATALINA. 


young  pigeon-fanciers  in  Los  Angeles  were 
actually  preparing  to  embark  in  such  an 
enterprise.  At  this  a  howl  of  derision  went  up 
on  all  sides,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  masses  as 
to  the  limitations  of  the  intelligent  homer  was 
made  manifest. 

It  was  declared  that  land-birds  could  never 
be    trained    to    fly  over  so    long   a   stretch   of 


503 


on  the  island  was   intense.      Even   "  Mexican 
Joe,"  who  had  figured  in  all   the  stirring  events 
on    Catalina   Island  for   nearly  half  a   century 
declared   that  the   people   were   "  todos  locos" 
(all  crazy). 

A  message  w-ritten  on  a  bit  of  tissue-paper 
by  one  of  the  fanciers  to  his  brother,  who  was 
waiting  at  home  to  receive  it,  was  duly  attached 


liIAGRAM    SHOWING    KOUTE   OI''    THE    l-IGEO.N -SERVICE. 


water ;  that  the  messengers  would  be  maimed 
or  killed  outright  by  pot-hunters  or  other 
"  birds  of  prey  " ;  in  short,  the  most  absurd 
prophecies  of  failure  were  heard  on  every  side. 
The  concensus  of  opinion,  however,  more  or 
less  conservative,  seemed  to  be  that  while  an 
occasional  bird  might  reach  the  home  loft  with 
the  message  intact,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
place  any  dependence  upon  a  service  of  this 
kind. 

Undisturbed,  however,  by  adverse  comment, 
the  boys  proceeded  with  the  training  of  their 
bird.s.  This  is  accomplished,  as  the  reader  may 
not  know,  by  conveying  the  birds  a  short 
distance  away  and  then  liberating  them,  when 
they  demonstrate  their  home-loving  qualities  by 
speeding  rapidly  to  the  place  where  they  dwell. 
A  day  or  two  later  the  same  birds  are  taken  on 
another  and  longer  expedition  and  again 
liberated.  This  process  is  repeated  at  short 
intervals,  increasing  the  distance  each  time, 
until  a  bird  will  fly  without  fail  from  the  desired 
point  of  communication  direct  to  its  own  perch 
and  nest-box. 

When  the  important  day  arrived  for  dispatch- 
ing the  first   message  across  the  sea  excitement 


to  the  leg  of  Orlando,  a  high-class  homer 
Then  the  bird  was  released.  Every  eye  followed 
him  as  he  flew,  now  skimming  along  the  tops 
of  the  surrounding  hills,  and  then  darting  in 
a  straight  line  far  up  the  canyons. 

All  at  once  he  disappeared.  A  look  of 
amusement  appeared  on  the  faces  of  the 
incredulous  crowd,  and  this  was  followed  by  a 
shout  of  laughter  when  somebody  discovered 
the  delinquent  Mercury  quietly  reposing  on 
the  pent-roof  of  the  hotel. 

The  merriment  was  short-lived,  however,  for 
Orlando  suddenly  darted  upward.  He  circled 
round  and  round,  going  higher  and  higher 
with  each  revolution  until  he  became  a  mere 
speck  in  the  blue  vault  above.  Then  he  was 
seen  to  shoot  off  in  a  direct  line  for  Los 
Angeles  and  home. 

The  air-line  distance  from  Avalon  to  Los 
Angeles  is  about  fifty  miles.  The  time  required 
by  the  human  animal  to  make  the  trip  via  boat 
and  train  is  from  four  to  five  hours.  Orlando 
accomplished  the  distance  in  precisely  fifty-four 
minutes. 

The  best  time  made  by  any  of  the  Catalina 
carriers  is  fifty  minutes.     One  hour  and   fifteen 


5^4 


THi:     WlDi;     WORLD     MAC.AZINE. 


was  loiind  to    L>e  an 


average 


rate    of 


mlnlll^.^ 

speed. 

Numerous  experiments  in  preparing  and 
aitaehing  the  messages  were  made.  The 
method  now  in  use  is  to  write  the  message  on 
tissue-paper,  of  which  a 
size  about  three  by  four 
inches  with  suitable  im- 
[irint  is  preferred.  Then 
tlie  paper  is  rolled  up  into 
a  tight  little  drum-shaped 
pellet,  inserted  in  a  tiny 
celluloid  tube,  and  secured 
with  a  bit  of  fine  wire  to 
the  ring  on  the  bird's  leg. 
The  rin^  is  an  adornment 
which  well  -  bred  homers 
alone  affect.  It  is  made 
of  brass,  German-silver,  or 
aluminium,  and  bears  the 
initials  of  the  owner  of  the 
bird  together  with  certain 
cabalistic  figures  known 
only  to  the  flying  fraternity. 

For  several  years  now  the 
birds  have  been  flown  between  Avalon  and  Los 
Angeles  during  the  summer  months,  and  their 
reliability  and  promptitude  have  been  a  revelation 
even  to  those  persons  having  some  knowledge 
of  the  homer's  accomplishments. 

The  mishaps  and  failures  to  connect  on  the 
part  of  the  despatch - 
bearers  can  be  counted 
on  the  fingers  of  one 
hand.  One  sultry  after- 
noon a  trio  of  birds  were 
duly  equipped  for  the 
journey,  and  upon  being 
liberated  circled  about  for 
a  few  minutes  in  their 
usual  way,  and  then,  in- 
stead of  starting  off  across 
the  channel,  veered  about 
suddenly  and  returned  to 
their  loft  on  the  wharf. 
There  they  remained  until 
the  following  morning  at 
daylight,  when  they  rose 
together  and  sped  rapidly 
homeward.  It  was  learned 
later  that  a  thunderstorm 
was  in  progress  in  the 
vicinity  of  Los  Angeles  at 
the  time,  and  the  birds, 
alarmed  at  such  a  rare 
afraid  to  venture. 

On  one  occasion  a  certain  bird  failed  to 
deliver  his  message,  and  it  was  learned  subse- 
quently that  he  had  been  shot  in  a  wheat-field 


with   a 


REX,      AN     I.MI'ORIANT    MEMBER   OF    THE    SANTA 

From  a\  CA talina  staff.  IPhoto. 


ORLANDO,         THE      FIRST      MESSENGER     ON     THE 
CIRCUIT — THE     PHOTOGRAPH    SHOWS     A     MESSAGE 
ATTACHED   TO   HIS   LEG. 


phenomenon,    were 


by  a  farmer.  The  man  was  ignorant  of  the 
importance  of  his  victim  until  he  discovered  the 
ring  on  its  leg. 

Again,  one  bird  came  in  a  day  behind  time 
un-shot  wound  in  the  wing,  and  its 
career  as  a  messenger  was 
broug'.it  to  an  end.  One 
summer  two  valuable 
messengers  failed  to  arrive 
at  a  given  time,  and 
whether  they  were  shot, 
pursued  to  the  death  by 
hawks,  or  whether  they 
wilfully  deserted  the  ranks 
is  not  known.  An  instance 
of  failure  occurred  in  the 
case  of  a  female  bird 
which,  in  the  height  of  the 
busy  season,  deliberately 
took  a  two  weeks'  vaca- 
tion. At  the  end  of  that 
time  she  returned  home, 
and  proceeded  to  engage 
in  a  desperate  encounter 
with  another  bird  for  the 
possession  of  her  former  nest-box.  Such  shift- 
lessness  could  not  be  overlooked,  so  the  truant 
messenger  was  promptly  taken  off  the  circuit 
and  put  on  the  "  retired  list." 

Some  malicious  person  trapped  a  certain  bird 
and  clipped  its  wings.     When  the  feathers  grew 

out   again  the   bird  made 
straight  for  its  home  loft. 

The  advantages  of  the 
pigeon  -  post  were  highly 
api)reciated,  as  may  be 
imagined,  by  those  who 
had  heretofore  been  sub- 
jected to  annoying  and 
not  infrequently  serious 
delays. 

"  Good  gracious  !  "  some 
feminine  voice  would  ex- 
claim, "you  don't  mean 
to  tell  me  the  boat  has 
gone?  And  I  never 
thought  to  send  over  for 
'The  Martyr  Wife;  or, 
Love  in  a  Pillory '  —  it's 
the  latest  sensation,  you 
know,  and  I'm  just  dying 
to  read  it." 

Or  perhaps  a  Napoleon 
of  finance,  in  whose 
mathematical  brain  the  wheels  for  once  had 
refused  to  go  round,  was  heard  to  declare 
that  he  would  give  5oodols.  if  he  could  send  a 
despatch  from  Avalon  to  Los  Angeles.  While 
the  departing  steamer  was  almost  within  hailing 


THE    PIGEON-POST    OF    SANTA    CATALINA. 


505 


SANTA    CATALINA    ISLAND 

HOMING     PIGEON    SERVICE 


OWN  KISK 


THIS  MESSAGE  TUANSMITrED  ANO  0£l(«REO  AT  THE  SENOES;; 

'S*'*He £Ux*^*v,  QcUulifKi  3>^ni). 

^V   JO 


^P  1896 


cA^n-c 


FACSIMILE   OK    A    MESSAGE   ACTUAIXV   SENT    BY   THE    SANTA   CATALINA    PIGEON-POST. 


distance  of  the  hotel  porch,  and  handkerchiefs 
were  fluttering  from  its  decks  Hke  a  Monday's 
washing  in  a  northerly  gale,  an  agonizing  cry  of 
"  No  lemons  ! "  would  issue  from  the  lips  of  a 
scared-faced  pantry-boy.  And  happy  indeed 
the  day  if  this  discovery  were  not  supplemented 
by  the  more  appalling  one  that  there  wasn't  a 
lemon  to  be  had  from  one  end  of  the  island  to 
the  other. 

The  financial  result  of  the  carrier-pigeon  ser- 
vice is  by  no  means  un- 
important. The  managers 
arrange  with  a  Los  Angeles 
paper  to  forward  the  news  of 
the  day  prepared  by  a  special 
correspondent,  for  which  a  fair 
remuneration  is  received. 
Private  messages,  business 
orders,  etc.,  are  forwarded  at 
prices  varying  from  50c.  to 
idol.  50c. 

Flying  the  birds  from  Cata- 
lina  to  Los  Angeles  proved 
so  successful  that  the  boys 
established  a  loft  on  Catalina, 
thus  being  able  to  fly  birds 
both  ways  and  materially  in- 
creasing their  income. 

Among  the  many  instances 
which  might  be  related  of  the 
Catalina  messengers,  illustrat- 


ing the  possession  of  those 
remarkable  home  -  loving 
qualities  which  make  the 
carrier-pigeon  valuable  as  a 
bearer  of  despatches,  the 
experience  of  one  important 
member  of  the  feathered 
force  is  well  worth  recording. 
At  the  close  of  the  '96 
season  Clara  W.  —  a  red- 
checker  hen,  thirteen  months 
old,  was  trained  with  other 
birds  to  fly  from  Salton, 
Arizona,  to  Los  Angeles,  a 
distance  of  144  miles.  A 
few  weeks  later  she  was  sold 
to  a  fancier  at  Tucson,  300 
miles  farther  away,  and  duly 
shipped  to  her  new  home. 
One  morning  she  was  dis- 
covered in  the  old  loft  at  Los 
Angeles.  In  accomplishing 
her  450-mile  journey  the  intrepid  carrier  had 
flown  across  a  treacherous  desert  in  a  drizzling 
rain,  covering  in  her  wonderful  flight  more  than 
300  miles  of  absolutely  unknown  territory. 

It  would  seem  that  after  such  an  heroic  effort 
the  indomitable  Clara  might  have  been  allowed 
to  remain  in  the  borne  of  her  birth  and  prefer- 
ence, but  the  very  next  train  for  Arizona  bore 
the  sad-eyed,  wing-clipped  little  traveller  back  to 
the  abiding-place  a  cruel  fate  had  provided. 


SANTA    CATALIiaA    ISLAND 

HOMING    PIGEON    SERVICE 

THIS  MESSAGE  TRAKSMITTEO  ANO  DEllVffiEO  AT  THE  SENOfRS  OWN  RISK 


WJ 


<3^«^^  jea^^c^  ^^(/UkjL    <A^iu^    ^TK-O 


AN    IMPORTANT   liUSlNESS   ORDEU   SENT    UY   PIGEON-POST. 


Vol.  vi.-68. 


Eighty =seven    Thousand    Miles    on    Foot, 

Bv  Jesse  Brandani,  of  Florence. 

The  adventures  here  recounted  exclusively  for  "  The  Wide  World  Magazine "  by  the  well-known 
Italian  long  -  distance  walker  and  troubadour  were  related  to  Mr.  Frederic  Lees,  in  Paris. 
Impressed  by  the  original  appearance  of  the  traveller  on  his  arrival  at  the  Exhibition,  our 
correspondent  questioned  him  on  his  wanderings,  and  found  that  he  had  just  completed  the  longest 
walk   on    record,    namely,  140,000  kilometres,    or  87,500  miles,   in   ten  years. 


AW  arc  the  reasons  why  men 
wander  over  the  face  of  the  globe. 
Some  go  in  search  of  adventure  ; 
Dthers  are  spurred  on  wholly  by  a 
desire  to  discover  new  regions — to 
study  the  habits  and  customs  of  little-known 
peoples  ;  others,  again  .  .  .  But  why  extend 
the  list? — since  in  no  ordinary  classification 
would  you  find  the  reason 
why,  ten  years  ago,  I  set  off 
to  travel  round  the  world  on 
foot  without  a  penny  in  my 
pocket.  Further  preamble 
being  unneces.sary,  let  me 
answer  your  question  by  say- 
ing that  I  abandoned  my 
native  Tuscany,  the  land  of 
art  and  beauty,  in  order  to 
brino;  solace  to  a  mind 
troubled  by  the  death  of  a 
wife.  Life  under  ordinary 
circumstances  had  become  a 
burden  to  me.  Florence, 
where  my  father  was  a  cloth 
merchant,  no  longer  had 
charms  ;  no  longer  did  I  take 
any  interest  in  my  profession, 
that  of  an  engineer.  The 
wide  world  and  a  life  of 
activity  and  change  irresistibly 
attracted  me. 

It  was  whilst  on  a  visit 
to  Paris  that  my  plans  took 
shape.  How  well  I  re- 
collect the  day  !  On  October 
25th,  1890,  I  was  dining 
with  some  friends  in  a 
restaurant  when  the  conversation  turned  on 
the  question  of  the  possibility  of  an  energetic 
man  making  a  tour  of  the  world  with- 
out money.  After  reflecting  for  a  few  minutes, 
I  gave  as  my  opinion  that  it  was  indeed  possible, 
and,  moreover,  that  I  was  ready  to  undertake 
such  a  journey,  although  I  knew  full  well  that 
its  realization  would  have  been  easier  for  one 
speaking  English  and  French  than  for  a  person, 
like  myself,  who  knew  only  Italian.  No  sooner 
was  this  declaration  made  than  my  friends  began 


.SK.XOU   JESSE  BR.\M)AM 

From  n]  day 


poking  fun  at  me,  crying,  "  Really,  Brandani  has 
become  suddenly  insane  !  "  "  Oh  !  You  can 
think  and  say  just  what  you  please,'"'  retorted 
I,  somewhat  nettled.  "All  the  same  I  will 
promise  to  do  this  journey  in  ten  years,  this 
journey  that  no  one  has  accomplished  under 
similar  conditions — that  is,  without  money  and 
without  begging,  and  earning  one's  living 
on  the  way." 

Upon  returning  to  my 
hotel  I  reflected  on  the  words 
which  I  had  spoken,  and  to 
tell  the  truth  I  was  somewhat 
terrified  at  the  thought  of  what 
I  had  promised  to  do.  But 
there  was  no  time  to  be  lost : 
I  had  made  a  promise  and  I 
had  got  to  keep  it.  The 
question  remained  —  what 
trade  was  I  to  choose  to  en- 
able me  to  earn  my  living  en 
route  'I  Brilliant  idea !  I 
would  become  a  troubadour. 
So,  providing  myself,  not 
with  a  lethal  weapon,  but 
with  a  sonorous  guitar  (which 
I  knew  not,  however,  how 
to  play),  dressing  myself  in 
a  jester's  costume,  and 
l)lacing  upon  my  head  this 
large-brimmed  hat  on  which 
you  read  the  inscription,  "  II 
Trovatore,"  I  commenced  my 
journey,  directing  my  steps 
first  of  all  towards  the  South 
of  France.  It  was  at  Nice 
that  I   sang  my  first  song  :  — 

Ran  tan  plan  !     Ran  tan  jilan, 
C'est  le  tiou!)adour.      Le  voila'! 

Je  chante  sans  faire  aucun  mal 
L'ete,  I'hiver,  en  carnival 
Legcr  d'csprit,  leger  de  bourse 
Du  lour  du  nionde  fais  la  course. 

The  first  part  of  my  journey  I  shall  pass  over 
briefly,  simply  telling  you  my  route,  and  saying 
nothing  of  adventures  unless  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary. Adventures,  indeed,  were  never  lacking, 
and  were  I  to  attempt  to  describe  them  all  to 


,  OF   FLORENCE,  IN   EVERY 

ORESS.  {Photo. 


EIGHTY-SEVEN    THOUSAND    MH.ES    ON    FOOT. 


507 


you,  they  would  fill  a  large  book.  From  Nice, 
then,  I  passed  into  Switzerland  by  way  of  the 
Maritime  Alps,  not  forgetting  to  scale  Mont 
Blanc  and  to  reflect  amidst  the  grandeur  of 
Nature  on  the  littleness  of  man  ;  thence  into 
Germany  and  Belgium,  where  at  Bruges  I  experi- 
enced all  the  sensations  described  by  Rodenback. 
From  Antwerp  I  reached  London,  and  after  a 
stay  in  your  country  took 
passage  for  North  America. 
There  I  visited  the  Chicago 
Exhibition,  tramped  through 
the  country  by  way  of 
Panama  to  South  America, 
thence  to  Buenos  Ayres, 
after  which  I  returned  to 
Europe.  Ever  onward,  my 
feet — many  a  time  weary,  I 
can  assure  you — carried  me: 
Spain,  Portugal,  Algeria,  by 
way  of  Gibraltar,  and  a  flying 
visit  to  Corsica.  Then  I 
turned  my  steps  to  Tunisia 
and  Tripoli.  Crossing  the 
desert  I  experienced  tent 
life,  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  wild  beasts  which 
strike  terror  in  the  hearts 
of  the  nomadic  tribes  which 
frequent  it,  suffered  hunger 
and  thirst,  and  (in  some  re- 
spects worse  than  all)  the 
terrible  biting  of  storms  of 
sand,  each  grain  of  which 
stings  your  flesh.  I  was  not 
sorry,  I  can  tell  you,  when 
I  reached  Cairo.  Mv 
method  of  gaining  my  living 
as  I  went  from  place  to 
place? — you  inquire.  Here 
is  a  cutting  from  the  Florence 
Fieramosca,  from  which  you 
will  see  what  the  Cairo  correspondent  of  that 
journal  said  of  me  in  an  article  entitled  "A 
Mysterious  Florentine." 

"For  some  time  past,"  he  writes,  "a  curious 
personage  has  been  seen  walking  about  our 
town,  stopping  before  the  cafes,  hotels,  and 
large  houses,  improvising  poems,  which  he 
sings  to  the  guitar.  He  is  dressed  in  a 
costume  resembling  that  of  Mephisiopheks  in 
'Faust,' and  upon  his  head  is  a  large-brimmed 
hat,  surmounted  with  a  long  feather.  His 
receipts  are  always  large,  and  the  peculiarity  of 
this  man,  who  calls  himself,  'II  Trovatore,'  is 
that,  after  reckoning  his  expenses  for  the  day 
and  putting  on  one  side  sufficient  money  to 
pay  his  expenses  eti  route  to  another  town,  he 
distributes  the  balance  to  the  poor,  who  follow 


UlwVNDAM   AS    HE    Al'FEAKEO    IN'    FAKIS   ON    T 
EVE   OF    HIS    GREAT    UNDERTAKIXG. 

From  a  Photo. 


hmi  wherever  he  goes.  This  way  of  acting  is 
so  original  that  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  draw 
your  attention  to  this  traveller.  No  one  appears 
to  know  to  what  class  of  society  he  belongs, 
and  conjectures  are  many." 

Cairo  had  no  attractions  for  me.  I  shook  its 
dust  from  my  feet  in  the  December  of  1894, 
and  made  my  way  towards  Kassala,  following 
the  Valley  of  the  Nile.  Since 
you  have  asked  for  in- 
cidents, let  me  describe  a 
startling  adventure  which  I 
had  on  this  occasion,  and 
out  of  which  I  never  ex- 
pected to  escape  alive. 
Trudging  along  one  day, 
thinking  of  nothing  in  par- 
ticular, but  feeling  very  tired 
as  I  ploughed  through  the 
loose  sand,  I  suddenly  be- 
came aware  of  a  threaten- 
ing danger.  My  eyes  were 
directed  on  the  horizon,  or 
rather  where  the  horizon 
would  have  been  had  I  been 
able  to  see  it,  for  it  was 
hidden  by  a  haze,  caused 
by  the  hot  midday  sun. 
Out  of  this  haze  there  sud- 
denly loomed  a  body  of  men 
mounted  on  camels.  At 
first  no  bigger  than  one's 
hand,  they  advanced  towards 
me  with  terrifying  speed,  and 
as  they  approached,  waving 
their  weapons  menacingly  in 
the  air,  it  was  easy  to  make 
out  that  they  were  a  detach- 
ment of  jNIahdists.  71ieir 
fierce  cries  ringing  in  my 
ears,  I  gave  myself  up  for 
lost ;  a  vision  of  my  native 
land  and  all  that  it  contained  dear  to  me 
passed  before  my  eyes,  just  as  the  past 
crowds  on  the  mind  of  a  drowning  man. 
But  I  am  nothing  if  not  a  man  of  resource,  and 
previous  predicaments  had  sharpened  my  wits. 
An  idea  occurred  to  me  at  the  very  moment  the 
Madhists  encircled  me.  Taking  my  guitar  from 
its  case  I  commenced  to  sing  and  play  one  of 
my  comic  pieces.  Was  it  the  charm  of  music, 
or  simply  surprise  at  my  curious  get-up,  which 
produced  the  result  ?  Whatever  the  reason, 
much  to  my  astonishment  the  warriors  got  down 
from  their  camels  and,  holding  each  other  by 
the  hands  like  children,  began  to  dance  around 
me.  When  I  had  finished— and  I  can  assure 
you  I  'kept  strumming  as  long  as  I  could,  being 
in  doubt  as  to  my  ultimate  fate— some  of  my 


5o8 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


'the  warriors  got   down   from  their  camels,   an'd  holding  each  other   bv  1  he  hands 

liEGAN    to    dance    AROUND    ME." 


savage  audience  seized  me  and  felt  me  all  over 
in  order  to  discover,  I  presume,  if  arms  were 
concealed  about  my  person.  Finding  nothing, 
they  remounted  their  camels  and  forced  me  to 
accompany  them  on  foot  for  half  a  day's  journey. 
Towards  nightfall  we  reached  our  destination  — 
a  village  composed  of  mud  huts  of  the  most 
miserable  description.  But  more  loathsome  still 
were  other  habitations,  mere  excavations  in  the 
ground  ;  and  it  was  into  one  of  these  terrible 
holes  that  I  was  thrust  under  the  guard  of  two 
repulsive  old  hags.  A  weary,  sleepless  night 
was  that.  In  the  morning,  broken  with  fatigue, 
I  was  led  in  chains  before  the  chief  of 
the  detachment,  and  I  saw  at  a  glance  that 
my  fate  was  to  be  decided,  for  the  more  pre- 
tentious though  rude  building  into  which  I 
was  taken  was  evidently  a  native  tribunal. 
There  was  not  much  palaver  over  my  case ; 
my  "  trial "  proceeded  swiftly,  as  was  only 
natural  in  the  case  of  a  man  doomed  before- 
hand. I  was  a  Christian,  and  that  was  quite 
sufficient     reason    why     I     should     be     con- 


demned. I  was  in 
fact  about  to  be  led 
forth  by  the  two 
men  under  whose 
charge  I  had  been 
taken  into  court, 
and  I  presume  ex- 
ecuted, when  the 
"judge,"  as  though 
struck  with  an  idea, 
ordered  them  to 
desist  and  forth- 
with made  signs  to 
me  to  sing  and  to 
play.  Intuitively,  I 
felt  that  if  I  could 
succeed  in  making 
this  brute  laugh  it 
was  possible  my  life 
would  be  spared. 
And  this  is  what  1 
did.  First  of  all, 
drawing  myself  up 
like  a  soldier  at 
attention,  I  saluted. 
Then  I  began  to 
sing  and  to  play  a 
sprightly  military 
march.  Whilst 
doing  this  I  per- 
ceived through  the 
open  sides  of  the 
building  a  number 
of  asses  drawn  up 
to  right  and  left. 
They  looked  for 
all  the  world  like  jurymen  in  an  assize 
court.  The  thought  gave  me  an  idea. 
Crying  as  best  I  could  "  He-haw  !  He-haw  ! 
He  -  haw  !  "  I  imitated  the  braying  of  these 
animals  so  perfectly  that  the  asses  themselves 
followed  suit,  and  protested  so  loudly  in  their 
language  against  the  unfair  condemnation  of  a 
"  brother  "  that  my  captors,  seized  with  general 
mirth  and  hilarity,  had  to  postpone  my  execu- 
tion until  further  orders. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  the  Mahdists, 
happy  to  possess  so  rare  an  animal  as  I,  par- 
doned me  soon  afterwards ;  fed  me  with  the 
best  of  everything  ;  treated  me  with  courtesy — 
almost  deference,  indeed.  I  was,  however,  still 
their  prisoner,  although  not  guarded  so  closely 
as  at  first ;  and  it  was  to  this  relaxed  vigilance  on 
their  part  that  I  owed  my  escape.  Filling  my 
pockets  with  corn,  I  fled  one  dark  night  into  the 
desert  after  a  captivity  of  several  weeks,  directing 
my  steps  whither  I  knew  not.  For  some  days 
I  wandered  towards  my  unknown  goal.  Reached 
at  last,  it  proved  to  be  a  haven  of  refuge.     A 


EIGHTY-SEVEN    THOUSAND    MH.ES    ON    FOOT. 


5*9 


white  city,  the  appearance  of  which  seemed  to 
be  famiUar,  lay  stretched  out  before  my  eyes,  and 
as  my  tottering  legs  carried  me  forward  I  recog- 
nised that  I  had  returned  to  Cairo. 

A  short  time  after  this  narrow  escape  I  left 
Egypt,  by  way  of  Alexandria,  and  navigated 
towards  Greece,  where  I  witnessed  the  Olympic 
Games.  From  Greece  I  passed  to  Crete — that 
poor  country  where  sleep  so  many  martyrs  to 
the  shrine  of  civilization  and  progress.  Anxious 
to  visit  Palestine,  I  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
tomb  of  Christ,  and,  profiting  by  my  stay  in  the 
country,  went  to  Damascus  and  Smyrna. 

At  this  time,  in  the  month  of  June,  1896,  I 
received  a  letter  from  one  of  my  friends,  a 
writer  on  the  staff  of  a  large  newspaper  at 
Florence,  asking  me  if  it  were  true  that  the 
Kurds  were  really  guilty,  as  the  newspapers  said 
they  were,  of  atrocious  crimes  on  the  route 
followed  by  the  projected  railway  from  Smyrna 
to  Constantinople.  Italian  workmen  engaged 
on  the  railway  had  been  attacked,  robbed,  and 
murdered.  Wishing  to  obtain  accurate  infor- 
mation for  my  friend,  I  set  off  in  the  direction 
of  the  reported  troubles,  and  was  rewarded  for 


adrift.  I  cheered  them  up  as  best  I  could,  and, 
as  I  was  proceeding  towards  more  civilized  parts 
and  knew  my  way  better  than  they  did,  1  invited 
them  to  accompany  me.  When  we  had  gone 
about  half-way  on  our  journey  and  were  on  the 
point  of  congratulating  ourselves  on  being  un- 
molested tli-e  unexpected,  as  usually  happens, 
occurred.  Picture  to  yourself  we  three  travellers 
crossing  a  small,  desolate  valley  along  which  the 
beaten  track  made  by  caravans  proceeds.  One 
of  my  companions  suddenly  stops  and  utters  an 
exclamation.  One  of  the  hills  around  us  is 
crowned  by  the  figures  of  a  band  of  Kurds. 
They  come  towards  us  on  their  small,  sure- 
footed horses,  setting  up  a  most  terrifying 
howling,  and  appearing  from  their  wild  gestures 
to  intend  to  do  us  harm.  My  companions  give 
themselves  up  for  lost ;  but  I  see  the  kind  of 
men  I  have  to  deal  with,  so  decide  to  play  them 
a  trick.  Unslinging  my  guitar,  I  bring  it  to  my 
shoulder  as  one  would  a  rifle,  and,  advancing 
towards  the  ever- narrowing  circle  of  thieves, 
I  call  out  to  them  in  the  only  words  of 
their    dialect     which     are     known     to     me  — 


my    labours    by    witnessing     most    distressing 
scenes. 

When  some  fifty  miles  on  my  journey  I  met 
two  of  my  compatriots  in  a  sorry  state.  They 
told  me  that  they  had  suffered  the  fate  of  so 
many  of  our  countrymen  :  they  had  been 
stripped  of  all  their  valuables  and  then  turned 


'unslinging    IMY   guitar,    I    BROUGHT   IT   TO    MY  SllOi;Lr)ER 
AS   ONE   WOULD   A    RIFLE." 

Abara  !  Abara  !  "  which,  being  interpreted, 
means,    "  Beware  !    Beware  !  " 

The  trick  succeeded  admirably.  It  appeared, 
as  I  thought,  that  they  were  not  professional 
murderers,  like  so  many  of  their  compatriots, 
but  peasants,  who,  nevertheless,  would  have 
welcomed  an  opportunity  of  emptying  the 
pockets  of  Christians,  their  religion  exempting 
them  from  any  scruples  on  that  account.  Fear- 
ing my  'guitar  was  some  new  kind  of  magazine 
rifle,     they    promptly    turned     tail    and,    after 


5IO 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    AIAGAZINE. 


w^ 


^.. 


ik. 


L 


SIGNi'I,    £;:a:."1i.-.M  ^    TURKISH    PASSroKT. 

glancing  round  at  us,  disappeared  over  the 
hill  tops.  We  were  thus  able  to  continue  our 
journey  unharmed,  and  the  same  evening  we 
reached  Ouchak,  carrying  with  us  the  body  of 
an  Italian,  named  Fontana,  whom  we  found 
murdered  en  route. 

Needless  to  say  thi;5  journey  of  800  kilo- 
metres (500  miles)  from  Smyrna  to  Constanti- 
noule  was  most  arduous  and  fatiguing.  We 
reached  our  destination  on  August  ist,  1896. 

On  the  24th  of  the  .same  month  I  was  still  at 
the  Turkish  capital.  I  mention  that  date  in 
particular  because  it  was  then  that  I  witnes.sed 
one  of  the  greatest  crimes  of  the  century  :  the 
massacre  of  crowds  of  Armenians  in  the  space 
of  thirty-si.x  hours.  You  will  recollect  that  the 
Ottoman  Bank  had  been  captured  and  the 
manager  compelled  to  obtain  a  promise  from 
the  .Sultan  that  the  demands  of  the  Armenians 
would  be  granted.  At  the  .same  time,  however, 
the  Sultan,  according  to  true  Turkish  methods, 
gave  orders  that  they  were  to  be  mas.sacred. 
The  departure  of  the  conspirators  who  held 
the  bank  was  the  signal  for  terrible  reprisals, 
and  for  thirty-six  hours,  thanks  to  my  trouba- 
dours dress,  which  distinguished  me  sufficiently 
well  from  an  Armenian  to  insure  my  safety,  I 
was  able  to  witness  all  the  phases  of  the  awful 
scene. 


As  you  may  well  imagine,  I  was  not  sorry 
(August  31st)  to  leave  the  place  and  direct  7iiy 
steps  towards  the  Balkans.  I  visited  successively 
Sofia,  Iklgrade,  and  Bucharest;  thence  I  went 
to  Budapest  to  see  the  Exhibition,  but,  falling 
seriously  ill,  I  had  to  go  to  Trieste  to  recoup. 
From  Trieste  I  tramped  to  Montenegro,  giving 
two  lectures  on  the  subject  of  my  travels  at 
the  Cettinje  Theatre  before  Prince  Nicolas  of 
Montenegro.  I  then  returned  to  Goritz  to 
embrace  two  of  my  daughters  who  had  come 
specially  from  Florence  to  see  me  before  I 
resinned  my  journey. 

luuly  in  Lent  of  1897  I  was  once  more 
afoot.  Vienna,  Munich,  Stuttgart,  Frankfort, 
Leipsic,  Dresden,  Berlin,  Hamburg,  Lubeck — 
these  were  the  next  places  on  my  route  ;  after 
which  I  entered  Scandinavian  countries,  calling 
at  Copenhagen,  Christiania,  and  Stockholm. 
.\s  I  embarked  at  the  last-named  place  for 
Helsingfors,  in  Finland,  and  many  a  time  as  I 
paced  the  deck  of  the  steamer  as  it  crossed  the 
Baltic  to  enter  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  I  could  not 
help  thinking  of  the  difficult  part  of  my  travels 


Ks..^^ 


■;..^!J',  V\ 


B  H  £  E  T  Tb, 

On>  ACTPAXAHCKArO  rVBEPHATOPA 

.   —  -'         "11'    IS'J-     iooa  .v :  ,'■ 


n  p  «  M 

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J.ir,,, 

V.  *r*,' 

V.  Til 

n  itr>.t;'.TW   (n,  PM-cifh-B.^l 

\^.^.  ■  ■ 

H«n,.;.r 

..•.^..r.|,rj[i"-,'r.       ■■  ^ ,    i^,       .;-, 

R-TI,  ■ 

«aiw\  'i. 

■        -            ■           ■' 

|V..li.:u 

r^aaa   iK'f''^--  ■ 

>-'i^>yn  ri]<HHtTM: . 


FHpcB-ni.M  ,in  . 
X'l.iom.  RAX  xi'Min 


//..; 


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■'/- 


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y 


nfiji-mrt , 


Hn^■01'^■^' 

li   Hn   rtrrt    ;siitrii,MPi,    him    no  apMfl    nepe- 
t.:.T"»n..  RamiRiniA  I'^irri.  .«n»HTb   nmmtiii    -^  II'i 

haHin  finimrii  TiiufTn    mn  llit«■l^»pT:v  B-t  BivjtiiitTi,  m 

KHUI'UClilO    no    I'll     i-T      li:T    n    BilK'^anH..    IWLCTrSWrUJt* 

.MKt«i«»B  ''vAboKii.  o/^'-^rT    T    XVAtrr/^Uc 


?  // '     AcnpaxoHck^^^^  fySepH^nop ' 


>^4<^'t^^W-^  jK^c-^-f/'<^^-'^^4^^s<:i'z1-  -f  ^  X 


IIIIS   IS   THE    V. 


;;i-AM)A\i  cai;kii:l)  ali. 


TilkOUGH    THii    RUSSIAN    E.MI'IKE. 


EIGHTY-SEVEN    THOUSAND    NHLES    ON    FOOT. 


511 


upon  which  I  was  about  to  enter — difificult,  that 
is,  for  an  Italian  more  used  to  sunny  skies  than 
winter  cUmes.  I  allude  to  Russia.  St.  Peters- 
burg was  my  destination,  and  what  lay  beyond 
that  was  uncertain,  disconcertingly  so.  The 
capital  I  found  like  most  other  capitals  of 
civilized  countries.  A  stay  of  a  few  weeks 
there  enabled  me  to  make  good  preparations 
for  resuming  my  walk.  November  ist,  1897, 
saw  me  off  again  efi  route  for  Moscow,  destined 
to  encounter  many  hardships  and  adventures. 

An  adventure  I  had  with 
a  bear,  which  obliged  me 
to  remain  for  several  hours 
hidden  in  the  branches  of 
a  tree,  stands  out  promi- 
nently in  my  mind.  It  hap- 
pened in  this  way. 

I  had  been  invited  at  Tver 
to  give  an  entertainment  at 
the  house  of  a  rich  land- 
owner of  the  district.  Out- 
side the  inner  door  of  his 
house  stood  an  enormous 
stuffed   black  bear,  holding  a 


lance  between  its 


paws, 


and 


■"%. 


the    sight   of    this    curiosity 
brought    up    the    subject    of 
these  dangerous  animals.     In 
the  course  of  our  con- 
versation he  explained 
that    this  particular 
animal    had     been 
killed    by   himself    in 
the     neighbourhood, 
and  he  warned  me  to 
be  on  my  guard  when 
I  continued   my  jour- 
ney, as  at  that  time  of 
the   year   bears    were 
particularly  fierce.  On 
the      following      day, 
however,  I  had  quite 
forgotten  all   he   had 
told    me.     And   as  I 
tramped  along  through 
a     small    wood,     my 
knapsack  on  my  back 
well  filled  with  bread, 
cheese,   sausage,    and 
vodka,    nothing    was 
farther    from    my    thoughts    than     bears.       But 
twenty    miles     from     Tver    I    perceived,    some 
hundred    yards    away,    a    dark     mass    cross- 
ing  a   glade.     "Discretion    is    the    belter   part 
of   valour,"   thought   I ;    so,    selecting   a   fairly 
large-sized   tree,   I   climbed    into   its   branches, 
after   having    rid    myself   of    m'y    encumberin 
knapsack  and  guitar  by  depositing  them  at 


3-f 


"the  smell  and  taste  ok  the  liquok  did  not  please  the 

BRUTE  at  ALL,  AND  HE  TURNED  HIS  ATTENTION  TO  THE  GUITAR. 


the 


base  of  the  trunk.     Sooner  than  1  should  have 
thought  possible,  the  animal,  having  got  wind 
of  me,  had  reached   my  place  of  refuge.     First 
of  all  it  tore  my  knapsack  to  pieces,  then  slowly 
sampled  my  provisions,  after  eating  the  whole 
of  which  it-  seized  the  bottle  of  vodka.     Do  not 
laugh  when  I  tell  you  that  it  uncorked  the  flask 
and  licked   the  mouth  :    bears  are  very  skilful 
with  their  paws,  clumsy  though  they  may  appear 
to  be.     But  the  smell  and  taste  of  the  liquor 
did  not  please  the  brute  at  all ;   he  threw  the 
flask  on    one   side,  and  then 
turned    his    attention    to   the 
'^  guitar.     Fortunately  for  me  he 

knocked  it  over,  and  in  so 
doing  the  instrument  gave 
forth  a  sonorous  sound,  this 
having  the  effect  of  frightening 
the  animal  away.  He  made 
off  swiftly  and  noiselessly  into 
the  depths  of  the  wood. 
It  would  seem  as  though 
misfortune  dogged  my 
footsteps  during  this 
portion  of  my  travels. 
I  see  from  my  notes 
that  on  the  third  day 
after  this  adventure  (^it 
was  November  i8th, 
1897)  a  violent  snow- 
storm overtook  me 
when  crossing  an  open 
plain.  I'his  was  a  new 
experience  for  me. 
Strange  as  it  may 
sound  to  you,  it  was 
the  first  time  I  had 
ever  been  in  a  snow- 
storm, almost  the  first 
time  I  had  seen  snow. 
Many  Italians,  in  fact, 
of  snow  from  books 
For  more  than  an 
hour  I  ran  forward  in  search 
of  shelter.  Finding  none  I 
was  obliged  to  stretch  my- 
self at  the  bottom  of  a  ditch 
after  having  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  place  my  guitar 
with  its  back  uppermost 
over  my  head.  But  the 
storm  was  so  violent,  and  the  cold  so  m- 
tense,  that  the  snow,  falling  at  each  side  01 
the  guitar,  froze  immediately,  and  forced  me  to 
break  an  outlet  from  time  to  time  in  order 
to  allow  air  to  pass  through.  Snow-storms  are 
often  of  short  duration  in  Russia,  and  it  is  to 
that  fact  that  I  owed  my  escape  ;  for  had  the 
storm  continued  for  any  length  of  time  I  shouid 


know 
only. 


THE   WIDE   WORLl^   MAGAZINE. 


SIGNOR    BRANDANI    IN    THE  COSTUME    HI  .  i.  .  S. 

Frpvi  a  Photo. 

most  certainly  have  been  buried  alive.  Things 
were  bad  enough  as  they  were,  however,  and  I 
reached  the  ancient  capital  of  Russia  more 
dead  than  alive. 

On  Christmas  Day  of  this  same  year,  1897,  I 
left  Moscow,  but  instead  of  continuing  ray 
journey  through  Russia  I  had  to  return  to 
Rovereto,  in  the  Italian  Tyrol,  owing  to  business 
connected  with  my  family.  \\'hen  my  object 
was  attained  I  returned  to  Russia,  visiting 
Warsaw,  Kieff,  Odessa,  and  Sebastopol..  Sim- 
feropol, the  seat  of  the  Government  of  the 
Crimea,  was  my  next  stopping-place;  then 
Yalta,  a  pretty  little  town  known  as  the 
Russian  Nice ;  and  afterwards  Rostoff,  which  I 
reached  after  a  delightful  walk  along  the  coasts 
of  the  Crimea,  via  the  Sea  of  Azoff.  Walking 
from  si.xty  to  eighty  kilometres  a  day,  I 
proceeded  to  Batoum  by  way  of  Circassia,  to 
Tifiis,  the  ex-capital  of  the  Caucasus,  then  to 
Baku,  where  are  numerous  petroleum  springs. 
After  having  visited  the  baths  of  Kislavask 
and  climbed  the  highest  mountain  in  the  Cau- 
casus, I  entered  Central  Asia  by  way  of  Petrovsk 
and   the  Caspian  Sea,   touching   en   route  part 


of  Persia.  I  then  visited  the  Khanates  of 
Khiva  and  Bokhara,  went  from  Samarkand  to 
Astrakan,  and  via  the  Volga  to  Nijni  Novgorod. 
The  place  of  the  famous  fair  was  left  behind  in 
the  depth  of  the  winter  of  1898,  when  I  started 
out  for  Japan,  crossing  Siberia  in  the  dress 
shown  in  my  photograph.  Let  me  say  here 
that  during  my  stay  at  Tomsk,  Irkutsk,  and  at 
all  the  towns  of  Russian  Asia  I  was  able  to 
judge  of  the  immense  progress  which  is  being 
made  there,  which  will  certainly  have  the  effect 
of  revolutionizing  the  social  conditions  of  China, 
and  eventually  of  the  whole  of  the  Far  East. 
I  arrived  at  last  at  Vladivostock,  the  terminal 
point  of  the  Great  Trans-Siberian  Railway,  and 
then  passed  into  Japanese  territor}',  which  I 
crossed  in  every  direction,  never  tired  of  studying 
and  admiring  its  people,  so  different  from  the 
Chinese.  Whilst  in  Japan  I  was  accorded  the 
rare  distinction  of  having  an  account  of  my 
journey  published  in  Japanese,  accompanied 
with  my  portrait  drawn  by  a  Japanese  artist — a 
weird  thing.  Plenty  of  chances  of  studying  the 
Chinese  race  were  afforded  me  after  Tokio 
was  left.  I  passed  through  Tientsin,  Pekin, 
Shanghai,    Canton,    Hong-Kong,   and   from  the 


iL.iii    WORN    DURING    THE    IRAXERSIi   uF    SlliEUIA. 

From  a  Photo. 


EIGHTY-SEVEN    THOUSAND    MILES    ON    FOOT. 


513 


»'>M'/-^: 


^M.<-^-^M'X:^~ 


a     ss^V 


■^■^^■^ 


S.     -45     E     i.' 


A-    t'     ~  -e(     r 


*<{'1,-4HJ-E 


5  «  in 


s    =^    f: 


^    V     ~     ^ 


I 


i»^^*  „         ^ 


\ 


THE   CHAMl'ION    WAI  KER  S   JAPANESE   I'ASSPOKT. 


last-named  place 
capital  of  Siam. 
Malacca,  the 
Islands  of  Suma- 
tra, Borneo,  and 
Java  were  my  next 
stopping  -  places. 
Afteradmiringthe 
splendid  panor- 
ama of  the  three 
volcanoes  of 
Bromo  I  left  Ser- 
abaia,  in  Java,  for 
Australia  and 
New  Zealand,  to 
return  to  Europe 
and  Paris  by  way 
of  South  America. 

Many  more  ex- 
■periences  than 
those  already 
related  fell  to  my 
lot;  but  space  will 
not  permit  of  my 
extending  this 
narrative.  One  can 
only  go  into  any- 
thing like  detail 
in   a    large    work 

Vol.  vL-  59. 


walked    to    Bangkok,    the 
Saigon,    in    Cochin-China, 


such  as  that  which  I  am  now  writing,  and  which 
will  be  published  in  Italian  and  in  French. 

It  was  February  2nd,  1900,  when  I  reached 
\Vellington  from  Sydney.  I  waited  there  for 
more  than  three  months  for  the  arrival  of  a 
steamer,  on  which  I  had  been  promised  a  free 
passage  to  London.  My  hopes,  however,  were 
not  realized,  so  I  resigned  myself  to  returning  to 
Sydney,  and,  via  Melbourne,  Adelaide,  Perth, 
and  the  Suez  Canal,  finally  reached  London  on 
August  19th,  1900.  I  did  not  stop  very  long  in 
your  great  city,  but  before  leaving  I  found  time 
to  deliver  a  lecture  in  Italian  in  the  large  room 
of  the  Cafe  Monico.  On  August  28th  I 
embarked  on  board  the  Palace  steamer 
Marguerite,  reached  Boulogne,  walked  through 
the  departments  of  the  Pas-de-Calais,  Somme, 
Oise,  and  Seine,  and  at  length  reached  the  end 
of  my  ten  years' journey.  The  welcome  which  I 
received  from  a  large  crowd  which  had  collected 
on  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  and  inside  the 
Exhibition  to  see  me  arrive  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  on  Sunday,  September  23rd,  1900, 
made  me  forget  the  long  and  often  cruel 
trials  of  a  journey  which  I  humbly  claim  to 
be  one  of  the  most  remarkable  on  record 
owing  to  the  conditions  under  which  it  was 
accomplished.  During  my  ten  years'  acquaint- 
anceship with  many  peoples  and  many  lands  my 
sorrow  was  assuaged,  and  I  had  proved  to  the 
world  that  the  energy  and  resistance  of  the 
Italian  race  are  still  as  strong  as  ever. 


0.  5  0  .3  8 

mam 


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—    ■■*  11  I 


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ft  O   '  O 


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a.  L  >■■' \ ;.  )i)', ;i .  I)  ».- !i; -c  j) is .j a  *  r -c 

'  ;i«.'  ^  .  >  m  -e  A.  ',)■  c> r;  a  i".  >y-'  's.  n 

i-  -C         -,  ■/,    :.  feotu  v«5:^'.  ■•     :- 

h  Mili  -.Hit 

tf  U  *J .  ic  -I; 

t  I  .<,.'■€   <iJ-.  •  tftSIK 

i  h '^'.Ui  -i-.     ,/..-.:  r.«i:i,f;r-      "] 

i.  .)■?;  'ft-r.  Tl  iif '  -s.:-  h  &  -  b  1"  ia  %  u    *>  ■ 

S  "it:   II  «tf:-,'JE;i:i;;.t5-'<!USr'.'       'i 

b  |t!i;  r  g.  >)t  <>'M/ .^ u  L  *  Lj;*      ':■ 


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U  1:  *■^•'^  S<«S  ?iia.  -c  '1' 

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L. 

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FiJ! 


^AKT  OK  AN  AUT.CLE  ON  BRANDAM  6  TKAVELS,  IN  A  JAJ-A.NESE  PAPEK,  WITH  A  PORTRAIT  BV  A  KATiVE  AKirST. 


Odds  and  Ends. 


The  Roller  and  the  Elephant — An    Open-Air    Parliament — Surveying  under   Difficulties-  A  Queer 
Treasure  —  A    House    in    a   Tree  —  How   the   '-Devils"    were    Disarmed  —  Where    Nature   Does  the 

Cooking — Finding  an  Opal  Mine  by  Accident. 


lilia    IS    THE    I'LACi;    WIIERIC    THE    QUEENSLAND    EXl'LOKERS    FOLNU    A.~ 


F7-om  a\ 


BY   ACCIDENT. 


R.  JAMES  MACRAE,  a  well-known 
Australian,  explorer,  and  a  com- 
panion, while  on  a  trip  from  Sydney 
to  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  came  to 
a  deserted  camp.  The  white  heaps 
of  "  mullock "  all  round  showed  that  many 
shafts  had  been  sunk  (probably  in  search  of 
gold)  :  and  the  windlasses  and  ropes  which  still 
stood  over  them  told  a  tale  of  hurried  flight— due, 
no  doubt,  to  the  running-out  of  the  water 
supi)ly.  Curious  to  know  more  about  the 
place,  Mr.  Macrae  lowered  himself  down  one 
of  the  shafts,  but  the  rope  being  too  short  he 
fell  to  the  bottom,  his  companion  also  pitch- 
ing down  a  moment  later.  The  two  explorers 
were  now  in  an  awkward  predicament. 
They  set  to  work  with  their  knives  to  cut 
steps,  but  after  half-a-dozen  or  so  had 
been  made  Mr.  Macrae's  knife  struck 
against  some  glassy  substance,  which 
snapped  it  off  at  the  hilt.  He  was  natu- 
rally somewhat  alarmed  at  this,  but  his 
companion,  with  an  exclamation  of  astonish- 
ment, started  digging  excitedly  around  the 
substance  which  had  smashed  the  knife, 
and   which   proved  to  be  a  queer-looking 


cutting  was  then  resumed,  and 
at  last,  having  cut  a  number  of 
extra  niches,  Mr.  Macrae  stood 
on  his  companion's  shoulders, 
and  so  reached  the  rope.  Once 
at  the  top  he  joined  another 
rope  to  the  first  and  hauled 
his  friend  up.  The  accom- 
l)anying  snap  -  shot,  which 
shows  the  camp  and  the  heaps 
of  debris,  was  taken  soon 
after  the  prospectors  reached 
the  surface.  The  two  then  set 
off  for  Adavale,  the  nearest 
township,  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant. Here  they  found,  much 
to  their  joy,  that  their  find 
was  nothing  more  or  less  than 
opal,  and  worth  something 
like  ^12  per  ounce;  the  lump 
they  had  dug  out  weighed  8oz. 
The  camp  was,  in  fact,  situated 
on  a  well-known  opal  field, 
which  had  been  temporarilyabandoned  on  account 
of  there  being  no  water  nearer  than  Adavale. 

Our  next  photograph  was  taken  in  Ceylon, 
not  far  from  Kandy,  and  shows  an  ingenious 
device  adopted  by  some  native  runners  or 
express  messengers  to  assist  their  progress. 
The  wind  was  blowing  stifily  "on  their  quarter,  " 
and  each  runner  bore  a  large  shield-shaped  kind 
of  sail,  made  of  banyan  leaves. 


OlAl.    .MINE 

[P/wto. 


red,    blue,     and 


green 


material 


Step- 


. — NATIVE  KUNNERS  IN  CEVLO  .    i      It,    ..    -Ml,   TO    HAS  1  i 

Frovi  a  Photo,  by  Helen  Lewis,  I'ancouz'ei;  B.C. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


.To 


-DEMOLISHED    Hulj.-ili.->    AKK 


-V.s  1  i;-.lA  1  l^ALl.V    UASlltlJ    FDI;    DIA.\llJND^^    IN     K  1 .11  l;hKl.h\  . 

From  a  Photo. 


The  next  photo,  we  reproduce  was  taken  in 
Kiniberley,  the  MetropoHs  of  the  South  African 
diamond-fields,  and  shows  a  method  of  earning 
a  living  which  is  believed  to  be  uni(|ue.  The 
ground  on  which  Kimberley  stands  consists 
principally  of  debris  from  the  old  washings 
during  the  early  days  of  the  mines.  The 
water  supply  then  was  so  precarious  that  the 
"  blue "  or  diamond-bearing  earth  could  not 
be  properly  washed,  and  consequently  many 
valuable  diamonds  were  passed  over  and  thrown 
away  with  the  debris.  As  soon  as  an  adequate 
water  su[)ply  had  been  obtained,  however, 
shrewd  business  m(>n  turned  their  attention  to 
the  old  debris 
heaps,  which 
were  bought  up 
by  speculators 
for  re  -  washing. 
Many  respectable 
fortunes  were 
made  in  this 
curious  manner  ; 
and  even  the 
streets  of  the 
town  itself  were 
taken  up  by  sec- 
tions and  exam- 
ined, the  workers 
making  terms 
with  the  Town 
Council.  At  last, 
however,  all  the 
debris  was  ex- 
hausted,   and 


genius  remembered  that  the 
precious  material  entered 
largely  into  the  composition 
of  the  older  houses  of  the 
town,  which  are  built  of  sun- 
dried  bricks.  Since  then, 
whenever  an  old  building  is 
pulled  down  or  burnt,  the 
owner  invites  tenders  for 
the  privilege  of  working  the 
ground,  and  operations  are 
carried  on  as  shown  in  our 
photograph.  To  the  left  is 
the  washing  machine,  worked 
by  Kaffir  "  boys,"  while  at 
the  back  other  boys  are  de- 
molishing a  wall  and  throw- 
ing the  earth  into  the  washers. 
Our  next  photograph  shows 
a  primitive  ferry-boat  which 
plies  on  the  Lake  of  Tor- 
toum,  in  the  commune  of  the 
same  name,  on  the  Russo- 
Turkish  frontier,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Olti. 
This  boat  is  composed  of  nothing  more  or  less 
than  two  hollowed-out  pine-trunks,  connected  by 
a  platform  of  rough  planks.  It  serves  principally 
as  a  means  of  communication  between  a  Turkish 
village  near  the  northern  shore  of  the  lake  and 
the  orchards  and  meadows  on  the  mountain 
opposite.  Given  superhuman  exertion  onlhe 
part  of  the  rowers  and  favourable  weather 
conditions,  the  boat  can  attain  a  speed  of  some- 
thing like  three-quarters  of  a  mile  an  hour.  The 
pretty  little  Lake  of  Tortoum,  by  the  way,  was 
formed  about  a  century  ago  by  a  huge  landslip 
which    blocked  a   narrow  valley  to  a    depth  of 


then  some  bright 


Ftovi  a\        4. — A  iKi.Mi;r.E  ill 


U'hoto. 


5i6 


THE    WIDE    WO  RED     .MAC.AZEN'E. 


From  a\ 


5. — AN    OPEN-AIR    PARLIAMENT    IN    SWITZERLAND. 


{P/tfltO. 


3oorL  It  is  about  three  miles  long  by  half  a 
mile  broad,  and  finds  its  outlet  in  a  beautiful 
cascade  somewhat  resembling  the  falls  of  Tivoli, 
near  Rome. 

In  no  Swiss  canton    is   government  by  the 
people  more  absolute  than  in  that  of  Glarus. 
Our  photograph  shows  the  burghers   of  Glarus 
at    their    annual    "  Landsgemeinde,"    or    Par- 
liament, at  which  every  single  detail  of  import- 
ance   connected    with    the 
State    is     discussed.      The     ;" 
assembly  is  held  in  a  large 
square  called  the   "  Lands- 
gemeindeplatz,"  in  the  centre 
of  which  is  a  platform  for 
the     presiding     "  Landam- 
man,"  or  President,  and  the 
clerks  and  speakers  ;  while 
round  the  platform   are 
special  places  for  the  boys, 
who   are    thus    taught    the 
work  of  their  country  at  an 
early    age.       The    meeting 
takes    place    on     the     first 
Sunday  in  May  if  the  \.'ea- 
ther  is  fine.     The  President 
opens  the  proceedings  with 
a  speech,  in  which  he  reviews 
the  different  proposals  to  be 
laid  before  the   people   for 


their  decision,  after  which  comes  the  swearing 
in  of  the  executive  officers,  followed  by  voting 
on  various  questions. 

\M'iat  could  be  more  incongruous  than  the 
spectacle  shown  in  the  accompanying  snap- 
shot— a  big  elephant  hauling  a  garden  roller  ? 
This  photograph  was  taken  on  the  polo-ground 
at  Mian  Mir,  in  India.  The  elephant'  carries 
his  breakfast  on  his  back,  in  the  shape  of  a  big 


IRI 


1 


J'loiii  a  Fhoio. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


517 


7. — TWO  MALIGNANT 


DEVILS      WHO  WERE  CAKLI  LLLV  DISARMED. 

From  a  Photo. 


bundle  of  sugar-cane,  of  which  these  huge 
beasts  are  inordinately  fond.  Elephants  rolling 
the  grass  would  be  a  refreshing  novelty  on  some 
of  our  cricket-grounds  at  home. 

The   grotesque-looking    figures    seen    in    the 
illustration  here  reproduced  are  "  devils,"  basely 
betrayed   into  a  condition   of   harmlessness   by 
the  designing  villagers  of  a  hamlet  in  Southern 
Mysore,   India.     A   series   of  misfortunes   had 
overtaken     the    district,    and     the    wise     men 
assembled  in  consultation  to  discuss  the  cause 
of  this  succession  of  calamities.     It  was  decided 
at  the  meeting  that  all  the  trouble  v/as  due  to  two 
particularly     ma- 
lignant   "devils,"' 
and    a    crafty 
scheme   was    de- 
vised   whereby 
their    evil    influ- 
ence  might   be 
removed.    Two 
wooden    images 
of  the    "devils" 
in   question  were 
prepared     and 
mounted     on     a 
primitive  kind  of 
hand-cart,  which, 
escorted      by 
chanting     pea- 
sants, was  hauled 
from    village     to 
village.     The     "/.;,„•,, 


"  devils  "  themselves  were  garlanded  with  flowers, 
and  this,  coupled  w  ith  the  chanting,  no  doubt  led 
them  to  think  that  this  was  some  novel  pageant 
organized  in  their  honour.  Their  behaviour, 
therefore,  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  But  sad 
to  relate,  from  their  point  of  view,  the  whole 
thing  was  ah  elaborate  deception.  They  were 
wheeled  to  the  forest,  where,  as  every  Hindu 
knows,  all  devils  are  powedess,  and  there  they 
w-ere  left,  as  we  see  them  in  the  photo.,  to 
meditate  on  the  baseness  of  mankind. 

In  Tunisia,  and,  indeed,  in  the  greater  part 
of  Northern  Africa,  the  wells  require  a  good 
deal  of  attention,  for  streams  are  scarce,  and 
the  abstemious  Mohammedan  drinks  nothin" 
but  water.  His  religion,  too,  prescribes  clean- 
liness and  much  washing,  and,  above  all,  the 
thirsty  land  is  always  crying  for  water.  Camels, 
donkeys,  horses,  and  women  are  pressed  indis- 
criminately into  the  service.  As  horses,  contrary 
to  our  notions,  are  considered  the  most  delicate 
of  these  four,  they  are  carefully  dressed  in  hot 
weather.  You  can  sometimes  see  one  of  the 
dear  creatures  in  a  big  straw  poke  bonjiet 
tied  under  the  chin,  and  walking  round  and 
round  like  an  old  woman  sul)ject  to  sun-stroke, 
c]uite  unconscious  of  its  supremely  ridiculous 
appearance.  The  camel,  however,  is  supposed 
to  be  invulneral:)le  to  the  attacks  of  sun,  and 
goes  its  weary  way  hatless  round  the  walled-in 
well,  bringing  up  at  every  step  great  tins  of 
water,  which  empty  themselves  methodically  into 
a  conductor,  whence  it  goes  either  to  a  tank  or 
down  small  canals  which  irrigate  the  land.  The 
French  have  done  a  great  deal  in  Tunisia  to- 
wards providing  the  people  with  new  wells,  and 
when  you  ask  an  Arab  what  is  the  greatest 
benefit  of  French  protection  he  will  generally 
reply  :  "  A\'e  have  now  plenty  of  water." 


.-*-■■ 


WALKS   KOUND   AND    DRAWS    UP  WATER    IN    THE    TIN.    \by  F.    Tokr. 


5tS 


THE    WlDi:    WORTD    MAGAZINE. 


9. — A  NEW 
From  d\ 


GUINEA    HOUSr,  IN  A   TREE — THE   NATIVES   TAKE   TO    THESE 
D'.VELI.INGS   WHEN    ATTACKED   AND   RAIDED.  [P/toio. 


where  a  goodly  store  of  big  stones  has  l-.cci: 
accumulated  beforehand.  As  none  of  the 
combatants  possess  firearms,  the  only  way 
to  dislodge  the  defenders  of  these  eyries  is 
to  cut  the  trees  down.  This,  however,  is  a 
task  of  considerable  difficulty,  as  showers  of 
stones  are  hurled  down  upon  the  axemen 
with  deadly  effect.  In  some  parts  of  New 
("luinea  these  tree-houses  are  also  used  as 
places  of  burial,  and  on  the  death  of  an 
im{)ortant  chief  his  body  finds  a  resting- 
place  in  a  big  tree. 

The  passion  for  ornament  is  one  of  the 
strongest  instincts  of  mankind,  and  the  lower 
his  place  in  the  scale  of  creation  the  more 
extraordinary  are  his  ideas  of  decoration. 
Explorers  will  tell  you  that  in  the  wilds  of 
Central  Africa  they  have  come  across  native 
Kings  who  received  them  in  a  dignified 
State  dress  consisting,  perhaps,  of  a  battered 
silk  hat,  a  pair  of  corsets,  and  a  cutlass. 
Time  was,  too,  when  there  existed  a  regular 
trade  in  worthless  odds  and  ends  of  finery, 
which  were  shipped  out  to  savage  countries 
and  there  exchanged  with  the  unsophisti- 
cated natives  for  gold,  ivory,  and  other 
valuable  commodities.  Many  fortunes  have 
been  made  in  this  curious  business,  which 
is  now,  however,  fast  becoming  a  thing  of 
the  past.  The  accompanying  photo.,  which 
was  taken  by  the  manager  of  a  cattle  station 
in  Queensland,  shows  the  King  of  a  native 
Australian  tribe,  with  his  suite.     The  King 


Here  is  a  New 
Guinea  tree- 
house.  These  are 
used  by  the  natives 
when  expecting 
an  attack  from  a 
hostile  tribe — an 
event  which 
occurs  constantly, 
especially  in  the 
interior.  Being 
mortally  afraid  of 
darkness,  the 
natives  never  con- 
duct warlike  ope- 
rations at  night, 
preferring  to  wait 
for  daylight ;  and 
at  the  first  alarm 
of  danger  the 
people  of  the 
village  attacked 
ascend  to  their 
tree-platforms, 


From  a] 


-EENSLAND   SAVAGE  WHOSE    MOST   TREASlMa 
OF    FRY  S   COCOA. 


c-FssION.-    IS    A  TIN  ADVEKTIsE.Mt.N 

[P/wtt>. 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


519 


UKITAIN'    FISHING    HASKET    III 
a  Photo,   by  Jas.    T.   0'Mn.tl,_ 


from  its  legitimate  position  on  some 
railway  station  or  shop-front  into  the 
wilds  of  Queensland,  and  finally  to  be 
the  dearly-prized  emblem  of  authority 
of  a  savage  King.  But  there  it  is,  a 
weird  advertisement  for  the  great  cocoa 
house,  and  a  sanguinary  battle  mny  yet 
be  fought  between  rival  factions  for  the 
possession  of  Messrs.  Fry's  tablet  and 
the  dignity  and  position  it  carries  with  it. 
The  accompanying  photograph,  which 
comes  to  us  from  far-away  New  Britain, 
certainly  deserves  a  place  in  this  collec- 
tion. It  shows  a  queerly-contrived  native 
"  fishing  basket,"  which  stands  no  less 
than  lift,  high,  and  is  used  in  somewhat 
the  same  manner  as  a  trawl-net.  It  is 
skilfully  woven  of  long  strips  of  pliant 
cane,  strengthened  with  bands  of  thicker 
material ;  and  once  inside  the  fish  find 
it  impossible  to  get  out. 

The  South  Sea  Islanders,  of  course, 
do  not  understand  either  the  uses  or 
the  need  of  surveying,  and  they  strongly 
rese^Tt  the  intrusion  of  men  with  levels 
and  tripods  and  other  formidable-looking 
paraphernalia  into  their  villages.  Their 
resentment  sometimes  takes  the  active 
form  of  savage  attacks  upon  the  sur- 
veyors, who  do  their  work  at  the  risk  o( 
their  lives.  The  following  photograph 
shows  two  members  of  a  survey  expe- 
:,J'  dition  about  to  take  some  measurements 
'-i     in  an  island  of  the  New  Britain  group. 


is  the  second 
gentleman  from 
the  right,  and  he 
wears  his  Royal 
badge  cf  office 
round  his  neck. 
This  is  nothing 
more  or  less 
than  one  of  the 
enamelled  plates 
issued  by  the 
well-known  firm 
of  Messrs.  J.  S. 
Fry  and  Son,  of 
Bristol,  as  an 
advert  i  sement 
for  their  cocoa. 
Goodness  alone 
knows  by  what 
strange  vicissi- 
tudes  this  gaily 
coloured  cocoa 
plate    wandered 


From  a] 


12.— SURVEYING    UNDER    DIFKICULTIES    IN   A   CANNIUAL    ISLAND. 


\Fhoto. 


520 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    iMAGAZINE. 


rrom  a\ 


STEAM-HOLE. 


Both,  you  will  notice,  are  armed  with 

while  two  stalwart  Bouka  tribesmen  w 

ing  \\'inchester 

rifles     keep    a 

keen  lookout  for 

native  "snipers  " 

in     the     dense 

jungle. 

In  the  Thermal 
Springs  or  "  Hot 
Lakes"  district 
of  Northern  New 
Zealand  the 
Maoris  employ 
the  natural  steam 
which  comes  to 
the  surface  for 
cooking  pur- 
poses. In  the 
accompanyi  ng 
photograph  the 
7vaf>i/i€,  or  Maori 
wife,  is  just  about 
to  lower  her 
Christmas  pud- 
ding into  a  steam 
hole.  This  par- 
ticular hole  is  on 
the  high  road  at 


[Photo. 

revolvers,         cate 
ith  repeat- 


Ohinemutu  ;  and,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  snapshot,  a  box  has  been  sunk  into 
the  ground  around  it.  The  \iands  to  be 
cooked  are  placed  on  slats  of  wood  at  the 
bottom  of  the  box  ;  then  the  lid  is  put  on 
and  covered  with  sacking,  and  in  a  short 
time  everything  is  perfectly  cooked.  The 
Maoris  in  this  district  use  no  other  means 
of  cooking,  and  many  white  people  also 
make  use  of  these  convenient  natural 
ovens.  They  are  especially  good  for 
cooking  hams,  and  experts  declare  that  a 
ham  cooked  in  tliis  manner  is  absolutely 
perfect. 

At  first  sight  the  photograph  here  repro- 
duced looks  like  a  field  of  grain  awaiting 
thrashing.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however, 
it  is  the  "  road "  to  the  great  cattle- 
market,  or  fablada,  of  Monte  Video,  which 
is  situated  some  three  miles  from  the 
city.  No  fewer  than  800,000  animals,  all 
destined  to  be  turned  into  fasajo,  or 
dried  beef,  pass  over  this  road  annually, 
and  the  curious  ridges  seen  in  the  snaj)- 
shot  are  made  by  the  regular  step  of  this 
vast  army  of  cattle  on  the  soft  mud. 
In  very  wet  weather  the  condition  of 
the  "road"  is  quite  indescribable,  and 
animals  are  often  left  to  die  in  the  awful 
slough,  it  being  quite  impossible  to  extri- 
them.  Occasionally  beasts  are 
out  bodily  with  ropes. 


dragged 


14- — NOT   A    PLOUGHED    FIELD,    HUT   A 

from  a] 


'road"  with  the  regular  marks  of  8oo,ck3o  cattle  which 

TREAD    IT    YEARLY.  [P/totO. 


¥ 


THEN    IIL   FIKKD,    AXU   iJIT    IIOLI    FULL   L\   THE    BREAST,    AND   OUR   GREAT   OBA 
CHIEF  JUMPED    HIGH   IN   THE   AIR   AND   FELL  DEAD   ON   THE   DECK/' 

(see  page  527.) 


The  Wide  World  Magazine. 


Vol.  Vi. 


APRIL,    1901. 


No.  36. 


The   Story   of  Holi   of  Oba. 

Bv  John  Gaggin,  of  Melbourne. 

A  tragedy  of  the  Pacific,  describing  how  a  powerful  war-chief  of  Oba  in  the  New  Hebrides  killed 
and— was  killed.  The  whole  affair  happened  precisely  as  stated.  Both  men,  Messrs.  Johnston  and 
Caffin,   were    well    known    a    few   years    back.       The  narrative  throws    much  light    on   the    terrors    of   a 

lonely  trader's  life  in  the  Islands  of  the  South  Seas. 

Winds  of  the  World,  give  answer  :  They  are  whispering  to  and  fro, 

And  what  should  they  know  of  England  who  only  England  know?— Rudvakd  Kum.ing. 


BA  is  one  of  the  prettiest  islands  ot 
the  New  Hebrides  (Western  Pacific), 
and  its  handsome,  brown  -  skinned 
people  are  the  cleverest  and  quickest 
of  apprehension  of  any  in  the  group. 
Brave  and  enterprising  also  are  they.  Their 
great  war-canoes  go  on  long  trading  voyages 
to  the  neighbouring  islands  around  —  Santo, 
Malikolo,  Ambrym  ;  and  they  are  always 
equally  ready  to  fight  or  trade.  These  people 
are  often  spoken  of  in  consequence  as  the 
"  English  of  the  Western  Pacific,''  just  as  the 
men  of  Tana  are  sometimes  called  the 
French  of  the  group.  The  island  is  nearly 
circular,  being  about  twelve  miles  long  by 
some  ten  broad.  It  is  high  and  mountainous 
inland,  perhaps  some  2,000ft.  or  so,  and  its 
shores  are  bold  and  rocky,  only  one  anchorage 
being  available 
for  vessels  of  any 
size.  The  land 
is  well  cultivated 
and  the  planta- 
tions are  fenced 
round  with  stone 
walls.  The  vil- 
lages are  clean 
.and  well  kept, 
planted  round 
with  gay  -  leaved 
•crotons  and 
sweet  -  smelling 
shrubs;  the 
houses,  however, 
.are  low  and 
small.  The  na- 
tives are  the 
most  industrious 
I  have  met  with 
in  the  South 
Seas.  And  yet, 
for  all  their  phy- 
sical beauty  and 
mental  capacity, 
these   Oba    folk 

Vol.  vi.— 60. 


are  treacherous  and  bloodthirsty,  and  are 
great  cannibals  into  the  bargain.  As  far  as  is 
known,  this  people  worship  their  ancestors, 
and  their  idols  (they  have  but  a  few)  always 
represent  one  or  other  of  their  deceased  chiefs. 
The  heads  of  these  honoured  dead  are  often 
hung  from  the  branches  of  the  gigantic  fig  trees, 
under  whose  great  spreading  branches  the  elders 
of  the  tribe  confer,  and  sit  and  drink  their 
"  kava." 

Some  years  ago,  although  no  missionaries  had 
managed  to  secure  a  permanent  footing  on  this 
island,  two  American  traders,  braving  certain 
fever  and  ague  and  the  probability  of  being 
eaten,  succeeded  in  forming  a  trading  station, 
called  "  Longamba,"  on  the  north-west  coast. 
The  two  paramount  high  chiefs  of  Oba  at  this 
time  were   named    "  Lui  "   and   "  Holi.''     The 


THIS    PHOTOGKAPH    SHOWS   A   GKOUP   OF    TYPICAL    MEN    OF    OBA, 

From  a  Photo,  by  H.  King,  Sydney. 


IN   THE   NEW    HEBK-IDES. 


5-4 


THK    WIDi:    WOKl.l)    MAGAZINE. 


former  ruled  the  inland  tribes, 
and  the  latter  held  sway  over 
all  the  coast  towns,  from  the 
IHia  Dua  northward  to  the 
trading  station  of  the  whites. 
Holi"s  reputation,  however. 
belied  his  name  :  he  was  an 
inveterate  cannibal  and  a  cun- 
ning and  ruthless  chief,  spar- 
ing neither  sex  nor  age. 

Johnston  and  Caffin,  the 
two  whites,  were  not  at  all 
typical  Americans  'I'hey  were 
nice,  quiet  fellows,  and  came, 
I  fancy,  from  the  New  Eng- 
land States.  Caffin,  espe- 
cially, was  a  quiet,  determined, 
and  religious  man.  All  went 
well  for  a  year  or  so,  and  then 
Johnston  was  suddenly  killed 
by  order  of  Holi  for  no  appa- 
rent cause  ;  the  chief  was,  in- 
deed, supposed  to  be  friendly. 
Some  months  after  this  murder 
our  vessel  ran  out  of  native  food,  and  so  our 
boats  had  to  trade  for  yams  and  "  kawais " 
willy-nilly.  For  three  or  four  days  we  were  con- 
tinually being  fired  at  by  Holi's  people  from 
every  rock  and  cave.      At  last  I  got  so  annoyed 

that    I    ran    the    boat    into      

Caffin's  place,  which  is  close 
to  Ar-iwi,  the  chiefs  town, 
determined  to  have  it  out 
with  Holi. 

I  knew  Caffin,  and  the  poor 
fellow  seemed  awfully  glad  to 
see  me — perhaps  I  was  the 
first  white  he  had  met  for 
months.  He  went  outside  to 
speak  to  the  men  for  a  minute. 
1  saw  a  book  on  the  little 
shelf  over  his  bed,  and  was 
more  than  surprised  to  find 
it  a  well-thumbed  Bible.  He 
told  me  how  his  chum  had 
been  killed  some  months 
before. 

"So  you  want  to  talk  to 
Holi,  eh,  old  fellow  ?  "  said 
he.  "  Now  be  careful.  Ill  tell 
you  how  he  killed  poor  John- 
ston and  tried  to  kill  me  some 
months  ago.  I  only  remain 
here  until  an  American  war- 
ship turns  up  to  punish  him  ; 
we  never  gave  him  the  slight- 
est cause  to  attack  us.  The 
brute    killed    and    ate    Lui's 


AX   i.)i;.\   i.Aij   i.\   GAL.\    ijki-;s 
From  a  Plioto.  by  Dzifty. 


sister  not  long  ago.  One  night 


nik    ALIIKlK^    lll;A    \'A<\ ,     Ji'l\(.ii,    Will)     li.ASS    A.\' 
IMPORTANT    lAKT    I.\    THH    AUVEN  1  I,  Rlv- 

l-'roin  a  Photo,  by  IVateis,  Lcvuka. 


about  nine  I  was  lying  on 
that  bunk  reading  that  Book, 
and  to  that  fact  I  owe  my  life. 
Johnston  was  asleep  on  the 
bunk  opposite,  when  suddenly 
1  heard  a  rustling  among  the 
reeds  forming  the  walls. 
Thinking  it  was  a  lizard  or 
something  of  that  sort  I 
looked  sideways,  and  saw  the 
niuzzleof  a  gun  pushed  slowly 
through  the  reeds.  I  had  just 
time  to  lift  the  middle  of  my 
body  clear  of  the  muzzle  and 
yell  to  my  mate  ;  my  shout 
was  too  late,  however.  Off 
went  the  gun,  the  bullet  pass- 
ing under  my  back  and  killing 
my  friend  as  he  slept,  while 
ut  the  same  moment  another 
shot  struck  him  from  a  gun 
thrust  through  the  wall  at  his 
side  of  the  house.  And  so 
my  poor  chum  was  done  to 
death  by  that  cannibal  dog  Holi.  I  heard  the 
two  men  he  had  sent  running  off  in  the  direction 
of  the  town  a  moment  afterwards.  What  is 
that  you  say?  Am  I  not  afraid  to  remain  here? 
No,  I  am  not.  What  care  I  if  I  am  killed  ?  You 
be  careful  of  the  beast,  I  tell 
you.  If  you  will  insist  on 
going  to  his  town,  it's  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  off.  No, 
he  won't  come  here  ;  he  is 
too  much  afraid  of  me.  Be- 
sides, you  know,  Lui,  the 
inland  high  chief — he  who 
le fused  to  eat  white  bokolo 
(man  cooked  for  food)  a  year 
ago,  and  your  British  Govern- 
ment made  him  a  lot  of  pre- 
sents in  consequence.  Well, 
two  days  ago  one  of  Holi's 
men  killed  a  lad  of  Lui's  tribe, 
and  there  will  be  a  fight  about 
it,  I  think — in  fact,  I  expect 
Lui  here  every  minute.  There 
is  the  track  to  Holi's  town. 
Are  your  weapons  all  right 
and  loaded  ?  Oh !  I  see  they 
are.  Who  is  this  lad  of  yours? 
An  Oba  boy,  is  he  ?  U'ell, 
lake  care  ;  he  may  sell  you. 
Oh  !  he  comes  from  the  Am- 
brym  side,  does  he  ?  Then 
of  course  he  will  stick  to  you 
like  a  brother  !  He  has  no 
weapon,  I  see.  Here  is  a  gun 
for  him.    Good-bye  for  a  bit ; 


THE    STORY    OF    HOLI    OF    OBA. 


525 


take  care  of  yourself.  My  going  with  you  would 
only  make  things  more  dangerous,  and  'tis 
unsafe  enough  as  it  is.  Don't  stop  too  long ; 
ten  minutes'  talking  is  quite  enough  ;  don't  give 
the  brute  time  to  plan  villainy.  FU  look  after 
your  boat  and  boys.     Do  be  careful." 

So  down  along  the  narrow  track  I  went,  my 
frightened  Oba  boy,  Rongo,  at  my  heels.  After 
some  twenty  minutes'  smart  walking  I  found 
myself  in  the  town.  Among  these  quick-witted 
Oba  folk  almost  everyone  speaks  the  pigeon 
English  of  the  Pacific  or  Fijian,  so  Holi  was 
pointed  out  to  me  at  once,  sitting  alone  on  the 
village  "  ra-ra  "  (the  public  square  of  the  town), 
under  a  huge  "  baka  "  tree.  I  knew  a  little  of 
the  language,  and  so  went  up  to 
him  with  the  usual  island  salute. 
I  found  not  indeed  a  warrior  as 
I  had  expected,  but  a  little, 
wizen-faced,  cunning-looking  old 
man.  He  seemed  greatly  sur- 
prised at  seeing  a  white  man. 
Many  of  the  chiefs  pretend  not 
to  understand  pigeon  English,  or 
any  language  but  their  own  ;  so  I  , 

made  my  boy ^Az;;^ out  and  inter- 
pret. The  lad  wanted  badly  to 
sit  on  his  heels — the  position  of 
respect  all  over  the  islands  ;  but 
I  would  not  allow  it.  "  You  are 
as  my  mouth  now,  and  must  stand 
in  consequence,"  I  insisted. 

"  What  does  this  angry  white 
want?"  said  the  chief.  "Tell 
him  to  put  up  his  revolver  while 
in  my  town;  I  am  unarmed,  you 
see." 

Up  went  the  revolver  to  its 
case  on  my  hip.  "  Tell  this 
chief,"  I  said,  "  that  I  have  come 
to  know  why  his  men  have  fired 
over  fifty  times  at  our  boats  ? 
We  have  done  nothing  to  him, 
and  are  only  buying  food  ;  what 
are  we  shot  at  for  ?  " 

"  Reply  to  your  white  man," 
said  the  chief,  with  a  ghastly 
leer,  "  that  'tis  my  business  to 
eat  a  man  every  month,  and  I 
don't  care  whether  he  is  black 
or  white,  although  I  like  the 
former  better." 

Flow  I  fumed  at  his  jeering 
tone,  and  swung  round  my  trusty  Winchester. 
"  You  got  one  of  Eui's  men  yesterday,"  I  said, 
angrily  ;  "  is  not  that  enough  for  you,  you 
'  bokolo-feeder  '  ?  And  look  out,  mind  you— for 
Chief  Lui  will  have  blood  for  blood.  What  is  to 
prevent  my  giving  him  forty  muskets,  to  make 


'long  pig' of  you,  and  burn  your  town?  For 
two  pins  I  would  shoot  you  as  you  sit,  you  dog." 

By  this  time  I  found  my  boy  -  interpreter 
trembling  from  head  to  foot,  and  realized  that 
I  had  made  a  foolish  speech  ;  but  what  will  not 
an  angry  man  do  or  say  ?  I  had  been  fired  at 
continually  for  two  days,  remember. 

The  moment  I  got  outside  the  town  I  took 
to  the  thick  scrub,  and  the  boy  and  I  made  for 
Caffin's  place  at  our  best  pace.  Five  minutes 
afterwards  we  heard  the  mad  rush  of  fifty  pairs 
of  naked  feet  along  the  track  that  led  to  the 
white  man's  house.  In  ten  minutes  or  so  we 
got  out  of  the  scrub  at  the  back  of  Caffin's 
garden,  and  as  I  walked  round  in  front  of  the 


FOR    TWO    TINS    I    WOULD   SHOOT   VOU    AS   YOU   SIT.'" 

house  there  was  the  sturdy  American  himself, 
Winchester  in  hand,  as  cool  as  a  cucumber, 
.  with  his  two  boys  and  my  four  boat  lads  keep- 
ing some  fifty  Obas  at  bay. 
gave,  to  be  sure,  as  I 
beside  Caffin,  who  muttered,  "Thank  God  you 


What  a  yell  they 
strode  out  and  stood 


5-^6 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MA(;AZINE. 


are  back.  I  thought  you  were  done  for."  Then 
I  spoke  up,  talking  Fijian  :  "  Any  here  who 
have  worked  in  Fiji?"  Some  two  dozen  said 
they  had  returned  from  that  place.  "  Well,  you 
know  me — some  of  you  :  what  do  \ou  want  ?  " 

"  Oh  I  some  of  us  know  you  ;  you  insulted 
our  chief." 

"  \\'e!l,  there  are  some  threescore  of  you, 
come  and  take  me  then." 

Now,  natives  seldom  care  to  face  an  armed 
white  in  the  open,  and  no  one  stirred.  I  con- 
tinued :  "  Now  you,  Holi's  men,  go  back  to 
your  town  and  put  up  your  war  fences — white 
ones  at  that  "  (a  white  war  fence  means  that  the 
natives  propose  to  fight  to  the  death).  "  \"ou 
will  have  enough  fighting  presently.  I^uis  men 
will  be  here  in  a  minute."  They  hesitated,  then 
one  gave  a  wild  yell  and  pointed  upwards.  A\"e 
turned  and  looked.  Down  the  steep  hillside 
pressed  many  brown-skinned  warriors,  their 
muskets  gleaming  in  the  bright  sunlight.  As  we 
turned  again  Holi's  braves  were  fleeing  the  way 
they  had  come,  and  the  wild  war-slogan  of 
the  mountain  tribe  rang  out  as  they  followed. 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  we  were  shaking 
hands  and  nose-rubbing  with  Lui.  1  asked 
him  on  board  our  vessel,  and  offered  him  forty 
muskets  at  a  cheap  rate,  to  enable  him  to  polish 
ofi"  Holi  in  one  act.  To  the  first  offer  he  said  h 
was  a  bush  chief  and  did  not  like  the  sea  ;  a 
as  to  the  latter,  he  said  he  would  think  it  ov 

Now,  to  fight  Lui,  and  probably  the  whites 
the  same  time,  was  too  much  for  Holi, 
so    shortly   an    embassy    came    offering 
terms  of  peace.     'Lhe  cunning  old  chief 
sent  a  message  to  me,  too  :   "  CjO  trade 
for  food  ;  you  won't  be  fired  at  again, 
white  man."      Towards  evening   peace 
was  made,  Holi  paying  ten  big  pigs  as 
"  blood-money  "  for   the   dead 
boy.  I  felt  only  halfpleased  at 
the  turn  negotiations  had  taken. 

"  What  1  Are  you  annoyed  at 
Lui's  arrangements  ?  "  spoke  out 
Caffin,  as  1  said  "  good-bye." 
"  Why,  one  of  your  own  British 
admirals  did  the  very  same 
thing  here  not  long  ago — took, 
by  Jove,  ten  pigs  a  head  for  the 
lives  of  British  seamen.  Shame 
on  him  I  I  guess  the  blood- 
money  pigs  stuck  in  the  throats 
of  your  Jack  tars  as  they  ate 
them.  Don't  talk  to  me  of  your 
Collingwoods  and  Nelsons.  I 
wonder  their  shades  don't  haunt 
their  successors.  Pity  they  did 
not  buy  with  their  thirty  pigs  a 
potter's   field    at    Oba  to  bury 


strangers   in,    those    who   remain    uneaten,   you 
know."' 

1  went  off  to  the  vessel,  and,  sure  enough, 
traded  in  peace  off  Oba  for  the  rest  of  the  trip. 

Some  two  years  had  passed.  Cafifin's  health 
had  given  way.  He  had  left  Oba,  and  was  at 
Havannah  Llarbour.  One  evening,  as  our  fore- 
and-after  rolled  on  the  swell  of  a  windless  sea 
off  Oba,  I  heard  the  familiar  yell  of  "  Schooner 
ahoy  ! "  and  five  minutes  afterwards  Caffin  was 
shaking  my  hand.  "  Now,  Gaggin,"  said  he, 
"  you  are  the  very  man  I  want.  I  am  out  of 
revolver  cartridges  ;  can  you  let  me  have  some 
new  and  good  ones  ?  Yours  fit  my  shooting- 
iron,  you  remember.  What  do  I  want  them 
for  ?  Well,  L'll  tell  you  right  out.  I  want  them 
to  sJioot  Holi  I  Oh!  you  need  not  stare  and 
.say  you  always  took  me  for  a  conscientious 
man.  1  hope  I  am,  too.  But  I  have  waited 
for  over  two  }ears  for  an  American  war-vessel 
and  she  has  not  come.  I  have  not  si.x  months 
to  live,  so  I  have  no  time  to  lose.  When  1 
meet  my  old  chum  '  across  the  great  river  '  I 
can  then  face  him  like  a  man  ;  so  give  me  the 
cartridges,  like  a  good  fellow.  1  know  you 
have  a  lot  of  good  ones." 

"  Now,  look  here,  Caffin," 
I  answered  ;  "  when  I  was 
,uka  an  American 


I  A.M  OUT  OF  KEVOLVEK  (..^  K  1  lillM.KS.   CAN  VOU  LET  .Mli  HAVK  SOJIF.  NEW 
AND  GOOD  ONES?" 


THE    STORY    OF    HOLI    OF    OR  A. 


527 


warship  was  expected  daily.  Perhaps  she  is 
there  now,  and  does  not  like  sailing  round  the 
islands  in  the  hurricane  months.  So,  if  you 
promise  to  hold  your  hand  for  three  months 
I'll  give  the  cartridges  ;  not  otherwise." 

"  Well,  my  time  is  short,  you  know  ;  yet,  as 
you  ask  me  as  an  old  friend,  I  promise.  There 
is  my  hand  on  it — are  you  satisfied  ?  And  now 
for  the  cartridges." 

Ten  minutes  later  he  was  fitting  them  into  his 
revolver,  and  said,  "Thanks,  old  man  ;  what  is 
the  damage?  Nothing  to  me?  Oh,  well,  thank 
you  again  ;  they  fit  admirably.  I  have  not  time 
to  wait  for  tea,  and  must  be  off.  You  know 
my  boy  Sambo — he  will  tell  you  the  end.  Fll 
keep  my  word  ;  good-bye,  old  friend.  Shake 
hands  once  again — this  is  our  last  meeting  on 
this  side  of  the  bar — God  bless  you,"  and  he 
climbed  over  the  side  of  his  boat. 

A  year  afterwards  I  met  an  Oba  boy  whom  I 

thought    I    knew.     "  Good   day,    Misi   Gaggin. 

Do   you    remember  me  ?     I  am   Sambo,    Misi 

Caffin's  boy  !    And  he  told  me  to  tell  everything 

to  you,  his  friend.     Well,  after  we  left  you  we 

went  back  to  the  harbour,  and  remained  there 

three   moons,   but   my   white    chief  got    weaker 

and  weaker  every   day.      Then   a  little   cutter 

came  in,  and  he  said  he  wanted  to  go  to  Oba 

again  to  see  his  white  man's  grave  before  he  left 

himself     1  thought  every  day  he  would  die,  but 

he  said  he  would  not  until  his  work  was  ended. 

The  captain  of  the  little  cutter  and  he  talked, 

and  two  days  after  we  left  for  Oba.     We  got 

there  quickly,  and  then  the  wind  did  not  blow, 

and  we  were  off  the   low  rock  in  the  sea  near 

AValu-riki,  where  the  demons  live.     Early  in  the 

morning,  before  the  sun  rose,  Misi  Cafifin  made 

me    pull    him    to    the    old     place    where    our 

house    had    been.       The    houses    were    down, 

and  we  went  on   to  the  grave.     Then  he  bade 

me  go  tell    Holi  to  come   in  the  evening  to  the 

cutter,   as  he   (my  master)   wanted   to   pay  the 

chief  for   tending   the   white   man's  grave,  and 

then    I   was    to    bring   the    boat    back    for    my 

master.     I  started,  and  looked  back  as  I  walked : 

Misi    Cafifin   was   kneeling   on   his    old    friend's 

grave,    talking  al  )ud   to  his   gods  !     When   the 

sun  got  hot  1  returned,  and  he  was  yet  kneeling 

and    talking.      Do   you    understand    my   Fijian, 

Misi    Gaggin  ?      I   don't   speak    it    as   you    do. 

Your  gods  must   be  powerful  to  hear  you  all, 

everywhere ;   ours  only  hear  us  under  the  great 

baka  trees  when  we  pour  out  kava  to  them.     I 

then  spoke  to  my  master,  and  after  a  little  he 

came  to  me,   and  we  returned  to  the   cutter. 

My  master  was  tired,  and  he  ate  and  slept.     As 

thj  dav  cooled  again  I  looked  and  saw  Holi's 


great  war-canoe  coming,  and  called  my  master ; 
it  was  a  bold  thing  to  do,  to  wake  a  white  man. 
There  was  no  wind,  and  there  were  many  in  the 
canoe  ;  they  got  their  great  oars  out  and  sculled, 
and  the  canoe  got  nearer  and  nearer.  I  got 
afraid,  for  my  white  man's  eyes  began  to  blaze 
as  fire,  and  he  drew  his  revolver  and  put  in  the 
new  bullets  you  gave  him.  As  the  canoe  got 
alongside  my  white  man  spoke  to  the  captain 
of  the  cutter,  and  he  and  his  boys  went  below. 
1  did  not  go  to  the  cabin,  although  I  was  told  to, 
but  stopped  with  my  master;  for  there  were  many 
warriors  with  Holi— perhaps  three  hundred,  all 
armed — and  who  knows  but  that  they  might  take 
the  cutter  ?  As  the  vessels  touched  Holi  jumped 
on  board,  and  he  carried  his  weapons.  He  had 
that  look  of  cunning  and  mockery  on  his  face 
which  you  remember,  for  you  knew  him  ;  and 
many  of  his  town's  teeth  (warriors)  followed 
him.  The  chief  walked  up  and  wanted  to  shake 
hands  with  my  white  man.  But  master  pre- 
tended not  to  see  the  hand,  and  levelled  the 
revolver  like  a  flash — the  chief  was  only  some 
four  feet  away.  Then  he  fired,  and  hit  Holi  full 
in  the  breast,  and  our  great  Oba  chief  jumped 
high  in  the  air  and  fell  dead  on  the  deck.  I 
was  glad,  for  he  had  eaten  some  of  my  tribe. 
Not  a  word  had  been  spoken — the  whole  thing 
had  been  done  in  a  second. 

"  Now,  I  thought  our  Oba  people  were  brave 
and  ever  ready  for  war,  and  that  the  moments 
the  white  man  had  to  live  were  few.  But  I  was 
mistaken,  for  when  the  warriors  saw  their  chief 
shot  dead  among  them  they  lost  their  heads 
and  turned  and  fled.  Some  jumped  to  their 
canoe,  now  drifting  apart  from  us,  and  others 
sprang  into  the  sea.  Misi  Caftin  fired  no  more, 
but  quickly  lifted  Holi  in  his  arms  and  threw 
him  overboard.  Where  did  he  get  the  strength 
to  do  it  ?  The  great  sharks  swimming  astern 
tore  the  body  into  shreds  in  a  moment,  not 
minding  the  swimming  men.  On  hearing  the 
shot  the  white  captain  came  on  deck  again. 
There  was  nothing  to  show— except  the  blood 
—that  a  great  Oba  chief  had  fallen  but  a  few 
seconds  before. 

"  My  white  man  then  returned  to  Havannah 
Harbour,  and  next  day  saw  the  chief  of  one  of 
your  fighting  ships,  and  told  him  all  I  have 
now  told  you  ;  but  they  said  he  was  a  '  Kai 
American!,'  and  they  did  nothing. 

"  After  this  my  master  got  weaker  daily,  and 
soon  he  died.  Before  he  went  he  told  me  to 
tell  vou— and  I  do  so,  else  his  spirit  might  be 
angry  with  me.  Now,  white  man,  I  am  tired  of 
talking,  and  have  finished.  Give  me  some 
tobacco  !  What !  ten  whole  sticks  ?  You  are  a 
chief"!  " 


The  Humours  of  a   Country  Election   in  France. 

^^"RITTE^'    AND    ILLUSTRATED    BV    PAUL    GeXLAUX,    OF    PaRIS. 

Apart  from   the  unique  nature  of  this  article,  its  chief  interest    lies    in    the  fact    that    it    is    not    a 

caricature   but   a  faithful  and    exact    portrait   of   a  country  election   in    France.     The    photographs 

represent    the    actual   people  who  took   part    in    the  conflict. 


'X  the  last  days  of  the  month  of  April 
the  inhabitants  of  Arzal,  a  little 
county  town  with  a  population  of 
2,000  souls  (as  the  geography  books 
have  it),  read  on  the  walls  the 
following  sensational  announcement : — 

CONVOCATION     OF     ELECTORS ! 
The  electors  of  the  County  of  Arzal   are    convoked 
for   the   7th  May,  1S99,  to  elect  a  District  Councillor  in 
the  place  of  M.  ^laubon,  deceased. 

F.lectors  !  do  your  duty  as  French  Citizens.  Long 
live  the   Republic  !  (Signed)  Durand, 

Prefect  of  the  Department. 

Some  workmen  on  their  way  to  their  daily 
toil  immediately  stop 
in  front  of  this  an- 
nouncement  and  begin 
to  dispute  about  the 
election.  They  are 
followed  by  some  pea- 
sants, who  come  in  a 
crowd  and  collect  in 
front  of  the  Prefect's 
manifesto. 

The  country  people 
of  France  are  divided 
into  two  groups.  The 
first  love  the  Republic, 
the  Prefect,  and 
advanced  ideas ;  they 
are  generally  the  arti- 
sans of  the  market  town 
and  the  minor  em- 
ployes. The  second 
group  defend  the 
priests,  the  local  gran- 
dees, the  monarchy, 
and  the  old  order  of 
things  in  general.  They 
call  the  Republicans 
revolutionists,  demons, 
and  sectarians  ;  and  in 
return  the  Republicans 
call  the  Monarchists 
clericals,  insurgents,  and  calotins  (the  latter 
word  being  derived  from  the  little  cap  worn 
by  the  priests). 

The  following  week  sees  the  appearance  on 
the  walls  of  the  candidates'  profession  of  faith, 
and  often — as  if  by  chance — a  huge  poster  is 
put  up.  The  latter  is  a  declaration  from  the 
Government. 

Our  photograph  represents  it  being  spelled 
out  by  three  men,  who  naturally  criticise  the 
doings  of   the   Government.     No  two  Trench- 


SJ'ELLED   OUT   BY    THREE    MEN,    WHO    NATURALLY    CRITICISE    THE 
DOINGS   OF   THE   GOVERNMENT." 
F>-om   a    Photo,    by   Patil  Gc'niatix,    Pai-is. 


men  can  possibly  talk  about  politics  without 
disputing,  and  if  there  are  three  of  them, 
well,  then,  that  makes  three  separate  opinions. 
Everybody  has  his  own  way  of  judging  events, 
and  invariably  exclaims  :  "  Oh  !  as  for  me,  if  I 
were  the  Government,  I  know  very  well  what  I 
would  do." 

But  let  us  return  to  the  declaration  repre- 
sented in  our  photograph.  Its  object  is  to 
prove  to  the  electors  that  everything  is  for  the 
best  in  the  best  of  worlds,  that  conmierce  is 
prosperous,  the  army  powerful,  agriculture. fruit- 
ful ;    that   cattle   are   selling  well,  and  that  the 

(lovernment  officials 
are  increasing  every  day 
at  such  a  rate  that  there 
will  soon  be  situations 
for  every  taxpayer. 
What  a  dream  !  To  live, 
without  anything  to  do, 
in  a  beautiful  coat  and 
a  smart  hat,  and  do  no- 
thing but  draw  one's 
salary  and  sleep  from 
morning  till  night  in 
one's  office  ! 

The  garde-chaiupeire 
passes  with  a  roll  of 
papers  under  his  arm, 
and  covers  the  houses 
with  electoral  mani- 
festoes. Here  is 
one  : — 
COUNTY  OF  ARZAL. 

Election   at    the    District 
Council    on    the    7th    May, 
1899.   Loyal,  Virtuous,  and 
Independent  Candidate, 
Paul  Leonard, 

Lieutenant    of     the      Fire 
Brigade. 

Underneath      could 

be  read  : — 

PROFESSION  OF  FAITH  OF  M.   PAUL 
LEONARD. 

Fellow-citizens  and  electors,  you  know  who  I  am — a 
native  from  your  district.  I  live  among  you  and  my  dear 
firemen.      My  programme  is  immense  !     My  motto  : — 

WORK   !       PROGRESS   !      LIBERTY   ! 

Everyone  must  work  to  be  rich.  Everyone  must 
progress  to  be  happy.  Everyone  must  lie  free  both  in 
thought  and  belief.  Citizens  !  The  Republic  counts  on 
you  !  The  eyes  of  the  world  are  turned  on  your  ballot- 
papers.  Attention  !  To  the  ballot-boxes,  dear  fellow- 
citizens  !     Long  live  the  Republic  ! 

Paul  Leonard,  Candidate. 


THE    HU-MOURS    OF    A    COUNTRY    ELECTION    IN    FRAKCE. 


529 


The  little  town  of  Arzal  is  very  much  agitated. 
On  the  Place  de  TEglise  groups  form  and  cries 
are  raised  : — 

"Ah,  no;  we  won't  vote  for  Leonard;  it 
would  please  the  dirty  Government.  Down 
with  the  Atheists  !  Down  with  the  Revolu- 
tionists !  Let  us  get  a  man  to  oppose  the 
Republican  !  " 

rhe  night  of  this  memorable  day  finds  the 
more  important  people  of  the  town  collected 
together  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Hotel 
Nicolas.  They  are  worried  and  thoughtful. 
They  represent  the  Conservative  party — a  party 
that  detests  the  famous  Liberty.  Our  photo- 
graph shows  the  four  chiefs  of  the  Opposition. 


following  announcement,  which  has  been  stuck 
up  all  over  the  town  by  the  beadle  :— 

TO    THE    ELECTORS    OF    ARZAL. 

Since  the  introduction  of  Universal  Suffrage  the  county 
has  been  well  represented,  but  always  by  rich  people. 
Well,  now,  it  is  we  rich  pco])lc  who  propose  that  you 
should  vote  for  a  poor  peasant  and  a  good  Christian. 
His  name  is  Baptiste  Crapaud.  You  all  know  this 
humble  farmer,  who  wears  sabots,  and  is  of  immense 
service  to  the  country.  In  fact,  electors  of  Arzal, 
Crapaud,  though  a  tiller  of  the  ground,  knows  how  to 
read  and  write,  is  secretary  to  the  Mayor,  municipal  bill- 
poster, street  cleaner,  and  town  crier. 

And  all  that  without  being  paid  !  All  that  for  the 
good  of  humanity  ! 

Ah  !  gentlemen,  the  moment  is  indeed  grave.  The 
fate  of  our  country  depends  upon  it.  Baptiste  Crapaud, 
save  us  !     Great  and  honest  man,  shake  the  dust  off  your 


From  a  Photo,  ty] 


THE   FOUR   CHIEFS   OF    THE   OPPOSITION    .MEET    IN    COUN'CIL. 


[Faiii  Geniaiix,  I'aris. 


On  the  left,  smoking  a  pipe,  is  a  gentleman 
farmer,  a  most  influential  landowner  ;  the  one 
wearing  a  straw  hat  is  a  retired  naval  captain, 
who  always  wants  to  fight  somebody  or  some- 
thing ;  in  front  of  them,  sitting  astride  a  bench, 
is  a  Government  inspector  who,  though  paid  by 
the  State,  dreams  of  nothing  but  its  destruction; 
to  the  right,  behind  his  black  spectacles,  sleeps 
the  editor  of  the  Royalist  journal  of  Arzal  ;  and 
seated  on  the  table  is  the  worthy  Nicolas, 
a  Conservative  because  his  business  profits 
thereby. 

At  midnight  the  conspirators  shake  hands 
with  effusion,  and  swear  to  die  for  the  cause. 
They  have,  in  fact,  found  a  candidate,  and  the 
2,000    souls    of    Arzal    reassernble     before    the 

Vol.  vi.— 61. 


workman's  sabots  on  a   nefarious  Government  which  is 
ruining  you. 

Agriculture  is  dead,  commerce  is  dying,  our  cattle  are 
thinning,  and  our  corn  does  not  grow.  Whose  fault  is 
it?  Why,  the  Revolutionists  !  Ah!  dear  fellow-citizens, 
fear  the  anger  of  God,  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  the 
angels,  who  sing  :  "  Vote  for  Crapaud  !  Crapaud  ! 
Crapaud  I " 

(Signed  by  an  enormous  number  of  Mayors 
and  Electors.) 

On  reading  so  touching  an  appeal  some  of 
the  old  people  burst  into  tears,  and  the  old 
ladies  resolved  to  devote  themselves  to  support 
the  candidate  for  the  good  cause.  Strong 
emotion  shook  the  town,  as  a  rule  so  peaceful 
and  quiet.  The  market  men  swore  at  each 
other  over  the  carrots  and  turnips.  The  air 
was  heavy  with  strife.     Le  Petit  Journal  (T Arzal, 


3° 


THi:    \\l\)\:    WORLD    MACAZINE. 


which  had  a  circulation  of  300  copies,  imme- 
diately rushed  up  to  600,  and  the  editor  with  the 
black  spectacles  said,  "  If  this  will  only  continue 
we  shall  reach  the  importance  of  a  Paris  paper." 
And  he  believed  it,  the  true,  faithful  creature. 

Before  returning  to  work,  after  lunch,  the  men 
assembled  under  the  porch  of  tiie  meat  market, 
and  he  who  knew  how  to  read  instructed  his 
companions.  Our  picture  shows  what  the  scene 
looked  like.  The  peasant  was  reading  T//e 
Hope  of  Arzal  to  his  companions.  Here  is  the 
article  in  full.     It  is  called  :  — 


When  the  workman  had  finished  reading  his 
four  friends  resolved  to  serve  Heaven  by  voting 
for  their  brother.  They  went  into  an  adjoining 
inn  and  drank  to  the  health  of  Baptiste  Crapaud. 
'I'hen  they  swore  by  the  most  solemn  oaths  to 
vote  for  him  as  one  man. 

Suddenly  a  man  who  was  sitting  at  a  table 
close  by  invited  them  to  take  something  with 
him.  They  agreed  to  drink  a  glass  of  brandy, 
and  lent  favourable  ears  to  the  unknown.  Then 
he  showed  them  as  clear  as  day  how  unworthy 
Baptiste    Crapaud    was    of    their    suffrage.       A 


J-'iotu  a  Photo.  l>y\ 


llli    Willi    KNliW    IKIW     10    1;EAU    IXSIKLCIKIJ    HIS 


MI'AMi  l\s. 


[Paui  Gcnianx,  Paris. 


A  WORD  OK  REASON. 

Next  Sunday  the  destiny  of  our  county  will  l^e 
decided.  France  watches  us  with  anxiety.  Are  we 
going  to  give  France  a  splendid  lesson  of  honesty  and 
civic  duty?  There  are  two  men  to  deal  with — Leonard 
the  Comnuinist  !  Leonard  the  Atheist  !  Leonard  the 
fireman,  who  always  arrives  too  late  when  your  houses 
are  devoured  by  fire  !  Facing  this  scoundrel  stands 
Baptiste  Crapaud,  the  honest  working  man  !  Ba])tiste 
Crapaud,  the  man  chasen  hy  the  more  important  people 
of  our  town  I  Baptiste  Crapaud,  the  heroic  peasant  and 
learned  man,  for  is  he  not  the  Mayor's  secretary  and  the 
town  crier?  He  is  the  son  of  French  soil.  Our  country 
loves  him.  He  love  our  country.  If  you  elect  him  it 
means  the  well-being  of  all  of  you.  Merchants,  he  is 
interested  in  your  business  !  Workmen,  he  desires  the 
increase  of  your  weekly  wage  !  Peasants,  he  is  your 
brother,  and  in  voting  for  him  you  will  vote  for  yourself! 

Lift  u]>  your  hearts  !  Take  your  courage  in  your  two 
hands  and  crush  these  revoluuonists  !  Let  us  confront 
the  red  flag  with  concord  and  peace. 

To  vote  for  Leonard  is  to  v(jte  for  hell  !  To  vote  for 
Crapaud  is  to  vote  for  Heaven  ! 

(Signed  by  a  peasant,  Jkan  MarH':.) 


peasant  ?  Pah  !  He  did  all  kinds  of  work ; 
and  then  he  had  no  children,  and  he  was  so 
small  and  weakly.  INIoreover,  he  obeyed  the 
wishes  of  the  priest,  w'ho  forbid  the  faithful  to 
drink  brandy,  to  dance,  to  sing — to  live  happily, 
in  fact. 

"  It's  a  bit  too  strong,"  said  the  four  workmen. 

"Will  you  have  an  absinthe  ?"  went  on  the 
unknown. 

"  Certainly. 

"No,  thank  you." 

"  If  you  like,  sir." 

They  drank  till  they  got  (juite  tipsy,  and 
then  the  unknown  went  on  talking. 

"Ah!  Talk  to  me  about  poor  Leonard," 
he  said  ;  "  there  is  a  loyal  and  independent 
candidate,  if  you  like.  He's  not  too  proud  to 
shake  hands  with  peasants,  despite  the  fact  that 
he  is  Lieutenant  of  the  Fire  Brigade.  What  a 
brave  man  he  is,   too.     Whv,  at  the  last  fire  he 


THE    HUMOURS    OF    A    COUNTRY    ELECTION    IN    FRANCE. 


.ViJ 


got  a  couple  of  cows  out  of  a  stable  by  pulling 
them  by  the  tail.  And  do  you  know  what  they 
say  about  him  ?  Well,  they  say  that  Leonard — 
a  true  Republican,  if  you  like — is  going  to  raise 
a  new  tax  on  the  rich  people,  so  that  you  will 
get  off  without  paying  a  cent  !  " 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  He  must  be  a  fine  fellow." 
"  I  believe  you,  my  boy.  Why,  as  for 
Crapaud,  he  is  nothing  but  an  ignorant  fellow, 
and  a  superstitious  one  at  that.  Crapaud  is 
a  false  brother,  who  wants  to  sell  us  to  the 
capitalists." 

"  The  wretch  I  Down  with  Crapaud  !  Long 
live  Leonard  !  "  And  the  four  men  on  going 
back  to  work  swore  by  the  most  terrible  oaths 
to  vote  for  the  friend  of  the  poor  —  Paul 
Leonard. 

This  is  a  true  picture  of  universal  suffrage  as 
practised  in  the  country.  He  who  pays  for  a 
drink  is  certain  to  win.  and  you  can  drag  the 
ignorant  crowd  with  you  by  swagger  and  lies. 

Now  we  will  introduce  the  readers  of  The 
Widp:  World  M.\g.\zine  to  a  real  curiosity — 
the   peasant    editor,   a   sort   of   journalist,   who 
is     quite     unable 
to    write    himself, 
but     dictates    his 
articles   to  a   per- 
son who  is  able  to 
put    his    thoughts 
into  words. 

1  was  lucky 
enough  to  come 
across  one  of  these 
fellows  —  Pierre 
Marie  —  well 
known  at  Noyal 
and  in  all  the 
country  round 
Arzal.  Heie  is  his 
l)ortrait.  Doesn't 
liis  face  provide 
interesting  study  ? 
One  can  read 
treachery  in  his 
little,  bright  eyes ; 

mockery  you  will  see  in  his  thin  lips  and  in  his 
retreating  mouth  ;  he  has  got  a  huge  hooked 
nose  indicative  of  greed  ;  his  enormous  ears, 
which  are  very  handy  to  hear  with,  are  stuck  on 
to  what  looks  little  better  than  a  skull  covered 
with  skin  so  dry  and  tight  that  one  might  say 
there  is  none  there  at  all.  This  extraordinary 
peasant  holds  in  his  hand  the  paper  to  which 
he  contributes  —  The  Hope  of  Arzal. 

If  those  English  tourists  who  travel  through 
our  country  during  the  summer  bought  the 
newspapers  which  are  published  specially  for 
the  peasant  classes,  they  would  find  such  head- 


riERUE    MAKIE    PEUSUADES   A 

From  a  Photo,    by 


ings  as:  "A  letter  from  Jean-Pierre,  the 
labourer,"  or,  "  'I'he  advice  of  an  old  peasant  to 
his  friends,"  or,  again,  "A  proposal  from  Joseph 
the  gardener."  Sometimes,  of  course,  the 
articles  are  written  by  "  gentlemen,''  but  more 
often  than  not  a  real  peasant  is  hidden  behind 
the  signature. 

At  the  time  of  an  election  these  popular 
journalists  have  a  great  influence  o\er  their 
fellow-citizens,  because  every  farmer  or  workman 
says  to  himself :  "  It's  one  of  my  comrades 
who  has  thought  that."  In  fact,  these  peasant 
editors  speak  the  vulgar  tongue  which  seduces 
their  ignorant  readers.  I  take  the  following 
article,  by  Pierre  Marie,  from  The  Hope  of  Arzal. 
The  fellow  dictated  it  to  an  old  notary  who 
acted  as  his  secretary.  For,  as  I  have  said, 
these  peasants  write  very  little  and  very  badly, 
and  he  simply  spoke  what  he  wanted  to  appear 
in  the  paper  : — 

THE   WELFARE   OF   ARZAL. 

PIERRE    MARIE   SPEAKS   TO   HIS    FRIENDS. 

Ah  !  my  comrades,  the  struggle  is  beginning  indeed. 
Pluck  up  your  courage,  we  must  show  this  fireman 
Leonard  and  all  the  fat  bourgeois  that  the  peasant  has  a 

right  to  a  jilace  under 
God's  sun. 

They  actually  like 
us  to  pay  taxes  with- 
out allowing  ourselves 
to  have  any  voice  in 
the  affairs  of  the 
country.  Ho,  ho  ! 
Ha,  ha  !  We  shall 
have  to  send  these 
bourgeois  back  to  their 
fine  houses,  and  then 
it  will  be  ourselves 
whom  they  will  place 
in  the  administration. 
Ah  !  my  dear  Cra- 
paud, you  come  from 
the  earth  like  our- 
selves. Your  hands 
are  dirty  like  ours. 
You  don't  wear  fine 
clothes,  but  coarse 
linen  as  we  do.  Rest 
happy,  my  friend. 
Take  your  sabots  in 
your  hand  and  crush 
these  revolutionists, 
who  eat  the  very  wool  oft"  the  peasant's  back.  Open  your 
eyes,  my  friends,  and  vote  every  one  of  you  for  Baptiste 
Crapaud,  the  fine  fellow  who  will  look  after  our  interests 
because  he  knows  what  they  are. 

Down  with  the  unjust  !  ,  .  , 

Long  live  honesty  !  Long  live  the  working  man  . 
Long  live  the  peasants  ! 

Such  articles  as  these  inflame  the  working 
man.  But  those  who  were  in  favour  of  Leonard 
cursed  these  foolish,  ignorant  peasants. 

I  could  not  go  out  without  finding  discussions 
alwavs  going  on,  and  the  better  speakers  trying 
to  convince  their  adversaries.  One  of  the 
keenest    of   the   lot    was   an    mnkeeper    whose 


PEASANT    TO    VO  IE    FOR    CNAl'ALU. 

Paul  GeniauA;  Paris. 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


11 


"one   of    the     keenest    of    the    lot    was    ax    INNKEEl'EU    WHOSE   OBJECT    WAS 

TO     EXCITE     EVERYBODY     I.N"     ORDER     THAT     THF.Y     MIGHT     COME    AND     REFRESH 

THEMSELVES   AT    HIS    INN." 

From  a   Photo,  by  Paul  Geniau.x,    Paris. 


object  was  to  excite  everybody  in  order  that 
they  might  come  and  refresh  themselves  at  his 
inn.  Our  photograph  of  him  was  taken  just  as, 
with  much  gesture,  he  was  proving  to  a  sailor 
that  Leonard  the  fireman  had  never  put  out  a 
fire,  and  that  of  the  two  cows  which  he  was 
supposed  to  have  saved  from  the  fire  he  had 
never  taken  anything  except  the  tails.  The 
obstinate  sailor,  however,  refused  to  beUeve 
anything  except  what  was  written,  and  held  out 
his  paper,  which  contained  a  most  complimentary 
article  on  Paul  Leonard,  and  called  him  an  hero. 

Three  more  days,  and  the  election  will  come 
oft".  The  two  candidates  go  from  farm  to  farm, 
and,  as  the  county  is  several  miles  long,  they 
drive.  Some  mischievous  farmer  scattered  some 
logs  in  the  road,  which  pitched  Leonard  of  the 
fire  brigade  into  a  ditch.  His  friends,  to 
avenge  him,  made  Crapaud's  coachman  so  drunk 
that  for  that  afternoon,  at  any  rate,  the  peasant 
candidate  drove  at  a  tremendous  pace  without 
stopping  anywhere.  These  are  authentic  facts, 
for  the  Prince  of  Leon,  deputy  of  Morbihan, 
was  knocked  over,  and  M.  Camper,  his  com- 
petitor, was  thrown  against  a  wall. 

One  method  of  seduction,  of  which  both 
Crapaud  and  Leonard  made  frequent  use,  con- 
sisted in  inviting  influential  electors  to  dinner. 
We  are  reluctantly  compelled  to  confess  that 
the  diners  went  from  one  house  to  the  other — 
no  doubt  in  order  to  be  able  to  form  their 
political  opinions  the  better,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  quality  of  the  food  \  then,  seeing  that  their 


convictions  were  not  made  sufficiently 
clear — well,  they  began  again. 

It  is  the  custom  of  the  candidates 
to  invite  everybody  to  drink,  and  for 
that  purpose  the  innkeepers  are  sub- 
sidized to  serve  everybody  who  pre- 
sents himself.  I  leave  you  to  imagine 
how  many  inebriates  there  were  on 
election  day! 

On  the  Saturday  rumour  was  current 
in  Arzal  that  that  very  evening  there 
would  be  a  public  meeting  at  the 
Hotel  Nicolas.  Huge  red  posters  soon 
covered  the  walls,  and  the  inhabitants 
read  the  following  delirious  appeal  : — 
WORK  !  PROGRESS  !  LIBERTY  ! 
Let  us  write  the  words  on  our  walls,  my 
dear  fellow-citizens. 

To-morrow  your  wrath  will  sweep  Crapaud 
off  the  face  of  the  earth  !  You  will  send  him 
i)ack  to  the  repugnant  dirt,  ignorance,  and 
superstition,  whence  he  came.  Ah,  my  dear 
fellow-citizens,  it  makes  one  sad,  indeed,  to 
find  that  such  men  could  represent  our  beloved 
country.  What  is  it  that  we  want?  Peace,  happi- 
ness, and  riches  for  everyone  !  Let  us  shout 
with  one  voice  :  "  Long  live  the  Republic  !" 
So  formidable  will  be  this  cry  that  it  will  be  heard 
throughout  the  world.  To  the  Ballot,  electors  !  Down 
with  the  wretches  !  Long  live  Justice  !  March  in  solid 
ranks  behind  your  brave  Lieutenant,  and  cry  with  all 
your  lungs : — 

"long    live    PAUL    LEONARD!'' 

(Signed  by  the  League  of  Public  Welfare.) 

At  eight  o'clock  some  little  boys  blowing  with 
a  trumpet  drew  a  crowd  in  front  of  the  Hotel 
Nicolas.  It  was  necessary  to  destroy  the  effect 
produced  by  the  manifesto  of  the  League  of  Public 
Welfare,  and  to  pulverize  them.  Our  photograph 
represents  a  scene  so  pregnant  with  emotion  that 
the  enthusiasm  became  delirium  itself  The 
innkeeper  climbed  on  to  the  window-sill  and 
harangued  his  audience.   This  is  what  he  said:  — 

"  Gentlemen,— It  is  with  the  heart-strings 
strung  to  bursting-point  and  tears  of  indigna- 
tion choking  my  voice  that  I  speak  to  you 
the  following  words  of  common  sense.  You 
trembled  this  morning  on  reading  the  infamous 
appeal  of  the  sectarians.  Poor  France  !  Whither 
would  this  fireman  lead  you  ?  He  would  set 
fire  to  our  very  houses  in  order  to  proclaim 
himself  afterwards  as  our  saviour."  (Cheers,  and 
loud  cries  of  "  Hear,  hear.") 

"  Yes,  my  electors  unknown,  we  know  how 
these  people  hate  Heaven,  our  priests,  our  army, 
our  gendarmes — all  of  us  in  fact." 

Voice  from  the  Crowd  :  "  Then  what  is  it  they 
care  for  ?  " 

Several  Voices  :  "Away  with  him,  away  with 
him." 

Voice  from  the  Crowd  :  "  I  am  here,  and  here 
I  shall  stick." 


\ 


THE    HUMOURS    OF    A    COUNTRY    ELECTION    IN    FRANCE. 


553 


AT     EIGHT     O  CLOCK     BOYS     HI. OWING    A   TRUMPET     DREW     A     CROWD 
FRONT   OF    THE    HOTEL   NICOLAS." 

From  a  Phoio.  by  Paul  Geniaux,  Paris. 

The  Crowd  (divided)  :  "  He's  right."  "  He's 
wrong."     "  It  is  true."     "  It's  a  lie.'" 

The  Orator :  "  I  beg  you  to  allow  me  to  go 
on.  I  have  told  you,  gentlemen,  that  to-morrow 
you  -vould  have  to  pronounce  the  sentence  of 
life  or  death  on  our  county.  If  Leonard  is 
elected,  ruin  will  follow.  If  Crapaud  wins, 
happiness  will  smile  upon  our  efforts." 

Voice  from  the  Crowd  :  "  Pardon  me,  how 
can  a  county  die  ?    I  should  just  like  to  see  it." 

Several  Voices  :  "We  don't  want  to  die." 

The  Orator  :  "A  county  dies  of  shame  and 
scandal." 

A  Stout  Gentleman :  "  Paul  Leonard  is  a 
rascal." 

Another  :   "  How  can  that  be  ?  " 

Several  Voices  :  "  It  is  true  !  "  "  It  is  not 
true  :  "  "  It's  a  lie  !  "  "  Long  live  Crapaud  !  " 
"  Long  live  Leonard  ! "  "  Down  with  the 
peasants  !  " 

The     Orator :      "  Take     care,      take     care, 


you    will     have    to   justify    llicse    loathsome 
cries.     A  peasant    1    am,  and    I    am   proud 

of  it."  ^ 

The    Crowd :     "  What    rot  1     Vou 
publican." 


are 


after 


mv 


garden 


The    Orator:    "Yes,    I    am 
but    I    look 
cabbages." 

The  Crowd   (with   one  voice) : 
all  gardeners." 

The     Stout    Gentleman 


a    publican, 
and     plant 


W 


e   are 


flowers  every  morning." 


I    water 


my 


"Then  you  are 
"Quite 


The   Man   ne.xt  to   him. 
a  gardener ! " 

The   Stout  Gentleman  (pleased) 
so,  I  am  a  gardener." 

The  Orator  :  "  Finally,  gentlemen,  peasants 
or  workman,  bourgeois  or  Government  officials, 
let  us  make  one  mighty  spring  which  will 
shake  the  Government  to  its  foundations, 
and  we  will  show  the  entire  world  that 
the  county  of  Arzal  is  proud  and  free, 
and  knows  how  to  conquer  the  enemy 
wherever  he  may  come  from.  Let  us 
brandish  our  voting  papers,  and  let  them  be 
the  cartridges  with  which  we  will  extermin- 
ate the  revolutionists,  the  Atheists,  the 
cannibals  who  would  eat  our  priests.  Long 
live  Baptiste  Crapaud  !  " 

Several  Voices  :  "  Bravo  !  bravo  !  " 
The    Orator  :      "  I     invite     the     honour- 
able  assembly  to  come  and    drink    free    of 
charge.     Crapaud  pays." 
The  crowd  flocks  into  the  inn.    The  workmen, 
sipping  their  absinthe,  declare  that  they  will  vote 
for  Leonard. 

"  Then  why  do  you  drink  here  ?  "  shouts  the 
enraged  innkeeper. 

"  Because  you  invited  us." 
"  I  invited  Crapaud's  friends." 
The    workmen    leave,  crying  :    "  Down    with 
the  traitors.     They   offer   us  drink   to   buy   our 
consciences." 

Then  follows  a  fearful  tumult,  the  opposite 
parties  hurl  charges  at  one  another's  heads,  and 
call  each  other  blackguards  and  scoundrels. 

In  the  ordinary  way  they  are  the  most  peace- 
able, even  sleepy,  of  people  ;  but  politics  always 
exasperate  them.  And  in  a  word,  whether  it  be 
Crapaud  or  Leonard  who  is  elected,  it  will  have 
no  effect  on  the  state  of  affairs,  being  a  foregone 
conclusion  that  all  a  district  councillor  will  ever 
do  is  to  utter  the  most  platonic  of  vows,  about 
which  no  one  cares  twopence  ! 


THE 


r 


Bv  Frederic  Coleman. 

A  traveller,   recently  returned   from   the   Philippines,  tells  the  lurid  tale  associated  with  a  certain  kris, 

or    native     sword-knife,    which    he    acquired    at    Parang-Parang,  a   town    on    the  south    coast  of  the 

great    Island    of    Mindanao.     The    story  is    simply    a    case  of   "running    amok";    but    it    offers    many 

interesting  sidelights  on   the   peculiarities   of  the  Malay  peoples. 


POX    my   rtturn    to    Manila    in    the 
spring  of  1900  from  a  four  months' 
sojourn  in  the  Southern    Phihppines 
1  was  reminded  by 
mv    friend     Feld- 


man  that  I  had  promised,  be- 
fore starting  for  the  South,  to 
purchase  for  him  a  fine  kris,  a 
weapon  much  in  evidence 
among  the  savage  tribes  of 
the  islands  of  Mindanao  and 
Jolo. 

I  accordingly  asked  my 
friend  to  drop  into  my  quarters 
and  select  a  weapon  to  his 
liking  from  my  store  of  two 
hundred  or  more  krises.  Feld- 
man  lost  no  time  in  calling 
on  me,  and  after  some  hesita- 
tion, owing  to  his  inability  to 
decide  between  a  beautiful 
•'snake-kris"  from  the  Lake 
Lanao  country,  which  had  a 
fine  ivory  handle,  and  a  Jolo 
weapon,  the  handle  of  which 
was  covered  with  leaf-gold, 
hammered  from  Spanish  coins, 
he  selected  the  former,  as 
Lake  Lanao  curios  are  ex- 
tremely rare.  Before  Feldman 
left   the   room,    however,    he 


THE      AUTHOR,      MR.       FREDERIC     COLEMAN,     WHO 

BROUGHT  THE  "KRIS"  HOME    AND   WITNESSED 

THE     INCIDENT. 

From  a  P/toio.  by  the  Shanghai  Photographic 
Enlargins:  Co. 


spied  a  peculiar  kris  with  a  plain  wooden  handle 
wrapped  with  strong  black  thread,  which  was 
Iving  on  my  writing-desk.  The  blade  of  this 
weapon  was  inlaid  with  silver, 
and  the  curves  at  its  base 
began  in  wide  sweeps  at  the 
hilt,  and  ceased  altogether  at 
the  centre  of  the  blade,  leaving 
the  point  straight  for  at  least 
a  foot  and  a  half. 

"  I  say,  old  man,"  said  my 
friend,  picking  up  the  kris 
with  the  plain  handle,  "  I 
didn't  see  this  one.  It  isn't 
very  elaborate  as  to  finish,  but 
it  certainly  has  a  sinister  look 
of  business  about  it.  If  you 
have  no  objections,  I  think  I 
will  take  it  in  preference  to 
the  'snake.'  Do  you  know,  I 
wouldn't  wonder  if  that  knife 
had  a  history.  Where  did  it 
come  from  ?  " 

Feldman  was  right  in  his 
surmise.  The  kris  with  the 
plain  handle  /Mi/  a  histoiy, 
and  that  a  [)retty  exciting  one. 
The  odd  thing  about  it  was  that 
no  one  knew  that  history  better 
than  myself,  for  I  saw  the 
keen,    cruel    knife  sating    its 


THE    KRIS    WUH    the    PLAIN    HANDLI-:. 


D.-)D 


lust  for  blood  one  day,  and  could  give  direct 
testimony  to  the  effect  that  it  had  taken  the 
lives  of  at  least  five  human  beings,  besides 
wounding  and  maiming  as  many  more.  When 
once  I  had  admitted  that  a  story  went  with  the 
kris  my  friend  insisted  upon  hearing  it,  so  we 
ordered  cool  drinks,  stirred  up  the  punkah- 
muchacho,  and  I  proceeded  with  the  narrative. 

This,  then,  is  the  history  of  the  kris  with  the 
plain  handle  :  — 

It  was  early  January  in  Parang-Parang,  a 
town  on  the  south  coast  of  Mindanao,  and 
the  day  of  an  event  of  the  greatest  interest  to 
the  inhabitants.  The  company  of  American 
soldiers  which  had  been  detailed  to  garrison 
Parang-Parang    had    arrived    in     the    morning, 


rest  of  the  great,  unruly,  unexplored  Island  of 
Mindanao  put  together.  Nearly  three  hundred 
Spanish  soldiers  were  killed  in  and  about 
Parang  Parang  during  the  scant  eight  years 
that  Spain  maintained  a  garrison  there. 

Again  and  again  a  sentry  would  be  found 
dead  at  his  post,  his  gun  stolen,  perhaps  with 
his  head  severed  completely  from  his  body, 
perhaps  cut  from  crown  to  belt,  but  always 
bearing  the  trade-mark  of  the  wicked  weapon  of 
the  Moro.  Again  and  again  a  Spanish  soldier 
or  two  would  be  taking  a  stroll  in  sight  of  the 
little  fort  which  crowns  the  brow  of  the  hill 
when  dusky  forms,  springing  from  some  place 
of  concealment  in  the  wayside  grass  or  shrub, 
would   prove   forerunners   of   the    flash   of   kris 


^^"'"'w^ 


l^A^ 


^#^ 


THIS    PHOTO.    SHOWS    A    STUliEl'    IN    l'.-\KANG-rAK.\NG,    WHEKE    THE    NATIVE    NAN    AMOK 


and  the  vertical  rays  of  the  fierce  tropical 
sun  at  noonday  were  beating  down  as 
if  bent  on  showing  the  new-comers  how 
hot  they  could  make  a  day  along  the 
seventh  parallel  of  latitude.  The  people  of 
the  town  were  enjoying  their  siestas  after  the 
excitement  caused  by  the  coming  of  the  first 
Americans  they  had  ever  seen — with  the  excep- 
tion of  Major  Biett,  Governor  of  Cotta-Bato,  and 
myself,  who  had  visited  Parang-Parang  a  few 
weeks  before.  The  landing  of  the  troops  had 
been  effected  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner, 
and  the  soldiers  were  quartered  temporarily  in 
the  cement  church  of  the  town,  as  the  old  Spanish 
barracks  were  in  a  most  unsanitary  condition. 

Parang- Parang  bears  rather  a  bad  reputation. 
As  a  post  of  the  soldiers  of  Spain  it  caused 
the  Dons    nearly   as   much   trouble   as   all  the 


or  campilan,  and  the  transformation  of  living, 
breathing  humanity  into  mutilated  heaps  ot 
lifeless  flesh. 

A  large  lake  lies  inland  from  Parang-Parang : 
it  is  called  Lake  Lanao.  Around  its  shores 
many  renegade  Moros  have  gathered.  The 
people  who  inhabit  that  region  and  the  adjacent 
mountain  country  bear  bad  reputations  wherever 
the  nameof  the  lake  is  known.  In  addition  to 
the  constant  danger  from  the  Moros  in  the 
town  the  Spaniards  had  even  more  cause  of 
anxiety  on  account  of  the  people  of  the  inland 
country  towards  the  lake.  The  necessity  of 
communication  between  the  lake  and  mountain 
peoples  and  the  seaport  of  Parang  -  Parang 
seemed' to  the  Spaniards  unavoidable,  and  so 
was  never  discontinued,  although  its  contmu- 
ance  cost  Spain  the  life  of  many  a  soldier. 


535 


THE    WIDH    WORI.n    MAGAZINE. 


OJ 


The  knowledge  of  all  these  facts  gave  to  the 
most  common  events  in  Parang-Parang  an 
undercurrent  of  suppressed  excitement.  Truly, 
in  Parang-Parang  one  knew  not  what  a  day 
might  bring  forth.  Every  member  of  the  male 
population  who  was  large  enough  to  wield  a 
weapon  with  any  degree  of  danger  to  a  possible 
adversarv  was  armed  with  a  kris,  baron 
campilan,  or  some 
other  "  first  aid  to 
murder."  Many  of 
these  weapons 
were  well  forged, 
and  bore  handles 
of  rare  beauty. 
carved  from  rich 
woods,  ivory,  horn, 
or  bone,  and  fre- 
q  u  e  n  1 1  y  orna- 
mented with  gold 
or  silver.  The 
sheaths  of  such 
weapons  were  also 
decorated  in  odd 
and  sometimes 
elaborate  fashion. 

Such  weapons 
were  the  best  of 
curios,  and  I  rarely 
missed  an  oppor 
tunity  of  pricing 
all  that  came  my 
way.  On  the  day 
in  question  I  was 
standing  in  the 
main  street  of 
Parang-Parang, 
unmindful  of  the 
heat,  engaged  in 
an  earnest  en- 
deavour to  induce 
a  big,  ugly  Moro 
to  place  a  price 
on  his  kris,  the 
blade     of     which 

was  of  uncommon  pattern,  although  the  knife 
bore  a  plain  handle  and  the  sheath  was 
devoid  of  ornament.  As  was  frequently  the  case 
among  the  Moros,  the  owner  of  the  kris  did  not 
care  to  part  with  it,  and  would  not  consider  any 
offer,  no  matter  how  extravagant.  In  reply  to 
my  question  as  to  why  so  fine  a  blade  should  be 
fitted  to  so  plain  a  handle  he  answered,  in  a 
surly  tone,  that  he  kept  his  weapon  for  use  and 
not  for  sale.  The  remark  was  one  I  had  heard 
frequently  before,  in  reply  to  similar  (juestions  : 
but  I  had  good  cause  to  remember  it  later  in 
the  day. 

When   the    cool   of  the   evening    began    to 


■  HE   ANbWEHED    I.\    A   SL'KLV    TONE 
AND    NOT 


replace  the  heat  of  the  day  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  Parang-Parang  turned  out  to .  see  the 
"Americanos."  The  Datto  Uttamama  Baqui, 
the  chief  among  the  Moros,  who  lived  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  town,  was  standing  in  the  main 
street,  not  far  from  the  church  where  the 
Americans  were  quartered,  surrounded  by  a 
large  group  of  his  retainers  and  followers. 

Suddenly  a  com- 
motion was  notice- 
able a  few  hundred 
yards  up  the  street. 
Attracted  by  the 
sound  of  cries,  we 
at  once  centred 
our  interest  on  the 
stalwart  figure  of  a 
man  who  came 
running  towards 
the  little  group,  in 
the  centre  of  which 
stood  the  Datto 
and  myself  As  the 
approaching  figure 
drew  near  I 
noticed  with  sur- 
prise that  it  was 
the  fierce-looking, 
surly  Moro  whose 
plain-handled  kris 
I  had  endeavoured 
to  purchase  from 
him  earlier  in  the 
day.  The  weapon, 
unsheathed,  was 
in  his  right  hand 
as  he  ran  rapidly 
towards  us,  and 
we  could  see  blood 
upon  his  sleeve 
and  upper  gar- 
ments. When  the 
Datto  heard  the 
clamour  and  saw 
the  man  running 
towards  him  with  the  naked  weapon  he  supposed 
that  the  participant,  or  possibly  the  survivor,  of 
some  Moro  altercation  was  coriiing  to  him, 
either  in  search  of  justice  at  Baqui's  hands  or 
else  protection  from  his  enemies. 

If  such  was  the  supposition  that  the  Datto 
placed  upon  the  case  he  was  soon  proved 
wofully  in  error.  The  Moro  had  been  engaged  in 
altercation,  true  enough;  but, as  we  subsequently 
learned,  he  had  little  thought  of  seeking  for 
justice  or  protection.  The  events  which  had 
transpired  a  few  moments  before  were  of  such  a 
nature  that  the  Moro  knew  his  part  in  them 
deserved  little  else  than  death.     Moreover,  he 


THAT    HE    KEPT    HLS    WliAI'UN    1  OK    L  SE 
FOR   SALE." 


THE    KRIS    WITH    THE    PLAIN    HANDLE. 


S67 


knew  that  it  was  his  fate  that  his  hie  should  be 
forfeited  should  his  townsmen  be  able  to  take 
it  before  he  escaped  from  their  midst.  For  the 
Moro  had  the  blood  of  two  women  of  his 
family  on  the  kris  with  the  plain  handle,  and  by 
the  Moro  law  of  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth  his  life  was  already  declared  for- 
feited to  the  members  of  the  family  of  the  dead 
women. 

The  commencement  of  the  trouble  and  its 
cause  will  ever  remain  unknown — as  is  often  the 
case  in  an  "amok."  The  Moro  became  enraged 
with  his  wife  for  some  reason  known  only  to 
themselves,  and  in  the  heat  of  his  anger  adopted 
a  course  not  uiicommon  in  Moro-land.  He 
attacked  his  spouse  with*  his  keen  kris,  and, 
driving  her  before  him  to  the  front  part  of  the 
house,  finally  overtook  and  killed  her.  Tliey 
were  alone  in  the  house  at  the  time,  and 
as  the  building  was  somewhat  isolated  several 
minutes  elapsed  before  those  who  heard  her 
screams  arrived  on  the  scene.  By  that  time  her 
cries  had  ceased  and  her  troubles  were  over. 
That  her  struggles  must  have  been  frantic  in  the 
extreme  was  proved  by  the  condition  of  the 
dwelling. 

Leaving  her  mangled  form,  the  Moro  ran 
towards  the  stairway  at  the  rear  of  the  house, 
and  met  another  woman  of  his  family  as  she 
was  ascending  the  stairs,  attracted  by  the  screams 
of  her  neighbour.  By  that  time  the  vengeful 
blood-lust  which  filled  the  maddened  Moro's 
mind  had  gained  complete  control  of  him. 

Swinging  his  kris  over  his  head  he  cut  his 
second  victim  from  the  shoulder-blade  to  the 
waist,  leaving  her  in  her  death  agonies  where  he 
had  struck  her  down.  By  this  time  half-a-dozen 
people  were  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway,  but  the 
murderer  jumped  down  the  steps  and  ran  by  them 
so  swiftly  that  they  had  no  opportunity  of  learn- 
ing the  extent  of  his  crime  before  he  had  passed 
around  the  corner  of  the  house  and  was  at  some 
distance  from  it.  In  an  instant,  however,  two 
or  three  of  his  townsmen  discovered  the  mangled 
form  at  the  top  of  the  stairway,  and  started  off 
on  the  trail  of  the  fugitive,  crying,  "El  Moro, 
el  Moro  I  " — words  whose  significance  were  that 
someone  had  "run  amok" — and  calling  upon 
anyone  who  had  the  opportunity  to  assist  in 
capturing  or  killing  him.  As  the  Moro,  now 
become  a  renegade,  passed  the  first  house  on 
his  way  towards  the  centre  of  the  town  several 
lances  were  hurled  at  his  retreating  figure, 
though  none  of  them  found  their  mark. 

It  might  seem  peculiar  that  the  renegade 
should  make  for  the  centre  of  the  town  ;  but 
that  was  his  shortest  route  to  the  shore  of  the 
bay,  where  he  could  obtain  a  boat  and  soon 
place  himself  in  the  hands  of  a  rival   Datto  on 

Vol.  vi.— 62. 


the  opposite   shore  a  few  miles   distant.     This 
was  no  doubt  his  intention. 

As  Datto  Ba([ui  stepped  from  out  the  crowd 
about  him,  and  walked  toward  the  approaching 
Moro,  he  put  up  his  hand  as  if  to  stop  him,  at 
the  same'  time  inquiring  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance.  In  answer,  however,  the  half- 
crazed  man  swung  his  kris  at  full  arm's 
length  around  his  head,  and,  without  doubt, 
had  the  weapon  landed  where  the  Moro 
intended,  it  would  have  severed  the  old 
chief's  head  from  his  body.  But  Uttamama 
Baqui  was  a  Moro  himself,  and  won  his  way  to 
power  in  Moro-land  as  much  by  the  strength 
of  his  good  right  arm  as  by  his  powers  of 
diplomacy.  Although  sixty  years  of  age,  he  was 
still  agile,  and  the  scars  of  combat,  .  which 
covered  him  from  head  to  foot,  were  evidence 
of  his  years  of  experience.  He  had  learned  that 
to  evade  a  blow  was  far  better  policy  than  to 
meet  it.  He  saw  the  deadly  gleam  of  his  assail- 
ant's eye  and  the  evil  intent  it  bore  before  the 
kris  was  fairly  on  its  way  ! 

By  a  clever  duck  of  his  head  he  escaped 
what  seemed  for  a  moment  to  be  certain  death. 
The  weapon  fell,  but  its  razor-edge  missed  the 
Datto,  cut  well  into  the  neck  of  a  servant  follow- 
ing closely  behind  him,  and  added  a  third  to 
the  list  of  its  victims.  Another  stroke  of  the 
cruel  kris  ended  the  life  of  one  of  the  Datto's 
henchmen  who  stood  in  the  path  of  the  mur- 
derous Moro's  escape.  So  suddenly  was  the 
whole  aff:iir  concluded  that  scarcely  another 
weapon  was  drawn  before  the  list  of  deaths  to 
be  credited  to  the  kris  with  the  plain  handle 
had  been  swelled  to  four. 

In  cutting  his  way  through  the  crowd,  most 
of  whom  had  made  a  wild  break-away  from  the 
affair,  no  fewer  than  five  of  his  fellow-townsmen 
were  wounded  by  the  renegade.  Incredible  as 
it  may  seem,  the  fleeing  Moro  gained  the  farther 
edge  of  the  crowd  and  obtained  a  good  start, 
unscathed,  before  the  Datto's  warriors  had 
gathered  their  scattered  wits  and  given  chase. 
A  shot  was  fired  at  the  retreating  figure  ;  but 
the  Moros  are  no  marksmen,  and  lie  stood  in 
no  danger  from  their  giins. 

It  seemed  for  the  moment  as  though  the  man 
might  make  good  his  escape.  Indeed,  such 
might  have  been  the  outcome  had  not  the 
desire  to  take  human  life  been  so  strong  within 
him.  As  he  was  running  down  the  road  he 
met  an  aged  and  infirm  Moro  who  happened 
to  be  passing,  and  although  the  old  man  was 
too  weak  to  prove  a  fit  antagonist  for  a  mere 
child,  the  murderer  ceased  his  flight  long 
enough  to  bury  the  kris  with  the  plain  handle 
from^ crown  to  chin,  straight  through  the  head 
of  the  old  patriarch  of  the  village. 


538 


iHi:    WIDE    WORLD    iMACiAZIKK. 


The  blow  that  robbed  the  old  man  of  his 
life,  however,  proved  the  indirect  means  of  the 
assassin's  death.  Before  the  maddened  Moro 
had  time  again  to  raise  the   dripping   blade  his 


town,  and  almost  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the 
American  troops  as  they  were  lounging  about 
their  quarters.  When  the  Moros  scattered  in 
every  direction,  crying  "  El  Moro,  El  More!"  at 


TilK    WEAl'flN    FEI.I.,     I'.LT    11  S    K  AZOK-ICDGK    MISSED     THE    IJA  T  K I 


pursuers  were  upon  him.  and  the  campilans  and 
krises  of  the  avengers  had  struck  deep  into  his 
head,  neck,  side,  and  back,  and  the  spark  of  life 
left  his  mangled  body  before  he  could  emit  a 
single  groan. 

AVhen  I  arrived  at  the  spot  a  moment  later 
the  kris  with  the  wooden  handle  was  lying  un- 
noticed in  the  long  grass  a  few  yards  from 
the  corpse  of  its  former  owner.  I  picked  it 
up,  and  subsequently  oljtained  the  permission 
of  Datto  Baqui  to  keep  it  as  a  souvenir  of 
the  lurid  event. 

All   this   went  on   in   the   very   midst  of  the 


the  top  of  their  lungs,  Captain  Gillenvvater,  the 
commander,  drew  his  company  quickly  and 
quietly  into  line,  not  aware  of  the  nature  of  the 
excitement,  but  resolved  to  be  prepared  to 
meet  whatever  developments  might  ensue.  The 
whole  affair  was  over,  however,  in  far  less  time 
than  it  has  taken  to  tell  it,  and  the  Americans 
breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  when  they  learned  that 
the  Moro  who  "  ran  amok "  would  run  no 
more. 

That  is  the  story  of  the  kris  with  the  wooden 
handle  which  now  forms  the  gem  of  my  friend 
Feldman's  collection. 


How  They  Protect  The  Orange  Groves  in  Florida. 

By  D.  Allen  Willev,  of   Baltimore 

Here  is  a  curious  article.  The  orange-growers  of  Florida,  having  been  very  hard  hit  by  a  sudden 
frost,  now  build  houses  and  tents  around  the  delicate  tree's  at  the  first  icy  breath.  The  author 
furnishes  a  complete  set  of  photographs  (which  he  tells  us  have  never  before  appeared)  illustrating 
these  curious  "  tree-dwellings,"  and  describes  the  entire  system  by  which  the  trees  go  into  winter 
residence  and,  as  it  were,  sit  by  their  own  fireside  in  their  own  house! 


OR  the  last  five  years  parts  of 
Central  and  Southern  Florida  have 
been  visited  by  freezing  weather  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  that 
beautiful  State.  This  section  of  the 
United  Slates  is  one  of  the  centres  for  the  pro- 
duction of  oranges  and  bananas,  and  large 
quantities  of  vegetables  are  also  raised  during 
the  winter  to  be  sold  in  the  Northern  cities. 
The  first  visitation   of  frost  found  most  of  the 


burned,   and   the   ashes   used  to    fertilize    slips 
from  which  new  orchards  were  to  be  raised. 

Various  plans  have  since  been  arranged  to 
protect  the  groves  from  cold  weather,  and,  as  a 
result,  the  visitor  to  Florida  in  January  can  ride  a 
hundred  miles  through  orange  groves  which  are 
inclosed  in  vast,  covered-in  houses,  and  single 
trees  which  are  carefully  covered  by  tents.  Not 
only  are  they  protected  by  cloth  and  wood,  but 
heat  in  various  forms  is  also  provided  to  keep 


._0\ERINi;    AX    ORAM 

From  a  Photo. 


HIRTV-SEVEN    ACRES. 


orange-growers  altogether  unprepared  for  it,  and 
the  result  was  that  in  a  single  night  plantations 
covering  fully  fifty  square  miles  were  utterly  and 
hopelessly  ruined.  The  action  of  the  frost 
turned  the  leaves  from  green  to  black,  and  the 
stems  of  the  oranges  shrivelled  so  that  the  fruit 
fell  to  the  ground  frozen  and  worthless.  In 
some  cases  where  the  earth  deeply  covered  the 
roots  of  the  trees  a  little  life  was  left,  and 
the  growers  were  able  to  start  them  again  by 
cutting  the  trunk  of  the  tree  down  to  a  few 
inches  from  the  ground.  The  destruction  was 
terrible.  Entire  groves,  ranging  from  fifty  to 
loo  acres  in  extent,  were  taken  up  by  the  roots. 


the  air  warm  enough,  so  that  the  growing  fruit, 
as  well  as  the  smaller  branches,  will  remain 
uninjured.  The  houses,  or  sheds,  cover  from  an 
acre  to  forty  acres  of  ground,  a  he  accompany- 
ing photograph  is  a  section  of  a  thirty-seven- 
acre  shed,  as  it  is  termed,  built  near  Deland, 
Fla.  In  constructing  a  shed  rows  of  pine 
posts,  each  6in.  square,  are  erected  from 
loft.  to  15ft.  apart.  These  are  connected 
by  stringers  nailed  to  the  tops  of  the  posts, 
and  are  also  supported  by  wooden  braces  pro- 
jecting diagonally.  The  framework  is  covered 
at  the  sides  with  pine  boards,  the  ends  of 
which  overlap  like  the  clap-boards  of  a  dwelling. 


54<^ 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


/ ;  OJii  a 


A    GROVE   OF    TREES   CO\^KED  WITH  SQUARE  TENTS. 


\PJiOiO. 


The  sides  are  put  together  in  sections,  so 
that  they  can  be  moved  on  rollers — form- 
huee  sliding    doors.      The   roof  is   formed 


ing 


principle,  so  that  they  may  be 
opened  or  closed  like  the  roof  of 
the  shed  first  described. 

The  tents  are  only  made  to  pro- 
tect single  trees,  and  an  orchard 
thus  covered  looks  from  a  distance 
like  a  military  encampment.  One 
form  of  tent  is  part  wood  and  part 
cloth.  Four  posts  of  pine  are  fas- 
tened in  the  ground,  upholding  a 
framework  on  which  boards  are 
nailed.  Below  the  stationary  frame- 
work is  another  which  slides  up  and 
down  the  outside  of  the  posts, 
which  are  placed  outside  the  tree 
to  be  protected.  Between  the  mov- 
able and  the  stationary  frame- 
work are  tacked  strips  of  cloth, 
sewed  together  and  covered  with  a  mixture  of 
paraffin  or  other  solution  to  protect  it  from  the 
action     of    the     weather.     When    the    tent    is 


■■.;:l.    •]  t.Nl 


lODl.N    TRAMEWORK    SHOWING    CLulH    COVtKlNu    KOLLF.Li    LI'. 
From  a  Photo. 


of  thin  boards  a  foot  in   width,   fastened   into 
.sockets    in    the    stringers,    like    the    slats    of    a 
v/indow-shutter  or  blind.     Sections  of  the  slats 
are  connected  with  wiring  or  small 
ropes,   so   that  by  pulling  the  wire 
the  row  of  slats  can  be  closed  or 
opened  at  any  angle  desired.     The 
shed  is  about  20ft.  in   height.     As 
a    full  -  grown    orange    tree    seldom 
ranges   over  12ft.   in   Florida  ample 
space  is  afforded  for  air  to  circulate- 
above  the  top  branches. 

All  the  sheds  or  houses  are  con- 
structed of  pine,  but,  instead  of  the 
slat  roof,  some  have  the  top  covered 
with  thin  boards,  sliding  in  grooves, 
so  that  any  portion  of  the  roof  can 
be  removed  in  a  few  minutes  if 
desired.  The  sides  of  some  of  the 
sheds  are  also  made  upon  the  slat 


opened  the  cloth  is  neatly  tucked  in  place 
between  the  framework  at  the  top,  resembling 
an  accordion  when  shut  u[).      By  pulling  a  small 


HERE    1^     IHE    ?.AME   TENT   AS    ii     ]-'h,ks  win    n     int,    niiij    i\  i  .\ 
From  a\  TO    PROTECT    ITS    DELICATE   OCCUPANT. 


[Photo. 


HOW   THEY    PROTECT   THE    ORANGE   GROVES   IN    iT.ORlbA. 


541 


'W'M^S^-" 


THIS   I'HUTOGKAI-H   SHOWS   A    KUUND    I  EM    OPKN    ON    A    i  l.Ni:,    SLN.NV   UAV. 

cord  the  movable  framework  is  released  and  drops  to 
the  ground,  completely  covering  the  tree,  as  shown 
in  the  photograph.  At  a  distance  of  looft.  it  looks 
like  an  ordinary  wooden  shed.  The  round  tent  com- 
monly used  is  supported  on  a  framework  like  the  ribs 
of  an  umbrella  ;  but  instead  of  the  centre  stick  being 
straight  it  is  comjjosed  of  two  pieces,  and  near  the 
top  of  the  tree  itself  an  arm  projects  inwardly  at  an 
angle.  The  main  stick  is  composed  of  a  post  about 
3in.  square,  planted  to  a  depth  of  several  feet  in  the 
ground.  The  end  of  the  "  tent  "  is  fastened  to  it  by 
large  tacks,  and  the  ribs  which  hold  the  cloth  in  place 
when  the  tent  is  spread  are  made  of  light  wooden 
strips  fastened   to  the  material  in  the  same  way,  at 


intervals  of  from  ift.  to  2ft.,  accord- 
ing to  its  size.  Around  the  tree  is 
placed  a  hoop  of  hardwood  firmly 
braced,  which  answers  to  the  wires 
extending  from  the  centre  stick  of 
the  "  umbieHa"  to  its  ribs.  When 
it  is  desired  to  close  the  tent  the 
cord  fastening  the  cloth  to  the  main 
post  is  untied  and  merely  drawn 
around  the  hoop.  It  completely 
hides  the  tree  from  view,  and  is 
kept  from  falling  open  by  tying  the 
ends  together  as  in  an  ordinary 
tent. 

Most  of  the  tent  cloth  is  of  light- 
weight sheeting  or  thin  cotton  duck 
covered  on  the  outside  with  some 
compound  which  will  keep  it  from 
being  affected  by  mildew  or  from 


from  n] 


ROUND   TENT    liOLLED    Ul 


[/'/loU. 


ROUiND  TENT  CLOSED  ABOUT  ITS  TKEE. 

Frcii!  a  Photo. 

rotting.  It  is  sew  witn 
heavy  linen  thread,  and 
fastened  to  the  framework 
as  securely  as  possible  to 
prevent  the  material  from 
being  torn  by  the  high 
winds  which  frequently 
accompany  changes  of 
weather  in  Florida.  The 
tent  is  the  invention  of  Mr. 


54- 


THK    \VIi)E     W  OK  1.1)      MAC.AZlNlv 


AN   ORCHARD   OF    ROUND   TENTS,    SHOWING    SOME   OI'EN    AND   SOME   CLOSED. 

From  a  Photo. 


ALSO   SHOOTS   OF    ROWS   OF    TREES   KILLED    BV    FROST. 


\\".  n.  ^rcFarland,  of 
the  first  protection  of 
Some  of  the  grove- 
and  tents  in  the 
spring  and  replace 
them  at  the  begin- 
ning of  winter  in 
order  to  give  the 
trees  the  benefit  of 
the  light  and  air.  In 
ordinary  weather  the 
roofs  and  sides  of 
the  sheds  are  left 
open,  as  otherwise 
the  fruit  would  not 
mature  rapidly 
enough  and  would 
be  of  a  poor  quality. 
At  all  of  the  towns 
in  the  orange-growing 
centre  are  telegraph 
offices  connected 
with  the  United 
States  Signal  Service 
Bureau  at  Washing- 
ton. If  a  "cold 
wave "  is  predicted 
the  fruit-growers  order 
all  of  their  employes 
into  the  groves  to 
close  the  sheds  and 
draw  the  tents.  These 
coverings  will  keep 
the  air  from  1 5deg.  to 
2odeg.    warmer   than 


ritusville,  Fla.,  who  erected 
this  kind  in  the  State. 

the  sheds 


owners  remove 


without  the  protection  :  but  it  may  be  necessary 
to  use  artificial  heat.  In  the  large  sheds  fires  of 
pine  wood  are  sometimes  made,  but  as  there  is 

danger  of  igniting  the 
"    —  -_,     f^^pj^^^^.Q,.],    from    the 

sparks    "salaman- 
ders "  are   preferred. 
These   are  merely 
of    cost- 
overlap 
and    in 
or  wood 


large 


rmgs 


TENT  OPEN  ON  THE  SUNNY  AND  CLOSED  ON  THF.  NORTH,  OR  COLD,  SIDE. 

From  a  Photo. 


H'on  which 
each  other 
which  coke 
can  be  burned.  They 
distribute  the  heat 
much  more  than  an 
ordinary  stove  and 
confine  the  sparks. 
Stoves  are  also  used 
in  various  forms 
according  to  the  size 
of  the  shed,  and  the 
heat  is  conveyed  by 
means  of  long 
stretches  of  sheet-' 
iron  pipe  through  the 
rows  of  trees.  In  the 
tents  hand-lamps  are 
placed.  A  lamp  con- 
taining a  pint  of  oil 
will  burn  eighteen 
hours  and  furnish 
enough  heat  properly 
to  warm  the  air 
around  a  loft.  orange 
tree. 


ON  THE  WAR  PATH 


Bv   C.   Ross-JoHNsox,  Late   Actix(; 
I'RivATE  Secretary  to  the  Gover- 
nor OF  British  New  Guinea. 

An  admirable  idea  of  a  punitive  expe- 
dition in  New  Guinea  is  afforded  by 
this  narrative.  Incidentally  it  shows 
the  hardships  and  dangers  which  the 
rulers  of  some  of  our  wilder  possessions 
have  to  undergo  in  the  execution  of 
their  duty.  Think  of  the  ruler  of  a 
Colony  being  obliged  to  pursue  a  horde 
of  poisoned  arrow-shooting  savages  into 
"fevery"  mango  swamps,  and  of  his 
being  half-starved  and  waterless  at  that  ! 

X  board  the  l>riti.sh  New 
(kiinea  .steam  yacht  Merrie 
Englixnd  four  or  five  men 
lounged  in  dock  -  chains 
for'ard  and  talked.  Sitting 
or  standing  in  the  stern  of  the  little 
200-ton  vessel  some  five-and-twenty 
men  of  the  native  armed  constabulary 
were  cleaning  their  carbines  or  repair- 
ing their  uniforms.  As  they  worked 
some  jabbered  inces.santly,  while  the 
recruits  listened  enviously  and  with 
becoming  respect  to  the  talk  of  the 
veterans.  'J'here  was  a  look  of  happy  ex- 
pectancy on  every  face,  for  the  men  were 
"  spoiling  "  for  a  fight,  and  a  really  good  one 
was  now  imminent. 

Every  two  years  the  powerful  Tugeri  tribe  left 
their  haunts  in  Dutch  New  Guinea,  and  in  their 
long  war-canoes  carried  fire  and  desolation 
through  British  territory.  Every  two  years, 
some  800  strong,  they  came,  and  with  villages 
burning  and  gardens  destroyed,  the  border 
tribes  (British  subjects)  fled,  with  gradually 
decreasing  numbers,  into  the  interior.  Much 
trouble  had  the  marauders  caused,  and  both 
La  Hague  and  Downing  Street  had  heard  of 
them,  and  many  lengthy  despatches  dealing  with 
these  brown  and  naked  savages  had  passed 
between  grave  Ambassadors  and  Foreign  Secre- 
taries in  the  Old  World. 

On  three  several  occasions  had  the  British 
Governor  gone  west,  making  diligent  search  for 
his  evasive  friends,  and  prepared  to  give  them 
a  warm  reception  should  he  meet  them.  But 
though  they  left  many  tokens  behind,  in  the 
shape  of  smouldering  villages  and  mangled 
bodies,  no  sign  of  the  visitors  themselves  could 


^^,^-yfc 


ever    be    found.      J  Ins   year 
(1896)    they   were   e.Kpected 
again,   and    once    more    the 
Merrie  E/!<:;/aiid  was  steam- 
ing west  to  seek  them. 
On   one   of   the  deck-chairs   for'ard  a  small, 
bearded  man   was   expressing  his  views  on   the 
matter,    with    a  variety   of   e[)ithet    that    would 
have  done  credit  to  an  Australian  bullock-driver. 
This  was    Darrel,   commandant  of   the  armed 
constabulary,   and   one    time    sub-lieutenant   in 
Her  Majesty's  Navy.     Opposite  him  sat  Kauf- 
mann,    the  Ciovernment    naturalist.      A\"ith    his 
feet    on    the    covering    board    lounged    Boyce, 
second  officer  of  the  Merrie  England :  but  as 
the   ship's   company   took  no  part  in   any  such 
work    he   merely    listened    in    silence,    with   an 
occasional  corroborative  curse. 

"At  Daru,"  said  I,  as  I  borrowed  a  match 
from  Kaufmann,  "  we  fellows  all  leave  the  ship 
and,  while  you  go  south  for  mails,  we  will  pro- 
ceed towards  the  boundary  in  the  Riihy  and  two 
whaleboats.  And  may  the  Lord  smile  on  our 
undertaking,"  I  added,  piously. 

Boyce  grunted.  "  The  Ruby  was  thoroughly 
overhauled  last  trip  and  her  engines  put  to 
rights.  She  could  do  ten  knots  now,  ever, 
loaded,  and  with  the  whalers  in  tow.  But  there's 
the  lunch  bell.  Come  along.  Only  two  more 
civilized  feeds  for  you  men." 


^44 


IHE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


THE    ALTHOK, 


The  next  morning  at  eleven  we  anchored  off 
the  small  Island  of  Daru,  which  is  one  of  the 
three  ports  of  entry  and  the  head-quarters  of 
the  resident  magistrate  for  the  Western  Division. 
Dudley,  the  magistrate,  was  aboard  before  the 
anchor  was  down,  and  not  looking  particularly 
fit.  His  district  is  indeed  a  God-forsaken  place 
— the  shores  lined  with  dense  mangrove  swamps 
and  not  a  hill  to  break  the 
awful  monotony.  Half-a- 
dozen  scattered  traders  and 
a  missionary  are  the  only 
white  population  ;  a  few 
Japanese  pearlers  do  occa- 
sionally put  in  at  Daru. 

A  couple  of  canoes  had 
come  in  only  the  day  before 
from  farth'-  r  west  with  vague 
rumours  of  the  Tugeri  being 
well  across  the  boundary 
and  up  to  their  usual  games. 
The  news  spread  like  wild- 
fire, and  the  enthusiastic 
police  worked  like  Britons 
getting  stores  out  of  the 
sliip.  Built  on  piles  on  some 
slightly-sloping  ground  was 
Dudley's  house  —  two  large 
rooms,  with  bamboo  walls 
and  a  thatched  roof.  The 
<loor  was  of  bamboo  covered 
vith  mats,  and  a  veranda  ran  all  round.  There 
.ve  camped — the  Governor,  Darrel,  Kaufmann, 
Dudley,  and  myself — some  inside  and  some 
with  our  hammocks  swung  on  the  veranda-posts. 

The  second  engineer  of  the  Alerrie  E?i^ia?id 
had  been  left  with  us  to  work  the  Ruby  ;  and  a 
couple  of  natives  acted  as  stokers.  Ancliored 
a  stone's  throw  off  the  muddy  beach  lay  the 
Ruby,  45ft.  by  7ft.  beam,  with  a  thin  galvanized 
iron  roof;  and  up  to  this  her  sides  were  con- 
tinued in  planks  to  protect  her  from  shipping 
heavy  seas  or  hostile  arrows — poisoned  and 
cunningly  fashioned  to  break  in  the  body,  and 
cause  the  victim  a  lingering  and  unpleasant 
death. 

^^'e  stayed  only  two  days  at  Daru,  and  during 
that  time  were  busy  loading  the  launch  with 
coal  and  stores.  When  provisions  for  thirty 
men  for  a  month  were  put  on  board,  together 
with  boxes  of  "  trade,"  ammunition,  and  our 
"swags,"  both  the  launch  herself  and  the  two 
boats  she  would  tow  were  pretty  full. 

Early  the  following  Saturday  we  started,  and, 
steaming  past  the  flat,  swampy,  mangrove- 
covered  shores,  proceeded  west  at  a  steady 
eight  or  nine  knots.  Most  of  the  police  were 
distributed  in  the  two  whaleboats,  with  one  of 
us  white  men  in  each.    At  noon  rice  was  cooked 


SON.     I.AIE    ACTING 


I'KIVATE   SECRETAKV    TO   THE   GOVERNOR   OF 

From  a]         British  new  guinea.  [Photo. 

Fall;  Studios,  Sydney,  N.S.  IV. 


and  tea  made  on  board  the  launch  ;  and  while 
the  men  hauled  on  the  long  tow-ropes  to 
i)ring  the  boats  alongside,  the  billies  of  tea  were 
passed  over  without  necessitating  any  stoppage 
or  delay.  This,  with  biscuits  and  tinned  meat, 
formed  our  lunch. 

It  was  nearly  sunset  when  we  arrived  at  the 
small  Island  of  Saibai.  A  dark-blue  sea  caressed 
the  curve  of  dazzling  white 
beach,  backed  by  a  belt  of 
graceful  palms,  under  which 
our  flies  were  pitched.  Soon 
the  cook-boys  were  peering 
anxiously  into  their  pots  and 
pans  ;  police  were  hurrying 
about  with  an  air  of  vast 
importance  or  condescend- 
ingly explaining  the  motive 
of  their  visit  to  admiring 
groups  of  local  natives ;  and 
lastly,  seated  on  a  camp-stool 
in  front  of  his  tent,  was  the 
C Governor,  interviewing  some 
half-dozen  of  the  "  elders," 
who,  in  clean  calico  clothes, 
came  to  pay  their  respects. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  we 
spent  at  Saibai.  During  the 
day  the  Juanifa,  a  Govern- 
ment cutter,  stationed  at 
Daru,  arrived  with  a  supply 
of  coal  for  the  launch.  On  Monday  we  left  for 
Boigu,  another  small  island,  which  we  reached 
about  noon.  Here  we  stayed  the  rest  of  the 
day.  The  people  are  quite  quiet,  and  unfor- 
tunately are  modernized  enough  to  dress  in 
(what  they  fondly  imagine  to  be)  civilized 
clothes.  Pkit  one  infinitely  prefers  the  grass 
petticoats  to  the  filthy  calico  wrappers  of  the 
women,  with  their  multi-coloured  patches. 

The  people  were  in  a  state  of  wild  alarm,  for 
the  Tugeri  were  near,  and  dense  columns  of 
smoke  could  be  seen  from  the  mainland. 
Several  natives  from  inland  tribes  had  fled  their 
districts  and  taken  refuge  on  the  island.  Our 
advent  was,  therefore,  looked  upon  as  a  special 
dispensation  of  a  Divine  Providence,  and  the 
local  missionary  teacher  gained  much  kudos  for 
the  power  and  efficacy  of  his  prayers.  On 
Tuesday  we  left  again,  and  now  all  hands  knew 
that  this  day  would  decide  our  luck  ^whether 
we  would  meet  and  engage  our  predatory 
visitors  or  whether  they  would  once  more  give 
us  the  slip.  Rifles  were  given  a  last  rub  and 
ammunition-boxes  put  handy  to  serve  out  extra 
cartridges. 

The  small  uninhabited  Island  of  Marukara 
was  now  ahead  of  us,  and  opposite  to  it  on  the 
mainland  was  the  mouth  of  the  Wassi  Kussa 


ON    THE    WARl'AI'H    IN'    I'Al'L'A. 


545 


River.  A  cry  from  the  launch,  and  we  all 
peered  anxiously  ahead.  The  look-out  on  the 
roof  was  executing  sl  pas-seut. 

"  Tugeri,  Tugeri  !  "  he  yelled,  and  shook  his 
carbine  defiantly.  A  few  minutes  more  and 
they  became  visible  to  us.  Across  the  channel, 
from   island   to   river   mouth,  stretched  a    thin. 


THE   I.OOK-OUT  UN'    THE    ROOF    WAS    EXECUTING   A    '  fAS-SEUL  ' — 
'tLT.ERI,    tugeri!'    he    VELI.ICl),    AND   SHOOK    HIS   CARBINE   DEPIANTLV. 


brown  line.  The  Governor  \vas  examining  the 
oncoming  enemy  through  his  glasses. 

"If  they  break  and  scatter,"  he  cried,  "we 
won't  be  able  to  do  tliem  much  damage.  Can't 
you  get  something  more  out  of  lier?  "  he  added, 
to  the  engineer. 

Tiiat  worthy  was  surreptitiously  filling  his 
Winchester  repeater,  but  he  hastily  put  it  down. 

"I  will  do  my  best,  sir";  then  in  an  under- 
tone to  his  black  and  grinning  stoker  :  "  Shovel 
'em  in,  Kapari."  Our  dauntless  engineer  next 
fastened  down  the  safety-valve  with  a  piece  of 
cord  and  "  stood  by  "  with  a  knife,  "  in  case," 
as  he  afterwards  explained,  "  he  had  time." 
\\'hat  he  meant  of  course  was  that  he  didn't 
mean  to  be  out  of  the  fun. 

'Inhere  were  signs  of  hesitation  among  the 
canoes  now.     Some  half-dozen  rigged  their  mat 

Vol.  vi.— 63. 


sails  and  sped  west,  urged  on  by  stalwart  arms. 
Of  these  we  took  no  heed,  and  they  were  the 
only  ones  that  escaped.  Most  of  the  remainder 
suddenly  paddled  up  the  Wassi  Kussa,  which 
just  suited  us,  as  we  could  easily  guard  the 
mouth  till  the  others  were  disposed  of  The 
other  canoes,  six  or  seven  in  number,  seeing 
that  tile  launch  was  now  head- 
ing to  cut  them  off,  paddled 
west.  Ihit  they  had  hesitated 
too  long.  Darrel,  with  eight 
men  in  his  boat,  was  cast  off, 
and  pulled  toward  the  island, 
while  the  launch  made  a 
detour  to  intercept  the  canoes. 
Seeing  that  we  were  now 
between  them  and  the  main- 
land, and  rapidly  getting  in 
front,  they  turned  to  the  left 
and  made  for  the  island. 

The    launch     turned,    too, 

and    then    an   exciting  chase 

began.      We    wanted    to   get 

w^ithin    an    effective    range — 

2ooyds.    (the   police   are    not 

crack    shots)  —  before     the 

savages  could  land  and  take 

shelter  on   the   island.      I'he 

narrow    canoes    sped    on,    their 

crews   of    nine  or    ten  desperate   men, 

half  doubled    up,    straining    fiercely  at 

the    paddles,   and    their  sinewy    bodies 

glistening     like     copper.       Some    way 

behind   came   Barrel's    boat,    the    i6ft. 

oars  flashing  in  the  sun,   as,    with  clenched 

teeth,   the    police    threw  themselves    back 

in  their  seats. 

The  canoes  were  now  about  looyds. 
from  the  shore,  and  we  in  the  launch  twice 
that  distance  from  them,  when  we  opened 
fire.  It  was  not  easy  firing  from  a  rocking 
boat  at  those  gliding  marks,  and  no  one 
ai)peared  to  make  a  hit  the  first  round.  So 
sudden  had  been  our  attack  for  tliey  fancied 
themselves  out  of  range  and  so  near  their  goal 
— that  but  few  of  them  left  the  paddle  for  the 
bow  and  arrow.  As  we  decreased  the  distance, 
however,  our  shots  began  to  tell,  and  now 
hoarse  cries  came  from  Darrel's  boat.  His 
men,  fairly  thirsting  for  a  fight,  and  fuming  at 
being  out  of  it,  redoubled  their  energies. 

In  grim  silence  the  Tugeri  paddled  on,  until 
when  only  a  few  yards  awaj'  from  the  bank  tliey 
suddenly  plunged  into  the  water  and  sought 
shelter  in  the  dense  mangrove-covered  island. 
Not  a  minute  later  Barrel's  crew  drove  their 
boat  some  feet  up  the  shore,  and,  snatching  up 
their  riffes,  dashed,  knee-deep  through  the  mud, 
after  their  flying  foe. 


546 


'j'HK  wiDi'.  WORM)  .\rA(;Azii\r:. 


Now  an  unfortunate  niisha[)  occurred.  The 
other  whaler  had  also  been  sent  ashore  with  the 
remainder  of  the  police,  and  only  the  Ciovernor 
and  myself  remained  on  board  with  the  engineer. 
In  the  momentary  confusion  of  sending  t'nem 
off  the  launch  ran  aground  some  twenty  yards 
from  the  shore,  and  no  amount  of  "  Full  speed 
astern ""  or  lurid  language  could  move  her. 

Just  now,  too,  with  our  glasses  we  could  see 
some  canoes  stealing  cautiously  out  of  the  river 
on  the  mainland.  The  recall  signal  was  im- 
mediately sounded,  and  the  men  came  trooping 
back,  rather  disappointed  at  not  having  come  to 
close  quarters  with  the  fugitives.  Our  united 
efforts  succeeded  in  getting  the  steamer  off;  the 
canoes  were  hastily  turned  adrift,  and  the  launch 
steamed  rapidly  across  the  channel.  Seeing 
themselves  discovered,  the  Tugeri  put  back  and 
paddled  up  the  river  again.  It  was  nearly  sunset 
now,  and  preparations  were  made  for  the  even- 
ing watch.  A  scratch  meal  was  cooked  on 
the  launch  and  served  out,  while  all  hands  had 
a  rest  and  a  smoke.  The  steamer  anchored  with 
banked  fires  at  the  western  end  of  the  channel, 
and  near  the  i.sland  Darrel  in  his  boat  pulled 
down  to  the  ^^■a.ssi  Kussa  and  anchored  off  the 
mouth.  Kaufmann  and  I,  in  the  other  whaler, 
did  the  same  thing  by  another  creek,  into  which 
we  imagined  a  few  canoes  had  run. 

The  Jiianita  had  meanwhile  come  u[),  and 
she  now  cruised  slowly  about  the  channel. 
Every  half-hour  we  fired  a  shot  up  the  creek 
just  to  encourage  our  friends,  and  heard  the 
answering  shot  from  Darrtl.  We  could  see  the 
lights  of  ihii  Jnaiii fa  and  hear  her  sails  flap  and 
her  blocks  rattle  as  she  went  about.  The  men 
sprawled  dozing  about  the  boat,  taking  it  in 
turns  to  watch.  Kaufmann  and  I  sat  huddled 
up  in  the  stern-sheets,  with  an  oilskin  over  us, 
for  the  dew  was  heavy,  and  the  white  mists  that 
hung  brooding  over  the  mangrove  swamps 
boded  ill  for  the  morrow's  fever.  The  day  had 
been  hot,  and  with  no  lunch  and  but  a  scrappy 
"  dinner  "  we  were  all  fagged. 

So  the  night  dragged  slowly  by,  and  the  chill, 
grey  dawn  was  hailed  with  relief.  We  partook 
of  a  hasty  breakfast  again,  and  while  the  launch 
guarded  the  channel,  the  boats  pulled  round 
the  island  and  destroyed  the  canoes  we  had 
previously  let  loose.  Lunch  consisted  of  some 
biscuits  and  tinned  meat  again.  To  add  to 
our  troubles  our  water  was  found  to  be  almost 
undrinkable.  The  keg  had  been  used  for  beer 
before,  and  had  not  been  properly  cleaned  ;  and 
whether  the  water  had  actually  gone  bad  or  not 
we  did  not  know,  but  it  smelt  and  tasted  so 
vile  that  to  moisten  our  lips  with  it  v/as  all 
we  could  do,  even  after  boiling  tea  and  sugar 
in  it. 


Having  sal  for  thirty  hours  on  the  hard  seats 
of  the  boats,  with  no  rest*  at  night  and  but 
scanty  food  and  bad  water,  we  did  not  feel  very 
fresh,  but  the  men  livened  up  wonderfully 
when,  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  launch  towed 
us  u[)  the  Wassi  Kussa  to  find  the  main 
flotilla. 

.\  mile  farther  up  the  river  we  came  across 
theiu  in  camp.  The  bank  was  fairly  high,  and 
in  front  were  lashed  their  canoes  eight  or  ten 
deep.  A  thick  belt  of  mangrove  extended  back 
some  thirty  or  forty  yards,  and  behind  lay  flat, 
open  country,  with  numerous  marshes  and  grass 
as  high  as  a  man's  shoulder,  in  which  any 
number  of  savages  might  lurk.  The  setting  sun 
shone  fiercely  in  our  eyes  and  accurate  shooting 
was  impossible,  so  the  Governor  hesitated  to 
land  till  we  had  first  given  them  a  taste  of 
l)0wder. 

Our  arrival  was  greeted  with  a  banging  of 
drums  and  great  blowing  of  conch-shells.  Up 
and  down  steamed  the  launch,  while  we  took 
"  pots  '"'  at  the  flickering  brown  shadows  behind 
the  trees.  They  kept  up  a  low,  wailing  noise, 
which  .sounded  just  like  a  peevish  cry  of 
"Why  do  you  do  this?  Why  do  you  do 
this?"  of  some  fretful  invalid.  The  launch 
answered  with  occasional  shrieks  of  her  whistle, 
and  the  great  stretch  of  desolate-looking  country 
and  the  lonely  reaches  of  the  river  resounded 
with  the  continuous  crack  of  our  rifles  ;  while 
through  all,  like  the  drone  of  the  bagpipes,  ran 
the  weird  Papuan  cry  and  the  monotonous  call 
of  the  shells.  The  police  loaded  and  blazed 
away  as  fast  as  they  could.  When  a  Snider  has 
been  fired  in  your  ear  a  few  times  you  become 
deaf  to  minor  noises.  So  rapid  and  heavy  was 
our  fire  that  they  hardly  dared  show  themselves 
to  discharge  their  arrows.  The  sun  sank  behind 
the  trees  and  the  (Governor,  in  the  rearmost 
boat,  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  Cease  firing,"  he  cried.  "  Stop  the  launch 
— stop  her,"  he  roared,  for,  seized  with  the  lust 
of  battle,  Mackenzie  had  forsaken  his  engines, 
and  leaning  right  out  was  doing  his  share  with 
a  Winchester.  "  Stop  her,  Mackenzie,"  we  all 
yelled  in  chorus,  and  he  hastily  vanished,  ^^'e 
stopped  opposite  the  camp,  and  the  boats  and 
launch  came  together,  the  men  holding  on  to 
the  gunwales.  The  launch  blew  off  steam,  and 
as  it  roared  through  the  valves  it  evoked  a 
further  burst  from  concealed  drummers  in  the 
mangrove  belt. 

Suddenly  from  out  of  cover  sprang  a  man — 
their  war  chief  we  afterwards  learnt.  He  was 
tall,  splendidly  proportioned,  and  a  very  light 
brown  in  colour.  With  not  a  stitch  on  him,  he 
looked  a  superb  specimen  of  untamed  humanity. 
He   raised   his  spear  with  a  defiant  shout,  but 


ON    THE 


before    he    could    laiiiK  h 


-no  man 


It    two  I.cc  AFctlu 
cracked  simultaneously,  and  he  dropped. 

"  We    will    rush    this    place    now,"    said    the 
Governor,   standing   in   the   stern-sheets    of  his 
boat.   "  Call  for  volunteers,  Mr.  Barrel 
need  come  unless  he  likes."' 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  said  Darrel.  and  lie  raised 
his  voice.  "  What  man  come  ashore  and  fight 
along  with  me  ?  Suppose 
he  no  want,  he  no  come. 
Me  no  want  frightened 
men.''  But  his  voice 
was  drowned  in  a  roar 
from  the  boats. 

"  Policemen  no  fright- 
ened." "My  God,  ^ne 
come,  master,"  and  the 
men  tore  off  their  jum- 
pers, sitting  bare  to  the 
waist.  In  the  bows  of 
the  launch  were  congre- 
gated the  four  little  cook- 
boys  in  a  state  of  wild 
excitement,  and  beating 
on  billi-cans  with  spoons. 
My  boy  Gololo  caught 
my  eye. 

"  Master,"  he  shrieked, 
"Taubada  master,"  and 
he  flourished  a  scrub- 
knife  as  long  as  his  leg. 
"  Me  want  to  come. 
Look — me  got  gun,"  and 
the  young  imj)  waved  my 
private  shot-gun,  which 
he  had  calmly  appro- 
priated. 

"  No,"  I  roared.  '•  Confound 
you  ;  put  my  gun  away.  Go  and 
clean  the  plates.  You  only  picka- 
ninny." 

The  police  grinned,  and  Gololo 
contented  himself  with  yapping  like 
an  excited  puppy. 

The  launch  towed  us  some  wav  up  stream, 
and  then,  turning  slowly,  stopped,  ^\"e  were  to 
steam  down  full  speed,  and  when  nearly  opposite 
the  camp  the  boats  would  cast  off  the  tow-ropes 
and  crash  of  their  own  impetus  into  the  bank. 
The  storming  party  in  the  two  boats  consisted 
of  twenty-five  police  and  four  white  men, 
including  the  Governor. 

There  was  a  moment's  anxious  pause  as  we 
hung  in  midstream.  The  Governor  rose.  "  All 
ready?  "and  he  looked  round  the  boats.  The 
men  grinned  expectantly  and  clutched  their 
rifles.     "Go  ahead,"  he  shouted. 

The  screw  churned  in  milk-white  foam  ;  the 
ro{)es  tautened,  and  with  a  jerk  the  boats  glided 


WAkl'AI'Il 

ids 


IN    PAl'LA. 


547 


I'^nvard.  Jl.ui.  whistling  ishrilly,  the  launch 
gathered  way  and  sped  down  stream.  Louder 
grew  the  beat  of  the  drums,  and  the  shells 
seemed  to  sound  right  over  our  heads.  "  Now  !  " 
roared  someone.  The  ropes  were  cast  off.  One 
could  hear  the  swirl  of  the  waters  behind  as  the 
rudders  came  hard  over.  There  was  a  bump-- 
aiid    the    men     were    scrambling    out    of     the 

boat.  Corporal  Puari,  just 
ahead  of  me,  suddenly 
swerved  aside,  and  a 
spear  whisded  past  where 
he  would  have  been.  A 
bow  twanged,  and  a 
bone-headed  arrow  stuck 
(luivering  in  the  ground 
at  our  feet. 

"  Ah  !  There  !  "  .said 
Corporal  Puari,  and  his 
rifle  flashed.  liut  we 
were  at  the  top  of  the 
bank  now,  and  it  was  all 
over. 

It  was  slow  work  get- 
ting through  that  man- 
grove belt ;  the  trees  were 
raised  some  feet  off  the 
ground  by  their  long, 
sinuous  roots.  The  [lolice 
were  about  to  dash 
through  the  open  country 
beyond,  but  were  imme- 
diately recalled.  Hun- 
dreds of  desperate 
.savages  might  hide  in 
that  long  grass,  and 
twenty  to  one  at  close 
quarters  is  awkward.  Four 
or  five  fires  were  smoul- 
dering, and  the  half- 
cooked  taro  lying  about 

•'BEFORE    HE    COUI  D    LAUNCH    HIS   SPEAU    TWO   shOWcd   that  thcy  Iiad  jUSt 
I.EE-METFORDS    CRACKED.    AND    HE    DROll'EU.'     r-      •     i         i  u  i 

finished  or  begun  a  meal 
when  attacked. 
Our    last    rush    had    completely   demoralized 
them,  and,  panic-stricken,  they  had  fled,  leaving 
e\erything  behind.       Hundreds  of  arrows  were 
lying  about,  as  well  as   clubs,  bows,  and  man- 
catchers  (made   of  cane,  with  a  loop  similar  to 
those  used  by  the  Arab  slavers  in  Africa).     One 
club  we  noticed  was  a  stick  put  through  an  iron 
ring  —  evidently    the   ring-bolt    of   some   small 
trading    boat   they    had    captured   and    looted. 
There  was  a  glass  bottle  too,  with  a  Dutch  beer- 
label  on  ;  and  we  afterwards  heard  that,  prior  to 
this    little    trip,    they    had    murdered    a    Dutch 
magistrate  in  Dutch  territory. 

katifmann  and  I    bent  o\er  the  body  of  the 
late  chief,  lying  in  a  position  of  easy  grace  that 


54« 


I'll  I.    WlDl',    WORM*     MAuA/lNi:. 


OUR    LAST    RUSH    HAD   COM  I'l.F.TELV    DEMOHALIZED    THEM,    ANU   THEY    HAD    FLED. 


looked  more  like  sleep  than  death.  But  there 
was  still  much  to  be  done.  It  \vas  getting 
dark,  and  the  canoes  had  all  to  be  towed 
to  the  other  side,  for  we  dare  not  leave  them 
here  and  risk  the  Tugeri  sneaking  back  at  night 
and  making  off  in  them.  There  were  fifty-two 
canoes,  and  a  hard  job  the  men  had.  They 
were  hollowed  from  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree, 
and  were  from  50ft.  to  60ft.  long.  Reckoning 
at  least  ten  men  in  a  canoe,  there  must  have 
been  from  500  to  600  Papuans  in  the  camp. 

It  was  past  eight  before  we  got  them  all  oxer 
and  had  our  flies  pitched  on  the  opposite  bank. 
The  so-called  river  was  but  a  tidal  estuary,  so  we 
were  still  badly  off  for  water,  and  it  was  too  late 
to  seek  any.  'i'he  next  morning  early  we  started 
off  in  the  Ruby  to  look  for  the  few  canoes 
that  had  escaped  the  first  day.  ^Ve  steamed 
rapidly,  skirting  the  shore,  and  Vvith  our 
glas.ses  carefully  scrutinized  the  dreary,  deserted 
coast.  But  no  sign  of  Tugeri  or  canoe  could 
we  see.  We  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Wassi  Kussa  again  at  dusk,  and  spent  a  very  un- 
comfortable night  on  board.  We  were  now  in 
a  deplorable  condition.  We  had  not  had  our 
clothes  off  for  three  days.  During  that  time 
what  water  we  had  had  was  rotten  and  undrink- 
able.     The  launch  was  full  of  bags  of  coal,  over 


which  we  were  constantly 
climbing,  and  now  we 
were  fairly  caked  with 
grease  and  coal-dust.  Sea 
water  would  not  remove 
it  and  the  particles  of 
salt  merely  stuck  to  us. 

The  following  day 
(Friday)  we  went  some 
miles  up  the  river  and 
saw  two  or  three  deserted 
Tugeri  camps  made  of 
ti-tree  bark.  We  sank 
some  holes  that  day,  and, 
thank  Heaven  !  got  some 
fresh  water.  What  mat- 
tered it  that  it  was  milk- 
white  and  left  a  white 
clay  sediment  in  the 
bottom  of  your  panni- 
kin ?  I  have  drunk 
many  liquids,  from  the 
Kochbrunen  of  Wies- 
baden to  the  toddy  of 
Madras,  but  appreciated 
none  like  that  which  we 
scooped  gingerly  out  of 
a  hole  on  the  banks  of 
the  Wassi  Kussa  River, 
in  British  New  Guinea. 
But  my  tale  is  told.  On  Saturday  we  towed 
the  canoes  to  Boigu,  and  were  received  with 
open  arms  by  the  whole  people. 

The  police,  of  course,  were  the  heroes  of  the 
hour  ;  while  even  the  cook-boys  shone  in  re- 
flected glory,  and  insinuated  darkly  that  they 
had  had  much  to  do  with  the  mysterious 
workings  of  the  "  fire-boat."  As  for  the  fate  of 
the  main  body  of  the  Tugeri,  it  is  doubtful  if  a 
third  of  them  ever  saw  home  again.  Utterly 
demoralized,  they  fled,  leaving  behind  every- 
thing—  food,  arms,  and  even  their  very  trinkets 
and  charms  (including  the  mummified  head 
of  a  woman). 

The  seat  of  war  was  200  miles  from  their 
haunts  ;  and  through  this  swampy  and  barren 
country  they  would  have  to  travel,  every  step  of 
their  way  harassed  by  the  inland  tribes,  whom 
they  had  repeatedly  outraged  and  by  whom 
they  were  both  feared  and  hated.  These 
tribes,  finding  their  hereditary  foes  beaten  and 
dispersed,  would  assuredly  waylay  and  kill  many 
more  than  we  had  killed.  Moreover,  the  loss 
of  their  canoes  was  the  most  serious  blow  that 
could  have  befallen  them,  for  with  their  primi- 
tive stone  implements  it  would  take  them  years 
to  make  such  another  fleet  as  the  one  we  had 
captured. 


My   Travels  in   Central  Asia.     1 1. 

By   Captain-    H.    H.    P.    Dkasy,    i,ate    i6th    (Queen's    Lancers. 

GOLD    MEDALIST  OF    THE    ROYAL  GEOGRAPHICAL    SOCIETY 

We  have  much  pleasure  in  presenting  the  second  of  Captain  Deasy's  articles,  illustrated  with  his  own 
remarkable  photographs,  which  he  has  been  induced  to  write  for  "  The  Wide  World."  Of  Captain 
Deasy's  distinction  as  an  explorer  there  is  no  need  to  speak.  He  has  secured  the  Blue  Riband  of 
the  traveller— the  Gold  Medal  of  the  R.G.S.  On  one  occasion  to  .cover  twelve  miles  he  had  to  make 
a  detour  of  ten  and  a  half  marches  and  cross  five  passes,  one  of  them  17,000ft.  high. 

We  pitched  our  camp  close  to  a  small  hole 
from  which  the  only  drinking-water  was  ladled  up. 
This  was  hardly  accomplished  ere  a  petty  official 
came  to  Rarazan,  our  caravan  das/ii,  to  make 
inquiries  about  us.  Now,  Ramzan,  like  most 
Arguns,  being  an  adept  at  lies,  glibly  asserted 
that  Pike  was  a  merchant,  and  that  I  was  a 
medicine  man  ready  to  give  my  services  to  any 
in  need  of  them.  To  this  they  promptly  replied 
that  they  had  their  own  medicine  man,  and 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  me. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  some  of  the 
Tibetans  manifested  great  curiosity  about  our 
belongings,  wanting  to  touch  everything  they 
saw.  Luckily  for  me,  Pike  was  their  favourite, 
for  I  was  anxious  to  compute  some  observations 
undisturbed.  One  or  two  were  inclined  to  he 
friendly,  and  a  woman  with  one  of  her  husbands, 
accompanied  by  Ramzan  as  interpreter,  brought 
us  a  present  of  rice  and  ghee.  They  were  much 
surprised  that  our  party  was  so  small,  for  the 
report  had  gone  abroad  that  we  had  a  force  of 
twelve  officers  and  2,000  men,  with  which  we 
were  going  to  march  on  Lhasa  !  Orders  had 
been   issued   to  report  on  our  movements   and 


CAPTAIN     DEASY     IN    TIBETAN    TRAVELLING    COSTUME.      (iT 
IS    INTERESTING   TO   CCMHARE   THIS   PORTRAIT    WITH   THOSE 

From  a]  reproduced  last  month.)  \Photo. 

X  following  the  right  bank  of  the 
River  Damtang  Lungpa  we  came 
upon  some  abandoned  gold-dig- 
gings, but  it  was  evident,  from 
^  their  appearance  and  the  pre- 
sence of  hares  in  large  numbers,  that  years 
must  have  elapsed  since  they  were  worked. 
One  morning  a  solitary  Tibetan  was  seen 
approaching  our  camp.  On  being  interro- 
gated he  stated  that  he  was  searching  for 
a  pony  which  had  strayed,  but  this  was 
obviously  a  lie.  The  nomads  whom  we  met 
had  no  doubt  reported  our  movements,  and 
this  man  had  probably  been  sent  to  recon- 
noitre. After  a  well-feigned  reluctance  he. 
agreed  to  guide  us  to  within  sight  of  the 
tents  at  Gerge,  which  he  did.  and  then 
suddenlv  vanished. 


I'AVI.NG    FOK 


lNF0i;.\L\TIO.V    AND    NEGOTIATLSG  « 

From  a  Photo. 


IH    THE   TIBETAN.S. 


0  3' 


THE    Winn    WORLD    MA(;azixe. 


for  all  the  known  routes  to  be  constantly 
searclied.  Though  Ramzan  denied  all  this,  sus- 
picion still  increased,  till  one  of  the  caravan  men 
informed  a  Tibetan,  in  strict  confidence,  that 
the  remainder  of  the  force  was  packed  away  in 
the  yak  dans  and  boxes.  This  admirable  reply 
was  implicitly  believed,  and  caused  our  visitors 
to  regard  us  in  future  with  respect  and  awe  ! 

Early  next  morning  a  servant  from  the  head- 
man came  to  make  inquiries  about  us,  but  we 
refused  to  answer  his  questions,  saying  that  if 
the  headman  wanted  information  he  could  come 
and  see  us  himself.  Accordingly,  when  the 
Pombo  arrived  from  some  outlying  place  he 
sent  word  that,  as  it  was  not  his  custom  to 
transact  business  in  the  evening,  he  would  visit 
us  early  next  day.  As  he  did  not  put  in  an 
appearance  till  the  after- 
noon we  kept  him  waiting, 
affirming  that  we  never 
treated  of  important  affairs 
till  alter  our  midday  repast. 

It  was  evident  that  he 
wished  to  magnify  his  own 
importance  and  belittle  us 
in  the  eyes  of  the  natives, 
so  we  allowed  him  to  pon- 
der over  the  situation  for 
two  hours  before  a  large 
crowd  who  would  see  that 
the  strangers  were  not  going 
to  be  dictated  to. 

'i"he  interview  was  not  at 
all  satisfactory  :  he  utterly 
refused  to  help  us  to  travel 


in  an  easterly  direction,  and 
all  we  could  wrest  from  him 
was  the  promise  to  provide 
us  with  food  and  sheep 
during  the  five  or  six  days' 
halt  which  was  said  to  be 
unavoidable  while  he 
awaited  instructions  from 
higher  quarters.  Meanwhile, 
parties  of  mounted  men, 
armed  with  guns  and  swords, 
kept  arriving  and  halting 
close  to  our  camp — a  fact 
which  so  intimidated  our 
men  that  they  coolly  in- 
formed us  we  must  not 
expect  them  to  fight  in  our 
behalf. 

Under  these  circumstances 
it  was  hopeless  to  attempt  to 
penetrate  farther  east ;  so 
we  determined  to  try  and 
reach  Kangri,  and  there  pur- 
chase supplies  and  transport 
to  convey  us  from  Tibet  by  the  shortest  route,  ^^'e 
fully  expected  some  fighting  before  we  should  be 
allowed  to  proceed,  and  were  quite  prepared  for 
it.  The  two  hundred  armed  men  watched  us 
closely  on  their  ponies,  ready  to  interfere  should 
we  go  in  a  forbidden  direction.  The  informa- 
tion we  had  received  proved  false,  and,  as  there 
was  no  route  wheie  we  had  been  led  to  expect 
one,  we  were  forced  to  turn  west,  a  fact  of  which 
the  Tibetans  were  cognizant,  and  this  caused 
them  to  allow  us  to  depart  in  peace,  much  to 
our  surprise.  At  the  very  first  place  we  halted, 
where  there  were  both  grass  and  water,  four 
mounted  men  overtook  us,  and  declared  they 
were  sent  as  guides.  If  they  had  said  "  spies  " 
they  would  have  been  nearer  the  mark. 

Erom  Thurge,  or  Camp  45,   there  is  a  route 


^ 

* 

Wi 

flil^l  ^v* 

t^ 

pp 

^K 

^.|  * 

H| 

i« 

^..^^^^M,Mrik^k,t»m^ 

^m- 

JTi 

I'loin  a  riioto. 


MY    TRAVELS    IX    CENTRAL    ASL\. 


DD' 


gorge    themselves  on    the 


'to 

remains 


leading  to  Thok  Jalung,  where  gold  is  found, 
but  no  one  would  guide  us  there.  We  were 
now  completely  in  the  hands  of  the  Tibetans, 
who  forced  us  to  return  to  Ladak.  We  could 
do  nothing  but  consent,  though  we  stipulated 
that  we  should  be  su[)plied  with  the  requisite 
transport  and  guides.  iNIany  of  the  wretchedly 
thin  mules  and  ponies  were  now  covered  with 
sores  and  required  careful  attention.  As  the 
caravan  men  could  not  be  trusted  to  wash  and 
dress  the  wounds  of  the  poor  creatures  I  looked 
after  them  myself,  freely  irrigating  them  with  a 
solution  of  perchloride  of  mercury. 

When  transport  arrangements  were  complete 
we  left  Thurge  with  an  escort  of  armed  and 
mounted  Tibetans,  who  were  not  at  all  appre- 
ciated. Greater  precautions  had  to  be  taken 
when  observing,  and  "  Leno  "  had  to  be  very 
careful  to  avoid  attracting  attention  while 
sketching.  However,  they  left  us  when  we 
stopped  to  take  observations  near  the  snow- 
capped mountain,  Lari  Phobrang,  on  the  summit 
of  which  is  supposed  to  dwell  the  goddess  Devi. 
Her  abodes  are  invariably  on  the  tops  of  i)ro- 
minent  peaks  and  passes  ;  hence  the  custom  of 
erecting  pillars  of  stone, 
horn.s,  etc.,  in  the  latter 
places.  Passers  -  by  are 
expected  to  make  an  offer- 
ing to  the  goddess,  either 
by  adding  to  the  stones 
which  other  travellers  have 
heaped  together  on  the 
tops  of  passes,  or  by 
depositing  some  scrap  of 
clothing  or  sheep-skin  on 
the  pile.  The  Tibetans, 
by  the  way,  have  a 
peculiar  mode  of  dispos- 
ing of  their  dead:  the 
bodies  are  carried  up  to 
the  top  of  an  adjacent  high 
mountain,  and  there  cut 
up     before      the      ravens        /-/vw./j 


Judging  from  the  general 
appearance  of  the  country, 
and  the  almost  total  ab- 
sence of  avalanches,  we 
surmised  that  but  a  moder- 
ate amount  of  snow  falls 
annually  in  this  region. 
And  owing  to  the  constant 
strong  winds  it  only  rests 
to  any  great  depth  in  the 
low  valleys,  which  are 
mostly  deserted  in  the 
winter  for  higher  ground. 
In  all  probability  the  snow -line  in  Western 
Tibet  is  about  20,000ft. 

By  the  beginning  of  October  the  minimum 
thermometer  fell  to  within  a  few  degrees  of  zero, 
and  shortly  after  sunset  the  ink  in  our  tents 
froze.  One  of  the  peculiarities  of  Tibet  is  the 
very  porous  nature  of  the  soil  in  many  places. 
On  one  occasion  we  saw  distinctly  from  hills 
many  miles  distant  a  large  stream,  which  vanished 
as  we  got  near.  Its  absence  was  explained  by 
the  fact  that  it  only  flows  for  a  few  hours  daily, 
a  phenomenon  we  had  no  time  to  investigate. 
The  porous  nature  of  the  river's  bed  mxide  it 
futile  to  attempt  to  store  water  by  constructing 
a  dam,  for  in  a  short  time  not  a  drop  remained 
above  ground,  so  we  had  to  be  content  witli  the 
muddy  water  which  came  with  a  rush  like  the 
opening  of  a  large  sluice-gate.  Surveying 
was  often  made  more  tedious  by  the  absence 
of  heliographs.  Two  small  folding  mirrors  were 
used  as  make-shifts,  and  by  the  help  of  an 
alpenstock  to  align  the  sun's  rays  on  "  Leno"  or 
me  we  were  able  to  make  our  signals  seen  by 
whoever  was  observing  on  high  ground. 

By  the  time  we  reached   Rundor  the  cold  was 


.WN     1.1....-'.    ..    l.-~'  '--1     '-'1 


111.    Wini:    WuRLD    MAGAZINE. 


•**.. 


i 


THESE   TWO   QfEER    FIGURES    ARE   THE    MHEIAN    GUIUES   blAMJlNU   oUTMUt    IHtIK    lENT. 

From  a  Photo. 


very  severe.  On  the  mornings  of  the  i8th  and 
19th  of  October  the  thermometer  showed  nearly 
3odeg.  of  frost  in  my  tent  when  I  got  up.  In 
such  a  temperature,  as  you  may  imagine, 
but  "little  time  was  spent  over  washing  or 
at  night  in  undressing.  With  the  thermometer 
so  low  as  this  reading  Collie's  portable  mer- 
curial barometer  twice  daily  was  a  trying 
part  of  my  work.  As  the  operation  could 
not  be  done  in  gloves  they  had  to  be  discarded, 
and  my  fingers  often  became  so  numb  that 
I  had  to  stop  till  the  circulation  was  restored. 

Once  I  was  bitten  by  a 
large  and  ugly  dog  which 
had  accompanied  a  couple 
of  men  who  came  to  our 
camp  from  Rundor.  We 
knew  that  it  showed  a 
marked  antipathy  to 
strangers  and  generally  gave 
it  a  wide  berth.  The  cun- 
ning brute  waited  patiently 
till  I  was  busy  collecting 
dung  for  fuel,  without  even 
a  stick  at  hand,  when  he 
deliberately  stalked  me  and 
seized  the  calf  of  my  leg. 
When  he  chose  to  release 
me  I  rushed  for  my  car- 
bine, but  by  the  time  1 
got  it  he  had  retired 
beyond  efitective  range 
and  my  bullets  only  hur- 
ried his  retreat. 

We  had  been  repeatedly 

.„lj       4.L      i  !-■     U  'ii«i    CHEAT    GLACIER 

told    that    no  high  passes        From  a\ 


would  have  to  be  crossed 
by  this  route ;  but  the 
Nabo  La  proved  to  be 
19,000ft.,  nearly  as  high 
as  Snowdon  placed  on  top 
of  Mont  Blanc.  On  the 
east  side  of  this  pass,  the 
approaches  to  which  are 
gradual,  there  is  a  large 
glacier,  projecting  well  into 
the  main  valley.  The  night 
before  crossing  this  pass 
camp  was  pitched  at  about 
I  7,430ft.,  yet  only  one  man 
complained  of  headache, 
and  as  he  hnd  been  gorging 
himself  the  previous  day 
on  the  entrails  of  a  sheep, 
this  latter  fact  had  its  due 
weight  with  me  when  pre- 
scribing for  his  ailment. 

Although  the  ascent  of 
the  Nabo  La  was  easy, 
frequent  halts  w^ere  necessary  to  regain  our 
breath.  The  usual  heap  of  skulls  of  animals 
and  stones  on  the  top  of  the  pass  afforded  me 
a  little  protection  from  the  strong  wind  while 
boiling  thermometers  to  determine  the  height  of 
the  pass.  The  west  side  of  the  broad  valley 
was  almost  destitute  of  grass,  so .  that  the 
wretched  animals  had  to  exist  on  a  few  handfuls 
of  corn.  In  the  centre  of  this  valley,  however, 
grass  and  water  were  found,  and  we  paused  for 
a  day  to  enable  me  to  complete  my  observa- 
tions, which  I  had  just  done  when  an  accident 


NEAR    THE    NAliO    I.A    PASS   (l8,83oFT.)— TAKEN'    AT    AN    ALTITl'DK 

OF    ABOUT    17,60OFT.  [f'/lotO. 


MY    TRAVELS    IN    CENTRAL    ASIA. 


553 


From  a\  MR.  ii:; 

happened  to  the  theodolite.  It  was  blown  over, 
although  large  stones  were  piled  round  the 
stand,  and  so  damaged  that  further  work  with  it 
was  out  of  the  question. 

Niagzu  was  reached  at  last,  and  here  we 
could  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  wood  fires 
instead  of  burning  bootza  and  dung,  which  had 
been  our  only  fuel  since  leaving  Tankse,  five 
months  previously.  Tall  brushwood  and  small 
bushes  rejoiced  our  eyes ;  while  no  words  can 
express  the  delight  with  which  we  stretched 
ourselves  full  length  in  front  of  a  cheery  camp 
fire  on  the  turf,  now  frozen  as  hard  as  a  rock. 

At  Lutkum  we  got  fresh  baggage  animals, 
but  not  before  they  were  needed.  Of  the 
sixty-six  animals  with  which  we  left  Leh  no 
fewer  than  sixty  had  fallen  victims  to  starvation, 
the  excessive  hardships  of  the  journey,  and  to 
the  depredations  of  the  chukpas  or  robbers. 
The  remainder  were  just  able  to  crawl 
along,  and  had  scarcely  strength  to  eat. 
We  had  traversed  nearly  800  miles  of  country, 
and  more  than  half  of  that 
distance  I  had  walked. 
After  paying  off  the  cara\an 
men  at  Leh  I  had  the 
sorrow  of  parting  with  niv 
companion  Pike,  who  had 
resolved  to  spend  the  winter 
in  Ladak  for  the  shoot- 
ing. We  had  still  to  cross 
the  Zogi  la  Pass,  and  here  I 
stumbled  across  a  poor 
Sepoy  frozen  to  death  wIkj 
had  attempted  the  ascent 
on  the  previous  day.  It 
was  evident  he  had  been 
overtaken  by  darkness,  and 
had  lain  down  to  rest  little 
thinking   that  his   last    hour 


\rhfli 


had  come.  His  clothes  were 
mere  rags,  and  it  was  a  wonder 
that  he  had  withstood  the 
rigorous  climate  so  long. 

At  Srinagar  my  unkempt 
appearance  made  some  people 
take  me  for  a  Russian,  but  I 
soon  revealed  my  identity  ; 
and  by  the  time  I  rejoined 
my  regiment  at  Umballa  there 
was  little  trace  of  my  long 
sojourn  in  those  bleak  and 
uninhabited  waste  lands. 

The  love  of  exploration 
grows,  however  ;  and  not 
deterred  by  the  obstacles  placed  in  my  way, 
I  made  other  attempts  to  traverse  unknown 
tracts  of  Tibet  and  to  penetrate  into  the 
interior.  Space,  however,  will  not  allow  me  to 
do  more  than  allude  to  certain  incidents  in  my 
various  journeys.  The  one  I  commenced  in 
1897,  from  Srinagar,  had  for  its  immediate 
object  a  careful  survey  of  the  unknown  part  of 
the  Yarkand  River,  whose  course  no  European 
traveller  had  followed  beyond  Raskam.  As 
usual,  difficulty  was  soon  experienced  with  some 
of  my  caravan.  ]\Iy  headman  Khalik  began  to 
rob  me  freely ;  he  openly  abused  me  to  his 
companions,  so  he  was  handed  over  to  the 
authorities  at  Gilgit,  where  he  was  sentenced 
to  twelve  months'  imprisonment  with  hard 
labour.  Much  as  he  protested  against  this 
sentence,  he  objected  still  more  to  being 
photographed  in  shackles,  an  operation  which 
was  only  accomplished  after  strong  com- 
pulsion and  repeated  threats  on  his  part  to 
murder  me. 


From  a\ 


THE  AKREST  OF  ABDUL  KHALIK,  CAPTAIN   DEASV  h     ■  lAkA 


(To  be  continued.) 


Vol.  vi.-64 


Mow    We  Escaped  from  Kuniasi. 


Bv  E.  BR.\^'CH,  AcTiNc.  Supkrintendknt  ov   the  Gold  Coast  TelegrxVPHs. 

Mr.  Branch  can  hardly  be  accused  of  over-emphasis;  indeed,  it  is  only  by  reading  between  the  lines 
of  this  modest  narrative  of  patient  suffering  and  heroism  that  one  realizes  in  what  a  fearful  plight 
these  Europeans  were,  from  the  Governor  and  his  wife  downwards — surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
hordes  of  the  most   cruel  and    bloodthirsty   savages    in    Africa.      The    illustrations  include   a  portrait 

of  the   author  and  seven  photographs. 


XC^E  again  the  attention  of  tlie 
British  pubh'c  has  been  arrested 
(though  in  a  minor  degree,  owing 
to  the  war  in  another  part  of  the 
"Dark  Continent")   by  the  tale  of 

an    Ashanti   rising.       I    have    before    me   the 

famous  "  B.-P.'s  "  apology  to  his  readers  pre- 
facing his  pamphlet  called  the    "  Downfall  of 

Prempeh,"  in  which  he 

begs    his    readers    to 

believe    that     his    only 

reason  for  coming  before 

them  in  a  literary  light 

is  the  fact  of  his   being 

urged   on  by  optimistic 

friends  to  tell   his  tale. 

I  have  no  better  excuse 

to    often      Whenever    I 

recount    my   adventures 

my   friends    exclaim, 

"  Surely  you  are  putting 

your    experiences     into 

print  I  "  And  so,  hoping 

that     they    may     prove 

interesting    to   a    wider 

circle,  I  give  them  to  the 

readers   of   The   Wide 

World    Mag.^zixe    as 

well   as    my   memory 

serves   me,    for   all    my 

private     papers,     diary, 

etc.,    were   lost   on  that 

painful    march     from 

Kumasi,  when  one's  sole 

idea  was  a  holding  on  to 

life,  with  not  much  thought  of  the  future  beyond. 
To-night  I  find  myself  sitting  over  a  cheerful 

fire,  rendered  necessary  by  a  somewhat  enfeebled 

constitution  and  by  the  coolness  of  the  evening, 

In   England  and  at  home  !      If   you  want 

appreciate  the  true  meaning  of  this  last  word  I 

suggest  trying  the  Gold  Coast  for  six  months. 

I  had  had  a  year  and  a  half  of  it  (sandwiched  in 

with  the  usual  few  happy  months  of  leave  in 

England    which    makes    the    other    life  barely 

possible)  when,  in  the  month  of  February,  1900, 

I    was   selected    by   the    Postmaster-General   at 

Accra  (a  selection  confirmed  by  His  Excellency 


IHE   AUTHOR,    MR.    E.    BRANCH,    A   GOLD   COAST    COVERNMEN'T 
OFFICIAL,    WHO    HERE    RECORDS    HIS    EXCITING    EXI'ERIENCES. 

From  a  Photo.  l>y  Toiulinson,  ijS,  Aneriey  Road,  S.K. 


to 


the  Governor)  to  take  the  post  of  Acting  Super- 
intendent of  Telegraphs,  and  proceed  to  the 
Hinterland  to  try  and  maintain  telegraphic  com- 
munication between  Kumasi  and  the  coast ; 
the  late  Superintendent  having  resigned  his  post 
to  join  our  army  in  South  Africa. 

Leaving  Cape  Coast  Castle  I  had  six  weeks  or 
so  of  "  rough  and  tumble  "'  hammock  and  tent 

life,  the  time  being 
occupied  by  me  in  main- 
taining telegraphic  com- 
munication. There 
was  work  enough  not  to 
allow  me  many  hours 
in  which  to  feel  lonely, 
though  I  seldom  saw  a 
white  face.  The  African 
nigger  takes  constant 
"  persuasion  "  to  induce 
him  to  believe  that  "  by 
the  sweat  of  his  brow" 
shall  he  eat  plantain. 
I  should  probably  still 
be  occupied  in  this  work 
had  not  the  monotony 
been  broken  in  upon 
one  day  by  the  arrival 
of  His  Excellency  the 
Governor,  accompanied 
by  his  wife.  I  was  pre- 
pared for  the  advent  of 
the  former,  having  been 
advised  by  the  P.M.G., 
v/ho  asked  me  to  en- 
deavour to  meet  His 
Excellency  at  the  famous  old  Government  Rest 
House  at  Prahsu,  a  village  not  far  from  where 
I  was,  and  where  one  might  enjoy  something 
more  approaching  civilization. 

After  remaining  some  days  at  Prahsu  with 
their  suite  the  Governor  and  his  wife  left  for 
Kumasi,  where  their  trying  experiences  were  to 
be  met.  The  day  after  he  left  I  continued  my 
usual  work,  making  the  "  Rest  House "  my 
head-quarters  until  the  3rd  of  April,  when  the 
telegraph  operator  at  Kumasi  wired  me  to  the 
effect  that  he  feared  m\  Ashanti  rising,  as  the 
whole  populace  were  in  an  unsettled  state ;  and, 


HOW    WE    ESCAPED    FRO^r     KUMASI. 


555 


further,  that  if  I  failed  to  communicate  with  him 
after  this  I  could  suspect  the  reason,  viz.  :  that 
the  wires  had  been  maliciously  cut.  This 
startling  event  happened  only  a  few  hours  later. 
On  the  following  day  I  sent  out  a  lineman  to 


treatment  of  my  lineman  by  his  tribe.  But  he 
absolutely  denied  that  they  (the  Adansis)  were 
anything  but  friendly  towards  the  Government, 
and  to  prove  his  words  he  supplied  carriers  to 
bring  on  the  stores,  etc.,  from  Brafu-Edru,  left 


Tins    1'110T<H.UA1H 


OJ-    AUAN-.]    Htil.UING    A    1  AI.A\L;i;,    and    GIVliS   A   GOOD   IDEA   OF   THE   SAVAGES 
WHOSE   CLUTCHES   MR.    BRANCH   ESCAPED. 


repair  the  break.  Having  proceeded  a  few 
miles  on  his  section  he  returned  in  a  ragged 
condition  without  accomplishing  his  mission, 
and  reported  that  he  had  been  robbed  of  his 
tools,  etc.  The  man  bore  marks  of  ill-treatment 
at  the  hands  of  the  Adansis  (as  he  said). 

I  frequently  wired  to  the  coast,  warning  the 
authorities  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  the 
repoits  I  had  heard,  and  the  danger  I  supposed 
might  be  threatening  the  capital. 
I  was  also  occasionally  able,  with 
my  gang  of  workers,  to  disarm  the 
carriers  on  their  way  to  Ashanti 
with  contraband  of  war. 

Trying  by  every  means  in  my 
power  to  persuade  the  lineman  to 
proceed  with  his  work  and  failing, 
even  by  bribery,  to  accomplish 
this,  I  proceeded  with  the  gang 
myself,  and  located  a  break  at  a 
place  called  Brafu-Edru.  At  this 
place  the  greater  part  of  my  car- 
riers threw  down  their  loads  and 
refused  to  go  farther,  seeming  to 
be  in  terror  of  their  lives.  How- 
ever, with  four  hammock-men  and 
some  faithful  carriers,  I  went  on 
to  Fumina,  the  head-quarters  of 
the  King  of  Adansi,  intending  to 
hold    a    "  palaver "     about     the 


The 


there  by  those  who  had  deserted  me.  Having 
collected  my  effects  I  proceeded  to  Quaman, 
the  boundary  of  the  Adansi  and  Bekwai 
carriers  lent  me  the  day  before 
refused  to  go  beyond  this, 
feud  that  has  always  existed 
Bekwais  and  Adansis.  The 
our  Government, 
and  furnished  me 


King 


country, 

by     the 

owing    to    the 

between     the 

former,    always    friendly    to 

oroved  so  on  this  occasion 


\Ii.\\     i:.    Eb.sUMEJA,    WHERE   WK.    UKANCH    ■'ll/.l^ 

From  a,  Fhoto. 


556 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


"in    an    nilKOVISED   lENT    I    HELD    '  I'ALAVER  '    WITH    NO    LESS 
A    I'ERSONAGE     IHAN    HIE   QUEEN    OK    KOKf)FU." 

with  runners  who  secretly  conveyed  telegrams 
to  and  from  Kumasi,  which  I  telegraphed  to 
the  coast.  Being  highly  commended  by  the 
Governor  for  opening  a  tele- 
graph station  at  Quaman,  and 
thus  materially  aiding  them,  I 
determined  to  try  my  luck 
further.  I  left  Quaman  for 
the  village  of  Essumeja,  and 
found  the  line  almost  entirely 
destroyed  by  the  people  of 
Abodom  ;  repairing  this  I  was 
able  to  telegraph  direct  to  the 
coasL  With  Kumasi,  how- 
ever, I  still  was  unable  to 
communicate,  the  line  being 
completely  wrecked. 

At  Essumeja  I  had  a  short 
and  glorious  reign.  As  the 
only  white  man  for  miles 
around  I  was  favoured  by 
visits  from  friendly  chiefs, 
bringing   their    "  Dashes  ''■    of 


a  party  of  .\slianlis,  dragged  into 
my  presence  by  their  captors. 
In  an  improvised  tent  of  bamboo 
poles  and  palm  and  banana 
leaves,  which  was  dignified  by 
the  name  of  "  Telegraph  Office," 
I  held  "  palaver  "  with  no  less  a 
personage  than  the  Queen  of 
Kokofu,  whose  husband,  going 
to  Kumasi  with  friendly  j^re- 
tensions,  proved  treacherous, 
and  was  betrayed  by  one  of  his 
own  chiefs  and    arrested.     The 

«  forlorn  lady  of  colour,  it  seems, 

came  to  hold  "  palaver  with 
white  man,"  hoping  to  obtain 
from  him  a  "  book "  {i.e.,  a 
letter),  whxh  might  secure  the 
freedom  of  her  spouse.  Con- 
sulting the  King  of  Bekwai  on 
the  subject,  I  found  that  he 
absolutely  refused  to  trust  her 
unless  she  would  consent  to 
drink  the  "fetish  oath,"  which 
is  never  broken.  She  refused 
on  the  score  of  her  sex. 
"  Mammy  no  fit  take  fetish  ;  that  be  man 
palaver,"  as  my  interpreter  had  it. 

I  may  explain  that  this  "fetish  oath  "  consists 
in  getting  exceedingly  drunk  on  trade-gin  and 
swearing  by  the  heart  of  the  brave  General 
McCarthy,  killed  by  them  during  a  former 
Ashanti  rising :  his  heart  they  are  supposed  to 
have  eaten,  and  now  they  swear  by  it.  Whether 
this  be  the  true  origin  of  the  oath  or  not  I  do 
not  know;  at  all  events,  it  is  one  they  keep 
most  sacredly — a  most  curious  and  I  am  sure  a 


yams,   eggs,   etc.     I  was  also 
asked  to   sit  in  judgment  on 


J' 70)11  a\ 


THE   gUEEN    OF    KOKOFU   SUKROUNDED    liY    HER        AIA.MMIES. 


iPhoto. 


HOW    WE    ESCAPED    FROM    KUMASI. 


557 


very  little-known  fact.  On  finding  me,  after 
this,  deaf  to  her  importunities  she  departed  ; 
but  we  were  to  meet  again  in  more  distressing 
circumstances — for  me. 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  in  an  interview  with  a 
European  who  passed  through  the  village  on  his 
way  from  Kumasi  to  the  coast  to  leave  for 
England,  I  was  led  to  suppose  that  there  was  no 
real  danger  to  be  apprehended  on  the  road  to 


Kumasi.       Accordingly   I    proceeded 


in 


that 


direction  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  April, 
with  hammock-men  and  carriers  lent  me  by  the 
King  of  Bekwai ;  I  had  some  trouble  in  in- 
ducing them  to  go  with  me,  they  being  by  this 
time  in  a  state  of  abject  fear.  My  pistol,  how- 
ever, proved  a  potent  argument  in  my  favour, 
and  I  started  off  accompanied  by  the  trembling 
Bekwais. 

After  repairing  several  breaks  which  did  not 
make  me  more  confident  as  to  the  "  peaceful  "' 
state  of  affairs  I  arrived  within  twenty  yards  of 
the  village  of  Essiaga,  and  was  welcomed  by  a 


to  say,  I  was  promptly  deprived  of  my  i)istol, 
which,  being  empty,  proved  a  liarmless  weapon 
in  the  hands  of  an  ignorant  savage  untutored  in 
its  mechanism.  Left  thus  unprotected  I  was 
unmercifully  beaten  over  my  back  and  stomach 
and  on  the  soles  of  my  feet.  I  suppose  I  must 
have  fainted  during  this  performance,  for  I  seem 
to  have  been  unconscious  for  some  hours,  when, 
like  the  prodigal  in  the  parable,  I  "came  to 
myself"  —  very  much  to  myself  as  regards 
clothing,  for  I  was  practically  in  pur  is  iiafiir- 
alibus,  having  been  stripped  and  tied  by 
the  feet  to  a  stump.  Though  so  shaken  and 
sore  from  the  severe  Ijcating  I  managed 
to  free  myself  and  crawled  into  the  bush, 
fearing  the  return  of  my  captors,  who,  I 
must  suppose,  had  left  me  only  temporarily — 
perhaps,  I  have  sometimes  thought  (and  indeed 
this  was  verified  by  a  friendly  chief  afterwards 
in  Kumasi),  to  bring  their  priests,  and  then 
there  would  have  been  some  sacrificing  on  a 
small    scale.      However,  as    I    say,    I    balked 


From  a 


\\\L\\    IN    ESSIAGA,    WHEKE   THE    AUTHOR   WAS   CAl'TLRED. 


yPhoto. 


most  alarming  volley  of  shot.  I  seemed  to  be 
surrounded  by  Ashantis.  Three  of  my  ham- 
mock-men were  shot  and  several  of  the  carriers, 
'i'he  rest,  dropping  their  loads,  fled  in  wild  con- 
fusion. Losing  its  support,  my  hammock  fell 
to  the  ground,  and  in  trying  to  get  to  my  feet 
I  became  entangled,  and  having  some  difficulty 
in  extricating  myself  was  shot  in  the  left  arm 
and  foot.  I  returned  the  fire  of  the  .savages  with 
the  only  weapon  in  my  possession,  a  Mauser 
pistol,  and  succeeded  in  bringing  three  Ashantis 
to  the  ground,  after  which  I  was  pinioned 
from   behind  by  my  stalwart  enemies.    Needless 


their  designs,  crawling  about  in  the  bush  and 
going  in  the  direction,  I  hoped,  of  the  telegra[)h 
line,  that  went  south. 

During  this  time,  at  intervals,  1  could  detect 
the  presence  of  the  Ashantis  (engaged,  I  suppose, 
in  a  .search  for  me)  by  their  shouts  and  the 
firing  of  their  primitive  flint-locks.  Providen- 
tially I  had  not  mistaken  the  route,  for,  on 
emerging  from  the  bush  to  the  high  road,  I  dis- 
tinguished a  band  of  savages,  yelling  and 
brandishing  their  weapons,  about  a  hundred 
yards  away.  I  then  gave  up  hope,  and  for  a  few 
minutes  endured  an  agony  of  fear,  to  be  followed 


55^"! 


TH1-:   wini:  world   ma(;azinr. 


by  the  joy  of  relief,  for  on 
their  approaching  nearer 
I  perceived  that  they  were 
a  friendly  band,  as,  with 
the  usual  sign  of  a  subject 
tribe  in  the  presence  of 
white  men,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  bare  their  left 
breasts  and  arms,  gesticu- 
lating and  trying  to  show 
by  their  actions  that  they 
were  friendly  disposed. 
They  bound  u  p  m  )• 
wounds,  incasing  the  soles 
of  my  feet  in  the  cool, 
pithy  substance  of  the 
plantain  tree,  and  this 
gave  me  great  relief.  I 
afterwards  learned  that 
my  carriers  who  had 
escaped  had  returned  to 
Essumeja  and  reported 
my  death  to  the  telegrapli 
operator  whom  I  had  left 
on  duty  there.  He  offi- 
cially announced  it  to  the 
coast.       On    hearing    the 

report  my  old  friend,  the  King  of  Bekwai,  sent 
out  a  band  of  Kokofus,  with  instructions  to 
bring  my  body   in,   dead  or  alive.      I    believe 


•J  HE    AL  1  li<.)K  t. 

Fiotn  rt] 


own  cloth  and,  tying  it  to 
a  bamboo  pole,  made  two 
of  his  men  carry  me  along 
on  their  shoulders.  In 
this  improvised  hammock 
I  was  borne  back  to  Essu- 
meja. The  rejoicings  on 
my  return  were  great,  and 
I  was  treated  with  all  the 
kindness  and  considera- 
tion that  one  could  hope 
for,  especially  by  the  native 
telegraph  operator,  who, 
being  the  only  possessor 
of  European  clothes,  put 
his  best  "  Sunday-go-to- 
meeting"  raiment  at  my 
service.  The  result  of 
my  donning  them  may  be 
better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed, there  being  at 
least  a  foot  difference  in 
our  heights — in  my  favour. 
This  was  not  the  only  occa- 
sion that  the  old  adage  of 
"  borrowed  plumes  "  did 
not  hold  good,  as  after- 
wards, during  the  siege,  I  had  the  honour  of 
wearing  a  suit  of  pyjamas,  the  property  of  a  very 
high  official,  and  this  suit  I  still  prize  as  a  trophy. 


;H    IS   CAREFULI-V  TRANSPORTED    IN    A    HAMMOCK    HACK   TO   ESSUMEJA. 

From  a  I'/wio. 


now  that  he  chose  men  of  the  Kokofu  tribe 
to  test  the  sincerity  of  their  protestations  of 
allegiance,  and  although  afterwards  they  did 
prove  hostile,  on  this  occasion  I  certainly  owed 
my  life  to  them.     One  of  the  chiefs  took  off  his 


On  the  following  day  1  was  again  visited  by 
the  Queen  of  Kokofu,  who  tenderly  inquired 
after  my  health,  and  renewed  her  gifts  of 
vegetables,  etc. 

I  lay  at  Essumeja,  much  shaken  and  in  great 


HOW    WE    ESCAPED    FROM    KUMASL 


559 


pain,  until  the  arrival  of  Captain  Aplin,  with  a 
detachment  of  Lagos  Hausas,  who  were  on 
their  way  to  the  relief  of  Kuniasi.  They 
rendered  me  medical  aid,  and  took  me  with 
them  in  a  hammock  on  their  departure  next 
day.  Captain  Aplin,  who  had  no  idea  how 
serious  the  situation  was,  on  my  recounting  to 
him  what  had  befallen  me  made  full  prepara- 
tion for  an  attack,  and  gave  me  a  rifle  for  my 
own  protection.  When  we  got  within  sight  of 
Essiaga,  the  place  where  I  had  been  captured, 
we  were  attacked  by  the  Ashantis.  Here 
Captain  Cockran  was  seriously  wounded  ;  I, 
too,  received  another  slight  wound,  and  there 
were  many  other  casualties  among  the  men. 
We  bombarded  and  entered  the  village,  how- 
ever, and,  after  burying  our  dead,  laagered  there 


done  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  brave 
Hausas.  During  this  battle  every  white  man 
was  wounded,  and  our  casualties  were  over  a 
hundred. 

On  our  charging  them  the  Ashantis  fled  in 
wild  confusion,  and  we  advanced  without 
further  hindrance,  reaching  Kumasi  at  sunset. 

On  arrival  w^  found  the  health  of  the  garrison 
good,  except  for  several  casualties  which  had 
occurred  that  day  ;  they  also  having  been 
engaged  in  fighting  another  detachment  of 
Ashantis,  who  had  tried  to  storm  the  fort. 

On  the  29th  of  April  began  the  siege  of 
Kumasi  which  was  to  last  for  over  two  months. 
Each  day  we  expected  relief,  and  so,  at  first, 

though  these 


there  was  no  scarcitv  of  rations 


WE   BOMRARDED    ANO    ENTERED   THE    VILLAGE   OF    ESSIAGA. 


that  night,  throwing  shells   in   the  direction  of 
the  other  villages  around  us. 

On  the  next  morning  we  proceeded  on  our 
march,  and  when  within  three  miles  of  Kumasi, 
at  the  village  of  Karsie,  we  were  once  more 
furiously  attacked,  and  fought  for  nine  hours 
without  any  visible  result.  At  last  Captain 
Cockran  suggested  cutting  a  road  through  the 
bush  on  the  left  of  their  stockade,  which  was 


and    tinned 


mosdy  consisted  of   "hard  tack 

meats.  , 

The  unfailing  kindness  of  the  Governor  and 
his  wife  will  never  be  forgotten  by  any  who 
passed  through  these  trying  times  with  them— 
especially  those  of  us  who,  ill  and  wounded, 
were  favoured  with  the  care  and  kindness  which 
only  a  woman  can  give.  .  . 

The  first  blow  came  to  our  little  garrison  wiih 


:;6o 


THK    WlDi:     WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


the  death  of  our  brave  iViciul  and  othcer  in 
charge,  Captain  Middlemist,  who  died  of  fever 
on  the  6th  of  ^^ay.  ^^'c  buried  him  secretly 
and  with  niiUtary  honours,  except  that,  being 
short  of  ammunition,  we  were  unable  to  fire  the 
usual  volleys  over  his  grave.  There  he  lies 
under  a  clump  of  orange  trees,  growing  within 
range  of  the  guns  of  the  fort,  as  we  hoped  thus 
to  protect  his  remains  from  violation  by  the 
Ashantis. 

Things  began  to  look  serious,  as  we  had  had 
no  communication  with  the  outside  world  since 
our  arrival.  I  have  seen  since  my  return  what 
I  know  to  be  one  of  the  only  messages  carried 
through,  and  which,  vm  Cape  Coast,  reached 
its  destination  in  England  safely.  Although  the 
Governor  repeatedly  offered  large  bribes  to  any- 
one who  would  take  despatches  through  (an 
cflTer  which  proved  tempting  to  the  greed  of  the 
natives  who  were  living  in  huts  around  the  fort), 
the  messages  never  seemed  to  reach  their  desti- 
nation, and  the  unfortunate  bearers  only  added 
fuel  to  the  inhuman  sacrifices  of  the  Ashantis. 

The  Governor,  with  praiseworthy  far-sighted- 
ness, knowing  that  JNlajor  Morris  and  a  detach- 
ment of  troops  was  on  his  way  from  Gambaga, 
persuaded  the  Ashantis  by  means  of  trans-Atlantic 
"bluff"  to  drink  the  "fetish  oath"  with  a  very 
felicitous  result ;  no  guns  from  either  side  being 
fired  so  long  as  these  friendly  relations  lasted. 
The  Ashantis  now  opened  a  market  at  the 
swamj)  and  sold  provisions  freely  to  our  party, 
sending  in  gifts  also  to  the  fort.  It  was  during 
this  short  period  of  truce  that  Major  Morris 
arrived  unmolested,  although  he  had  fought  his 
way  desperately  so  far,  he  himself  being  seriously 
wounded.  The  Ashantis  failing  to  come  to 
terms,  hostilities  were  soon  resumed. 

Major  i\Iorris's  large  additional  force,  added 
to  the  number  already  in  the  fort,  caused  us  to 
be  put  on  starvation  rations,  consisting  of  one 
small  biscuit  and  a  pound  of  tinned  meat  per 
day.  The  friendlies  and  carriers  were  now 
dying  of  starvation,  the  death-rate  at  last 
reaching  the  enormous  amount  of  forty  per 
day.  We  had  to  sacrifice  our  few  horses, 
and  the  sight  of  the  starving  native  children 
appealed  to  me  so  much  that,  having  charge 
of  the  feeding  of  the  carriers,  I  was  fain 
to  gather  together  scraps  of  food,  and, 
aided  by  the  generosity  of  the  Europeans, 
who  gave  me  of  their  scanty  portions,  was 
enabled  to  dole  out  daily  about  a  half-pint  of 
warm  "  soup,"  consisting  of  water  ad  lib., 
scraps  of  biscuit,  and  tinned  meat,  salt,  and 
green  bush,  the  last-named  delicacy  being 
generally  supplied  by  the  little  starving  urchins 
them.selves.  Sorties  were  frequently  made,  but 
we  were  always  worsted,  with   loss   of  life  and 


ammuiiilion.  It  was  during  one  of  these  sorties 
that  we  lost  one  of  our  favourite  comrades— the 
bravest  of  men  and  best  of  fellows,  (Captain 
McGuire,  who  was  shot  dead.  \\'e  laid  him  to 
rest    beside  Captain   Middlemist  in  the  orange 


grove. 


x\ffairs  daily  became  more  gloomy,  and  the 
war-shouts  of  the  Ashantis  nearer  and  louder. 
Among  our  company  was  a  prospector  of  the 
'•  Ashanti  Com[)any,  Ltd.,"  Mr.  David,  who, 
widi  his  assistant,  had  sought  refuge  in  the 
fort.  It  was  due  to  his  knowledge  of  the 
country  that  we  were  able  to  entertain  and  carry 
into  effect  our  project  of  escape  from  Kumasi. 
Having  very  carefully  ma[}ped  out  a  plan  of  the 
surrounding  country,  he  showed  that  we  might, 
by  taking  a  northern  route  and  making  a 
detour,  reach  the  coast.  I  attribute  our  final 
success  in  regaining  our  liberty  to  the  perfect 
secrecy  with  which  our  route  and  plan  of  action 
were  kept. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  of  June, 
at  break  of  day,  we  started  on  our  eventful 
journey.  The  intelligence  that  three  officers  of 
our  little  band  of  Europeans  were  to  be  left  in 
charge  of  a  small  detachment  of  Hausas  was 
then  revealed  to  us.  The  tale  of  their  sub- 
sequent relief  and  rescue  by  Colonel  Willcocks 
has  already  been  told  by  others. 

On?-  force,  consisting  of  starving  Hausas, 
carriers,  friendlies,  and  broken-down  Europeans, 
moved  forward  on  its  eventful  march  for  life  and 
liberty.  Hardly  had  the  advance  column,  led  by 
Captains  Armitage  and  Leggett,  got  beyond  the 
precincts  of  the  fort  when  terrific  firing  was 
heard.  This  was  the  first  announcement  we 
had  that  the  Ashantis  were  to  some  extent 
prepared  to  oppose  us  in  this  direction  also, 
having  built  a  large  stockade.  After  slight 
hesitation  our  half  -  starved  but  undaunted 
heroes  carried  the  stockade  by  storm.  Captain 
Armitage  was  severely  wounded,  and  the 
gallant  Leggett  (who  had  before  been  wounded 
fourteen  times)  on  this  occasion  received  what 
afterwards  proved  to  be  his  death  -  summons, 
being  mortally  wounded  in  the  abdomen. 
Another  brave  man.  Captain  Marshall,  volun- 
teered to  take  his  place  and  joined  Armitage  in 
the  advance  guard.  We,  in  the  main  body,  placed 
Leggett  in  a  hammock  and  did  all  we  could  to 
alleviate  his  terrible  sufferings.  The  firing  of 
the  Ashantis  continued  at  intervals  during  the 
whole  of  that  day,  causing  many  casualties  and 
mortally  wounding  my  valued  friend  Captain 
Marshall.  Night  approaching,  weary,  hungry, 
and  wet  (to  add  to  our  discomfort  the  wet 
season  was  now  in  full  swing),  we  halted  in  an 
Ashanti  village  which  they  had  abandoned, 
havinir  learnt  bv  now  that  anv  further  resistance 


HOW    WE    ESCAPED    FROM    KUMASI. 


5^' I 


on  their  part  was  useless.  The  tales  of  the  rear- 
guard revealed  the  terrible  slaughter  whieh  had 
taken  place  that  day  among  the  friendlies  who 
had  followed  the  column  from  Kumasi. 

"  Fall  in  "  sounded  at  daybreak  next  morning, 
and  with  aching  limbs  and  "■  aching  voids  "  we 
proceeded  on  our  painful  march.  During  this 
day  we  were  almost  unmolested,  seeing  and 
hearing  very  little  of  the  enemy  ;  and  after 
many  weary  hours  of  anxiety,  hunger,  and 
fatigue  we  at  last,  with  heartfelt  thankfulness, 
found  ourselves  in  friendly  country,  arriving  at 
Mansu-Inquanta,  the  King  of  which  we  had 
in  our  ranks.  The  joy  of  the  natives  on  seeing 
their  Sovereign  uninjured  (they  had  supposed 
him  long  since  cruelly  murdered  by  the  Ashantis) 
may  be  imagined.  Our  whole  party  was  treated 
to  an  ovation,  the  natives  bringing  supplies  of 
food  to  our  starving  column  and  feting  us  to  the 
best  of  their  ability.  Their  own  private  re- 
joicings over  the  return  of  their  lost  Sovereign 
consisted  (as  usual  among  these  savages)  in 
drum-beating  and  getting  very,  very  drunk. 


stand — sent  out  a  scouting  party,  who  were  also  to 
build  rafts  to  take  us  across.  We  remained 
two  nights  and  a  day,  taking  the  sadly-needed 
rest  in  the  village  of  Mansu,  the  natives  con- 
tinuing their  kind  treatment,  thus  enabling  us 
to  give  all  the  attention  possible  to  our  wounded 
comrades,  though,  owing  to  the  weak  state  of 
the  carriers,  who  succumbed  under  their  loads, 
we  had  but  a  scanty  supply  of  medical  comforts. 
Once  again  proceeding  on  our  journey  we 
halted,  after  a  long  day's  march,  in  a  deserted 
friendly  village,  the  natives  having  fled,  fearing 
the  ravages  of  the  Ashantis.  That  night  tlie 
sad  occurrence  of  Captain  Marshall's  death 
added  gloom  to  the  spirits  of  our  column.  In 
charge  of  a  small  band  of  natives  armed  with 
picks  and  shovels  I  had  the  sad  duty  allotted 
to  me  of  preparing  the  last  resting-place  of  this 
dear  friend,  and  laid  him  under  "  the  palm  of 
the  W^est "  at  the  break  of  day.  On  request 
being  made  for  a  Prayer-book  by  Major  Morris, 
to  read  the  last  rites,  a  small  Ashanti  boy,  the 
former  servant  of  Captain  McGuire,  volunteered 


-%^Asr- 


.««-<5s»we^ 


THE   GOVli 


UNOK    HU.SKI.K   SET   A   GOOn    EXAMPLE,    UAIMNG    THROUGH 


WAlEli    V\'   TO    MIS    NEClv. 


It  was  from  this  village  that  Major  Morns, 
h  nring  that  we  might  expect  an  attack  at  the 
Ofin  River,  then  in  flood— the  place  where, 
years  before,  the  Ashnntis  had  made  their  Inst 

Vol.  vi.  —65. 


the  loan  of  one,  which  proved  to  be  that  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  ;  and  from  this  a  portion  ot 
the  Burial  Service  was  read. 

Proceeding  on  our  march  we  encamped  tnot 


562 


TTTi:    \\'\\)V.     WOKID     MACAZTXK. 


night  at  another  deserted  village  near  the  River 
Ofin,  where  Captain  Leggett  passed  away ;  and 
again  I  had  the  sad  diitv  of  choosins;  the  last 
resting-place  of  this  true  hero. 

Lea\ing  Captain  Aplin  in  charge  of  the  rear- 
guard at  this  place,  the  advance  guard  and  main 
body  proceeded  through  dismal  swamps  caused 
by  the  overflow  of  the  river  and  the  heavy  rains  ; 
the  Governor  himself  setting  a  good  example  by 
wading  through  water,  up  to  his  neck  sometimes, 
for  hours  at  a  time,  his 
wife  being  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  tallest 
anions:  us. 

On  our  arrival  at  the 
Ofin  we  found  every- 
thing prepared  for 
crossing  ;  and  instead 
of  the  Ashantis,  as  we 
had  been  led  to  ex- 
pect, we  found  friendly 
natives  awaiting  us. 
Two  rafts  roughly  con- 
structed of  tree-trunks, 
bound  together  by 
creepers,  soon  conveyed 
us  across,  landing  us 
at  last  in  the  Denkeri 
country,  where  we 
would  have  nothing 
more  to  fear. 

After  this  we  con- 
tinued our  m  a  r  cii 
slowly,  halting  at  the 
nearest  village,  where 
the  column  was  again 
divided,  Major  Morris, 
the  Governor,  and  a 
selected  detachment  of 
troops     going     ahead. 

The  other  part,  in  charge  of  Captain  Dignn, 
followed  slowly  in  the  rear,  meeting  kindness 
everywhere  from  the  natives  through  whose 
villages  we  passed.  A  runner  also  was  .sent 
back  to  advise  Captain  Aplin  that  all  was 
well,  and  instructing  him  to  proceed  direct  to 
Elmina  Castle,  we  going  td  Cape  Coast  Castle, 
where  we  finally  arrived  in  the  middle  of  July, 
having  existed  on  what  food  we  could  obtain 
from  the  natives  for  love  or  for  money  and  the 


l-AITHKUL   AND   TRUE,    THOUGH     BLACK. 
From  a  Photo. 


prolific  growth  of  fruit  and  vegetables  on  the 
road. 

I  think  I  must  leave  the  grateful  sense  of 
relief  and  joy  felt  by  us  to  the  imagination  of 
my  readers,  as  words  quite  fail  me  to  describe 
them.  Weary  and  worn,  an  enthusiastic  wel- 
come was  accorded  to  the  Europeans  among  us, 
while  weeping  and  cries  of  joy  were  heard  as 
the  Fantees,  from  which  tribe  the  majority  of 
our  carriers  on  the  coast  are  obtained,  recog- 
nised their  friends  and 
relations  —  or  missed 
them  —  among  our 
number.  There  was  a 
rush  for  post  and  tele- 
graph office,  so  anxious 
were  we  to  receive  de- 
layed letters  and  to 
Send  the  welcome  news 
of  our  safety  by  letter 
and  cable  to  anxious 
friends  in  Old  Eng- 
land. 

Medical  boards  were 
held,  with  the  result 
that  most  of  us  were 
invalided  home  by  the 
first  steamer  —  myself 
among  the  number.  I 
was  taken  on  board  the 
(rerman  steamer  from 
the  hospital  at  Accra. 
After  lying  at  death's 
door  for  the  first  part 
of  the  voyage  home  I 
afterwards  recovered  a 
measure  of  health, 
through  the  skilled 
treatment  of  Dr.  Thur- 
ston and  the  kindness 
and  care  of  two  German  sisters  of  charity — 
Sisters  Johanna  and  Monica — to  whom  I  desire 
to  tender  my  thanks,  as  I  believe  I  owe  my  life 
to  them. 

My  tale  is  now  told  and  I  must  close,  merely 
saying  that  we  arrived  in  England  on  the  27th 
of  August ;  and  since  my  return  I  have  received 
acknowledgment  of  the  hardships  undergone 
by  me  by  an  extension  of  leave  from  the 
Government. 


A    Girl's    Life    on    a    Desert    Island. 

By  Dorothy   Harding. 

This  young   lady  lives  with  her  father   and  mother  on  the  Island  of  Redonda,  in  the  Caribbean  Sea 

her   father    being   manager  of  the  phosphate  mines    there.       In    the   following   sprightly   account   she 

writes    gaily    of    the    vexations     and     drawbacks    incidental  to  life  on   a  tiny  volcanic    island    cut  off 

from  the  world,  and  also  furnishes  some  snap-shots  which  show  us  what  her  island  home  "is  like 


Froiri   a   Photo,    by   R. 


HERE  is  a 
kind  of  "  de- 
sert island," 
usually  situa- 
t  ed  so  m  e- 
what  vaguely  "in  the 
South  Seas,"  which  has 
been  a  boon  and  a  bless- 
ing to  writers  of  fiction 
ever  since  the  days  of 
("lulliver.  Its  exact  local- 
ity is  doubtless  concealed 
for  fear  of  the  sudden  rush 
of  immigration  which 
such  a  disclosure  would 
entail,  for  it  is  a  delightful 
spot  where  everything 
that  a  shipwrecked  mar- 
iner can  desire  grows  with 
the  greatest  profusion 
and  with  a  charming  dis- 
regard of  climate. 

Provided  that  he  has  his  usual  presence  of 
mind  and  takes  with  him  a  flint  and  steel, 
hammer  and  nails,  musket,  powder-flask,  knife, 
and  a  few  other  necessaries — without  which  no 
sailor  worthy  of  the  name  ever  gets  washed 
overboard — he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  support- 
ing himself  for  an  indefinite  period. 

He  will  find  the  homely  potato  and  the  bread- 
fruit (which  when  baked  tastes  like  hot  rolls), 
the  banana  and  the  turnip,  all  growing  side  by 
side  in  the  most  friendly  manner ;  while  a 
kindly  Providence  has  stocked 
the  island  with  quite  a  menag- 
erie of  wild  animals,  such  as 
in  less  favoured  retiiions  have 
to  be  collected  from  all  quart- 
ers of  the  globe.  The  island 
which  is  to  be  the  subject  of 
this  article  is  of  a  very  differ- 
ent description,  for  the  only 
thing  that  grows  in  abund- 
ance is  a  very  healthy  kind  of 
[)rickly  pear ;  while  the  wild 
"animals"  consist  mainly  of 
rats,  mice,  iguanas,  centi- 
pedes, scorpions,  fleas,  cock- 
roaches, and  others  of  the 
same  kidney — all  of  which 
are  more  calculated  to  dis- 
turb a  man's  peace  of  mind 
than  to  increase  his  comfort. 


THE     AUTHORESS,     MISS     DOROTHY     HARDING,     WHO    WRITES 
CHKKKKUI.LY   ABOUT   HER   LIFE   ON    THE    ISLAND. 


&^    W.    Forrest,    Eciinlnirg'i. 


CAI'TAIN    J.   H.   HAliDING,  SUPERINTEN DENT  OF    IHf 
From  a\  ISLAND  OF   REDONDA.  [P/into. 


To  be  brief,  the  place  in 
question  is  the  Island  of 
Redonda — a  mere  heap 
of  cinders,  a  mile  in 
length,  which  rises  sheer 
out  of  the  Caribbean  Sea 
to  the  height  of  i,oooft. 
Having  lived  there  for 
eleven  years,  and  ha\ing 
occupied  the,  I  believe, 
unique  position  of  being 
one  of  the  two  women 
on  the  place  as  against 
an  average  of  two  hun- 
dred men,  I  feel  I  should 
be  wronging  the  British 
public  if  I  allowed  my 
reminiscences  to  sink  for 
ever  into  oblivion. 

In  case  you  should 
wonder  what  induced  me 
ever  to  go  to  live  in  such 
a  secluded  spot,  I  had  better  explain  that  my 
father  is  the  manager  of  the  phosphate  mines 
which  find  themselves  there,  as  the  French 
say  —  so  that  is  how  so  many  years  of  my 
life  have  been  passed  in  a  voluntary  exile. 
The  white  portion  of  the  population  consists 
of  my  parents,  one  other  Englishman,  and 
myself,  all  the  rest  varying  in  colour  from  pale 
orange  to  jet  black. 

From  the  sea  the  island  looks  so  precipitous 
that  you  wonder  how  anything  but  a  goat  can 
gain  a  foothold  on  the  slopes  ; 
but  on  a  nearer  approach 
you  find  that  in  places  it  is, 
metaphorically  speaking,  level. 
But,  nevertheless,  the  nature 
of  the  ground  is  such  that 
while  one  end  of  our  house 
rests  on  the  living  rock  the 
other  is  supported  on  green- 
heart  piles  about  12ft.  high. 

Harbour  there  is  none, 
properly  speaking ;  but  on 
the  leeward  "  side  of  the 
island  there  is  a  fairly  good 
anchorage,  which  is  pro- 
tected from  the  prevailing 
trade  winds  by  the  tower- 
ing cliffs.  In  calm  weather 
a  landing  can  easily  be 
effected  ;     but     during     the 


564 


THE    WIDE    WOREl)     MAC.AZINE. 


THii     WHAKK      AT     KEUONDA — "  IT     WOULD     UE      HARD     TO 

From  a\  uninviting   looking    spot." 

winter  months  it  is  often  impossible  to 
get  even  within  hailing  distance  of  the 
wharf,  owing  to  the  terrific  ground  seas  which 
frequently  occur.  And  it  would  be  hard  to 
imagine  a  more  inaccessible  or  uninviting- 
looking  spot  than  the  island  then  appears,  with 
its  iron-bound  coast  and  the  huge  Atlantic 
rollers  dashing  high  up  against  the  frowning 
cliffs. 

The  only  signs  of  vegetation  consist  of  various 
varieties  of  cactus,  wild  tobacco,  and  a  coarse 
kind  of  grass  on  which  a  few  wild  sheep  and 
goats  maintain  a  precarious  existence.  All 
provisions  such  as  fresh  meat,  fruit,  and 
vegetables  have  to  be  brought  by  boat  from 
the  neighbouring  islands  of  Montserrat  and  St. 
Kitts,  the  former  being  fifteen,  and  the  latter 
thirty-six  miles  distant. 

Of  course  we  have  to  keep  a  supply  of 
canned  goods  in  stock,  which,  as  well  as 
our  groceries,  come  direct  from  England  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  last  for  six  months.  I 
wonder  what  the  ordinary  •  British  housewife 
would  say  if  she  had  to  order  butter  and  cheese 
by  the  hundredweight  and  tea  by  the  chest  ! 
In  spite  of  these  large  consignments,  however, 
the  store-room  is  usually  at  a  pretty  low  ebb 
for  some  weeks  before  the  arrival  of  a  fresh 
supply  of  goods:  so  that  at  one  time,  even  with 
the  greatest  foresight  of  which  the  housewife 
is  capable,  the  only  articles  of  diet  in  stock  may 
be  corned-beef  and  blacking,  while  at  another 
we  may  have  nothing  to  depend  on  but  tripe 
and  champagne. 

Sometimes,  indeed,  we  dine  in  an  aldermanic 
manner  on  turtle  soup  and  roast  kid,  followed 
by  pine-apples,  mangoes,  sapodillos,  and  other 
luscious  fruits  of  the  tropics  ;    but  on  the  other 


hand  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for 
us  to  get  up  in  the  morning  not 
knowing  what  we  are  going  to 
have  for  breakfast. 

At  such  times  it  is  customary 
to  send  out  .1  hunting  party, 
headed  by  Erederick,  the  cook, 
to  capture  a  wild  sheep  where- 
with to  replenish  the  larder.  The 
plan  of  campaign  is  to  stand 
afar  off,  and,  having  spotted  the 
most  likely-looking  animal,  they 
surround  the  poor  brute,  leap- 
ing from  rock  to  rock  like 
antelopes,  till,  finally  penning 
it  into  a  corner,  Frederick 
swoops  down  like  a  wolf,  and 
prips  it  by  the  scruff  of  the 
neck.  Shooting  the  animals  is 
not  a  satisfactory  method,  as  if 
they  are  not  killed  by  the  first 
shot  tliey  make  their  escape  to  some  inaccessible 
cave  in  the  cliffs. 

For  our  water  supply  we  depend  entirely  on 
the  rainfall  ;  and  as  this  only  amounts  to  some- 
thing like  igin.  a  year  we  have  to  content  our- 
selves with  about  a  quart  of  the  precious  fluid 
for  the  morning  tub,  while  in  seasons  of  drought 
we  take  instead  a  dry  rub  with  sand. 

Society  is  practically  an  unknown  luxury, 
being  limited  to  an  occasional  visit  from  friends  in 


IMAGINE     A      MORE 

\Pholo. 


IHK    I.ONc;    HUM. DING   AT    Till:    t.XTKKMK    TOP    IS   THE   SlIKK- 

}'>o)n  a]  intenuent's  house.  [Photo. 


A    GIRL'S    LIFE    ON    A    DESERT    ISLAND. 


5^5 


THE    ISLAND,    KNOWN    AS   CASTLE    HILL. 

From  a  Photo. 


Other  islands,  or  such  as  is  afforded  by  the  cap- 
tains of  shi[)s  which  call  at  Redonda  for  cargoes 
of  phosphate.  These  latter  are  usually  French- 
men ;  and,  not  laying  any  claim  to  being  a 
linguist,  I  must  admit  that  conversing  with  them 
is  more  of  a  tax  than  a  relaxation,  while  my 
father  declares  he  has  all  his  work  cut  out  sitting 
up  and  trying  to  look  intelligent.  One  of  these 
trying  visitors  we  can  manage  with  ease,  as  w'hen  I 
give  out  my  mother  comes  to  the  rescue,  and  vice- 
versa.  But  after  engaging  in  single  combat  with 
two  for  the  whole  of  a  blazing  afternoon  I  feel 
fit  for  nothing  but  to  crawl  to  bed  and  lie  there 
in  a  kind  of  stupor.  One  of  these  visitors  once 
asked  me  if  it  was  true  I  had  lived  on  the  island 
for  so  long,  and  when  I  replied  in  the  affirmative 
he'  exclaimed,  with  eyes  and  hands  raised  to 
Heaven,  "  Man  Dieic,  que  dest  affreux"  which 
gives  you  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  way  strangers 
regard  the  life.  Some  people  might  fancy  it 
would  be  monotonous,  but  we  occasionally  get 
a  hurricane  or  an  earthquake  to  relieve  the 
tedium  of  the  hour  ;  besides  which,  the  fauna 
of  the  island  are  of  a  kind  to  distract  one's 
thoughts  and  prevent  ennui. 

The  cockroaches,  for  example,  which  attain  a 
very  high  state  of  physical  development,  destroy 
the   bindings  of  our  favourite    books,   eat   the 


black  off  our  boots  in  patches,  till  they  look 
as  if  they  were  afflicted  with  leprosy,  and 
consider  the  [)iano  the  most  suitable  place  in 
which  to  rear  their  young  families.  CenlijK'des 
and  scorpions  you  may  expect  to  tread  on  as  you 
cross  the  veranda,  while  crabs  have  to  be  picked 
out  of  the  bath  before  you  can  perform  your 
morning  ablutions  with  any  degree  of  comfort. 

'i1ie  impossibility  of  getting  a  doctor,  no 
matter  how  much  you  may  want  one,  is  the  fact 
that  seeiris  to  impress  most  people  as  such  an 
undesirable  feature  of  the  place,  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly inconvenient  at  times,  but  for  the  simpler 
ailments  we  can  generally  manage  to  prescribe 
for  ourselves.  For  the  liver  and  all  its  ills  we 
look  to  calomel  as  our  sheet-anchor;  while  for 
fever  we  fly  to  the  quinine  bottle.  Outside 
these  limits,  however,  we  are  practically  at  sea, 
and  so  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  beginning 
at  the  left-hand  side  of  the  medicine  chest  and 
working  round  to  the  right,  hoping  rather 
than  expecting  to  hit  on  the  proper  remedy  in 
time. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  kind  of  life 
would  not  appeal  to  many  people,  but,  given  a 
contemplative  disposition  and  a  fondness  for 
one's  own  society,  one  might  be  very  ha[)[)y, 
even  at  Redonda. 


THF,     WORKS     ON 

From  a\ 


THE      liEACH     WHERE     MISS    HAKDING     INTERVIEW? 
THE  CAPTAINS   OF    VESSEI^.  [P/wlo. 


Mow    We  Saw  the   '' Sea=Serpent.'' 

Bv  ("apt.mx  LaI'Rencf.  Thomson. 

The  monster  that  has  so  long  been  familiar  under  this  name,  and  which  has  so  often  been  scoffed  at, 
is,  of  course,  i^.othing  more  than  the  gigantic  octopus — a  creature  now  enjoying  a  well-established 
scientific  reputation.  Our  readers  are  referred  to  the  illustrated  narrative  of  Dr.  Harvey,  of  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland  (see  No.  12),  dealing  with  the  large  octopus  which  the  doctor  secured,  photographed,  and 
dissected.  In  the  case  here  related,  captain,  officers,  and  passengers  watched  the  monster  for  a  long 
while,  and  it  was  even   carefully  measured  by  means  of  the  ship  itself. 

Ss.  A>;//«/.f,  Sythiey,  October  25lh,  1900. 
The  Editor  of  Tin-:  Widk  World  Magazi.m;. 
Dear  Sir, — The  inclosed  is  an  e.xact  account  of  what  I  saw  recently  off  Cape  Natiiraliste,  West  Australia.  I  am  well 
aware  of  what  some  thoughtless  jieoj'jle  will  think  regarding  it,  and,  therefore,  give  the  names  of  several  others  who  also 
saw  the  monster  and  discussed  it  together  as  it  lay  beneath  their  own  eyes  :  Captain  Campbell,  of  the  ss.  Perth,  of  the 
MellKiurne  Steamship  Company,  together  with  his  officers,  passengers,  and  crew,  snw  the  same  huge  creature  next  day 
oH  Rottnesi  Island,  near  Fremantle.  I  have  not  attempted  to  do  more  than  give  the  bare,  hard  facts  about  the 
monster,  as  I  am  not  used  to  writing  anything  other  than  mere  reports  for.  my  owners.  The  facts  given,  i.e.,  length, 
diameter,  movements,  and  peculiarities,  I  guarantee  absolutely,  and  have  been  very  careful  not  to  mention  anything 
thai  I  did  not  directly  see  myself;  although  others  on  board  claim  to  have  seen  a  few  more  details.  I  have  sailed  on 
every  .sea  on  this  Globe  from  the  ( jolden  Gate,  by  the  East  to  China  again  ;  and  from  whale  fishing  almost  as  near 
the  North  I'ole  as  Nanscn  was  ;  southwards  to  the  "  Icy  Barrier"  in  the  Antarctic.  I  inclose  my  phtHogra]")!!,  some 
rough  outlines  of  the  serpent  as  it  apjieared  to  me,  and  a  snap-shot  of  the  Nemesis  taken  by  an  amateur  as  she  lay  in 
Grafton  Wharf,  Sydney. 

I  I'emain,  faithfully  yours,  (Signed)  Eaurence  Thomson. 

(Home  Address)    c'o  Mrs.  .Macdonald,  Strnthlay,  Chalswood,  Sydney,  N.S.\\'. 


AM     Captain 

Laurence 

Thomson,    of 

the  ss.  Nemesis, 

which  is  one  of 
Hubbart,  Parker,  and 
Co.'s  line  of  Inter- 
colonial steamers  ;  she 
trades  between  Sydney, 
Melbourne,  Adelaide,  and 
the  W''est  Australian  ports. 
While  on  our  last  trip,  off 
Cape  Xaturaliste  (ii5deg. 
E.  and  34deg.  2omin.  S.) 
I  was  called  to  the  bridge 
by  my  third  officer,  Mr. 
Perry,  who  was  on  watch 
at  the  time. 

As  that  part  of  the  world 
is  considered  by  all  Aus- 
tralian coasting  officers  to 
be  the  worst  on  the  Con- 
tinent if  not  in  the  whole 
world  (there  are  five  vessels 
going  to  pieces  there  just 
now),  I  lost  no  time  in 
answering,  and  in  a  fraction  of  a  minute  stood 
by  the  third  on  the  bridge.  He  was  evidently 
restraining  his  excitement,  or  trying  to  ;  and  as 
the  third  is  a  genuine  Australian  it  is,  perhaps, 


THE    AUTHOR,    CAl'IAtN     I.ALKK.SCK    THOMSON,    OF    T 
INTERCOLONIAI.    I.INKR    '"  NEMESIS." 

From  a  Photo,  by  Yeoman,  Prahran,  Australia. 


needless  to  say  that  he 
suffered  greatly  through 
having  to  restrain  •iiimself. 

"  Look,  captain  !  "  he 
said.  "  What  sort  of  craft 
is  that  over  there  ?  "  I 
looked  as  directed  away  to 
starboard,  and  then,  seizing 
my  glasses,  I  looked  again. 
About  half  a  mile  off, 
between  us  and  the  rocky 
shore-line  which  ran  parallel 
to  our  course,  and  of  which 
the  dreaded  Cape  Leewin 
was  the  southern  boundary 
and  Cape  Naturaliste,  round 
which  our  course  was,  the 
northern  termination,  were 
two  large  objects— or, 
rather,  I  thought  they  were 
two.  I  took  them  to  be 
enormous  whales,  as  that 
spot  is  a  great  haunt  of 
theirs  during  the  season. 
They  did  not  blow,  how- 
ever, and  seemed  to  move 
in  a  very  peculiar  manner,  the  one  about  50ft. 
behind  the  other.  Suddenly  a  black,  cylindrical 
body  emerged  from  the  space  between  the  two, 
and,  with  a  convulsive  jerk,  the  second,  or  now, 


HOW    WE    SAW    THE    "SEA-SERPENT." 


567 


as  it  appeared, 
the  third,  body 
shot  forward  to- 
wards it. 

The  middle 
section  con- 
tinued rising 
above  the  water 
in  an  e  v  e  r  - 
extending  arch 
until,  to  m  y 
amazement,  it 
resolved  itself 
into  a  connecting 
part  between 
what  I  had  taken 
to  be  two  sepa- 
rate bodies,  and 
I  now  saw  that 
the  whole  was 
some  enormous 
monster,  longer 
than  the  Nemesis 
herself,   and   as    flexible   as  a  piece  of  rubber. 

Slowly  and  gracefully  the  curve  was  trans- 
mitted down  its  entire  length,  exactly  like  a 
wave  rolling  to  the  shore.  I  could  see  through 
the  arch  formed  by  the  strange  thing,  but  just 
then  did  not  make  any  careful  observations  as 
to  its  size  and  so  on. 

Fascinated,  I  watched  the  round,  glistening 
body  as  it  emerged  from  the  sea  at  the  tail-end 
and,  after  traversing  the  curve  like  a  huge  cable 
going  round  a  wheel,  plunged  into  the  sea  only 
to  come  to  the  surface  again  a  few  yards  farther 
on  and  add  itself  to  the  comparatively  straight 
"  line  of  life  "  towards  the  head. 

At  length  the  end  appeared  and,  rising  swiftly 
on  the  curve,  straightened  itself  out  with  a  jerk 
and  fell  back  in  the  water  again,  just  as  another 
spiral  formed  itself  behind  where  the  head 
should  be,  and  began  receding  to  the  stern  as 
the  former  one  had  done. 

A  slight  wash  of  foam  was  evident  where  the 
tail  had  re-entered  the  water,  but  otherwise  it 
appeared  to  propel  itself  without  any  effort. 

The  body  generally  was  of  a  greyish-black 
colour ;  but  where  the  Western  sun  shone  on 
the  under-side  of  the  moving,  dripping  arch  it 
sent  out  a  curious  dancing,  dazzling  reflection. 
In  serious  doubts  as  to  the  reliability  of  my 
senses,  I  struck  the  rail  with  my  fist  to  see  if 
my  physical  powers  still  remained. 

I  turned  to  my  third  officer  ;  but  from  the 
remarks  he  was  dropping  unconsciously  I 
gathered  that  he,  too,  was  thinking  hard. 

The  steersman,  like  all  good  sailors,  was 
looking  straight  ahead,  while  I  was  looking  at 
him. 


I    NOW   SAW  THAT     VWV.    WHOLE   WAS   SOME   ENORMOUS   iMONSTER    LONGER    THAN    THp;     'NE.MESiS   '    HERSKI.F. 

AND   AS   FLEXIBLE   AS   A    PIECE    OF    RUBBER." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Perry,"  I  said,  "  we  are  unfortu- 
nate indeed." 

"  How  so,  sir  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Why,  in  seeing  this  monstrous  creature 
which  has  all  the  qualifications  necessary  for  a 
sea-serpent  and  we  won't  be  able  to  prove  it." 

"  Well,  I  reckon  the  man  that  doubts  me  had 
better  for  his  own  good  be  three  or  four  stone 
heavier  than  I  am,"  said  he,  resolutely,  and  I 
thought  the  same. 

Desirous  that  as  many  witnesses  as  possible 
should  be  got,  I  deliberately  rang  up  the  chief 
engineer,  Mr.  Blair,  who  I  knew  was  utterly 
void  of  imagination.  He  was  Scotch,  and 
allowed  for  no  laws  on  earth  other  than  those 
of  cause  and  effect. 

Just  then  excited  voices  from  the  after-deck 
told  me  that  the  passengers  and  all  officers 
who  were  not  on  duty  had  assembled  there  and 
were  watching,  with  various  comments,  the 
movements  of  the  "  Switch-backed  Freak," 
while  sundry  sounds  that  reached  us  from 
forward,  but  which,  alas,  I  dare  not  repeat, 
indicated  that  the  crew  were  intelligently 
speculating  on  the  identity  of  the  extraordinary 
monster. 

"What  do  you  make  it  to  be,  Mr.  Blair?"  T 
said. 

"  A  dinna  ken  ;  but  look  !  look  at  it,  noo  ! " 

A  very  powerful  and  expressive  observation 
from  Mr.  Perry,  in  conjunction  with  a  still  more 
forcible  and  sulphurous  remark  from  the  steers- 
man, added  emphasis  to  Mr.  Blair's  words; 
and  turning  again  to  starboard— I  could  indeed 
hardly  believe  my  own  eyesight. 

The  creature  had  reared  its  head  high  above 


s6S 


11  li:    WlDi:    WOKl.l)     .MAGAZINE. 


the  waters,  and  was  gcnlly  swaying  it  backwards, 
l\)rwards,  and  round  about,  as  if  its  body  were 
composed  of  innumerable  ball-joints. 

A  huge  fin  or  flap  now  shot  out  from  behind 
the  head,  and  circling  in  the  air  threw  itself 
over  tlie  head  and  then  back  at  right  angles  to 
the  still  vertical  neck  !  An  instant  later  and  it 
shaped  itself  into  all  sorts  of  fantastic  forms,  the 
under  part  being  almost  a  pure  white  in  colour. 
Soon,  however,  the  tentacle  began  to  beat  the 
waters  and  the   head  to  move   more  violently. 


vibration  now  ran  through  the  Nemesis  and  Mac 
came  up  again,  saying,  "  She's  gaun  si.\ty-nine 
noo  " — referring,  of  course,  to  the  revolutions  of 
the  engines.  The  monster,  however,  was  now 
just  crossing  only  a  short  distance  ahead ; 
and  recognising  that  the  Nemesis  was  not 
"  Clyde-built  " — although  her  chief  engineer  was 
—and  not  caring  that  my  owners  should  think  I 
altered  the  ship's  course  to  chase  a  mysterious 
monster  of  the  deep,  1  turned  the  ship  round  to 
be  parallel  once  mcjre  and   then   ordered   every- 


r 


'^- 


TURNED    THE   SHIT    ROU.ND   TO    I'.E    r.\HAI.LEI.   ONCK    MOKE,    AND    THKN     OKUKUKU    EVEUYO.NE    1  ()    TAKE    NOTES   AS    TO    THE 

IMMK.NSE   CKE.\1  UHE  S    SiZK,    ETC." 


With  the  glasses  I  could  make  out  a  darker 
shade  of  skin  about  where  one  would  expect  to 
find  eyes  ;  but  in  my  opinion  the  creature  had 
no  eyes,  and  only  at  that  moment  had  become 
aware  of  our  presence  by  some  other  sense. 
The  stewardess  says  she  heard  a  sound  like 
stones  rattling  inside  a  very  resonant  wooden 
box  ;  but  Mac  says  she  .only  heard  the  pumps 
drawing  air.  At  any  rate,  I  myself  heard 
nothing,  and  in  another  second  the  enormous 
monster  was  down  in  the  water  again.  Its 
length  became  corrugated,  and,  like  a  rope 
when  shaken,  the  corrugations  sped  to  the  stern 
and  dissolved. 

When  the  sun  did  not  shine  on  them  the 
curves  looked  oily,  and  suggested,  from  the 
semi-transparent  skin,  that  the  creature  must  be 
built  of  soft,  pulpy  material. 

It  turned  to  cross  our  bows  and  go  seawards, 
so  I  instantly  ordered  the  Nemesis  to  be  laid 
round  to  intercept  it.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Blair 
(whom  we  call  "  Mac "  for  reasons  that  will 
be  known  to  most  people)  had  gone  below,  and 
soon  the  funnel  belched  forth  a  cloud  of 
heavy  smoke,  which  hung  over  the  deck  and 
made  everyone  as  black  as  the  stokers.     A  faint 


one  to  take  notes  as  to  the  immense  creature's 
size,  etc. 

I  had  only  two  passengers  on  board,  one  a 
Mr.  Johnston,  owner  of  the  Shamrock  Hotel,  at 
Geraldton,  West  Australia,  and  the  other  a  Mr. 
Macrae,  of  Sydney.  Both  were  on  deck  with 
the  chief  o.fficer.  Mr.  Johnston  was  greatly 
excited,  but  Mr.  Macrae  took  it  all  as  a  matter 
of  course,  and  calmly  sketched  the  now  swiftly 
moving  creature  whom  we  had  watched  so  long 
and  so  attentively. 

I  laid  the  Nemesis  in  line  myself,  the  chief 
officer  and  Mr.  Johnston  "  marking  off"  at  the 
bows,  while  Mac,  Mr.  Macrae,  and  the  third 
engineer  took  their  observations  at  the  stern. 

The  chief  steward  and  an  assistant,  together 
with  all  the  crew,  save  the  firemen  on  duty,  were 
also  watching. 

^Vhen  the  first  otificer  signalled  to  me  that 
our  bows  were  abreast  I  repeated  to  Mac,  who 
instantly  "  sighted,"  and  reported  that  about 
2oft.  of  the  monster  still  projected  past  the 
Nemesis's  stern.  The  Nemesis  is  273^.  in 
length. 

We  all  gathered  on  the  forepeak  then  and 
estimated    carefullv    the    height  of   the    arches, 


HOW    WE    SAW    THE    "SEA-SERPENT." 


569 


which  was  easily  proved,  as  they  were  short  a 
foot  of  the  deck  on  whicli  we  stood  ;  and  this 
was  1 6ft.  above  water. 

Comparing  it,   then,  with  a  log  of  "  Jarrah " 


sea-seri)ciu,  off  Koltnest  Island,  .so  I  thought  you 

might  have  seen  it  too.    Of  course,  it  all  depends 

on  what  brand  of  whisky  you  use  on  board." 

I  went  over  to  the  Perth,  of  the  Melbourne 

■    Steamship  Company,  and  saw  my  friend 

Captain  Campbell. 

I  gradually  induced  him  to  talk  of     hat 


AS  IHE  SI'IRAI.S  WERE  ROLLI.NG  OFF  QUICKER  THAN  THE  EYE  COUI.D  FOLLOW  THK.M,  I  RELUCTANTLY  ORDKREI)  OUR 

COURSE  TO  HE  SET  ROUND  CAl'E  NA TUKAI.ISTE." 


at    Fremantle,    where 
a  young  fellow   from 


wood,  with  which  all  on  board  were  familiar,  we 
agreed  that  it  was  about  3ft.  6in.  in  diameter,  so 
as  the  creature  was  now  increasing  its  speed,  and 
the  spirals  rolling  off  quicker  than  the  eye  could 
follow  them  without  getting  dazed,  I  reluctantly 
ordered  our  course  to  be  set  round  Cape 
Naturaliste,  and  in  due  course  we  entered 
V'asse  Harbour. 

Eventually   we    arrived 
as  soon  as  we  got  tied  up 
the    Perth    Mortii/ii:; 
Herald  boarded    us 
and  asked  : — 

"  Have  you  seen 
anything  unusual 
this  side  of  Leewin, 
Captain  Thomson  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you 
ask?"  I  said,  for  I 
cannot  stand  chaff, 
and  could  not  under- 
stand how  news  could 
come  quicker  than 
we  did  ourselves. 

"Oh, well, you  see, 
Captain  Campbell, 
of  the  ss.  Perth,  has 
just  got  in,  and  he 
reports  having  seen  a 

Vol.  vi.--66. 


CAF'  I  AI\ 

]•  I'oin  (■ 


'  MAC    '   ON   THF.    BRinGF.    OF 
GRAFTON    WHARF,    SYDNEY. 


he  had  seen.  To  cut  it  short,  we  compared  notes 
and  found  that  our  observations  agreed  in  every 
detail.  He,  his  officers,  passengers,  and  crew 
had  also  seen  the  extraordinary  monster  off 
Rottnest  Island,  about  eighty  miles  north  of 
Vasse,  twehe  hours  after  we  had  seen  it,  and 
while  we  were  in  Vasse  Harbour.  Captain 
Campbell  is  one  of  the  best-known  skippers  on 
this  coast,  and,  as  he  sorrowfully  told  me,  his 
word  had  never  been  doubted  before. 

He  thinks  the 
creature  must  have 
been  thrown  up  from 
some  great  depth  by 
one  of  those  sub- 
marine eruptions 
which,  round  the 
"  Leewin,"  are  pretty 
frequent  —  as  we 
coasters  know. 

I  have  not  the 
ability  to  handle 
words  as  I  should 
like  —  and  therefore 
request  any  curious 
or  doubting  ones  to 
refer  to  any  of  the 
persons  mentioned 
in  the  article. 


NEMESIS        LN 
[/'/lOtO. 


My   Pilgrimage    to   Guadalupe. 


By  (jIi.rert  Cim'YNGHAM  Terry. 

Mr.  Terry  and  his  wife  are  already  known  to  "  Wide  World  "  readers  by  reason  of  their 
pleasant  illustrated  papers  on  Mexican  life  and  manners,  with  which  they  are  so  intimately 
acquainted.      The    following   article    describes   a  visit    to    the  "  Mecca  of   Mexico,"    and    is     aptly 

illustrated   with    photographs. 


T  is  the  1 2th  of  September,  other- 
wise "Guadalupe  Day";  and  all 
the  world  and  his  wife — not  to 
mention  the  children  and  l)urros 
(donkeys) — seem  travelling  in  herds 
and  shoals  along  the  broad  white  road,  as  we 
ourselYes  join  the  throng,  on  a  "pilgrimage  to 
(luadalupe." 

Ciuadalupe,  as  you  must  know,  is  the  "  holiest 
place  in  all  Mexico."  To  the  Republic  of 
Mexico  she  is  what  Mecca  is  to  the  followers 
of  Mahomet,  or  Jerusalem  to  the  Jews  ! 
And  Guadalupe  is  no  new  shrine  :  far 
from  it.  Nearly  four  hundred  years  ago 
(so  the  legend  goes)  the  Virgin  appeared 
there  to  a  poor  Indian,  through  whom 
she  commanded  the  Bishop  of  that  day 
to  build  a  temple  in  her  honour.  On 
the  spot  where  she  stood  for  a  brief 
moment  a  wonderful,  all-healing  spring 
gushed  forth,  and  it  is  to  that  same 
spring  that  thousands  of  people  are  now^ 
making  their  pilgrimage.  Some  are 
journeying  in  easy  manner  by  street-cars 
(for  Guadalupe  is  distant  from  the 
capital  City  of  Mexico  only  three  or 
four  miles).  Others  are  driving  out 
in  red,  blue,  or  yellow-flag  carriages, 
while  the  vast  majority  of  poor  people 
and  Indians  are  using  the  cheaper 
conveyance  of  their  own  legs.  Some, 
indeed,  in  fulfilment  of  some  vow  or 
penance  make  the  pilgrimage  on  their 
knees. 

To  all  these  devoted  ones — yea, 
even  to  their  fathers  and  great-grand- 
fathers— the  miracle  of  "  La  Virgen's  " 
appearance  is  a  thing  of  absolute  know- 
ledge and  faith.  To  us,  enlightened 
Saxons  of  the  twentieth  century,  it  is 
a  different  matter. 

To-day,  one  is  told  that  no  t"ewer 
than  ten  thousand  persons  —  mostly 
Indians — are  en  route  to  "La  Villa"; 
and  as  one  struggles  along  with 
the  packed  mass  that  disentangles 
itself  from  cars  and  coaches,  one 
can  well  believe  it  —  there  is  barely 
room  to  step, 

1  he  plaza  and  open  space  m  front  oi        From  a] 


the  great  new  cathedral  are  packed  with  many 
small  tents  and  booths,  full  of  innumerable 
toothsome  articles  :  there  is  an  odour  of 
frying  tortillas  and  cheese,  not  to  mention 
garlic.  Various  vendors  pursue  you  with  wild 
entreaties  to  purchase  "  helados "  (ices) ;  and 
others  harangue  you  upon  the  absolute  necessity 
of  your  purchasing,  at  exorbitant  prices,  such 
articles  as  rosaries,  bottles,  or  pottery  ducks 
filled  with  holy  water,  "  with  which  all 
enfermedades  can  be  averted,  patron." 


AND  OPEN    SPACE   IN    FRONT  i/i-     I  HK  i.,A  1  HKDK aI.    AKh    lACKKDUlTH 
MANV   SMALL   TENTS    AND    BOOTHS."  [Phofo. 


MY    PILGRIMAGE    TO    GUADALUPE. 


571 


NOT     FAR    KROM    THE   CATHEDRAL    DOOR   GAMBLING- 
TABLES,       ROULE1TE,      AND      OTHER       MONEY  -  LOSING 
F>Om  a]        DEVICES  ARE  IN  FULL  SWING."  [P/toto. 

Bands  are  playing  away  gaily  near 
by,  making  very  pleasant  music;  while 
not  far  from  the  cathedral  door  itself 
gambling -tables,  roulette,  and  other 
money-losing  devices  are  in  full  swing. 
The  peons  being  born  gamblers  these 
latter  attractions  are  well  patronized. 
At  one  of  the  roulette-tables  both  boys 
and  men,  a  Mexican  gentleman,  and 
numerous  manta-clad  peons  and  car- 
gadores  are  "  hitting  the  wheel  "  with 
much  eagerness ;  one  hears  a  poor 
Juan  Cargador  lamenting  the  loss 
thereon  of  his  only  twelve  cents. 

The  din  is  tremendous  outside  of 
the  church,  and,  tiring  of  it,  you  fight 
your  way  into  the  cathedral  itself. 
Here  a  desultory  sort  of  Mass  is  going 
on,  and  only  a  few  kneeling  figures  dot 
the  great  stone  floor,  so  you  have 
opportunity  and  space  in  which  to  look 
about. 

All  modern,  up-to-date  cathedrals 
are  more  or  less  alike,  and  the  present 
cathedral  at  Guadalupe  is  not  strik- 
ing  in   any  way,  save  for  tlie  richness 


of  its  appointments  and  the  precious 
picture  of  the  Virgin,  which,  in  a  magnifi- 
cent plate-glass  cover,  reposes  on  one  of 
the  principal  altars.  Here,  by  the  way, 
was  once  guarded  the  Virgin's  magnificent 
crown,  a  fabulously  rich  mass  of  jewels  ; 
but  one  is  told  that,  for  fear  of  loss,  it  is 
now  guarded  elsewhere. 

As  regards  the  miraculous  picture  itself, 
one  sees  merely  a  meek,  oval-faced  woman 
of  purely  Spanish  cast  of  countenance,  her 
hands  folded  on  her  breast,  eyes  piously 
downcast,  and  with  a  blue  mantle,  dotted 
with  stars,  cast  about  her. 

This  picture  of  the  Virgin  is  not  only 
the  object  of  religious  veneration  through- 
out Mexico,  she  is  also  the  country's  patron 
saint,  and  "  La  Virgen  de  (kiadalupe  "'  was 
the  battle-cry  of  the  rebel  Mexicans  who 
overthrew  Spanish  and  foreign  rule.      For 


"TUUNING    AU-AV    FROM    THE 
From  a]      CHAPEL  OF  the 


CA1  H 
WELL 


EOKAL     0X1: 
NEAR    THE    !■ 


lOT   OF    THE    HIM 


5  7- 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


this  tlouLilc  ivason  .she  of  Ciuadulupc  is  sttonL;ly 
planted  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Mexico. 

Turning  away  from  the  cathedral  one  comes 
to  the  lovely  little  chapel  of  the  well  near  the 
foot  of  the  "  Hill  Tepeyacac."  Standing  to-day 
just  as  it  did  many  years  ago,  untouched  by  the 
paint-brush  and  improvers,  this  chapel  is  the 
most  exquisite  of  all  (>uadalu[)e's  buildings.  It 
was  built  directly  over  that  spring  which  gushed 
out  under  the  Virgin's  footsteps,  and  con- 
gregated both  about  the  spring  inside  and  the 
door  itself  you  will  note  many  hundreds  of 
people— the  sick,  halt,  lame,  and  blind — who 
are  struggling  toward  the  water  which  they 
believe  will  cure  all  ills  of  body  and  mind.  To 
my  mind,  it  is  very  pathetic  to  watch  the 
ignorant  Indians  who  have  perhaps  travelled 
many  weary  leagues,  just  to  drink  a  little  of  this 


hours  and  days.  "It  is  tiresome  to  wait  so 
long,  yes, '  an  old,  white-haired  man  confesses  to 
me,  "  but  soon  one  will  have  the  l)lessed  water, 
and  then  !  " 

Were  there  ever  any  cures  made  ?  People 
say  so.  though  one  may  be  excused  for  being 
doubtful  on  the  subject.  The  water  itself  is  a 
strong  mineral  one,  and  this  fact  may  account 
for  some  cures.  And  there  is  a  great  deal 
in  the  faith  cure  any  way,  even  when  applied  to 
a  su[)erstitious  Indian. 

At  any  rate,  their  faith  in  the  wonderful  water 
is  as  strong  now  as  it  was  four  hundred  years 
ago,  and  you  will  see  the  peons  drinking  it, 
laving  in  it,  and  bottling  up  supplies  to  carry 
back  with  them  to  their  far-off  sierra  or  mountain 
homes. 

From   the  miraculous  spring  and  the  chapel 


KROM   THE   SPRING   AND  THE  CHAPEL  A   BEAUTIFUL,    CRUMBLING  OLD   STAIRWAY   LEADS    UP   TO  THt;   liXTRAOKDLNAKY   STONE   SAILS.' 

Frcvt  a  Photo,  hy  C.  D.  ]l'aitc,  Mexico  City. 


black  (and  particularly  nasty  ! )  water,  in  the 
firm  belief  that  health  and  happiness  will 
thereby  be  won  again. 

The  spring  itself  is  walled  about  by  iron 
railings,  and  outside  these  railings  stand  or  lie 
(according  to  their  bodily  condition)  sick 
pilgrims,  who  are  awaiting  their  chance  to  drink, 
'i'here  are  wrinkled  old  men  and  women,  whose 
trembling  hands  hold  out  pottery  vessels  for  the 
reception  of  the  miraculous  water  ;  people, 
young  android  too,  who  are  sick  of  varied 
diseases,  cdrable  and  incurable,  and  many 
wizened,  prematurely  aged  children,  whose 
patient,  worn  faces  give  one  a  heartache.  Here 
at  the  water's  edge  they  await  their  turn  during 


built  over  it  a  beautifui,  crumbling  old  stairway 
leads  up  the  hill  to  the  extraordinary  stone  sails 
and  the  chapel  of  the  hill.  And  these  things, 
through  not  an  essential  part  of  the  pilgrimage, 
it  is  as  well  for  us  to  see. 

Almost  at  the  top  of  the  stairway,  worn  and 
crumbling  from  time  and  the  millions  of  feet 
that  have  trod  it,  one  sees  the  huge  stone  sails, 
placed  here  many  years  ago  by  mariners  who 
professed  to  have  been  saved  from  shipwreck 
only  by  the  power  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe. 
In  token  of  their  gratitude  to  her  they  labori- 
ously brought  the  .sails  of  their  vessel,  incased 
in  heavy  stone,  to  the  Virgin's  shrine,  and  here 
thev   are  to   the  present  dav.      And,  while  one 


MY    PILGRIMAGE    TO    GUADALUPE. 


cannot  but  smile  at  the  mariners'  lack  of 
common  sense,  their  faith,  superstition,  or  what- 
ever you  like  to  call  it,  must  certainly  liave  been 


cemeteries  !     Instead,  we 

littL      ■ 


great. 


Passing  on  upward  from  the  sails  you  come 
to  the  "chapel  of  the  little  hill  "—the  same 
worn   little  temple 


that  was   built  on 

the    spot    where 

Juan     Diego     cut 

roses    from    the 

barren  rock  where 

flowers   never   be- 
fore or  since  have 

grown.       T  h  e 

crumbling    little 

chapel,      dignified 

and    beautiful     in 

its    old    age    and 

lack  of  paint  (like 

many    elderly 

women  !),  is  more 

than    worth    look- 
ing at,  even  though 

iiiteriorly   there    is 

merely     a     faded, 

blue -domed  ceil- 
ing and  some  good 
and  some  queer 
paintings  of  the  old 
Spanish  school. 
To-day — tJie  Day 
of  La  Virgen — it 
is  deserted  save 
for  a  toothless, 
hairless,  tattered 
old  peon,  who  is 
m  u  m  b  1  i  n  g  his 
prayers  under  a 
sacred  painting. 
A  few  small  pink 
candles  flicker  in 
the  faint  breeze, 
and  the  caretaker's 
cat  stalks  in  dig- 
nified fashion  about  the  altar.  The  people 
you  see  are  worshipping  in  the  big  new  cathe- 
dral below  the  hill:  this  little  old  chapel  has 
served  its  turn,  they  think.  There  are  even 
few  flowers  about — merely  a  bunch  of  yellow 
marigolds  that  someone  has  carefully  placed  at 
the  feet  of  a  thorn-crowned  Christ  — that  is  all  ! 

At  the  back  of  this  deserted  chapel  is  the 
great  cemetery  of  Guadalupe,  where  lie  buried 
old  General  Santa  Ana  and  many  other  famous 
men  of  Mexico.  It  looks  beautiful  and  peace- 
ful, with  its  magnificent  white  tombs  and  many 
trees  and  flowers  ;  but  one  may  sometimes  be 
excused     from   visits    to,     or    descriptions    of, 


THIS    I'HOTOGKAPH   SHOWS   THE  "  STONE   SAILS  "  (tHE   ONLY  ONES    IN   THE  WORLD) 
ERECTED    BY  THE  GRATEFUL    MARINERS. 

From  a  Photo,  by  C.   B.   IVaite,   Mexico  City. 


573 

prefer  to  go  back  to 
our  little  chapel  of  the  hill,  and  from  there  take 
a  long  survey  ot  the  very  magnificent  view  that 
IS  to  be  had,  taking  in,  as  it  does,  the  little 
town  of  Guadalupe  below  us  :  the  inany-coloured 
shifting  crowd,  the  beautiful  meadows  beyond! 

and  their  exquisite 
backing  of  purple 
mountains  and 
silvery  lakes.  It 
was  Humboldt,  I 
think,  who  descri- 
bed this  same 
vista  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in 
the  world. 

Here  one  looks 
down    over    the 
red-tiled,  flat  roofs 
of    the    City    of 
Guadalupe,      with 
its   sparkling, 
Moorish- tiled 
church  domes  and 
quaint  white  stair- 
way,   to    the    far- 
stretching,  velvety 
meadows,     dotted 
over    with     peace- 
fully-feeding cows, 
goats,  and  patient 
little     burros  — 
allowed    on      this 
Day  of  the  Virgin 
at    least    twelve 
hours'    rest  !     Ee- 
yond    these    mea- 
dows    the      lakes 
shim  m  e  r     and 
gleam  out   at    the 
feet    of    tall,    pro- 
tecting  mountains 
that,    under  the 
changing    lights, 
look      sometimes 
green,  then  purple,  and  afterwards  black.     Scat- 
tered about,  on  the  banks  of  innumerable  little 
canals  or  irrigating  streams,  in  which  naked  brown 
babies  are  splashing  and  playing,  are  the  greyish 
yellow  huts  of  the  simple  peons,  densely  draped 
now  during  "  the  time  of  the  waters"  with  pink 
and    scarlet  -  flowered   creepers.      And   straight 
through  all  this  passes  the  flat,  hard,  white  road, 
worn  hard  and  smooth   by  the  feet  of  the  faith- 
ful on  its  way  to  the  dimly-seen  City  of  Mexico, 
whose  tall  cathedral  spires  and  beautiful  church 
domes    stand    out    like   playthings  of  glittering 
silver  kissed   by   the  sun,  against  the   brilliant 
blue  of  the  Mexican  skv. 


174 


THE    WIDE    WORED    MAGAZINE. 


"one    looks    DOWX    over    the    red-tit  ED    FLAT    HOOFS   OF    THE   CITY   OF    GUADALUPE." 

Frotn  a  Photo,  by  C.  B.  Il'atti;  Mexko  City. 


The  colouring  is  so  exquisite,  and  the  view  so 
entrancingly  beautiful,  that  even  after  hours  of 
silent  admiration  you  find  it  difficult  to  tear 
yourself  away  from  this  view  and  go  down  the 
hot,  white  stairway.  Now  you  pass  ascending 
groups  of  pilgrims  :  women  who  are  industriously 
making,  on  the  very  stairs  themselves,  funny 
sweet  little  cakes  called  "gorditas."  There  are 
also  lazy,  lounging  men  in  clean  white  clothes 
and  scarlet  tilmas,  with  huge  sombreros  drawn 
down  over  their  mysterious  black  eyes ;  and 
there  are  many  groups  of  blanketed  brown 
Indians,  with  bare,  guarached  feet  and  heavy 
packs  on  their  backs,  who  stare  in  astonish- 
ment and  dislike  at  the  "  white-faced  foreigners," 
and  mutter  dark  sayings  to  each  other  in 
guttural,  unknown  dialects. 

Behind  the  cathedral — -and  we  must  take  it 
in  on  our  way  to  the  tram — is  the  camping- 
ground  of  the  many  Indians  who  have 
walked  on  foot,  with  their  babies  and 
burros,  to  Guadalupe.  A  queer,  stolid- 
faced,  brown  people  they  are ;  and  as  you 
thread  about  among  them  you  wonder  whether 
these  half-savage,  tawny  people  are  really  here 
to  worship. 


Some  of  these  Indians  have  tents — more 
have  not.  But  all  of  them  have  built  unto 
themselves  small  fires,  on  which  they  are  cook- 
ing queer  Indian  food,  and  frying  things  in  hot, 
smelly  lard.  The  women,  of  course,  do  the 
work,  while  their  lords  lounge  indifferently  by, 
and  the  fat,  dimpled,  brown  babies  sprawl 
everywhere,  sometimes  getting  into  the  fire, 
and  often  getting  walked  on,  to  their  seeming 
indifference  !  Then,  at  night,  all  of  them  sleep 
on  the  bare-  ground,  sometimes  with  a  blanket 
for  covering,  oftener  not.  But  they  do  not 
seem  to  mind.  They  stolidly  eat  their  humble 
food  ;  say  their  prayers  ;  pack  the  babies  on 
their  backs  ;  and,  lastly,  fold  their  tents,  if  they 
have  them,  and,  like  the  Arabs,  steal  silently 
away.  They  may  have  several  hundred  miles 
to  go,  but  what  of  that  ?  For  they  have  made 
the  pilgrimage  to  Guadalupe,  and  what  does 
anything  else  matter  ? 

We  have  done  likewise,  for  that  matter,  but 
as  we  seat  ourselves  in  a  comfortable,  twentieth- 
century  tram-car  we  thank  our  lucky  stars  that 
we  at  least  have  only  half  an  hour's  quick  ride, 
instead  of  many  days'  walking,  on  our  return 
from  a  pilgrimage  to  Guadalupe  ! 


This  lady  relates  a  tragi-comic  experience  she   had  whilst  acting  as  nurse  in  one  of  Dr.  Barnardo's 

splendid  institutions.     This  particular  home  was  known  as  "  Babies'  Castle,"  and,  from  the  photographs 

and  sidelights  of  Mrs.  Adam's  text,  it  is  evidently  a  delightful  place  to  visit. 


SHAL 

never, 
It  was 
thing 
was 
frozen  up  for  three 
icy  months,  when 
the  sea-gulls  were 
fed  on  the  solid 
Thames  from 
Blackfriars  Bridge, 
and  when  the 
London  'bus- 
drivers  dropped 
off  their  seats, 
frozen  to  death. 

The  cold  was 
something  intense. 
It  was  impossible 
to  keep  warm,  even 
with  blazing  fires, 
but  at  Babies' 
Castle  we  had  no 
fires,  nothing  but 
liateful,  lukewarm 
steam  pipes,  and 
over  at  the  Nurses' 
Home,  Hillside, 
where  we  slept,  we 
were  still  colder. 
Water  spilt  on  the 
floor  froze  as  it 
fell,  the  ink  froze 
in  our  ink-bottles, 
and  we   wrote   in 


,L  never  forget  that  winter — 
not  if  I  li\e  to  be  a  hundred, 
the  year  of  1894,  when  every- 


pencil.  The  oil  froze  i 
and  we  had  to  burn 
cheerful  surroundings 


THE   AUTHORESS,    MRS.    H.    ADAM,    WHO    NOW    HAS    A    liABV   OF    HEK    OWN 

From  a  Photo,  by  James  Ewing,  Aberdeen. 


n  our  little  paraffin  lamps, 
candles.       Amid    these 

nearly  twenty  of  us  rose 
every  morning  at  a 
quarter  to  six,  "  to 
proceed  without 
delay,  on  the  duties 
of  the  day." 

Babies'  Castle, 
I  should  tell  you, 
is  one  of  Dr.  Bar- 
nardo's institutions 
for  orphan  and 
destitute  children 
— none  of  them 
over  five  years  old. 
When  they  got 
beyond  that  age 
they  were  boarded 
out  or  sent  to 
some  of  the  other 
institutions  ;  here 
we  had  only  the 
babies.  Tlie  place 
was  presided  o\"cr 
by  a  matron,  Sister 
Alice,  who  had  all 
the  knowledge  of 
the  modern  school 
joined  to  the 
necessary  severity 
of  the  older  type 
of  that  genus. 
Under  her  were 
several     head 


57' 


THE     WlDl'     WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


peril  a] 


)S 


nurses,   one  for  each  room,  averaging 
twenty  children. 

Each  head  nurse  had  in  her  charge  one  or 
two  probationer  nurses,  and  that  was  where  we 
came  in  ;  the  peculiar  advantage  of  this  institu- 
tion being  that  probationers  were  taken  from 
seventeen  years  of  age  upwards  to  twenty-one. 
No  children's  hospital  would  take  in  girls  so 
\oung,  therefore  Babies'  Castle  opened  its 
doors,  and  intimated  that  we  could  come  for  a 
year,  and  work  very  hard  in  return  for  our 
board  and  lodging.  I  don't  know  that  it  did  us 
much  good  ;  at  least,  it  did  us  no  harm,  and  our 
training  here,  such  as  it  was,  made  it  an  easier 
matter  to  get  into  an  hospital  afterwards. 

We  had  a  resident  lady  doctor  from  Edin- 
burgh, who  devoted  a  good  deal  of  her  time  to 
study  for  a  higher  degree.  Every  morning  she 
went  round  the  institution 
with  Sister,  and  spent  half 
an  hour  or  so  in  the  small 
hospital  ward,  "Mar- 
garita," as  it  was  called, 
in  memory  of  some  little 
one.  Here  there  were  a 
fewpermanent  inmates,  as 
one  might  say — children 
not  able  to  rough  it  with 
a  lot  of  others  ;  and  if  any 
of  the  youngsters  were 
ailing  they  were  brought 
down  to  the  hospital  until 
they  grew  better.  If  Sister 
were  out  when  visitors 
called  Doctor  would  see 
them  and  show  them  over 
the  place,  and  I  have 
even  known  her  to  read 
prayers    in    the    evening,        From  a  rhoto.  by\ 


but    licr  duties  were    cer- 
tainly not  arduous. 

Once  she  went  away  for 
a  long  holiday,  and  we 
had  a  little  English  doctor 
for  lociiiii  teneiis.  She  wore 
her  hair  cut  short,  and 
she  also  wore  eye-glasses. 
Moreover,  she  actually 
rode  a  bicycle  (quite  a 
novelty  in  those  day.s,  re- 
member !),  and  she  con- 
tinually smoked  cigarettes, 
which  she  made  herself 
Altogether  she  was  a 
thorough  New  Woman — 
but  couldn't  she  work, 
though  !  We  had  a  terrible 
outbreak  of  ophthalmia, 
and  she  did  the  work  of 
two  men  until  she  also  took  it ;  but  that,  as 
Kipling  would  say,  is  another  story. 

What  with  servants  and  older  girls  from  the 
other  institutions,  who  assisted  in  the  nurseries, 
there  was  a  very  large  domestic  staff,  and  these 
were  superintended  by  Miss  Emerson,  the 
under- matron,  a  most  efficient  and  capable 
young  woman.  The  male  staff  consisted  of 
Durgan,  the  engineer  who  looked  after  the 
furnace,  workshop,  etc.,  and  Hovenden,  the 
groom,  who  looked  after  Sister's  pony  and  trap 
aiid  the  donkey  Jubilee,  who  was  presented  to 
the  institution  along  with  a  low,  specially-built 
carriage  to  take  out  the  sickly  children  and 
young  babies.  Both  these  men  were  married, 
and  lived  in  cottages  some  distance  away. 

Babies'  Castle  is  situated  in  the  Weald  of 
Kent,  in  a  rather  lonely  spot  ;  there  is  a  small 


i-.\  KMXli    l'I;.\VEI 


li:CK    NO'RSERV. 


[/■:;!;o/t  6-^  Fry. 


THE    BURGLAR    AT 

village  called  Hawkhurst  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  away,  but  we  had  no  immediate  neighbours 
of  any  description.  It  was  certainly  a  rather 
eerie  place  at  night,  all  surrounded  by  woods  : 
and  I  do  not  think  night  duty  was  much  liked 
by  any  of  the  nurses.  Any  way,  I  know  that 
Nurse  Florence  and  I  felt  it  rather  a  hardship 
when,  a  week  before  Christmas,  Sister  put  us  on 
night  duty. 

At  first  it  was  all  right,  for  Nurse  Ashford,  a 
head  nurse,  who  had  been  some  years  there, 
took  the  long-clothes  babies  and  helped  us  with 
the  hospital  work.  But  two  days  later,  when  we 
rose  for  our  seven  o'clock  breakfast,  we  heard 
that  a  telegram  had  come  for  Nurse  Ashford, 
telling  her  that  her  brother  was  dying,  and  she 
had  gone  at  once. 

After  prayers  Sister  sent  for  us  and  said  that, 
what  with   illness  and   Christmas   holidays,  the 
staff  was  very   short-handed,   and   she   couldn't 
spare  an   older   nurse  to  assist  us 
for  that  night.     Could  we  manage 
at  all,  as  none  of  the  children  were 
very  ill  ? 

Plorence  had  been  in  Babies' 
Castle  longer  than  I  had,  and  had, 
moreover,  previously  been  on  night 
duty  for  a  month  ;  but  she  was 
only  seventeen  and  I  was  a  year 
older.  We  said  we  thought  we 
could  make  out,  and  as  we  took 
u[)  our  hurricane  lanterns,  with 
which  we  made  our  rounds,  Sister 
said  : — 

"  Well,  you  do  look  a  very  fragile 
little  couple  to  have  all  the  respon- 
sibility of  this  place  on  your  shoul- 
ders. I  must  arrange  some  help 
for  you  to-morrow  night  ;  meanwhi 
the  children  cry  !  " 

A  hundred  babies,  ten  of  them  ailing,  eight 
or  nine  in  long  clothes,  and  we  weren't  to  let 
them  cry  !  I  am  married  now,  and  have  one 
little  girl  of  my  own,  who  sometimes  rouses  the 
whole  household  at  night,  even  when  she  is 
quite  well ;  and,  therefore,  all  things  considered, 
I  look  back  upon  our  achievements  at  the  Castle 
as  something  approaching  the  miraculous. 

Sister  had  her  rooms  in  the  main  building  — 
her  sitting-room  downstairs  and  her  bedroom 
upstairs.  She  was  a  very  light  sleeper,  and  heard 
every  sound.  If  a  child  cried  for  half  a  minute 
she  rang  her  bell  to  know  the  reason  why,  and 
it  took  a  brave  woman  to  answer  that  bell. 

"  Isn't  she  a  terror  ?  "  said  Florence,  as  we 
went  upstairs  to  see  after  the  little  babies  first ; 
"  it's  sinful  to  leave  us  alone  like  this.  I  am 
sure  she  could  have  spared  a  nurse  if  she  had 
wanted  to." 

Vol.  vi.-67. 


BABIES'    CASTLE 
I   said  ; 


577 


won't    we    have    an    awful 


NURSE  KLOUKiNCE,  WHO       HAD  BEEN 

LONGER  IN   '  babies'  CA.STLE  ' 

THAN  I  HAD.." 

From  a  Photo. 


"  Yes, 
time?" 

We  arranged  that  I  would  help  her  in  the 
babies'  room  and  she  would  help  me  in  the 
hospital,  dividing  the  rest  of  the  house  between 
us,  so  that  as  far  as  possible  we  might  be 
together. 

Everyone  liked  the  babies'  room,  probably 
because,  with  the  exception  of  Sister's  room 
and  the  hospital,  it  possessed  the  only  open  fire 
in  the  house.  There  was  also  a  small  kitchen 
attached  to  it,  with  a  stove  for  heating  the 
youngsters'  milk.  It  was  now  time  for  some  of 
the  feeding-bottles  to  go  round,  so  we  started  to 
fill  them.  What  suited  Harry  would  not  have 
done  for  little  Carl ;  and  to  give  Cicely's  bottle 
to  Gladys  would  have  raised  a  revolution.  Some 
got  plain  milk  and  water;  some  got  peptonized 
milk  ;  Carl  had  JMellin's  Food  ;  Edgar  had  Allen 
and  Hanburys',  and  so  on.  All  the  quantities 
were  written  down  in  the  day-book, 
and  it  wa.s,  comparatively  speaking, 
easy. 

A\'hen  we  were  nearly  done  I 
heard  a  wail  from  the  hospital,  and 
rushed  down  to  find  that  Curly,  ? 
tiny  cripple,  was  wanting  a  drink. 
After  I  had  comforted  him  and 
seen  that  nothing  else  was  needed 
for  the  moment  there  I  took  u[) 
my  lantern  to  look  if  all  the 
downstairs  children  were  sleeping 
quietly.  All  the  lamps  were,  of 
course,  put  out,  and  we  had  only 
the  lights  we  carried. 

I  had  gone  through  two  rooms, 
and  was  going  along  to  another, 
when   I   discovered  that  the  door 

Looking 
m,  I  .saw  to  my  horror  that  the  long  French 
window  was  also  wide  open  !  I  hurried 
upstairs  to  Florence,  who  was  distributing 
her  various  bottles,  and  told  her  the  ominous 
news.  As  soon  as  she  had  finished  we  went 
down  together.  The  window  opened  on  the 
garden,  or  rather  playground,  at  the  back  of  the 
house,  which  was  surrounded  by  a  low  hedge,  on 
the  farther  side  of  which  ran  a  lonely  dark  lane, 
and  l)eyond  that  there  were  woods. 

"  We  must%\\wi  that  window,"  I  said  ;  "anyone 
could  see  it  was  open  from  the  lane  and  come 
in.     That  stupid  Bessie  has  forgotten  it." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Florence,  "she  gets  stupider 
every  day,  that  girl.  I  don't  know  why  Sister 
doesn't  get  a  new  housemaid." 

Neither  of  us  cared  very  much   to  go  in,  but 
finally,  as  I  was  oldest,  I  marched   in   and  shut 
the  window.     As  I  turned  to  come  back  I  dis 
tinctlv  heard  a  movement  beneath  the  sofa,  and 


le,   don't  let         of    Sister's    sitting-room    was    open. 


578 


11 II.    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


like  lightning  I  was  outside  and   had   the  door 


locked. 

"  Florence  !  "  I  panted, 


there's  a  burglar  in 


there — whatever  shall  we  do  ?  " 

A  courageous  woman  would  have  gone  in 
again  and  boldly  confronted  the  danger,  but  we 
didn't  pretend  to  be  courageous ;  we  were  only 
two  white-faced,  nervous  girls,  alone  in  a  big, 
dark,  eerie  house,  with  the  responsibility  of  a 
hundred  children  on  our  frail  shoulders. 

"  What  can  we  do  ?  "  whispered  little  Florence. 
'•  I  am  awfully  frightened,  and,  oh !  there's  a  baby 
crying — Edgar,  I  think."  And  we  ran  upstairs 
to  the  more  cheerful  babies'  room. 


informed  her ;  but  probably  slie  considered  we 
had  sufficient  to  do,  and  so  did  not  ring  that 
night.  Otherwise  I  would  not  have  deliberately 
wakened  her  unless  the  house  were  on  fire,  and 
under  the  circumstances  most  probably  I  would 
not  have  done  it  deliberately  then. 

Doctor  had  her  sitting-room  and  bedroom 
both  upstairs,  but  she  also  had  an  aversion  to 
being  disturbed  in  the  night.  If  only  Miss 
Emerson  had  slept  here  !  She  was  the  very 
woman  for  the  emergency — frightened  at  nothing 
in  the  world  except  Sister.  But  she  was  over 
at  Hillside,  and  so  were  all  the  other  nurses 
who   could    have    helped    us.      Some   of    the 


NOO.NDAV   SLEEP   IN    THE   TECK    NURSERY   AT    "  BAl'.lES'    CASTLE." 

From  a  Photo,  hy  Elliott  a'  Fry. 


The  small  Edgar  had  lost  hold  of  his  bottle, 
and  was  immediately  appeased  by  getting  it  in 
his  mouth  again.  Then  we  stood  beside  the 
fire-guard  to  discuss  what  would  be  best  to  do. 

To  begin  with.  Babies'  Castle  didn't  seem  to 
offer  much  advantage  to  a  burglar — unless, 
indeed,  he  wanted  babies,  and  we  could  have 
spared  a  few  of  them  nicely.  But,  then,  every 
month  money  was  sent  to  Sister  from  head- 
quarters with  which  to  pay  the  nurses  and 
servants  and  to  settle  the  bills.  With  Christmas 
so  close  at  hand  this  needed,  perhaps,  a  larger 
sum  than  usual.  And  then,  there  was  always 
the  box  for  visitors'  contributions  which  stood 
in  the  hall. 

It  never  occurred  to  us  to  rouse  Sister  and 
tell  her.  If  she  had  rung  her  bell  and  asked 
me  to  make  her  a  cup  of  tea,  as  now  and 
again  she  did  to  Nurse  Ashford,  I  would  have 


servants  did  have  cubicles  at  the  back  of  the 
main  building,  but  they  were  of  the  stupid  and 
hysterical  order,  and  would  have  been  of  no 
earthly  use. 

At  last  we  agreed  to  do  nothing  but  wait  till 
morning,  in  the  hope  that  the  burglar,  finding 
the  door  locked,  would  undo  the  window  and 
go  out  again.  Of  course  there  v^'as  always  the 
chance  that  he  might  find  another  one  open, 
and  how  we  did  anathematize  the  careless 
Bessie,  to  be  sure.  At  midnight  the  mail-cart 
went  thundering  by — the  only  sound  through 
the  darkness  to  remind  us  that  there  was  a 
world  outside,  where  other  people  also  had  to 
work  through  the  night. 

Then  one  of  the  older  children— he  was  only 
two  and  a  half — began  to  cry  ;  it  was  dear  little 
Leslie.  I  gave  him  a  biscuit,  and  he  dropped 
to  sleep  again  with  it  clenched  in  his  chubby 


THE    BURGLAR    AT    BABIES'    CASTLE. 


579 


hand.  When  the  babies  were  all  quiet  Florence 
came  down  to  me,  and  we  went  along  to  the 
hospital.  To  reach  this  we  had  to  pass  that 
locked  door  ;  and  once  more  we  heard  a  curious 
scuffling  sound.  How  we  survived  that  night  I 
don't  know.     I  am  sure  it  aged  me  ten  years. 

At  three  o'clock  more  bottles  had  to  be  filled 
and  another  complete  round  made.  Then 
another  child  would  waken  somewhere,  and 
have  to  be  attended  to  and  pacified ;  or  a 
restless  baby  in  the  hospital  would  cry  for  a 
drink,  and  so  the  dragging  hours  of  the  long 
night  wore  on. 

But, 

Be  the  day  short,  or  be  the  day  long, 
At  length  it  ringeth  to  evensong. 

And  at  length  the  welcome  morning  hours  came. 
At  half- past  five,  with  a  shawl  over  my  thin 
print  dress,  my  lantern  in  my  hand,  like  Lucy 
Gray,  and  my  heart  in  my  mouth,  1  unlocked 
our  back  door,  and  leaving  Florence — for  we 
didn't  dare  to  both  leave  the  house  all  alone — 
ran  in  the  thickly -falling  snow  through  the 
grounds  to  Hillside. 

It  was  a  good  bit  away — indeed,  had  been 
once  on  a  different  property,  but  there  was  a 
gate  through  the  hedge.  I  was  always  nervous 
about  coming  over  in  the  dark  mornings  alone 
to  waken  the  others,  but  never  so  frightened  as 
now,  when  at  every  shrub  I  expected  to  see  a 
figure  rise  in  front  of  me.  We  kept  the  key,  and 
I  unlocked  their  door  with  tremendous  relief. 
I  wakened  the  maids,  a  matter  of  considerable 
difficulty,  and  it  was  then  their  duty  to  rouse 
the  nurses  at  a  quarter  to  six. 

I  ran  upstairs  to  Miss  Emerson,  and  begged 
her  to  come  over,  telUng  her  what  had  happened. 
She  said  we  had  done  quite  right,  and  most 
likely  the  man  was  now  away.  However,  she 
would  come  immediately.  I  would  fain  have 
waited  for  her,  but  Florence  was  alone  with 
the  door  unlocked,  so  with  many  misgivings  I 
hurried  back. 

From    half- past    five    till   seven,    when    the 


day-nurses  came  on,  was  always  a  busy  time. 
Florence  had  wakened  the  maids  who  slept  at 
the  back,  and  we  started  to  rush  through  the 
morning's  work.  To  add  to  our  woes  we  had 
forgotten  -to  light  a  wretched  fire  which  it  was 
our  duty  to  have  burning  for  the  half- past 
six  breakfast— not  the  big  kitchen  range, 
but  a  patent  abomination  which  only  Nurse 
Ashford  understood.  We  struggled  with  it  until 
Florence  had  to  fly  to  her  crying  babies.  And 
then,  with  the  cahnness  of  despair,  I  anticipated 
the  stinging  rebuke  which  I  afterwards  received 
from  Sister  when  cook,  in  self-defence,  explained 
why  breakfast  was  late. 

In  a  few  minutes  Miss  Emerson  appeared, 
as  neat  as  possible,  though  she  had  dressed  so 
quickly.  She  was  very  tall  and  commanding, 
and  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  though,  indeed,  it 
would  have  been  difficult  to  be  anything  but 
cool,  considering  the  bitter  weather. 

"  Now,"  she  said,  "  I  am  sure  he  has  gone 
away,  but  I  will  go  and  see." 

And  she  unlocked  the  door  and  walked 
bravely  in.  But  he  hadn't  gone  away — he  was 
waiting  for  her,  and  jumped  up,  nearly  knocking 
her  down.  Then  he  licked  her  hands,  whining 
and  barking  in  his  gratitude  at  being  released. 
For  our  burglar  tvas  Sister's  lovely  Scotch  collie, 
Laddie  ! 

The  dear  old  fellow  had  also  seen  the  window 
open,  and  instead  of  going  upstairs  to  his 
comfortable  rug  in  front  of  the  fire  in  Sister's 
bedroom,  went  into  the  cold  sitting-room  to 
watch  that  no  one  should  come  in.  I  had 
rushed  out  so  quickly  that  he  could  not  get  out 
with  me,  and  he  was  too  well-bred  to  bark  and 
disturb  evei:yone. 

Of  course  we  got  awfully  chaffed  over  our 
burglar;  it  was  never  forgotten.  And  as  the 
familiar  faces  one  by  one  went  away  out  into 
the  wide  world,  and  new  ones  came  to  fill 
their  places,  they  were  quite  sure  to  be 
told  how  Florence  and  Nellie  caught  the 
burglar. 


A  Summer  Among  the  Upper  Nile  Tribes. — /. 


Kv  Brkvet-Major   R.  i\.  'V.    liki'.m,   Riki.k  Brigade. 

This  is  the  narrative  of  an  important  expedition  headed  by  Majors  Austin  and  Bright.  Much  of  the 
country  explored  was  absolutely  virgin  ground,  and  the  author  also  visited  Fashoda  and  inspected 
Colonel  Marchand's  now  historical  "  vegetable  garden."     The  snap-shots  accompanying  Major  Bright's 

article  will  be  found  exceptionally  interesting. 


iRi:  VET-MA  J  OR  H.  H.  AUSTIN, 
D.S.O.,  Royal  Engineers,  and  1  left 
j^^4^  IJiglandin  the  beginning  of  October, 
S^^^i  1^99,  our  object  being  to  explore 
the  little-known  country  to  the  south 
of  the  River  Sobat.  After  a  stay  of  some  three 
weeks  at  Cairo,  where  we  had  plenty  of  work  to 
do  in  getting  together  ec[uipment  and  goods  for 
barter  with  the  natives,  we  went  up  to 
Omdurman. 

At  Omdurman  we  were  delayed  some  weeks 
on  account  of  the  Soudan  (lovernment  being 
unable  to  spare  a  gunboat 
to  take  us  up  the  Nile. 
The  Khalifa  had  renewed 
his  energies  and  was 
marching  on  Khartoum, 
so  that  all  the  steamers 
were  required  to  take 
troops  and  stores  up  the 
river  to  meet  the  Der- 
vishes. 

Our  escort  consisted  of 
a  native  officer,  Seid 
Effendi  Shukri.and  twenty- 
three  rank-and-file  of  the 
nth  Soudanese  Battalion. 
Seid  Effendi  Shukri,  I 
should  tell  you,  was  a  finj 
type  of  a  young  Soudanese 
officer  ;  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  expedition  he 
suffered  from  intermittent 
dysentery,  but  he  was 
always  cheerful  and  never  uttered  a  word  of 
complaint.  The  non-commissioned  officers  and 
men,  who  came  from  one  of  the  finest  battalions 
in  the  Egyptian  army,  were  all  that  could  be 
desired  ;  they  were  hard-working,  and  when,  as 
towards  the  end  of  the  expedition,  their  rations 
became  short  and  were  none  the  better  for 
having  been  carried  on  animals  for  many  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  they  took  their  troubles  in-  a 
philosophical  spirit  and  were  always  a  pleasure 
to  work  with. 

The  first  photograph  was  taken  at  our  first 
camp  on  the  Sobat  River.  Seid  Effendi  is  seen 
in  the  middle  of  the  picture.     At  that  time  the 


soldiers,  in  their  workmanlike  kit  of  brown 
jerseys,  breeches,  and  blue  putties,  looked  very 
smart ;  a  few  months  later,  however,  their 
clothes  did  not  look  so  new  or  their  cheeks 
so  round.  To  look  after  the  transport  animals 
we  had  some  twenty-five  Dervishes,  who  but  a 
short  time  before  were  steadfast  adherents  of 
the  Khalifa.  They  were  armed  with  Remington 
rifles  and  bayonets.  Their  work  was  of  a  trying 
and  laborious  kind,  and  consisted  of  loading  and 
unloading  camels,  mules,  and  donkeys.  On  the 
march    they   led  the  camels  and   mules,    while 


OUK  ESCORT   CoNSIsltl. 
From  a\ 


11-     JHK    Il'lH    SUUDANhSE    ISAl  i  ALIUN. 


liANK-AND-F'ILIi 

\Plwto. 


the  donkeys  were  driven  in  small  batches  of 
about  ten. 

One  of  these  men  unfortunately  died — our 
only  loss  of  human  life  during  the  journey.  He 
had  been  unwell  for  several  days,  and  at  length 
became  so  weak  that  he  had  to  be  carried  on  a 
camel.  He  was  one  day  carefully  lifted  off  his 
camel  and  carried  into  the  shade  of  a  large 
clump  of  trees,  where  he  suddenly  died.  His 
loss  was  severely  felt,  for  not  only  was  he  a 
good  all-round  man,  but  he  was  the  only  one 
who  understood  camels  and  their  ailments. 

In  the  matter  of  transport,  though,  we  lost 
heavily,  every  one   of  our   camels  succumbing 


A    SUMMER    AMONCi    THE    UPPER    NILE    TRIBES. 


581 


'two  wings  ok  the  ijovei<nok-<;i-;neu.\l  s  pai.acic  av  khautol.m — 
J-'/o»!  a]  sn  EFs  ON  which  gokdon  i;keatheo  his 

to  the  hardships  of  the  journey.  I  sh'ould 
mention  that  when  we  left  Omdurman  for  the 
South  we  had  with  us,  in  addition  to  our 
camels,  ten  mules,  one  hundred  and  forty 
donkeys,  and  six  cows.  Of  this  number  only 
one  mule,  one  cow,  and  a  third  of  the  donkeys 
returned  to  Omdurman  seven  months  later. 

We  also  had  with  us  a  Berthon  boat,  which 
was  carried  by  the  best  camel  ;  he  was  the  last 
survivor,  and  bravely  he  did  his  duty.  Day 
after  day  he  carried  his  awkward  load,  till  one 
boiling  afternoon,  on  the  march,  he,  too,  fell 
down  stone  dead — "  Requiescat  in  pace." 

Khartoum  is  being  rapidly  built  up ;  the  finest 
buildings  are  the  palace  and  (Gordon's  College. 
The  photograph  above  shows  the  two  wings  of 
the   Governor  -  General's   palace;   and    be- 
tween these  are  the  marble  steps  on  which 
(iordon    breathed  his  last.      The   building 
was   not   completed    in    1899,    but   it  now 
looks  like  a    monument   of  strength,   and 
shows  what  can    be   done    by  a  very   few 
Royal  Engineer  officers,  even  with  very  raw 
and    untrained    labourers.       In    the    fore- 
ground  is   seen   what  remains  of  the    fine 
gardens  attached  to  the  palace,  in  the  paths 
of  which  no  doubt  the  hero  of  Khartoum 
spent  many  an  hour. 

We  left  Omdurman  early  in  December, 
and  the  next  illustration  shows  the  fleet 
which  carried  the  whole  expedition  up  the 
Nile.  In  the  middle  is  the  gunboat  Tamai ; 
while  on  the  port  side  are  lashed  two  large 
native  boats.  On  the  starboard  is  secured 
a  roomy  barge.  On  the  main  deck  of 
the  steamer  Major  Austin  and  I  lived, 
and  any  surplus  .soldiers  or  animals  for 
whom    room    could   not   be   found  on    the 


attached  boats 
seemed  to  live 
there  also.  Then 
there  were  servants, 
the  crew  of  the  gun- 
boat, donkeys,  and 
goats  and  sheep. 

The  two  native 
boats  were  cram- 
med full  of  camels 
and  mules,  with 
their  attendants. 
The  barge  had  two 
decks.  On  the 
upper  one  lived 
the  soldiers,  while 
below  were  most  of 
the  donkeys. 

Life  on  board  was 
quiet  and  peaceful, 
varied  every  now 
and  again  by  a  man  falling  overboard.  One 
evening  my  servant,  while  carrying  my  iron 
washing-basin,  took  an  involuntary  plunge,  and 
fell  between  the  steamer  and  the  boats.  The 
basin  suffered  severely  and  was  badly  dented, 
but  the  boy  escaped  without  a  scratch.  Such  is 
the  Providence  which  watches  over  black  men  1 

One  morning  quite  a  small  boy  was  missed 
and  could  not  be  found.  Presently  we  saw  him 
a  long  way  behind  the  ship— a  small,  dark 
speck.  The  steamer  was  turned  round  with  all 
haste  to  return  to  the  rescue,  and  the  poor  lad 
was  picked  up,  but  not  before  he  had  sunk 
several  times.  On  falling  into  the  water  he  liad 
not  only  lost  his  balance,  but  also  his  head,  and 
instead  of  swimming  to  the  shore,   which   was 


:eiween    these  ake  the  mari;le 

LAST."  {Phcto. 


fleet    which    CARRMCD   the   whole    expedition-    up   the    NILE. 
From  it  Photo. 


s82 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MACiAZINE. 


"    int.    »i|>Ai     KiW-K    uA^    Ai.i\t    UllH    KISH — THE     I.Am,t./i,       .... 

From  a\         cai'GHT  was  over  2olb.  in  weight."  [Photo. 

not  more  than  looyds.  distant,  he  had  swum 
after  the  steamer,  with  the  result  that  he  very 
nearly  lost  his  life. 

The  sailors  were  very  good  and  keen  fisher- 
men.    When  the  steamer  was  tied  up  in  the  day 
for  a  short  time  to  enable  grass  to  be  cut  for 
the  animals,  or  was  secured  to  the  bank  for  the 
night,  then  came  the  anglers'  time.     The  Sobat 
River,  which  we  reached  without   incident   in 
about  a  fortnight's  steam  from  Omdurman,  was 
literally  alive  with  fish,  and  with  simply  a  string 
and  hook   baited  with  a   piece  of  chicken  or, 
better    still,   guinea   fowl,    fish   were   hauled   on 
board  in  large  numbers  by  the  Berberine  sailors. 
And   yet,   although   I  tried  repeatedly,   I   only 
got   one    bite.      The    largest    fish    we    caught 
was     over     2olb.     in     weight  :      it     was     not 
speared,  but  fairly  caught  on  a  line.     This  fish 
when   hooked  refused  to   come  on  board,  but 
preferred  to  sulk  at  the  bottom  of  the  river.     A 
canoe  was  procured 
and    the    line   was 
followed  up.  When 
the  canoe  was  over 
where  the  monster 
lay   a    spear   was 
thrust    down     into 
the  water,  with  the 
result  that  the  im 
paled     fish     was 
brought  to  the  ship 
and    photographed 
in    triumph.      The 
man     holding     the 
spear  is  a  Schilluk, 
who  looks  as  if  he 
had    been    to    the 
barber's  for  a  sham- 
poo and  come  away 
betore  the  soap  was        this  is  a  ihotografh  of  fashod.\— 


washed  off.  I  need  hardly  say  he  was  never 
guilty  of  such  an  absent-minded  deed  in  his  life. 
The  fact  is  that  his  hair  is  covered  with  mud, 
which  these  natives  put  over  their  heads  to 
make  their  hair  grow.  These  people  wear  abso- 
lutely no  clothing  ;  the  cloth  they  are  wearing 
was  given  them  by  us  in  return  for  some  slight 
services  they  had  rendered. 

Some  470  miles  up  the  White  Nile  is 
Fashoda,  a  place  unheard  of  till  a  few  years 
ago.  It  is  a  dismal  spot ;  not  a  tree  is  to  be 
seen  for  miles,  and  in  the  rainy  season  it  is  a 
vast  swamp.  In  the  illustration  is  seen  the 
"  Bastion  des  Anglais  "  of  the  fort  which  was 
built  by  Colonel  Marchand  on  his  arrival  there. 

The  fort  was  erected  in  the  middle  of  the 
old  Egyptian  zareba,  and  its  walls  are  made  of 
mud  and  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch.  The 
"Bastion  des  Anglais'"  is  from  20ft.  to  30ft.  high, 
and  is  built  of  bricks  which  Colonel  Marchand 
obtained  from  the  ruins  of  the  Egyptian  store- 
houses. 

The  King  of  Fashoda,  or  "  Mek,"  as  he  is 
generally  called,  lives  a  few  miles  farther  up  the 
river ;  he  thinks  there  are  only  three  really 
grand  people  in  the  world — the  Queen,  Mar- 
chand, and  himself;  but,  in  his  own  estimation, 
he  is  the  first. 

The  trees  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  photo- 
graph were  planted  by  the  French.  They  are 
the  niuch-talked-of  "Avenue  de  France."  The 
paw-paw  trees  of  which  the  "avenue"  is  formed 
are  perhaps  more  ornamental,  but  not  so  useful 
as  the  adjacent  historical  vegetable  garden,  which 
was  also  planted  by  the  French. 

The  two  British  officers  with  the  expedition 
are  seen  in  the  following  picture.  It  was  taken, 
as  is  clearly  shown  by  the  photograph,  on  Christ- 
mas Day  in   1899.     As  the  likenesses  are  not 


A    SUMMER    AMONG    THE    Ul'l'ER    XIEE    TRIBES. 


58; 


SO  BAT. 


the  soldiers  infinitely  preferred  sheep  or  goats, 
and  no  doubt  they  were  right.  The  Sobat 
River  simply  swarms  with  hippos  ;  at  one  time  I 
counted  over  forty  of  their  heads  in  the  river  at 
one  time.     - 

We  never  shot  any  of  these  animals  unless  they 
were  actually  wanted  as  food  for  the  men.  When 
shot  dead  the  animal  sinks,  and  does  not  rise  to 
the  surface  for  some  time,  perhaps  for  two  hours 
or  more,  according  to  the  heat  of  the  water.  On 
coming  to  the  surface  the  carcass  is  then  dragged 


MAJOKS    ALSriN    AND    BliUiHT- •'■  THRSE    OKKICEKS   ARE   NOT   SUCH 

SCOUNDRELS   AS   THEV    LOOK  ;   A    MAN    WHO    HAS  TRAVELLED 

TO    KASHODA    DOES   i.OT    LOOK    HIS   BEST." 

From  a  Photo. 

very  flattering,  I  think  the  less  said  about  it 
the  better,  except  that  these  officers  are  not 
really  such  scoundrels  as  they  look.  Besides, 
a  man  who  has  travelled  to  Fashoda  does  not 
look  his  best. 

Some  of  our  men,  particularly  the  transport 
attendants,  were  very  fond  of  hippo  flesh  ; 
but  this  must  be  rather  an  acquired  taste,  as 


■'    I  Hh    L  AMlLlCA    \\ 

From  a] 


•..■,1      1  I  '    ILW  L    .-.n. ' 
BUT    WAS   TOO    LATE. 


[/  yii't,' 


to  the  shore  and  cut  up.  The 
flesh  is  divided  into  long 
strips,  and  what  is  not  eaten 
is  dried  in  the  sun.  It  will 
keep  good  like  this  for  a 
long  time.  Major  Austin, 
who  shot  the  hippo  shown 
in  the  accompanying  photo., 
is  seen  sitting  on  the  carcass, 
while  the  remainder  of  the 
group  consist  of  Soudanese 
soldiers.  The  gentleman  in 
undress  is  a  Nuer,  as  the 
are  called  who 
this     part     of    the 


I'rotn  a\ 


lAJOR   AUSTIN   SITS   ON    HIS   DEAD   HIPPO. 


[Photo. 


natives 

inhabit 

country. 

As  the  gunboat  ploughed 
its  way  through  the  river 
now  and  again  a  hippo 
would  put  its  ugly  head  out 
of  the  water  to  see  what  was 
the  cause  of  its  usual  solitude 


5^4 


THE    WIDE    WORLD     M  AC.A/INE. 


beiiiii  disturbed.  As  the  steamer  trot  closer  it 
would,  with  a  loud  snort,  turn  a  somersault  antl 
disappear  beneath  the  water,  as  is  shown  m 
the  snap-shot  on  the  preceding  i)a;j:e.  The 
camera  was  meant  to 
have  shown  the  animal 
while  actually  diving,  but 
was  too  late,  and  as  is 
seen  there  is  nothing  to 
sliow  where  the  brute 
was  but  the  commotion 
in  the  waters. 

Towards  the  end  of 
1  )ecember  the  expedition 
disembarked  from  the 
steamer  and  commenced 
its  march.  Every  morn 
ing,  long  before  it  was 
light,  the  bugle  sounded 
the  "  reveille,"  and  the 
process  of  striking  the 
camp  and  loading  the 
animals  was  commenced. 
As  the  first  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  made  it  light 
enough  to  see  the  cara- 
\an  was  on  its  way.  Eirsl 
went  the  advance  guard 
of  soldiers,  followed  by 
a  string  of  camels   and 

mules  ;  then  the  donkeys,  and  in  the  rear  a  party 
of  soldiers.  As  the  column  passed  through 
villages  the  natives  stood  at  the  doors. of  their 
huts  and  looked  on  a  sight  they  had  never  wit- 
nessed before.     The  next  ])hotograph  shows  two 


DINKA  WOMEN    COMING   OUT   OF    THEIR    HOUSE  TO        LOOK    ON 
.■\    SIGHT   TllKV    HAD    NEVER    WITNESSED    BEFORE."        ~ 
P'rpiii  a  Photo. 


of  grass.     These  two  old   ladies  have  for  orna- 
ments a  few  strings  of  beads  round   their  necks. 
I'lieir  clothing  needs  no  description.      In   most 
places  the  natixxs  were  pleased   to  see  us,  and 

brought  for  sale  chickens. 
Hour,  and  sometimes 
goats  and  sheep.  During 
the  five  months  we  passed 
travelling  among  these 
tribes  we  never  had  any 
cause  of  complaint 
against  the  natives. 
The  poor  people  are  a 
wretchedly  low  type  of 
liumanity  ;  and  they  are, 
in  most  cases,  very  far 
from  being  prosperous. 
The  country  they  inhabit 
is  a  plain,  which  during 
the  rains  becomes  an 
unwholesome  swamp. 

^^'e  marched  general!)- 
from  ten  to  twelve  miles 
a  day,  and  as  it  became 
hot  a  suitable  place  was 
found  to  pitch  camp. 
The  dry  bed  of  a  river 
was  a  comfortable  spot, 
and  ahhough  the  sand 
was  hot  it  was  preferable 
to  camping  in  long,  halt-burnt  grass.  Every 
year,  when  the  grass  has  become  dry  after  the 
rains,  it  is  burnt  by  the  natives.  This  is  very 
necessary,  as  it  grows  to  a  height  of  some  12ft. 
or   so,   and   soon    becomes  quite    impenetrable, 


From  a\ 


■».'i,K     iJ-.;>l.->    AKt    L.E1'1CI  KD    ON    A    SANDbANK    IN     THE    UEU    OF     I  HE    KIVEK    SOKA  1  . 


[/'he- to. 


Dinka  women  emerging  from  their  house.  On 
their  heads  they  are  carrying  large  earthenware 
pots,  which  they  use  for  cooking  purposes  and 
also  to  carry  water  in.  Their  huts  are  circular 
in  shape,  and  are  roofed  with  a  neat  thatching 


rendering    it    impossible  for  the  inhabitants  to 
travel  from  one  village  to  another. 

Our  tents  are  depicted  on  a  sandbank  in  the 
bed  of  the  River  Sobat.  There  one  was  safe 
from  snakes.     These  noisome  reptiles  were  far 


A    SUMMER    AMONC;    THE     UPPER    NILE    TRIBES. 


5«5 


too  plentiful  in  the  grass  on  the  banks  of  the 
river.  One  day  our  tents  were  pitched  a  few 
yards  away  from  the  remainder  of  the  camp ;  it 
is  a  curious  fact  that  no  fewer  than  three  snakes 
were  killed  near  our  tents  and  the  same  number 
in  the  men's  camp  during  the  afternoon. 
Considering  that  our  men  walked  in  sandals  we 
were  very  fortunate  in  only  having  one  man 
bitten  by  a  snake.  This  man  was  bringing  the 
transport  animals  in  from  grazing  one  evening 
when  he  trod  on  a  snake  and  was  bitten.  We 
cut  the  wound  open  and  cauterized  it,  adminis- 
tering internally  a  strong  glass  of  hot  whisky 
and  water^  very  much  to  the  disgust  of  the 
patient.  At  the  invalid's  own  request  all  the 
charms  against  snake  bites,  such  as  old  teeth, 
small  pieces  of  wood,  etc.,  which  were  in 
possession  of  the  caravan,  were  collected  and 
applied  to  the  injured  leg.  Whether  the  cau- 
terizing, the  hot  whisky  and  water,  or  the 
charms  effected  the  cure,  I  am  unable  to  say, 
but  after  an  illness  of  two  or  three  days  the 
man  was  perfectly  well  again. 

The  next  photograph  is  a  view  of  the  River 
Adura,  a  large  loop  of  the  River  Baro,  and   it 


one  could  walk  across  dry-shod,  stepping  easily 
over  the  tiny  stream  of  water  whicli  trickled 
slowly  along  on  its  way  to  the  Nile.  At  other 
parts  were  large  pools,  picturesque  in  the 
e.xtreme,  with  green  shrubs  on  the  banks  droop- 
ing over  the  water.  Here  many  antelopes  came 
to  drink  during  the  night  and  early  morning. 

All  this  time  we  were  marching  towards 
the  mountainous  country  of  Abyssinia.  The 
Soudanese  could  scarcely  believe  their  eyes  when 
they  first  saw  the  chain  of  mountains  out  of 
which  the  Baro  runs.  In  Egypt  and  the  Soudan 
there  are  hardly  any  hills,  much  less  mountains. 
They  freely  gave  vent  to  their  opinion  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  climb  up  to  the  plateau, 
and  when  we  were  well  in  the  gorge  of  the 
river  one  of  the  Egyptian  servants — he  spoke 
English  very  well — said  to  me,  "  There  are  hills 
at  all  four  corners ;  now  we  cannot  go  on. 
There  is  only  one  way — that  is,  to  return." 
When  we  were  on  the  plateau  I  saw  the  same 
boy  wandering  about,  and  asked  him  what  he 
was  looking  for.  He  said,  "  I  cannot  see  a 
level  piece  of  ground  anywhere." 

It  took  the  party  four  days'  hard  work  to  get 


VIEW    ON    THE    REMOTE    KIVEK    ADURA,    EXPLORED    FOR   1  HE   FIRST   TIME    BY   THIS   E.\l-EDnTON. 

From  a  Photo. 


was  explored  for  the  first  time  by  the  expe- 
dition. The  names  of  rivers  in  this  country 
are  rather  confusing  ;  the  Baro,  for  example,  is 
the  same  as  the  River  Sobat,  but  as  it  passes 
through  a  country  inhabited  by  a  different 
tribe  the  river  is  called  by  another  name. 
Leaving  the  Baro,  our  party  travelled  in  a 
south-easterly  direction  and  struck  the  Adura  at 
the  pretty  spot  shown  in  the  picture.  This  was 
in  the  month  of  January,  which  is  about  the 
middle  of  the  dry  season,  so  there  was  very 
little  water  in  the  river  ;    in  fact,  in  many  places 

Vol.  vi.-68. 


the  transport  and  stores  up  the  mountains,  which 
were  extremely  precipitous,  and  we  unfortunately 
lost  several  animals  on  the  ascent.  No  fewer  than 
seven  camels  and  rather  more  than  that  number 
of  donkeys  fell  over  precipices.  The  camels 
had  fortunately  been  unloaded  just  before 
coming  to  this  awkward  piece  of  the  track,  but 
by  some  mistake  they  were  still  roped  together, 
being  fastened  one  to  another  from  head  to 
tail.  .Thus,  when  one  of  these  ungainly 
brutes  took  a  false  step  and  lost  its 
balance,    over    went    the    whole    lot,    crashing 


586 


THE     WlDl-:     WORl.l)     M.U.AZlNK. 


SKRENAUEU    BV    A    BAND    OF    l.ALLA    .MUSICIANS,    UHD.M    UK    I'KoM  1' 1  1. V    PHOTOGR AFHEU.' 

From  a  Photo. 


through  bushes,  knocking  away  stones,  and 
grunting  angrily,  the  unlucky  beasts  finally 
landing  with  a  hollow  crash  some  Soft. 
below  in  a  dry,  rocky  nullah  bed.  The  day 
after  our  arrival  on  the  plateau  we  were 
serenaded  by  a  band  of  Galla  musicians, 
whom  we  promptly  photographed.  Their  music 
is  not  of  the  highest 
order,  and  after  a 
few  days  and  the 
greater  part  of  seve- 
ral nights  it  became 
almost  unbearable. 
The  man  behind  is 
holding  up  an  um- 
brella, made  of 
wicker-work  —  very 
useful  as  a  protec- 
tion against  the  sun, 
but  having  the  great 
disadvantage  of  not 
being  c  lo  s  a  bl  e  . 
These  people  were 
well  dressed  :  round 


their  heads  was  tied  a  piece  of  spotless  white 
cloth,  while  their  bodies  were  swathed  in  a 
brownish  cotton  toga  with  a  large  red  stripe. 
This  cloth  they  make  themselves. 

The  houses  in  these  parts  are  very  good ; 
here  is  seen  the  large  house  at  Bure  where 
distinguished    strangers    are    lodged.     In    this 

place  we  remained 
for  some  time,  as 
Major  Austin  be- 
came dangerously 
ill.  The  walls  are 
made  of  reeds, 
through  which  the 
air  percolates  freely, 
and  the  overhanging 
roof  of  grass  makes 
the  interior  delight- 
fully cool.  There 
were  several  other 
huts  near  by,  and 
the  whole  compound 
was  surrounded  by 
a  high  stockade. 


THE        DISTINGUISHED   STRANGERS     HOUSE      AT    BURE,  IN    WHICH    THE   TWO 

From  a]  explorers  lived.  [/'/lo/o. 


{To  be   contimied.) 


How  Mrs.  Patterson  Got  Her  Message. 

By  James  G.  McCuruv,  of   Port  Townslnd,  W'Abii. 

Here  is  a  pathetic  story  of  the  sea  whose  pathos  and  interest   are  greatly  heightened  by  the  portraits 
photographs,  and  facsimiles  that  accompany  it.     The  story  of  the  missmg  steamship  "  Pelican  "  •  Mr' 
Patterson's  promise  to  his  wife  about  the  bottle  messages  whenever  these  should  be  necessary;  the' long 
silence,  and  then  the  finding  of  first  one  message  by  the  Esquimaux,  and  then  the  other,  with  its  sad  greet- 
ing—these things  make  up  a  moving  narrative  which  has  been  specially  written  for  "  The  Wide  World." 

never  revealed,  there  are  times  when  the  waves, 
as  though  to  atone  in  some  small  degree  for  the 
sorrow  and  ruin  they  have  wrought,  carry  to 
distant  shores  some  token  that  gives  an  inkling 
to  the  fate  of  a  missing  vessel.  Sometimes  it  is 
a  broken  boat,  a  name-board,  or  a  piece  of  ship's 
furniture.  Sometimes,  again,  it  is  a  portion  of 
the  cargo,  or  an  article  once  belonging  to  a 
member  of  the  crew.  In  rare  instances  it  may 
be  a  direct  message  from  someone  aboard  the 
ill-starred  vessel,  as  in  the  case  of  the  steam- 
ship Pelican,  the  particulars  of  which  we  will 
now  proceed  to  set  forth. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Steamship  Company 
operates  a  line  of  steamers  between  Puget 
Sound  and  certain  Oriental  ports.  In  1897 
there  was  added  to  its  line  of  carriers  by  charter 
the  steamship  Pelican,  an  iron  vessel  of  about 
2,400  tons,  327ft.  long,  of  the  "tramp"  class. 
She  was  buiit  in  1882  Ijy  Barclay,  Currie,  and 
Company,  of  Glasgow.  She  ran  on  the  ^Vtlantic 
Coast  for  some  years,  frequently  changing  both 
her  name  and  owners,  and  finally  passing  into 
the  hands  of  Mr.  E.  S.  Whealler,  of  Hong 
Kong,  by  whom  she  was  chartered  to  the 
Northern  Pacific  Steamship  Company. 

She  carried  a  crew  of  forty  all  told,  and  was 
in  command  of  Captain  Alexander  Gove,  an 
experienced  navigator.  Mr.  Milton  T.  Patterson 
was  given  the  position  of  chief  officer. 

Mr.  Patterson  at  this  time  was  about  thirty 
years  of  age  ;  he  was  an  American  by  birth. 
He  had   served  on   various  vessels   along   the 


•IlllS    I'HOTO<,KA1'H,  SIIOWIN'G    MR.    I'ATI  EliSO.V    OK  THE  "  TKLICAN '* 

WITH    HIS   WIKE,    WAS   TAKEN    SHORTLY    BKKORK    HE   SAII.EU 

ON   THE    FATAL   VOYAGE. 

Frojii  a  Photo,  by  Worthingtott,  San  !•'>  nncisco.  Cat. 


F  the  vessels  that  are  called  upon 
to  experience  the  full  brunt  of  Old 
Ocean's  fury,  how  few  escape  un- 
scathed from  the  encounter  !  Some 
manage  to  reach  port,  their  battered 
hulls,  tattered  sails,  or  damaged  machinery 
speaking  eloquently  of  the  terrific  struggle 
through  which  they  have  passed.  Some,  again, 
after  their  whole  crews  have  been  swept  away  to 
death,  drift  aimlessly  about  for  months  at  the 
mercy  of  the  elements — veritable  phantom  ships 
that  menace  every  craft  that  happens  to  cross 
their  paths.  Others,  alas !  are  swallowed  up 
by  the  remorseless  ocean,  together  with  their 
gallant  crews,  leaving  not  a  trace  behind  to  tell 
the  sad  story  of  their  fate. 

\\'hen  a  vessel  becomes  overdue,  how 
anxiously  do  those  who  have  friends  or  rela- 
tives aboard  watch  for  tidings  from  the  absent 
ones.  Even  after  the  lapse  of  weary  months, 
when  owners  and  insurance  companies  have 
given  the  unfortunate  vessel  up  as  utterly  lost, 
they  continue  to  hope  on,  unable  to  realize  that 
those  to  whom  they  bade  farewell  but  a  short 
time  before  have  gone  from  them  for  ever. 
While   many  of    the   secrets   of    the  sea  are 


S8S 


THE    WIDE    WORLl^    .MAUAZlNli, 


Pacific  Coast,  holding  the  position  of  second 
officer  upon  the  Viciona  (belonging  to  the  same 
line)  just  previously  to  being  transferred  to  the 
Pelican.  He  was  a  most  efficient  officer,  and 
stood  high  with  his  employers  and  the  tiavel- 
1  i  n  g  public 
generally. 
While  still 
servingon  the 
Victoria  he 
married  Miss 
Ella  Thorn- 
ton, an  esti- 
mable young 
lady  of  Port 
Townsen  d, 
Wash.,  and  it 
was  at  the 
last  -  named 
place  that  the 
couple  made 
their  home. 

Mrs.  Patter- 
son was  not 
pleased  with 
her  husband's 
transfer  to  the 
Pelican.  True,  it  was  a  promotion,  but  she  was 
sailor  enough  to  perceive  that  the  Pelican  was 
the  smaller  vessel,  and  in  her  eyes  it  was  not  so 
substantial  or  seaworthy  in  appearance  as  the 
Victoria.  She,  therefore,  endeavoured  to  per- 
suade her  husband  to  remain  on  the  Victoria,  but 
he,  sailor-like,  laughed  at  her  fears  and  explained 
to  her  that  his  new  vessel  was  perfectly  safe ; 
that  he  was  bettering  his  fortunes  by  the  change, 
and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  go  where  the  com- 
pany thought  he  could  best  serve  their  interests. 

Mrs.  Patterson  was  silenced,  but  not  con- 
vinced ;  and  after-events  proved  that  her  fears 
regarding  the  Pelican  were  well  founded.  Finding 
that  he  could  not  remove  his  wife's  forebodings, 
Mr.  Patterson  promised  that  should  any  evil 
overtake  the  vessel  he  would  send  her  a  message 
securely  corked  in  a  bottle,  a  supply  of  which 


HE    [I. [.-FATED   STEAMER 

Frojii  a\ 


he  would  see  were  at  hand  for  the  purpose. 
With  this  curious  crumb  of  comfort  his  wife  had 
to  be  content. 

On  October  12th,  1897,  the  Pelican  cleared 
at  the  Custom  House  at  Port  Townscnd,  Wash., 

with  a  cargo 
of  railroad 
ties  to  be 
used  in  con- 
st r  u  c  t  i  o  n 
work  in 
Northern 
China.  Mrs. 
Patterson 
accompanied 
her  husband 
some  f i  f ty 
miles  down 
the  coast,  and 
then  bidding 
him  a  tearful 
farewell  re- 
turned to  her 
home,  while 
the  Pelicati 
steamed  away 
towards  the 
port  she  was  destined  never  to  reach.  After 
passing  Cape  Flattery  she  was  never  seen  again. 
Her  first  port  of  call  was  to  have  been  Yoko- 
hama, where  she  was  to  renew  her  coal  supply. 
When  the  first  advices  came  announcing  that 
she  was  overdue  at  this  point,  but  little  un- 
easiness was  felt.  It  was  known  that  storms  of 
unusual  violence  had  swept  the  North  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  it  seemed  but  natural  that  the 
Pelicati  should  make  a  slow  passage.  The  fact 
that  she  was  loaded  with  railroad  ties,  too,  was 
reassuring,  as  those  posted  in  such  matters 
declared  that  a  vessel  could  not  sink  with  such 
a  cargo  aboard. 

As  days  went  by,  however,  and  no  word  came 
concerning  the  overdue  steamship,  the  theory 
that  her  machinery  had  become  disabled,  and 
that  she  was  floating  aimlessly  about  the  ocean. 


PELICAN,      OK    WHICH    MR.    I'ATTEKSON    WAS   CHIEF   OFFICER 
AT    I'ORT   TOWNSEND. 


[Photo. 


From  a  Plioto.\ 


HOW    MRS.     PATTERSON    (lOT    HER    MESSAOE. 


5^9 


J'roiii  a] 


•line  McinndLSE  ai   cai'e  ilatikkv,  where  hie  "i'elican"  was  last  seen. 


was  advanced  to  explain  the  long  delay.  It 
was  confidently  expected  that  news  regarding 
her  would  be  brought  in  by  the  East-bound 
fleet ;  but  when  these  vessels  came  into  port 
all  of  them  told  of  tremendous  storms  through 
which  they  had  passed,  but  none  had  sighted 
the  Pelican.  Then  matters  were  conceded 
to  look  very  serious.  The  mysterious  dis- 
appearance of  the  vessel  became  a  general 
topic  of  conversation,  and  the  newspapers  of 
the  Coast  were  filled  with  speculations  as  to  her 
fate.  Weeks  lengthened  into 
months  and  still  no  tidings 
came,  although  every  vessel 
running  between  the  Coast 
and  Asiatic  ports  had  orders 
to  be  on  the  look-out  for  the 
missing  vessel.  On  February 
8th,  1898,  the  Pelican  was 
posted  as  "  Missing  "  by 
Lloyd's.  Shortly  after  the 
insurance  was  paid  to  the 
owners,  and  the  N.P.SS. 
Company  chartered  another 
steamer  to  take  her  place. 

Mrs.  Patterson,  however, 
continued  to  hope  that  the 
vessel  was  safe  long  after  the 
ship  had  been  given  up  by 
others,  although  the  fears 
she  had  held  from  the 
first  regarding  the  Pelican^s 
condition  did  not  admit  of 
her  feeling  so  sanguine  as 
she 


might    otherwise    have 


CAPTAIN  F.  THUNELL,  OF  THE  AMERICAN  SCHOONEK 

"  HERMAN,"    WHO    FOUND   THE    FIRST    BOTTLE 

MESSAGE    FROM    MR.    PATTERSON. 

From  a  Photo. 


done.  At  last  she  was  compelled  to  admit  that 
the  vessel  was  lost,  but  felt  there  was  a  chance 
that  the  crevv  had  escaped  to  land  and  were 
still  alive. 

During  this  long  period  of  suspense  she  clung 
to  the  promise  that  her  husband  had  made  to 
her,  and  was  confident  that  in  the  course  of 
time  she  would  receive  a  message  from  him. 
She  was  certain  that  her  husband,  if  time  were 
given  him,  would  throw  a  number  of  bottles 
into  the  sea,  and  since  it  was  highly  probable 
that  some,  at  least,  would  be 
cast  upon  uninhabited  shores 
or  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the 
rocks,  yet  she  hoped  one 
might  reach  her. 

Her  hopes  were  realized. 
In  June,  1899,  about  twenty 
months    after    the    Pelican's 
sailing,   the  following  article 
appeared    in    the  San    Fran- 
cisco papers  : — 
"THE   FATE   OF  THE 
SS.  PELICAN. 
"The    Merchants'   Ex- 
change     received     a     letter 
yesterday    from    Captain    F. 
Thunell,  master  of  the  Ameri- 
can schooner  Herman,  con- 
taining   a    faded,    crumpled 
memorandum,     which     con- 
firms the  fate  of  the  ss.  Peli- 
can, supposed  to  have  foun- 
dered  on    her  voyage   from 
Sound    to    Taku,    in 


Puget 


590 


THE     WIDE     WUKEl)    AE\(;AZINE. 


THE   SCHOONER    "  HER:.;..; 
From  a  Photo.\ 


•   .-1.     _...  i  .\I.\-    KOLNO    THE   BOTTLE 
COAST   OK   AL.^SKA. 


China.  The  memorandum  contains  the 
following :  '  SS.  Pelican  ;  latitude  50  north, 
longitude  175  west.  The  shi[)  is  sinking.  We 
are  leaving  her  in  frail  boats.  Please  report 
U.S.  —  AE  T.  Patterson,  Chief  Officer,  Port 
Townsend,  \\'ash.,  U.S.A.' 

"Captain  Thunell  writes  that  he  picked  up  a 
bottle  containing  the  memorandum  on  May  15th, 
on  the  beach  at  Portage  Bay,  Alaska,  sending  it 
from  Ka  diak,  and  he  expresses  the  hope  that 
it  might  throw  some  light  upon  the  fate  of  the 
missing  Pelican.  The  vessel  sailed  from  Puget 
Sound  for  China  on  October  12th,  1897,  with 
lumber.  She  has  never  been  heard  of  since 
until  this  scrap  of  paper  was  received  yesterday, 
confirming  the  fear  that  she  was  lost.  It  is 
feared  that  all  on  board  have 
perished.'"' 


In  order  to  get  at  the  exact  facts 
of  the  case  for  The  Wide  World 
Magazine  a  request  was  made  to 
Captain  Thunell  that  he  should 
give  a  statement  as  to  the  finding 
of  the  bottle,  which  he  very  kindly 
did,  writing  from  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, on  September  28th,  1900, 
as  follows  :  "  With  regard  to  how 
and  where  the  bottle  was  found,  I 
can  give  the  following  particulars. 
In  making  for  the  small  Aleut 
settlement  at  the  head  of  Portage 
or  Kanadna  Bay,  Alaska,  my 
trading  schooner  Hermaii  was 
boarded  by  some  natives  (belong- 
ing to  Eeltnik,  a  small  fishing 
place  near  the  village),  in  bidar- 
kas,  or  skin  canoes.  One  of  these 
natives  brought  a  letter  stating 
lliat  he  had  found  it  in  a  bottle 
^\^yMcCiirdy!^  on  the  bcach  at  Eettnik,  and  that 
as  it  had  adhered  to  the  inside  of 
the  bottle,  it  was  necessary  to  break  the  same. 
In  doing  so  the  envelope,  part  of  which  was  wet, 
got  torn.  I  never  saw  the  bottle  or  envelope, 
so  I  cannot  state  if  it  was  sealed  or  addressed. 
I  forwarded  the  message  to  San  Francisco  as 
soon  as  I  reached  Kadiak." 

In  examining  the  brief  message  one  cannot 
help  being  impressed  by  the  firm,  even  penman- 
ship. Although  death  was  staring  him  in  the 
face,  the  chief  officer  WTOte  without  a  tremor, 
and  as  though  he  were  in  a  place  of  securest 
safety. 

I'he  spot  where  the  Pelican  met  her  doom, 
deduced  from  the  bearings  given  in  the  message, 
is  about  150  miles  south-east  of  Andreanof 
Island,    one    of    the    largest    of   the    Aleutians. 


Upon  reading  this  account  Mrs. 
Patterson  at  once  wrote  to  San 
Francisco,  requesting  that  the 
message  might  be  sent  to  her, 
which  was  done.  She  immediately 
recognised  the  handwriting  as  that 
of  her  husband,  and  her  hopes  for 
his  safety  were  rekindled. 

The  message,  of  which  a  photo- 
graphic reproduction  is  given  here- 
with, is  written  upon  one  of  the 
N.P.SS.  Company's  memorandum- 
blanks  which  are  carried  upon  all 
the  company's  steamers.  The  hand- 
writing and  signature  agree  exactly 
with  the  records  in  the  head  office 
at  Tacoma. 


Northern   Pacific   Steamship   co.  -o/i-<^'^'^-<ii^i£,^ieee-0 

P"       ELL.  CARLILL  f.   Co  .   Gen.T.n,    A:,,.r,,  0<f^L^^   tC^T?.      ^-O     Jt 


<^^^  y/^-v/ 


<:-o 


c/.^. 


'^/a. 


HERE    IS    A    PHOTOGkAHHIC    FACSIMILE    OK    THE    FIRST    BOTTLE    .MESSAcL 


HOW    MRS.    PATTERSON    COT    IlICR    MESSAGE. 


5^1 


THE    UNITE!)   STATES   REVENUE   CUTTER        GRANT,      WHICH    WAS   ORDERED    TO    MAKE   A 
SYSTEMATIC   SEARCH    FOR   TRACES   OF   THE   MISSING   VESSEL. 

From  a  Photo,  by  McCurdy. 

Portage  Bay,  where  the  bottle  was  found,  i.s  over 
1, 800  miles  to  the  north-east,  lying  on  the  north 
side  of  the  entrance  to  Shelikof  Strait,  which 
separates  Kadiak  Island  from  the  Alaska  coast. 

Mrs.  Patterson  and  the  ofificials  of  the  N.P.SS. 
Company  felt  there  was  a  chance  that  the  crew 
of  the  Pelican  had  succeeded  in  reaching  land 
and  were  still  alive.     They  brought  the  matter 
to  the  attention  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
and    requested   that   the    revenue  cutters   then 
cruising  in  Behring  Sea  be  instructed  to  make  a 
thorough  search  among   the   Aleutian   Islands, 
where  it  was  hoped  the  shipwrecked  crew  would 
be  found  alive  and  well.     At  any  rate,  it  seemed 
more  than  likely  that  some  traces 
of  the  lost  ship  would  be  found. 
The  Treasury  Department  at  once 
transmitted     the     desired     orders- 
north,    and  again   Mrs.    Patterson 
waited  in  suspense  for  the  home- 
coming of  the  cutters.     Then  how 
keen  the  disappointment  when  she 
learned  that  absolutely  nothing  had 
been  seen  of  the  Pelican  or  her  crew. 

The  cutter  Grant  made  a  par- 
ticularly systematic  search  from 
Dutch  Harbour  westward  to  Atlu 
Island,  but  not  even  a  plank  or  a 
piece  of  wreckage  that  could  be 
identified  as  belonging  to  the 
Pelican  was  found.  The  natives 
had  noticed  no  unusual  amount  ot 
drift  coming  ashore,  and  could 
give  no  information  whatever  re- 
garding the  unfortunate  crew.  The 
search  of  the  Grant  proved  con- 
clusively that  those  aboard  the  ill- 
fated  steamer  had  perished. 


Mrs.  Patterson  could  not  hclf) 
a  feeling  of  bitter  disappointment 
tnat  the  message  had  not  con- 
tained some  word  to  her  person- 
ally. That  her  husband's  thoughts 
had  reverted  to  her  during  those 
last  dark  hours  she  did  not  for  an 
instant  doubt  ;  the  fact  that  he 
remembered  the  promise  he  had 
made  to  her  was  sufficient  to 
show  this,  while  the  words,  "  Port 
Townsend,"  bore  witness  that  he 
had  his  home  in  mind  while  he 
penned  the  brief  message.  Yet 
as  she  was  convinced  that  other 
and  longer  messages  had  been  sent 
afloat  upon  the  bosom  of  the  deep, 
Mrs.  Patterson  hoped  that  one  of 
these  might  reach  her,  containing 
some  word  more  direct  and  per- 
sonal. And  although  the  weary 
months  again  rolled  by,  in  the  end  she  was  to 
have  this  hope  realized. 

On  June  2nd,  1900,  just  a  year  after  the 
receipt  of  the  first  message,  a  letter  came  to  her 
from  Kadiak  inclosing  a  crumpled,  stained  piece 
of  paper,  which  she  immediately  recognised  as 
another  message  from  her  husband.  It  was 
written  in  the  same  even  hand  as  the  first 
received,  upon  a  similar  memorandum-form.  It 
was  dated,  and,  best  of  all,  contained  the  words 
of  remembrance  for  which  she  had  been  waiting. 
The  full  text  of  the  message  is  :  "  Oct.  24th, 
1897. — The  ss.  Pelican  is  about  to  sink.  ^Ve  are 
leaving  her  in   frail  boats.     We  realize  our  fate. 


MEMORANDUM 


Northern   Pacific   Steamship   Co. 

DODWELL,  CARLILL  A  Co  .  General, Aee^is 


^1-,  -t.  .   /r^.^  isu^   ^^ 


^^. 


THE   SECOND    BOTTLE   MESSAGE  WHICH    MRS.    PATTERSON    SO  CONFIDENTLY  EX.ECTED. 

J-'ioiii  a  Photo. 


592 


THE    WIDK    WOK  1.1)    MAGAZINE. 


God  bless  niv  darling  wife.  —  M.  I'ArTERSON, 
Chief  officer,  Port  I'ownsend,  Wash.,  U.S.A.,  my 
home.     Longitude  50  north,  175  west,  approx." 

The  letter  accompanying  the  message  was 
written  by  Mr.  M.  F.  \\ight,  agent  of  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  at  Kadiak,  Alaska.  It 
was  dated  May  20th,  1900,  and  reads  :  "  Dear 
madam,  inclosed  please  find  note  picked  up  by 
^[r.  Augustus  Nyman  on  Ukomok  Island, 
February  9th.  W'e  sincerely  trust  that  your 
husband  reached  home  safely,  but  if  God  willed 
otherwise,  you  have  our  heartfelt  sympathy,  and 
we  hope  the  inclosed  note  will  afford  you  some 
comfort." 

The  date  of  this  message,  October  24ih, 
shows  that  the  Pelican  met  disaster  just  twelve 
days  after  leaving  Puget  Sound.  Although  the 
message  does  not  give  the  cause  of  the  vessel's 
loss,  shipping  men  are  unanimous  in  the  opinion 
that  she  ran  into  a  hurricane  of  unusual  violence. 
Buffeted  and  wracked  by  the  fierce  sea,  which 
flooded  her  decks  and  opened  up  seams  in  her 
hull,  she  at  length  gave  up  the  unequal  struggle 
and  went  down. 

Ukomok,  where  the  second  message  was 
picked  up,  is  a  small  islet  south  of  Unimak 
Island,  about  500  miles  from  the  scene  of  the 
wreck.  Mr.  Nyman,  who  found  the  message, 
has  resided  in  Alaska  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
is  known  to  be  a  perfectly  reliable  and  trust- 
worthy man.  He  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
Alaska  Blue  Fox  Propagating  Company,  and  is 
stationed  at  Ukomok,  caring  for  the  property  of 
the  company.  A  great  deal  of  drift  is  thrown 
upon  the  island  by  the  strong  currents,  and  in  a 
mass  of  such  debris  Mr.  Nyman  found  the 
bottle,  forwarding 
the  message  to 
Mr.  Wight,  at 
Kadiak. 

Itseemsstrange 
that  the  bottle 
travelling  the 
greater  distance 
should  be  the 
first  to  be  found, 
though  there  is 
no  telling  how 
long  either  of 
them  remained 
on  the  beach  be- 
lore  being  found. 
Only  in  fancy  can 
we  picture  the 
long  journeys  of 
the  bottles  after 
being  committed 
to  the  great  deep. 
That    they   were 


carried  here  and  there  by  the  restless  \\a\  es,  play- 
things for  wind  and  tide,  is  certain  ;  but  to  trace 
the  actual  courses  taken,  or  to  calculate  the  time 
consumed  in  the  journeys,  is  im[)ossible. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  other  messages  will  be 
found,  giving  a  full  description  of  the  cause  of 
the  Pelicaiis  foundering.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  Chief  Officer  Patterson  wrote  a  number  of 
messages,  making  each  one  shorter  than  the 
preceding  one,  as  would  be  perfectly  natural. 
There  are  hundreds  of  places  along  the  bleak 
Alaska  coast  where  a  bottle,  having  been  cast 
ashore  by  the  waves,  might  lie  for  years  before 
being  discovered.  Those  who  know  the  coast 
best  regard  it  as  almost  a  miracle  that  any  of 
the  messages  were  thrown  ashore  and  found. 

In  the  sad  story  of  the  Pelican  the  courage 
and  thoughtfulness  of  Chief  Officer  Patterson 
stand  vividly  forth.  It  took  a  man  of  sterling 
character  to  remember  and  fulfil  a  promise  at 
such  a  time  when,  as  his  own  words  clearly 
show,  the  brave  sailor  realized  that  he  stood  in 
the  very  presence  of  death.  It  likewise  required 
a  nature  in  which  faith  was  strongly  rooted  to 
prepare  these  last  words  and  cast  them  into  the 
vast,  tempest-tossed  ocean,  where  there  were  a 
thousand  chances  to  one  that  they  would  never 
be  seen  again. 

These  messages,  though  containing  words  of 
such  dread  import,  have  proved  a  source  of 
great  comfort  to  Mrs.  Patterson.  At  such  a 
time  the  truth,  terrible  as  it  may  be,  is  to  be 
preferred  to  unremitting  suspense.  There  was 
no  lingering  death  in  open  boats  by  thirst  or 
starvation  ;  simply  a  brief  struggle  in  the  storm- 
swept  waves  and  then — rest  ! 


THIS   CH.AKT,    SltCIALLY   IKKPAKF.I)    UV    THE   AUTHOR    I-OK        THIC    WIDK    WOkLD    MAGAZl.Nt, 

PROliACLE   COURSE   OK   THE   DOOllEU   VESSEL. 


SHOWS   THE 


**  Rocky  Mountain  Dick  "  and  His   Wild  Beast  Farm. 

By   One    Who    Has   Visited   It. 

It  is  located  at   Monida,  in  Idaho.     Mr.  Richard  W.  Rock,  an  old  scout,  settled  in  this  place  over 
twenty  miles  from  a  station,  and  commenced  to  trap   such  animals  as  buffaloes,  bears,  mountain 
goats,  elks,  deer,  etc.      He  now  owns    a   huge  wild   beast    ranch,    and    supplies   private   museums 
zoos,  etc.     Our  interviewer  ehcits  from  Mr.  Rock  all  his  adventures,  methods  of  working,  etc.     The 

photographs  will  be   found  unusually  striking. 


WENTY-THREE    miles    from    the 
picturesque    town    of   Bozeman,    in 
Idaho,  near  the  little  mining  hamlet 
of  Monida,  in   Fremont  County,  is 
situated  one  of  the  strangest  cattle 
ranches  in  the  world.     Its  live  stock  does  not 
consist  of  cows,  sheep,  goats,  horses,  and  the 
other    familiar    domestic 
animals    of    civilization  ; 
but    instead   is   made   up 
exclusively  of  some  of  the 
wildest,  rarest,  and  most 
ferocious  creatures  which 
inhabit     the      boundless 
plains   and    mountain 
fastnesses    of    the    great 
^Vest. 

On  this  mountain-top 
farm,  hundreds  of  feet 
above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  are  great,  shaggy 
buffaloes,  including  some 
of  the  finest  specimens 
in  existence  of  this  fast- 
disappearing  animal  : 
beautiful  snow-white 
mountain  goats,  which 
could  not  be  duplicated 
in  any  zoological  garden  ; 
bloodthirsty  grizzly  bears 
of  unusual  size  and  mark- 
ings ;  graceful  black-tail 
deer,  fleet  -  footed  elks, 
and  huge,  unwieldy 
mooses.  All  these  rare 
animals  live  together  in 
harmony  on  this  unique  preserve,  and  their 
number  is  constantly  being  increased  by  new 
accessions. 

Richard  W.  Rock,  better  known  as  "  Rocky 
Mountain  Dick,"  is  the  proprietor  of  this 
private  menagerie  ;  and  among  all  the  pic- 
turesque and  entertaining  characters  who 
frequent  this  region  it  is  safe  to  say  that  none 
can  rival  him.  His  whole  life  has  been  passed 
in  the  West  ;  and  as  trader,  hunter,  scout,  and 
animal  fancier  he  has  l;een  the  hero  of  some 

Vo.  vi.— 69. 


From  a\ 


KICIIAKI)    W.     KOCK 


THE 
WILD    I 


remarkable  exploits.  Although  now  over  sixty 
years  old.  Rock  is  still  strong  and  hardy— a 
marvel  of  physical  prowess,  possessed  of  an  en- 
durance which  many  a  younger  man  might  envy. 
Thirty  years  ago  there  were  few  army  scouts 
so  well  known  and  so  much  sought  after  as 
"Dick"    Rock.     He    served   at    various    times 

under  Generals  Clibbon, 
Hayden,  and  O.  O. 
Howard.  He  was  pro- 
bably better  acquainted 
with  the  country  in  which 
\  much  of  their  campaign- 

ing was  done  than  any 
other  white  man.  He 
knew  every  foot  of  ground 
in  the  Bitter  Root  region, 
and  long  residence  among 
the  Indians  had  given 
him  exceptional  oppor- 
tunities to  study  them 
and  become  familiar  with 
their  habits  and  customs. 
General  Gibbon  used  to 
swear  by  "  Dick  "  Rock, 
and  he  told  more  than 
one  army  friend  that  if 
he  could  have  had  Rock 
to  do  his  scouting  on  a 
certain  memorable  occa- 
sion the  Blackfeet  would 
have  been  overhauled 
sooner  than  they  were, 
and  would  never  have 
made  a  successful  retreat 
through  the  Taghee  Pass. 
Although  Dick's  days  as  a  scout  are  past,  he 
has  not  lost  his  love  for  the,  W^est  or  remained 
idle  and  permitted  himself  to  become  a  "  back 
number."  Instead  of  resting  on  his  laurels,  the 
erstwhile  scout  has  been  seeking  fame  in  other 
directions,  and  has  achieved  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  man  in  the  United  States  who 
raises  wild  animals  on  a  large  scale.  This  is 
his  profession,  and  he  makes  his  living  entirely 
through  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  animals 
he  captures.     Many  of  the  big  animals  raised 


EX-SCOUT   ANT)   TkAlTER    OF 
EASTS.  [P/lOtO. 


594 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    ALAGAZINE. 


on  the  ranch  eventually  I'lnd  their  way  into 
Eastern  zoological  gardens,  and  some  of  the 
rarer  specimens  have  even  been  shipped  to  far- 
off  Europe. 

Naturalists  and  enthusiastic  amateurs  fre- 
quently call  on  Mr.  Rock  for  additions  to  their 
collections.  Of  course,  the  finer  specimens 
command  fancy  prices,  and  the  intrepid  hunter 
finds  the  trapping  of  big  game  a  very  remunera- 
tive vocation  indeed. 

The  nearest  railroad  station  to  the  ranch  is 
Bozeman,  twenty-three  miles  away.  The  larger 
portion  of  the  ranch  forms  a  plateau,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  scenic  panorama  of  unrivalled 
grandeur.  Here  "  Rocky  Mountain  Dick  "  and 
his  wife  live  all  the  year  round,  their  only 
companions  being  a  number  of  hired  men  and 
the  large  and  varied  collection  of  wild  and 
semi-wild  beasts. 

So  far  as  breeding  and  training  are  concerned, 
no  attention  is  paid  to  small  animals,  the  only 
ones  to  be  seen  in  the  corrals  being  buffalo,  elk, 
moose,  deer,  mountain  goats,  and  brown,  black, 
and  grizzly  bears.  At  present  there  are  120 
head  of  these  animals  on  the  ranch  ;  this  being 
the  largest  number  and  the  most  varied  and 
valuable  collection  owned  by  any  private  in- 
dividual in  the  world. 

Only  a  person  familiar  with  the  differing 
habits  of  these  various  animals  can  form  any 
adequate  conception  of  the  almost  insurmount- 
able  obstacles   to    be    faced    in    their   capture. 


Some  of  them— for  instance,  the  elk  and  the 
wild  mountain  goat — frequent  the  almost  in- 
accessible mountain  ranges,  are  very  sensitive 
and  quick  to  take  alarm,  and  can  run  with  in- 
credil)le  rapidity  along  dizzy  precipices  where  no 
human  foot  can  follow.  Others  again,  like  the 
bear,  the  moose,  and  the  buffalo,  are  difficult  to 
catch  because  of  their  tremendous  strength  and 
ferocity.  All  three  of  these  animals  will  fight 
like  fiends  when  cornered,  and  it  is  a  feat  to  kill 
them,  let  alone  to  actually  succeed  in  subduing 
them  and   making  them  captives  alive. 

The  achievements  of  Mr.  Rock  as  a  trapper 
put  even  the  traditional  prowess  of  a  Nimrod  to 
the  blush.  The  great  hunter  of  antiquity  was 
content  if  he  could  simply  kill  his  prey  and  take 
home  the  dead  carcass  as  a  trophy  of  his  valour. 
This  can  now  be  done  with  a  minimum  of  risk, 
and  if  the  hunter  is  armed  with  a  long-distance 
rifle  he  can  frequently  bag  his  game  without  any 
danger  whatever  to  himself. 

On  the  other  hand,  "  Rocky  Mountain  Dick  " 
is  constantly  in  imminent  peril  from  the  moment 
the  panting  and  infuriated  prey  is  cornered 
until  it  is  finally  safely  brought  to  the  ranch. 
He  must  follow  the  trail  of  his  quarry  for  miles, 
then  corner  it,  and  succeed  in  dexterously 
bringing  it  to  the  ground  by  the  use  of  lassoes. 
Then  he  has  to  fasten  its  struggling,  mammoth 
body  to  the  sledge  with  ropes,  and  guard  it  so 
as  to  prevent  escape  during  the  long  return 
journey  through  the  snow.     Any  slip  in  any  of 


From  a] 


HAUI-ING   IN    A    LIVE    LION-ELK    WITH    DdGS. 


{Photo. 


ROCKY    MOUNTAIN    DICK"   AND    HIS    WILD    BEAST   FARM. 


595 


these  operations— the  slightest  error  of  judg- 
ment or  weakening  of  nerve  or  muscle— would 
mean  instant  death,  ^^•here  so  much  skill  and 
daring  are  requisite  there  is  little  chance  that 
"  Rocky  Mountain  Dick  "  will  have  many  rivals 
to  fear. 

A  few  days  since  the  news  reached  the  outer 
world  that  Rock  had  captured  a  large  grizzly, 
which  had  severely  wounded  one  of  his  assist- 
ants and  killed  two  dogs  in  its  furious  struggle 
to  escape  being  fastened  to  the  sledge.  In  order 
to  see  the  fierce  mountain  giant  and  to  have 
a  chat  with  the  daring  hunter  yoar  correspondent 
drove  over  to  the  ranch  and  spent  several  hours 
inspecting  the  various  wild  animals  and  chatting 
with  their  daring  captor  concerning  the  methods 
he  uses  to  take  them  prisoner. 

Mr.  Rock  has  devoted  considerable  attention 
to  the  breeding  of  the  buffalo,  and  has  fifty-two 
head,  including  some  grand  specimens  of  this 
almost  extinct  animal. 

"  These  are  the  pride  of  my  collection,"  he 
said,  pointing  to  the  splendid  herd,  "  not  only 
because  of  their  great  size  and  fine  condition,  but 
because  I  am  an  intense  admirer  of  the  species. 
I  am  hoping  that  some  day  Uncle  Sam  will 
arise  to  an  appreciation  of  the  criminal  folly  of 
having  permitted  the  indiscriminate  slaughter  of 
the  vast  herds  of  buffaloes  that  once  roamed  the 
Western  plains  in  countless  thousand.s,  and  that 
he  will  make  one  last  effort  to  save  the  buffalo 
from  absolute  extinction. 

"  I  am  always  glad  to  add  a  buffalo  to  my 
collection  and  seldom  sell  any.  (jiven  sufificient 
space  and  solitude  (for  they  are  very  nervous) 
bufifaloes  propagate  rapidly.  I  want  to  secure 
as  many  as  possible  in  order  to  form  a  nucleus. 
Then,  in  case  the  Government  ever  does  decide 
to  set  apart  a  portion  of  its  millions  of  idle 
acres  for  the  use  and  cultivation  of  the  buffalo, 
I  will  be  able  to  furnish  the  herd  necessary  for 
the  start. 

"  The  question  of  doing  something  to  save 
the  buffalo  is  an  issue  of  vital  importance,  and 
action  must  be  prompt  to  be  of  use.  It  is 
recognised  and  generally  admitted  that  the 
species  in  America  is  practically  extinct,  and  at 
the  present  rate  of  destruction  in  a  few  short 
years  the  buffalo  will  be  a  curiosity  known  only 
to  zoological  gardens,  museums,  and  circuses. 

"  How  scarce  they  are  may  be  understood 
from  the  effort  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in 
1886  to  secure  a  herd  for  the  national  collec- 
tion. In  spite  of  the  fact  that  some  of  the  most 
noted  scouts  and  buffalo-hunters  in  the  \V'est 
were  secured,  and  almost  fabulous  prices  offered 
for  fine  specimens,  it  required  months  of  the 
hardest  kind  of  searching  through  the  wilder- 
nesses   of    Yellowstone    Park,     Montana,    and 


Texas  to  capture  a  scant  twenty.  Yet  it  is  only 
a  comparatively  few  years  since  that  these 
animals  roamed  the  Western  part  of  the  United 
States  in  hundreds  of  thousands.  In  fact,  it 
might  truthfully  be  said  that,  at  the  smallest 
possible  computation,  there  were  at  least  two 
million  of  them  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  north  of  Texas  alone.  Apart  from  purely 
sentimental  considerations  there  is  every 
practical  reason  why  something  should  be 
done  to  save  the  bison. 

"  Of  all  wild  American  animals  the  most 
valuable  is  the  buffalo,  and  the  most  easily  bred. 
He  is  the  only  fur-bearing  animal  whose  flesh 
is  really  valuable,  because  the  bison  may  be 
crossed  with  domestic  cattle.  The  robe  of  the 
buffalo  is  most  valuable  as  a  garment,  because 
it  makes  a  seamless  coat,  while  the  skin  of  the 
seal  must  be  pieced  interminably. 

"When  the  Creator  brought  into  existence 
the  mid-continent  of  North  America,  with  its 
raging  storms,  howling  blizzards,  and  scorching 
siroccos,  and  made  the  great  American  desert, 
where  the  water  and  the  grass  are  but  scant.  He 
also  brought  into  existence  the  only  animal  in 
the  world  perfected  for  living  there  —  the 
American  bison.  No  doubt  it  took  untold 
ages  to  bring  up  this  wonderful  animal  and  to 
fit  him  for  existence  in  his  peculiar  home.  Plow 
dreadful,  then,  it  is  to  realize  that  through  the 
cupidity  and  wastefulness  of  mankind  millions 
of  buffaloes  have  been  in  a  short  time — thirty 
years — almost  exterminated  ! 

"  The  buffalo,  despite  his  power  and  great 
size,  is  extremely  nervous,  and  likes  plenty  of 
room  and  immunity  from  molestation  at  the 
hands  of  human  beings.  Uncle  Sam  has 
millions  of  acres  of  unoccupied  land  admirably 
adapted  to  the  purpose. 

"  Down  in  New  Mexico  there  are  thirty-three 
million  acres  of  unoccupied  land.  Around  the 
foothills  of  the  Guadalupe  Mountains  nothing 
lives  at  present,  but  here  is  an  ideal  place  for 
raising  a  great  herd  of  buffaloes,  for  the  buffalo 
grass  and  the  gramma  grass  grow  plentifully, 
and  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  shade.  I  am 
certain  that  if  a  fair-sized  section  were  devoted 
to  buffalo  raising,  under  the  systematic  care  of 
trained  experts,  the  results  would  be  more  than 
commensurate  with  the  outlay.  In  speaking 
thus  I  am  quoting  from  my  own  experience, 
for  my  own  herd  has  multiplied,  and  all  the 
animals  are  in  excellent  condition.  What  I 
have  been  able  to  do  so  successfully  on  a  small 
scale,  the  Government,  with  all  its  resources, 
should  be  able  to  do  in  a  big  way." 

"  Is  the  capture  of  a  full-grown  buffalo  alive 
a  very  difficult  matter  ?  " 

"  Exceedingly   so,"   was   the    prompt    reply, 


596 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


J' :  Oil! 


"although  there  are  animals  that  give  more 
trouble.  The  instinct  of  the  buffalo  surpasses 
that  of  the  shrewdest  ranchman  —  because  for 
ages  he  maintained  himself  where  the  cattle  of 
the  ranchmen  are 
now  dying. 

"The  bufialo  is 
not  difficult  to  trail, 
because  he  has  cer- 
tain  habits  which 
are  always  rigorously 
followed  out.  The 
herd  rise  at  dawn 
and  commence  to 
graze.  When  filled 
they  start  for  the 
trail,  led  usually  by 
an  old  cow,  who 
gives  the  signal  for 
starting  by  sounding 
a  grunt  not  unlike 
that  of  a  hog,  only 
much  louder.  The 
remainder  of  the 
herd  drop  in  behind, 
following  exactly  in 
her  footprints  until 
they  reach  the  path 

which  leads  them  to  their  drinking-place.  This 
path  never  exceeds  i2in.  in  width.  It  is  the 
same  path  along  which  the  ancestors  of  these 
buffaloes  have  travelled  for  countless  ages. 

"Finding  the  trail  of  a  bison  is  one  thing, 
but  getting  him 
safely  fastened  to  the 
sledge  and  headed 
for  the  ranch  is 
something  very  dif- 
ferent. The  buffalo 
is  quick  to  scent 
danger,  but,  owing 
to  his  bulk,  he  is 
not  a  very  quick 
traveller.  ]SIounted 
on  a  good  horse  the 
hunter  can  readily 
overtake  his  game. 
At  close  quarters, 
when  enraged,  the 
buffalo  is  a  dan- 
gerous customer. 
He  can  deal  a  nasty 
cut  with  his  short, 
wicked  horns  ;  and 
with  head  lowered 
as  a  ram  he  can  land 
with  terrific  force,  in 
regular  catapult 
fashion,  a  blow  from 


J'/ioio. 


IR.    ROCK    GOES    HIS    ROUNDS    MOUNTED   ON   A    FIERCE    liUI-FAI.O. 
J''roill   a    I'llOtp. 


which  neither  man  nor  beast  could  ever  recover. 
Once  lassoed  and  thrown  on  his  back,  however, 
he  is  easily  managed  and  can  be  readily  handled. 
In  captivity,  buffaloes  usually  prove  very  tract- 
able, and  can  even 
be  made  companion- 
able by  kind  treat- 
ment." 

In  proof  of  this 
statement  Mr.  Rock 
proceeded  to  leap 
on  the  back  of  a 
huge  fellow,  which 
carried  him  around 
the  yard  several 
times,  without  mani- 
festing the  slightest 
uneasiness  or  resent- 
ment. 

"  The  moose  is 
also  susceptible  to 
the  effects  of  good 
treatment,  and  I 
have  one  which  I 
have  trained  to 
harness  and  fre- 
quently drive  har- 
nessed to  a  two- 
wheeled  jumper.  We  have  named  her  '  Nelly 
Bly,'  and  so  tame  has  she  become  that  she 
follows  Mrs.  Rock  all  over  the  ranch,  eats  from 
her  hand,  and  in  the  morning  even  comes  right 
up    to    the   window    to    be    fed.      '  Nelly  Bly ' 

weighs  thirteen  hun- 
dred pounds  and  is 
very  powerful.  In 
my  hunts  after  big 
game  I  frequently 
hitch  her  to  my 
sledge  instead  of  the 
dogs,  and  in  this 
way  she  has  brought 
to  the  ranch  many 
a  large  animal." 

Mr.  Rock  then 
pointed  out  his  two 
mountain  goats,  the 
finest  known  speci- 
mens of  the  species 
in  captivity  ;  his 
sixty  head  of  ant- 
lered,  fleet  -  footed 
elk  ;  three  wicked- 
looking  grizzlies,  in- 
cluding the  one  just 
captured,  and  as  fine 
a  bunch  of  black- 
tailed  deer  as  was  ever 
assembled  together. 


ROCKY   MOUNTAIN    DICK"   AND    HIS    WILD   BEAST   FARM. 


597 


MK.    KOCK    AND    HIS   TROTTING   MOOSE, 

From  a  Photo. 


NELLY   13LY. 


"The 
Then 


"Every  one  of  these  animals,  excepting  the 
younger  ones  which  have  been  born  on  the 
ranch,"  said  Mr.  Rock,  "  I  have  captured  in 
their  native  haunts  and  dragged  here  on  sledges 
over  the  snow." 

"  How  long  has  it  taken  you  to  get  this  collec- 
tion together  ?  " 

"Over  seven  years,"  he  responded, 
best  time  to  work  is  in  the  early  winter, 
the  great  Western 
snows  cover  the 
ground  often  to  a 
depth  of  two  or  three 
feet.  Even  the  fleetest 
of  animals  cannot  de- 
velop speed  in  this 
encumbrance.  Their 
sharp  hoofs  stick 
heavily  in  the  snow, 
whereas  the  trapper 
on  his  snow-shoes  and 
with  his  light,  quick 
dogs  can  travel  at  a 
considerable  pace. 
When  cornered  in  a 
heavy  snow-bank  the 
game  is  handicapped 
seriously  in    its   effort        From  a 


at  self-defence.  It  flounders  helplessly  around 
in  the  snow,  in  a  trice  the  lasso  does  its  work, 
strong  ropes  fasten  it  to  the  sledge,  and  my 
collection  of  wild  animals  is  augmented  by 
one." 

"Have  you  never  been  injured  in  any  of 
these  exciting  battles  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  several  times,  and  I  have  had  a 
hundred  narrow  squeaks,  but  have  always 
managed  to  survive  with  my  full  complement 
of  bones.  Once  a  fierce  bull  buffalo  knocked 
me  down  and  so  stunned  me  that,  although  I 
was  fully  conscious  of  my  peril,  I  could  not 
move  or  raise  my  hand  to  defend  myself.  Just 
as  the  maddened  bison  was  about  to  finish  the 
job  by  trampling  me  to  pieces  one  of  my  brave 
dogs,  barking  furiously,  leaped  courageously  at 
the  mighty  giant  and  succeeded  in  burying  his 
sharp  teeth  in  the  buffalo's  soft,  sensitive  nose. 
Bellowing  with  pain  the  monster  turned  on  the 
dog  bent  on  annihilating  him,  but  of  course 
the  agile  dog  leaped  away.  The  instant's  delay 
was  my  salvation.  Raising  myself  on  my  elbow 
I  just  managed  to  draw  my  revolver,  and  at 
close  range  shot  the  big  fellow  straight  through 
the  heart.  Of  course  my  collection  lost  an 
addition,  but  as  I  saved  my  life  I  don't  suppose 
I  should  complain." 

"  Why  did  you  settle  down  in  this  desolate, 
inaccessible  spot  ?  " 

"  Principally  in  order  to  gain  the  privacy  so 
essential  to  these  wild  animals.  If  located 
near  a  frequented  place  they  would  die  of 
fright  before  they  could  become  accustomed  to 
the  crowds  and  noise.  I  came  here  first  with 
only  a  pack  and  a  saddle  horse,  having  ridden 
the  Rockies  and  other  mountain 
over  one  thousand  miles  from  Galves- 
ton, m  Texas.  As  soon  as  I  saw  this  spot  I 
felt  my  ideal  had    been   attained,  pitched   my 


through 
ranges 


598 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


.-3^: 


MR.    ROCK   HAUI-S   IN"   A  CAPTURED   ELK   WITH   HIS   TRAINED    MOOSE- 

Fioin  a  Plioto. 


tent,  built  a  cabin,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  every- 
thing comfortable  brought  my  wife  on.  Then, 
securing  the  necessary  dogs  and  making  suitable 
corrals  to  hold  game,  I  waited  for  the  December 
snows  in  order  to  make 
my  initial  venture  in  my 
new  career.  With  hard 
work  and  almost  inde- 
scribable exposure,  I  had 
succeeded  by  spring  in 
securing  seventy-five  elk, 
three  moose,  ten  deer, 
seven  antelopes,  and  three 
mountain  sheep. 

"  I  have  raised  several 
buffaloes  on  the  ranch 
and  also  one  moose.  The 
elk  seem  hardy  and  con- 
tented in  their  new  en- 
vironment, and  breed  as 
rapidly  as  when  in  their 
native  state.  Deer,  moose, 
and  antelope  are  of  a 
restless,  nervous  nature, 
and  do  not  multiply  so 
readily  as  the  elk.  Since 
1894  I  have  sold  350 
head  of  elk  alone  to  zoo- 


logical gardens 
and  public  and 
private  parks  in 
the  East,  as  well  as 
many  other  varie- 
ties of  animals. 

"  To  be  sure, 
there's  money  in 
it,"  concluded 
"  Dick,"  "  but 
with  me  the  get- 
ting of  money  is 
only  an  incidental 
motive,  as  it  were. 
If  it  were  not  for 
my  attachment  to 
this  glorious  cli- 
mate and  my  fond- 
ness for  the  inde- 
pendent, outdoor 
life  I  lead  here  I 
reckon  I'd  be  back 
East.  Same  way 
with  Mrs.  Rock. 
Ohio  suits  her 
well  enough  to  visit  it  once  in  a  while  ;  but  for 
steady  living  give  her  Idaho  every  time  and  a 
ranch  just  about  like  this  one,  twenty  miles 
from  nowhere  and  as  pretty  as  a  picture." 


-THE   ONLY    ONE   IN   THE  STATES. 


^^^-.- 


».j^» ' 


.« 


A   CORNER  OF 


From  a  Photo. 


Camping=Out   on   a   South   African    Strand. 


By 


Mrs.  Walter  J.  H.  Soui,. 


Here    is    an     illustrated    article    on    an    interesting    subject-how  a  party  of    South  African  Colonials 

undertake  a  seaside   holiday.      On    this  occasion  the   holiday  took    the    form    of  an    ox-wac?on    trek 

over  the  veldt    to    the  tranquil    beach   known   as   Still    Bay    Strand.       Here    the    party  roughed    it    in 

Bohemian  fashion,    picnicking,  making  excursions,  and  having  a  good   time    generally. 


ITER  thinking  it  over  for  a  week  or 
two  I  at  last  made  up  my  mind  to 
accept  my  friend.s'  kind  invitation  to 
go  with  them  and  rough  it  for  three 
weeks  at  a  tiny  little  watering-place 
called  Still  Bay  Strand.  We  were  to  travel 
down  in  a  large  tent  ox-waggon,  with  a  team  of 
sixteen  oxen  ;  and  so,  on  the  appointed  after- 
noon, I  went  up  to  my  friends'  house  to  watch 
the  packing  of  the  waggon,  or  rather  waggons, 
for  we  were  a  large  party,  and  required  two. 

At  the  time  I  speak  of  there  was  no  such 
thing  as  a  shop  or  place  to  buy  anything  at  the 
Strand,  so  all  that  would  be  required  in  the  way 
of  eatables,  bedding,  and  household  utensils  of 
every  description  had  to  be  taken  with  us. 
When  I  arrived  on  the  scene  everything  was  in 
full  swing — boxes  of  groceries,  barrels  of  .salted 
meat  (called  ribetjes),  bags  of  flour,  sugar, 
potatoes,  pots,  pans,  gridirons,  crockery,  etc., 
seemed  to  have  got  themselves  intermixed  with 
mattresses,  pillows,  rugs,  boxes,  and  bags  of 
clothes  in  what  looked  to  me  like  a  hopeless 
muddle.  Everybody  seemed  to  be  shouting  to 
everybody  else,  and  confusion  reigned  rampant, 
while  the  teams  of  oxen  looked  calmly  on, 
chewing  the  cud,  and  wondering,  no  doubt, 
why  human  beings  make  such  a  fuss  about 
everything  they  do. 

In  a  very  short  time  all  was  got  into  the 
bottom  of  the  waggons,  and  then  the  kartles 
were  put  on — large  frames  of  wood  with  hide 
thongs  across,  which  fit  into  the  waggons — and 
on  these  were  placed  our  mattresses,  pillows, 
and  rugs,  and  then  we  were  told  to  get  in  and 
make  ourselves  comfortable,  as  all  was  ready 
for  starting.  Finally,  amid  the  cracking  of 
whips  and  shouts  of  "  Hi-up  there,  Zwartbooi, 
Witvoet,  Afrikander,"  etc.,  to  the  oxen,  the  driver 
and  little  nigger-boy  voorlooper  (leader)  got 
them  to  move,  and  at  last  we  were  really  off. 
We  were  packed  inside  like  sardines.  Our 
party  consisted  of  about  twenty-six,  including 
servants  and  children,  and  one  waggon,  being 
larger  than  the  other,  had  to  take  sixteen  ;  I  was 
one  of  that  number.  We  had  to  sit  across  the 
waggon,  seven  on  one  side  and  seven  on  the 
other  ;    two  of  the  servants  were  in    front  with 


the  driver,  but  the  majority  did  not  mind  the 
tight  fit,  as  whenever  we  felt  inclined  some  of  us 
would  jump  out  and  gather  wild  flowers  and 
walk  alongside  the  waggon,  which  was  a  relief 
from  the  jolting  over  stony  ground. 

Still  Bay  Strand  is  only  twenty-four  miles 
distant  as  the  crow  flies  from  Riversdale,  the 
little  Colonial  village  where  we  lived;  but  we 
knew  we  should  be  at  least  seventeen  hours 
on  the  journey  by  ox-waggon,  and  having  only 
started  at  five  in  the  afternoon  were  prepared 
for  our  night-out.  At  seven  o'clock,  it  being 
then  quite  dark,  we  made  our  first  outspan,  and, 
the  oxen  being  set  free  to  graze,  the  drivers  and 
servants  began  to  gather  firewood.  Presently, 
two  or  three  fires  being  kindled,  out  came  the 
gridirons  and  frying-pans,  and  soon  there  was 
an  appetizing  smell  in  the  air  of  chops  and 
sassatees  ;  these  last  being  small  pieces  of  meat 
strung  on  to  thin  reeds,  then  left  to  soak  in  curry 
powder  and  vinegar,  and  finally  put  on  the  grid- 
iron to  grill ;  they  are  eaten  off  the  stick. 

U'hat  a  merry  party  we  were,  to  be  sure,  and 
what  jokes  were  made  over  the  scarcity  of 
china  ;  but,  as  we  were  all  so  jolly,  there  were 
no  grumbles  from  the  half  of  the  party  who 
had  to  wait  for  their  coffee  till  the  rest  had 
finished  with  their  cups  and  basins.  What  a 
scene  it  was  !  I  shall  never  forget  it.  The  wild, 
dark  veldt ;  the  bright  fires  ;  the  figures  flitting 
about  and  the  cattle  grazing  here  and  there. 
But  when,  after  a  good  rest,  the  oxen  were  in- 
spanned  and  we  started  on  our  jolting  journey 
again  in  the  stuffy  waggon,  I  did  not  think  I 
was  in  Paradise  ;  and,  after  vainly  trying  to  get  off 
to  sleep,  I  was  again  obliged  to  get  out  and  walk. 
The  moon  soon  rose  and  lit  up  the  wild  veldt 
and  the  dark  mountains  in  the  distance,  and  in 
the  quiet  stillness  of  the  night  how  clear  the 
young  voices  .sounded  as  they  sang  glees  and 
choruses,  awakening  far-off  echoes. 

At  seven  next  morning  we  stopped  for  our 
breakfast,  all  rather  tired  after  our  sleepless 
night,  and  glad  that  we  were  nearing  our 
destination.  While  breakfast  was  being  got 
ready  we  all  went  off  and  washed  at  a  little 
spruit  near  by,  and  then  did  full  justice  to  the 
food    prepared    for   us.       At   ten    we   came   in 


6oo 


THK     WIDK     WOkI.I)    MAGAZINE. 


Frovi  a\ 


i»vKk    i.N     i.iii    FLA  r-iitJi  i  DMKIJ    I'.UAl' 
OF    THE   LUGGAGE   AS    POSSIBLE." 


.•\M)     rAKK    .•\S 


illCH 

[P/ioto. 


sight  of  the  river,  and  as  we  got  down  to  the 
bank  what  excitement  there  was,  especially  when 
we  found  that  the  waggons  would  not  be  able  to 
cross  to  the  other  side  for  several  hours  as  the 
tide  was  up.  ^^'e,  therefore,  decided  to  cross 
over  in  the  flat  -  bottomed  boats  and  take  as 
much  of  the  luggage  as  possible,  leaving  only 
the  things  which  could  be  lifted  on  to  the 
kartles,  as  the  water  often  covers  the  bottom  of 
the  waggon  in  crossing  the  river.  Having  been 
rowed  across  to  the  opposite  shore  we  and  our 
belongings  were  plumped  down,  and  we  were 
then  left  to  make  our  way  on  foot  for  half  an 
hour  through  the  heavy,  white  sand,  carrying  all 
we  could  till  we  came  in  sight  of  our  destination. 
Hot,  tired,  and  dusty,  what  was  my  astonish- 
ment to  see  several  thatched  mud  houses  or 
huts  and  little  galvanized  rooms  stuck  in  the 
midst  of  the  soft,  white  sand,  and  on  top  of  one 
of  the  .sand-hills.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see 
was  a  continua- 
tion of  white 
sand-hills,  some 
of  them  in  the 
distance,  farther 
off  the  river's 
mouth,  covered 
with  a  growth  of 
sugar  bush  and 
sour  fig.  But  I 
was  too  tired  at 
first  to  enjoy  the 
beauties  of 
Nature ;  and  on 
being  told  that 
two  of  these 
huts  would  be 
our  abode  for 
the  present  I 
entered  and 
looked  about  for 
a  comfortable 
chair  to  sit  down 


in.  I'ancy  my  disgust  at 
seeing  a  room  about  14ft. 
square,  with  a  mud  floor, 
and  mud  partitions  three- 
(juarters  of  the  way  up  on 
cither  side,  with  entrances 
cut  m  them.  These  par- 
titioned-off  spaces,  about 
I  oft.  square,  were  meant 
for  bedrooms  for  the 
womenkind.  Outside  was 
a  lean-to  which  provided 
sleeping  room  for  a  few 
more,  and  a  few  feet  off  was 
a  little  kitchen  built  in  the 
shape  of  a  round  Kaffir 
hut.  The  men  were  to  occupy  one  waggon  and 
the  servants  the  other.  I  was  then  taken  up  to 
see  the  little  galvanized  iron  room  on  the  sand- 
hill in  which  I  was  to  sleep  with  one  of  the 
elder  ladies,  going  down  to  the  other  house  for 
meals.  The  furniture  here  was  also  a  wooden- 
frame  bedstead  and  washing-stand.  An  attempt 
had  been  made  to  lay  planks  across  the 
sand  floor,  but  as  the  sand  had  evidently 
shifted,  every  now  and  then  one's  foot  would 
slip  down  between  the  planks,  and  daylight 
showed  between  the  sheets  of  galvanized  iron. 
But  we  thought  it  v\-ould  he  pleasanter  than 
sharing  a  bed  with  so  many  others  in  the  little 
mud  house  down  on  the  sands. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that,  while  my  friend  went 
off  to  see  if  the  servants  were  preparing  a  meal, 
I  sat  down  and  had  a  good  cry,  and  thought 
how  silly  I  had  been  to  come  and  rough  it  and 
live  in  such  discomfort.     But  after  a  little  rest 


'  SEVERAL    .MUD    HOUSES    AM)   GALVANIZEIJ    ROOMS   STUCK    IN    THE   MIDST   OF   THE   SOFT,    WHITE   SAND. 

From  a   /'hoto. 


CAMPING-OUT    ON    A    SOUTH    AFRICAN    STRAND. 


6oi 


I'ront  a\ 

and  a  good  lunch  things  began  to  look  brighter, 
and,  it  being  a  lovely  day,  we  walked  up  to  the 
drift  to  see  if  the  waggons  were  coming  along 
with  all  our  comforts  for  the  night. 

About  four  o'clock  they  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  then  we  were  busy  getting  things 
straightened  out,  making  up  beds,  etc.  You 
may  be  sure  we  were  all  glad  to  get  to  rest  that 
night,  though  I  can't  say  I  slept  well,  for  I  had 
never  roughed  it  before.  When  morning  came, 
however,  we  all  jumped  u[)  and  ran  down  from 
our  houses  in  bathing-dress  for  a  dip  in  the 
bright  blue  sea ;  then  back  again  to  dress  for 
breakfast.  And  as  some  farmer-fishermen  had 
just  come  up  in  their  boats  we  bought  fresh 
fish  and  had 
them  immedi- 
ately cooked.  I 
don't  think  I 
ever  remember 
tasting  anything 
so  delicious  as 
this  first  morn- 
ing meal. 

Now,  before 
going  on  to  de- 
scribe how  we 
passed  our  days 
I  should  like  to 
tell  you  how  we 
got  our  drinking- 
water,  baked  our 
bread,  and  w^ere 
furnished  with 
the  necessaries 
of  life  which  we 
were  unable  to 
take  with  us. 
The   drinking- 

Vol.  vi.-70. 


water  was  got  by  digging  holes  in 
the  sand  and  scooping  up  the 
water,  which  had  evidently  run 
down  from  the  hills  or  from  some 
little  springs  which  bubble  up 
through  the  sand ;  and  though  it 
was  rather  brackish  and  unpalat- 
able for  drinking,  unless  mixed 
with  lime  or  lemon  juice,  it  made 
splendid  coffee.  Our  bread  was 
baked  in  little  clay  ovens  built  in 
the  sand,  and  was  most  delightful. 
Another  comical  point  is  that 
while  living  at  the  Strand  everyone 
goes  barefoot  all  day  long,  except 
when  going  over  the  rocks  or 
across  the  hills,  when  a  pair  of  sand- 
shoes are  worn  over  stockingless 
feet.  I  tried  this  once  or  twice,  but 
found  it  hurt  my  feet,  so  I  did  not 
follow  the  general  fashion.  The  first  day  we  spent 
exploring,  coming  down  to  some  fine  groups  of 
rocks,  which  we  climbed,  and,  perching  our- 
selves on  the  top,  watched  the  waves  breaking 
up  against  them.  The  younger  folk  soon  got 
tired  of  this,  however,  and  began  {)eriwinkle- 
hunting,  and  a  large  quantity  was  gathered, 
taken  home,  and  boiled. 

The  young  folks  bathed,  as  a  rule,  as  often  as 
three  times  a  day ;  and  on  the  second  morning 
we  went  for  a  bathe  in  a  creek  between  rocks, 
and  were  all  popping  up  and  down,  laughing 
and  calling  out  to  one  another,  when  suddenly 
there  was  a  shriek  of   "  Shark  !     Shark  !  "  and 


Vl'hoto. 


amidst     screams,    splashint 


"  KVEkYONE   GOES    iiAKEIOOT,    EX'CEPT   W 

From  a\  sand-shoes  a 


HEN    (;olN(;   OVEk    1  HI 
RE   WOKN." 


1 1 1-.  ;■. 
U'/toto. 


and  floundering 
we  all  rushed 
to  the  shore, 
greatly  fright- 
ened and  out  of 
breath.  Several 
of  the  men  who 
had  heard  the 
screams  tore 
down  to  our 
assistance  to 
see  what  it  was 
all  about,  and 
all  eyes  were 
fastened  on  a 
long,  black 
thing  fast  com- 
ing in-shore. 
Suddenly  there 
was  a  roar  of 
laughter  from 
the  men,  and 
cries  of  "  Oh, 
you  silly  things  ! 
Why,  it  is  only 


6o2 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


a  piece  of  drift wocxl.""  So 
we  finished  our  l)athe 
and  then  went  up  to  get 
ready  for  a  picnic  up 
the  river. 

When  the  baskets  had 
been  got  ready,  the 
cofiTee-cans  and  kettles, 
etc.,  packed,  and  our 
sun-bonnets  put  on,  off 
we  went  along  the  sands 
up  to  the  river's  bank, 
where  several  flat  -  bot- 
tomed boats  were  await- 
i  n  g  us.  The  men 
jumped  in,  but  as  the 
tide  was  far  out  and  the 
boats  could  not  come  right  in  the  rowers  and 
one  or  two  of  the  gentlemen  carried  us  out  to 


From  a\ 


WE   GET    READY    FOK    A    I'lCNIC    UP   THE 


the  boats.     A  funny  sight  it  was,   too,   for  there 

were  two  or  three  rather  stout  ones  in  the  party, 

who   made    sure    the    men 

would  drop  them  in  the  mud 

and  water.    At  last  all  were 

safely  deposited  in  the  boat 

and   we   were    off,    but    the 

helmsman,  not  knowing  the 

shallows  of  the  river,  steered 

on  to  a  mud-bank,  and  then 

all    the    men   had    to   jump 

out  and  get  the  boat  off. 

After  a  good  row  of  an 
hour  and  a  half  up  the 
lovely  river,  with  steep  banks 
all  covered  with  bush,  we 
steered  the  boat  into  a  lovely 
creek,  disembarked,  and 
walked  up  to  a  little  mud 
hut  where  dwelt  an  old 
negro  man  who  had  formerly 
been  a  slave ;  he  was  the 
caretaker  of  the  lovely  garden 


r/ioto. 

running  right  up  this  creek.  There  was  an 
orange  and  lemon  grove,  with  fine  palm  trees 
and  huge  bamboo  reeds,  and 
here  and  there  some  walnut 
trees  and  a  lovely  little  brook 
running  right  through  the 
garden  down  to  the  river's 
edge,  with  watercress  and 
lovely  ferns  growing  along 
its  sides.  On  giving  the 
old  man  some  tobacco  he 
gathered  us  some  fresh 
oranges.  We  also  bought  a 
large  basket  of  them,  with 
lemons  and  walnuts,  to  take 
back  with  us.  Presently,  in 
a  shady  spot,  we  spread  our 
tablecloth  and  got  out  our 
lunch,  fires  being  made  a 
little  distance  off.  Potatoes  were  boiled  and  coffee 
made,  and  soon  we  were   all  enjoying  a  hearty 


[Photo. 


HI-, Ah  i  '.     ..il-  Al.     i.N 

I'roin  a   Photo. 


CAMPING-OUT    ON    A    SOUTH    AFRICAN    STRAND. 


603 


From  d\ 


M-:    1)1       IHK    1:K1   111;     1I(J1.->I-.S    Al.OM,     1  HE    KUl'K. 


meal  in  this  lovely  "Garden  of  Eden,"  with  its 
delicious  air  and  its  vista  of  the  gleaming  river. 

After  a  rest  and  a  ramble,  gathering  ferns  and 
bunches  of  watercress  to  take  home  for  supper, 
off  we  went  back  again  to  our  boats,  and  rowing 
up  the  river  for  another  hour  or  two  we  again 
got  out  and  entered  another  garden.  Here  we 
had  our  afternoon  coffee,  rusks,  and  cakes,  and 
got  home  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  The  row 
was  lovely,  all  of  us  singing  choruses  and  calling 
from  one  boat  to  the  other  in  the  clear,  still 
evening  air.  At  eight  o'clock,  the  moon  having 
come  up,  most  of  us  went  off  for  a  stroll,  some- 
one suggesting  we  should  climb  up  from  the 
back  of  the  sand-hills,  and  when  on  top  sit  down 
and  watch  the  moonlight  on  the  water. 

The  next  day  we  made  up  our  minds  to 
picnic  on  the  opposite  coast,  so  started  off 
early,  and  getting  to  the  river  crossed  over 
in  the  boats,  and  found  awaiting 
us  a  large  ox-waggon  that  had 
been  ordered.  We  were  to  walk 
and  drive  in  turns,  as  there  was 
not  room  for  all,  so  off  the  poor, 
placid  oxen  trudged  through  the 
heavy  sea  sand  along  the  water's 
edge,  till  we  came  to  our  destina- 
tion. This  was  a  large  group 
of  towering  rocks  with  shallow 
caves  in  them,  where  we  could 
picnic  and  be  sheltered  from  the 
heat.  In  the  foreground  on  the 
shimmering  white  sand  was  one 
tremendous  rock  of  wonderful 
shape,  called  the  "  Priekstool," 
or  pulpit  rock,  on  account  of  its 
resemblance  to  the  pulpits  in  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church. 

A    friend    who    lived    with     his 
wife    and    child    in    one    of    the 


iPlwto. 


better  houses  along  the  river, 
and  who  had  a  fine  fishing  boat 
and  net,  would  often  go  out  to- 
wards evening  with  his  men,  and, 
casting  the  net,  would  in  a  very 
short  time  haul  it  in  full  of 
"haaders" — a  fish  very  much  like 
the  English  grey  mullet.  And 
this  neighbour  would  very  kindly 
send  us  down  a  basketful  now 
and  then. 

What  with  picnics,  rowing  on  the 
river,  and  lovely  walks  along  the 
rocky,  wild,  and  desolate  sea-coast, 
now  and  then  stopping  for  a  bathe 
in  a  tempting  -  looking  spot,  our 
holiday  passed  away  and  came  to  an  end 
as  all  good  things  do.  Only  two  rainy  and 
stormy  days  did  we  have  all  through  that 
month,  and  on  those  days  we  had  to  close  up 
our  ventilating  holes  with  planks  so  that  we 
were  compelled  to  light  lamps.  But  we  passed 
the  time  right  merrily  with  cards  and  games, 
and  only  felt  the  discomfort  at  night,  when 
the  wind  came  howling  through  the  chinks 
and  crevices,  making  us  wonder  if  the  roof, 
though  held  down  by  heavy  stones,  would  be 
blown  away. 

At  last  the  day  came  for  our  departure.  All 
our  things  were  packed  and  ready  by  the  time 
the  waggons  arrived,  and  when  they  were 
dispatched  to  cross  the  river  we  all  started  off 
after  a  scratch  lunch,  carrying  the  remainder  of  our 
belongings,  and  sighing,  as  we  plodded  through 
the  heavy  sands,  that  our  holiday  was  at  an  end. 


"  WOULD   OI- 


TEiN    GO   OUT  TOWARDS   HVEXING   WITH    A    FINE   K1S11IN(;    liOAT. 

From  a  Photo. 


Travelling   and   Hunting    in    Central   Africa. 

By  C.  Hubert  Pemberton. 

Mr.  Pemberton  has  written  quite  a  hunter's  guide,  beginning  with  practical  hints  on  outfit,  and  going  on 

to  descriptions  of  the  journey,  the  hiring  of  porters,  the  stalking  of  game,  and  forest  episodes  and  incidents  ; 

winding  up  with  a  few  useful  remarks  on  the  ailments  likely  to  attack  the  Central  African  hunter  and 

natural  history  collector.     The  narrative  is  illustrated  with  snap-shots  taken  by  the  author  himself. 


\  July  last  year  I  started  from 
London  with  the  object  of  big-game 
hunting  and  natural  history  speci- 
men-collecting in  Africa.  I  especi- 
ally wished  to  bring  home  the  whole 
skins  of  elephant,  rhinoceros,  and  hippopotamus, 
a  thing  that  had  never  been  attempted  before. 
In  this  1  was  successful,  as  will  be  seen  in  the 
following  pages.  I  intended  to  make  Kota- 
Kota,  on  Lake  Nyassa,  in  British  Central  Africa, 
my  head-quarters  and  the  starting-point  of  the 
expedition,  and,  if  possible,  try  to  reach  Lake 
Bangweolo,  in  the  British  South  Africa  Com- 
pany's territory. 

I  had  to  devote  a  considerable  amount  of 
care  and  forethought  to  the  details  and  neces- 
saries of  my  trip  some  weeks  before  leaving 
home.  In  this  I  was  ably  assisted  by  Mr. 
C.  V.  A.  Peel,  of  Somaliland  fame. 

My  first  care  was  my  tent,  which  was  a  water- 
proof double-roof  ridge  one,  7ft.  6in.  square. 
I  found  this  a  most  useful  size  for  one  man,  and 
it  was  not  too  heavy  to  be  carried  by  one  porter. 
Any  tent  of  a  larger  size  than  this  would  in 
all  probability  require  two  men  to  carry  it.  My 
bed  was  a  folding  stretcher-bed.  These  beds 
are,  I  think,  quite  the  most  useful  and  durable 
made  for  travellers  ;  the  ordinary  folding-beds  so 
often  get  out  of  order  at  the  joints,  and  great 
discomfort  necessarily  ensues. 

My  next  thought  was  given  to  the  rifles.  In- 
this  matter  I  was  again  aided  by  Mr.  Peel,  who 
kindly  lent  me  some  of  his.  Besides  my  own 
battery  of  rifles  I  took  with  me  twenty  Snider 
carbines,  in  case  I  wanted  an  escort  of  armed 
natives.  I  found,  however,  that  this  was 
unnecessary,  so  I  discarded  all  but  three  of 
them.  It  is  certainly  advisable  for  economy's 
sake  to  take  all  one's  stores  out  from  England. 
Although  most  of  the  trading  stations  in  British 
Central  Africa  keep  the  necessaries  of  life  on 
hand,  the  prices  they  are  sold  at  are  somewhat 
exorbitant. 

It  would  be  as  well,  too,  to  take  out  three 
or  four  thousand  yards  of  ordinary  unbleached 
calico.  All  porters  are  paid  in  this  commodity, 
and  a  savmg  of  lyid.  or  2d.  a  yard  would  be 


made  on  it  if  it  were  taken  with  the  rest  of  one's 
stores.  At  Kota-Kota  I  had  to  pay  4d.  per 
yard'  on  calico  which  in  England  fetches,  I 
believe,  i}^d.  or  i^d.  a  yard  at  wholesale 
prices. 

I  had  all  my  stores,  ammunition,  etc.,  packed 
in  5olb.  boxes,  and  this  is,  no  doubt,  the 
best  all-round  weight.  Porters  will  often  carry 
heavier  loads,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  overload 
them,  in  case  one  finds  (as  I  did)  that  forced 
marches  are  necessary. 

Any  articles  that  would  not  conveniently  pack 
into  5olb.  boxes  I  had  made  up  into  8olb.  or 
9olb.  loads,  and  slung  on  a  pole  so  that  they 
could  be  carried  by  two  men.  The  boxes,  when 
empty,  came  in  very  handy  to  pack  trophies  in 
for  the  voyage  home. 

I  landed  at  Chinde  in  August,  and  had  a 
somewhat  tedious  journey,  which  lasted  a  month, 
from  that  place  to  Kota-Kota,  on  Lake  Nyassa. 
Owing  to  the  kindness  of  the  collector  {i.e., 
native  magistrate)  there,  I  was  enabled  to  collect 
the  sixty  porters  necessary  to  carry  my  loads 
inland  on  the  first  stage  of  my  journey. 

Carriers,  or  "  tenga  tenga  "  as  they  are  called 
in  Central  Africa,  are  a  terrible  nuisance.  The 
difficulty  I  always  found  was  to  get  enough 
of  them.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
they  are  busy  gardening  or  watching  their  wives 
garden,  and  no  amount  of  calico  would 
induce  them  to  leave  their  villages  for  more 
than  a  short  time  at  these  seasons.  So 
I  had  to  be  continually  changing  them 
for  others,  and  this  entailed  a  lot  of  trouble, 
paying  the  old  ones  off  and  finding  others 
to  take  their  place.  I  was,  however,  fortunate 
enough  to  find  some  who  agreed  to  carry 
for  me  all  the  time  I  was  travelling.  But  the 
majority  would  only  carry  for  a  month  or  a 
week,  or  to  a  specified  place,  and  not  a  yard 
farther. 

On  my  return  to  head-quarters  I  had  170 
carriers  with  me,  and  the  trouble  of  collecting, 
keeping  together,  and  managing  so  large  a  body 
of  men  can  be  better  imagined  than  described. 

Occasionally  some  of  my  porters  would  change 
their  minds   after   leaving  their  villages,  or  get 


TRAVELLING    AND    HUNTING    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


tired  of  their  loads  and  throw  them  away  in  the 
jungle  and  bolt.  If  I  caught  any  of  these 
scamps  after  playing  this  trick  I  generally  gave 
them  a  pretty  uncomfortable  time  of  it.  On  one 
occasion  I  offered  the  headman  of  a  large  village 
a  present  to  get  me  ten  porters  by  the  following 
day.  Next  morning  he  turned  up  accompanied 
by  ten  of  his  villagers,  and  I  gave  him  the 
promised  reward.  Three  days  after  five  of  the 
men  had  run  away  and  two  more  afterwards 
bolted.  Porters  get  i6yds.  or  20yds.  of  calico 
a  month. 

At  Kota-Kota  I  engaged  a  cook  and  also  a 
camp  boy.  The  former  was  a  most  useful  boy,  but 
his^  knowledge  of  cooking  was  rather  elementary. 
There  are  no  roads  whatever  in  the  country 
in  which  I  was  hunting,  as  it 
was  far  away  from  all  traces  of 
civilization.  The  nearest 
Englishman  was,  so  far  as  I 
knew,  some  two  hundred  miles 
away.  I  did,  however,  meet 
with  two  white  men  in  the 
course  of  the  five  months  I 
devoted  to  the  expedition.  I 
had  heard  from  the  natives 
that  they  were  in  the  district, 
and  I  very  naturally  went  to 
see  them. 

People  at  home  always  think 
that  camp  life  must  become 
very  monotonous  without  com- 
panions. I  did  not  find  it  so. 
I  worked  hard  and  walked 
much  after  game,  covering  on 
an  average  twenty-five  miles  a 
day,  and  very  often  even  a  longer  distance  than 
that.  My  longest  march  was  eighty  miles  in 
thirty-two  hours  ;  but  that  is  a  feat  I  would 
not  care  to  undertake  again  in  those  tropical 
climates. 

Daylight  lasts,  roughly  speaking,  from  6 
a.m.  till  6  p.m.  Directly  dawn  broke  I  started 
out  with  my  two  hunters,  each  carrying  a  rifle, 
and  we  returned  to  camp  between  the  hours  of 
eleven  and  twelve.  I  then  had  breakfast  and 
lay  down   and  read,  or  busied   myself  skinnin 


605 


I  used  to  have  hot  baths  about  eleven  o'clock 
every  day  m  the  pools  of  one  of  tlie  rivers  on 
the  banks  of  which  I  was  encamped.  The 
stream,  which  in  the  dry  season  is  very  narrow 
and  shaliow,  had  a  sandy  bed,  and  the  sun's  rays 
beatmg  down  for  a  few  hours  made  the  water  in 
the  small  pools  quite  as  hot  as  I  could  bear  it. 
At  first  I  naturally  thought  I  had  found  a  hot 
spring,  but  when  I  went  down  in  the  eady 
morning  I  found  that  the  water  was  quite 
cold. 

In  the  rainy  season  this  river  is  considerably 
wider  than  the  Thames,  and  masses  of  weed 
and  trunks  of  large  trees  are  borne  downwards 
in  its  headlong  rush.  The  scenery  on  its  banks 
IS  very  lovely  and  varied.     Forests   stretch   for 


i-  iiiriij-  ARE  SFKX  i\  THi:  i;i\  i:ic. 


birds  or  labelling  insects  until  3  p.m.,  at 
which  time  the  days  began  to  get  cooler.  Then 
I  sallied  forth  again  until  dark.  On  returning 
home  I  had  my  dinner,  wrote  my  diary,  and  went 
to  bed.  Such  was  my  daily  round  of  camp  life. 
It  has  its  enchantments  as  well  as  its  worries. 

The  heat  is  at  times  very  trying — the  shade 
readings  were  nearly  always  over  loodeg.  Fahr., 
and  on  two  occasions  I  have  seen  my  thermo- 
meter register  i3odeg.  in  the  shade.  The 
nights,  too,  are  very  hot  and  close,  and  one 
sleeps  badly  in  consequence. 


hundreds  of  miles  on  either  side,  and  far  away  in 
the  distance  high  mountains  well  covered  with 
timber  can  be  seen.  On  one  of  these  ranges 
there  is  a  fossil  forest,  where  the  trunks  of  what 
were  once  large  trees  cover  the  ground.  These 
trunks  have  now  all  turned  into  solid  stone, 
and  look  very  much  like  huge  fallen  pillars.  In 
the  swamps  and  creeks  of  the  river  hippopotami 
and  crocodiles  abound.  My  services  were 
earnestly  begged  for  on  one  occasion  by  some 
villagers  to  shoot  some  of  the  former  animals, 
which  did  a  great  deal  of  damage  annually 
to  their  crops.  Nothing  loth,  I  was  led  to  the 
spot  where  the  hippo  were  said  to  be,  and  on 
cautiously  peeping  over  the  bank  I  saw,  in  a 
pool  a  few  feet  below  me,  the  heads  of  nearly 
forty  hippopotami,  all  unconscious  of  the  danger 
which  threatened  them. 

It  was  a  grand  sight,  but  I  did  not  spend  a 
great  deal  of  time  admiring  them.  Before  the 
echo  of  my  -303  had  died  away  one  of  the 
animals  had  gone  to  his  last  account.  Another 
soon  followed.     The  end  of  it  was  that,  though 


6o6 


THE    WTDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


From  a  Photo,  /y] 


THE    AUTHOR  S    MEN    ROLLING    IN    DEAO    HIPPOS, 


Uiikoy 


1  did  not  kill  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  natives,  I 
did  not  feel  justified  in  destroying  as  many  as 
they  wished  me  to.  The  dead  hippos  were 
rolled  to  the  bank,  and  an  orgy  commenced,  the 
like  of  which  I  had  never  seen. 

Before  daylight  next  morning  upwards  of  six 
hundred  niggers  had  assembled,  cutting,  hack- 
ing, and  hewing  at  the  carcasses.  \Vhat  a  noisy, 
yelling  gang  they  were  I  They  stripped  the 
carcasses  of  all  the  flesh,  and  what  they  could 
not  eat  they  hung  on  long  poles  in  the  sun  or 
in  festoons  over  fires  to  dry.  I  was  in  want  of 
a  whole  skin  of  a  hippopotamus  at  that  time,  so 
I  took  the  opportunity  of 
having  one  skinned. 

The  next  three  photo- 
graphs show  the  natives 
rolling  the  dead  animals  to 
shore,  the  whole  skin  hang- 
ing up  to  dry,  and  the  head 
skin  of  one  of  the  animak 
undergoing  a  similar 
process. 

On  my  journey  down  the 
river  I  found  that  the  natives 
had  deserted  many  of  the 
villages,  the  reason  being 
that  I  had  collected  a 
number  of  porters  from  them 
on  my  way  up,  most  of  whom 
had  since  run  aw-ay.  They 
had  heard  I  was  on  my  way 
back,  and  evidently  thought 
discretion  the  better  part  of 
valour.  The  lower  photo- 
graph on  the  next  page  is 
one  I  took  of  one  of  the 
deserted  villages. 


I  left  the  river  and  struck  off  towards  some 
mountains  I  could  see  in  the  dim  distance.  The 
natives  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  go  there  with 
me,  as  the  intervening  country  was  waterless 
and  uninhabited.  Here  I  had  two  or  three 
very  hard  days  after  elephants.  It  is  without 
doubt  the  most  difficult  animal  to  shoot,  and 
the  amount  of  fatigue  entailed  in  this  exciting 
sport  is  enormous.  I  got  only  one  specimen 
at  that  time,  and  in  the  three  days  I  spent  in 
hunting  them  I  walked  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles. 

Only    men    having    strong    constitutions   and 


THIS    SNAl'-bHOT,    liV     1  HE    ALIHOK,    bll 


>!•     HLs    HUTU    SKINS    H.\NGING    UP   TO   DKV. 


TRAVELLING    AND    HUNTING    IN    CEN'IRAL    AFRICA. 


607 


_t    Tilt    ilvlN    ^i      A    illl'I'OS    HKAL)    HANGING    UP    TO    DRV 

From   a   Photo,   hv  the   Author. 


Steady  nerves  should  undertake  this  sport. 
Otherwise,  it  is  sure  in  the  end  to  lead  to  a  bad 
accident  or  the  death  of  the  hunter.  Elephant- 
hunting  may  have  paid  in  the  past,  but  in  the 
present  it  certainly  does  not  do  so.  One  has 
now  to  go  so  far  ;  the  expenses,  too,  are  so 
great,  and  the  elephants  are  not  found,  as  a 
rule,  in  sufificient  numbers  or  carrvins;  sufficiently 
heavy  ivory  to  make  it 
a  remunerative  business. 
Besides,  one  must  re- 
member the  risks  one 
runs,  not  only  from  the 
animals  themselves,  but 
from  fever,  dysenter)-, 
and  the  hundred  and 
one  other  ills  one  is  a 
prey  to  in  these  regions. 
I  found  that  there  was 
little  or  no  game  in  the 
hills,  so  I  retraced  my 
steps  towards  the  river. 
On  my  way  back  I  came 
across  a  great  quantity 
of  rhinoceros  spoor.  At 
that  time  I  had  not  shot 
one  of  these  animals,  so 
I  decided  to  pitch  my 
camp  and  endeavour  to 
do  so.  Accordingly  next 
morning  I  set  out  early, 
and  soon  came  upon 
fresh  spoor,  which  I 
followed      until      twelve 


o'clock,  through  thick  bush 
and  forest.  About  this 
time  Mashony,  my  hunter, 
suddenly  stopped,  and 
there,  quite  close  in  front 
of  me,  lay  my  (juarry. 
Seizing  my  eight-bore  from 
my  boy,  I  crept  behind  a 
bush  within  loyds.  of  the 
rhinoceros.  Then,  taking 
a  steady  aim  at  his  shoulder, 
1  fired.  The  bullet  struck 
him  rather  too  low  down. 
Up  he  got  and  came  straight 
at  me  at  a  gallop.  I  jumped 
aside  just  in  time  to  let  him 
pass,  and  he  went  crashing 
on  through  the  thicket  for 
about  200yds.  It  was  his 
last  mad  rush.  The  bullet 
had  done  its  work  ;  he  sank 
down  and  all  was  over.  The 
photograph  on  the  next 
page  shows  him  lying  as  he 
fell.  I  had  him  skinned 
and  the  skin  carried  to  camp,  there  to  be  pegged 
out  on  the  ground  to  dry  in  the  sun. 

There  are  a  great  variety  of  antelopes  to  be 
found  in  these  wild,  out-of-the-way  regions  of 
Africa.  Chief  among  them  may  be  mentioned 
the  eland,  sable,  roan,  koodoo,  hartebeeste, 
waterbuck,  impala,  and  pookoo.  I  obtained 
specimens  of  all  these,  and  a  good  number  of 


A    DKSliKTED    NAiUt    \iLi_.- 


^£ — THE    NATIVES   FEAREO    BEING    "COLI-ECIED 

From  a   Photo,   by   the  Author. 


6oS 


THE     \\ll)i:     WORLD     .MA(JA2INE. 


others  besides.  Some  of  tliese  animals  are  rather 
dangerous  when  wounded,  notably  the  sable, 
roan,  waterbuck,  and  bushbuck.  1  was  charged 
by  a  wounded  roan  antelope  on  one  occasion,  and 
knocked  head  over  heels  into  a  patch  of  high 
grass ;  he  then  tackled   my  boy,   who  narrowly 


These    smouldering    trees    look    very    weird    at 
night  in  the  otherwise  pitch  darkness. 

How  small  and  insignificant  one  feels,  alone, 
in  one  of  these  vast  tracts  of  forest  at  night 
On  some  occasions  all  is  as  still  as  death, 
not  a  breath  stirs  the  leaves.     The  oppressive 


^■^^m' 


ONE   OF    THE   AUTHORS    FINEST   TROPHIES — THIS    RHINO    IS  JUST   DEAD. 

From  a   Photo,    hy   the  Author. 


missed  being 
can,  with  the 


served  in   the  same  way. 


greatest  ease. 


They 
disembowel  a  man 
with  their  long,  curved  horns.  Leopards  and 
lions  occur  very  frequently,  but  they  are  not 
often  seen.  One  hears  of  natives  being  carried 
ofif  and  sheep  and  goats  killed  and  eaten 
over  and  over  again,  and  yet  it  is  not 
often  that  the  offender  can  be  brought  to  book 
for  his  misdeeds.  You  may  hear  the  lions 
grunting  and  the  leopards  coughing  round  your 
camp  night  after  night,  but  they  keep  out  of 
sight,  and  it  is  only  on  rare  occasions  that  a 
shot  can  be  got  at  them. 

The  hunter  in  the  Central  African  forest  sees 
many  remarkable  sights,  however.  Nr>mbers 
of  the  trees  in  the  forest  catch  fire,  owing  to 
the  sun's  rays  striking  on  the  dried  leaves  which 
collect  in  the  holes  or  in  forks  of  the  branches. 
Sometimes  I  saw  trees  burning  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  from  the  ground.  Again,  some  of  the  trees 
are    burned    through    at    their    base    when    the 

fire,  as  it  frequently  does 
Then  down  they  come 
crashing  amid  a  shower  of  sparks  to  continue 
smouldering  for  weeks,  until  there  is  nothing 
left  to  tell  the  tale  except  a  long  trail  of  ashes. 


undergrowth  catches 
in    the    dry    season. 


silence  is  unbroken,  save  at  intervals  by  the 
booming  note  of  the  great  black  hornbill,  or  the 
awe-inspiring  roar  of  a  lion,  or  the  bellowing 
grunt  of  the  hippopotamus  which  comes  echoing 
down  the  river-bed  from  the  pool  in  which  the 
huge  animal  is  disporting  himself.  Then  all  is 
silent  again. 

The  maladies  to  which  the  traveller  is  most 
liable  are  malarial  fever,  which  is  caused  solely 
by  the  bites  of  mosquitoes,  and  black  water 
fever,  which  is  a  most  dangerous  complaint.  It 
is  as  yet  undecided  what  the  cause  of  this  fever 
is.  Then  there  is  the  dreaded  dysentery,  which 
is  generally  brought  on  by  drinking  impure  water. 

For  malaria  in  all  its  forms  quinine  is  the 
standard  remedy,  as  most  people  know.  No 
traveller  should  be  without  it  under  any  circum- 
stances. Champagne  should  also  be  taken,  as 
it  is  a  splendid  "  pick-me-up,"  and  will  often 
stave  off  an  attack  of  fever.  There  is  no  real 
remedy  known  for  blackwater  fever.  If  the 
patient  survives  the  first  two  or  three  days  he 
will  in  all  likelihood  get  over  the  attack.  But  it 
is  imperative  that  he  leaves  the  country  as  soon 
as  possible,  never  to  return.  A  second  attack 
would,  most  likely,  prove  fatal. 


In  the  Diamond  Country  of  Brazil. 

By  John  Cameron  Grant. 

The  author    takes  us    to  a    very    little-known    part    of  the    world,    the    diamondiferous    regions    in    the 

State  of   Bahia,    Brazil— the   land  of  vampires,  sensational  finds,  and  marvellous  honesty.     Two  small 

boys,  working  with  miniature  picks  at  a  tiny  claim,  made  £600  in  a  week  ! 


URIOUSLY  enough,  when,  on  the 
discovery  and  exploitation  of  her 
diamond  fields,  Africa  practically 
killed  out  the  diamond  industry 
in  Brazil,  the  country  which  had 
hitherto  been  the  chief  source  of  supply,  she 
little  thought  that  but  a  few  years  later  she 
would  in  turn  be  dependent,  so  far  as  the 
profitable  working  of  her  own  gold  -  mining 
industry  was  concerned,  upon  the  old  and 
practically  forgotten  diamond  fields  in  Brazil, 
and  this  brings  me  to  the  queries,  "What  is 
carbonate,  and  what  are  the  uses  that  make  it 
such  an  important  article  in  the  industrial 
economy  of  the  world?" 

Carbonate  is  a  peculiarly  hard  and  fibrous 
form  of  the  diamond,  varying  generally  in  colour 
from  a  light  coffee-brown  to  a  deep  chocolate- 
black.  It  is  used  for  shoeing  the  drill  or 
cutting-head  of  the  diamond  drill,  and,  prac- 
tically speaking,  but  for  its  use,  many  a  great 
engineering  feat  would  be  impracticable  and 
many  a  deep  mine  unworkable  and  valueless. 

It  has  had  monographs  written  upon  it,  has 
carbonate ;  thousands  of  people  are  engaged  in 
the  search  for  it  ;  whole  towns  depend  almost 
entirely  for  their 
existence  upon 
it ;  and  in  its  raw 
state  to  -  day  it 
fetches  nearly 
four  times  the 
value  o  f  d  i  a  - 
monds  in  a  simi- 
lar condition. 

Curiously 
enough  its  exist- 
ence, with  the 
exception  of  rare 
finds  in  neigh- 
bouring terri- 
tories of  the  same 
country,  is  prac- 
tically confined 
to  a  single  loca- 
lity in  the  State 
of  Bahia,  in 
Brazil  ;  and  one 
couldcountupon 
the  fingers  of 
one's  hands  the 
Europeans    who 

Vol.  VI.— 71. 


from  personal  experience  know  anything  about 
the  district  in  which  it  occurs. 

Having  paid  more  than  one  visit  to  the  place 
I  was  greatly  struck  on  my  last  trip,  a  few 
months  ago,  by  the  very  largely  increased  pro- 
sperity of  the  region,  owing  to  the  high  price  of 
the  article  and  the  increasing  demand  for  it, 
even  at  its  present  enormous  price. 

The  carbonate-bearing  district  of  Bahia  lies 
at  the  sources  of  the  great  River  Paraguassu — 
"  para  "  meaning  great  or  large,  and  "  guassu  " 
water,  in  the  language  of  the  Guaranni  Indians, 
a  race  now  practically  extinct,  though  traces 
of  their  blood  are  occasionally  noticed  among 
the  present  possessors  of  the  land. 

On  three  sides  this  territory,  of  perhaps  some 
fifteen  hundred  square  miles  in  extent,  is  walled 
in  by  the  Sincora  Mountains,  a  wild,  rugged 
range,  which  forms  a  barrier  to  the  east,  south, 
and  west,  and  sharply  defines  the  diamond- 
iferous area  from  the  auriferous,  for  the  external 
eastern,  southern,  and  western  slopes  of  these 
mountains  contain  large  quantities  of  the 
precious  metal.  Nothing,  by  the  way,  is  more 
striking  than  the  abrupt  line  of  demarcation 
which  exists  between  the  diamond-bearing  and 


I't  oiii  a\ 


KEEP    HAS  JUST   BEEN    HLASTED    FUR   SAMPLES   OK   QUAiiTZ. 


iFhoto. 


6io 


Tin:  wiDi-:  world   mac.a/ixe. 


From  a\ 


NATIVKS   AND    t'NGLISH.M K.N    KXAMI.NING   '1  HE    kKSULTS   OK     1  H  b; 


gold-bearing  districts.  The  former  is  barren, 
wild,  and  rocky,  with  hardly  a  feed  for  a  mule  to 
be  obtained  within  it,  and  where  every  necessity 
has  to  be  imported.  The  latter  country,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  rich  and  fertile,  full  of  beau- 
tiful valleys,  and  affording  abundant  provision 
for  man  and 
beast. 

A  glance  at 
the  first  two 
illustrations  will 
show  this  ;  for 
though  the  alti- 
tude is  between 
3,oooft.  and 
4,oooft.  —  and 
an  altitude  of 
3,  ooof  t.  or 
4,oooft.  at  that 
distance  south 
of  the  Equator 
is  guarantee  of  a 
climate  by  no 
means  tropical 
— the  vegetation 
is  comparatively 
rich,  and  to  do 
any  prospecting 
the  forest  has  to 
be  opened  up 
and  the  thick 
undergrowth 
cleared  away. 


'I'lic  illustra- 
tions show  a 
group  of  engi- 
neers and  miners 
following  up  a 
great  gold  reef — 
perhaps  one  of 
the  largest  in  the 
world — for  it  has 
been  traced  for 
miles,  and  is  over 
125ft.  wide. 

In  the  illustra- 
tion shown  on  the 
first  page  the  reef 
has  .just  been 
blasted  for  sam- 
ples of  quartz, 
and  beyond  the 
group  the  tree- 
ferns  and  creep- 
ers and  other 
signs  of  a  rich 
vegetation  can 
be  seen. 

The  next  illus- 
tration shows  the  same  party  of  natives  and 
Englishmen  examining  the  results  of  the  wash-up 
of  the  crushed  quartz  samples.  Here  again  it  will 
be  observed  how  rich  and  dense  the  forest  is. 

The  third  illustration  shows  a  scene  in  camp 
in  one  of  the  still  higher  forests  ;  and  even  here 


{I'hoto. 


Frotn  a 


IHlv   AUTHuK  h   CAMP   SCIi.NK    IN    ONE   OF    THli    HIGHER    FORESTS. 


iPkoto. 


IX     THE    DiAiMONI)    COUxXTRY    OF    BRAZIL. 


6ii 


the  trees,  though  smaller  and  more  twisted  by 
the  rough  winds  which  prevail  at  certain 
seasons,  form  a  sufficient,  if  not  too  dense, 
covering  to  the  slopes  and  plateaus. 

The  photograph  was  taken  shortly  after  day- 
Hght,  and  my  faithful  black  cook  and  factotum, 
Jose,  can  be  seen  in  the  background  bringing 
round  the  morning  cup  of  coffee,  with  which 
one  always  begins  the  day  in  South  America. 
The  picture  also  shows  the  long  Brazilian 
hammocks,  more 
comfortable  than 
any  I  know,  with 
their  embroidered 
flaps,  which, 
thrown  over  one 
at  night,  keep  off 
mosquitoes,  vam- 
pires, and  such- 
like blood-sucking 
vermin.  Vam- 
pires, by  the  way, 
in  some  districts, 
are  a  very  serious 
consideration.  I 
have  had  for 
several  weeks  as 
many  as  three 
men  a  day  dis- 
abled by  these 
hideous  blood- 
suckers. 

Now,  contrast 
these  illustrations, 
which  are  given 
for  that  purpose, 
with  the  next  illus- 
t  rat  ion.  Could 
anything  be  more 
dreary  ?  It  shows 
one  of  the  few 
pieces  of  flat  coun- 
try in  that  part  of 
the  diamond  dis- 
trict;  and  the 
church  in  the 
background  is  the 

scene  of  great  gatherings  and  joviality  upon 
feast  days.  In  the  middle  distance  is  the  river, 
where  diamond-seekers  are  at  work. 

This  scene  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  utter 
barrenness  of  the  diamond  country.  Rock, 
rock,  rock — nothing  but  rock  everywhere,  with 
a  few  scrubby  bushes,  thorny  cacti,  euphorbias, 
and  agaves  growing  between  them.  The  writer 
of  this  article  may  be  seen  seated  upon  a 
projecting  ledge  of  rock,  and  the  view  was  taken 
by  a  friend  from  another  projection  half-way  up 
the  great  rampart-like  w^alls  of  one  of  the  spurs 


range 


For    this 

is    curiously 

rock,  ledge 

impassable 


ONt   OI-    THE 
From  a\ 


of   the    surrounding    Sincora 
portion     of    the    diamond     fields 
bounded  all  round    with   a    wall   of 
alter    ledge    rising     in    an    almost 
barrier. 

On  either  side  of  the  pass  which  gives  entrance 
to  these  diamond  fields  from  the  south  this 
barrier  runs  unbroken  for  scores  of  miles,  and 
though  the  actual  heights  above  the  sea  of  the 
highest  peaks  may  not  be  very  great  when  com- 
pared with  those 
of  other  mountain 
ranges,  the  ex- 
treme abruptness 
of  the  ascents  and 
descents  and  their 
extraordinary  for- 
mation give  one 
all  the  feeling  of 
being  surrounded 
by  a  stupendous 
mass  (jf  moun- 
tains. 

Life  in  these 
Brazilian  diamond 
fields  is  a  curious 
one,  very  full  of 
ups  and  downs, 
for  the  miners  are 
an  improvident 
race,  and  though 
some  of  them 
make  large  sums, 
few  of  them  ever 
keep  them  longer 
than  it  takes  to 
throw  them  away 
with  such  jovial 
companions  as 
are  usually  to  be 
found  in  mining 
centres. 

I  met  one  young 
gentleman  of 
about  eighteen 
who  only  a  month 
previously  had  in 
by  a  lucky  find. 
up  to  his  waist  in 


PIECES   OK    KLAT   COUNTRY    IN    THAT   PART   OF    THE 

DIAMOND    DISTKICT."  [I'/wtO. 


mornmg 


made  ^1,300 


one 

When    I    saw  him    he  was 

water,  working  hard  again,  the  ^1,300  having 

gone  in  the  interim.     He  showed  his  teeth  and 

grinned  when  questioned  upon  the  subject.   He 

had  had  a  good  time  while  his  fortune  lasted, 

he  said,  and  he  looked  to  the  blessed  .saints  for 

another  stroke  of  luck. 

I  also  came  across  two  small  boys,  one  of 
about-  eleven  and  the  other  perhaps  nine  or 
ten,  who  had  made  nearly  ^600  the  week  pre- 
vious to  my   visit.      They  were  an    interesting 


6i: 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


little  couple,  with  miniature  picks  and  drills  and 
crows,  and  a  small  claim  trom  which  they  had 
been  most  successful  in  their  hunt  for  valuable 
assets.  Probably  some  kind  friend  or  parent 
had  already  relieved  them  of  the  proceeds  of 
their  industry.      I  forgot  to  inquire. 

The  above  statements  may  seem  extraordinary, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  only 
diamond-digging  done  in  the  locality  is  un- 
scientific surface-scratching  about  the  bars  of  the 
streams  and  in  the  curious  cracks  with  which  the 
whole  of  the  bed-rock  in  the  district  is  starred 
and  split  in  every  direction.  All  that  is  needed 
to  go  mining  are  a  few  rough  tools  for  removing 


sandstone  from  between  two  layers  of  indurated 
rock,  above  and  below,  which  is  as  hard  as  flint. 
The  distance  from  hard  layer  to  hard  layer 
roughly  averages  about  15ft.,  and  the  houses  are 
formed  by  putting  in  partition  walls,  usually  of 
stone,  and  building  up  stone  fronts.  These 
are  sometimes  thoroughly  well  carried  out  and 
finished,  and  have  a  most  comical  dovecot-like 
appearance  ;  but  in  the  three  illustrations  given 
less  artificial  arrangements  are  displayed. 

In  the  first  of  them  a  tiative  belle  is  shown 
sitting  in  front  of  her  house  with  her  little 
brother  standing  beside  her.  The  smooth  rock- 
floor  is  clearly  visible  in   the   picture,  and  also 


From  a] 


A    NATIVE   UELLE   AND    HER    LITTLE    BKOTHER    IN    FRONT   OF    THEIR    HO.ME. 


{Photo. 


rock  and  getting  down  to  the  cracks  and  crannies 
that  contain  the  diamondiferous  gravel;  and  then 
a  hatea,  or  wooden  basin,  in  which  to  pan  it  out 
when  obtained.  On  one  occasion,  with  a  friend 
and  four  negro  workmen,  I  washed  out  thirty- 
seven  diamonds  in  less  than  two  hours.  We 
were  lucky,  but  our  workmen  grumbled  terribly 
because  we  found  no  carbonate  with  the  other 
stones,  carbonate  at  that  time  being  about  four 
times  the  value  of  diamonds.  Hence  the 
grumbling. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  curious  features 
about  this  part  of  the  diamond  district  are  the 
houses  built  in  the  rocks.  There  are  whole 
streets  of  them.  This  curious  rock-town  has 
been  formed  by  scraping  out  a  layer  of  softer 


the  smooth  under-surface  of  the  rock.  The 
girl  is  engaged  in  making  pillow-lace,  which 
seems  to  be  the  chief  occupation  of  the  ladies 
of  the  neighbourhood,  after  the  domestic  occu- 
pations of  washing,  cooking,  and  seeing  to  the 
children.  Some  of  the  lace  is  not  only  most 
interesting  as  to  pattern,  and  beautiful  in  itself, 
but  has  an  added  interest  in  the  fact  that  the 
women  grow  their  own  cotton  and  spin  from  it 
the  thread  with  which  they  make  their  finished 
product.  Unfortunately,  cheap  European 
machine-spun  cotton-thread  is  largely  displacing 
the  hand-spun  and  superior  native  article  except 
in  the  most  out-of-the-way  localities. 

The  next  illustration  gives  a  view  of  one  of 
the  houses  with  a  family  party  of  miners,  their 


IN     THE     DIAMOND     COUN'l'RV     OF     BRA/Jl,. 


613 


t 


Ft  0)11  a\ 


\    VIEW    OK    ONE   OK   THE    HOUSES    WITH    A    KAMII.V    PARTV   OK    MIXERS. 


{Photo. 


wives  and  children.  Here  again  is  clearly 
shown  the  smooth  nature  of  the  rock  floor  and 
the  roof  in  strong  contrast  to  the  very  peculiar 
weathering  of  the  rock  outside,  which  almost 
looks  like  a  petrified  sponge. 


shows  a  gun  leaning  up  against  the  wall,  and  it 
may  be  remarked  that  in  this  district  every  man 
goes  armed  with  knife  or  pistol,  generally  with 
both,  and  frequently  has  his  gun  handy  as  well. 
I  think,  however,  they  rather  Hbel  themselves  in 


From  «] 


ANOTiiEi:   VIEW   IN   THE  CURIOUS   ROCK-TOWN. 


{Photo. 


The  next  illustration  again  shows  the  curious 
formation,  with  a  couple  of  castor-oil  plants 
doing  their  best  to  grow  upon  the  shallow  heap 
of  rubbish    outside    the    house.      This    picture 


so  doing,  for,  speaking  generall)-,  they  are  any- 
thing—  considering  their  temptations  and  the 
weakness  of  the  law— but  a  dishonest  or  lawless 
lot.     I  would   have  little   hesitation  in  trustuig 


6i4 


THE    WIDK    WORLD     MAGAZINE. 


almost  any  man  I  met  with  laijie  sums  of  money 
or  a  considerable  value  in  diamonds  to  take 
from  one  place  to  another. 

"  Oh,  John,  or  Peter,"  I  would  say,  as  the 
case  might  be,  "  1  have  here  ^{^900  worth  of 
diamonds,  or  ;^'9oo  worth  of  bank-notes.  I 
hear  vou  are  starting  to-dav  for  such  and  such  a 
town.  Be  good  enough  to  deliver  these  stones, 
or  this  money,  to  Mr.  So-and-so,  of  such  and 
such  a  place,"  perhaps  three  hundred  miles  off; 
and  I  would  have  no  fear  whate\er  that  my 
valuables  would  fail  to  reach  their  destination. 
Could  one  do  this  in  the  Strand  ? 

I  have  had  scores  of  thousands  of  pounds 
carried  for  me  by  these  poor  Brazilians,  and 
have  never  lost  a  cent  !  On  one  occasion,  in 
another  locality,  the  bearer  of  one  of  my  re- 
mittances arrived  blind  drunk  in  a  canoe,  lying 
surrounded  with  hundreds  of  pounds'  worth  of 
loose  notes  and  coin  in  the  bottom  of  the  vessel. 
Amazing  as  it  may  seem,  his  canoemen  handed 
up  scrupulously  every  milreis,  together  with  the 
maudlin  person  of  the  man  who  had  engaged 


them.  'To  avoid  giving  a  wrong  impression  I 
hasten  to  add  that  drunkenness  is  a  very,  very 
rare  vice  in  Brazil. 

Of  course,  when  1  speak  of  tlie  Brazilians  I 
do  not  mean  those  who  live  in  or  near  the 
great  coast  towns,  and  who  have  had  much 
intercourse  with  Europeans.  No.  I  am  speak- 
ing of  the  real  native,  the  real  countryman. 
They  have  their  failings,  but  a  lack  of  loyalty  to 
those  who  put  trust  in  them  is  not  one. 

The  last  illustration  shows  a  stretch  of  the 
Paraguassu  River  somewhat  lower  down  on  its 
course  ;  the  rocky  nature  of  its  banks  in  this 
portion  of  the  stream  and  the  low  scrub  that 
grows  upon  them  are  well  marked.  The  native 
laundress  in  the  foreground  has  one  eye  upon 
her  washing  and  one  upon  what  our  American 
cousins  would  call  her  "  fish-pole."  The  river 
contains  some  fine  fish,  but  the  finest  fishing  of 
all  is  done  for  the  gems  that  lie  in  its  gravelly 
bed,  and  the  particular  stretch  of  water  here 
shown  probably  contains  beneath  it  many  a 
King's  ransom. 


'the   river   CO.NTAI.SS   SO.N.E    llMi    1  isll,    iiUI     IHK    IIM-.SI     IISHIM, 

From  a]  I^■  ns  gkavellv  ued." 


DO.NE  lOK  THE  GEMS  THAT  ME 

lP/io(t>. 


Gazelle=Hunting  on  a  Steam=Enginc. 


Bv  A.   Braumont. 

This  form  of  sport  may  shock  the  orthodox  hunter,  but  no  one  will  deny  its  originality  at  least, 
The  miners  conceived  the  idea  of  beating  up  the  country  so  as  to  drive  the  gazelles  down  on  to 
the  track  that  ran  through  a  gorge,  and  then  the  armed  hunters,  mounted  on  a  mine  locomotive, 
shot  forward  after  their  quarry  "  full  speed  ahead."  The-  bag  was  net  large,  but  an  enormous 
amount  of  fun  was  obtained.    The  actual  photograph  of  the  engine  will  be  found  of  particular  interest. 


HE  Province  of  Minas  Geraes,  in 
Brazil,  is  very  large  and  mountain- 
ous, and  is  for  the  greater  part  of  its 
area  covered  by  extensive  forests,  in 
which  antelopes  as  well  as  other 
wild  animals  peculiar  to  a  mountainous  region 
still  roam  in  large  numbers.  Being  one  of  the 
richest  provinces  of  Brazil  in  mineral  products, 
it  is  a  favourite  field  for  mining  enterprises  ;  and 
every  now  and  then  companies  are  formed  to 
work  the  newly-discovered  gold-veins  in  various 
parts  of  the  province.  It  boasts  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  prosperous  gold-mining  con- 
cerns in  South  America,  the  San  Juan  del  Rey 
(jold  Mines,  near  which,  some  years  ago, 
a  new  French  company  also  opened  a  shaft. 
One  of  the  greatest  amusements  of  these 
miners,  as  well  as  of  those  of  other  mines,  is  to 
hunt  the  graceful  antelopes  which  come  near 
the  pi_ts  from  time  to  time,  and  which  supply 
better  sport  than  the  South  American  lion 
or  tiger,  which  does  not  remain  long  in 
the  vicinity  of  inhabited  districts.  At  the  new 
works,  where  I  happened  to  be  for  some  months 
in  1898,  the  men  had  considerable  sport  chasing 
the  gazelles,  which  seemed  to  have  taken  refuge 
there  in  exceptionally  large  numbers  from  the 
persecutions  of 
the  men  belong- 
ing to  the  other 
mines.  The 
region  around  the 
new  diggings  is 
e  xceedingly 
mountainous,  and 
a  narrow  gorge 
about  thirty  miles 
in  length  leads 
up  to  the  works. 
A  small  railway, 
such  as  is  usually 
constructed  for 
mines,  had  been 
built  through  this 
gorge ;  and,  as  the 
sides  of  the  moun- 
tains were  very 
precipitous,  there 
was  but  little  vege- 
tation in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity 
of  the  line.     The 


men  used  to  organize  deer  hunts  from  time 
to  time  when  their  leisure  allowed  it,  but, 
owing  to  the  want  of  proper  ecjuipment  for 
these  hunts,  they  were  rather  unsuccessful 
in  spite  of  the  undoubted  abundance  of  fine 
game.  The  chase  was  accomplished  either  on 
mules  or  on  liorseback.  The  horses,  however, 
being  of  the  small,  degenerate  Brazilian  breed, 
were  not  fast  runners,  and  were  unable  to 
support  a  long,  fatiguing  chase,  so  that  the  fleet 
little  antelopes  could  easily  escape  pursuit.  As 
for  the  mules,  they  did  not  seem  to  be  born  by 
Nature  to  take  part  in  this  sport,  and  often 
emphatically  protested  against  it  by  coming  to 
a  standstill  at  the  most  critical  moment  when 
the  finest  specimens  of  game  were  in  sight. 
The  latter  had  become  so  accustomed  to  this 
ineffectual  pursuit  that  soon  they  ventured  freely 
up  the  gorge  as  if  to  challenge  the  miners  to  a 
little  fun  ;  and  when  they  were  pursued  they 
took  to  flight  along  the  railway  line  with  the 
most  impudent  and  provoking  indifference. 

One  day,  as  we  were  talking  about  the  diffi- 
culty of  giving  them  chase  in  a  proper  manner, 
one  of  the  miners  suggested,  in  a  joke,  to  hunt 
the  gazelles  on  one  of  the  little  locomotives 
which   we  possessed.      The  locomotives  them- 


TiilS    ^.iuTuGKAPH    SHOWS    THE    IDENTICAL    ENGINE    ON    ^^^ " "  = " ,  "' E    ST K A  N r^-: 

ONE   OF    THE   DEAD   GAZELLES   IS   SEEN    IN    THE    ."'OREOKOU.N  D. 


6i6 


THE    WlDi;    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


selves  had  not  been  built  to  beat  any  records  b) 
pulling  a  lightning  express,  yet,  when  once  put 
fairly  in  motion  and  with  a  free  stretch  of  track 
before  them,  they  could  make  better  speed,  at  all 
events,  than  the  stoical  mules  or  the  execrable, 
indolent  horses  at  our  disposal.  Therefore, 
as  soon  as  the  idea  was  suggested,  the 
fireman  and  the  engine-driver  took  up  the 
project  enthusiastically,  and  called  for  volun- 
teers to  accompany  them  on  the  following 
Sunday  to  hunt  gazelles  by  this  novel  and 
surely  unprecedented  method.  There  were 
immediately  more  volunteers  for  the  sport  than 
could  be  comfortably  carried  on  one  locomotive, 
and  it  was  thought  too  dangerous  to  let  both 
locomotives  run  back  and  forward  over  the  line 
at  the  same  time.  When  it  comes  to  getting 
out  of  each  other's  way,  locomotives  do  not  as 
a  rule  show  much  sagacity,  and  as  the  men 
would  be  sufficiently  excited  by  the  idea  of  the 
chase,  they  did  not  want  to  run  the  risk  of 
being  hurled  into  the  ditches  or  into  kingdom 
come  by  inadvertently  encountering  a  second 
locomotive  bent  on  the  same  weird  sport  and 
coming  in  an  opposite  direction.  It  was  there- 
fore agreed  to  make  special  and  very  minute 
preparations  for  this  chase,  and  to  leave  nothing 
to  chance. 

By  Saturday  evening  the  line  had  been 
cleared  and  all  our  measures  taken  to  make  the 
enterprise  a  success.  A  number  of  miners 
distributed  themselves  over  the  adjoining  hills, 
and  at  sunrise  on  the  following  morning  they 
were  to  beat  up  the  antelopes  and  frighten 
them  down  on  to  the  track.  U'e  took  our 
locomotive  down  the  line  to  the  very  end  of  the 
gorge  as  far  as  Pont  Molinos,  and  remained 
there  over  night.  We  also  pitched  a  tent  close 
to  the  line  and  went  to  rest  early,  but,  owing 
to  our  anticipation  of  great  and  novel  sport, 
few  of  us  were  able  to  get  more  than  two  or 
three  hours'  sleep.  We  were  all  up  and  ready 
an  hour  before  the  time,  and  I  can  assure  you 
we  longed  for  the  sun  to  make  its  appearance. 
The  men  on  the  hills  seemed  to  have  been  even 
more  impatient  than  we,  for  at  the  first  sign  of 
dawn  some  of  them  were  already  goading  on 
their  mules  and  rousing  the  unsuspecting  ante- 
lopes from  their  lair.  Some  of  the  animals 
were  already  seen  coming  down  towards  the 
track  before  our  fireman  had  enough  steam  up 
to  move  the  locomotive  at  the  innocent  rate  of 
half  a  mile  an  hour;  and  we  were  in  no  benign 
humour  when  we  saw  the  quarry  walking  so 
leisurely  along  the  very  track  where  we  should 
have  been  in  hot  pursuit  of  them,  making 
fifty  miles  an  hour  on  our  steam  horse. 

At  last,  just  as  the  sun  sent  its  first  rosy  tints 
over  the   peaks   of  the   mountains,   the   driver 


announced  that  he  had  steam  enough  to  make  a 
start,  and  we  boarded  the  locomotive  with  high 
hopes  of  not  being  too  late.  We  had  scarcely 
moved  on  half  a  mile  when  a  pretty  pair  of 
gazelles  walked  out  on  the  track.  They  seemed 
to  sniff  our  intention  at  once,  and  started  off  at 
a  better  speed  than  they  had  hitherto  been 
accustomed  to  when  pursued.  As  if  to  add  zest 
to  the  chase,  the  driver  by  mistake  pulled  the 
whistle,  which  frightened  the  pretty  creatures  still 
more,  and  we  were  sorely  afraid  they  might  turn 
sharply  off  the  track  and  hide  in  the  ravines, 
wiicn  our  sport  would  be  at  an  end.  However, 
they  clung  to  the  track  in  their  race  and  gave  us 
a  fair  chance  to  overtake  them  if  we  were  able. 
It  was  soon  apparent  that  our  locomotive  was 
not  yel  at  its  best,  as  we  gained  very  little  on 
the  fleet-footed  antelopes,  who  seemed  to  go 
just  fast  enough  to  remain  outside  the  range  of 
our  guns.  To  our  great  disappointment  this 
first  pair  veered  neatly  off  the  track  when  our 
locomotive  was  coming  dangerously  near,  as  if 
they  suspected  that  the  race  was  unfair,  and 
clambering  up  the  sides  of  the  mountain  they 
disappeared  in  the  bush  before  we  could 
fire  a  shot.  Still  we  did  not  give  up  hope 
of  fair  sport  with  others.  We  had  chased 
the  first  two  over  a  distance  of  about  six 
miles,  which  was  in  itself  no  bad  sport,  and 
hoped  that  the  next  quarry  coming  in  sight 
would  give  us  an  even  better  chance.  As  there 
was  nothing  ahead  of  us  we  allowed  the  loco- 
motive to  come  to  a  full  stop.  We  did  not 
have  to  wait  long  before  another  pair  stepped 
out  on  the  line  to  bid  us  "  good  morning"  about 
half  a  mile  down  the  track,  and  we  quickly 
started  after  them.  The  locomotive  now  having 
steam  and  the  slight  down-grade  being  in  its 
favour,  better  time  was  made — though  it  was 
decidedly  less  comfortable  for  us.  We  found  it 
no  easy  thing  to  hold  fast  to  our  places  when 
the  speed  increased,  and  the  locomotive  shook  so 
violently  as  it  puffed  and  steamed  along  that  we 
had  to  hold  as  best  we  could  with  both  hands. 
Still,  we  were  anxious  for  the  driver  to  make  her 
go  still  faster  and  shouted  at  him  at  the  top 
of  our  voices.  This  seemed  to  have  the  desired 
effect,  as  we  were  soon  within  firing  range  of 
the  gazelles,  who  kept  gallantly  on  the  track, 
even  when  we  brought  our  guns  into  position. 
But  then  a  new  difficulty,  of  which  in  the  heat 
of  our  excitement  we  had  not  thought  at  first, 
came  in  our  way.  As  the  speed  of  the  loco- 
motive increased  it  naturally  waggled  more  than 
ever,  and  besides  rolling  from  side  to  side  the 
engine  bumped  up  and  down  every  instant  in  a 
most  alarming  manner.  Under  these  circum- 
stances we  could  scarcely  hold  our  guns  and 
keep    our    position    on    the    locomotive.      We 


GAZELLE-HUNTING    ON    A    STEAM-ENGINE. 


617 


ventured,   however,   to   fire   off  five   shots,   one 
after  the  other,  to  which  the  gallant  gazelles  paid 
no  more  attention  than  if  we  had  blown  with 
pop-guns  at  them.    It  was  really  most  distressing 
to  us  to  be  foiled  a  second  time,  and  to  see  the 
neat  little  creatures  turn  sharply  off  the  track, 
as  the  others  had  done,  and  lose  themselves  in 
the  bush.      Our  locomotive  naturally  wheeled 
on   for  another  quarter  of  a  mile,  puffing  and 
spouting  as  if  it  had  achieved  a  great- triumph  ; 
but  we  were   none   the   less   disgusted   at   the 
futility  of  our  weird   hunt.      On  coming   to  a 
stop    we    were    still    more    mortified    by    the 
language  of  the  engine-driver  and  his  fireman, 
who  told  us  that  we  were  the  greenest  of  the 
green,  both  in  hunting  matters  and  in  keeping 
our  position  on  the  locomotive.     The  pair  con- 
tinued to  reproach  us  in  no  measured  language. 
We  tried  to  explain,  but  our  explanations  were 
not    accepted.       To    make    our 
punishment   still   greater,    several 
of    the    miners    who    had    been 
stationed  on  the  hills  came  down 
on  the  track  and  made  immoderate 
fun  of  us,  using  such  disparaging 
language   concerning    our    marks- 
manship,   and    pointing    out    the 
evident    inferiority    of    our    loco- 
motive   to    their   mules,    that   we 
felt  almost  inclined  to  give  them 
chase  with  our  guns.     However, 
when   a   new    batch    of    gazelles 
appeared  farther  up  the  track  we 
jumped   on    our    uncertain    horse 
and   renewed   the  attack  up-hill. 
Our  iron  horse  again  puffed  away, 
and  little  by  little  gained  on  the 
lithe  animals  before  us,  so  that  we 
had  great  hopes  of  laying  low  at 
least  one  of  them.   We  agreed  not 
to  fire  until  we  should  be  within 
about  thirty  yards,  and  meanwhile 
we  levelled  our  guns  carefully.  At 
the   very    point   where   we   came 
tolerably  close  to  the  game  the 
track  made  a  number  of  windings 
and  turns,  and  half  the  time  we 
did  not  even   have  the  quarry  in 
sight.     To    make    matters   worse 
the  old  locomotive  did  not  seem 
capable    of    maintaining    its    full 
speed     up-hill     and    over    these 
curves,    and    it    was    desperately 
exasperating    to    see    the    swift- 
footed    antelopes    leap    suddenly 
from  one  side  of  the  track  to  the 
other  and  then  lose  themselves  in 
the  bush.     We  went  on,  however, 
thinking   that  we  still  had  them 

Vol.  vi-72. 


ahead  of  us  and  that  we  would  overtake  them 
as  soon  as  we  got  on  level  and  straight  ground 
again. 

Just  then  we  were  surprised  to  see  more  of  the 
gazelles  coming  up  behind  us  on  the  track.  It 
now  looked  as  if  the  tables  had  been  turned  on 
us,  and  as  if  we  were  the  pursued  instead  of  the 
pursuers  !  We  thought  our  quarry  had  got 
behind  us  and  were  merely  following  us  up 
out  of  interest  in  the  sport.  But  when  we 
came  out  on  the  straight  road  about  ten 
miles  from  the  mines  we  saw  that  we  still 
had  the  same  gazelles  before  us.  In  a  little 
while  several  others  leaped  out  from  the  bush 
on  to  the  line,  and  we  made  excited  appeals  to 
the  engineer  to  make  still  further  efforts  to  over- 
take them.  He  did  so,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
we  were  near  enough  to  shoot  almost  at  random 
into  half-a-dozen  of  the  panting  creatures.     The 


l.AL    vl'     IHF,    1111 


L   MINERS   CAME   DOWN   AND   MADE   FUN    OK    US. 


6iS 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


whole  crowd  of  us  fired  almost  simultaneously, 
and  to  our  intense  joy  one  of  the  animals  rolled 
over  on  the  ground.  A  loud  shout  went  up  from 
the  whole  company  as  a  salvo  to  the  achievement, 
But  almost  at  the  same  instant  another  feelinc: 


Lh   FIKED   ALMOST   SIMULTANEOUSLY, 


came  over  us  when  we  remarked  that  the  animal 
had  fallen  right  on  the  track,  and  that  this  might 
cause  our  unstable  horse  to  jump  the  rails  and 
precipitate  us  pell-mell  against  the  rocks  or 
trees.  Our  engineer  made  desperate  efforts  to 
prevent  the  locomotive  from  committing  this 
premature  suicide,  but,  happily,  the  dying  animal 
itself  had  sufficient  consideration  to  move 
out  of  the  way  in  its  last  struggle,  or  else  I 
might  not  be  here  to  describe  the  adventure. 
The  engine  came  to  a  stop  about  thirty 
yards  from  the  fallen  quarry,  and  we  hurried  to 
secure  the  game.     It  was  a  very  pretty  speci- 


men, and  as  we  loaded  it  proudly  on  the  back 
of  the  engine  everyone  in  the  party  naturally 
claimed  that  it  was  the  shot  fired  by  him  that 
had  killed  it,  wounding  it  (of  course)  in  a  vital 
spot  in  the  back  of  the  head.     But  we  did  not 
lose    much    time    looking   at    our 
game,  as  we  saw  other  gazelles  still 
on    the   track   ahead   of   us,   and 
steamed  after  them  as  fast  as  we 
could.     The  same  scenes  were  re- 
cnaclcd  several  times.  We  fired  on 
a  number  of  fine  antelopes  in  the 
course   of  an   hour  without,   how- 
ever,     bringing     another     down. 
Twice  we  ran  the  whole  distance 
from  Molinos  to  the  mine  and  ran 
back    and    forward    in    short,    ex- 
citing spurts,  till  it   seemed    that 
the    sport    of   the    day   was    over. 
Suddenly  on  the  very  last  run  liome 
we    saw    three    beautiful    animals 
before  us.     We  fired  several  times 
on  them  without  effect  and  nearly 
gave  them  up  as  lost,  when  at  the 
very  last  moment  as  we  neared  the 
mine  two  of  them  left  the  line  very 
close  to  the  locomotive.    As  we  all 
fired  at  the  same  time  another  of 
the   gazelles  came  down,   making 
the  second  for  the  day.     Another 
wild  cheer  went  up  from  all   the 
men  as  the  locomotive  came  to  a 
stop,  and  we  went  to  look  for  the 
second    victim,     which    had    not 
been  so  fairly  struck  as  the  first, 
and  it  took  us  some  time  to  find 
it  in  the  bush  where  it  had  rolled 
in  its  last  struggle.     As  the  labour 
had   been   equally   shared   by   the 
miners    on    the    locomotive    and 
those  on  the  mules  and  horses  the 
spoils   were  also   equally   divided. 
Our  sport  had  lasted  from  sunrise 
till  about  ten  o'clock  ;  and  in  spite 
of  the  dangers  and  vicissitudes  the 
fun  had  been   intensely  enjoyable. 
The  men  brought  a  big  palm  branch  and  stuck 
it  into  the  locomotive  in  front  of  the  smoke-stack 
so  as  to  give  it  also  a  share  in   the  honours  of 
the  day.  The  photo,  reproduced  on  the  first  page 
of  this  narrative  represents  one  of  the  animals 
lying  on  the  ground  near  the  gallant  locomotive, 
and  it  may  be  seen  that  it  was  a  beautiful  speci- 
men of  gazelle.    However,  in  view  of  the  dangers 
and  expense  of  this  style  of  hunting,  the  superior 
powers  of  the  mine  thought   fit  to  place  a  pro- 
hibition on  the  sport  carried  out  in  this  manner, 
and  this  is  why  no   more  gazelles  were  hunted 
on  locomotives  in  that  part  of  Brazil. 


Odds  and  Ends, 


A    Christmas    Picnic    in    New    Zealand  -  A  Burning  Oil- Steamer  -  Viper -Catching   for   a  Living 
-Constructing"  a  Railway  in  Turkey  -  Moving  a  House  by  Rail  -  Burying  a   Live  Man 
the  Bush  :n  Sierra  Leone— What  the  "  Cut -Worm  "  Did,  etc., 


etc. 


Burning 


I.—  A         ^  IK^3l  -CI.ASa 

1-1  out  a\ 


l;IM.\l  KA 


ALASKA  — VOU 


A    SlliAK    HKKh;    KOK    A   SOVKREIGN  I 


F>RE  is  a  curious  snap-shot  from 
(Jape  Nome.  It  shows  one  of  the 
'■  first-class  restaurants  "  of  the  place, 
although  if  the  proprietor's  cookery 
were  on  a  level  with  his  orthography 
the  dishes  cannot  have  been  particularly 
appetizing.  A\'ithin  this  weird-looking  struc- 
ture one  could  obtain  two  fried  eggs  for  four 
shillings  and  a  steak  for  a  sovereign,  or,  if 
of    an    economical    turn    of  mind,    a    plate    of 


boiled  beans  for  half  a  crown 
iiig  the  high  prices  and  the 
uninviting  appearance  of  his 
establishment,  the  proprietor 
did  a  roaring  business,  during 
the  brief  summer,  with  the 
rough-and-ready  workers  on 
the  "  beach  of  solid  gold,"  as 
Cape  Nome  was  described  in 
the  first  wildly  -  exaggerated 
reports  which  reached  civiliza- 
tion. 

This  photo,  depicts  a  party 
of  young  fellows  belonging  to 
a  club  which  styles  itself  the 
"Ryebucks,"  having  their 
Christmas  dinner  on  the  shores 
of  Hawkes  Bay,  New  Zealand. 
It  has  been  the  custom  of  this 
club  for  the  last  five  years  to 
have  their  Christmas  dinner  in 
this  particular  spot.  They  sail 
over  in  small  yachts  from  Port 
Ahiwi,  on  the  other  side  of  the 


Notwithstand- 


bay,  pitch  their  tent,  bathe,  and  then 
have  dinner.  It  will  be  seen  from  the 
rather  airy  and  miscellaneous  costumes 
worn  by  the  members  that  they  have 
just  finished  bathing.  There  being 
a  tremendous  number  of  sharks  in 
Hawkes  Bay  at  this  time  of  year, 
they  all  bathe  together  and  do  not  go 
far  out.  The  plum-pudding  is  seeil 
in  the  foreground;  but  owing  to  the 
thermometer  registering  about  i2odeg. 
Fahr.,  there  was  not  much  of  it  eaten. 
After  dinner  they  generally  lie  down  a 
bit  and  towards  dusk  start  inland  for 
a  pig-hunt,  there  being  numerous  wild 
])igs  scattered  all  over  the  island — 
descendants  of  tho.se  left  by  Captain 
(Jook.  The  result  of  the  hunt  .serves 
for  the  following  day's  dinner.  After 
Boxing  Day  they  all  return  to  civil- 
ization  and    work   once    more. 

No  doubt  many  people  have  wondered  how 
the  frontier  between  two  countries  is  marked  off 
and  what  it  looks  like.  The  photograph  at  the 
top  of  the  next  page  shows  the  frontier  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  which  runs  along 
the  49th  parallel  of  latitude.  This  boundary 
line  is  marked  by  a  series  of  iron  pillars,  one 
of  which  is  seen  in  our  illustration.  The  column 
(in  the  centre  of  the  picture)  bears  on  the 
Canadian  side  the  words  "Treaty  of  Washington" 


COULD    GET 

iPkoto. 


2. —A  CHRISTMAS   I'lC-NlC   IN    NEW   ZEAuAND— TEMPERATURE    120   UEGKELb  . 

From  a  Photo. 


620 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE. 


ILLAi;    MARKS    THE    BOL'NDAKV    1!E  1  WEEN    CANADA    AND   THE    UNITED   STATE> 

Froiit  a  Photo. 


\ided  with  broad, 
flat  feet,  can  easily 
walk  over  the 
loose  sand.  The 
accompanying 
p  ho  t  ogr a  p  h — 
taken  in  the  Kar- 
nal  district  of  the 
Punjab  —  shows 
one  of  the  curious 
camel-carriages 
which  are  used  ir> 
many  parts  of 
India  for  the  con- 
veyance of  both 
passengers  and 
tj  o  o  d  s  .  1"  h  e 
"gharri,"  as  may 
be  seen  from  the 
snap-shot,    is  a 


and  a  date.  This  particular 
post  is  the  first  on  the  Pacific 
side  of  the  mainland  of  North 
America,  and  the  nearest 
towns  are  Douglas  in  British 
Columbia  and  Blaine  in 
^^'ashington.  Precisely  sim- 
ilar columns  stand  at  inter- 
vals of  a  mile  right  across 
the  Continent.  It  gives  one 
a  curious  sensation  to  stand 
with  one  foot  in  the  United 
States  of  America  and  one 
in  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
In  some  parts  of  India  the 
roads  are  so  sandy  that 
neither  horses  nor  o.xen  can 
travel  on  them,  and  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  make  use 
of  camels,  which,  being  pro- 


f'rovi  a\ 


-A    CA:.1EL-CAI:K1AGE    I.N     THE     IL    M.' 


[/  nolo 


somewhat  primitive  affair, 
and  bears  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  a  hencoop  on 
wheels.  The  camel's  har- 
ness, too,  is  not  of  the  most 
elaborate  description.  The 
travelling  in  these  queer 
omnibuses  is  neither  luxu- 
rious nor  rapid,  but,  never- 
theless, the  camel-carriage  is 
a  most  useful  conveyance. 

On  November  23rd,  1900, 
at  about  midday,  great  excite- 
ment was  caused  in  the  Kid- 
derpore  Dock,  Calcutta,  when 
the  ss.  Tekna,  an  empty  oil- 
ship,  suddenly  burst  into  a 
mass  of  flames  ;  another  ship 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


621 


6.  —  HEIiE  IS  A  I'ROI'ESSIONAL  VIIEU  CATCHEK  1  l«).\l  THE  HAITE  LOIRE 
— "folk    HUNDRED   VIPERS   A    MONTH    IS   AN    AVERAGE 

Frotn  d\  pekformance."  [F/toio. 

lying  ahead  of  her  also  caught  fire,  both  being 
very  seriously  damaged,  the  former  having  all 
her  fittings  burnt  out.  The  fire  was  supposed  to 
have  been  caused  by  spontaneous  combustion. 

The  accompanying  photograph  shows  Baptiste 
Courtol,  the  official  "  Chasseur  de  Viperes  "  of 
Haute  Loire.  He 
is  wearing  a  suit 
and  a  helmet 
made  by  himself 
entirely  of  vipers' 
skins;  and  his 
shield  also  con- 
sists of  the  skins 
of  these  poisonous 
reptiles.  France 
is  overrun  with 
vipers,  and,  as  a 
result,  nearly  every 
depnrfemeut  has  its 
official  "  Tueur  de 
Viperes,"  as  they 
call  him.  For 
each  viper's  head 
they  produce  they 
are    paid    twenty- 


five  centimes  (not  a  very  munificent  sum  for  risk- 
ing one's  life) ;  and  owing  to  this  poor  rate  of 
payment  there  are  very  few  aspirants  for  this 
dangerous  pursuit.  Four  hundred  vipers  a  month 
is  an  average  performance  for  these  men  ;  and  in 
i8go  over  150,000  vipers  were  captured  in  the 
Haute  .Saone  and  Mount  Jura  districts  alone. 
Courtol's  method  of  hunting  is  very  simple.^ 
Armed  merely  with  a  long  and  very  thin  rapier 
and  a  wooden  box  he  sallies  forth ;  and  catching 
sight  of  hus  quarry  he  approaches  it  cautiously. 
He  irritates  it  with  the  end  of  his  rapier,  taking 
great  care  not  to  damage  its  skin  in  any  way. 
As  soon  as  the  viper  begins  to  wriggle  away 
Courtol  seizes  it  by  the  tail  and,  imparting  a 
wavy  motion  to  the  reptile  in  order  to  prevent 
it  biting,  jerks  it  into  his  box.  And  then  he 
is  ready  for  the  next. 

Along  the  south-easterly  coast  of  Oahu 
stretches  a  chain  of  brackisli  lakes,  half-hidden 
in  grass  and  sedge,  some  of  which  actually  join 
the  sea,  interspersed  by  long,  slippery  mud- 
flats, relieved  by  boulders  and  stray  lumps  of 
coral.  Here  John  Chinaman,  whose  ingenuity 
suits  itself  so  admirably  to  the  nature  of  his  sur- 
roundings, has  electecl  to  establish  a  series  of 
duck  farms.  The  creatures  find  themselves  admir- 
ably at  home  in  these  limitless  expanses  of  weed 
and  sedge,  and  show  their  partiality  to  their 
environments  by  increasing  at  an  enormous 
rate.     How  John  Chinaman   manages  to   keep 

count  of  his  swarm  of  feathered /;-f/'4'''^i  '^  *^"'y 
known  to  himself.  The  resulting  trade  is  a  lucra- 
tive one,  though  extending  at  present  only  over 
the  limited  area  of  tiie  islands  themselves,  and 
sundry  Americans  have  of  late  years  made 
attempts  to  "cut  out"  John.  Chinaman  by 
likewise  amusing  themselves  with  duck  farming. 
That  the  occupation  is  essentially  a  peaceful  one 


Frotn  a] 


7.— THE  DUCK  FAR 


HU   WATCHES   OVER   HIS   FLOCKS. 


iFlwto. 


THE    WIDE    WORLD    MAGAZINE 


Fro 


"Jilt  bTAkriNC-ruiM  A.MJ)  1,1 1.  Ill  I'l-ACK  Ul     A   LIM:,   1 


and  the  required  exertion  none  too  outrageous 
may  be  judged  by  the  position  of  the  gentle- 
man in  the  photograph,  who,  if  he  be  not  dis- 
turbed, will  very  likely  sit  sunning  himself  on 
that  identical  stone  for  a  week. 

The  Sultan  of  Turkey  is  nothing  if  not  pro- 
gressive, although  some  of  his  ideas  of  what 
constitutes  progress  are  rather  peculiar.  His 
latest  idea  is  the  construction  of  a  railway 
l)etween  Damascus  and  Mecca,  which  will 
incidentally  relieve  some  of  the  huge  pilgrim 
traffic  to  the  latter  place.  The  first  sod  of  the 
new  line  was  turned  by  the  ^'ali  of  Damascus 
on  September  ist,  1900,  on  the  twenty-fifth 
anni\ersary  of  the  Sultan's  reign,  amid  great 
rejoicings  aiod  the  blowing  of  countless  bugles. 
"  Being  in  tha  neighbourhood  recently,"  writes 
a  Jerusalem  corre- 
s  p  o  n  d  e  n  t,  "I 
thought  I  would 
see  what  progress 
die  Sultan's  latest 
and  greatest  work 
was  making.  After 
some  search  I  dis- 
covered a  small 
tent,  a  few  wheel- 
barrows,  one 
spade,  a  soldier, 
and  one  solitarv" 
'navvy.'  I  asked 
them  how  things 
were  going  on,  and 
for  answer  they 
pointed  to  a  piece 
of     arable      land, 

where  a  few  hundred  yards  of  ground  had 
been  levelled  for  a  track,  while  close  at  hand 
were  some  hundreds  of  lengths  of  rail  ready  for 
laying."  This  little  tent,  of  which  a  snap-shot 
taken  by  our  correspondent  is  reproduced  here- 


,OiAJ  .MlLtb 

Lu.\L.. 

road 

for 

from 

one 

vriLcto 


with,  is  the  starting-point 
and  birthplace  of  a  line 
1,600  miles  long,  which  will 
be  completed  in  about  nine 
years,  and  will  cost  some  nine 
million  pounds  Turkish. 

In  the  ^Vestern  States  of 
America,  where  most  of  the 
dwelling-houses  are  built  of 
wood,  it  is  a  common  sight 
to  see  houses  being  moved 
along  the  streets  on  rollers 
irom  one  part  of  a  town  to 
another.  But,  recently,  in 
the  State  of  Nebraska,  a 
court-house  of  considerable 
size  was  bodily  drawn  by  a 
locomotive  along  a  rail- 
a  distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles 
"  city  "  to  another.  The  circum- 
stances were  these :  It  had  been  decided 
by  the  voters  of  Box  Butte  County,  Neb., 
to  make  Alliance  the  county  seat  instead  of 
Hemingford,  which  had  hitherto  been  the  chief 
city.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  Hemingford 
court-house  fulfilled  all  the  requirements  of  the 
county,  it  seemed  desirable  to  move  the  hall  of 
justice  from  its  old  site  to  the  new  one  at 
Alliance.  A  house-mover  in  L>incoln,  Neb., 
assured  the  officials  of  the  Burlington  and 
Missouri  River  Railroad  that  he  could  do  the 
work,  and  contracted  to  do  it  for  6oodols.,  or 
^125.  After  moving  the  heavy  structure  about 
two  yards  the  house -mover  found  that  his 
machinery  was  inadequate  and  gave  up  the  con- 
tract. The  railroad  ofificials  then  deter- 
mined to  do  a  little  house-moving  them- 
selves. Under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Bell,  one  of  their  bridge  foremen,  the 
work  was  accomplished  with  little 
difficulty.     The  court-house  measures 


9. — HERE  WE  SEF. 
Fiom  a  Photo.  i'y\ 


i    ;:  1       A  I     lll'..MIM,I  1 
nW.U    l;V   KAIL.  [//  ■ 


.1 1  (m;:  .)  r.F.i.NLi 
y.  LaliiucU. 


41 


ODDS    AND    ENDS. 


623 


sidered  in  the  light  of 
artistic  finish  to  get  up  a 
weeping-scene.  A  score  of 
men,  eye-glass  in  eye, 
arrayed  in  the  sweet 
simplicity  of  striped  bath- 
ing-jerseys, amuse  them- 
selves leaning  on  each 
other's  shoulders,  and  pre- 
tend to  sob  in  a  most  heart- 
breaking manner.  The  long 
deal  boards  for  surf-ridin-: 
look  really  unpleasantly  like 
roffin-lids,  and  the  whole 
business  —  as  a  theatrical 
eccentricity— stands  with- 
out a  rival  in  the  annals 
and  traditions  of  the  bath- 


mg  resort. 


accom  pany  I  n  g 


T'rvin  a  J 


10.  —  UUklKU    UF   TO   THE    .NECK    IN    SAND    IN    THE   SANDWICH    ISLANDS. 


yt  Hello. 


rough- 


38ft.  by  50ft.,  and  the  height  from  the  top  of  the 
rail  to  the  top  of  the  court-house  was  41ft.  The 
journey  was  accomplished  without  mishap. 
The  photograph  was  taken  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Cald- 
well, of  Alliance,  Neb.,  and  supplied  by  Mr. 
Arthur  Inkersley,  of  San  Francisco. 

A  sand-bath  is  a  hygienic  luxury  of  compara- 
tively ancient  date,  but  the  inventiveness  of  the 
Sandwich  Island  natives  has  given  it  a  newer 
and  more  amusing  significance.  Burying  a  man 
alive  in  sand  has  become  one  of  the  current 
jokes  of  the  day.  The  victim  must  be  a  willing 
one.  He  stretches  himself  flat  on  the  ground, 
and  sand  is  piled 
on  his  body  till 
a  good -sized 
inound  is  raised, 
leaving  only  the 
head  —  which 
AV'aikiki  etiquette 
usually  crowns 
with  a  WTcath  of 
ivy  —  protruding 
at  one  end. 
Needless  to  say, 
Avith  his  arms  and 
legs  completely 
■covered  and 
walled  in,  the 
patient  is  as  help- 
less as  a  log,  and 
must  conse- 
quently await  the 
pleasure  of  his 
-comrades  before 
being  liberated. 
It    is   here   con- 


T  h  e 

photo,  shows  the 
and-ready  methods  of  farm- 
ing HI  vogue  among  West  African  natives. 
Every  year,  at  the  end  of  the  dry  season — 
about  March  —  the  natives  of  Sierra  Leone 
clear  the  ground  for  rice-growing.  First  the 
undergrowtii  and  small  trees  are  cut  down 
and  left  for  a  few  days  to  get  dry.  Then  the 
windward  side  is  fired,  and  the  flames  sweep  right 
along  the  ground,  burning  the  lower  branches 
of  the  large  trees,  and  destroying  the  brushwood 
and  stumps  which  have  defied  the  axe.  The 
big  trees  themselves  are  often  set  alight,  and 
sometimes  a  forest  giant  will  continue  to  burn 
for  two  or  three  days,  until  at  last  the  trunk  is 


I 


^^f^^^ 


^ 


from  rtj 


VK.MINO    bV    HKK    IN    SIKKKA    LEONE. 


\,fl"J!<-' 


6.^4 


THE     WlDi:     WORM)     MACAZINK 


gc:' 

;^.^^¥ag|| 

||p^3^ 

tk 

^ 

..^ 

M 

'T2 

HP^ 

^^^K^^^!^^CF 

•il 

|n|^.^^^^ 

■  1 

^^^^ws's 

t 

.^ 

w^m 

^^^1^^^^ 

v^",     • 

Si 

m 

^"'^^ 

^^ 

^^^^BH^H^^V^PH^^B  ^ 

1 

12. — VOL'    SEE   THIS    PART   OF    A    HE.WV    (Ri.r    el'    Ihils,    jrsT    I.1;A1)V    FOR    THE    I'lCKEKS: 

From  a  Photo,  by  Rogers  and  Acly. 


Indians  from  the 
Reservation  close  by, 
I'he  second  photo, 
was  taken  the  same 
day  in  an  adjoining 
field,  \vliich  had  been 
visited  by  the  destruc- 
tive "cut-worm."  As 
you  may  see  for  your- 
self, practically  every 
particle  of  foliage  has 
been  devoured,  and 
only  the  bare  stems- 
of  the  plants  remain 
— a  heartbreaking 
spectacle  for  the  un- 
happy man  who  has 
anxiously  watched  the 
growth  of  his  crop  for 
months.  It  is  not 
merely  one  or  two- 
plants  that  have 
suffered,  but  a  large 
crop,  covering  several 
acres;  yet  the  de- 
structive worm  has, 
curiously  enough, 
left  the  next  field 
quite  untouched. 


burnt  right  through 
and  it  falls  with  a 
crash.  After  the  con- 
flagration has  burnt 
itself  out  the  natives 
pick  up  any  green 
branches  that  may 
have  escaped  burn- 
ing, pile  them  in 
heaps,  and  light  them 
again.  The  land  is 
then  ready  to  be  hoed 
up  and  sown  with 
rice  after  the  first 
rains  have  fallen. 

Here  are  two  snap- 
shots depicting  in  a 
striking  manner  the 
immense  amount  of 
damage  done  to  the 
rich  hop  -  fields  of 
Puyallup,  Washing- 
ton, by  the  "  cut- 
worm "pest.  The  first 
photograph  shows 
part  of  a  heavy  crop 
just  ready  for  the 
pickers — who,  by  the 
way,     are     mostly 


13. — WELL,  Tins    IS  HOW  THE  DESTRUCTIVE  "CLT-WdKM       II  ST  ITvF-T    THE    CROT  IX  AN  AIlJOIMNG    FIELD. 

From  a  Photo,  by  Rogers  and  Acly. 


'^/ 


INDEX. 


ALLAHABAD,  TFfK   IU)1.\   FAIR    \T  r/     ;     ,<    ,  '"%'" 

Illustrations  fiom  l'l,ot..«iai.lis.  tliarlci  hertrant.      4SJ 

alli(;ator-iiu.\tl\(;  i\  iLOKiDA      ...         .  uhn;  un,„f     ... 

Illustiuti.ms  from  Pl.otog.;iph.s.  -i  I  hoi  Maud.  .      \zi 

AMATEUR  AERONAUTS,  TMRLK  1/,-    ,v„,a    ,       a-*/  av 

Illu.strations  by  A.  J.  Jol„,son,  and  from  Photographs.  '^' "   IVol/pokn,  j\apU's.      ibb 

APACHES     H(J\V   .MRS     I-ORTI^R  OUTWITTED  THE...   D,'so//>ed />j' /^er  ^„  J/rs.  I..  .)/.   Terry,  Mexico.       73 
Illustrations  by  (harles  Kerr,  ami  from  a  Photograph. 

AUSTRALIAN  ALPS    MOUNTAINEERING  IN  THE A/;  /'/..//. /.V./.,r; A  .S>A/,j..     454 

Illustrations  from  Pliotooiaphs.  ^  ^     J       J       ■+J-^ 

AVAL.ANCHE  STRUCK  US  AT  LAURIE,   HOW  THE /]/;-,.  A^nes  Porritt,  Laurie,  B.C.       57 

Illustrations  from  Photographs.  '^  -" 

HAHIES'  CASTLE,  THE  BUROLAR  .\T      Mr...  IL  Adan,.     57s 

Illustrations  from  Photographs.  -^   - 

BEAR   HUNT,  MV  UNSUCCESSFUL  Mex.  Ma.donald.         3 

Illustrations  by  Warwick  Goble,  anil  from  Photographs. 

BEAR-RAISIN.;   RANCH,  A  LADV  GUEST  AT  THE- Helen  Grev.  Berkeley,  Qi/.       67 

Illustrations  from  Photogra])lis. 

BISON  OUT  OF  THE  ELEPHANT   PITS,  HOW  WE  GOT  TIH-:       -/.   If.  .Slraehan.     271 

Illustrations  by  A.  J.  Johnson. 

BLOOD  FEUD,  AN  INDIAN      '' One  Who  luvestifiated  l!.''      60 

Illustrations  from  Plio;o;;raplis. 

15URMA,   A   RELIGIOUS   FAIR    IN M.  C.  Comvay-Poolc.        171 

Illustrations  from  Photograplis. 

CALIEORNIA,   A   CLIMATIC   ^HR.VCLE   IN  ...  .  Chas.  Frederick  Holder,  0/ Pasadena,  Gj/.-        7 

Illustrations  from  Photograph.s. 

CATTLE  STA.MPEDE  IN  TEX.AS,  A  J.  M.  Pollock.     :i6}, 

Illustrations  from  Photographs,  and  a  Drawing  by  Norman  II.  Hardy. 

CENTRAL  AFRICA,  TR.WELLING  AND  HUNTINc;  IN        C.  Huhcrl  Peiitherton.     604 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

CENTRAL  AFRICA,  TRIED  FOR  MURDER  IN Dr.   T.J.   Tonkin.     375 

Illustrations  by  Charles  Kerr. 

CENTRAL  ASIA,   MV  TRAVELS  IX Capt.  H.  //.  Deasy,  F.R.G..S.     434,  549 

Illustrations  from  Ph  itographs  by  the  .Vutlioj-. 

CHINA,   A  LADV    MISSIONARV   IN Rachel  Clemson.        17 

Ilhistrations  from  Pliotoginphs. 

CHINA,    MR.    PRATT  AND  HIS  TRA\  ELS  IN D.  Kcnnv.      522.  402 

Illustrations  from  Pliotogra])lis, 

CHINA,  SOME  HOUSEHOLD  TREASURES  OF Harry  Hilhnan.     36S 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 
CHINA,  WHAT  A  FOREIGNER  SAW  IN IV.  Hopkyn  Rees.     114 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 
CHRIST.\IAS  FESTIVITIES  IN  ME.XICO,  THE  QUEER         Mrs.  L.  M.  Terry,  Mexico  C.ty.     218 

Illustrations  from  Pliotographs. 


026 


THE    WlDi:     WORM)     AIAC.AZINE. 


CHUDLEICIIS"  SUMMF.K-HOUSE.   IX  TlIK 
llliisti-atioiis  by  Paul  Hardy. 

CllLKClI  ON  WHEELS,  A       

Illustrations  from  Pliotonraplis. 

CLOUD-BIKSTS  IX  ARIZONA  

lllusti-ations  from  Photoiiraplis. 

COLEMAN  FLOOD  AS  I  SAW  IT,  THE    ... 
Illustiutions  from  Photo»raphs. 

CONEV  SAVED  THE   PRESIDENT,   HOW  MR 

lUustmtions  by  Warwick  Goble,  and  from  a  IMiotonraijli. 

COUNTRY  ELECTION  IN  FRANCE,  THE   IIU.MOIRS  ()1 
Illustrations  fruni  Photographs  by  the  Autlior. 

DAM r.C'S  DIVERSION         F.  H.  K.Ily,  ex 

Illustrations  by  Charles  Kerr,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

DESERT  ISLAND,  A  OIRLS- LIFE  ON  A 

Illustrations  fiom  Photographs. 

DIA.MOND  COUNTRY  OF  BRAZIL,  IX  Till.        

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

DOGS  ARE  USED  AS  POLICEMEN,  WHERE      

Illustrations  from  Photograpli.s. 


Dorothy  Fraser.  391 

..  ;       ..     .liiJiiir  Jiikersley,  Sail  Fraihisio.  128 

...  J.  J.  Ti.  I.indherg,  Berkeley.,  Cal.  177 

Williani  Avcritt,  Co/c/iiaii,  7^exas.  304 

...     Professor  C.  F.  Holder,  Pasadena,  Cal.  419 

'   .\           ...          ...            Paul  Gciiiaiix,  Pans.  52S 

■  Disl.-Coini)iissiouer  of  the  Gold  Coast  Colony.  235 

Dorothy  Harding.  563 

John  Cameron  Grant.  639 

..' J.  E.  Whitby.  143 


EIC.HTY-SE\EX  THOUSAND  MILES  OX   FOOT 

Illustrations  by  J.  Finneniore,  and  from  Photos,  and  Facsimiles. 

FERRY-BOAT.  THE   RUNAW.VV        

Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  U.I. 

FLORIDA,   HOW  THEY  PROTECT  THE  ORANGE  GROV 
Illustrations  from  Photograplis. 

GAZELLE-HUNTING  ON  A  STEAM-ENGINE      

Illustrations  by  Charles  M.  Sheldon,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

GEROXIMO.   A   RAH)  BY  

Illusti'ations  by  J.  Finneinore,  and  from  Photogiaphs. 

GIIO.ST  DANCE  OF  THE  PONCAS,  THE 

Illusti'ations  from  Photographs. 

"GH<L-DIPLO.\IAT"^   IN   PERU,   MY   EXPERIENCE  AS  A 
Illustrations  by  A.  Pearse,  and  from  a  Pliotograpli. 

C;OMEZ  GONSALVES,  THE  STORY  OF      . 
Illustiations  by  Alfred  Pear.se. 

GUADALUPE,   MY   PILGRIMAGE  TO  

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

HEELS  OF  AN  ARMY,  ON  THE       .". 

Illustrations  by  J.  L.   Wimbusli,  and  from  a  Pliotograpli. 

HIMALAYAS,  OUR  CLIMBS  IN  THE  

Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  a   Drawing. 

HOISTIN(;  THE  FLAG  IN  A  SAVAGE  ISLE       

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

HOLIDAY  EXPERIENCE,  PETER   XISSEXS        

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

HOLI  OF  OBA,  THE  STORY  OF       

Illustrations  by  Xorman   H.  Hardy,  and  from  Pliotograplis. 

HOT-W.VTER  ORDEAL  OF  THE  SHINTOS.  THE 
Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  a  Facsimile. 

JEYASU  AT  NIKKO,  THE  GRE.\T  FESTI\AL  OF       ... 
Illusti'ations  from  Photographs. 

KARADJA  BEY— THE  BRIGAND-CATCHER        

Illustrations  by  C.  J.  .Staniland,  R.I. 

'•KING  OF  KINCiS,"  IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE 

Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  a  Facsimile. 

KRLS  WITH  THE  PLAIN  HANDLE,  THE  

Illustrations  by  Charles  Kerr,  and  from  Photographs. 

KUMASI,   HOW  WE  ESCAPED  FROM 

Illubti-ations  by  W.  13.  Wollen,  IM.,  and  from  Photogiaphs. 


fesse  Brandani,  Florence,  ^ob 

...   /.  E.  Me  Kinney,  Aeivton,  Iowa.  147 

ES   IN    ..           ..      D.  A.   Willey,  Baltimore.  539 

A.  Beaumont.  615 

S.  //.  Lncas,  San  Diego,  Cal.  478 

//'.   A'.  Draper,   Wichita,  Kansas.  292 

...  Elizabeth  L.  Banks.  328 

..."       ..          Mrs.  C.  E.  Phillimore.  135 

...  Gilbert  Cnnyngham  Terry.  570 

IV.   Wood  (  Late  Indian  Unattached  List ).  315 

...    Dr.  and  .Mrs.   Ihillock  Workman.  260 

Fy  " -In  O/jicial  who  ivas  Present.''  239 

Orrin  E.  Dnn.'ap.  107 

John  Gaggin,  Mellon  me.  523 

...  Yci  Theodora  Ozaki,  Tokio.  38 

Yei  Theodora  Ozaki,  Tokio.  152 


Tom  C.  Newton,   Vathy,  /.  of  Samos. 

Victor  Goedorp,  Paris. 

Frederic  Coleman. 

E.  Branch,  Gold  Coast  Telegrqphs. 


403 
229 

534 
554 


INDEX. 


627 


LAND-SLIDE  WAS  FOUGHT  WITH  A  STEAM-HOSE,   HOW  A     ...  J.  /.  S.  Liudberg,  Berkeley,  Cal.      85 
Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

LIOX  THAT  TURNED  THE  TABLES,  THE         [..  Campbell,  Nairobi,  Brilish  E.  Afiiea.     226 

Illustrations  by  Xonnau  H.  Hardy,  and  from  Pliotojiraphs  and  a  Facsimile. 


MAN-MONKEY,  THE  HUNT  OF  THE       

Illustrations  by  Norman  H.  Hardy. 

MATTERHORN,   PIONEERS  OF  THE  YEAR  ON  THE 
Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

MECCA  PILGRIMAGE  IS  CONDUCTED,   HOW  THE... 
Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

MENDI-LAND,   LIFE  IN  

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

MESHED,  MY  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOLY  CITY  OF   ... 
Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  a  Facsimile. 

••^HDGE,"  THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  

Illustrations  by  Norman  H.  Hardy,  and  from  Photographs. 

MURDER  CASE  IN  KANO,  A  

Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  R.I.,  from  Sketches  by  the  Author. 

MUSOLINO.  THE  YENDETTA  OF 

Specially  Illustrated  from  Sketches  by  an  Itiiliau  Artist. 


Percy  Loiiglnirsl.  1 87 

George  D.  Abraham.  4S 

-l.  E.  1 1 'or/.  1S2 

T.  E.  Leslie  Alldridge.  191 

J.    I.  Lee.  78 

/■'.  C.  A'ieinaiin,  .Melbourne.  486 

Dr.  T.J.  Tonkin.  32 

Giovanni  Dalla  Veechia.  255 


NEW  GUINEA,  A  MISSIONARY  IN 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

NEW  (iUINFA  CRUISE,  MY 

Illustrations  by  C.  J.   Staniland,  ll.I.,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

NEW  ZEALAND  ALPS,  A  LADY  MOUNTAINEER  IN  THE Forrest  Ross,  Weltinoion,  N.Z.     275 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 


Chas.   VV.  Abel,  L.M.S.     395 
Ceeil  Vaughan,  .Santarai,  Biil.  Nero  Guinea.      283 


OCTOl'US,  DI\ER  SMALL  AND  THE        

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

ODDS  AND   ENDS  

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

"'OLD  MAN  BROWN, ^^  THE  WRIT  SERYED  ON 
Illusti-ations  by  \V.  S.  Stacey. 


Frank  S.  Sniilh,  Nooral,  Terans^,  Victoria.      160 

From  All  Parts  of  the  World.     96,  204,  308,  411,  514,  619 

H.  M.  Kingeiy,  Craxvfordsvilk,  Indiana.     430 


J'ALESTINE,  OFF  THE  BEATEN  TRACK  IN      ... 
Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

PAPUA,  ON  THE  WAR-PATH  IN     ..  

lUustiations  by  Alfred  Pearse,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

PATTERSON  GOT  HER  MESSAGE,   HOW  ^^^lS. 

Illustrations  from  Photographs,  Facsimiles,  and  a  Chart. 

PATIMBEN  WIRE,  THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE 

Illustrations  by  A.  Pearse,  and  from  a  Photograph  and  a  Diagram. 

PEARLER  "ETHEL,"  THE  FATE  OF  TFIE        

Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  a  Chart. 

PEKIN,  IN  AND  ABOUT  

Illustrations  from  Photographs  by  the  Author. 

PLOUCHIING  THE   SEA 


Archibald  Forder,  Jerusalem.  350 

C.  Ross-Johnson.  543 

James  G.  Mc  Curdy,  Foit  Toivnsend,  JVash.  587 

H.  Heivey,  late  of  the  Indian  Govt.  Telegiaphs.  211 

George  .Stacy,  Perth,  IV.A.  89 

...    /.  Thomson.  251 

Herbert  Vivian.  425 


Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

PRICKLY  PEAR,  FIGHTING  THE l.  P.  Corrie,  Oakey,  West  Line,  Queensland.     163 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

-QUEENIE'    AND  THE  "COUNT,"^  THE  AD\ENTURES  OF        ... ^.   Valentine  Geere.     459 

Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  R.I.,  and  from  Photographs. 


SANTA  CATALINA,  THE  LADY  ANGLERS  OF 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 
SANTA  CATALINA,  THE  PIGEON-POST  OF      

Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  Diagrams. 
SANTA  CRUZ,  AMONG  THE  GIANT  REDWOODS  OF 

Illustrations  from  Photographs. 

"SEA-SERPENT,"   HOW  WE  SAW  THE  ...         ...         ■•■ 

Hlustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  R.I.,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

SIBERIAN   STEPPES,   LOST  ON  THE       ...  ..  • 

Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  R.I.,  and  from  Photographs. 


Pi  of.  C.  F.  Holder,  Pasadena,  Cal.  131 

De  Witt  C.  Lockwood,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  502 

Barry  Cornell.  296 

Captain  Laurence  Thomson.  566 

R.  L.Jefferson,  F.Ik. G..S.  444 


SxNAKE  TERROR"   IN  QUEENSLAND,  TWELYE  YEARS  OF    ... 
Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse. 


Mrs.  Henry  Lucas,  Queensland.       13 


62S 


riii:   widl:   world   magazine. 


SOMALILAXn.  A   Bl(".-GAMi:   TRIP  TO 

llliistnilioiis  from  Pliotom-aphs. 

soNTiiAi.  hi:ar  shoot,  our     

Illusti-atioiis  from  Photographs,  ami  a  Drawina  liy  (".  J.  S;anil;uKl.  1!  I. 

SOUTH   AKRICAX   STRAND,  CAMl'IXC.   OUT  OX   A 
lUustrations  from  Fliotosraplis. 

SUGAR-CAXE  INDUSTRY    IX   X.\TAU.  Till:        

lllustnvtions  from  l'hoto,ar:»l'li-i. 

SWAMP  SHOOTING    IX   HARliADOS  

lllusti-ations  from  Pliotosraphs. 

TOUGH  TIMES- AXD  A  "TANKER"        

Illustrations  by  .1.  Fiiiiiemore,  and  from  a  Pliotograpli  ami  a  Facsimile. 

TURKS  ISLAND,  MV  EXPERIENCES  ON  

Illustrations  from  I'liotographs. 

TWEXTV  YEARS.  AITER        

Illustnitions  from  Pliotojjraplis. 

TZINTZUXTZAN  AND  ITS  'TITIAN''       

Illustrations  from  I'liotojrraphs. 

UPPER  NILE  TRIBES.  A  SU.M.MER  AMOXl.  THE       

Illustrations  from  Phntosraphs. 


M/ 


TAGE 

S'/r  Ediiniud  Laliiiiere,  Bait. 

53 

Percy  Kelly. 

49S 

..       .]J,s.    WaUaJ.  //.  .Soul. 

599 

J  allies  Cassidy. 

198 

ukiiian,  Foiitabelh,  Barbados. 

340 

E.  Way  Elkingtoii. 

344 

..    A'e-c.  //.  /■:  C 10 [ton,  B.A. 

385 

Win.  P.  Nye,  Canton.  Ohio. 

334 

...  R.  Bruce  Johnstone. 

25 

Brevet-Major  R.  G.   T.  Bright.      580 


WAIXOXI.  THE  STRAXtlE   HOUSEHOLD   i)V 

Illustiations  from  I'hotogiaphs. 

WALKED  EOUR  HIXDRED  MILES.  HOW  WE 

Illustnitions  by  Norman  H.  Hardy,  and  from  a  Photograph. 

WHALES,  SHIPS  THAT   HAYE  BEEX  WRECKED   V,\ 
Illusti-ations  from  PhotnaTaphs. 

WHITE  ELEPHANT.  ABDUCTIXG  A  ...  

Illustrations  by  Norman  II.  Hardy,  and   from  Photoj;rai>lis. 

WHITE  WHALE,   HUXTIXCi  THE 

Illustrations  by  Xonnan  H.  Hardy,  and  from  Photographs. 

WILD  BEAST  EARM,  "ROCKY  MOUXTAIN  DICK  "' AND  HIS       ...      By  ''  One  U  ho  Has  Visited  It. 
Illustrations  from  Pliotigraplis. 

WOMAN  MILLER  OK  FREDERICKTOWN,  THE  /  .V.  Wilson,  Bardstown,  Ky 

Illusti-ations  from  Plmtographs. 


...    Miss  Constance  Barnicoat. 

R.  de  S.  Magnnsscn,  Broken  Hill,  N..S.  W. 

Prof.  C.  /-.  Holder,  Pasadena,  Cal. 

Edward  Tebhuti. 

J.  P.  Pord. 


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