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Mresenteh to

Che ICthrary

of 1I]C

llniiuu'situ of (Eormtta

. Eric E. Ryerson

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE

November, 1S99. to April, 1900

THE

WIDE WORLD

MAGAZINE

AN ILLUSTRATED

MONTHLY

TRUE NARRATIVE

ADVENTURE

TRAVEL

CUSTOMS

AND

SPORT

Vol. IV.

TRUTH IS

. STRANGER
THAN
FICTION "

NOVEMBER,

1899,

LONDON:

APRIL

GEORGE NEWNES, LTD,

IQOO

SOUTHAMPTON ST.
STRAND

£05186

; IX THE SAIER PRISON.— " WHILST ONLY PARTLY
ER AND CONDEMNED TO RECEIVE 500 LASHES."

10.)

The Wide World Magazine.

Vol. IV.

NOVEMBER, 1899.

No. 19.

In the Khalifa's Clutches; or, My Twelve Years' Captivity in

Chains in Omdurman.*

ASSEENA had been told that the
best remedy for my fever was a
description of vegetable marrow
soaked in salt water ; the water
was to be drunk and the marrow
eaten as the patient recovered. Now the
purgative properties of this medicine might suit
Soudani constitutions, and it evidently suited
mine at the time, but I warn any of my readers,
should they be so unfortunate as to contract
this fever, against attempting the remedy. When
the decoction has acted sufficiently, the mouth
is crammed with butter, which, to the throat, at
this stage of the "cure," feels like boiling oil,
and the wretched patient experiences all the
sensations of internal scalding. The next
operation is briskly to rub the whole body, and
then anoint it with butter or oil — butter for
preference.

The patient has nothing to say about
Kulo*Cuws* his treatment — he is helpless. Every
bit of strength and will has left him,
and when he has
been rolled up in
old camel-cloths
and "sweated,"
weakness hardly ex-
presses the condi-
tion he has arrived
at. It was on the
thirteenth day of
my attack that I
reached the final
stage of my treat-
ment, and then I
fell asleep. I
awoke some hours
later with a clear
head and all my
faculties about me,
though I was then
but a living skele-
ton. The Khalifa,
hearing of my con-
dition, thought it
a favourable oppor-
tunity for me to

By Charles Neufeld.

receive a few more lessons in Mahdieh, and
my period of convalescence was much pro-
longed owing to the worry and annoyance
these teachers of Mahdieh caused me. Kadi
Hanafi, one of Slatin's old kadis, then im-
prisoned with me, owing to his open avowal
that the justice and the sentences given by the
Mehkemehs (religious courts) were against
the teachings of the Koran, told me it was a
mistake on my part so openly to defy the
Khalifa, and that it would be more "politique"
to submit as had Slatin, who had now his house,
wives, slaves, horses, donkeys, and cultivated
land outside the city. But in my then con-
dition, a little procession, which my dead body
would be the reason for, was much more to my

liking.

And I did not really care in what
?«? Death? shape death came, provided that it did

come, and that quickly. Hanafi used
up all his arguments in trying to persuade me to
become a good Muslim. Dilating on the power

THE KHALIFA THOUGHT IT A FAVOURABLE? OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO RECEIVE A FEW MORE

LESSONS IN MAHDIEH."

Vol. IV.— 1.

THE W'ini WORLD MAGAZINE.

linly

Emitted and

argument

inverted,

: i;, would

publicly,

immediately

• lipping back into

. <d that the

live after embracing

• ith, in the hope of m\

But, nevertheless, this

invert me, and the Khalifa,

. and not believing tli.it

might have done with

t him later, lor this and other

to J .:! Rajaf, near I ado,

Ian.

■ne I had gained sufficient

nipt flight the men

lest heart, and there was

NTur ed I >in was dead,

•

.md
rth-
run
dis

■

woulr:

tov. him.

After All.

I R Of THE SAIF.R PRISON,

Ihning my twelve years' captivity, this, my very
first chance of escape risk)- and desperate
though it was was the only one which had in
it a real clement of success; for my conductor
in saving me was to save himself also.

But to return to my prison life. As is
customary in all Oriental prisons, the prisoners
in the Saier had either to purchase their own
food, or their friends and relatives had to send
it into the prison for them ; failing money,
friends, and relatives, the prisoners simply
starved to death. I have already said that the
best and greater part of the food sent to the
prison gates was appropriated by the gaolers —
that is to say, after Idris es Saier had first seen
to the wants of his "starving children" and
numerous household. Idris, even during the
worst period of the famine, did not lose flesh ;
he was always the same tall, stout, flat-nosed
black that he was when I first saw him on May
10th, 1887, and when 1 last saw him in Sep-
tember, 1898.

Not so Bad N°r was Idris quite so bad as he had
been painted; he would often — for

example, when
the Nebbi Khiddr
tale had had the
desired effect in
the way of repent-
ance ; or when he
was in a good
humour after a
bout of marrissa
drinking — go out
of his way to do
his prisoners
small kindnesses,
such as the re-
moval of extra
chains, and the
giving of per-
mission to sleep
in the open. The
Nebbi Khiddr in-
stitution, however,
left him very
much at the
mercy of the
Khalifa's imme-
diate attendants,
and his periods of
good humour
were, in con-
sequence, of very
short duration.
Some day, if I
return to the
Soudan, or Idris
pays a visit to

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

civilization, I may learn from him whom I have

to thank for a few of the unnecessary hardships

inflicted upon me.

It might be asked why we, knowing that the

guards would purloin the greater part of the

food sent in, did not arrange for a larger quantity

to be sent. There are two explanations for this,

and the first is the least of the two : the guards

knew very well what was the minimum amount

of food required to keep us alive, and just that

quantity and no more would be allowed to pass

the portals of the Saier.

The second reason was, because the

a Reason sjgnt Qf more or betta- food being

Extortion, brought to a prisoner proved one of

two things : either the prisoner himself

had received some

money, or his friends

had ; and the following

day the time - worn

Nebbi Khiddr tale, pro-
perly translated, meant

pain and chains until

more dollars were forth-
coming. And, under

such circumstances, the

unlucky offender against

Saier politics would be

called upon by the other

mulcted prisoners to

make good the money

they had been robbed

of; for the Idris was

most impartial in the

matter of chains, and,

certain of always getting

the proper victim in the

end, he invariably

loaded a dozen or so of

the prisoners with extra

chains, a.nd then ordered

all into the Umm

Hagar. An attenuated

and burned chicken, or

pigeon, cost a few dollars

in repentance, and also

the wearing of extra

chains besides the

horrors of the Umm Hagar, or hellish Black

Hole, for nights; for it was advisable to keep

Idris waiting some days for an evidence of

repentance, so that he should believe, and the

Khalifa's attendants believe also, that some little

difficulty had been experienced in collecting the

few dollars you had to pay.

Our usual food was "Asseeda," the
ordinary Soudan dourra (sorghum), roughly

Prison Food.p0un(je(j w|-,en mojst) an(J mjxed intO

a thick paste. It felt and tasted to

THE GREEK LADY CATTARINA—
TO SAIER PRISONERS AND

From a Photo, specially

the palate like sawdust. It was not a very
nourishing dish, but. was a heavy one, and it
stayed the pangs and gnawings of hunger.
A flavour might have been imparted by allowing
a quantity to stand for a day or two until
fermentation had set in. Occasionally — but
only occasionally — a sauce made from the
pounded seed of the Baamia hybiscus, and
called " Mulakh," could be obtained, and this,
with the fermented asseeda, was considered a
veritable banquet. Friends in the town sent us
— when they could either afford or obtain it — a
little wheaten bread, a bit of cheese or butter,
or a few pinches of coffee.

Among the many captives in Omdurman who
did so much for me Father Ohrwalder stands out

prominently; also theold
Greek lady, Cattarina—
who was a ministering
angel alike to Saier
prisoners and captives
in the town; Mr. Tramba
and his wife Victoria ;
Nahoum Abbajjee ; and
Youssef Jebaalee.
Surely the recording
angel has placed to the
right side of his account
the little deceptions
practised by Father
Ohrwalder to gain access
to the prison, when the
few piastres of back-
sheesh he could afford
were not sufficient to
satisfy the rapacity of
the guards, and this in
order to bring me some
little dainty, when, God
knows, he was bringing
me the lion's share of
what he was in absolute
need of himself. At one
time he would present
himself at the gates as
being Jyyan Khaalas
(sick unto death), and,
of course, he wished to
see me once again before his dissolution. At
another time it would be that he had heard
I was dying — and then, of course, he wished
to see me. The changes would also be rung
by his coming in on the pretext of wishing to
see some other prisoner.

With bowed head and bent back,

ohrwaider-sexaggera,;ing the weak state he was

Ruses. then undoubtedly in, he would crawl

towards me, dragging one foot after

the other, and, on reaching me, he would sit

•"a ministering angel alike

cai'tives in the town."
taken for this narrative.

1111 WIDE WORID MAGAZINE

OHRWALDER) WAS

I.S."

d sway his body to and

allowed of his

dainties he had

ling from his

ior man

tut his persist-

ry one or two

ars in prison.

Jit from the out-

to think about

in until I t visit.

«rhen allowed to

air at night-time,

all the horrors

■ ell, the

fif into a sound

uld start up out of some

confused dream of old days; and, looking up
to the sky, I would wonder to myself, half awake
and half asleep, which was the dream and
which the realit) the old loved scenes or the
awful prison of Es Saier at Omdurman— the
. apital of the Soudanese despot. I would
for some moments be afraid to look round at
the men chained on each side of me. When
ngth I mustered up enough courage to do
so, and felt the weight of my irons and the
heavy chain across my legs which bound our
gang of fifty or sixty together, I would speculate
on how long it would lie before the slender
thread would sua]) which held me between
reason and insanity.

That my reason did not give way during my
first period of imprisonment I have to thank
father Ohrwalder and the friends already men-
tioned.* Each one of them risked his or her
omparative) freedom, if not his life, to help me.

following passage occurs in the personal narrative of Father
Ohrwalder ("Ten years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp." London :
Sampson Low and Co., Ltd.): —

" Th< depth of misery to which poor Neufeld was reduced may
idily understood when it is known that he spent a whole year
in the stone hut, and it was not until he had completed two years
in prison that, through the intermediary of a friend, he was allowed
to build a little cell for himself in one of the corners of the yard,
where he could sleep away from the other prisoners. This little
building was about 12ft. square, and very low, and here poor
Neufeld used to sit all daylong. His jjbbeh was very dirty, and
swarming with insects, which allowed him little rest at night, and
in despair he used to get one of his companions to rub him with
wet sand, which made his skin less irritable ; some sympathizing
Vrabs told him to soak crushed cloves in water, and then rub his
witli the paste. This Neufeld found a capital remedy,
though it made his skin smart a great deal at first. Neufeld s
1. mil 1 less soon won over his guards, and often they allowed him to
in undisturbed in his little hut fir the night instead of
dragging him off to the stone hut."

r,i , »

1 1 HAINS. 1 HEY w 1 11 HHOTOGB
SOON AFTER LORD KITCHENER HAD RELEASED HIM.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

Even during the worst nights in the
HeBartR?n Umm Hagar, when hell itself might

be defied to match such a scene —
when Madness and Death stalk hand - in -
hand amidst the struggling mass ; and when
jammed in tight with a number of the more
fanatical prisoners, I fought and struggled,
bit and kicked, as did they for bare life, the
thought of having friends in adversity, suffering
almost as much as I did, kept that slender
thread from snapping. But the mental strain
caused me most violent headaches and periods

for food, as they were able to take longer strides.
Had it been under other circumstances, the
scenes enacted might have provided endless
amusement for the onlookers, for they had in
them all the elements but one of a sack-race
and the old country sports. Seeing thirty or
forty living skeletons shuffling and leaping as far
as the weight of their chains and their strength
would allow, you knew when one fell it was
the result of weakness caused by starvation
which had brought him down. And there he
would lie where he fell, given over to despair.

iHTING FOR FOOD— THIRTY OR FORTY LIVING SKELETONS SHUFFLING AND LEAPING AS FAR
AS THEIR CHAINS AND STRENGTH WOULD ALLOW."

of forgetfulness or loss of memory, which even
now recur at times. It was during the famine
that the Christian — the more than Christian —
charity of my friends was put to the severest
tests and yet never faltered — God bless them.
Food was at enormous prices, but, nevertheless,
day after day, Cattarina brought her scrap of
dourra or wheaten bread. Every day, too,
Youssef Jebaalee sent his loaves of bread, un-
mindful of how much the guards stole, provided
that I got even a few mouthfuls. All the food
sent for the prisoners did not, of course, reach
them. And what little passed the gates of the
Saier was fought for in a maniacal manner by
the starving and desperate prisoners. Those
having longer chains or bars connecting their
anklets stood the best chance in the crazy fight

Those who did reach any messenger

asrewfid with food, far from resenting the

Beasts, stripes given by the guards with the

kourbash, would almost appear glad of
the open wounds the frightful hide lashes caused,
so that they might caress the wounds with their
hands and lick the blood from their fingers.
This picture is not over- but under-drawn, and I
have been advised to leave out minute details
and other scenes as unnecessarily harrowing.
We heard that cannibalism was being practised
in the town, but none took place in the prison.
Inside the Saier, once the despair engendered
by starvation and cruelty took hold of a prisoner,
he would 'lie down and wait for death. Food
the dying man would never refuse when offered ;
but if water without food were offered, it would

1H1' WIDE W0R1 n MAGAZINl

and

in the

juch

the

It may be

lized being

tion,

! a bit el

.1 dying

a living h in

-. wretch is taken

ins luted on, the

tion is perhaps

- ... kl( s knocked off

the newcomer. This

. but hundreds

of Es Saier during that

rvant, Hasseena, had

down a number of

nd the food she was bringing

ing prisoners, we

sful expedient. buying a

I had this hung from her

. and left dangling betwi

n i e was placed in

ys ■ rrii d, as a blind or

I in her hands. This would,

need upon, when Hasseena,

althy pair of lungs — as Wad

at his first interview with

■ ■ hoes with her screams,

i for herself a clear path to me,

unity would be s< ized

in on the ground beside

_ht from the foregoing

for each other

tter of food

I was more

wild fanatics— almost

in more civil:

long as his

: portions of

sent into the

a large

it and morning;

a meal

ea'

h their less fortunate

I I havi it stated that rny

reated a
_cod impression ; but, then, how could

I. the only white man and Christian in
prison and, tor the matter of that, the
only avowed Christian in the Soudan — not
strive to show just a little more self-denial,
charity, and kindness of heart than those
•• fanatics " showed me?

When the many escapes from the Saier
zareba became a matter of common gossip-
too common to be any longer concealed —
Abdullahi ordered a wall to be built in place of
the thorn zareba ; and later, to obviate the
ssity of the prisoners going to the Nile banks
for drinking water and ablutions, he com-
manded that a well was to be sunk to provide
infiltration water for the purposes mentioned.
I' ntil these works were ordered to be made,
the prisoners were mainly employed in building
mud-brick houses for the gaolers; and, when
these were finished, we had to attend to certain
of the household duties — the tending of
children, sheep, and goats, and the carrying of
r from the Nile. Of all the tasks set the
prisoners, the household duties were the most
pleasant, or, at all events, the least distasteful.
Most of the gaolers were able to
Resuiteof keep up a large establishment on
sife^sh"." the proceeds of their backsheesh
and ill-gotten gains ; but with a
multiplicity of wives or concubines a very
natural result followed — household bickerings
and squabbles, in which one wife or concubine
was bound to come off worst. This gave the
wide-awake prisoner engaged upon household
duties his chance. He would soon detect
which concubine was being "put upon," or
whom the women-folk were most jealous of,
and in a few days' time, as a result of his
attentions in carrying her pots and pans,
bringing her water as many times in the day
as she wished, he would be bemoaning in her
sympathetic ears the hard fate of both of them,
and trying to persuade her that what she was
enduring was far worse than his imprisonment
and chains. The old truism that " pity is akin
to love " obtains equally as well under the
dusky hide of a Soudanese damsel as it does
under the white skin of her European sister ;
and very soon the pair would be maturing plans
for an escape and elopement. The main
difficulty was the removal of the man's chains
and a rapid flight to some distant village, but
the Soudanese ladies are not a whit behind in
the traditional woman's resourcefulness in the
face of apparent impossibilities. Failing to
arrange for a regular flight, the woman would
secure some place of hiding in Omdurman
itself. She would undertake all the arrange-
ments, and I never knew of a failure in their
plans.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

Each month a list of the prisoners
VrogreM m tne Saier, and an account of their
Khama. progress in the matter of " educa-
tion," would be submitted to
Abdullahi, with recommendations for the
release of certain prisoners ; and each month,
coincidenc with the preparation of this list,
some prisoner would be missing from his
usual place that night and next morning —
and for ever afterwards.

I was too important a prisoner for my escape
to be at all possible by such happy means as
those above described. My only hope lay in
trusty natives and swift camels which would out-
strip my pursuers. I often envied my fellow-
prisoners who exchanged the bonds of slavery
for those of matrimony, for numbers of them
came to see me after their " release " ; but I
shudder to think what might have happened
had I been released by the Khalifa's orders, for.
following the old adage that a drowning man
clutches at a straw, I must have promised
marriage to dozens of Soudanese beauties (?) in
the event of their doing anything towards
wheedling their masters or the Khalifa into
releasing me. Thus it is quite certain that, on
my release, I should have met at the prison-
gates a clamouring crowd of ladies all claiming
me as husband. But I should explain how it
was that I came into direct contact with the
harems of the gaolers. Having studied
physiology and medicine at Konigsberg and
Leipzig, I was often called upon by the
natives in Upper Egypt, before the place
was so well known to the travelling public
as it is now, and in the absence of doctors,
to attend to them in cases of sickness or
accident. My practice, being gratuitous, was
naturally a large one, and I soon became the

" Hakeem Pasha," or prin-

cipal medical officer.
My reputation in this
capacity, if it did not
precede me, at least SM^ew
accompanied me to
Omdurman when I was
captured ; so that I
was in constant requisi-
tion at the gaolers'
harems, paying " pro-
fessional " visits, ranging
from cases in which the
Khalifa was soon to
be presented with an-
other subject, right
to the most
and sometimes
imaginary com-

*^SU.'

d o w n
trivial
wholly
plaints.

Vol. iv.-2.

So long as the women kept ailing,

"s'jMfuack1 my life was rendered endurable, for

Doctor, j was abie tQ sit down and chat with

them for hours, whilst supposed to be
waiting to see the result of concoctions made
from, to me, unknown herbs and roots, whose
properties I was utterly ignorant of. Fortu-
nately, the results were always satisfactory.
The only medicine or chemical I came across
of any value in the stores of the Beit el Mai
was permanganate of potash ; and I soon
discovered that a Soudan constitution neces-
sitated the application of this in crystals and
not in liquid form. The effects, as may be
imagined, were rapid, and, though my medical
readers might be inclined to doubt the state-
ment, the results were eminently satisfactory
both to patients and myself.

Occasionally I would be sent for to attend
someone in the women's prison, which was
situated a short distance from the Saier con-
trolled by Idris. The women's prison consisted
of the common cell and a light zareba, through
which the curious might gaze on the women
as they lay stretched on the ground during
the day in the sun, undergoing their first
period of imprisonment. The majority of the
women prisoners were slaves locked up on
some pretence or other to prevent their
escaping. It might be that their master was
arranging for some trading trip which would
occupy him for weeks and, maybe, months ,
and the simplest way of preventing his property
from running away during his absence was to
trump up some charge against her, and have
her locked up, knowing that her release could
not be obtained until he himself returned and
requested it. Furthermore, as in the meantime
she would have to be fed at his expense, and

li:^?*5-

SHOWING THE REMAINS OF MR. NEUFELD S MUD HUT WITHIN
OF THE SAIER PRISI

From a Photo, specially taken/or this narrative.

HE PRECINCT-

nil. WIDE WOR] 1' MAGAZINE.

that the
ure her

• the

and

mark by

only be

the luxury

this labour

ild si t us

■ pay many times

It was in

and

vering from my

ath o\ Ahmed

my in ging.

■ 1 me for money,
him, he ordered me to

The only

1 refusal was to sit

h I did, and on this the

■ wards the ga

I immediately got upon my

and ki. the g oler off his.

•' up he ran to Idris es Saier, told

preaching me, ord<

i gain sat down— and

_* ur. die boats. I refused,

i ! trying to extort

I 'ii this Idris struck me a

with his safarog—zx\ instru-

counterpart of the

and used by the

-imilar purposes.

1 the safarog and

•hen whilst only partly con-

r'er and condemned to

500 lashes.

• nty, I was told, wi
the remainder not being
Idr: ng that I was

I dead, and in con-

terrible fright. I was
cell, while Idris set
f with the other prisoners,
11 the work of the
knew what it meant to
ith, and, believing
hen I did recover,
nind to pay out the
• r his fright in the
rvility to
moment when he
for the scare,
little time later
invented another
I had bought from
one inall mud hut, a few feet

re, in the prison inclosure, and had received
ilission bom Idris es Saier to sleep in this
at night instead of in the Umm Hagar. The
young gaoler aforesaid — and other gaolers as
well pted backsheesh from prisoners to

allow them to sleep in the open ; and Idris,
finding the contributions to his " starving
children " falling off, suspected the reason, and
lay in wait. Upon a night when a larger
number than usual had been allowed to sleep
outside the Umm Hagar, he suddenly made
his appearance in the prison inclosure. There
was nothing for our guardians to do but to
pretend that the prisoners had been insubordi-
nate, and refused to enter the Umm Hagar. So
they laid about us with their whips.

The young gaoler, not aware that
Assau" I bad paid the regulation backsheesh

to Idris. made straight for my hut,
dragged me out, and flogged me to the door
of the common cell, a distance, maybe, of
40yds. or 50yds. My thick jibbeh, however,
prevented the blows from telling with much
effect so far as regards abrasions of the skin.
Nevertheless, their weight told on my dimi-
nished strength, and I again fell ill. The
circumstance came to the ears of the Khalifa
through Idris, or the " Nebbi Khiddr," and I had
the huge satisfaction of seeing my tormentor
dismissed from his lucrative post and receiving
two hundred lashes. He was then sent as a
prisoner in chains to work at the very same
boats he had had me flogged for refusing to
assist in the unloading of. This, at the present
moment, is the only bit of real justice I can
remember having been meted out during my
twelve years' captivity.

I have in a former chapter given a slight
description of the flogging as I saw it practised
when first captured by the Dervishes; but the
flogging in the Saier was a very different matter.
The maximum number of stripes ever ordered
was a thousand, and this number was often
actually given ; but in every case the stripes were
given over the clothing. The rules of flogging were
generally as follows : the first two hundred were
given on the back below the region of the
lumbar vertebrae ; the third and fourth hundred
on the shoulders ; and the fifth hundred
on the breast. When the maximum number
of one thousand lashes was ordered they
were always given on the same parts as
the first two hundred ; and this punishment
was resorted to for the purposes of extorting
confessions. After eighty or one hundred
blows the jibbeh was cut into shreds, and soon
became saturated with the blood of the victim ;
and while the effect of the individual blows
may not have been as great as those from the

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

An
Egyptian
Patient.

cat-o'-niae-tails, the number given made up in
quantity for what might have been lacking in
"quality," as is evidenced by the large numbers
who died under the castigation, or as a result of
it later.

On one occasion an old black soldier
of the Egyptian army, named
Mohammad Ajjami, who was em-
ployed as a runner (a foot-galloper
— if I may invent the expression — of the
Khalifa on field days), was sent to me while
in the prison to be cured of the effects of a
flogging. He had by some
means incurred the dis-
pleasure of Sheik ed Din,
the son of the Khalifa,
and by him had been
sentenced to receive a
public flogging, after
which he was to be sent
to the Saier to be "edu-
cated." He was carried
into the prison to me after
his flogging. The fleshy
part of his back was cut
into ribbons, and the hip-
bones exposed. For six
or eight weeks I was con-
stantly employed bathing
this man's wounds with a
dilute solution of carbolic
acid ; the carbolic crystals
being sent to me by Sheik
ed Din himself for the
purpose — for his father,

the Khalifa, jealous of his authority, had
censured his son, telling him, as he constantly
told others, that " In Usbaiee shareeknee fee
tnulkee, anna ikktahoo" This expression was
always used by the Khalifa in any discussion,
holding up his forefinger as he spoke. Ajjami
did recover, and often came to see me in prison
to express his gratitude. Sheik ed Din himself
was so pleased at the man's recovery that he
begged his father to release me, so that I might
practise the healing art among his Ansar
(Faithful), and teach it to others. The Khalifa
was obdurate, however, and refused persistently,
his reasons for refusing to release me being
better left to be told later by some of my fellow-
captives.

My third flogging was received
8coJrhg\ndg. under the following circumstances.
Having received from Idris es Saier
permission to remain in my mud hovel,
and not have to spend the nights in the
Umm Hagar, and feeling secure in my com-
parative freedom and security from exactions
from the other gaolers, as I had " backsheeshed "

Idris well, I firmly refused to be bled any further.
My particular guardian, not daring, after what
had occurred to my former keeper, to order me
into the Umm Hagar, went a step further, and
refused to allow- me to leave my mud hut at all
for any purpose whatever. I insisted upon
being allowed to go to the place of ablution —
about iooyds. distant — and, being refused, set
off, receiving at every step a slashing blow from
the kourbash. Being heavily chained I was
quite helpless, and therefore could not reach my
tormentor, who was able to skip away from my

* Ii

ALL THAT REMAINS Or l 1 1 !■:

occu
From a

RRED AS DESCRIBED I'.Y MR. NEUFELD.

Photo, specially taken for this narrative.

reach, which was limited to the length of the
bars connecting my feet. These bars were 15m.
in length. It was on this occasion, and night-time
too, that Idris es Saier paid another surprise visit
to the prison inclosure to see what number of
" unauthorized " prisoners were sleeping outside
the Umm Hagar ; then, furious at the number he
discovered, he ordered all he found outside to
be flogged without exception. I and fifteen to
twenty others received a hundred and fifty
lashes each — at least, I received this number;
the others repented by crying out after twenty
or thirty blows. I alternately clenched my
teeth and bit my lips to prevent a sound of pain
escaping, as I was asked, " Will you not cry
out? Are your head and heart still like black
iron ? " And the more they reminded me of
the courage I was exhibiting, the more reason
I had for not giving way or breaking down.

But the mental ordeal was far, far
Agony! niore terrible than the corporal

punishment. There was I, a
Europea-n — a Prussian — a man who had
fought with the British troops in what turned

mr WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE

HEAVILY Cli IS, AND THEREFORE COULLl

11 MY TORMEN ION."

out "too late" expedition for

• Gordon, now in the clutches of

tnt and his myrmidons, from whom we

Gordon. Yes, a white

ind a Christian— and the only professing

— chained and helpless, being flogged

• '-.. who was in reality as much a eaptiv<

I. and yet he was my superior

It is impossible for anyone who

■ne a similar experience to appreciate

s I endured. I may have

f-willed and -tr< ded ; I may, if

iike a fool in my constant

the Khalifa and the tenets of the

idi. But now, looking back on those

d that, had poor

Ion In 'ions would at least have

ith his approbation, for the outward

•it the Mohammedan

out on me under force after

the escape oli. Death, in what'

form it uld have been a welcome

■ jr to me : but while doing all in my power

to exasperat < aptors to kill me, a strange

something : perhaps hope, courage ; a clinging A(&d!!u!y or

to life ; pride in my race ; personal vanity in

defying them to the end — call it
what you will — restrained me
from taking my own life ; though
I leaven knows that, if ever man
had a good excuse for doing so,
I had.

My conduct so im-
Khaitfa pressed the Khalifa

Impressed. that hg tQjd Wad

Nejoumi, who asked
for my release so that I might
accompany him to Dongola to
" open up trade" (and Abdullahi
later on told many others the
same thing): "Nofal I will
not release ; but I will not kill
him." Invariably, in speaking
of me to others — as I was still
" unconverted" — the Khalifa
omitted the name "Abdullah"
which I had been given, and
spoke of me as " Nofal " — the
Arabic pronunciation of Neufeld.
While a man, having already
the regulation quota of four
legal wives, might crowd his
harem with as many female
slaves and concubines as he
could support or keep in order,
a woman was restricted to the
one husband or master. All
breakings of our seventh com-
mandment were, if proved,
followed by flogging in the case of unmarried
women and slaves, and the stoning to death of
married women ; but, in the latter case, the sen-
tence could not be pronounced nor the punishment
inflicted unless the woman confessed. But few
stonings to death took place, however, and these
were in the early clays of Mahdieh, when religious
fanaticism held sway. The flogging has already
been described. When a stoning to death was
to take place, a hole was dug in the ground, and
the woman buried to her neck in it. The
crowd stood facing the victim, about fifteen to
twenty yards distant, and on a given signal the
stoning commenced. It is, however, only right
to say that the Soudanese themselves hated and
feared taking part in such a ghastly and devilish
orgie of brutality. None of the stones thrown
had, singly, the force or weight to cause uncon-
sciousness or death ; and the horrid and fearful
tacle was presented of what appeared to be a
trunkless head — a pitiful, bleeding thing — slightly
jerking backwards and forwards and from side
to side to avoid the stones being hurled at it.

I 'his ordeal continued for an hour

more. Sometimes a relative

or friend, under pretence of losing

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

his temper in upbraiding or cursing the
woman, would smash in her head with one
of the small axes usually carried by the
Soudanese, thus putting her at once out of
her torture and misery. Shortly before sunset
the relatives and friends would come out to take
away the body and give it decent burial, for the
soul had fled purified,
with the woman's blood,
to the next world.

In January the
Khalifa, in a fit of good-
humour, sent word to
me to ask if I would
undertake the manu-
facture of gunpowder if
he released me. I un-
fortunately replied that
I did not understand the
making of it, and this
aroused his suspicions,
which did not abate one
jot when, shortly after-
wards, a Bohemian
baker, who had strayed
from Haifa, was taken
prisoner, and sent on to
Omdurman as a cap-
tured spy. This man,
whom I knew only by
the name of Joseppi —
though he had a string
of other names, which I
have forgotten — was a
Bohemian by birth and
a baker by trade. He
was not of strong in-
tellect, poor fellow, and
what intellect he had
had apparently been
impaired by a kind of
"music madness." From
the rambling statements
he made to me during
his year's imprisonment
I gathered that he had
tramped Europe as a
wandering musician,
finally landing in Egypt,

where he tramped from the Mediterranean to
the frontier. It is quite evident that instead of
coppers he received drinks in exchange for his
strains, and this further added to his mental
troubles — though the drunkenness he has been
charged with was, in my opinion, more the
result of circumstances and misfortune than a
natural craving for ardent liquors. On leaving
Wadi Haifa he had expected to find, as he had
found in Europe and the part of Egypt he had

tramped through, villages or towns within the
day's tramp. He had not the slightest idea of
what the desert was until he found himself in
it. Surely a very remarkable case.

After some days of wandering, how-
wandering ever, during which he ate pieces of his
Lunatic. worn-0ut boots in lieu of other food,

" AFTER SHOWING THE
SA\*AGE

M THAT HE WANTED FOOD, HE COMMENCED TO SOOTHE THE
BREAST : WITH THE STRAINS OF HIS VIOLIN."

he struck the Nile, and, wandering along,
quite ignorant of the direction he was taking,
the unfortunate man suddenly came upon
a party of Dervishes, whom he tried to com-
municate with. Then after showing them by
means of gesticulations that he wanted bread
or food, he commenced to " soothe the savage
breast " with the strains of his violin. They
took him prisoner, however, and destroyed his
instrument. Then they sent him on to Omdur-

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

s ushered

K a . who was iin-

nadman or an

being brought

. he threw them about, and

to the surprise of

s« nt to prison

ut in the pr< having

. he fainted away.

hargi about one

while being as harmless

d. he caused me endless

1 ring the day he would

but at night-time h>

S i tr humming ; and

ad neither ginning nor end,

s snatched from

soon tired of it. Indeed,

_ on one occasion

itting his mouth " when requested to

I remonstrated with him after he had

I him that he should not

hum after other prisoners had

:eep quiet. He ruminated over

thinking, maybe, at the moment,

the part of the others against

to Idris, the head gaoler,

him confidentially that 1 was a great

General in Europe^ and a few

r things.

i had an enormous appetite, and was

hungry. He caused me a serious deal

during the worst days of the famine,

so scarce; for, after sharing my

I, he would wander off and pester

up of starving prisoners for a scrap of

ntually, we had to provide three

r him, and just when our food came in,

lim his bowls, and thus were allowed

ace. We had finished our

before he had finished his food, so that

from his importunities.

. he came to grief through eating

skin, which the gaolers used

til * poorer prisoners during the

<uld die in the prison, I

istian " quarter, advising

i should be prayed to release

was done, and he found con-

lial ei a time in the bakery of

afterwards, however, he
dollars here and there for the
piK i grain at El Fun.

I off dressed in a new
■°rK^t. ■ and ollars and

of provisions

journey. At the very

mor: Wad Adlan was pleading with

lifa I _- me from prison, so that I

could assist him in the work of the Beit el Mai,
a deputation of the captives arrived at the door
ot the house to tell the Khalifa that Joseppi
must have escaped, as he should have been
back in Omdurman some days ago. Turning to
\\ .ul Adlan, the Khalifa said, harshly : " Elboomi
mahhgaad — Abdullah Nqfal ogud ? Khallee
ossbur" ( "The fool did not stop when he had
the chance to escape. Will Neufeld? Let him
wait a bit"). It was a bitter, bitter disappoint-
ment. This was the second time the poor
fellow had cost me my liberty. There is no
doubt that the unfortunate man was murdered
for the sake of his food or money, for his
ins were afterwards found on the road
between Khartoum and El Fun.

A favourable opportunity here presents itself
for referring to that little-written-about and,
therefore, little-known and strange character in
Mahdieh— Ibrahim Wad Adlan, the Amin Beit
el Mai, or Keeper of the Treasury. Maybe to
no one else did he confide as he confided in
me while we were fellow-prisoners, and possibly
he confided in me only because he knew that I
was an avowed enemy of Mahdieh — that I was
at the time defying the Khalifa to do his worst
against me, and that my interests lay elsewhere
than in the Soudan. There was perhaps also a
lurking suspicion that I had after all been sent
up as a Government emissary, and that the
letter of General Stephenson was purposely
couched in the language it was, so that, if it
fell into the hands of the Khalifa, he would be
led to believe that I had started upon a trading
expedition pure and simple. The friendship
formed during the two or three months Adlan
and I spent together as fellow-prisoners was
destined to end in the not least interesting of
my experiences; but it also ended in a tragedy.
Wad Adlan, prior to the Mahdist
Tof wa5y revolt, had been one of the principal

Adian. an(j richest merchants in Kordofan.
His business connections had taken
him a number of times to Cairo and other
parts of Egypt. For intelligence, and as a man
of the world, he was far and away superior to
all the " great " people who from time to time
became my fellow-prisoners.

Had there been one more Adlan in the
Soudan (and many had the opportunity of being
such), the rule of Abdullahi would have ended
with the insurrection of Khalifa Shereef. Adlan
was the one man in the Soudan who had the
courage of his opinions, and expressed them to
Abdullahi.

As Director of the Beit el Mai, Wad Adlan's
first care was to keep the treasury and granaries
full to repletion. During the famine, of course,
this was an impossibility, but some grain and

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

money had to be procured from somewhere.
The poor, and those who had come by their
little stores honestly, Adlan never made a call
upon ; indeed, he was the protector of the poor
and the Muslimanieh — as the captive Christians
were called. It was Adlan's policy to create
enemies of Abdullahi, so that was another
reason for his protecting the poor, who were
already bitter enemies of their savage ruler. On
reporting to Abdullahi the depleted condition of
the treasury and granaries — and Abdullahi was

that he was carrying out Abdullahi's orders, and
all knew that a disobedience of these, or any
attempt to evade them, meant summary execution.

Occasionally some "strong" man

A"Mai?Sg "would enter a mild protest to the

protest. Khalifa himself, who would feign

ignorance of having given any general
orders to Adlan. Adlan would then be sum-
moned, but, questioned as to his actions in
the presence of the complainant, he dare not
reply that he had but obeyed the general orders

'THE DOORS OK THE BEIT EL MAL AND ADLAN'S HOUSE WERE BESIEGED NIGHT AND DAY BY
THOUSANDS OF STARVING WRETCHES."

aware that the doors of the Beit el Mai and
Adlan's house were besieged night and day by
thousands of starving wretches — Adlan would
be given a verbal order to search for grain
and bring it anyhow into the Beit el Mai.
This order he would put into immediate
execution against Abdullahi s particular friends
and adherents ; for the whole of their stores
were the proceeds of robbery and the plunder-
ing and murdering of weaker tribes and
people. To all remonstrances Adlan would reply

given him. He would be obliged in such cases
to answer in such a way that the " strong " man
would believe that he had acted upon his own
initiative. Then, after the audience, the " strong "
man would follow Adlan to the Beit el Mai, and
demand the return of his grain and dollars.
But Adlan, it would be found, had distributed
all on the Khalifa's orders — which the registers
proved, as nothing might leave the Beit el Mai
without Abdullahi's sanction. It was an amusing
game — thoroughly Oriental.

(To be continued.)

• • /. uging ' ' in the Swiss Riviera.

Written vnd [llustrated b^ Mary C. Fair.

>out a glorious and exhilarating pastime, relating her own personal adventures
and illustrating her points by means of a set of snap-shot photographs
taken by herself.

■ to Montreux- Mori
delightful — is puzzled after
snow on finding that
: it out ry ten people he

v little light sledges on

and

■

»wn the

and

• ied on.

party soon

ts mind that

happiness, and
: off
an ironn

fhich bore the
■ I

We
found that a new luge
of t i i d'l

- I francs,

ond-hand

i franc less.

< Chateau d '

ght to carry,

and more suitable for

lad: they will

in snow where

. with
rs al

■ Humn

. and it has
the important
me: ,iore

"ju:

-
on, we four. ux,

ched by funicular and sleigh ;

which a diligence took its

nd at the Col de Sant

Loup, to which we should have to walk. We

fina. ided on the latter, as those of

■ i V C. PAIR KNOWS A GOOD DEAL ABOUT " LUGING.

Photo, by Hughes & Mullins, Ryde, Isle of Wight.

us who had luged before said the track
was much better for the purpose we had
in view.

Accordingly next morning we started gaily
forth, each bearing a luge on his or her back, to

which was tied a pac-
ket of provisions : and
after a while the
owner's outer coat was
added thereto, for the
clear bright sun makes
walking up a steep
patli very warm work.
The road goes up the
mountain side in long,
easy curves, which we
rather rashly forsook,
as they seemed to go
so far to get so short
a way. The wood-
man's track we went
up was frozen hard,
and therefore ex-
tremely slippery. We,
therefore, found it dis-
tinctly preferable to
tow our luges behind
us instead of carrying
them on what seemed
an endless journey
upwards.

But at last our re-
ward came, for we
reached the top of the
hump-backed hill
known as the Col de
Sant Loup, from which
we had a glorious view
away to the Juras in
one direction, whilst
in the other gleamed
the blue lake, beyond
which the Dent du
Midi reared its stately
peaks. The atmosphere was so still that the
creaking rustle of the ravens' wings as they flew
to and from their rocky haunts was distinctly
audible. And, although there was a stinging
frost, it was quite possible to sit on one's

"LUGING" IN THE SWISS RIVIERA.

" \VF. FOUND IT PREFERABLE TO TOW OUR I.UGES BEHIND US.

From a Photo, by the Authoress.

luge, basking in the sun, getting freckled
and burnt, whilst devouring the sandwiches
which went but a little way towards appeas-
ing the pangs of hunger. Indeed, two of
our party found this spot so attractive that
they could not tear themselves away from it,
and so they spent the greater part of the
day until the sun went down, seated up there,
engaged in earnest conversation and admiring
the view. However, the rest of us, more
energetic, but with sinking hearts, prepared to
embark on our mad career down the mule-track
which leads down the Col to Chambay.

Now, there are several ways of guiding a luge,
and everyone declares his way to be the best.

You can put the feet slightly in front, at either
side, touching the ground with the heel, according
to which way you want to go. As the heels and
feet are also used for putting on the brake, this
method, by which very fine steering is possible,
is very hard on boots, as may be imagined.
Also, the feet can be kept quite clear of the
ground, straight in front of their owner, when
the little vehicle is guided by means of two
sticks, or one longer one, which is used rudder-
wise. The third way is to " coast " down head-
first, but this is not to be recommended, for

Vol. iv.— 3

SOME OF THE PARTY TOOK THE SPORT EASILY.

From a Photo, by the Authoress.

'MY COUSIN' JANE I.ED, BUT HER CAREER WAS SHORT.

From a Photo, by the Authoress.

should the luger charge into one of the many
obstructions, a broken neck is no unlikely result.
We explained all this to the novices — told
them to shout " Gare ! " at every corner,
and also when they saw danger ahead.
Then the descent began. My cousin
Jane led, but her career was short and
inglorious, for she went off at a tremen-
dous speed in a whirl of powdery snow
which flew up like the spray over a
yacht's bows as she tears through the
water in a stiff breeze with as much
canvas as she can carry. Suddenly
round a corner hove a pedestrian,
coming along the track as usual right
in the very middle. We held our
breath, and wondered what would
happen. Jane shouted " Gare I
Gare ! ! GARE ! ! ! " as, like an express
with a mineral train in front, she made
frantic efforts to avoid him, with the
surprising result that she went, luge

riii w im: world magaziN]

a v

a hat. Yes, there she stood, white, but smiling,
when we arrived to lend her aid, and after
explanations and condolences, we started her off
once mqn .

As well as those who came down singly, we
also had a "bob" of three. Now, a " bob," or
" train eati," in luging parlance, consists of two
or more people who, each on their own luge,
form upjone hehincl the other, each girl or man
holding tightly to the ankles of the girl or man
behind him or her; the greater part of the
steering falling upon the front member, though
the others may greatly assist by balancing round
corners. The longer the " bob," the greater the
difficulty of steering — naturally. I once saw a
" bob " which consisted of fifteen enterprising
lugers ; its upsets were many, and its adventures
surprising, as, in addition to its general un-
wieldiness, the pace was greatly increased. The
sharp turns of these Swiss mountain roads are

< , THE
IGHT I\ Till-: VERY
Mil '

by the Authoress.

ght over the edge of the

here the snow

and soft. How she did it

1 never tell, but she alighted

\ holdin_ her luge in her

with the air of a successful

rer producing a guinea-pig from

—

*»l l t

■

■he Authoress.

OBSTACLES — A LADEN TIMBER SLEIGK RIGHT IN FRONT UV U.S.

From a Photo, by the Authoress.

by no means easy to get round even when the
luger is alone.

The luger, by the way, should keep as close
as possible to the inside of the curve, otherwise
the luge will skid and upset, and its occupant
be hurled against the wall or rocky side of the
cutting. Or, again, the luge may spin round
and attempt to continue its journey backwards.
It is also desirable to slow up on reaching a
corner, for, as a rule, you cannot see what is
round it. Our " bob " had a narrow escape
through neglecting this precaution, for as we
whirled round we perceived right in front of
us a timber sleigh, towing long logs behind,
which waggled backwards and forwards over the
whole road. The thing seemed specially devised
for the destruction of lugers " on the luge."
Then, indeed, it was all hands 'bout ship, and
we only just pulled up in time, for the front
man's knees were up to his chin, his toes actually

"LUGING" IN THE SWISS RIVIERA.

" SOME HEAVY WOOD LUGES WERE BEING LOADED AT AN AWKWARD

From a Photo.] turn of the road.'' [by the Authoress.

touching the logs, whilst the other two of us
grovelled in the snow into which the sudden
stoppage had turned us.

Our next adventure was caused by some
heavy wood luges which were being loaded by
their owners at a
peculiarly awk-
ward turn in the
road. This turn
we christened
" The Grave," on
account of the
numerous spills
which occurred
there. Its dan-
gers were caused
by a large ditchy
rut, which formed
a difficult jump.
Should the luger
fail to negotiate
this properly dis-
aster was certain ;
and on each side
of the road stood
great timber-
stacks, into one or other of which the unfor-
tunate luger was sure to crash. Add to this two
large wood luges, partly laden, in the very
middle of the road, and our feelings may be
imagined as we bumped roughly over the jump
and hurtled against the left-hand log-stack, a heap
of bruised human beings and overturned luges.

On one occasion luge races were held. They
were really most exciting ;
and, indeed, from what I
have already told you, you
will readily understand this.
The competitors were
started at intervals of two
minutes after each other
and timed, the luger who
got over the course in the
shortest time being, of
course, the winner.

The snow is the great
highway of the Swiss
peasant in winter, and it is
a wonderful sight to see a
hayrick apparently taking a
trip down the mountain
side on its own account ;
for the luge and the luger
who sits in front and guides
and controls it are quite
invisible until one is quite
close. Neatly cut logs
too, for firewood, etc, are
brought down from the fir

woods on the inevitable luge, with the cheerful
little Swiss mountaineer in his picturesque
costume of blouse, baggy trousers, and gaiters,
seated in front, in some mysterious way keeping
his rather unmanageable load from running away,

and charging
headlong down
the hill to its and
his own destruc-
tion.

It is no wonder
that the Swiss are
expert lugers, for
they seem to be-
gin to practise
almost before
they can walk. It
is no uncommon
sight to meet a
small child luging
down with an ex-
tremely small
baby tightly
clasped in a spare
arm. Directly the
children are out
of school they immediately fly off to luge,
sometimes down the roads, sometimes down the
mountain slopes.

The great thing in choosing a luge is to see
that the runners are exactly parallel, and that
the wood is sound, well-seasoned, and free from
knots and cracks. The luger's boots should be
strong and waterproof, with climbing nails in

soles and heels ; the outer
edge of the latter being pro-
tected by a rim of nails.

Very few who have once
tried luging forsake it. It
combines the joys of cross-
country riding and sailing
in a stiff breeze — that is, if
a good pace be maintained.
What a thrill of triumph as
a bad corner is safely nego-
tiated ! Then full steam
ahead along the straight
slope, with the driving,
blinding spray of crisp snow,
that flies up, stinging the
luger's face, and powdering
him with white from head
to foot. On he goes,
whistling through the keen
air until the next corner is
reached, and there is a tem-
porary slowing down ; and
so on till the bottom is
reached, or the snow ends.

MALL-BOY LUGER HAS ONLY JUST BEEN
LET OUT OK SCHOOL.

From a Photo, by the Authoress.

What I lound in the Mine.

B\ Oliver Roberts, Ml., oi San Francisco.

rt well known all over the Pacific Slope, and also known to many
sion to employ him in California and Nevada. Although he has
more than thirty years, undergoing many thrilling adventures, Mr. Roberts
ideal herein described as the most fearful of his life.

AS I Januai ) i r< ceived a note
whi : illows : —

its.

I way, San

, I lil i nia.
Will you please call at 10
:. business of importance ?

M and W .

the above-named place at the
. and nil t two English gentlemen,
m I introduced myself. After we had
Mr. M asked me if I

them :
: i unty, ( alifornia,
line the Gove-
and Napoleon
- nd repon
ilue, location,
and feasibility as pro
pun which to
■ tal. 1
I . I here-

upon I a price

:i my services,
which was promptly
pi d. Without
delay. I packed up a
cam] i :id mining
outfit, and was off, by
Mojave and
through Mojave desert.
The mines men-
d are situated on
the ide of the

Panamint range of
ntains, facing the
and terrible
t h V a 1 1 e y — a
counl I known to

■ resi-
nd travel in

the State. I was to meet

i with 1 nd a waggon at Mojave.

•mpany me on the trip, and

e in every way possible to explore

and gate the mines.

bought a 300ft. rope, ^in. in diameter,
.rub and a larger camping outfit,
all of which we put into the waggon, with a
ten and twenty-five gallon water-barrel ; the
country before us being almost entirely without
sprit n rains, and good water

therefore almost wholly lacking. We struck portable

Tills IS A PORTRAIT OF MR. OLIVER ROBI RTS, WHO RELATES
IN THE MOST TERRIFYING ADVENTURE IN HIS 1 Ml I I
AS A MINING EXPERT.
From a Photo, by Schneider and Shims.

out from Mojave, and by the first night made
Indian Wells.

The next day brought us to Shepherd's
Station, in Shepherd's Canon. On the day that
followed we had a long, hot ride across Pana-
mint Valley and into Wild Rose Canon. That
night we arrived at the old cool camp where I
had been so many years before. At this place
we left the waggon, packed both horses, and
started on foot to finish the trip — a distance of
twelve miles, over towards Death Valley. When

night came again we
were at the mines,
where we camped until
morning. All up to this
time had been com-
paratively easy sailing
- fatiguing, certainly,
under the blistering sun,
but yet not attended by
any particular discom-
forts to one accustomed
to the mountains and
barren country.

After breakfast that
morning I took a look
around the locality and
surrounding mountains.
The men showed me a
tunnel which had caved
in. It had formerly tap-
ped the shaft of the
mine which I was to in-
vestigate. The cave had
filled it in completely,
from floor to roof; we
therefore climbed the
hill, at the top of which
was the shaft. Here we
found an old windlass
of ancient and primitive construction. It had
two sticks thrust through holes in each end, the
extremities sticking out like four spokes in a
wheel. This sort of windlass is much more
difficult to control than the type on which a
crank is employed. This mechanism we put
together, erected over the open mouth of the
shaft, and then braced it strongly in position.
Finally the rope was made secure and wound
on, after which we fastened to the end a cow-
hide tub, stout and large, and, of course,

WHAT I FOUND IN THE MINE.

While the preparations for my descent into
the shaft were being completed, I could hear
mysterious noises proceeding from the dark
hole. Pebbles and small pieces from the ledge
fell in and rattled down, finally to strike on the
bottom. I could not imagine a reason why
these things should fall in, and asked one of the
men what he thought the noises were, or what
they indicated. He said he thought they were
made by wood rats or kangaroo rats, which
were numerous about the place. The other
man said that undoubtedly lizards were the
cause. Their explanations, however, failed to
give me entire satisfaction ; I thought of other
far more objectionable things which might be
inhabiting the old, deserted works.

It was exceedingly hot down there in that

it failed to give sufficient friction on the wood —
so down, down, down I went into the apparently
bottomless pit.

Finally, my descent was not so swift ; then
the speed began perceptibly to slacken. Soon
I stopped altogether, suspended in the shaft.
I could just see above me a speck of light. It
did not appear larger than my hand. I shouted
up for the men to lower more slowly. At the
first sound of my voice, however, an enormous
flock of bats started suddenly up the shaft — so
thick about me that my candle was instantly
extinguished. Then came a fight. The situa-
tion was well calculated to appal the stoutest.

I shouted again and again for the men to
hoist, for I was being overwhelmed and choked
by the vast swarm of creatures. But instead,

WE PACKED BOTH HORSES AND STARTED O.N l-'OOT TO FINISH THE TRIP.

desert country. I had started to go down the
mine in a silk neglige shirt and stout overalls,
but on second thought I put on a heavy brown
duck coat, lined with blanket wool. The
overalls were made of the same material. I
then put on a pair of heavy buckskin gloves,
took my pick, got into the raw-hide tub, and
told the men to lower away.

Well, they lowered with a vengeance. Instead
of letting me down slowly, controlling the wind-
lass by holding to the spokes on each end of
the rickety old affair, they employed a brake,
which they had rigged up for the purpose. It
consisted of a rope wound about the roller.
This, however, was not strong enough, or else
it was too stiff to bind or tighten. At any rate,

down and down I went. The men evidently
could not hear my cries. I held tightly to the
rope with one hand and tried to get a match to
light the candle, but the bats flew against my
face and hands, striking their sharp little claws
into my flesh. I was completely covered by the
evil-smelling and nauseating creatures. There
were thousands of them, which I tried to fight
off from me. But now came the worst.

I was shot down until I was entirely through
the bat "line" or "belt," and was still descend-
ing. Kneeling down in the cow-skin tub, or
bucket, I got out a match and relighted the
candle. Instantly a dozen or more rattlesnakes
set up -their fearful and unmistakable sound of
warning. I say a dozen, but there must have

Illi: WIDE WOULD MAGAZINE.

rd him

ottom,

deadly reptiles in that

there had been good

. the shaft was

tion where the

\ ch of the shelf-like

of the snakes.

. up, 1 suppose, trying to get

known fact to ail miners

West that rattlesnakes

whether necessity tor such

• 1 went down among this rattling,

. from

fast

in my

ping

horror in i

, ] ght him

the back

the head,

. and drop-
him down the

and knew I was not
■. by the
mptness with
which the sound
came back. Two
hree other rat-
ruck in
a similar manner,
but had fallen short
leir mark and
: down. ( >ne
struck me, or rather
at the
1 of my back,
i >at was
hat the
failed to
to the
i, and he finally
fell off and down to
the bottom of the

me the

rattling
had increased a
hundred - fold ; the
fall ing snakes
having aroused countless numbers of their

bottom of the shaft. The bu

now stopped abruptly. I was suspended there

ft. below the surface and about 15ft. only

from the snake-inhabited bottom of the mine.

- h rattling no one ever heard before ; and the

ABOUT 3'tFT. LONG FINALLY COT INTO
THE BUCKKT."

stench of the snakes was stifling. Only those who
have ever smelt rattlesnakes in a horrid, close,
writhing mass can realize what this dreadful
odour is. 1 was sick and faint with it, and the
prospect of being lowered helplessly into the
very midst of this den of snakes was something
awful. I fairly shivered with terror at the mere
thought.

I shook the rope in desperation ; I shouted
and kept shouting, and shaking more and more
frantically. I felt as though I were frozen, so
cold and horrified had my whole body become.

It seemed as if
nothing could save
me from shooting
down that last pal-
try 15ft. to a death
from which it would
be absolutely im-
possible to escape.

But at last the
bucket began to
ascend — ■ slowly —
slowly. Oh, it was
maddening ! I felt
as if it would
reverse and go down
at any moment
lower than ever. I
crouched in its cow-
hide depths and
struggled with all
my power of will to
endeavour to make
the men hoist faster.
The slowness with
which the thing
went up was enough
to make a man go
crazy. The ordeal
I had already un-
dergone before was
now repeated. I
was continually
being struck at by
the snakes left on
the timbers. I was
hit time after time
— so much so, in-
deed, that my duck
coat was wet in
many places with
the poison of these
horrid reptiles. The thing would have been
horrible enough, God knows, had it happened
above ground in the light of day. But down

in that awful pit !

One monster, about 3 x/> ft- long, finally got
into the bucket with me. He must have

WHAT I FOUND IN THE MINE.

reached out too far, when striking, and fallen
in. I quickly stamped my foot upon him and
ground it down and held it there ; I put my
whole weight upon it, and got him just behind
the head, where he could not move to strike.
His body writhed about my ankles; his skin
slipped on his body, beneath my weight. It
was a sickening sensation to feel that awful
slippery form under my heel ; the chill and the
crawling of my nerves never departed for a
second. But the bucket still moved upward,
slowly, slowly.

I now arrived in the belt of the bats again,

Now, at last, I could see daylight and could
make myself heard. I shouted to the men to
hoist quickly. The two miners did their very
best, and soon had me up at the top, or within a
few feet of it. They now discovered, and I also
saw, four large rattlesnakes hanging to the
bottom edge of the leather tub. These had
struck at me, and had got their fangs caught in
the raw hide in such a manner that they could
not get away.

With the butt-end of my pick I smashed the
head of the fellow I had under my foot, and
then I was hoisted to the level of the top, where

IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO PKOl ECT MYSELF FROM THEIR FLAPPING WINGS
AND BLIND HURTLING AGAINST MY COLD FACE."

and such a mess I don't think any man ever got
into before. The erratic winged creatures beat
about me — it seemed with added fury. They
struck me repeatedly in the face, and once more
put out the candle. It was hideous, I tell you.
Their mouse-like squeaks and the dying rattle
of the snake beneath my heel nearly froze me
to death. I could not fight such a cloud of
foes — it was all I could do to protect myself a
little from their flapping wings and blind
hurtling against my cold face.

I crawled out of my cow-hide bucket on to
the dump. The sun was blistering hot, but I
shivered from head to foot, and was so nauseated
that I vomited for an hour. For a long time I
lay upon the earth in the hot glare of the sun
trying to get warm. My flesh was as cold as
ice and my face (they told me) as white as a
piece of marble.

The men killed three of the rattlers which
were hanging to the bottom of the bucket, and
I guess the other fellow killed himself, for he

rilK WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

I down the shaft again, which

than th deep which we had

I .: ned that the only reason

lowered entirely down to

ng the deadly and disgusting

- inhabiting the place, was that

:i all paid out, and therefore

own farther. It had held me

not more than 10ft. or 15ft. from the

: a distance which I was well

a from the many sounds of falling

matl and inanimate I heard while

in I ition. 1 [ad the rope been

r, what would have become of me I

not know, for the two men on top would

ntinued to let me down, and I should

. in the thick of a living mass

of venomous and enraged serpents, at the

numl hich I can only guess.

jot over my fright and had begun

n my self-control, and my blood had

w through my veins, 1 asked

e men why they did not hoist when I shouted

i hey answered that they had not heard a

d, and that furthermore it was all they had

■en able to do to stand at the edge of the

t when the bats came out. The cloud of

the creatures, they told me, was so thick as it

poured from the mouth of the hole that it

like so much smoke. Then the sun had

made the bats blind, so that they flew against

the men, and battered them as they had done

and all but made them blind themselves for

time. My assistants, indeed, had been unable

to see anything but bats, and could hardly

control the windlass, assailed as they were by

the winged myriads. They did not dare, at the

time, to pull me up again through the mass,

>ut thought it would be best to let me drop

low the belt where the creatures lived. They

did not, of course, know of the other still

more fearful danger.

My adventure put an end to all exploration

of that particular mine — by me, at any rate.
The rope was pulled off the windlass ; the
outfit was packed, and my coat thrown away on
imt ot its being covered with the poison of
the snakes. The venom looks very much like
albumen, but is very thin and watery.

The explanation of the presence of the snakes
in the mine is that about twenty-five years ago
an Italian and Frenchman worked the claim,
sinking the shaft which I descended, until
hoisting out the rock and ore became too
difficult, when they went down the mountain
side and drove in the tunnel which tapped
the shaft at the bottom. The tunnel was
completed as planned, but the miners found
that the ore was too poor, or "low-grade,"
to warrant their pursuing the work further.
At that time milling facilities were almost
wholly lacking, so that rich ore was the
only sort worth taking from the earth. The
prospectors therefore abandoned the mine, which
thereupon became the den of snakes, scorpions,
tarantulas, and sundry other denizens of the
rock and brush with which the country swarms.
After many years the tunnel caved in, imprison-
ing the snakes and anything else which had
made the pit their home. Doubtless creatures
less tenacious than are the rattlers perished, but
the snakes fed on the young bats that fell into
the shaft, and there the serpents have been
breeding and flourishing ever since.

I weigh 2501b. (1 7st. i2lb.), and had I lost
my nerve and fallen to the bottom of the pit
those snakes would have had enough to eat and
keep them alive for two years.

The trip down the shaft did not turn my hair
grey, but if anything like that ever happens
again, I believe it will become as white
as snow.

I returned to San Francisco and reported to
my English friends that I had made the trip
and found — the biggest rattlesnake mine in the
country !

The Juggernath Festival in Bengal.

By the Rev. T. R. Edwards, of the Baptist Missionary Society.

The festival is not what it was in the days when frenzied devotees hurled themselves beneath the
wheels of the car, but still it remains an extraordinary instance of Pagan fanaticism and fervour.
This well-known missionary tells us all about the festival, and illustrates his description with photos.

of a striking character.

HE great car of Juggernaut, or
Juggernath ! The very name sug-
gests the reading-books we used at
school, which told us of the san-
guinary horrors of the festival and
the hideous trail of blood left by the murderous
wheels. All this, of course, is past and gone,
thanks to the beneficent rule of the British in
India — a rule
which, one is
bound to say, is
fatal to what the
worldling is apt
to call " the pic-
turesque."

Even to-day,
however, one of
the most charac-
teristic sights to
be witnessed in
India is that
furnished by the
worship of the
god Juggernath.
To begin with,
there is the im-
posing temple,
surrounded with
an atmosphere
of age-long mys-
tery and super-
stition. Next
comes the lofty
and ponderous
car, gaudily
painted with
Hindu mytho-
logical scenes.
Let me here
afford you a
near view of one
of the cars of Juggernath — an excellent idea of
its size is gained by comparing it with the figure
of the native on the right. You will observe
that the construction of the car is extremely
rude, and round it runs what looks like a crazy
balcony. The wheels are more or less sunk
in the sand, and on the right we see the
great cables used for hauling on the festival
day. In contemplating this extraordinary
temple on wheels, however, it must be borne
in mind that the one shown in our photo, is "in

Vol. iv. -4.

THE WHEELS OF IHIi> CAR CKUSHED THE

From a Photo, by] in the ol

its stable," so to speak ; its appearance on the
great day itself being far more gay and animated.
But this will be evident in the other photos.

Besides the temple and the car there are the
images, grim and hideous, which are worshipped
by adoring thousands. And, above all, there
are the vast crowds which the eye tries in vain
to estimate. You may readily imagine, then,

that a pageant
made up of these
elements forms
a unique and
magnificent
spectacle. So
you cannot do
better than ac-
company me to
Serampore and
behold it for
yourself.

Sera mpore,
you must know,
is about twelve
miles above Cal-
cutta, on the
right bank of the
River Hooghly;
and the place is
famous because
it was here that
the first Protest-
a n t mission
station in India
was planted. But
Serampore is
also famous for
its Juggernath
worship. There
are two chief
festivals claiming
our attention —
the Snan-Jatra, or bathing ceremony, and the
Roth-jatra, or car expedition.

The next photo, reproduced gives us a
splendid view of the scene presented on the
first of these occasions. In the background the
temple of Juggernath raises its lofty head,
standing in its own walled inclosure. Behind
is a forest of palms and mangoes ; while the
foreground is made up of a veritable sea of
human beings, relieved only by a few booths
and a sprinkling of carriages.

LIFE OUT OF HUNDKEDS OF DEVOTEES

d days. [Bourne & Shepherd.

[■m: wide world mag a/, ink.

\ OK HUMAN l'.LIM.S, RELIEVED ONLY BY

From a J'/ioto. by the Rev. T. R.

A- the sun is blazing down with all its Indian
ur, those natives possessing umbrellas have
prudently put them up. Every person present
is on the tip-toe of excitement and expectation,
waiting for the ceremony to commence. All
are turned towards the platform of brick
and masonry at the rear, where the great func-
tion is taking place that has attracted all these
multitudes. The fact is, Juggernath is receiving
inual public bath.
During the greater part of the year the god
in considerable state in the temple, but
on this occasion he is carried forth, carefully
wrapped up in a thick cloth. His brother
loram and his sister Shubhodra dwell with
him in the temple, and now accompany him on
journey forth. Juggernath himself is ex-
ingly heavy, and it requires several men to
carry him. They pull and strain to get him up
2 top of the platform, and then the covering
s remo\ed and a gorgeous umbrella held over
ad. This done, the god is ready for his
bath.

Amid an impressive silence, the officiating

take water from the holy Ganges and

pour it over the idol's head in full view of the

ed thousand-. Every eye is strained to

<f the god, and witness the

illy. Every phase of the ritual

thunders of "Hurri-bol- hurri-bol"

Shout the name of God"). After the water

has been poured o. gernath, and his body

carefully wiped with a cloth, this particular

mony is at an end. The orthodox Hindus

A FEW BOOTHS AND CARRIAGES.

Edivrnds.

believe that by
coming to Seram-
pore and witness-
ing the bathing
ceremony they
acquire unbound-
ed merit and
more or less
certain salvation.
The more enthu-
siastic devotees
now press forward
to the platform,
where they make
their obeisances
to the god, while
the majority of
the people
(human nature
being the same
all over the world)
turn away to en-
joy the fast and
furious fun of the
fair, as repre-
sented by performing bears, show-booths, jug-
glers, snake-charmers, etc.

But let us, too, approach the platform for a
closer view of the images. As a matter of fact,
they are merely three misshapen logs of wood.
Juggernath himself is neither lovely nor artistic.
He is painted black. Two white circles do
duty for eyes, and two more broad stripes are
intended to represent respectively the nose and
mouth. None of the figures have either arms
or legs. It seems rather curious to call such a
grotesque idol " Lord of the World," but that is
what " Juggernath " means. When he appears
in public in his car, however, the obliging
priests provide him with temporary silver arms ;
but these are merely " properties " for stage use,
so to speak.

As soon as the enormous concourse have
finished worshipping the idols, they are covered
up again and carried back to the temple, there
to await the great ceremony of the Car Journey.
This is undoubtedly the chief event of the year,
and most accurately is it portrayed for us in the
next photograph reproduced. Really, a study
of this picture is almost as good as a trip to
Serampore at festival time. Observe the vast
throng in the photo., and remember that this
can only show a very small section of the
assembly. All along the route taken by the
car the road-sides are packed with countless
devotees and spectators. Walls, banks, and
house-tops are all crowded to their utmost
capacity, and almost beyond it. From a worldly
point of view it is a grand sight, but also one

THE JUGGERNATH FESTIVAL IN BENGAL.

which gives intense pain to the missionary, who
realizes at a glance the tremendous hold which
idol-worship still retains upon India's millions.

Let us watch the ascent of the gods to their
positions on the great car. They are presently
brought out of the temple as before, all covered
up and tightly corded round. Musicians (!)

result in surreptitious loss of life beneath the
wheels of the great car, as in the olden days,
when the natives positively vied with one another
in casting themselves beneath the wheels, and
the car left a hideous track of mangled corpses
behind it. Moreover, the magistrate has
to see that the hauling ropes are sufficiently

READY FOR THE SIGNAL TO PULL THE GREAT CAR — " FROM A WORLDLY POINT OF VIEW IT IS A GRAND SIGHT.

From a Photo, by the Rev. T. R. Edwards.

with large gongs and drums accompany the
idols, and make a terrific uproar, the crowd
hailing their approach with repeated roars of
" Hurri-bol I r Arrived at the car, the gods are
hauled up in the most unceremonious manner
to the topmost chamber of the lofty vehicle.
During this trying operation they look like
nothing so much as bales of goods swung aloft,
instead of august divinities for whom, in the
days gone by, thousands of fanatics literally
laid down their lives.

When the idols have been duly set in their
" high places " their coverings are withdrawn
and their temporary arms fastened on ; then
they are ready to be pulled. This operation,
however, cannot take place until the British
magistrate -who is present with a large body of
police — signifies his assent. But, you will ask,
what are the magistrate and his police doing
here ? Well, it is his duty to see that excess of
fanaticism on the part of the spectators does not

strung ; and behind him stands an officer
carrying a gun, the firing of which is under-
stood by all to mean that the pulling must
instantly cease. These officials may be observed
on the right of the photo. I have been describing.
Should the car threaten to go in a wrong direc-
tion, or any accident occur by which life is
endangered, off goes the gun, and the car at
once comes to a standstill. Thus it is that no
victims are nowadays claimed by Juggernath.
I myself have witnessed the great procession
for many years, but have never seen or heard of
a single fatality.

On one occasion, however, the famous idol
all but claimed a sacrifice— and that a far more
important victim than a mere Hindu. It was,
indeed, no less a personage than the magistrate
himself ! There had been a great deal of rain,
and the ground was slippery from the trampling
of countless feet. Just as the signal was given
to pull the car, the magistrate slipped and fell

fill-: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

in front of the huge erection. The gun
tantly fired, but it was too late : the car

already in motion, and with such " way "

as not brought to a standstill until

it had passed completely over the unfortunate

ate form ! A thrill of horror

h the multitude, and there was a

beneath the wheels. Everyi

pected to see the British Raj

ath : but. wonderful to relate, he

led OUl n the wheels without even a

brui<e. He had fallen in such a way that the

i cumbrous wheels only just grazed his side.

had he been injured it would no doubt

have injured British pi in a curious

Without doubt the natives would have

pointed to the incident as an indisputable proof

of Juggernath's irresistible power. " See," they

would have said, " even the highest official of

the tun eminent is helpless before our god ! "

As a proof of this, I may mention that,
another year, the number of Hindus at the
so small, and the car so heavy, that
jernath simply could not be drawn. The
great car stuck in the mud, and no efforts could
move it. " There you are," declared the admir-
populace, " when Juggernath makes up his
mind that he will not move, it is impossible to
make him bucL You see, their own lack of

power actually brought fresh honour to their
god. The sequel, however, put a different com-
plexion on things — but this the devotees care-

fully overlooked. When all else failed, an
English jack-screw soon compelled Juggernath
to change his mind !

Let us now get as near as we can to the car
to watch the actual pulling. The god is quite
ready for his annual trip, and his priests and
attendants have clambered on to the car, as may
be seen in the photograph. The huge ropes
are then made fast to the front, while hundreds
of men rush forward to " haul on," considering
themselves highly privileged if they get a place.

At length a weird gong sounds, and a vener-
able Brahmin standing on the front of the car
gives the signal. The ropes tighten, the car
creaks and groans and quivers and shakes.
Then, amid rolling thunders of applause, it
lumbers on its way, much as we see it in the
accompanying photo. This, by the way, gives
a really magnificent idea of the actual pulling of
the Juggernath car. Here, again, on the right,
we see the magistrate and his officials watching
over the lives of the people. All along the
chosen route the people hail the car by waving
their hands and shouting their loudest. It is
indeed an extraordinary spectacle, and one
well worth going all the way to India to see.

When the car has arrived at its destination
the idols are taken down and carried into the
temple of another god. Here they stay until
the priests are ready for the return journey to
their own temple ; and this is conducted with
the same great ceremony.

*, THE CAR GROANS AND SHAK1 tS, AND THEN

From a Photo, by Bourne & Shepherd.

I I S WAV.

THE JUGGERNATH FESTIVAL IN BENGAL

THIS IS A GOD-SHOP AT THE JUGGERNATH FAIR— PICK THEM OUT WHERE
YOU LIKE. PRICES FROM 4O. TO IS."

From a Photo, by the Rev. T. R. Edwards.

During the ten or twelve days occupied by this
festival a great fair or mela is held ; and it is not
too much to say that miles of temporary shops
are erected, whilst primitive merry-go-rounds and
queer side-shows provide amusements for all
tastes. I .et us pass along the line of shops and

anything there may be of interest. Why, what
have we here? The very first booth we inspect
is a god-shop ! This sounds fantastic and extra-
ordinary, but here we
are at an emporium,
where gods are sold
to fanatical devotees
at prices ranging from
4d. to is. — " prices to
suit all pockets "- —
in fact, our booth
contains rows upon
rows of outlandish
images for sale. You

, every Hindu
householder has his
own domestic god,
and he has here quite
a large number to
choose from. The
images, you will ob-
serve, are quaint
rather than beautiful.
By the way, it is esti-
mated that the number
of divinities wor-
shipped in India is
something like 330
millions !

We next come to the most curious
sight in the whole mela. This
is the " living goddess," repre-
sented in our last photograph.
Judging from the plate of voluntary
offerings on her left hand she finds
the role a very paying one. The
woman is, in fact, got up to repre-
sent accurately the far-famed and
mighty goddess Doorga. She has
ten arms (eight of them " pro-
perties "), and by her side are
placed her sons, Ganesh and Kartik.
The latter is on his mother's left,
and rides a peacock ; whilst the
former is provided with an ele-

tphant's head. Uoorga's face, neck,
and arms are painted a brilliant
yellow. If the truth must be
told, this heavenly tableau vivant
business is but the ingenious device
of an Indian beggar or female
fakir for extracting alms from
numerous spectators at the Juggernath

the
festival.

But, you will ask, has she anything to give in
return for the offerings? Why, yes, of course.
She pours forth all kinds of blessings upon the
heads of her benefactors, who fondly imagine
that good wishes of this kind are as efficacious
as if they proceeded from the real goddess her-
self. And, of course, they are.

A LI\ INI . 1 .' ■ I > I IE

A I

HE Wl

s — \\ H>> IS ALSO A BEG
TEN-ARMED DOORGA, WITH HER SONS GANESH AND KARTIK

From a Photo, by the Rev. T. R. Edwards.

ESENT THE MIGHTY

The terrible Adventure of Emil Habl.

\\\ 1 11. ElSl NMANN, OF VIENNA.

of country, we must all yield our tribute of unqualified admiration to the young

compositor. Emil Habl. whose all but incredible feat of endurance and pluck was

mi of the Austrian capital. That a man with a leg fractured so badly that the

protruded through the skin should set it himself, and then descend the precipitous

mountain in three days and three nights, is surely the greatest climbing feat on record.

•' the mountain-giants o( the Austrian
Alps, two in particular may be con-
red the favourites of Vienna

- namely, the Schneebi rg
and the Rax. The popularity of
quite natural. Firstly, they
ty, at the wry gates of Vienna : for
in little more than an hour one reaches Payer-
h on the Southern Railway, the point of de-
parture for the ascent of both mountains. Then
the panorama from the top of each is surpris-
I he
v e r y
rich : and last,
but not kast,
are s(
rent ascents
from which to
choose. Among
_ular
promenades, well
laid out and
rising in serpen-
>o gradually
as to enable even
ladies to ascend
with ease. There
are, however,
other routes lead-
ing up the face of
bar pitous

which can

mountait

free from

altogether ; and the consequence is that the
Rax is now more visited by regular mountaineers
than ever. There are dozens of different routes
up to the plateau forming its summit, and they
afford magnificent and extensive views.

The tracks leading from the Hoellenthal up
the steep, rocky walls on the north side of the
mountain afford particularly grand views of the
rocks, and are the favourite paths of venture-
some tourists. But the route from Payerbach
— the tourists' station par excellence— is both

:henau, the fashionable v
From a Photo, by] ox

the cog-
way up the Schneeberg was opened,
ind for the first time the shrill whistle of
was heard just below the summit,
has gained many new friends,
leather boots, umbrella in one
i novel in the other, lounge about the
mit, which they never reached by their own
rtions. But also it has lost many an old
friend, who was wont, knapsack on back and
alpenstock in hand, toilfully to gain the wind-
wooed top. The railway has driven him away

IENNESE RESORT. IN THE BACKGROUND IS THE MAJESTIC RAN,

which the accident happened. [R. Lechner, Vienna.

charming and interesting. The wanderer first
passes through a beautiful valley, with the
majestic Rax in the background, and soon
reaches the fashionable summer resort of
Reichenau. Then he enters the narrow,
picturesque Hoellenthal, through which rushes
the River Schwarzau. The entire district indeed
is one of the most beautiful in all Lower Austria.
In places, precipitous rocks of over 2,000ft. so
shut in the valley as to leave only bare room
for the river and the road.

THE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF EMIL HABL.

naturally it is
the headquarters
of many tourists
who contem-
plate excursions
up one or both
of these beauti-
ful mountains.

All the routes
from the Hoel-
lenthal lead up
steep rocks,
and are, without
exception, ex-
tremely difficult
— suitable, in
fact, only for
experienced
climbers. But
particularly diffi-
cult is the path
from Kaiser-
brunn through
the Wolfsthal ;
so that quite a
con sider able
number of more or less serious accidents have
taken place there within the last few years. On
account of the dangers and difficulties of this
route, there is a rule that it should be attempted
only by j\ /at tourists together; so that they
may help one another in case of need.

"THE NARROW, PICTURESQUE HOEIXENTHAL, THROUGH WHICH RUSHES THE RIVER SCHWARZAU."

Front a Photo, by R. Lcchner, Vienna.

Not long after the tourist comes to the little
village of Kaiserbrunn, where the valley is a
little broader ; it receives its name of Kaiser-
brunn (Emperor's Spring) from that plentiful
Alpine spring which, with some other sources,
supplies Vienna with its " Hochquellenwasser,"
a water of such
excellent purity
as no other city
can boast of. It
was discovered
by the Emperor
Charles VI.
when out hunt-
ing in the year
1732.

At Kaiser-
brunn the valley
divides into two
narrower ones,
the right one,
called the
Krummbachgra-
ben, leading to
the Schneeberg ;
whilst the one
on the left— the
Wolfs t hal—
takes the direc-
tion of the Rax.
As Kaiserbrunn
lies at the part-

_ , • "at kaiserbrunn the valley divides into two narrower o

ing Ot the ways, From a Photo, by} this place that the injured man made.)

(it was for
[R. Lechner, I 'ienna.

1111. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE

rva of this wise rule almost

an his life this summer. He fell

and he ow

own
en<

on the

injuries

■
aim human

rders
Despite

ssible Tor

icceeded

from the

it into the

neighbourhood of

I dread-

and three awful nights

i that memorable d(

ent which can easily be

in two hours by anyone

able to walk. It may almost

certainly be said that the case

ithout a parallel in the

annals of Alpine accidents.

The unfortunate young man

n, a compositor in

shaped rocks, is seen to the west of
Wiener Neustadt

"I intended to do a different

mountain in the Semmering

day, making only

ascents —

of course, the

Not only am

region

interesting

THIS IS POOR EMIL IIABL HIMSELF, WHOSE

I EAT OF ENDURANCE WAS RECENTLY THE

SENSATION OF ALL VIENNA.

front a Photo.

is Emil Habl,

the office of a

rspaper, the Xatc Freie Presse.

through

hoi id ay
mountains,
to see him
hospital in

nna

Habl is an experi-
enced mountaineer,
and intended
spending his week's
in t li e
I went
in the
Vienna,
v h e r e (at the
moment of writing)
he is lying, and, in
the opinion of the
doctors, he will not
be able to leave the
institution for an-
other six or eight
He is a
sympathetic young
fellow, very intelli-
. and he told
of his Rax tour
in the following
rds : —

"On Sunday,
June nth, I left
Vienna by the first
train in the morn-
ing, furnished with
a complete moun-
taineer's kit ; and
same day I
made the ascent of
the Hohe Wand,
which, with its
picturesquely-

botanizing
berg-

'LI-SI HAL — THE ROl II i ■ ,il l. AX WHICH
HABL TOOK AFTER LEAVING KAISERBRUNN.

From a Photo, by A. Holder, Vienna.

each
the most
that is to say,
most difficult.

I passionately fond of moun-
taineering (since my boyhood
I have spent every holiday in
the mountains), but I am also
an ardent botanist and collector
of simples. Just at this season,
then, I hoped to bring home
from my excursion a large
assortment of rare plants where-
with to enrich my herbarium.
On the Monday I ascended
the Schneeberg in lovely
weather, and descended
the Krummbachthal. I reached the
Hotel Kaiserbrunn in the evening, and spent
the night there. On Tuesday, June 13th,

I got up very early,
strapped my knap-
sack on my back,
took my
tin and my
stock, and started
off alone, intending
to ascend the Rax
by way of the Wolf-
sthal. I must admit
that when I hap-
pened to mention
my project at the
hotel I was earnestly
warned against un-
dertaking such a
difficult ascent
alone ; but I would
not give up the plan
I had formed. I
had no fear, for had
1 not already climbed
this very mountain
dozens of times in
the company of
friends, and had I
not accomplished
the route through
the Wolfsthal it-
self twice without
much difficulty ? I
had, in fact, always
been successful
on my many
excursions.

THE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF EMIL HABL.

"Accordingly at 6 a.m. I left Kaiserbrunn
in excellent spirits. At first I had no difficulty
whatever ; there was a capitally-kept path,
which is often made use of by summer
visitors from Kaiserbrunn. After half an
hour I found the ascent becoming steeper,
and then soon the real mountain track began.
It is indicated by means of stripes of green
paint on trees and rocks ; but in places the
rain has, unfortunately, washed away the
colour, so that the right path may be easily
overlooked. The scenery is most interest-
ing. The shapes of the rocks are extremely
bizarre, among them being many curiously-
formed towers and wild battlements, such as
elsewhere are only to be found in the
Dolomites. I made rapid progress, and
hoped to reach the summit before noon.

"But, all at once, the track became very
difficult, so that it cost me the greatest
trouble to advance at all. I climbed on and
on as best I could, after a while finding it a
little better, and I was soon congratulating
myself on having got over the worst.

"But all too soon fresh difficulties appeared,
which were far worse than the former ones.
On the two previous occasions when I had
gone that way I had met with no such
terrific obstacles as these. Had I strayed
from the right path? I wondered. I looked
for the green stripes, but could not see any.
Still I climbed on. Suddenly, however, I
found myself confronted by two gigantic
and almost perpendicular rocks, which I had
never seen before, and which so completely
barred the way that the only thing was to
ascend one or other of them. Then I was
altogether convinced that I had missed the
path and gone astray. The best thing,
of course, would have been to return to
the marked path ; but, unfortunately, I did
not do so. The way of the true mountaineer
is to delight in difficulties. On one of the
two precipitous rocks I presently perceived, at
a considerable distance apart, iron clamps such
as the hunters in the high Alps insert to
hang ladders on. Accordingly, I argued,
there evidently must be a so-called hunter's path
leading up the face of that rock, from which
the ladders had been taken away to prevent
tourists from going that way. Feeling utterly
disinclined to go back, I boldly resolved to scale
the sheer face of the precipice despite the
absence of ladders. I was partly induced to
come to this resolution by the assumption that
at the top of the rock there must be a path
which I could use. Before I had ascended
many feet, however, I lost my footing and
slipped back a bit, but without hurting myself.

Vol. iv.— 5.

IIII-. IS v PHOTOGRAPH Of I III-: VERY PRECIPICE FROM WHICH
YOUNG HABL FEL1 .

Prom a Photo, by A. Holder, Vienna.

I then made a second attempt, and really got
up some 30ft. to 40ft., when to my dismay
and disgust I found all further progress abso-
lutely impossible. I at once decided to make
the best of matters — to submit to the inevit-
able and return.

" But scarcely had I got down two steps
when a stone under my foot slipped out,
causing me to stumble heavily. My heart
leaped with instinctive terror. I lost my
balance, and despite my efforts to steady my-
self with my alpenstock, I went crashing help-
lessly right down the rock, and there remained
in a state of unconsciousness. That must have
been towards half -past seven in the morning.

" How long I remained unconscious it is im-
possible for me to say, for on coming to again I
did not at once look at my watch ; I think, how-
ever, that it must have been a long time. The

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

a .1 terrible pain in my

. and left side ; I was also

from several wounds. At

ring the fearful fall 1 had

I thankful 1 had not been killed out

I up 1 discovered to my

t 1 had broken my right shin-bone.

rhe break was

i\v the knee, and at the

I . .. wry bad fraciure.

ill an 'open ' fracture

ted through the skin.

"\\ my might 1 shouted for help, but

the echo of my own
mded like somebody mock-
In such a lonely spot, I reflected dis-
:'■'! hear me? Tourists seldom
■lie Wolfsthal : yet perchance some
jsing that way and would
my more than dreadful need. So
led out again and again, until at length I
terribly h I did not, however,

1 could no longer utter a sound.
a far away in the valley the barking of a
ir, but no human voice. I
- .. that the only help I should get was
Ip, and that my situation was an abso-
js one, and desperate at that,
p melancholy overcame me. I should be
_ht, if I could not succeed in getting
a the mountain. But of all the many
ntures and accidents of mountaineers that
ad read of, I could not remember a case in
ch a man with a broken leg had accom-
t of a mountain ! And yet I
was absolutely convinced that this seemingly
impossible feat alone could save me from a
•ath. Even leaving out of account
3ther not inconsiderable injuries, how was
ch a thing within a human creature's capacity
The slightest movement in-
tny, until it became altogether
Again and again I uttered loud
help, but none came : no man
Meanwhile the sky had clouded
id it began to rain in torrents, which
2 probability of anybody's coming that
more remote than before. Unless I
bly to die a long drawn-out,
tth from hunger and thirst, I knew
/ must save myself. I decided not to lose
loment in fruitless brooding, and
waiting, and shouting, but to act at on

1 that first of all I must set my

and bandage it in some rough

of the agony it caused me, I

rolled over and over the ground in different

directions like a bale of goods a few yards

here and a few yards there— until I had collected

a sufficient quantity of fallen branches, bits of
fir and moss ; this strange collecting process
took me some hours. The next thing was to
off the sleeves o( my shirt and such other
parts of my underwear as I could spare. On
my mountain excursions 1 always took with me a
box containing iodoform gauze and cambric ;
and now these things were more than welcome.
Then by my side I laid some string 1 fortunately
had in my pocket, as well as my hat-line and
my scarf, with which to fasten the bandage.

"At last, then, I was ready to begin the opera-
tion. But, good heavens, what agony ! My
deadliest enemy 1 would not wish such excruciat-
ing pains as I suffered when setting the poor
splintered bone — which, be it remembered, was
not broken straight across. The dreadful
splinters, indeed, dug deep into my flesh. Not
regarding the pain (although nearly fainting
therewith) I exerted my whole force, and at last
succeeded in getting the bone into what, as far
as I could judge, was its right position. Then I
wound the iodoform gauze round it, and over
that I put the cambric, the bits of underclothing,
and a layer of moss. Next in the queer opera-
tion came my alpenstock and some boughs in
place of splints ; and finally I tied the whole
together with the string, my hat-line, and neck-
tie. Of course, it did not all go so straight-
forwardly as I have described. More than once
the improvised splints slipped, because I could
not hold everything with one hand. But at last
I did succeed in making as good a job of the
setting as circumstances permitted. Without
the leg being set, I should never have got down
the mountain at all, of this I am fully convinced.
Of course, even then I could not use my injured
leg, but at least I could move more freely and
with less pain.

" Meanwhile the evening had come on, but it
being still partly light, I resolved to begin at
once the perilous and frightfully painful descent.
I did not hesitate to do this, because I wanted
to be quite sure that in my disabled condition
I should be able to get down the rocks, the ascent
of which with perfectly sound limbs had caused
me such extraordinary difficulty. I found to my
great joy that I did make progress— although
with extreme slowness. Just as it grew quite
dark I reached a place where it was absolutely
necessary for me to descend a very steep and
sheer declivity some 15ft. high. For a long
time I considered how best to acomplish it. In
the smooth face of the rock I sought long and
carefully for resting-places for my sound leg
and my hands ; and having found these, and
also proved every hold, I gently let myself down.
When I had nearly reached the bottom, I put
my left foot in a wrong place, and an incautious

THE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF EMIL HABL.

IN THE FACE OF THE ROCK I SOUGHT RESTING-PLACES FOR MY SOUND LEG AND -MY HANDS.

Fiom a Sketch specially made in I 'ienna.

movement of my right leg shifted the bandage,
so that I was again obliged to arrange it. I
succeeded in this only just before it became
totally dark. Of the exquisite agony I then
suffered I would rather not speak. Doctors
may realize it, and perhaps also people who
have suffered a broken limb.

"When I had recovered somewhat I thought it
time to take a trifle to eat and a little wine, for I
had forgotten all about my refreshments since
my early start, owing, of course, to the excite-
ment and pain. Now, however, a dull, gnawing
in my stomach most distinctly indicated Nature's
1. So I felt for the provisions I had brought
with me, but, alas ! — another misfortune — they
were gone. Evidently they had slipped out of
my knapsack when I took out the bandages — ■
that is, on the spot where I lay at the foot of
the rock after my dreadful fall. That spot —
despite my long hours of agony and exertion —
could not have been more than about two or
three hundred paces from where I then was.
Yet I saw most plainly that it would be madness
to try and get back there, so I contented myself
with eating the strawberry leaves I found at my
side, hoping they would at least diminish the
now painful cravings of hunger.

" The rain now became heavier, and soon
wetted me to the skin. But I sat quite still,

being convinced that to
proceed in the dark would
be suicidal folly. I could
not sleep because of the
cold, hunger, pain, excite-
ment, and the hardness of
my bed. I caught the
rain in my hat and wetted
my parched lips with it.
Never before had I drunk
rain water, but now I found
it like nectar.

'• Slowly that fearful
night dragged on, and at
length it began to dawn in
the east. One more hour,
and it was light enough for
me to continue my tortur-
ing descent. I slipped and
slid along, writhing with
pain such as it is difficult
even to conceive. My
broken leg had always to
lie on the other one, for
when I touched the
ground with it I screamed
with the agony. As the
rocks were very sharp, and
I had to clutch them tightly
to prevent myself from fall-
ing, my fingers ere long were so badly cut and
bleeding that I had to bind them up with bits of
my shirt. Every moment I was forced to rest,
and very often a feeling of utter despair over-
came me, and I felt inclined to give up the
awful task and perish quietly where I was.
But then the remembrance of my beloved
parents at home lent me fresh strength. I ate
some more strawberry leaves, as well as the very
few wild strawberries I came across, some rib-
wort, and sorrel. I was terribly thirsty, but
could find hardly any water, as the rain had
ceased in the morning. The tiny quantity
preserved in a hole in the rock, or the hollow
of a tree, barely sufficed to moisten my lips.
At last the second night came on, and it was
even more hopeless, more painful, and more
sleepless than the first. The distance I had
traversed by this time was very small, but
then the ground had been very difficult, and I
might reasonably hope that it would be less so
the next day.

" On Thursday morning I felt so tired and
feeble that I was hardly able to advance a yard ;
and again I was strongly tempted to lie down
and await the end. The sharp rocks had cut
me so I could no longer slide along in a sitting
posture, but was forced to lie flat on my back
and push myself along. The result was that

.illy

had long been in mere

vious days 1

certain extent

but my thirst was most

dry 1 could not

to lick up the

5 and leaves morning

I i ame to two
I ■ once used to improve

: n my leg, and then my progress

1 -■■UK's 1 had to pass
lothes sti

lock in the afternoon 1 was
1 that nie impossible I

id an
awful that

I -hake

.
'■ I i : two hours
I did not move.
Then I heard
h u m an
and instantly for-

trem t up.

Collecting all my

d for

help, then anxi-

listened, but

i v e d n o

• I I

had revived,
I mov(
till it grew quite
dark. The de-
: 1 1 was no
• -[),
and I reckoned that the chief difficulties must
alreai and that I was not more

five to thirty minutes from Kaiser
brut. 01 I mean not farther for one who

. and not for me in my deplorable

ursday night I at last got some sleep,

which greatly refreshed me. In the morning

in pained me so frightfully that I

v the bandage, for which purpose I

fragments of my shirt. Having

:ngth from my sleep, I advai

more but still suffered wofully from

oming to a hut, I crawled in

and found a f of water and a bit of

salt. The water I ly drank, and I ate a

morsel of salt, both of which refreshed me a

little. At last I saw some houses, but once

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE
lacerated.

again grew faint. I called feebly for help, and
was beyond measure delighted to receive an
answer. It was a servant girl from the Hotel
Kaiserbrunn who heard me ; and as it was then
just about half past nine in the morning, exactly
three days and three nights had elapsed since I
had left that same place. Help was soon at
hand, and carefully and gently they carried me

. AT HANI), AND CAREFULLY AND GENTLY THEY CARRIED ME TO THE HOTEL KAISERBRUNN.

From a Sketch specially made in I 'ienna.

to the hotel, where every kindness was shown
me. Despite my pain, I felt proud when the
doctor said that the bandaging had been done
most skilfully, and he could hardly believe
that I myself had accomplished it alone
in those circumstances. In the evening I was
transported to the hospital here in Vienna, and
the doctors assure me that in some six weeks I
shall be restored again.

" Anyhow, I do not think that my accident,
terrible as it is, has cured me of my love of
mountaineering. But certainly the remembrance
of those three terrible days and nights will deter
me from again undertaking difficult climbs by
myself. l!ut as my parents would never know
a minute's peace were I in the mountains again
— perhaps, after all, I had better give up
mountaineering altogether."

What a Breton "Pardon' is Like.

By Kathleen Schlesinger.

A striking example of the old-world picturesqueness, simplicity, and piety prevailing in Brittany,

the land of mediaeval religious festivals and queer customs. Illustrated by a series of snap-shot

photographs by M. Charles Geniaux, 32, Rue Louis-le-Grand, Paris.

N Brittany religion is the rein by
which the people are led. The
best way of realizing this is, perhaps,
to attend one of the Breton Pardons,
or festivals of the patron saints of

the villages. We shall then merely feel as

though Time had stepped back two or three

centuries and landed us again in the Middle

Ages. The Pardon of St. Jean-du-Doigt is

one of the most popular in

all Brittany, and attracts

:< sound" pilgrims from afar,

as well as the halt, the

maimed, and the suffering

from the neighbouring

hamlets.

If we follow the worthy

farmer and his wife who are

just setting out from Plou-

gasnou to the village of St.

Jean, we shall be sure not to

miss any point of interest.
The village owes its name

to the holy relic contained in

its sanctuary — the forefinger

with which St. John the

Baptist pointed out Christ as

the Lamb of God. This is

how the relic found its way

to Brittany — so 'tis said.

When the Emperor Julian

commanded the relics of the

saint to be burned, a mira-
culous rain fell and put out

the lire; and the finger in

question was treasured care-
fully by Philip, Patriarch of

Jerusalem. Some centuries

afterwards a young Norman

maid, Thecla, obtained pos-
session of the finger, and

carried it back to her home

in Normandy, where a chapel

was built for its reception.
In the sixteenth century

archer of Plougasnou, in the

Norman nobleman, fired by the accounts

of the miracles performed by the Holy

Finger, was inconsolable because he could not

carry it back to Brittany with him. On his

return journey, however, the young peasant felt

strangely elated, and wonderful things came to

THE OLD BRETON FARMER AND HIS GOOD WIFE

SET OUT FOR THE " PARDON " AT ST. JEAX.

From a Photo, by M. Charles Geniaux.

a young Breton
service of some

pass on the way. The trees bowed low before
him, and the bushes murmured a welcom
he passed. As he walked through a village in
Normandy the bells began to ring on their own
account, whereupon he was thrown into prison
on suspicion of being a sorcerer.

In the morning when he awoke he found

himself lying, not on the dank floor of his

dungeon, but on the grass by a fountain just on

the outskirts of his native

village.

He entered the Chapel of
St. Meriadec to return thanks
for his delivery, and imme-
diately the bells began to peal.
The candles on the altar also
were lit by an invisible hand,
and those who had accom-
panied him, on hearing his
strange tale, saw the finger
of the saint emerge from the
archer's arm and place itself
on the altar. In a short time
the miracles and pilgrimages
had become so numerous
that a new church, that of
St. Jean, was built beside the
chapel ; it was finished in

Ever since then the festival
has been kept, and every
23rd of June has seen a huge
crowd of pilgrims on their
way to St. Jean. Now you
know why they go, and also
why we found ourselves one
bright morning on the out-
skirts of St. Jean. Suddenly
our olfactory nerves became
agreeably tickled, and a
vision of new cakes, light,
crisp, and golden brown,
was conjured up before our
eyes. Immediately we felt conscious of pangs
of hunger — the result of our long walk
through the scented lanes and of the whiffs of
brine-laden air which blew straight off the sea.
Without suspecting it, we had come upon the
very village we sought nestling in a wooded
hollow, and the tall, slender spire of the church
appeared through the trees like a finger— the
finger of the saint, pointing to Heaven.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

dexterous movement of the wide
sort of spatula she held like a magic
wand, the woman made the cake
perform its perilous somersault with-
out breaking or falling into the
ashes, which would probably have
been its fate under a less experienced
hand.

Through the curling light blue
smoke we could distinguish an old
woman and her pretty daughter
enjoying a little snack before vespers.
Taking a plate from the chest,
covered invitingly with a clean white
cloth, we too squatted down in the
shade of the cart to enjoy the cakes.

KAKING AKES

.E THE Bl

ill A.

We took a sharp turn to
the right, and there under
the lee of a half-ruined
cottage we espied an im-
promptu kitchen on a little
plot of grass. The cook,
a fre>h-looking woman, in
now - white cap and
spotless, pale blue cotton
blouse, knelt on the
ground surrounded by her
paraphernalia. Over a
wood fire stood the flat
pan in which the delicate
cakes were Irvine:. With a

,H THE OLD GATEWAY WE PASSED WITH THE CROWD OF WHITE-CAPPED

From a Photo, by] worshippers." [M. Charles Geniaux.

ON THE LEFT IS SEEN THE MIRACULOUS

FOUNTAIN. THE SCFNE OF SO .MANY
MARVELLOUS CURES.

From a Photo, by M. Charles Geniaux.

We were not alone, however, for
the little fellow who stands wist-
fully watching the proceedings
required little pressing to induce
him to join us.

How long we might have
lingered in that peaceful spot I
don't know, had not the warning
bell called us to vespers. Through
the old sculptured and carved
way we p issed with the crowd
of white-capped worshippers into
the peaceful churchyard, where
our eyes at once turned to the left
to seek the miraculous fountain
the scene of so many marvellous
cures. Entering into a friendly

WHAT A BRETON "PARDON'- iS LIKE.

back to its own Breton sanctuary at St. Jean.
What is more, the sacrilegious robbers were
immediately struck blind; and in order to
recover their sight they were forced to make
a pilgrimage to St. Jean to implore the for-
giveness of the saint. Thus runs the legend
told by the Bretons.

We found the fountain no longer solitary.
Two women, having laid down their um-
brellas on the side" of the trough, were

bathing their
while

the healing waters

. TON WOMEN BATHINc;

THEIR EYES IN THE WATER

OF THE MIRACULOUS

: N'TAIN.

From a Photo, by M. Charles

Geniaux.

chat with the old
farmer and his wife,
we learnt at last why
the waters of the
fountain were more
especially potent in
healing any malady
of die eyes and in curing
blindness generally.

In the reign of our
Henry VII. some British
troops landing at Primel,
the next little harbour,
invaded St. Jean, and car-
ried off the precious relic.
As soon as they touched English
soil, messengers were sent post-
haste to announce to the clergvthe
treasure they had brought with
them. A sudden exultation filled
the breasts of these good men at
the news, and with hymns and
chants a great procession,

#ssa»p*

->. - „ «*

-^afc.

eyes in
a third was holding a little portable
barrel, with a handle to it, under the spout,
in order to fill bowls, mugs, and cups, which
were later to be sold to the pilgrims in the

procession. We
were so absorbed in
this novel scene that
we heard, as in a
dream and without
heeding, a sing-song
murmur behind us.
An unceremonious
dig, however, recalled
us abruptly from the
land of dreams, and
we turned round
sharply to see a grim,
sour-faced cripple
holding out his tin
mug.

" Now, then, give

' ALL THE BEGGARS
WERE MIT HID]
I\ THEIR MISERY,

HOW I

From a Photo, by

M. Charles Geniaux.

swelling its ranks with
noblemen and distin-
guished persons of all
degrees, went on its
triumphant way to the
palace to present the relic
to the King.

The reliquary was
opened with due cere-
mony and becoming
solemnity, but, to the
horror and dismay of all
the high dignitaries, the
Holy Finger was no
longer there : it had fled

;THE BLIND MEN OF ST. JEAX, FATHER AND

SON — TWO OF THE BEST-KNOWX FIGURES

AT THE ' PARDON.' '

From a Photo, by M. Charles Geniaux.

something, do ! " he
cried, imperatively ;
and being afraid of
the evil eye — for
when you are in Brittany you must
do as the Bretons do, and also try to
feel as they do, if you would under-
stand them— we dropped a little silver
coin into his tin mug.

The churchyard was quite full of
beggars ; they sat on the gravestones,
and on the steps of the
porch. They hobbled
across the grass, exhibiting
repulsive deformities in
order to excite the pity and
charity of the visitors. All
were not hideous in their
misery, however — the
family here shown, for
instance. The little, toddling, rosy-
cheeked creature standing between
its mother and grandmother was
positively happy — radiantly happy.
It had no cares for the morrow ; it
only knew that for the first time in
its life it possessed a pocket into

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

I ALL IN WHITE, WITH LACK CAPS

oto. v M. Charles Geniaux.

AM) I.IING WHIIE VEILS.

clutching

the
its fat littie

which it had tucked its hand,
untold riches so recently laid in
palm by a passer-by.

ip was even beautiful in its noble
[t was the blind men of St. Jean, father
and son, two of the best-known figures at the
Pardon. They always affect the same spot and
attitude ; in fact, one might from a distance
take them for a group of statuary. The father,
who sat on a high stone, with his sightless eyes
upturned to Heaven, had a noble face ; on a

r plane sat the son between his father's knees.
Inside the church the scene was a very
animated one.
The crowd was
pressing towards

low S(
dividing the
faithful from the
priests, who pre-
sented to each
kneeling devotee
in turn the holy
relic to 1.
The metallic
ring of coins
dropping into a

den r
drew our
attention to the
nature of the
screen ; tlv
rail, which was
hollow, was
pierced all along
with little slots

OVER, THE CROWD HURRIED OUT
From a Photo. by] TO PASS.

for the reception of the
offerings of the pilgrims
and the faithful generally.
To the left of the nave
was the basin of holy water,
ever running, into which
the Holy Finger had been
dipped. There the pilgrims
bathed their faces, or let
the life-giving water run on
any part of their body that
chanced to be suffering.

Just then a fanfare and
the roll of drums were
heard ; it was the proces-
sion from P 1 o u g a s n o u
coming to join that of St.
Jean, and we hurried out
to see it arrive. First came
the beadle in flaming
scarlet, his cheeks puffed
out with importance as
with his staff he cleared
the way for the bearer of the cross. A bevy of
young girls dressed all in white, with lace caps,
long white veils, and pale blue sashes, surrounded
the silver statue of the Virgin, which was borne
on a stand on the shoulders of some eight or
ten maidens.

The statue was half-concealed under a canopy
of ribbons and flowers. White, blue, silver, and
gold banners, gorgeously embroidered and
painted, waved around it ; and on its passage
the men bared their heads and the women
bowed low. Pilgrims and penitents dressed in
black followed. More beating of drums, and

this time it was
the mayor and
corporation, to-
gether with the
National Guard
of St. Jean,
which came forth
to meet the pro-
cession from
Plougasnou and
conduct it to the
church.

Vespers over,
the crowd of
worsh ippers,
hurrying out
across the
churchyard and
through the
gateway, over-
flowed into the
street beyond,
and took up a

TO WHERE THE PROCESSIONS WERE

[AI. Charles Geniaux.

WHAT A BRETON "PARDON" IS LIKE.

THE PROCESSION WAS NOW LKAVING THE CHURCH HEADED BY Till
From a Photo. by .!/. Charles Geniaux.

position on the road along which the massed
processions were to pass. They were not
one whit too soon, though, for the great
procession was now leaving the church,
headed by the banner of St. Jean, ornamented
with a graphic painting of the Baptism in
the Jordan. Next came the cross hung with
little silver bells, which tinkled musically as the
procession passed. Round it were grouped the
heavy banners lined with ermine, as well as
the oriflammes, and
the silver statue of
the Virgin, with its
accompanying white-
robed maidens. A
band of little boys
guarding the statue of
the Infant Christ
came next, followed
by the large cross of silver-gilt repousse
work, with hanging ribbons embroidered
with rich silks and gold thread. Pilgrims
closed in behind the priests, and finally
came the grandest and most important
part of the pageant — the priests, in
gorgeous vestments of richest damask,
stiff with embroideries of silver and gold
thread, precious stones, and priceless
old lace. They were the bearers of the
relics. First came a silver bust contain-
ing a relic of St. Jean ; then a silver
urn containing a bone of St. Meriadec,
the patron saint of the valley before the
miracle of the arrival of the Holy Finger;
and finally came that most precious of

Vol. iv.-6.

all relics, the Finger
itself, in itscrystalcasket
incrusted with gold.
This brought up the
rear, and has been re-
corded by the camera.
Pilgrims innumerable,
and all the miraclous
(as the Bretons call
those cured during the
year by kissing the relic
or bathing in the waters)
who had come to return
thanks, walked barefoot
after the relics. Seme
of the men were in their
shirt-sleeves, candle in
hand. There were also
numbers of children of
all ages among the
miraclous ; the tiniest
in their mothers' arms,
with caps of cloth of
gold trimmed with bright
ribbons. Other children were in the costume
assigned by painters to the infant St. John,
holding a cross in one hand and leading a
white lamb by a blue ribbon with the other.

The procession wound its way up the hill to
the fountain, near which, centuries ago, the
young Breton was supposed to have found
himself when he awoke after his translation
during sleep from the Norman prison. Here a
kind of pyre or bonfire had been erected, of

BANNER OK ST. JEAN.

FINALLY CAME THAT MOST TRECIOUS OF ALL RELICS— THE
ITSELF, IN ITS CRYSTAL CASKF. ■ INCKUSTED WITH GOLD.

From a Photo, by M. Charles Geniaux.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

v^;

*i« i^-;^^

** <**if fi V *--

*■

4^? if I <^^fc jff^^" .

! n : lil
A CROSS."

ERECTED SURMOUNTED BY

\M, Charles Geniaux.

g rse and broom, surmounted by a cross
n in the photograph at the
ick to the left. Woe to the man of St. Jean
who failed to bring his little fagot to make up
the bonfire ; lie would be certain to burn his
hand badly during the year. A cable fixed to
the stake was outlined against
the blue sky ; and, following the
der line with our eyes, in
n with the hundreds of
. we found that it led to
one of the turrets of the church.
. what was the meaning of
An atmosphere of pro-
found mystery and suppressed
itement pervaded the spot.
lewithered-looking old women
-were it not too unkind, one

,'itdub them witches — hov<
within the precincts of the foun-
tain. As ached the top
of the hill, a kind of box was
running swiftly along the cable
from the church . and as
:t reached the pile of wood
• as a discharge of
nd a beating of
drum - idenly, with a hiss
and a fizz, a red flame shot up,
of flowers
:ily; then other flames,
pt up
fantasti-
cally to the music of the crack-
ling, hissing blaze. Although

I HE PILGI

From a

the pastime is indulged in
freely in other villages,
this is the only dance
allowed at this Pardon out
of respect to the saint —
with whose martyrdom, it
must be remembered, the
dancing Herodias was but
too intimately connected.
A bright-looking woman
said : "Isn't it wonderful to
see that box set light to
St. Jean's fire? They call
it fireworks now, but it
wasn't always like that.
.My old grannie used to
tell us, as we sat spinning
during the long winter
evenings, that when she
was young the fire was not
lighted till dusk, and then
a dazzling angel, with a
crown of fire and stars in
his hands, flew down from
the church tower to set light to the wood, and
then flew back again, disappearing in the
darkness."

Some hymns were sung, and then the pro-
cession returned to the church ; the pilgrims
and the crowd, having paid due regard to all the
the religious observances of the
festival, now proceeded to enjoy
themselves with a light heart,
but first, every man, woman, and
child secured a little charred
ember to put under the bed, to
keep off thunderbolts and similar
misfortunes during the year.

The Pardon is a great day for
betrothals ; and young lovers
wandered about the hills in
double couples, as etiquette re-
quires at St. Jean. Entering
a wayside inn,
they ask for a
private room or
arbour, where
they sit for hours
sipping black
currant syrup
(cassis) ox coffee,
while the court-
ship proceeds
by regular and
well - defined
steps, of which
the offer of the
sweet drink is

OW PROCEEDED TO ENJOY THEMSELVES.

Photo, by M. Charles Geniaux. the first.

Our Wreck in the Dead Sea.

By the Rev. W. Hastings Kelk, B.A.
(Late English Chaplain in the Lebanon, Haifa, and Jerusalem).

Mr. Kelk relates in graphic style an adventure that befell him and a party of American gentlemen
in a rotten boat on the dreary Dead Sea. The narrative is illustrated by snap-shots taken by the

author himself under very trying circumstances.

SUPPOSE there is
hardly any part of
the world where
Nature has ex-
hibited more eccen-
tricity and fantastic conception

than in the construction of

that strip of Syria called

the Ghor, culminating in

the "abomination of desola-
tion," the Dead Sea. I re-
member, when a small child.

being told that this great salt

lake obtained its lugubrious

name from the fact that not

only could no fish live in its

waters, but that any bird at-
tempting to fly over its surface

fell down dead, suffocated, no

doubt, by the noxious fumes

that rose from the steaming

cauldron. That, of course, was

an exaggeration, but not very

All along the dreary shores of the Dead Sea,

except for an occasional oasis, there is an

absence of life of any description : and, (if

course, no fish could live in its intensely briny

waters more than

a few minutes.

The timber, too,

brought down by

the Jordan is in

keeping wit h

the appalling

surroundings, for

it is quickly strip-
ped of its bark

and cast up on

the beach, white

and gaunt, and

looking for all

the world like

the bleaching

bones of a lost

army.

But yet the

Dead Sea is not

without a charm

of its own. See

it, if you can,

from the Mount

I HE REV. W. II KELK IS WELL

ACQUAINTED WITH THE HOLY LAND.

From a Photo, by H. Graham Glen, Leeds.

great.

"all along the dkeary shores there is an absence of life^"1-" any^
From a Photo. by\ description."

of Olives, or the Frank Moun-
tain— a stretch of living blue
between the yellow lulls, as
if the cloudless sky had lost
its way and settled on the
earth to rest; or, nearer still,
from En-Gedi, where the hill
slopes sheer from the water's
edge. The whole sea lies at
your feet, still reflecting on
its bosom the dazzling sky,
but here and there of darker
hue, where gusts of wind
break its surface and withal
its calm. And most curious
are the paths of light that
zig-zag to the deep shade of
the Moab hills, or are lost in
the shallows at the southern
end.

I, like most tourists in Syria,
had made the orthodox three
days' trip — had floated on its buoyant waters,
and had washed off the salt afterwards in the
River Jordan. But I longed to explore the
weird sea thoroughly ; not that I expected to
make any great geographical discoveries, but

more from a
spirit of adven-
ture than any-
thing else.

At last the op-
portunity came,
and our party,
composed of
three Americans
and myself, with
an Arab servant,
found ourselves
encamped on the
banks of the
Jordan. We had
sent word before-
hand to the
Father Superior
of the Convent
of Mar Juhanna
(which belongs
to the Orthodox
Greek Church)
that we should

[the Author.

I 111'. WIDE WORLD MAGAZ1XK.

.:: JUHANNA, WHOSE FATHER SUPERIOR SUPPLIED THE BOAT.

From a Photo, by the Author.

:. This he had promised to have
ready for us. When we called on him on our way
down, however, he tried to persuade us that we
should be much safer in his steamer, but a trial
trip up the river convinced us that our original
plan was better. This " Vabour " or steamer of
the Father's was the delight of his life, He
had spent, according to his own account, vast
sums of money on it, and hoped to repay him-

with interest by taking tourists for short
trips up the river at the
rate of £.^ a head !
widespread has become
what may be termed the

ok :" instinct.
These trips promised to
>hort, for the boat
made hardly any headway
ream, and,
indeed, in the full current
actually .round. At

such moments v.e realized
the dignity of a " capi-
ta^ position, and
envied the fluency and
of his Italian.
Once, when we all hap-
•<: in the bows
at the we
heard a peculiar whirring

shouted

the stern. We then
; that our w<
in the bows had ra
the stern so much that

the screw was wasting its
energy in the air. It was,
indeed, a wonderful steamer.
But, unfortunately for us,
the boat we had hired — a
sea -tub from Jaffa — did
not quite come up to the
expectations we had been
led to form of her. The
Father Superior assured us,
nevertheless, she had been
put into thorough repair.
But our arrival on the scene
must have been a day or
two too soon, for we found
the convent carpenter
knocking out the rotten
planks with an axe. Before
very long that boat pre-
sented the appearance of a
five barred gate. Then the
carpenter retired for lunch
and a siesta, and we had
to hold a council of war. Our Arab's sug-
gestion, that the carpenter's energy might be
stimulated by a promise of ten francs if the
boat were ready for use early next morning,
not only showed a knowledge of Eastern
character, but also acted like a charm.

The approach to the Jordan from Jericho
greatly increases the appreciation of its beauty.
After a hot ride through a dreary waste, where
nothing meets the eye but a succession of low

VERV LONG THAT BOA I 1M:I-.M..'. TED THE AIM-EAR ANCE OE A FIVE-BARRED

From a Photo, by the Author.

OUR WRECK IN THE DEAD SEA.

sand-hills, torn into fantastic shapes by wind
and rain, or, perhaps, the restless action of a
bygone sea, it is peculiarly pleasant suddenly
to come upon running water and luxuriant
foliage.

During the time the boat was being patched
up we employed ourselves in various ways.
Some of the party tried their hands at fishing,
but with indifferent success. Others crossed
the river in a punt, in the hope of getting a shot
at a pig on the eastern bank. There were signs
of boar in plenty, and other game ; but the
dense undergrowth kept them out of sight.
Where the country was more open, however, a
few partridges and sand-grouse were put up, as
well as an early quail. On our way back, as it
was dusk, we startled a couple of francolin, but
they were lost in die brushwood. Fortunately,
we had no difficulty in getting firewood, and the
enthusiasm of some of the convent servants
was such, that our camp fire must have startled
the BedawJn for miles around.

The next morning our friend the carpenter
declared the boat fit for use. We were a little
dubious though when we found the water
flowing in as fast as a boy could bale it out.
However, we decided to start, hoping the new
wood would swell and so stop the leak. We
had to stow most of our stuff on the seats and in
the bows, to keep it dry ; and this naturally
made the boat top-heavy and difficult to manage.

THE DEAD SKA IS REACHED THE JORDAN WIDENS

From a Photo, by the Author,

Until near the point where it debouches into
the Dead Sea, the Jordan flows between high
banks, and especially on the eastern side the
bank is precipitous and overhanging. Just before
the sea is reached, however, the river widens out
into lagoons. Here, among the reeds, water-
fowl in immense quantities find a home. So
close are these reeds together that all attempts
to force our boat through them proved useless,
but with a duck punt fair sport might easily be
obtained.

So far our course had been an easy one.
Being occupied principally with baling out the
boat and keeping her in the middle of the
stream, we had been content to drift along,
admiring the scenery and taking occasional
shots at a passing duck or swan. And drifting
down the Jordan, even at its southern end,
means making fair progress, for the river falls
6icft. in its last sixty-five miles, and about
3,000ft. in all from its source 137 miles away.
The rapidity of its flow is, however, somewhat
lessened by its tortuous course. Though the
distance between its source and the Dead Sea
is only 137 miles in a straight line, in reality
it is three times as far.

When we shot into the Dead Sea, startling a
number of pelicans by the suddenness of our
appearance, we found a change of tactics
necessary. Such was the force of the stream
that we were carried well out to sea before we

realized that we had ex-
changed fresh water for
salt. Out came the
flattened poles that served
for oars ; and after a great
expenditure of labour we
again approached the
northern shore of the sea.
Having in mind accounts
of adventurous explorers
kept for days tossing about
the sea by adverse winds,
and suffering agonies of
thirst and heat, we had
determined not to wander
too far from land.

An hour or so of pull-
ins; began to tell on us.
The heat was now intense,
as was to be expected at
such a depth below sea-
level ; and the extreme
buoyancy of the extra-
ordinarily briny water
made rowing all the more
difficult. After a time we
found towing an easier

OUT INTO LAGOONS.

mode of progress, one

rill. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

remaining in the I steer. But

time the Pilgrims' bathing-shed was

- evident that, with our present

sploring the sea must be

i up. The wretched thing was leaking

vy for i

farther down

the - towing we

w would be im-

I le. 1 1 ere we

•:;anded,

miles away from any

human habitation.

The boat we might

but not

__ _ Just as

ning

I fate we heard

: —

'• I 'is way. ladies !

Here de Head Sea.

Here de Bilgrim

'HIKE WE WERE, THEN, STRANDED, MILES AWAY FROM ANY

From a Photo. by\ human habitation." [the Author.

bath. Vater ver booful.

Drink leetle, now. Yer salt — eh? Ha! ha! ha!"

., all in the true dragoman style. Then

the owner of the voice drew his revolver, shut

his eyes, and fired two or three shots into the

His party was much impressed. How could

it be otherwise?

W e, on our
part, hailed his
appearance with

He took
charge of a letter
from us to the

r of Mar
Juhanna, asking
for the steamer to
nt after us
a t c n c e . W e
should be found
anywhere bet v.

d and Ras

kah. 'I 'he
tourists proceeded
in the direction of
the Jordan, and
we once more
•: up the tow-
ing-line. Our

find fresh wal

a drop had we seen since we left the
an, and the little we had brought with
us was all but expended. How eagerly we
scanned each pool and even ventured

to t me in the little wadys we crossed —

only, however, to find more concentrated bitter-

M. WHERE WE KNEW WATER EXISTED — NOTICE THE TREES
OF THE WATER AND MARKING THE ENCROACHMENT

From a Photo, by] ov the sea. [the Author.

ness. We knew there was water at Ain Feshkah,
but the sun was last setting, and Ras el Feshkah
appeared to be as far off as ever. After a time,
our Arab ..spied camels browsing far inland,
and hv dint of walking about a mile and shout-
ing over the remainder
of the distance, he
put himself in com-
munication with a
camel-herd. Presently
he came back with
the consoling informa-
tion that the sea had
encroached so much
of late years that he
doubted whether we
should be able to find
the spring at all. How-
ever, we toiled on,
and eventually found
a dirty pool — brackish,
but not quite so salt
as the Dead Sea.
As far as we could
judge by the map, we were now some miles
beyond Ain Feshkah. It was almost dark, so
we had no option but to camp for the night.
A host of mosquitoes and gnats quickly drove
us from the vicinity of the pool, but higher up

we found a fair
camping - ground,
sheltered from the
wind by a dense
thicket.

A fire was soon
m a d e , water
brought from the
pool, and the pro-
visions spread on
The
cry was
for tea. After a
long day spent
under an Eastern
sun, when the
h e a t has p e n e-
trated to the very
bones, and appar-
ently dried every
particle of mois-
ture out of the
system : when the
lips are cracked
and the throat feels like a lime-kiln, then isexperi-
enced a thirst such as seldom, if ever, comes to a
man in England. To satisfy it there is nothing
equal to tea. But, alas ! we were doomed to a
hideous disappointment. First one of us took
a sip, and then silently put down his cup : then

the ground
general

OUR WRECK IN THE DEAD SEA.

From a Photo. by\

SERVE US PROPERLY.

EVERY IIIIM.

[the Author.

another tried it, and looked reproachfully round
on the rest. Easily the Arab ejaculated,
"Kabreet" (sulphur), and spat the stuff out
violently. That was the greatest disappoint-
ment we had had. The failure of the boat was
nothing to it.

Later on, we found water not quite so
sulphurous, but yet far too painfully reminiscent
of Harrogate to be pleasing to healthy men.

We had some difficulty in getting a fire to
burn. There was no lack of timber on the sea-
shore, but it was too permeated with salt to be
of much use as fuel. We found a shrub growing
not far off with little green prickles that served
for leaves, and its wood was so rotten that it
proved quite easy to break a whole bush up
into firewood even without the use of an axe.
But this gave out much more smoke
than flame, and left an evil-smelling
ash behind. Truly we were having a
grand object lesson in the "abomin-
ation of desolation."

Next morning we were up betimes,
on the look-out for the steamer.
We rigged up an oar as a flag-staff,
and raised a good smoke-signal from
the fire, such as would have done
credit to a camp of Australian
blacks. During the night we had
heard heavy breakers beatimr on
the shore, but now the sea was as
calm as a duck-pond. I managed
to bag a brace of partridges for
breakfast, but they proved to be as
dry and salt as is everything near
the Dead Sea. About ten o'clock
our Arab, who had been filling the
water-skin at a new spring he had
discovered, came with the news that
the steamer was in sight. We all
rushed to the flag-staff, and could

just make out a tiny column of smoke in the
direction of the Jordan. In a short time a
mast appeared on the horizon. We calculated
that it could not reach Ain Feshkah until well
on into the afternoon, so it would not be worth
while moving our camp that day; but we hoped
to be able to get on to En-Gedi the next day.
The steamer came steadily on, hugging the
shore all the time. When almost within hailing
distance it disappeared behind a headland.
We all thought it was taking a very long time to
round the point, when, to our horror, we saw it
gaily steaming back again towards the Jordan.
We fired guns and revolvers ; we piled more
wood on the fire ; we waved the flag furiously ;
but with no effect. The men on board, evidently
despairing of ever finding us, had turned tail.
What was now to be done ? It was impossible
to go on any farther with that boat, and it was
equally impossible to get back to the convent
in her. The wisest plan appeared to be to tow
her to the northern shore again, in the hopes of
coming across a party of tourists. We had one
water-skin with us, sufficient for twenty-four
hours, and if we were not rescued in that time,
we should, of course, be obliged to abandon all
our belongings and make for the nearest habita-
tion. Our Arab refused point-blank to take a
message for us, either to the convent or to the
hotel at Jericho. He said he could not walk so
far, and even if he could, with so many tribes of
evil reputation on the plain, it would not be safe.
So we began again to bale out the boat. She
was lying well up on the beach, so it did not take
us long to empty her. It was much harder work

IT WAS FROM THIS CAMP THAT WE BEHELD THE MYSTERIOUS STEAMER AND

From a Photo, by} decided to " GO to Jericho." [the Author.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

launching her. but at last we accomplished that
too. But when we came down from the tent
with the first instalment ot~ luggage, we found
her already nearly half full of water. Yes, we
thought o( "them that go down to the sea in
ships," and a lot o\ other strictly Biblical
ciations. \ ■. they were now brought

home to us in a peculiarly forcible manner. So
the baling began again. But it was no use.
In a few minutes we found the water was
. and in a quarter of an hour only
the ts of the villainous craft remained

the surface. W e waited for them to
ppear. but the extreme saltness of the
water kept the boat floating Hush with the
surface of the sea. It was an interesting illus-
tration o( the buoyancy o( the Head Sea, but it
fail licit any exclamations of admiration

rather the reverse.
What we said now was, " Go to Jericho " ; it
- the only thing to be done, really. Our only
hope, in fact, lay in being able to find our way

Jericho across
the plain. One of
the party volun-
red to stay with
the native to look
after the tent.
We did not start
until 3 p.m., thus
g the heat
of the day. We
k n e w that t h e
range of hills ter-
minating in Ras
el Feshkah runs
nearly north
and south, and
that gave us a
of the
direction of
ho. About
sunset we struck
a deep ravine,
which we con-
cluded must be
the valley that
descended from Neby Mousa. Dropping into
this ravine, we suddenly found ourselves in the
midst of a Bedawin encampment. It was too
to a\oid it, for already the dogs were bark-
and naked children running out to see
what was the matter. Though inwardly cursing
ourselves for our carelessness, we put on a bold
face, and asked the first man we met the way to
Jericho. He wanted to know from whence

HAS EL FESHKAH, THE TERMINATION OF THE KANGF OF HILLS WHOSE
TREND GUIDED US ACROSS THE PLAIN TO JERICHO.

From a Photo, by the Author.

we had come. We pointed vaguely in the
direction of the Dead Sea. What had we
been doing there ? Oh, walking round the
Bahr-el-Lut, but we intended to sleep that night
in Jericho. He ejaculated, " Ma-sha-allah,"
and then showed us the way out of the ravine.
We breathed more freely when we had put a
mile between ourselves and the Bedawin, for in
that plain they bear anything but an enviable
reputation.

What a weary walk that was ! We were hot,
tired, dusty, and, above all things, thirsty.
Perhaps also "crusty." We were not certain
that we were going in the right direction even
now. We never knew when a bush might dis-
gorge a number of yelling, thievish Arabs. Just
as we were debating whether it would not be
better to wait until daylight, we heard the
sound of running water. In a moment we
were lying prone, lapping up the delicious fluid,
in a way that recalled the story of Gideon and
his men. Then we recognised one of the

Jericho irrigation
canals. That and
the water gave us
sufficient energy
to break through
several zarebas of
thorns that sur-
round Jericho,
and then came
the hotel !

The next day
we set out on
donkeys for the
steamer', and
eventually found
it at the mouth
of the Jordan.
The " capitano "
said he had gone
down the coast as
far as he dare,
and as he had
not found us, he
concluded we
were all drowned.
It was just what he would conclude. We
were soon under way, and by night-fall at
our old camping-ground. But further explora-
tion of the sea was impossible. The short run
from the Jordan to Ras el Feshkah had nearly
exhausted the fuel, and there was none to be
obtained nearer than En-Gedi. The following
morning we returned reluctantly to the north
shore, towing our water-logged boat behind us.

Among the Hairy A in us of Yezo.

By Archibald Gowan Campbell.

A traveller relates his experiences in Yezo, the North Island of Japan and the home of the Ainus

a mysterious and interesting people. Mr. Campbell's photographs (which are strictly copyright) will,
we are sure, be pronounced both impressive and picturesque.

EZO, the northern island of Japan,
lies away from the ordinary routes
of travel, and contains the remnants
of one of the oldest and most in-
teresting races left on the earth. My

visit to the land of the Ainus was made during

the summer of '98, for the double purpose of

studying the aborigines

and salmon - fishing in

the rivers. The photo-
graphs accompanying

this article are my own

"snap-shots."

Two or three ac-
counts of the Ainus

have been published in

this country, but the

writers have usually

sacrificed all pretence

to accuracy in catering

for the public craving

for picturesque " local

colour." I believe the

only man possessing a

really intimate know-
ledge of the customs,

character, and language

of the aborigines of

Vezo to be the Rev.

John Batchelor, a gen-
tleman who has lived

for years in their huts

and has devoted a great

part of his life to their

spiritual and material

advancement. His

labours have included

the establishment of a

church and school at

the large Ainu village

of Piratori and of an

hospital close to his

own residence at Sapporo. He has also written

a valuable and most interesting work on the

Ainus of Japan, and has translated the New

Testament into their language.

The total Ainu population in Yezo has been

diminishing for a great many years. Mr.

Batchelor tells me that it is now about stationary

in the district under his own immediate super-

Vol. iv.— 7.

THE AUTHOR, MR. A. G. CAMPBELL, WHO WENT A-WHEEI.ING

From <?] among the hairy ainus. [Photo

vision, but that the decrease continues in the
central and northern parts. Being an utterly
unprogressive race and a hindrance in the vray
of the go-ahead Japanese settlers, their rights
are not much respected by the Imperial Govern-
ment. Their present numbers in Yezo probably
do not exceed 17,000, which is actually less

than the yearly immigra-
tion of Japs into that
island ; and this esti-
mate of population no
doubt includes many
who are not of pure
Ainu blood.

There are a few scat-
tered settlements along
the greater part of the
sea-board of Yezo, but
the coast Ainus asso-
ciate so much with
Japanese fishermen that
they cannot be regarded
as typical. The villages
on the upper branches
of the Saru, Tokachi,
and adjacent rivers,
however, are more in-
accessible, and their
inhabitants conse-
quently more represen-
tative. The route to
the latter district lies in
the first instance over an
immense plain, covered
in summer with lovely
wild flowers.

The first photo, repro-
duced on the top of the
next page shows our
caravan entering one of
the desolate little fish-
ing villages among the
sand-hills separating this plain from the rollers
of the Pacific Ocean. The figure leading on
the right of the picture is Major C. - — in
whose company I did part of my travels in
Yezo. Next to him is an Ainu groom ; then
come our two Japanese servants, with another
Ainu bringing up the rear. According to the
invariable custom in Yezo and many other parts

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

through forests

IERING ONE OF THE DESOLATE LITTLE AINU FISHING VILLAGES.

Front a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

. the foals are here seen acccompany-

_ :heir mothers. The sand-hills in the back-

nd arc carpeted with dwarf rose-bushes

:h, towards the end of June, burst into a

perfect blaze of crimson flowers. These roses

have an extremely sweet scent, but, unfortunately,

it is overpowered by the terrible odour of decay-

fish, which makes a journey along this coast

not altogether a pleasant experience.

I my first trip to the
Ainu country I rode a
. the luggage fol-
i horseback;
but tl broke down

on the return journey,
and the machine had to
loaded on to one of
The animal
boh re that opera-

tion was half complet
however, and disappeared
in a thick fog, with the
r his
tail, and my cher-

flying
in all < • ;

ventually
hunt- n, and most

of the thin_
in a n

»n.
The next photograph
its the second
of the journey

of oak, with the
ragged under-
growth for
which Yezo is
remarkable,and
of which more
anon. The fore-
most figure is
the Ainu woman
who acted as
our guide, and
she is sitting
cross-legged on
a pile of lug-
gage which the
unhappy pony
has to carry in
addition to the
rider. In the
background to
the right of this
is my Japanese
servant. Never
having been on
a horse before, he was in chronic difficulties with
his steed, and on more than one occasion got
lost in the forest by lagging behind ; so the
Major, who stands about 6ft. 2in. in his stock-
ings and has a most stentorian voice, used to go
to the rear of the cavalcade and periodically
shout at him, an expedient which only made
hJm roll off on to his head in sheer terror. We
next thought of tying him on as part of the

stage

HIE AUTHORS CARAVAN PLUNGING THROUGH THE FORESTS OF VEZO.

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

AMONG THE HAIRY AINUS OF YEZO.

ARRIVAL IN THE VILLAGE OF P1RATOKI — NOTICE THE BAOY AND THE BICYC1

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

luggage, but by dint of careful management and
frequent stoppages to hoist him back on the
pony after a fall, we succeeded in getting to the
end of our journey without resorting to such
drastic measures.

My third photograph shows the arrival of the
caravan at the large Ainu village of Piratori.
Penri, the old chief, is on
the extreme left, and in the
centre is m\ bicycle, held
by a stalwart Ainu and his
little son, who looks as
though he thought he had
accomplished a feat in
merely touching the weird
thing. The building on
the right is the inn which
has recently been estab-
lished here. It is in
Japanese style, but is kept
by an Ainu, and the tra-
veller is waited on by Ainu
servant girls. Europeans
travelling in the interior of
Japan must not depend on
the food of the country,
which consists mainly of
rice and raw fish; and
even these are often not to
be had in the remoter
districts. So we lived
chiefly on the tinned pro-

visions we carried with us. There are a good
many Japanese in Piratori, which accounts for
the fact that the clothes of some of the Ainus in
this photograph are made in semi-Japanese style.
We next have to consider a group of Ainu
women, one of whom is grinding millet, while
another is nursing a baby. The young woman

GROUP OK AINU WOMEN— THEY TATTOO MOUSTACHES ON THE1I

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

II IK WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

standing up in the centre much appreciated the
joke of being photographed, and was greatly
delighted by the subsequent presentation of a

copy of her portrait. The women are all
tattooed round the mouth with the dark blue
pattern i ling a moustache, which will be

noticed in the pi phs. Their forearms

and the backs of their hands are similarly

ted, the process being commenced in
nth by a slight incision on the upper

which :^ gradually extended in subsequent

the whole operation being completed by

the time they have reached the age of eighteen.

M v favourite

"he n eh man."'

Pikanchari, is

lug-out

noe in the

■ Mil pa n ying
p h -a p h .

which also con-
excellent
: the beauty
of the river
nery in this

■n. I [ere we

one of the
boats u-ed by the
Ainus for net-
fishing in the
rivers : and t:
are remarkably
skilful in poling
t h e m up the
swil 'reams.

It was from this

a iut ' that I
did a good d
of my own fishing
— and I had m<
than one ducking
when trying to
throw a fly from
such an unstable
platform. Netting
and \ sal-

mon in the rivi
and a little cultivation in the imm vicinity

A their villages, form the only resources now
left to the Ainus. J hese interesting people
used formerly to hunt deer and bear in the
forests, but when the advantages of civilization
dawned upon Japai om a few years

ago, it pre in its anxiety to prove itself

thoroughly up-to-date — to establish large deer-
canning factories in Yezo, and to organize
wholesale massacres of the game, with the result
that in a very short time scarcely an animal was
left. After having thus successfully disposed of

IT WAS KROM DID MY OWN MSHIMi.

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

the "goose that laid the golden eggs," the
* lovernment is now attempting to bring it back
to life by the enactment of stringent game-laws
rating for a period of years; but in most
districts the plan has not yielded encouraging
results there being no deer left to breed from.
At the present time most of the young men from
the mountain villages go down to the coast in
the summer to take service with the Japanese
fishermen.

The Ainus have practically no manufactures
or industries. They occasionally make a primi-
tive cloth from the bark of a tree, and do a

little rough carv-
ing ; but this is
chiefly for home
use, and a con-
siderable part
even of their own
clothing and
utensils is now of
Japanese origin.
Physically they
are infinitely
superior to their
conquerors, the
men being often
splendid speci-
mens — ■ b i g -
chested and mus-
cular, with black
beards which
attain their full
length at a com-
paratively early
age and give them
a most imposing
appearance, to-
gether with an air
of wisdom which
is usually quite
unmerited.

I have heard it
suggested that the
Ainus represent
the residue of
" the lost ten
tribes of Israel " ; and certainly many of them
approach very nearly to our ideal of the patriarchs
of the Old Testament. But I don't know that
thi above supposition rests on any evidence more
convincing than that no satisfactory explanation
has been offered as to their origin, and that in
neither language, customs, nor appearance do
they approximate to any known race. The very
fact that the Ainus have a distinct bias for
veracity, and will frequently tell the truth to
their own disadvantage, seems to divide them in
no uncertain way from all the Asiatic nations ;

AMONG THE HAIRY AINUS OF YEZO.

EAST AND WEST .MEET. — OLD AINU WOMAN EXAMINING THE AUTHORS MACHINE

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

but it will also, I am afraid, almost invalidate
their claim to be considered as the lost remnant
of the "chosen people."

The Ainu voice is both characteristic and
peculiar. It is remarkably soft, low, and
musical in ordinary conversation, with a rising
inflection at the end of each
sentence. The main feature
of the men's salutation con-
sists in rubbing the palms of
the hands together and then
stroking the beard ; and that
of the women, in covering the
mouth with one hand and
looking down. Both sexes
seem entirely devoid of that
insatiable curiosity which
characterizes the Japanese.
Even in villages where a
European has never previouslv
been seen, the inhabitants will
return immediately, after a
quiet but affable greeting of
the visitor, to their ordinary
avocations.

A typical example of the
difference between the two
races is afforded by their re-
si >rctive attitudes towards a
bicycle. An Ainu will merely
stroke the bright metal parts
with an expression of mild
and contemplative interest ;

while a Jap, after climb-
ing all round it, and trying
to get inside the works,
will invariably start ring-
ing the bell and rotating
the pedals. The accom-
panying photo, shows a
quaint old Ainu woman
examining my sturdy
little front-driving safety.
At least, she was doing
so a second or two before
I photographed her.

The seventh snap-shot
shows a halt for lunch
on the banks of the river.
Pikanchari is boiling the
kettle over a wood fire,
while steaks of salmon
are grilling on a row of
sticks close by. In the
foreground, on the right,
are some of the fish I
caught that morning.
These are the small
Japanese salmon, or
'■ masu," which are almost indistinguishable
from the European species, but do not usually
exceed iolb. in weight.

The climate of Yezo is peculiar, the winters
being long and severe, and the country under
snow for fully half the year. July and August,

A HALT FOK LUNCH— GRILLING SALMON STEAK'S ON THE RIVER BANK.

F>om a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

THE WIDE WORLD MAC. A/1 NE.

however, are often intensely hot, and. owing to

the humidity of the air. the climate is then m

trying than would be expected from the

temperature. During this period swarms of

s, mosquil flies make life

almost unbearable in certain districts- especially

n added to the perennial infliction of the

more domestic pests which have to be endured

anyone living among the Ainu-

e remote mountain village which 1 visited

twice was remarkable for the extraordinary size

and fei I its fleas. These insects attain

ble dimensions in all the Ainu settle-

menl here they were almost like rabbits !

r leaving the Ainu country it was some time

I could thoroughly clear my luggage of

these awful visitors : and 1 was always able to

specimen hailing from that particular

villag I >wing to persistent intermarriage the

Ainu inhabitants of each settlement come to

mble one another closely, and to be readily

ble from those of some other district

perhaps not more than ten or twenty miles

nt : and it is possible that a similar cause

may operate among the insect: population ! At

least, I offer that as a suggestion to any inquiring
naturalist who cares to go deeply into a subject
which at the time had a peculiar interest for me.

The northern island is separated from the
rest of Japan by a narrow but exceedingly deep
channel, forming a natural division known as
the "Blakiston Line"; the fauna and flora to
the south partaking essentially of an Asiatic
character, while to the north they are of a
markedly European or North American type.

The forests of Vezo are remarkable for the
enormous weeds which spring up during the
short summer. There are docku and burdocks,
ragweeds, and similar plants, very like what we
in Europe, but all attaining a perfectly
gigantic size. This is no doubt due to the
great heat and moisture acting on a flora of
Western origin in a volcanic soil, the resulting
growth being probably unequalled in any
country in the world. I was compelled to
leave the country before many of the plants
had attained their full height ; but the photo,
here reproduced will convey an accurate idea
of their remarkable character. It represents
a group of Ainus from a mountain village,

» A FEW WEEI ; !:. | i I KED BY THE AUTHOR IN AINU FOREST!

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

AMONG THE HAIRY AINUS OF YEZO.

hold in
which

by.

respectable size instead
of luxuriant weeds of only
a few weeks'1 growth !

Kgain, in the next snap-
shot a girl (about four-
teen years old) and a
baby boy are squatting
under the shade of a
monstrous dock - leaf.
Many of the Ainus are
distinctly handsome, but
I think these were about
the ugliest creatures I
ever saw.

The next photo, is a
view of the mountain
village I have already
spoken of as possessing
a surprising
fleas,
right

dwelling, while the one

in the distance with a

dark roof belongs to the

chief, and formed the

head-quarters of Major

C- and myself on

g a l'<j\\ typical weeds of various species several fishing excursions. The thatched huts

I have just " plucked " in the forest close on the left are built on piles and merely used as

Truly, they appear to be trees of a store-houses, though, owing to their "outlandish"

"brand" of
The house on the
is a typical Ainu

/ SHI . r-KIMi UNDKK AN ENOKMO

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

From a Copyright Photo, by] typical MOUI

THi: WIPE WORLD MAGAZINE.

appearance, they are often made to figure as
•■ Ainu habitations" in travellers' story-books.

I am sorry to have to cast doubts on one of

the most cherished fables relating to the people

— namely, that their skins are invariably and

completely covered with a thick hairy coat like

a bear ! Exceptional instances, no doubt, exist

which lend some colour to the legend, only 1

have n< n one myself in the least like the

tures in the story-books; nor have I ever

met anyone who has. On the other hand, there

plenty of Ainus, of undoubtedly pure- descent,

who are no more hairy than ordinary Europeans.

They have very fine brown eyes and generally

well-formed . their whole appearance sug-

_ - tuthern Europe rather than Asia.

Their mouths are large, with somewhat heavy,

loose underlips ; but their teeth are good, and

their smiles most attractive.

The children, by the way, are jolly little
. and singularly European in their ways.
A most curious point about the people generally
at their intelligence, limited though it may
be, seems to be
of the same kind
as our own, and
not of an Asiatic
order. For in-
stance, an Ainu
readily under-
stands European
while a
Jap invariably

"hem up
down, and, other
things being
equal, it is far
r to make
a novel re<.
intelligible to an
Ainu than I
Japanese. The
latter will jump
at once at your
meaning, but he
u 'ill 'a /uun sjumf
This,
however, is
partly owing to
the fact that he
considers him-
self so much
cleverer than
you are, that he
will have made up his mind as to the purport
of your babbling long before you have got to
the point : and no power on earth will drive the
first assumption out of his head.

The Ainu religion is the same in all districts,

and consists in a vague worship of spirits, which
are propitiated by offerings of white wands,
called " Inao," curiously whittled in one or
more places into mere bunches of narrow shav-
ings. Cenerous libations of an intoxicating spirit
called " sake " are, unfortunately, essential to
the performance of their native religious rites ;
and the consequent deeply-rooted drinking
habits of the men have formed one of the chief
difficulties in dealing with them. During a time
of festival the proportion of drunkards to be
seen in the Ainu villages is very large, and a
perfect pandemonium prevails nearly equal to
that existing in one of our own great cities on a
Saturday night !

Every religious celebration, in fact, partakes of
the nature of a series of drunken orgies. The
" Dear Feast " is the most important of these,
but as I have never assisted at one myself, I
will not attempt to describe it. The bears which
are being brought up for the purpose may fre-
quently be seen in the Ainu villages. They are
caught young, and kept for several years before

ysswBSPtps

PEOPLE— HERE WE SEE A GIRL FEEDING A PET BEAR-CUB.

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

being sacrificed. A young bear-cub will be
noticed in the foreground of the photo, given
above, which represents a group I encountered
on the road to one of the mountain villages.
One of the girls is trying to get the little beast

AMONG THE HAIRY AINUS OF YEZO.

to feed, while their dog is seriously considering
whether discretion is not, after all, the better
part of valour.

A breed of big, long-haired, yellow dogs was a
feature of the Ainu villages some fifteen years
ago, but a mysterious epidemic broke out
among them, and now there is not a single
specimen remaining. The dog in the photo-
graph is one of the parti-coloured mongrels
which are so common all over Japan. The
short bow which the man (on the right) is
carrying in his hand is intended for poisoned
arrows. The use of the latter is now for-
bidden by the Japanese Government, but I
don't think the prohibition is much respected in
the remoter districts. I was once assured by an
Ainu sportsman, in one of the more "civilized"
villages, that a gun was a most unsafe weapon
with which to pursue a
dangerous animal like a
bear, as " it was abso-
lutely necessary to place
your bullet in a vital
spot, whereas a creature
wounded in any part of
the body by a poisoned
arrow would be sure to
die in a few minutes."
There really seems to be
something in his conten-
tion, and I am seriously
thinking of taking to a
bow and arrow myself
when I next go out after
dangerous game ! The
poison, by the way, is
manufactured from the
root of a kind of aconite
made into a paste, a
big lump of which is

applied to a hollow in the side of the bamboo
arrow-head.

My last photograph is a portrait of Penri, the
patriarchal chief of the large village of Piratori.
A general view of this place appears at the top
of the third page of this article. In the back-
ground of Penri's picture you may observe the
construction of those peculiar thatched huts,
built on piles and used as store-houses, which I
mentioned when describing the mountain village.
Needless to say, the old chief's memory easily
goes back to the day when Western civilization
was as remote as Mars from the Ainu people.

The Ainus, it may be mentioned, are fearfully
and wonderfully dirty, the men seldom taking
off their clothes, and the women never! A
story is told of an Ainu servant girl whose
employers insisted on her having a bath. She

was a long time in re-
appearing, and, on their
going to see how things
were progressing, the
girl was discovered im-
mersed up to the chin
with all her clothes on !
But in spite of their dirt
and apathy there is
something very atti active
about the soft speech
and gentle ways of these
aborigines ; and the few
Europeans who have
lived among them have
ever after retained a
kindly feeling for a race
which is rapidly passing
away, and which in a few
generations will have
vanished from the face
of the earth.

OLD PENRI, CHIEK OF PIRATORI VILLAGE — HE AND HIS PEOPLE
ARE GRADUALLY BEING INFLUENCED BY JAPANESE PROGRESS.

From a Copyright Photo, by Mr. A. G. Campbell.

Vol.

Father Long and His " Sacred Nugget.*

■■ (i

l'.W'S of the finding of an excep
tionally rich slug o( gold, weighing

nearly ioolb.. by sonic prospectors

near kanowna, has just been

received from Father Long, of

na. The reverend gentleman, however,

i> unable at present to divulge the names of the

tinders, or the locality where it was ohtained,

owing to his being pledged to secrecy." Such

B\ John Marshall of Kalgoorlie, W.A. (Late I1<>n. Secretary of the Western

AUSTRAl IAN C.OI D-DIGGERS' ASSOCIATION).

The alleged find of the "Sacred Nugget" sent a thrill of excitement through Western Australia;
stirred up the people in the other Australian Colonies, and induced hundreds of miners— some of
them from South African goldfields to come to a Colony where, it was alleged, gold had been

found by the hundredweight.

most searching investigations on the part of
the police and Mines Departments, no definite
information respecting it could be obtained.

Just about the time the nugget was supposed
to have been found, mining matters were getting
very quiet at Kanowna. Several of the latest
" rushes " had turned out " duffers," and the
healthy spirit of enterprise which had prevailed
was beginning to grow feeble. But the news of

the great " slug " put
fresh life and energy into
the people, especially in
the immediate neighbour-
hood of Kanowna, and
prospecting was vigor-
ously carried on for miles
around the town. As the
weeks passed by, public
excitement, instead of
abating, actually in-
creased ; and hundreds
arrived by every boat from
the Eastern Colonies,
drawn, of course, by the
reported find of the
monster nugget. At last
the excitement rose to
such a feverish pitch that
the authorities were fear-
ful of a disturbance
taking place, and Father
Long was pressed to dis-
close where the alleged
nugget had been found.
After a time he publicly
stated that on Thursday,
the nth of August, at
two o'clock, he would
reveal the locality where
the mysterious nugget had been found.

That was enough. From a very early hour
on the morning of that eventful day vast crowds
of excited men gathered in the vicinity of the
hotel where the explanation was to be given,
eagerly discussing whether the whole affair
would turn out a hoax or not. Many of them
had not forgotten the " McCann Rush " and its

HOM WE SEE HER] A CAMEL

m a I'hote. by II'. Roy Millar, Kalgoorlie.

was the startling statement which appeared in
the goldfields' newspapers one morning about
the middle of July, 1898. This news threw
the thousands of diggers into a state of intense
excitement, which it is difficult for those who
have not lived on a goldfield to realize. The
locality in which the alleged nugget was found
was kept a profound secret ; and despite the

FATHER LONG AND HIS "SACRED NUGGET."

outcome — the many thousands of pounds it had
cost, the many men who had been ruined by
it, and the all but disastrous results from the
mob's vengeance.* The men reasoned thus :
All efforts to " draw " the reverend gentleman
respecting either the locality where the nugget was
found or the names of the finders, or the alleged
finders, had so far been futile. And yet no
reasonable excuse for all this secrecy could be
given, unless the finders had been guilty of
larceny or murder, or both. The sceptical —
and there were many such — were of the opinion
that no nugget had ever been found, but that
the whole affair was either the result of a
practical joke, a deliberate hoax, or the off-
spring of an over-heated imagination, to which
authority had been given on account of the
position and sacred calling of the gentleman
who reported it. There were a great many
present who thought there was likely to
be a big row ; and, really, after my former
experiences, this appeared to be the most likely
ending to the whole extraordinary matter. By
one o'clock there were over 4,000 persons in
the street — at least 1,000 of whom were provided
with means of locomotion to proceed instantly
to the locality where the alleged slug had been
found. There were buggies galore, from the
stylish turn-out with dashing horses right down
to the sorry "crock" with only three sound legs.
Oil the edge of the crowd there were large
numbers of vehicles with parties of men having
the necessary appliances to " peg out." All, in
short, were as ready as possible for the mad
rush which, it was expected, would take place.
Never had such an array of bicycles been
seen on the field before. At ten minutes to
two another large contingent, numbering at
least 2,000 persons, arrived from Kalgoorlie.
Extraordinary precautions had been taken by
the police to prevent any but representatives of
the Press and a very few others from getting
into the balcony. However, I managed to get
there as a reporter. As I looked down upon
that great sea of earnest faces, comprising some
of the oldest and most resolute men on the face
of the earth, and saw written there eager ex-
pectancy and intense excitement, I trembled
inwardly. This vast crowd, calm and self-
contained and orderly as it then appeared,
needed, I felt sure, but a mere spark to rouse it
into devilish fury. I knew that if the men were
persuaded that they were being fooled by a
madcap orator they would tear him limb from
limb.

Punctually, however, as the clock struck two

* Mr. Marshall tells the whole story of this extraordinary hoax in
last month's issue. The narrative is copiously illustrated with
photographs. — Ed.

111!'. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

Father Long stepped into the balcony of the

hot He approached the railing, and the

rd, which had been densely packed before,

now squeezed together into the smallest

A considerable amount of

cheering . I I ather 1 ong's appearance, and

1 waiting till order was restored, pale,

.. and trembling, his rather mobile and

wing the excitement under

which he laboured. He began by addressing

the • Men o( Kanowna and adjoining

fields," and he remarked that " he was placed

in a most unenviable and disadvantageous

ntinuing, he spoke for a time

they had spread. The speaker next apologized
for not having properly estimated the height
which the gold fever had reached, and, inferenti-
ally, the dramatic effect his statement must have
on the people.

"And now," he proceeded, "I will tell you
where / think the gold has been found, and the
truth about the great nugget as it at present
exists. I cannot tell you the names of the men
who found it, because I have not their per-
mission. The nugget, however, is in existence
at present unsullied and almost untouched. It
is not in this town, but is, perhaps, in one of
the other towns, and may be brought back to

i. FROM THE DIGGERS

UP WENT UN-NUMBERED THOUSANDS OF HANDS.

{Photo.

in a ratlr quent vein, the matter

also being irrelevant to the important subject

m hand. He then asked all the people to

promise that after he made his statement

no further questions would be asked of him

ecting the "Golden Sickle Nugget," or

as it had been termed. Further,

he asked all who would promise this to hold up

their hands. Of course, up went unnumbered

thousands of hands —those, in fact, of every man

sent. This scratch vote having been taken

the reverend gentleman proceeded to blame the

newspapers for the grossly exaggerated reports

Kanowna." Then slowly, impressively, and
deliberately he said : " I'm. NUGGET has BEEN

FOUND A QUARTER OF A MILK ON THIS SIDE
OF THE NEAREST LAKE ON THE Kl'RNALFI

•AD." Scarcely had the last words left the
speaker's mouth than a great roar was
heard. The vast mass of men, who had
been densely packed together as a living
wall, suddenly broke, scattered, and then fled
as if a thousand demons had been let loose
on them and they were fleeing from impending
destruction all, however, shaping their course
towards the common sroal. Tin's was the end

FATHER LONG AND HIS "SACRED NUGGET.'

of Larkin Street, round the corner of which the
Kurnalpi road lay. I had seen many exciting
incidents on other Australian and American
goldfields, but, surely, never since the yellow
devil, Gold, became the medium of exchange
did such a mad, headlong rush take place on
the strength of such a vague, indefinite, and
unsatisfactory statement as that made by Father
Long to the multitude on that occasion. To the
more thoughtful it seemed an insult to the intel-
ligence— such an impotent and incredible story.
Meanwhile the race to the spot indicated was
of the wildest, most dare-devil, and break-neck
character. All raced as if their very lives
depended upon their pegging out a claim near
to the magic spot indicated by Father Long.
To those who watched the maddened crowd
from the balcony it seemed as if the pace must
inevitably result in some person being killed, or,
at least, maimed. So many different persons
on bicycles were breaking down on the road —
their wheels being ridden over by buggies, and
sometimes the riders themselves jumped upon
by persons on horseback — that it seemed a
thousand chances to one that fatalities would
ensue. Many injuries were received owing to the
breakdown of bicycles, the colliding of traps,
and the spilling of horsemen ; but, happily, no

very serious accident took place. It must be
remembered, however, that nearly everyone in
the rush was a picked man — the very cream of
the diggers— men, that is, whose nerves and
skill had been tried on many a rough journey.

After the crowd had stampeded, Father Long
essayed to finish his statement, which had been
interrupted in such a dramatic fashion, and
quiet having been restored, he finished speaking
in a distinct and impressive tone of voice by
saying, " The slug was found not far from the
road, at a depth of five or six feet, and its
weight was betwen 951b. and ioolb." He then
retired from the front of the balcony, amidst
the thunderous plaudits of the assembled
diggers, many of whom, in the face of what
looked a definite statement regarding the locality
where the alleged nugget was found, appeared
to be perfectly satisfied. A cordial vote of
thanks was proposed to the reverend gentleman
for his statement, and then carried — amidst
some ominous mutterings, however, from a
numerically small, but by no means unim-
portant, section of the diggers.

Meanwhile the excited crowd was racing
helter-skelter towards the spot indicated by
Father Long, a distance of about six miles from
Kanowna. They were the motliest crew on the

• 1 - - r<

- r

^AJfctf

■Ljfii

—

THE CROWD BREAKING ON CATCHING FATHER LONG'S KIKST SENTENCE— " THE MOTLIEST CREW ON THE MADDEST
From n\ SEEN — EVEN IN AUSTRALIA."

EVER

[Photo.

till. W1PK WORLD MAOA/INL.

maddest " rush " that was ever seen, even in

Australia. I'ho first to reach the spot was ono
the alluvial diggers, mounted on a magnifi
cent horse. He started to "peg out " a mining
claim the instant he dismounted. Hundreds
»on on the ground, and the
work oi ] out was rained on with tre-

mendous energy. Tin- mode of taking posses

n of a mining "claim " is (according to the
rmula) by " fixing in the ground firmly at
angle thereof (or as nearly as prac-
ticable thereto) a post not less than ain. in dia-
meter, projecting above the surface not less than
3ft and set in the angles of an '1.' trench,
the arms of which shall not be less than 3ft. in
length and 6in. deep ; and the trench shall be
cut in the direction oi the boundary lines."

It will be easily seen that a considerable
amount of work was entailed in performing
this strictly-defined operation. However, in
little over an hour after the driving of the first
■ eral hundred mining claims had been
formally taken possession of; and what had
riously been a deserted waste of sand was
now transformed into a perfect forest of pegs
and a network of trenches.

Immediately after this took place the race-
back to town began, each man excitedly trying
to outpace his fellows. But the road was more
suitable for the horsemen, and they were the
first to return, their poor beasts lathered with
t. with flanks bleeding and presenting a
" tu appearance generally. More

than one valuable horse died from the fearful
strain, having been literally ridden to death in
the fierce race. For hours after the return of
the first party hapless bicyclists could be seen
_ rig back into the township with broken
-mashed forks, twisted handle-bars, and
punctured tyres. Also drivers leading their
helpless horses, with the drivers' mates pushing
on the vehicles behind, for a few days work
was carried on with feverish activity, but from
the first the knowing ones had seen that the
chances of obtaining alluvial gold from the
neighbourhood of the alleged find were not
particularly rosy.

But when a week had passed away without
the smallest degree of success the diggers, to

use their own expressive phraseology, "slung
it," and a few days after not a single digger
could be seen at work. It was many weeks,
however, before the excitement calmed down,
and in the meantime a very bitter feeling arose
against the originators of the rush. It was
freely rumoured that threats of personal violence
had been offered to those who were considered
responsible.

One incident may be given as indicating the
feeling then prevailing. The Rev. Mr. Jenkins,
a Wesleyan minister stationed in the Kalgoorlie
circuit, who was rather young and not unlike
bather Long, was sitting in a railway carriage at
Kanowna, waiting to go to Kalgoorlie, when a
big, burly Irishman leapt into the compartment,
and seizing the minister by the throat, rudely
demanded if he were Father Long. Mr. Jenkins,
after some considerable difficulty, satisfied the
rather impulsive digger that he was the Wesleyan
minister, and then, in the strongest possible
terms, the irate miner indicated that it was just
as well it was so. Father Long continued for
some months to reside in Kanowna, but no
further information respecting the alleged
"Sacred Nugget" was ever tendered by him.
It is still a moot point as to how this extra-
ordinary report was first spread. Some asserted
it was a " put-up job " by the Kanowna publicans
to bring grist to their mills. Others, again, were
of the opinion that a -practical joke had been
played on Mr. Long; whilst a much larger
number believed, and still believe, that the
story was the offspring of a too exuberant
imagination — told, however, with no evil intent,
and in total ignorance of the tremendous
influence it would exercise on the popular
imagination of the hardy, daring diggers of
Western Australia.

But, whatever be the explanation, the criminal
folly of rousing the hopes and exciting the minds
of the diggers by startling tales of bogus gold
finds was at least brought home to all interested
with a dramatic force they are never likely to
forget.

(We learn from Mr. Marshall that soon after
this extraordinary incident Father Long died in
hospital of typhoid fever, at the early age of
twenty-seven.)

How a "Portage " is Worked.

By Edward J. Stillmax.

A practical definition by means of personal narrative and photographs of a familiar term in the

vocabulary of the Canadian pioneer.

FTEN in reading newspapers, more
particularly in the case of news from
British North America, one meets
with the word " portage." The term
has been explained over and over
again, but still people have not a clear idea as to
what a portage is. There are even places called
by the name, such as Rat Portage, in Canada.
The description and set of three photographs
which are reproduced in this little article will do
more to explain this interesting operation than
whole pages of the newspapers.

Mr. Randle F. Holme, of 51, Great Marl-
borough Street, W., visited Brazil in 1885 on a
pleasure trip, accompanied by his brother. They
went far into the little known interior of the

5th, 1887. After waiting six days in St. John's,
they caught the second mail of the year running
up the Labrador coast, which happened to be a
small coasting steamer named the Plover.
"This vessel," he says, "landed us at Battle
Harbour, in the south-east comer of Labrador,
on July 24th. Here we changed into the
mail steamer, the Lady Glover, and reached
Rigolet, in Hamilton Inlet, on July 27th.
Next, we started to sail up the inlet in a small
schooner belonging to the Hudson Bay Com-
pany. A sail of two clays brought us to
the post at North-West River, at the head of
the inlet.

'"This post we found in charge of Mr. Walter
West : and a number of families, mostly half-

THE FALLS, WHERE THE ''PORTAGE" WAS MAM

From a Plinth, by Mr. Bandit F. Holme.

province of San Paulo, and this expedition led
Mr Randle Holme to turn his attention to serious
exploration when the next opportunity pre-
sented itself. Consideration revealed the fact
that the nearest point of the American continent
to Great Britain, namely Labrador, was, curiously
enough, probably the least known, and he de-
cided to investigate the interior of that country.
Accordingly Mr. Randle Holme sailed with a
friend for Newfoundland from England on July

breed Eskimos, engaged in salmon fishing, seal
hunting, and trapping, lived scattered about the
head of the bay.

" We afterwards obtained the services and the
boat of John Montague, a settler at North-West
River, who had emigrated from Orkney thirteen
years previously. John was a fine, strong man
of twenty-eight years of age; and well acquainted
with the country." After a general inspection
of the country round the bay, Mr. Randle Holme

Till- WIDE WORLD MAO.AZINE.

decided to ascend the (".rami River, and this he

did, accompanied by two men, his friend, mean

while, returning to England. He says : " Being

anxi make an extended exploration of

the Grand River, which is by far the

the rivers which flow into the bay,

I ( Montague, ami also obtained the

- oi a man named I'lett, another

. )< v emigrant. On August 24th we left

River, and started up the (irand

River itself. We met three families of Indians

near the river's mouth, but saw no other human

gs until we reached the same place on our

way hack a month later. The ascent was made

an ordinary fisherman's dinghy. The river

current was extremely swift, so that the boat

had to be towed from the hank nearly all the

way up the river, with the exception of a few

• where it was found pos-

row or sail. The night

24th was spent in an
empty log hut at High Point,
on the south side o[ the (Irand
River. Next day. at noon, we
bed the first falls, which I
spent a few hours in photo-

phing." ■'

The first photo, we reproduce

shows this spot in .Mr. Randle

- journey. Obviously it is

impossible for a boat to live in

such water as this. The great

falls at this place consist of two

steps, the double fall being 70ft.

The roar of the water was

almost deafening, and even in

our reproduction a cloud of

spray and spume may be seen

rising from the seething waters.

is the spot where it is

make a porta^

A 1 consists in hauling

the boat out of the river and

1 along the shore, past the

falls or . until it can be

launched again in smooth water.

The wh< August 26th,''

continue^ Mr. Randle Holme,

" was occupied in portaging the

boat and our stores to the head

of the falls. The preceding night

we had arrived on the ri

bank of the stream, opposite the

- hill you see. Early next

morning we crossed to the left

side, where the Indian ]

' 1 was. This path was nothing
more or less than a narrow track
through the forest. Moreover,

the ascent over the hill was very steep.
Altogether, I may tell you that the portage path
consisted, first, of a steep ascent of 210ft., up
which the boat had to be hauled by means of
block and tackle. Next came about half a
mile of level track through the woods ; and
lastly, a steep descent of 140ft. Our boat was
dragged out of the water and then hoisted up
the bank. The block and tackle were attached
to trees, and we kept on constantly shifting our
gear higher and higher up the path."

The second photo, shows us the portage
actually taking place. Here we see Montague
and Flett dragging the boat through the
forest over the hill, and so down to the river
again to the smooth water. You can judge for
yourselves of the difficulty of this business, since,
rvm after the boat had been relaunched past

DRAGGING THE BOAT ("oil-. PORTAGE") THROUGH THE WOODS.
From a Photo, by Mr. Handle F. Holme.

HOW A "PORTAGE" IS WORKED.

the falls, there still remained all the stores for
the entire party to be transported little by little
by the explorer himself and his men.

" A canoe," says Mr. Randle Holme, " would,
of course, have been more suitable for work of this
kind ; but as my crew consisted of white men,
who were less accustomed to canoes, I had
been compelled to take a boat. There were
advantages, however, because we were frequently
able to sail. Moreover, a boat is not so de-
pendent upon the weather as a canoe on a large
river like this.''

The portage of the boat and the transport
of the stores was a hard day's work for the three
men. Mr. Randle Holme had hoped to reach the
Grand Falls of Labrador, mentioned with awe by
the Indians and settlers on the coast. It
turned out, however, that the distance of the
falls from the coast was much greater than had
been supposed ; and, as the country traversed
afforded very little sport, the provisions of the
party ran short, and they were compelled to

turn back before reaching the grand falls. Since
Mr. Randle Holme's journey, more attention
has been turned to this country, and these falls
have since been reached and Mr. Randle
Holme's estimate of their magnitude confirmed,
it being estimated that the volume of water
passing down them averages about 50,000
cubic feet per second, this vast body of
water falling about 300ft. in one clear leap
at the main fall. There are numerous smaller
leaps, and altogether the river falls 760ft. in
twelve miles.

The third photograph reproduced shows Mr.
Randle Holme's two men having " a little blow "
before launching their boat on the other side of
the hill past the falls. It was, as one may imagine,
a trying business to drag the boat through the
timber-encumbered path in the woods. How-
ever, as seen in this third photo., all they
have now to do is merely to shove their boat
down into the smooth water and then push
on up stream.

[HE PORTAGE '. LAU.N'CHIN'G AGAIN IN CLE

From a Photo, by Mr. Randle h\ Holme.

,rol. iv.— 9.

Short Stones.

I. — Buried Alive in an Avalanche.

By Mrs. Emma Brewer.

How this lady and her girl friend the latter suddenly recalled from the Tyrol to the bedside of a
ng mother journeyed from Innsbruck towards Constance ; and how the mail-coach in which they
:d was overwhelmed and buried by an avalanche of snow, caused by the hot sun.

winter months and was piled mountains
high. Added to this, the warmth of the
sun had lately been so intense that it was
gradually undermining the snow, and great
anxiety was felt in the scattered villages
lest avalanches should prove more dis-
astrous than usual. But we explained to
our host the urgency of the case, and he
kindly went with us to various places in
the town trying to obtain for us the
means of travelling ; but it was in vain.
No vehicle would be leaving Innsbruck for
Bludenz or Constance for several days,
except the mail-coach, which was bound
to make an effort, however great the diffi-
culty, and our landlord went on to say that
he was quite sure the guard would not care
to increase his responsibility by under-
taking the charge of a couple of women.
but it was our only chance, and we spared
neither persuasion nor money to secure the
inside of the cumbersome old vehicle

MRS. E. BRE

THE WELL-KNOWN WRITER ON SOCIAL QUESTIONS
AND STATISTICS.

From a Photo, by Lock 6° Whitfield, Regent Street.

IEFORE the Vor-Arlberg Railway was
thought of, we— myself and a girl friend,
that is— found ourselves in the early part
of May, 1880, in Innsbruck, on our way
south ; and as we were leaving the hotel
a stroll through the interesting old city, a telegram
was put into my hand sufficiently startling : " Come
home at once without a moment's delay ; Mrs. C. is
dyit Now, Mrs. C. was the mother of my com-

panion, who was an only child.

We went to the landlord for advice as to getting
on to Constance : he looked grave, and said it
would be difficult to obtain a carriage and horses
just at this particular time. The risk would be
so great, not only for the horses but also for
travellers, as snow had fallen heavily during the

rHIS IS THE YOUNG I.ADV WHOSE SUDDEN RECALL
LED TO THE ADVENTURE.

From a Photo, by Am Fassatw.

SHORT STORIES.

■07

HERE WE HAVE A GENERAL VIEW OF THE BEAUTIFUL TOWN OF INNSBRUCK, WHERE THE LADIES WERE WHEN THE

Front a Photo. by\ telegram came. {Wiirthel &> Sohn, Salzburg.

known as the Royal Mail. It would not start
until eight o'clock in the evening, and it was
now only mid-day. Naturally the hours inter-
vening seemed to us, in our impatience, like
weeks.

Long before the time for starting we found
ourselves at the "post," ready to take our seats
the moment the horses were put to ; and without
knowing that our powers of observation were
active, we both noticed the simplicity of the
arrangements for connecting the horses with the
coach. The traces were simply pieces of rope
attached to the collar ; while the other ends
were supplied with rings, which went over an
iron hook on either side of the carriage. At
last, with much cracking of the whip and much
excitement, we began our night journey, and
found ourselves in the morning at Landeck,
where good hot coffee and little loaves of new
bread were ready for us. After breakfast and
a wash we felt quite elated that no misadventure
had marked the first stage of the journey. In
the Ess-Saal we found two Sisters of Mercy and
a school inspector, all desirous of becoming
passengers by the mail. I did not see the ladies
again, but the inspector took his seat beside the
driver and we retained ours unmolested.

What struck us as remarkable was that three
bodies of men with pickaxes and coils of rope
now appeared as our body-guard. One lot
preceded us ; one kept near us ; and the third
followed some distance behind. Still, our night's
journey having been free from mishap, we were
in comparatively good spirits; and any fears we
might have had had disappeared altogether. It
was a curious outlook as the day advanced :
the sky was a perfect blue, the sun very hot and
brilliant, whilst everything else that the eye
rested on was of a dazzling — even painful —
whiteness.

As the coach moved slowly and carefully
along the snow-covered way we noticed that we
were on a very narrow road — such as one fre-
quently sees in Norway and Switzerland — cut as
it were on the outer edge of a rock or moun-
tain, the latter frowning high above us on one
side, whilst on the other was a sheer fall of
some hundred feet down to the valley below,
which was dotted about with little villages. The
slope, however, although deep and sheer, had
trees growing here and there in clumps, which
made it appear less dangerous.

After an hour or two of cautious driving the
coach stopped, and the guard came to the door

mi: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

saying, in German, "Lac;:-. 1 do not wish to
u, but we are just now in a good
deal of e r, which you will increase very
siderably unless you exercise great self-
contn I. No matter what happens, you must
keep your - ats, and 1 beg of you to make

x Photo. by\

jUND OURSELVES IX THE MORNING AT LAXDECK.

crash ; and in a moment we were buried in
a vast mass of snow. One of the immense
piles from the mountain above had crashed
down upon us, carrying everything with it. At
the same moment we felt a violent jerk of the
coach, and heard a kind of sound which

expressed terror ;
but, happily, our
vehicle did not
turn over, as it
seemed likely to
do for a minute
or so. There we
sat — for how
long I know not
—scarcely able
to breathe, the
snow pressing
heavily against
the windows,
and utterly
blocking out
light and air, so
that breathing
was a painful
effort. And now
came a curious
sensation. It was
an utter suspen-
sion of thought,
and of every

\_Alois Beer.

no quick movement to the right or left, for a
sudden jerk would send us all into the valley,
as the road is very narrow and without fence of
any kind. Again, on no account must you
open a window, even if you feel suffocating,
until I give you permission. You will have
to put up with my company for a short
time : I will make myself as little obtrusive as
possible, but I must be here to see that every
precaution is taken, both for your own safety as
well as that of a very valuable post-bag which
we are carrying. God helping us, we may be in
time to avoid the danger; but our men, who
know the district well, are terribly anxious, as
the snow is showing strong signs of collapse."

He took his place opposite, and we knew by
the expression of intense anxiety on his face
that he had not exaggerated the situation.
Although we were in deadly fear we did not
show it, but sat, to all appearance, quite calm,
neither of us speaking a word nor moving a
limb, and waiting with every nerve strained for
we knew not what. We had not long to wait
for the expected catastrophe. Suddenly a low,
booming sound, like that of a cannon on a
battle-field or a tremendous peal of thunder.
broke on our ears, swelling into a deafening

mental and
physical faculty. I had a husband and
child at home whom I dearly loved, yet
I did not even think of them ! I had impor-
tant work unfinished ; yet no thought of
it intruded ! I felt that only a few minutes
probably stood between me and death,
yet no fear of it troubled me. It was as
though already the thinking, suffering part of
me was dead, and nothing more could affect
me. I simply thought of nothing and nobody.
I have heard that when suddenly brought
face to face with death, the whole of
one's past life comes back in a single picture,
showing opportunities lost, and placing before
the mind's eye such a record of what might
have been as to be perfectly maddening. But
it was not so with me; I might never have
lived at all for anything I experienced to the
contrary ; and oddly enough, though I believe
thoroughly in the efficacy of prayer, I never
offered up the smallest petition — not even a
fervent " God help us ! "

True, in a sort of unconscious way I became
aware that the guard was sobbing out a prayer
for his wife and children ; but it had not the
slightest effect on me.

We might have been buried days and nights

SHORT STORIES.

for all I knew, for I kept no count of time. In
reality, I believe it was but a couple of hours
between the fall of the avalanche and the first
moment of hope, which came in the form of
men striking with pickaxes. The sound seemed
to come from a long distance — almost, as it
were, from another world.

The guard, roused by the noise, said,
earnestly, "Ach Gott ! I thank Thee." And
then, speaking to us, he said, " Ladies, help is
near ! "

Gradually the sound of the digging and the
voices of the men grew nearer, till at length one
window was open — the one overlooking the
valley ; and the life-giving air stole softly in upon
us. Even now, however, we were told not to
move ; not that we had any inclination to do so,
for we were in a dazed, half-conscious condition.
When at length we used our eyes, it was to note
that the valley did not- seem so deep, and that
the villages with their church spires had dis-
appeared ; the meaning of it was not far to seek.

We were both good German scholars, and
knew several of the dialects, so that we were
able to learn a good deal of what had happened
by listening to the men's talk. The school
inspector in his terror had lost all self-control,
and forgetful of the warnings given him, threw
himself off the seat and leaped into space,
thereby endangering the safety of all. He
mercifully fell into one of the clumps of trees
some distance down the slope, and so escaped
without very much damage to himself, except
shock to the sys-
tem and bruises.
The poor hors>
however, fared
infinitely worse.
The weight of
the snow lifted
the rings from
the hooks on the
carriage, and at
the same time
carried the poor
brutes down with
it into the valley
— never again to
do a day's work.
We remembered
the simplicity of
their harness.

The difficul-
ties still before
us were very
serious. We
could neither go
backward nor
forward, and

there was danger of more avalanches falling.
The next posting village was still far ahead, and
there was no chance of our advancing a step
until the brave body of men could cut a way
through or make a clearance, and even then
time would be required to bring back horses.

The men, however, lost no time, and set
cheerfully to work. We heard the sound of
their tools and talk till gradually it was lost in
the ever-increasing distance between us.

As we lay bacu ;n the old coach alone (for
the guard had gon.' outside the moment he
thought us safe) I think we must have slept a
little ; anyhow, it was hours before we heard the
sounds of the horses, and began to move slowly
and cautiously on our way once more. Great
was the excitement when at last, towards the
end of the day, we arrived at the little posting
village. And then it was as though they were
receiving us from the grave. I shall never
forget the kindness of those villagers. They
had good hot soup and coffee and boiled beef
on the table, and seemed as though they could
not do enough for us — the dear, kind Tyroleans !
They had heard from the workmen and the
guard that we had been quiet and calm during
the hours of danger, and their answer was,
" Ach ! yes ; but they are English ! "

I need not say how gladly we offered fees to
our late bodyguard, and the guard of the mail,
for their services in securing our safety.

When we started on our next stage, which
was to Bludenz, many of the people brought us

VIEW OF BLUDENZ, WHERE THE LADIES WERE BESIEGED BY CURIOUS INQUIRERS.

From a Photo, by Alois Beer.

nii; wide world magazine.

bunches of wild flowers, and wished us " God

d." The school inspector, who was bound

for Constance, where he had to inspect schools

rtain date, took his place again by the

side of the driver, and was sent on his way

with many definit of disapprobation at

what the villagers thought his want of courage.

: man. I pitied him.

As we approached Bludenz we found that

the rapidity with which the sun had iru

the snow had deluged the country round, and

how we should n towards England was

i mystery. We heard that never in the memory

nan had Lake Constance been so disturbed

and furious. Extraordinary masses of water

poured into it with violence and volume such

as threatened destruction to the country round.

The history of our avalanche with all its

particulars soon became known in the place —

to our great regret, lor we could not get peace

anywhere. At length we sought a hill behind

the homely hotel as being the only dry and safe

place for a walk ; but even here we were followed

and asked ever so many questions, such, for

example, as : —

" What did you think of when you felt you
would have to die ? "

" Nothing."

" Didn't you say ' Our Father'?"

" No."

" Weren't you frightened?"

" No."

But at length I turned and faced the people
— I could bear the strain no longer — and
said : —

" I know you all mean to be very kind, and we
are very grateful to you ; but you would help
us very much more if you would let us take a
walk quite alone, for we are still half-dazed and
very tired, and want a little quiet to think
everything over."

And with the utmost good temper they wished
us " Good-bye " and " God's blessing," and
turned back to their homes, leaving us free to
breathe, and think, and be thankful. We left
by the earliest train to Constance, which we
reached safely, and on to Basle and Calais with-
out pause. Then home to London just in time
for mother and daughter to take leave of each
other.

II.— The Strangest Revenge in the World.

By the Rev. Wm. Arthur Cornaby,

Editor of the " Hwni fao," at Hanyang, China ; author of ".4 String of Chinese Peach-Stones."

This gentleman, himself a great authority upon the Chinese, sends us an extraordinary account of
" revenge by proxy," or rather by dummy, together with a quaint photograph of the figure used by

the woman whose chickens were stolen.

It is not often that a writer is forced to use
a Gaelic expression in his narrative for the
want of a corresponding term current in any
more familiar tongue, but such is the case
in the present instance. The practice referred
to under the name of " Ciurf Creadh " is that
of making an effigy of some hated personage, and
then maltreating that effigy in the hope that the
original will suffer in like manner. Traces of
this custom might be found in every land
beneath the sun, but in China the custom itself
has lasted into modern days. Vet it has not
fallen to the lot of every resident, nor indeed
every old resident, to watch the whole process,
and to gain a photograph of the effigy itself.
Perhaps this is the first time that such an
extraordinary snap-shot has been secured.

It will be remembered that the Philistines
who had ventured to take possession of the Ark
sought relief from their plagues by making golden
images of the tumours which distressed them.
And in later days, the native doctors among the
North American Indians have been known to
fashion a representation of their patient's disease,
carry it to the woods, and there bury it.

Again, in ancient Greece, those who cherished
animosity towards another seem generally to
have contented themselves by taking a tablet of
lead, scratching terrific curses upon it with a
pin-point, and then exposing the result in the
temple of the infernal deities.

Among Continental sailors, the practice of
making a dummy to represent Judas Iscariot,
and then hanging it on the yard-arm, is a
frequent method of celebrating Good Friday ;
and in Mexico figures of Judas, clothed in
modern coat and trousers, with a tall hat on his
head, and fireworks in place of internal organs,
are sold in the streets, to be exploded on the
Saturday of Passion Week.* And who among
our readers has not helped to make an effigy ol
Guy Fawkes, or chant the ditty,

A j jlly good fire to roast him —

quite unconscious of the fact that they were
taking part in an interesting survival of ancient
practices of the Ciurp Creadh order ?

In the Highlands of Scotland, indeed, we

* A photograph showing the whole of th's was reproduced in tbe
" Odds and Ends " section of our July number.

SHORT STORIES.

find the practice in more than mere " survival "
a decade or two back. A writer in the Lancet
(23rd June, 1872) says that " nearly half-a-dozen
instances have been met with in this district in
which women have fashioned clay images repre-
senting the person to whom they desired ill,
and have then subjected the work of their hands
to slow destruction. Sometimes an old sword-
blade was thrust into the
side of the image, which
was then placed in running
water. In most cases the
image had been stuck over
with pins. And in one case
the victim complained during
his illness, which was fatal,
that he had pains as if all
the pins in Dingwall were
stuck into him."

I am able here to repro-
duce a photo, of one of
these identical clay " re-
venge by proxy " figures
from the Scottish Highlands,
and I think all will agree
that this, taken in conjunc-
tion with the Chinese dummy
mentioned and illustrated
later on, forms a striking
instance of the universality
of certain quaint customs.

But let us come to very
recent events, and describe
the circumstances under
which the photograph on the
next page was secured. Just over our garden
wall there is a yard common to a number of
small Chinese houses. The inhabitants are as
friendly as they can well be with the foreigner,
but not altogether so among themselves. It
is rare for a week to pass without a great deal
of elocution of an exceedingly violent nature,
directed against other occupants of the little
row of houses, or against persons unknown.
For garments and chickens seem to be always
disappearing.

These elocutionary performances often last a
whole day, and give an interesting, if sad,
illustration of the facility with which Oriental
folks — who may be of an uneducated order —
lapse into rhythmic utterances, and also into
that impassioned metrical declamation which is
at the root of all ancient poetry. In fact, it
would do all higher critics of ancient Hebrew
odes a world of good to reside for a few years
in the interior of China, where they would find
in every Chinese woman a possible poetess, and
in many a poetess in action— though the poems
would be those of wailing despair, as at a death

em":

"REVENGE BY PROXY IN THE SCOTTISH
HIGHLANDS. HERE IS A PHOTO. OF ONE
OF THE VERY CLAY IMAGES MENTIONED
BY MR. CORNABY ; PINS ARE STUCK IN IT,
AND IT IS THEN PLACED IN RUNNING
WATER.

in the house, or of vociferous hatred, when 0

neighbour has done an injury.

One night, then, the now familiar strains

began. Another chicken had disappeared.

The declamation lasted far on into the night,

and commenced before dawn next morning,
looking from the upper veranda, a straw
y was seen to have been fixed upon some
palings. The head was of
cotton-wool, and round the
body was a piece of white
paper which had been stained
with blood. Beside the effigy,
in solitary anguish, only
relieved by the presence of
a meditative youngster and
three chickens, leaned the
vocalist herself, with her
head tied up in a black rag.
which is the Chinese equiva-
lent to our nautical " inverted
flag " —a signal of distress.

In one hand the woman
grasped a kitchen chopper,
and in the other the corru-
gated board for counting out
" cash," which, however, also
serves the purpose, when
reversed, of a chopping board
for greens and the like. Now,
this board was half-chopped
away, for her extemporized
poem was being punctuated
with vicious blows from the
chopper.

lend itself to
of its milder

Her poem does not readily

translation, but this is the style

strains : —

Chicken-stealing rascal ;

Chicken-stealing robber ;

You have stolen one ;

You have stolen many.

Know, then, that they are inedible ;

Know, too, that they are 'jr,isonous !

There is judgment for the sinner ;

There are curses for the thief.

You will be devoured as you devour ;

Your wife will be plagued in her time of need ;

Your offspring will be monsters ;

Demon dogs will bring forth demon dogs ;

They will die untimely deaths ;

They will die at the headsman's hands.

Thus had she continued, with a wonderful
variety of verbiage, for perhaps three hours in
all, apparently lifted out of herself by hands not
angelic. All at once she stopped, and seeing a
neighbour emerge, said, quite cheerfully: "I
have incense and candles in the house. I'll do
it." And she turned and went to get the
materials to do the deed.

From behind a half-closed Venetian shutter

HIE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

every detail could be minutely noted. The
an produced .1 small bundle of straw, three
if incense, and a smouldering spill of
straw was done up into a little
if, divided in the middle, ami thrust fork-
i the top board o\ a rough fence.
\ tf the incense-
sticks were stuck
into the straw, and
lit from the paper
spill. Then pro-
ducing a needle,
supp " d the
. dummy with
hand, and dug
die in with
the other in several
plat es, saj ing, as
did so : "" A- I
k this in here,
and here, and h
may the thief be
pierced in like man-
ner. As I am doing
you (addressing
the dummy), may
it lie done to him
or her." Then, quite
coaxingly : " You"ll
have it done, won't
you ? And if you
do it, 1*11 burn quite
a lot of incense,
and will worship
you as a god. D'ye
hear?" And then
she went in.

A strange mental
muddle this, surely !
The dummy repre-
sented her enemy

the thief, and she accordingly stuck pins into
it and maltreated it ; and then she tried to
coax it, as though it did not represent her
enemy. She promised if things went well to
-hip it as a deity who had power over
her enemy ! Will some metaphysician and
hologist kindly elucidate the matter, and
unravel the tangle ?

Being unable to do so myself, I thought the
next best thing would be to secure a photograph
of this rarely-seen curio, the dummy itself.
Everything was in readiness, a native attendant
was called, and we sallied out round the bit of

THIS IS THE REMARKABLE PHOTO. WHICH THE AUTHOR TOOK IN

HANYANG — THE DUMMY IS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE PERSON WHO

STOLE THE CHICKENS.

street into the yard. In reply to the inevitable
questions, I told the neighbours that here was a
\\ . stern as well as a Chinese antiquity, and, if
no one objected, I should like to get a rapid
picture of it. There was no opposition what-
ever. Everyone tried to help.

The photo, taken,
the woman emerged,
looking poorly
enough after her
night of wakeful-
ness and excite-
ment.

" I'm sorry your
chicken has gone,"
I said. "So many
have disappeared
lately, have they
not ? I do not
happen to have the
price of a chicken
on my person, but
this hundred cash
(threepence) will
buy an egg or two,
at any rate."

The woman took
it, and was profuse
in her thanks.

Then on return-
ing, the following
dialogue was heard
from the veranda : —
" He's spoilt your
charm."

" Not so ; he's

done a good deed."

"I'm not so

sure.

"Yes, he has, I
say. And the
matter ought to be taken as settled now."

"To be sure," chimed in another old dame,
" these images do frightful harm. And only a
chicken lost. Would you kill a whole family
for the sake of a chicken ? "

■ And he gave you a hundred cash ! " urged
a fourth dame.

" Settled ! Settled ! Take the thing down,"
cried the neighbours in chorus.

It was done ; and the half-wild dogs seized
and worried the quaint effigy until but a few
loose straws strewed the common rubbish
heap.

SHORT STORIES.

III. — Chased by a Mad Buffalo.

By Mrs. E. M. Stewart.
A lady's thrilling adventure on the high road near Darjeeling.

During my twenty-five years' sojourn in
India I have had many exciting adventures,
but the one I am about to relate is, I am sure,
one of the most thrilling and dangerous of
them all.

I was on my way from Darjeeling, that
delightful hill station in the mighty Himalaya
Mountains, where I had been staying with a
married sister, to my home in Kasauli, another
hill station not far from Simla.

Captain and Mrs. B (whose names I

must withhold for reasons sufficiently obvious
when my story has been read) were acting as
my chaperons. Captain

B and myself were

riding on small hill
ponies, and preceding
us a few yards was

Mrs. 1! in a dhoolie

carried by eight natives.
We were jogging along
at a slow pace, admiring
the magnificent scenery
around us and revel-
ling in the beautiful
warm sunshine and
bracing air which one
only obtains in the
Himalayas.

W e had left Darjee-
ling about three miles
behind us, and the
road was winding round
the hills with the moun-
tain sides rising up like
a cliff on our right-hand
side, and the khud or
precipice falling on our
left almost vertically to
the ravine below.

Suddenly, as we
rounded a bend in the

road, we saw about one hundred yards ahead of
us, and rapidly advancing towards us, a magnifi-
cent black buffalo of enormous size. We at once
saw, by his wild and savage appearance, and by
the ropes hanging from a collar round his throat,
that we had to deal with a dangerous customer.
The coolies, taking in the situation at a glance,
dropped the dhoolie in the middle of the
road, and jumped the low wall bordering it.
Then, taking up a position of safety down the
khud, they prepared to follow the course of

events from their point of vantage.
Vol iv.— 10.

WHEN IT HAPPENED, MRS. STEWART WAS ON HER
WAY FROM DARJEELING TO KASAULI.

From a Photo, by E. Dcbenham &■= Co., Weymouth.

Captain B -, leaving me to look after my-
self, jumped off his pony, sprang into his wife's
dhoolie, and drew the curtains, now and then
peeping out to watch the course of events and
to give me advice : his pony, with a snort of
terror, turned and bolted back to Darjeeling.

My own pony stood trembling with fear, and
I remained sitting on its back equally frightened
and powerless to help myself. I heard the
shouts of the natives beseeching me to jump off
the pony and join them down the khud, but it
is not an easy thing for a lady to dismount un-
aided with any rapidity, and I saw that the bull

would be upon me
before I could have
time to escape from it
if I attempted to dis-
mount.

The buffalo now
noticed myself and my
pony, and dashing past
the dhoolie with its
terror - stricken occu-
pants, which it evi-
dently did not notice,
it charged straight at
me with a fearful bel-
low. I can see it now
— its head lowered, the
long horns directed
straight at my pony's
flanks, its bloodshot,
glaring eyeballs, its
distended nostrils, its
heaving flanks and
powerful limbs and
body, and its tail erect
and stiff, as it comes
thundering towards me.
I now realized, as the
buffalo came within a
few feet of me, that
unless I at once stirred myself I must inevitably
be killed. So, with a superhuman effort, I did
my best to be cool, and frantically thrashing my
pony with my whip I wheeled him round to one
side, and the buffalo flashed past so close that I
could have touched him with my whip. Then,
foiled in his attempt, and now worked up into
an insane pitch of fury, the brute wheeled round
to make a second charge upon me, but by this
time I .had collected my scattered senses, and,
riding up to the wall, slid off the saddle into
the arms of the natives down the khud. The

:■•

lill-: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

alo by this time was again almost within

h oi the pony, who thereupon, relieved of

my weight, at once bolted down the road back

to Darj with the buffalo inclose pursuit,

and the last of them I saw as they rounded a

The following day my natives brought back
mj saddle and bridle, which they had found on
the pony, who was lying gored to death in the
middle of the road about a mile and a half from
Darjeeling. The buffalo was recaptured shortly

FRANTICALLY THRASHING MY I'ONV, I WHEELED HIM ROUND AND THE BUFFALO FLASHED PAST.

bend in the road was the pony galloping for its
life and the enormous buffalo close at its heels.
After waiting a short time to see if our late
enemy returned we climbed back to the road
again, and the gallant captain also crawled from
his place of refuge.

We now had a deliberation as to what was to
be done, and finally decided to continue our
journey to the nearest Dak bungalow, which
only a short distance farther on. Here we
ed for a whole day, as we were feeling very
much unnerved, and, besides, the ponies with
our saddles and bridles had to be found. We
now learned that the buffalo was mad, and was
held sacred by the Bhotans, who had kept it
chained up for years in one of their temples,
from which he had broken loose on the morning
of his encounter with me.

afterwards by the Bhotans, who tied it up
again in their temple, but when I told my
brother-in-law, who was Station Staff Officer at
Darjeeling, of my narrow escape, he brought the
matter to the notice of the authorities, who con-
sidered that it was highly unsafe for the public to
be subject, at any moment, to the risk of losing
their lives by this ferocious creature. The buffalo
was, therefore, ordered to be shot. A small
party of soldiers was dispatched from Darjeeling
for that purpose, and in spite of the protestations
of the Bhotans the animal was killed. Thus
ended an adventure which was fraught with
so much peril to myself. My saddle, which had
been ripped open and cut in many places by
the buffalo's horns, was repaired and preserved
by me as a memento of the adventure, and used
on many another memorable occasion.

One Thousand Miles on Mule-Back.

By Mabel Penniman, M.A.
II.

This lady, who is the wife of a well-known South American official, here concludes the narrative

ot her extraordinary journey through some of the wildest and most remote parts of Bolivia

and Argentina. Illustrated with rare photographs of places and people.

N account of the rugged nature and
the isolated position of Bolivia, the
Republic is as yet without the most
civilized means of transportation
facilities. The freight is carried
by mules, donkeys, and llamas. Mules and
donkeys are imported from the Argentine Re-
public. A strong mule must carry from 4001b.
to 5oolb. during a journey of from eight to ten
days. Donkeys carry from 2colb to 2501b.
The animals are loaded in the early morning,
and must travel at a good pace until sundown
without any food, only stopping once, perhaps,
for a drink in crossing a stream. When relieved
of their loads, they are often compelled to
forage for themselves in a country where the
night air is bleak, and the grass scanty and
poor. At the end of a journey (generally a
week) the poor animals are a mass of sores,
and are then turned loose to rest, while others
take their place until they in turn are unfit for
work.

But the quaint llama is the freight carrier, for
less important articles, over the wide, in-
hospitable plains of the
Andes. It is most graceful
in appearance, but very timid,
and will carry 8olb. for several
days without food. If, how-
ever, the load consists of but
a few pounds more (the old
story of the " last straw "), the
animal absolutely refuses to
rise. In colour some are snowy
white, others seal brown, black,
or spotted. By the Bolivian
law one woman must accom-
pany the Indian with each drove
of fifty llamas. The photo-
graph represents a drove of
llamas coming to La Paz,
bringing in brown bags llama
manure, which is used for fuel.
Our ten days' stay in Cocha-
bamba was made so pleasant by
the few foreigners living there
that we entirely forgot all the
discomforts we had endured

on the journey. We left the city for Sucre,
the capital of Bolivia, in charge of one of
the best-recommended cirrieros, or guides. We
made the journey entirely on mule-back, with
the exception of the first fifty miles — which
we did on the top of a Concord stage-coach
through the valley of Cliza, which is the
granary of Bolivia. We were seven days
making the journey of 250 miles, but were
constantly ascending or descending steep
mountain passes. Sometimes we would be
an hour climbing up a mountain, and as
long going down the other side. The narrow
trails, full of loose stones, made the journey
more dangerous for me on a side-saddle, so
for safety, and comfort also, I used a gentle-
man's saddle provided with a horn. I wore
" bloomers," and a short black skirt which in
no way interfered with my riding astride. I
rode in this position in the open country, but
when Hearing a town I always used the horn of
the saddle. My mule had become so accus-
tomed to my riding astride, that on passing
the last hamlet before reaching Sucre she

LLAMAS ARE THE BEASTS OF BURDEN IN THE ANDES— HERE WE SEE A DROVE OF THEM
From <l\ COMING INTO LA PAZ. [Photo.

THE w IDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

absolutely refused to move when 1 changed
tion, notwithstanding a vigorous use of
the spurs. In a moment I had a group of
curious folks around me, but they offered no
molestation, nor did they make any rude
remarks. On this route there were few post-
houses, and we were compelled to accept the
titality of many a Bolivian host.
We arrived in Sucre simultaneously with the
transmission of the Government from President
Mariano Baptiste to Senor Don Severo Fer-
nandez Alonso, which was accomplished in the
51 orderly and quiet manner, notwithstanding
lutions which were published in
European papers. To the wearied traveller, the
first vie" S icre, the capital of the Republic,
.arming in the extreme, although there are
no chimneys and no signs to indicate in the-
nce that the city contains nearly 25,000
inhabitants. It was founded in 1538 by
.:'.■ - Pizarro under the name of La Plata,
and the location was chosen on account of the
salubrity of the climate, it being a sanitarium
for the over-taxed workers of the " silvery "
Pot

Our photograph shows the principal plaza or
re, " 25 de Mayo,"' at the moment when the
annual procession of the patron saint of Sucre,
. is emerging from the Cathedral.
The building adjoining is the old Government
Palace, now torn down to make room for a
more stately building still in process of con-
struction. More recently the plaza has been
transformed into a most beautiful garden, studded
with rare trees, palms, shrubs, and flowers.
The photograph of Nuestra Sefiora de

NUESTRA SENORA DE GUADALUPE — MANY LEGACIES OF BIG
AMOUNTS ARE LEFT TO THIS BEJEWELLED IMAGE.

From a Photo.

Guadalupe was taken from the original figure in
the Cathedral. It is scarcely necessary to state

that the image is

THE GREAT PLAZA, OR SQUARE, OF THE BOLIVIAN CAl'ITAl
From a] THE CATHEDRAL.

— RELIGIOUS PROCESSION COMING OUT

much venerated
by the inhabitants
of Sucre. It is a
great honour, and
entails the expen-
diture of quite a
sum of money, to
be one of the
twelve bearers
who carry the
image in the pro-
cession. Many
legacies, repre-
senting large
sums, are annually
left to this pre-
cious image. It
is stated, on ex-
cellent authority,
that the dress and
ornaments con-
cilia tain diamonds,

ONE THOUSAND MILES ON MULE-BACK.

El. A UK SAN AUGUSTIN,

-THE ANNUAL MULE AND DONKEY FAIR IS BEING HELD

From a Photo.

pearls, rubies, and emeralds whose priceless
value is in great contrast to the almost im-
poverished condition of the country.

The next photograph of Sucre represents the
Pla/.uela de San Augustin, where the annual
mule and donkey fair is being held. The white
edifice on the
side of the moun-
tain is the famous
Convent of La
Recoleta, where
many revolu-
tions have been
fought, and with-
in whose walls
many a leader
has found refuge
from the fury of
an enraged mob.
Sucre is noted
throughout the
Republic for the
many families of
culture who live
there. Some of
them have tra-
velled exten-
sively, and very
many have lived
for several years
in Europe to

"THE BODIES OF THE BETTER CLASSES ARE DEPOSITED IN NICHES MADE OF MUD.

From a Photo.

educate their children.
The houses are very large,
having four and five courts,
and they are filled with
magnificent furniture and
works of art from Paris.

The photograph of the
cemetery shows the curious
way in which the dead are
disposed of in the country.
The cemeteries are owned
by the Church, and to it
is left the manner of inter-
ment of the people. The
bodies of the better classes
are deposited in niches
made of mud. For the
Cholo and his family, how-
ever (artisans and working
people), and also for the
Indian, a grave after the
usual manner is provided,
but for only seven years,
after which time the remains
are exhumed or put with
others into a common
urave. The coffins of the
better classes are generally
zinc-lined, and provided in many cases with a
thick piece of glass in the corner just above the
face. The niches are filled with flowers and
lighted candles at each anniversary of the death
of the departed, or All Saints' Day and any
religious holiday. Public functionaries, war

veterans, or other
noted persons
are honoured
with a pompous
funeral, as well as
music, and often
long and tire-
some orations.

Severo Fer-
nandez Alonso,
the Constitu-
tional President
of the Bolivian
Republic, who
resided in Sucre,
was born August
15th, 1848. His
Excellency is of
medium height,
rather slender,
and his personal
appearance is
youthful, whilst
his address is
very pleasing.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

[VIA —
A I PY.

From a Photo, by F. Palmtro.

- nee the year 1880, in which President
Alonso began his political life, his career has
>f uninterrupted triumph. In three
different Governments he has been intrusted
with the responsible portfolio of Assistant
f State. He has been Congressman,
Senator, Minister of War, and Vice-President ;
to-day he is Supreme Chief.

After a residence of many months in Sucre
tarted for London - i
Potosi, Tupiza, Jujuy, and
Buenos Ayres. Our road
when first leaving the
capital city led through a
beautiful valley, where
some of the wealthy Boli-
vians have really stately
mansions. In the after-
noon of the first day

-:ed the Cachamayo
River, a considerable tri-
butary of the Pilcomayo,
whose waters empty into
the Paraguay near Ascun-
cion. Our caravan con-
sisted of six freisht mules

(one carrying two pet parrots) and three saddle
mules.

Our guide, a veteran in the business, first
crossed the stream alone to ascertain the depth
of the water. The current was so strong, how-
ever, and the opposite bank so steep, that it
was a hard pull for his mule to reach the top
in safety. He returned immediately, and with
the assistance of the peon (Indian servant), who
walked the whole distance, the freight mules
were driven into the roaring waters, whilst the
guide followed with the peon on the back of a
mule. My place was next, and my husband
brought up the rear. The river was more than
1 ooyds. wide and carried more than 3ft.
of water, as was shown by the legs of the mules.
rhe water was almost thick with mud, but
evidently the bed was composed of boulders of
all shapes and sizes, making it extremely
hazardous to ford. The sensation produced by
the noise and swiftness of the water it is
impossible to describe. At one time, when my
eves followed the current, I felt as though the
earth were moving away from under me, but
this we soon learned to remedy by looking up-
stream. Slowly but surely the mules kept their
pace, and nearer and nearer drew the opposite
shore, when suddenly the last freight mule
carrying the heaviest load (3501b.) stumbled
and nearly fell. A yell from the guide, how-
ever, brought her to her feet again, and soon we
were all safely ashore. That same afternoon we
passed the Pilcomayo, a most powerful river,
having many branches in one bed, seven of
which we crossed in less than an hour. When
we reached the first post-house, at nine o'clock
at night, we had a good forty miles to our
credit for the day. I was very hungry, but so
tired that I sought our comfortable bed at once.

A ride of two days more, constantly up and
up, but with no rivers to cross, brought us to
Potosi, 14,378ft. above sea-level. The city of

["ED OF SIX FREIGHT MULES AND THREE SADDLE MULES.

From a Photo.

ONE THOUSAND MILES ON MULE-BACK.

From a]

ENORMOUS TREASURES OF SILVER WERE DISCOVERED IN THE HILL OF POTOSI.

Potosi was founded in 1545 by Don Juan de
Villarroll and Don Diego Centano, because of
the enormous treasures of silver discovered in a
most extraordinary manner by an Indian named
Guanaco. This Indian, pressed into the service
of the Spaniards, had charge of a troop of
llamas loaded with provisions. The road led
him over the hill of Potosi, where the city is
now situated, and necessity compelled him to
camp over-night 15,000ft. above sea-level.

In the morning he noticed a lump of unmis-
takable greyish metal on the spot where his
camp fire had been burning throughout the
piercing cold night. He confided his secret
to one of his
countr y m e n ,
who, under the
influence of
drink, gave it
away to Don Juan
de Villarroll, a
Spanish captain.
Guanaco was
ordered, under
pain of the sever-
est punishment,
to divulge the
sacred spot, but
he stubbornly
refused ; and it
was only after
months of in-
human torture,
by which his
body was nearly
torn in pieces,
that he would
point out the
place toVillarroll,

who had carried
him there more
dead than alive.
A tradition, faith-
fully preserved by
Guanaco's people,
says that at the
moment when he
had pointed out
the spot his spirit
fled amidst fear-
some sounds like
the roar of thunder
and the discharge
of heavy artillery.
The climate of
Potosi is bleak
and raw in the
extreme. Pneu-
monia is the only
disease known, but it is nearly always fatal.

Our first stopping-place after Potosi was Puna,
where we put up in a so-called hotel, kept by an
Italian. Our room had to be cleaned out after
our arrival, the proprietor apologizing for the
filth, and saying he had only been in the place
a year and a half, and had not yet had time to
get it cleaned ! From Potosi to Tupiza is nearly
300 miles, which we made in six days ; it was
rather a monotonous journey, as each day was
much like the preceding one. When we arrived
in the last-named place our mules had entirely
given out, and we were compelled to look for a
newguide, whom we were fortunate enough to find.

[Photo.

From a]

THE WHITE CAP OF THE VOLCANO CHOROLQUE (ARGENTINE FRONTIER)-

{fVioto.

Till: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

With a t": t o( mules we started on

d Sunday morning for Jujuy, about 300
miles away, and crossed the Argentine frontier
at La Quiaca, where thanks to the Argentine
Minister resident in Sucre we were dispatched
through thi I stom House without having
unload. I country had the same dreary

nly relieved by the white

I horolque, which we could

irly a hundred miles to our right. We

r and higher each day until

i i Agua, where we crossed

:r vi~ the And

next photograph represents part of the

•five-mile journey which we travelled

upiza and Humaguaca. When we

from a high mountain upon the country

The next day we met an Indian who had killed
i condor measuring 12ft. between the tips of its

wings.

Every step of the way now our road descended
until we reached Jujuy, 3,450ft. above seadevel,
where we said farewell to our mules and took
the train to Buenos Ayres, which we reached in
three days, from there we had an uneventful
voyage to Hamburg, and in a few days crossed
to England.

It may be interesting to know that in our
travel of more than 1,000 miles through Bolivia
we received nothing but the very kindest atten-
tion and consideration from all with whom we
came in contact. We travelled by day and by
night through a country entirely unknown to the
outer world. We met many people whose

rHE Ij: IV-HVE MILE JOURNEY— NOT A DROP OF WATER, NO ULADE OF GRASS, AND NO LIVING THING.

From a /'hoto.

in which we were told not a drop of
water, no lilac ss, and no living thing —

not even a fly — was to be encountered, a feeling
of desolation crept over us that may better be
imagined than described.

In order to reach the next post-house in good
time, we started by candle-light, and suffered
intensely from the cold, as the sun did not get
over the mountains to us until nearly nine,
travelled in the dry river-bed, and in the after-
noon a fearful wind filled the air with sand,
compelling us to 'over our faces with shawls
and trust to the mules to keep in the right track.

language we could not understand ; and were
compelled to sleep in some of the most peculiar
and remote places. We were without arms or
any other means of protection, and I can only
repeat that we were never molested by man or
beast. Wre felt safer regarding our chattels and
bodies than in many more civilized portions
of the globe. Moreover, no serious illness
befell us, nor were we ever troubled by
mosquitoes or any other pest, save on one
occasion when the vinchucas were about ; and
a candle burning all night will drive even
these away.

Adrift in the Arctic Sea.

By Captain T. F. Gellatly.

The terrible narrative of what befell the crew of the whaler " Chieftain," of Dundee. How the boats-
missed the ship ; the awful days and nights of blind wanderings hither and thither in the icy ocean ;,

and the final rescue and explanations.

N the 7th of March, 1884, I sailed
in command of the whaler Chieftain,
from Dundee, with a crew of
twenty - six hands. A stowaway
turned up later,

making twenty-seven. The

Chieftain was a " plum-
pudding " whaler. That

means, that we were to cap-
ture all the fish and animals

yielding profitable blubber or

skins that we could. And

my orders were to bring back

a full ship at all costs. We

reached the ice in ten days,

sent the crow's-nest aloft, and

hung the boats in the davits

all ready for sealing. No

time is wasted on board a

whaler.

Following the edge of the

ice to the north, we saw

several of the steam whalers

cruising about like ourselves,

endeavouring to find the

young seals. The Chieftain

was a barquentine,and we de-
pended entirely on her sails. Only three or four

of the best steamers were able to penetrate

the ice far enough to get among the young

seals. The more unfortunate of the other

ships, after getting so far in, got stuck fast in

the pack for

longer or shorter

periods. The

Chieftain also

got fast in the

ice on two or

three occasions,

but luckily not

for long ; and

when I saw it

was useless try-
ing to get to the

young seals, I

contented myself

with cruising

about the edge

of the pack and

among the drift-
Vol iv.— 11.

the weather
settled, and,
fine as we

THIS IS CAPTAIN GELL
TERRIBLE

From a Photo, by

If? *m

MSB*'

•

THE BARQUENT1NE "CHIEFTAIN, TO

From

ing floes, picking up a few bladder-nosed and

yearling seals whenever possible.

About the end of April we rigged out the-

boats for whaling and cruised south-west along;
the pack ice to Jan Mayen.
Island ; thence we went
southwards into open water
in search of bottle - nosed
whales. The weather early
in May was very stormy, andi
few fish were seen. We only-
succeeded in harpooning,
three bottle-nosed whales in.
about as many weeks, andi
one of these we lost through
the harpoon withdrawing.
Early in June
became more
soon grew as
could wish.

On Monday afternoon, at
about four o'clock, a school,
of bottle-nosed whales were
seen cleaving the smooth-
surface of the water with
their glossy backs, and churn-
ing the sea into foam in the-

O m

distance as they came swimming in the direc-
tion of the ship. In less than two minutes
our four boats were in the water, myself in the
bow of one of them, and pulling in the direction
of the whales. When within 1 ooyds. of the

fish we ceased
rowing ; and as
soon as we were
within range, I
"fastened" with
the gun harpoon
a fine white-
headed old bull.
The third mate
immediately af-
terwards fastened
another.

As it takes two-
boats to manage-
a whale, the
second mate
came to my
assistance ; the

WHO RELATES THIS
l \l KKIEXCE.

Vandyke, Liverpool.

WHICH ALL THE SUFFERERS BELONGED.

a Photo.

1111 WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

BOTTLE-NOSED WHALES WERE SEEN, CHURNING THE SEA INTO EDAM AS THEY CAME.

fourth harpooner going to the assistance of the
third mate. When my fish appeared on the sur-
face he made off to the south-east, and some time
elapsed before the second mate got near enough
to fasten a second harpoon. The weather in
the meantime became foggy, and a light breeze
rippled the sea. Our ship was soon lost to
view, the great fish we had struck running us to
windward away from her.
The second mate made

ral ineffectual at-
tempts to get alongside
the whale, which was
steadily increasing our
distance from the ship.
Seeing the futility of his
effo Id the second

mate to slack away astern.
My harpoon was in a
better position — well

ird in the fish : and
after a lot of struggling
and hard work with the
lance, we had the satis-
faction of seeing the hi
bottle-nose turn over on
his back quite dead.

By this time we had
not seen the ship for
hours, but had, by the
boat's compass, noted the

direction taken
by our whale.
We now con-
cluded that the
C hie/tain bore
north-west.
Therefore, fas-
tening our tow-
line to the tail
of our prize, we
started off in
that direction.
After pulling for
a considerable
time we came
upon the other
boats, both fast
to their whale,
which they al-
leged was so wild
that they could
not get near to
kill it. The third
mate said he had
seen the ship
with her sails
all set about an
hour previously,
not agree with
the vessel was

bearing north-east. This did
my bearings — unless, indeed,
sailing about in the fog, which was against all
whaling rules. As a fact, the standing rule is
that, when all the boats cannot be seen, the ship
is to be kept absolutely stationary — if possible.
The boats' crews can then keep the bearing
of the ship, and run no risk of going astray.

*km&

MY FISH MADE OFF TO THE SOUTH-EAST.

ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC SEA.

Sending the second mate with his boat to
assist in killing the other whale, I continued
towing my fish to the north-east, and eventually
found the Chieftain^ which had nearly passed
to windward of us, sailing in the fog. When I
got the monster alongside and went on board
I pointed out to the fishing master, whom I
had left in charge, the grave danger of losing
the boats, through his shifting the ship in that
way ; and I gave strict orders that in future she
was to be kept hove to under as little canvas as
possible until all the boats were plainly visible.

It was about three o'clock on Tuesday morn-
ing when I reached the ship. After a change of
clothing and a good meal, I became anxious
about the other boats' crews. I feared they might
still believe the ship bore north-east, and so
pull in that direction. We had a boiler and
steam winch on board for flensing whales and
hoisting boats, and there was a steam whistle
attached to the boiler.

Leaving orders to blow the whistle at frequent
intervals, and fire a gun occasionally, I manned
my own boat ; and then taking some food for
the absent boats' crews, I went in search of
them, taking my watch with me to enable me
more accurately to judge my distance. After
about two hours' pulling I found the three
boats still attached to the whale, which seemed
actually to be as lively and wild as ever ! These
creatures often display extraordinary vitality.
When the men had refreshed themselves with
the food I brought them, I told them to give
the whale plenty of line so as to fatigue him
more, whilst I attacked him at close quarters.
For about four hours I kept struggling with the
gigantic fish ; and it was only after firing another
three gun-harpoons into him, and repeated
lancing, that I at last succeeded in reaching his
vitals — so furious were his struggles.

It was nearly noon on Tuesday when I killed
that whale. When fastening the tow-line to his
enormous tail the fog lifted and we saw the ship,
bearing north by east, and distant about six
miles. The clearance of the atmosphere was
only temporary, however. In a quarter of an
hour the fog again enveloped us as densely as
before. However, we had now got the bearing
of the ship, and thankfully pulled in her direc-
tion. The wind was light and right astern of
the boats.

After pulling for four hours I considered we
must be somewhere near our vessel. Leaving
two boats fast to the dead whale, I sent the
second mate off to the east to pull, as nearly as
he could guess, one mile, whilst 1, with my boat,
proceeded the same distance westward, to try
and see or hear something of our floating home
and head-quarters. We also arranged to fire

harpoon guns and blow fog-horns at intervals as
signals. Neither of us was successful, however,
and, returning to the other boats, we again towed
the whale another stage in a different direction
and repeated all our manoeuvres as before, but
again without success.

All the men were now much exhausted. The
wind had increased to a strong breeze, and a
nasty sea had risen. The air was dark, with a
raw, damp, penetrating fog, which seemed to
increase the bitterness of the cold. While lving
on their oars to listen, several of the men
declared they heard the steam-whistle to lee-
ward. I also believed I heard it, so I sent the
second mate off to see if he could verify the
sound.

As the " second " did not return, and think-
ing the ship might be drifting as fast as we
towed, I tied my handkerchief flag-wise to a
lance-handle, stuck the lance in the whale, and
then fastening an empty water-beaker to the
tow-line, we cast off, and pulled in the direction
whence we seemed to hear the sound of the
ship's whistle. But, alas ! In vain we pulled
about backwards and forwards, following
imaginary sounds, until at length we fancied
despairingly that we heard whistles in every
direction. Nor did we again see the second
mate's boat — though we repeatedly heard the
sound of the fog-horn, and, answering it,
followed up the sound.

The wind now increased to a gale, and the
sea was breaking furiously. I rigged a deep-sea
anchor and, with the other two boats fast
astern, we rode to the gale and fiercely-lashing
sea. Our position was critical in the extreme.
It took the men all their time to bale the water
out of the boats ; and all our provisions and
water were exhausted. We were continually
drenched with driving spray, and the cold was
intense.

Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Wednesday
night were spent in the most utter wretchedness.
Ah ! how easy it is to write down the mere
names of those dreadful days. None but God
and the sufferers themselves, however, know
what interminable hours of anguish they con-
tained. Though we kept a sharp and eager
look-out, nothing was seen but the driving scud
and the foam-flecked, raging sea. The gale
moderated a little on Thursday morning, and
we took to the oars, pulling north-west to the
ice (distant about thirty miles), and reaching
the edge just as the gale again broke forth
with renewed violence. Wretchedness— utter,
despairing," deathly wretchedness was the pre-
dominant feeling amongst us.

This fresh burst of wind, however, cleared the
atmosphere, and though at first we refused to

1'Hi: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

believe our eyes, we suddenly beheld a vessel

under clos> I canvas, about two miles to

idward. Oh. j We would now be saved,

thought Rushing to the summit of a high

ce, we unfurled our flags and

superhuman effort, I kept myself afloat till
my nun seized me and assisted me back into
the boat. The very marrow in my bones

seemed fro/en.
other boats back,

UNO TO THE SUMMIT OF A HIGH HUMMOCK- OF !CE, WE UNFURLED OUR FLAGS
AND STOOD WATCHING."

■stood watching for an answering signal from the
ship. Alas ! — vain hopes. They did not see
.nd almost immediately a dense dark pall of
fog enveloped sea and ice. That glimpse of
■salvation merely mocked us : and the sensa-
tions of men under such circumstances are
not to be described. We were powerless to
pull in such a sea, and my heart bled when
I saw the looks of dismay and despair on
the faces of the poor fellows around me. The
gale raged furiously once more, and our boats
were in constant jeopardy of being smashed by
the grinding ice.

After making a pitiful repast of frozen snow,
I endeavoured to pull to windward to a safer
position. No sooner had I left shelter, however,
than a heavy sea struck the broad blade of my
ring oar, and I was precipitated backwards
into the seething, icy waters. With an almost

I immediately waved the
and again sought shelter
under the lee of the high
hummock of ice. Stripping
off my clothes, I wrung
them out as quickly as I
could, my teeth rattling and
whirring the while like an
electric bell. After getting
them on again, I walked
about on the ice, beating
my body with my arms to
keep up the circulation.

During Thursday night the
wind shifted to north-east ;
the cold was intense, and it
was all one or two of my
men and I could do to keep
the others from going to
sleep, which meant the utter
extinction of vitality. Some
of the poor fellows only
wished to be allowed to lie
down and die, so paralyzing
was the cold.

Early on Friday morning
I called the men together,
and told them that to remain
inert any longer meant death
— probably to all of us. The
wind was fair ; south-west
was the course to Iceland,
and, at least, we stood a
chance of either falling in
with a whaler or reaching
the land. But how far was
it to Iceland ? I was asked ;
and I replied, evasively, that it was ninety
miles or more — knowing full well that it was
at least two hundred. My line cover was a
piece of canvas 4ft. long, 4ft. wide at one end,
and 2ft. at the other. This I fastened to the
ramrod of my harpoon gun, and with two
boat-hooks lashed together for a mast, I rigged
it as a sail. The other boats were similarly
rigged, and after taking in a supply of frozen
snow and ice we started on our despairing
voyage. The boats were constantly in danger
of being stove in by the floating pieces of sharp
ice that strewed the sea for some distance from
the pack.

When nearly clear of this danger, the im-
provised little sail of the boat ahead of me was
suddenly lowered ; and when I came up with
her, the harpooner told me that the boat-steerer
had just been lost overboard. The poor fellow

ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC SEA.

had been " kicked " by the steering oar into the
sea, just as I had been previously, and no one
in the boat had seen the sad occurrence, so
dazed were they all. The harpooner was in
despair. I endeavoured to tow his boat, but
soon had to let go, as both boats were in danger
of swamping. I encouraged him, however, to
set his sail and steer the boat himself, and we
again proceeded on our way.

Bad enough would our plight have been had
the sea been comparatively smooth. But now
it was blowing a furious gale from the north-
east, and the sea was lashed into white, driving
spray, and huge, seething, foam tipped billows.
My whole attention was occupied in steering
the boat right before the wind and sea. In the
afternoon we had so out-distanced the other
boats that we lost sight of them. All Friday,
Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night we
kept on, every breaking sea threatening to
engulf us. I think each man had abandoned
hope, though possibly he would not have cared
to have said so aloud.

On Sunday morning we saw a
small vessel lying hove-to. She was
a little on one side of our track,
but we dared not change our course
and finally, in spite of all our efforts
to attract attention, we
crossed her stern about
a mile distant without
being seen. In a cramped
position I had been steer-
ing the boat ever since
left the ice ; and I
thought my last
was at hand. I
almost continually
my men changing
in the boat, and
her out so as to

were renewed. I felt almost as strong as ever,
and steered, if possible, straighter than before.

It was seven o'clock on Sunday evening
when we reached the west side of Langanaes,
on the rocky coast of Iceland. A man and two
boys on the rocks directed us to a tiny cove,
where we beached the boat ; and we were then
with great difficulty and danger rescued from
the heavy breakers by the Icelander and his
two sons. Not a man among us could walk. Our
rescuers carried us to their house on their backs,
where they vied with each other in showering
kindnesses upon us. By the aid of a pencil
and an old Danish almanac I was enabled, in a
rough way, to give the peasants an account of
our past exposure and sufferings. And, indeed,
we were in a sad condition — our hands, and
feet especially, were black, and swollen almost
to bursting. I think I may say I was the worst.
Getting two tubs of ice brought into the house,
we placed our hands and feet in them for
upwards of an hour to try and relieve the

we
now
hour
had

kept
places

baling

keep their blood in cir-
culation. And all that
time I know they thought
me the most cruel devil
afloat. I wonder they
obeyed orders at all.

The gale still raged
with unabated fury, and
the great seas broke with
long, leaping, tumbling,
roaring, towering vio-
lence. I was nearly
giving way to despair,
when our dazed, apa-
thetic, weary eyes were
greeted with the sight of
a snow-capped mountain
right ahead. Our hopes

GETTING TWO TUBS OF

ICE, WE PLACED OUR HANDS AND FEET IN THEM TO RELIEVE THE
AGONIZING PAINS."

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

ng pains of slowly returning circulation.
The wife and daughter o( our host gave us some
gruel made with milk, and they put us in their
own beds, which were built like ships' bunks,
and consisted of a feather bed to lie on and
another wring.

was built of wood
and 1 three rooms- a dwelling-room, a

s byre, and a --tore room. Outside the
building the angles were filled in with earth,
which was covered with turf, the roof also
being similarly coven The whole dwelling

d the appearance of a grass - grown
mound, which, with the
chimney smoking in the
centr daminia-

ture active volcano. 1 or
three eived

the : attention

from this kind family.
During this time, al-
though my sufferings
. I was con-
stantly thinking of the
nder of my men,
and wondering what
could have been their
fate.

Wednesday after-
noon a Norwegian fishing
smack came in and an-
chored for shelter a short
distance from the shore.
Our Icelandic host and
my sailmaker, who had
somewhat recovered, put
off to her and told the
captain our story. He
immediately came on
shore and offered to
convey myself and my
men to Siedysford, a port
in the east of Iceland.
I gladly accepted the
captain's offer, and bid-
ding good-bye to the
kind Icelanders we were
taken on board the
smack, which was soon
got under way. Both
captain and crew were

edingly kind to us ; and after a five days'

age they saw us safely lodged in a sort of
inn at Siedysford, when they again proce<

a to follow their occupation of cod-fishing.
There was no British Consul at Siedysford, and
we were under the care of the Sydlnsond, or
local governor, who personally saw that we were
well cared for. Here we were attended to by

! H, 'INK UK ! HE I HIRD MATE

CRKW, AS HE AI'TEAKS TO-DAY.

Photo, by /■'. JV. Gil/ us. Brought? Ferry.

a doctor, who dressed our feet with oil and lint.
Arrived at length at Granthon by way of the
Faroe Islands, the agent of the Shipwrecked
Mariners' Society sent us on to Dundee, where
news of our arrival had preceded us. For a
long time I was unable to walk properly, and
many months elapsed before my feet were quite
well again. News of the remainder of the crew
came to hand very disjointedly. I will relate
the accounts given me by the survivors them-
selves when they returned to Dundee. Soon
after I parted from the other two boats, one of
the third mate's crew, James Mcintosh, changed

into the fourth har-
pooner's boat to assist
him in steering. The
boats then separated,
and were lost to view of
each other.

The third mate's boat
reached Iceland the day
after my arrival there,
and some forty miles
farther west on the coast.
The men were in a most
pitiful condition when
they landed. One poor
fellow succumbed to his
sufferings just as the kind
Icelanders put him to
bed. Fortunately there
was a doctor at hand,
and the other three men's
feet were only saved by
the partial amputation of
their frost-bitten heels
and toes. As soon as
they had sufficiently re-
covered, and a home-
ward-bound steamer was
available, they also were
sent home.

When James Mcintosh
got on board the third
boat, he took the steering
oar and kept the boat
before the wind and sea,
making a south-west
course. They were get-
ting along as well as
could be expected, when,
on the second day, one man picked up the com-
pass and tried to drink out of it. The poor,
crazed fellow, finding no water in it, threw the
compass into the sea before anyone could stop
him, and then lay down in the bottom of the
boat ; he expired soon afterwards. While wind
and sea kept in the same direction, the loss of
the compass did not so much matter ; but when

ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC SEA.

the wind moderated and changed, Mcintosh did
not know in what direction to steer, and so the
boat was allowed to drift. Soon after they
committed the body of their dead shipmate to
the deep another man died. His body also
was consigned to the sea. And then the three
survivors sat looking at each other, wondering
whose turn it would be next.

Another day and night passed without relief,
and yet another of their number was added to
the list of dead. After putting the third body
overboard, James Mcintosh and the harpooner
were the only survivors. These two unfortunate
men took up crouching positions one at each
end of the boat, and watched each other's every
motion with half-demented terror.

Time passed thus in fear and despair until
Tuesday, when the poor harpooner died in rigid
agony in the bottom of the boat, and Mcintosh
was left in ghastly loneliness. Horrible thoughts
passed through the famishing man's mind as he
sat for a time looking at his dead and disfigured
shipmate. There was nothing in sight from
the boat but cold sea and bitter sky. His
better nature asserting itself, however, Mcintosh
crawled forward and with a strenuous effort
heaved the body of his last shipmate into the
dark, deep sea. The wretched man presently
got into such a dazed condition that he scarcely
knew how the hours passed. In a gleam of con-
sciousness he raised himself above the gunwale,

'* MCINTOSH HEAVED THE BODY' OF HIS LAST SHIPMATE INTO THE DARK, DEEP SEA.

and seeing a small ship some distance off, he
waved his cap and feebly shouted, "Help! Help!"
The vessel was an Icelandic shark-fisher. The
crew took Mcintosh and his boat on board and
then sailed to Aykeraera, a port in the north of
Iceland. Here he was attended to by the
surgeon of a Danish man-of-war. Mortification
had so far set in that the poor fellow's legs had
to be amputated a little below the knees. The
operation was very successful, however, and about
two months later Mcintosh was brought home.
The second mate, it appeared, after vainly
trying to find the ship, hove the boat to, and
drifted about until Saturday, when he and his
men were picked up by a Norwegian whaler,
and later on transferred to their own vessel, the
Chieftain. The officer left in charge of the
latter, by the way, saw the boats when the fog
lifted, and proceeded to make all sail on the
ship, not noticing that while doing so the boats
were again lost to view. After the sails were
set he went up into the crow's-nest and
remained for some time looking out, thinking
and hoping that the fog would again clear.
Meanwhile the breeze was moderate and the
ship slipping quietly through the water. After
sailing for some time on the starboard tack, the
mate reduced sail, and hove the ship to, not
realizing that he had materially changed the
bearing of the boats. Thus it was that, when
we pulled close to where the ship was when we
caught that glimpse of her, she was then
some three miles east of our position.

During the gales that followed the
Chieftain was kept reaching about in
search of us. The mate saw several
whalers. The master of one of them
stated he had the second mate's crew
and boat on board. Another Nor-
wegian whaler had found our abandoned
whale, and the captain returned the
fishing gear. When all hopes died out
of finding the missing boats and men,
the mate bore up for home, and the
Chieftain eventually reached Dundee
with only six tons of oil — a truly
disastrous voyage.

Most of the crew had little or nothing
to take when discharged. Yet, not-
withstanding the calamitous voyage,
most of the men wished to sail with
me again, and publicly thanked
me in the Dundee shipping
office for what little I had been
able to do for them. Those who
had been of service to us in our
distress were recompensed, and
suitably rewarded by the Board
of Trade.

Open* Air Festival Plays in Switzerland.

Bv I. Oscar GySI, OF BERNE.

A short article, illustrated with extremely striking photographs, showing how the brave little Swiss
nation loves to celebrate the memory of those victories which won for it its independence.

3 a nation the Swiss appear to have
a peculiar genius for organizing

n-air historical pageants and
festival plays.
The Suabian War began on the 6th
February, 14m). On the one side were the
German Emperor Maximilian I. and the
Suabian league of knights and towns, and on
the other the different sections of the Swiss
ion, with its allies. In this war
victory rested almost entirely with the Swiss,
although they had to defend a long frontier.

On the 20th of February, 1499, the Swiss
defeated their enemies at Hard, near Lake Con-
stance : on the 22nd of March at Bruderholz, in
and on the 22nd of May on
the Calven, not very far from Meran, in the
Tyrol. The brunt of this battle was sustained
by the men of Grisons, and they have, there-
fore, a very good right to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of this glorious victory.

When they returned to their homes, after the
usual three days' stay on the battlefield, their
young men acted the battle over again in the
Jrant belonging to the Episcopal Palace at
Coire ; and the great spectacular display which
took plate in the early part of last summer was
the re-acting of those warlike scenes on that
very spot. The scene depicted in the accom-
panying photo, shows a great grassy slope
crowned by the dark pine forests of the Mitten-
g, and of the Piz Okel. From this spot the
eye commands on the one side the view towards
the (irisons-Oberland, and on the other the
historic fortifications of Luziensteig, and the
mountains of the Prattigau, which form the
frontier line towards Austria.

The vast stage (such a one as has never been
seen before) represents the land of the Grisons,
with its rocks, ruined castles, and dark forests.
Only the background is painted stage scenery,
and behind it Nature completes the picture, as
the peak of Calanda rises far above it. Over
the huge central stage will pass the armies,
with their mounted knights and squires and
men-at-arms; also the procession of the Lands-
gemeinde (the people assembled as a Parlia-
ment) : the strings of pack-mules and many
travelling merchants with their attendant
minstrels and mule-drivers.

The chorus of 800 voices contains 300
children, who have practised the ancient tunes
for months past. The costumes of all the
actors in this great national play accord strictly
with those worn in the fifteenth century, and

these give reality to the scenes acted before us.
The natives of Grisons come on foot from
remote mountain valleys, and many have two
days to walk to get to Coire. Others living in
foreign lands hasten home to be present at the
national celebrations.

The town of Coire, with its 10,000 inhabi-
tants, has put on holiday attire. Every house,
big and little, in every street or narrow lane is
most tastefully decorated from top to bottom
with green wreaths, entwined amid brightly-
coloured cloths. Each dwelling seems to be
prettier than its neighbour, and yet they all look
as if their owners had excellent taste in colour
and arrangement. Triumphal arches there are
at every crossing, and splendid green wreaths
hang from side to side. All the inscriptions
breathe the truculent spirit of those mediaeval
days when the battle on the Calven was fought.

On the 27th May last the final rehearsal took
place at Coire, to which the school children of
the whole Canton were invited. Every seat and
every inch of standing room was occupied. One
school came from far-off Poschiavo, and had to
cross two high mountain chains on the way. It
took them two whole days to reach Coire. On
the 28th May we were roused at 6 a.m. by
a musical "reveille." At 8.30 a.m. special
services were held for the Protestants (who
are the majority here) at St. Martin's
Church ; and for the Catholics at the Hofkirche,
the church in the Bishop's Court. Then
came a procession through the town headed
by a German regimental band — the famous
" Constanzer Regiments Musik." In the
" festhutte," a timber and rainproof canvas
erection, a public banquet was held, at which
over 2,500 people attended. During this the
regimental band played, at intervals, most lovely
music ; and after a speech by some local
dignitary, with an almost inaudible voice, the
President of Switzerland, who together with the
Home Secretary and the Minister of Justice had
come to Coire to be present on this important
day, arose, and made a patriotic, yet statesman-
like, speech.

At 2.30 p.m. the great national play com-
menced in the open air, and was given four
times (each performance lasted four hours),
before a vast concourse of spectators, numbering
over 40,000 people, of whom nearly 5,000 were
seated — the rest standing behind, and on the
road overlooking the stage. Many, however,
not included in this estimate, looked on from
points of vantage in the pine forest above.

OPEN-AIR FESTIVAL PLAYS IN SWITZERLAND.

Unfortunately the weather was far from perfect.
A slight drizzle came on at intervals, and a steady
shower towards the end ; yet for three full hours
this great audience remained spell-bound by the
splendid spectacle. No umbrellas were allowed
to be opened. From scenes of peace, with the
welcome offered by a large concourse of peasants
to a caravan of pack-horses coming from Italy
with their sturdy attendants, the play proceeded
to alarms of war, and then to scenes of camp
life and of real battle.

The deliberations of a conference between
the Bishop of Coire and the delegates from
different valleys ends in turmoil on the arrival
of messengers bringing bad tidings of excesses
committed by the Austrian soldiery. The
arrival of a body of friends from Uri is the next
scene ; and when these leave to help the Swiss
Confederates farther north against a body of
German enemies in the valley of the Rhine near
Ragatz, a troop of distressed country-folk, with
women and children from the south, arrives with
tales of woe about burnt villages and desecrated
homesteads. The fighting men are summoned
from every valley, and, on meeting, engage in

martial games until Benedict Fontana, their
leader, calls upon them to take the oath to fight
for victory and not desist till death.

The battle on the Calven affords opportunity
for splendid scenic effects — first with a camp of
Austrian soldiers, with its carousings and brawls,
and then the alarm caused by news that the
men of Grisons had fallen on the army which
thought itself so secure in strong fortifications on
the Calven. The fight comes nearer, and the
Austrians on the stage are driven back, their
cavalry galloping off in furious flight in front of
the stage on the greensward. This scene was
most effective. Then follow the wailings of the
wounded, and later on the rejoicings over the
victory, troubled by the presence of newly-made
widows, and by the bringing in of sorely-stricken
men.

The last act is of an allegorical character,
beginning with a very fine scene of gnomes, who
rejoice over the help they have given the men
of Grisons in the battle ; going on with scenes
connected with the Napoleonic wars as they
affected the Grisons, and ending with rejoicings
over Grisons' happy union with the Helvetian

: GREAT PATRIOTS 'ESTIVAL i-LAY AT COIRE. SOMETIMES OVER I.OOD ACTORS ON THE STAGE AT ONE TIME. (MEN OF
From a Photo, by] GRISONS TAKING the OATH TO CONQUER or DIE.) \.La>l i^ang, ^oire.

Vol. iv — 12.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

Republic In those last scenes there were some-
times over 1,000 actors on tfte stage, and on the
rocks and mountains connected with it. The gay
and brilliant costumes; the men in armour: the
strange weapons including crossbows, halberds.
led battle-axes, spiked clubs, broad -
and spears— veritably carried the spec-
tators k many hundreds of years. The
scenery was a work o( art, and quite in keeping
with the surrounding snow-capped mountains,
which looked down upon the audience. Too
much praise cannot be given to the 1,400 men
and women, boys and girls, who for several

to do honour to their confederate and chief
city.

In the background of the photograph, sur-
rounded by natural scenery of extreme beauty,
lies the open-air stage built in imitation of a
mediaeval keep, with small watch-towers on each
side : while reaching right to the foreground is
the vast amphitheatre whose crowded seats are
arranged in four rows of twelve blocks each, with
standing room at the back for the late comers.
Between the stage and the auditorium is the
orchestra, accommodating over a hundred instru-
mentalists besides the chorus. The chief events

5TS CAME FROM AM. PARTS TO SEE THIS GREAT OPEN-AIR I'LAY IN BERNE.

From a Photo, by Professor Dr. Badertscher.

AUDIENCE OF TEN THOLSWP.

months worked together to produce this great
national play.

If Coire can produce so magnificent a festival
play, what can the Swiss capital do ? You
shall see. A photograph of the great Berne
festival play of 1891 is next reproduced : it
was taken by Professor Dr. Badertscher, of
Berne. This photograph shows an audience
of over 10,000 persons witnessing a grand
spectacular drama at Berne, in 1891, on the
occasion of the celebration of the 700th anni-
versary of the foundation of the city. Patriotic
visitors assembled from all parts of Switzerland

in the history of the ancient and picturesque city
are recorded in the scenes of the drama, duly
interspersed with incidental music and song.
This particular scene represents the sad day in
1798 when, after a brave resistance, the valiant
band of Confederates were obliged to accept
Fiance's ultimatum, and with it a new Con-
stitution. The Swiss always do these open-air
pageants well, but this one was conceived on a
specially gigantic scale, and was so generally
remarkable, that foreign tourists from all parts of
Switzerland flocked into the quaint capital
of " Europe's Playground."

Lost in Vesuvius.

By Dr. Z. E. Birasky, of Essec, Sclavonic.

Wherein is related how Professor Blondel, disregarding the warnings of the guides, persisted in going
round the crater and walking on some partly cooled lava. The unfortunate savant fell through the thin
crust and was destroyed in the fiery sea. One photo, shows the guides actually pointing out the terrible

danger to the Professor.

Y dear friend Pro-
fessor Blondel
and I found our-
selves one wet
night in a cafe at
Zurich : it was in April, 1897.
Our conversation soon turned
upon the adventures each of
us had had. Professor Blon-
del was a meteorologist, and
in pursuit of his researches
he had travelled a great deal.
It was some years since last
we met, and now my friend
related to me how he had
visited Central Africa, India,
and other regions in pursuit
of his professional studies.

In the course of the even-
ing the Professor said he was
compelled, for the purpose of
making some meteorological
examinations, to ascend Moun
it was incumbent upon him
approaching season, he
would have to be in Naples
at the beginning of May-
He remarked how pleased
he would be if I would
accompany him on this ex-
pedition, saying how much
it would add to his enjoy-
ment to have a companion.
I returned no definite reply.
However, M. Blondel,
whom I was continually
seeing after that evening,
kept pressing me for my
decision on the suggested
journey, and having ob-
tained a fortnight's leave, I
went to the Professor on
the 25th of April and told
him I was ready to accom-
pany him.

Accordingly, two days
after this interview, we took
the train and crossed the
beautiful mountains of
Switzerland into Italy, and,
breaking our journey for a

THE AUTHOR, DR. /.. E. BIRASKY, WHO WAS
WITH PROFESSOR BLONDE!. WHEN III- WAS
From a] DESTROYED. [Ph

t Vesuvius, and as
to do this in the

THIS IS THE UNFORTUNATE SAVAN
BLONDEL, WHo MET A FEARFBI

From a] Vesuvius.

rest at Genoa, we arrived at
the gay city of Naples four
days after leaving Zurich.
This was my first visit to the
beautiful city. We engaged
apartments at the Pension
Suisse, just near the Bay,
from whence we could see
the famous volcano and also
the smoke from its crater, as
from the funnel of a steamer
in the distance.

After a few days' sight-
seeing we decided to pro-
ceed with our ascent of
Vesuvius ; so one morning
Professor Blondel went to
see one of his friends, and
on his return told me that at
one o'clock in the afternoon
we would leave by boat from
the quay near our hotel. Ac-
cordingly, we started, having left word that we
should, in all probability, return to dinner, but

in any case we desired our
host to have something
ready for us, as on our re-
turn we should be very tired
and hungry. We arrived
at our destination after an
hour's row, the distance
being about four miles ;
and on landing we were
at once solicited by many
guides desiring to be en-
gaged. Selecting three of
them, we walked towards
Resina, one of the small
towns nearest to the shore.
The view of the volcano
from here, as compared
with that from our hotel,
was altogether different.
The whole side of the
mountain was covered with
vineyards and gardens, in
which the choicest of fruits
are grown. From this
point we could see on the
summit the lavas of the
various flows during the

I-KOKI 5SSI I
DEATH IN

[Pkoto.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

;>S AND SMOKE AROUND THR GLOOMY SUMMIT I.IKE STEAM FROM fiOILING WATER.'

From a Photo, by Dr. Z. E. Birasky.

past thirty years. It is difficult to convey the
scene to the minds of those who have not seen
a volcano. A good comparison is to suppose
that a sea of boiling pitch has been violently
agitated by a storm, and then suddenly cooled
—so quickly, however, as to retain when solidi-
fied all the roughness and
irregularity which the surface
had when liquid. The clouds
and smoke around the gloomy
summit give an appearance not
unlike the steam arising from
boiling water.

From Resina there is a rail-
way which goes to the top of
the mountain, but our desire
unore especially that of Pro-

sor Blondel, who wanted
to see Vesuvius as closely as
possible, to explore every
point, and take notes of his
observations) was to proceed
on foot. As we slowly made
the ascent to the top, the view
that presented itself was in
most striking contrast to that
which gladdened our eyes on
the commencement of our
journey. In the place of
beautiful gardens, in which
orange, lemon, almond, fig

trees, and vines grew to per-
fection, and in which roses
and camellias bloomed in
profusion, we now found
ourselves making our way
through a black, sterile, and
forbidding waste, utterly de-
void of vegetation, and
covered only with huge folds,
waves, and unshapely masses
of rough lava.

However, by -and -by we
reached the crocelle, on the
summit of which stands the
hermitage of San Salvatore.
As is the custom of all travel-
lers making the ascent on
foot, we had a rest here, and
partook of refreshments.
Here also is found a well of
good water. The streams of
lava which have at various
times descended the moun-
tain near the crocelle have
flowed on either side of this
ridge, and so its summit had
hitherto afforded a safe site
for a habitation ; whilst all
around has been from time to time covered with
a perfect sea of liquid fire. Attached to the
hermitage there is a sanctuary containing an
altar and the shrine of the saint whose remains
lie beneath.

We- remained here for an hour, as Professor

TFIEKE IS A RAILWAY TO THE TOP, HIT OUK DESIKE V.

From a Photo, by Dr. Z. E. Birasky.

EED ON FOOT.

LOST IN VESUVIUS.

Blondel wished to make some investigations.
I should explain that on account of the com-
manding position of this ridge, and its com-
parative immunity from danger, it has an
observatory, built by the King of Naples, for

' AN OBSERVA1 O

Front a Photo, by]

DV THE KING OF NAPLES FOR THE STUDY OF VOLCANIC

PHENOMENA.

the purpose of facilitating the study and obser-
vation at close quarters of volcanic and earth-
quake phenomena. In this observatory there
is a collection of the minerals found around
Vesuvius, and this museum is shown to visitors
by an intelligent and obliging custodian.

After this stay we commenced the ascent of
the cone itself. This is the most difficult and
laborious part of the whole climb— the looseness
of the rough, angular lava masses, and the
consequent uncertainty of footholds causing
great fatigue. With the assistance and encour-
agement of the guides, however, coupled with
constant exertion on our own part, we were at
length enabled to reach the terrace at the
summit. We were greatly excited by the
proximity of the mouth of the volcano and the
deeply interesting phenomena we were about to
witness. So, naturally, in spite of the warnings
of the guides, Professor Blondel pressed on to
make the ascent of the new cone, and gain the
very edge of the crater.

From this crater arose columns of vapour
charged with sulphurous fumes. Stones and

cinders of most irregular and various sizes were
also discharged with loud subterranean noises
almost every minute. These stones and cinders
rise to a great height almost perpendicularly ;
and if there is not much wind, the greater
number of them fall back
again into the crater. As
the vapour emerges from the
sides of the pit it deposits
sulphur and various salts,
these covering the surround-
ing surface with variously
and beautifully coloured in-
crustations.

Notwithstanding the oft-
repeated warnings of the
guides, I followed Professor
Blondel up the new cone,
and gained with difficulty
the edge of the crater ; then
together we peered into the
terrible interior of the vol-
cano. I shall never forget
the sight — words utterly fail
me to describe adequately
the strange and awful scene
that presented itself to my
view. Rolling clouds of
dense white fumes were
seen covering the bottom
and almost hiding from
sight the sides ; while, from
the more distant part of the
fiery and mysterious abyss,
the cinders and stones
before-mentioned were discharged with thunder-
ous roars. No flames were to be seen, but on
looking down the fumes were found to be
illuminated as if by a colossal fire beneath.

On the opposite side of the crater the lava
was in a liquid state, and vapour was rising
from its glowing surface. The Professor, after
examining closely and with great interest
everything around us, wanted me to accompany
him close to the liquid lava, but I firmly declined
to do so, for to me the sight of it was awful
enough without closer inspection. Heedless of
the counsel of the guides, who strenuously
advised him not to go — pointing out that the
lava was in a molten state, and that he might
slip and fall into it— Professor Blondel per-
sistently determined to proceed, and actually
started off. At the last moment one of the
guides caught hold of him and passionately urged
him not to attempt so foolhardy an adventure,
adding that he and his fellow-guides, as natives
of the district, knew the frightful danger which
was before him, and felt sure he would perish
in the attempt. And yet, in spite of these

[Dr. Z. E. Birasky.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

JD^

:• THEK WE PEERED INTO THE TERRIBLE INTERIOR OF THE VOLCANi
(, A --NAP-SHOT NOW POSSESSING A MOURNFUL INTEREST — GUIDES
TING OUT THE DANGER TO THE DOOMED MAN.)

From a Photo, by Dr. Z. E. Birasky.

entreaties and my protests, Blondel positively
declined to abandon the attempt, and would
not be dissuaded.

•' He is going to certain death," said the
guide who had addressed himself to me. " I
would stake all I possess that this unfortunate
r will never return alive. Such a crazy
adventure I have never heard of in all my
mountaineering experience. My companions,"
he added, " join me in repudiating any re-
sponsibility for what your friend is doing." As
for me, I was in a perfect agony of terror and
helplessness. Professor Blondel was still pro-
ceeding, so I shouted out to him imploring him
to return and not risk his life in such a mad
attempt. I now felt certain the lava was too
liquid on that side to support his weight. To
my cries, however, he never responded, but
-sed forward eagerly.

I cannot well describe how I fei1 at this time.
Nothing that I could do would stop the doomed
man. And such a hideous death .... crash-
ing through the treacherous crust, not into icy
water, but into living fire !

Anxiously I followed M. Blondel's every step
through my glass until he had reached the very
edge of the crater. By this time he appeared
to be extremely fatigued, and was advancing
slowly along the edge, until at last he approached
the smooth, recently-formed lava, in which I
felt sure he would sink, the surface being too
soft to bear him. Still keeping my eyes fixed

upon him fascinated, I thought I should lose
my reason. I wanted desperately to call out
again to urge him to come back, but I was
quite unable to do so. My throat was
parched and contracted from the agony of
that awful scene. I could only murmur that
poor Blondel was lost — lost ! As I stood
there helplessly, with all my limbs trembling
in deadly fear, you may judge of the ghastly
shock I sustained when I saw the unfortu-
nate man sink slowly into the fiery lava, from
which there was no possible escape. He
uttered no sound that I could hear. I can,
as I write this, see him as it were again
before me, as he clasped his hands in horror
and despair, and made desperate efforts to
extricate himself. He appeared to call for
assistance to help him out of the great
expanse of liquid fire — but, alas ! — all was in
vain. He gradually sank beneath its dread
surface, and was swallowed up like a stone
that is thrown into deep water.

This heart-rending scene, which lasted
only a few minutes, seemed positively to
paralyze my faculties. I did not know
what to do for some time. All my senses
seemed to leave me, and I could not move
from the spot whence I had witnessed my
dear friend sinking into the sea of fire. My
thoughts ran on what he must have suffered in
those last moments, and how the unfortunate
man should have turned back as he found the
vapours grow more suffocating and the lava
more treacherously soft.

I see again before me that joyful and
courageous Blondel who had yielded up his life
in scientific pursuits. For, of course, he would
never have gone to the other side of the crater
but for his determination to make some
meteorological examinations — to carry out his
original plans upon which he had started. He
had set his mind on solving some problem, and
no risk was great enough to deter him. Poor
Blondel !

After this terrible disaster, and as soon as I
had recovered myself a little, I hastened to
make the descent of Vesuvius, leaving for ever
in its bottomless pit the remains of my poor
friend. Then, taking at the foot of the mom. tain
the road leading to Naples, I made my way to
the hotel with all possible speed, and there
found awaiting me the refreshments ordered by
my late companion. I was, of course, too
distracted to eat, and hastened to telegraph to
the family of the late Professor what had
befallen him. Returning to the hotel, I packed
my luggage and returned home by the midnight
train.

Some Stanley Relics, and Why They are Prized.

By J. Reed Wade.

The renowned Central African Explorer here permits his private relics to be photographed and

described for the first time. There is something interesting about each of these historical trifles,

and Mr. Stanley himself tells us what it is in each case. Photos, by the writer.

jT is now nearly thirty years ago that
.Mr. H. M. Stanley (now Sir Henry
M. Stanley), then practically un-
known, was told by Mr. Gordon
Bennett to find David Livingstone.
The story of his expedition into the heart of
Africa in search of the Doctor, and its success
and his subsequent expeditions — these things
are too well known to most of our readers to
need re-telling here.

The relics of these expeditions — necessarily
numerous and of great interest — now rest in glass
cases in Mr. Stanley's museum, and it is owing
to his kindness and courtesy that we have been
enabled to reproduce, for the first time, these
priceless treasures around which so many
memories, both pleasant and terrible, are
entwined.

Perhaps the object Mr. Stanley prizes most of
all in the collection is the Consular cap which
belonged to Dr. Livingstone. This cap forms
the subject of our first illustration. There it is,
just as Livingstone wore it at Ujiji (save for the
label, pasted on for exhibition purposes) when
his faithful attendant, Susi, told him that a white
man was approaching. This indeed is the very

cap he raised in response to Mr. Stanley's well-
known salutation, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
In colour it is of a bluish tint, and is lined with
silk ; the faded gold lace band, symbolizing his
office, can just be discerned in the photograph.
In order to preserve this relic as long as possible
the cap is kept plentifully besprinkled with moth
powder. In spite of all efforts, however, it will
be observed that at the back of the cap some

sacrilegious moths have already made more than
one disastrous meal.

Hardly less interesting is the flag next repro-
duced. This Egyptian flag was carried at the

% "&

THIS EGYPTIAN FLAG WAS MADE BY MK. STANLEY AND CARRIED
AT THE HEAD OF THE EMIN PASHA RELIEF EXPEDITION.

head of the expedition for the relief of Emin
Pasha, by special permission of the late Nubar
Pasha, the then Prime Minister; the object of
the expedition being the rescue of Egyptians.
The natives of the country through which the
expedition was to pass, recognising this flag as
a symbol of authority, feared to molest them ;
but had they carried any other ensign they
would probably have met with hostility.

It will be noticed from the photo, that, save
for the edge, the flag is intact and unmutilated by
spear or bullet, although it has travelled many
thousands of miles through all sorts of country
— this in itself proving the protection the
banner afforded the expedition. Its edge is
simply frayed by continual flapping in the wind.
It is an interesting fact that Air. Stanley cut out
the stars and crescent himself, and stitched
them on- to a piece of red cloth — surely an
admirable piece of work for a member of the
sterner sex, whom few would suspect of dexterity

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

with the needle Indeed, Mr. Stanley became
quite adept in the use o( needle and thread—
a fact which is fully established by cur next

illustration.

The cap shown here was actually made by the

MR. SI

OF TENT CLOTH.

sun,

into
the
tilt-

HOW

MR.

STANLEY CONVERTED HIS REVOLVER INTO A GUN
STOCK FORMED PART OF HIS BOAT.

intrepid explorer himself when in the Great
Forest of Africa. He found that the helmet
which he had worn up to that time, and which
was in too dilapidated a condition to be used
any longer, impeded
his taking a quick F — : —
aim at any animal or i -
bird which passed
his track. As soon as
he raised his arm to
fire, the peak at the
back of the helmet,
made for protecting
the neck from the
heat of the
would come
contact with
shoulder-blade,
ing the helmet over his eyes just as he was
about to take aim, and frequently causing him
to miss his mark. He, therefore, made the
sun cap reproduced, which, of course, has no
back peak. The cap is composed of a piece
of tent cloth, and is lined with beaten-
out fibre from the calabash, forming an
excellent shield from the sun's rays ; the
visor, of course, being taken from another
old cap.

A bulldog revolver and two knives
were the weapons Mr. Stanley carried
personally, his rifle and elephant gun
being borne by native porters. The
revolver, which we reproduce next, has
an interesting history. When fired, the
recoil from this weapon was so great that,
at a greater distance than thirty yards, it
was found impossible to aim accurately.
This was a great drawback, and Mr.
Stanley, therefore, set to work to steady the
revolver in someway. That "necessity

is the mother of invention" he had many oppor-
tunities of proving, notably in this instance.
Detaching a portion of his mahogany boat, the
Alice Mary — part of section 3, as will be seen
from the photograph — he shaped it like a gun-
stock, and screwed the piece on to the handle of
the revolver, converting that troublesome little
weapon into what looks like a small rifle ; a
very simple but effective device for surmounting
his difficulty. With this butt-end arrangement
Mr. Stanley found he could bring anything
down at a distance of eighty yards, which, of
course, was a great improvement upon thirty
yards without the appendage. Strapped to his
shoulder and hanging at his side, the revolver
became a very useful weapon, leaving his right
hand free to make use of his staff. The con-
ception of fastening a butt-end on to a revolver
is an old idea now ; it was not so, however,
when Mr. Stanley used the device in the Great
Forest. The idea was, in fact, entirely his own ;
he knew he had to steady his revolver some-
how, and after careful thought he succeeded,

as We have shown.
~---i The great ex-

plorer's two knives
form the subject of
our next picture.
The larger of the
two was carried fas-
tened to his belt,
and was used for
cutting a passage
through the under-
growth of the forest,
or for lopping off the
offending bough of
a tree ; the smaller one — presented to him,
by the way, by a Queen's Messenger — was
used as a kind of handy knife for anything
and everything which might need cutting or
severing.

LARGER OV THES2 TWO KNIVES MK. MAN
PASSAGE THROUGH THE UNDERGROWTH OF

THE GREVr FOREST.

SOME STANLEY RELICS, AND WHY THEY ARE PRIZED.

The cartridge next reproduced is a specimen
of the missile used for penetrating the hide of
elephants. The half-crown which is photo-
graphed by its side will give the reader a fair
idea of its size. The leaden bullet weighs
about three ounces, yet Mr. Stanley relates
how on one occasion he hit an elephant three
times in succession with similar projectiles, and
then failed to secure his quarry ; the animal

THIS WATER-BOTTLE ALWAYS HUNG AT MR. STANLEY
OFTEN FAILED HIM ON THIRSTY DAYS.

THE EXPEDITION WAS KEPT IN MEAT BY THESE SHOTS.
THE HALF-CROWN SHOWS THE RELATIVE SIZES.

escaping

meat pnnci-

into the dense bush, probably only
to die there from loss of blood.

The expedition was kept in
pally by what fell to these shots.
The elephant rifle, or "little can-
non," as it was termed by the
natives, and with which these
terrible bullets were fired, was, of
course, very heavy, and it was no
easy task to fire it accurately. Mr.
Stanley, however, got so used to it,
that during one month he secured
fifty-seven blue and water buck by
its aid, not to mention smaller
animals. One of the missiles
shown was sufficient to kill any-
thing from a buffalo downwards ;
elephants sometimes requiring a
second shot.

the expedition,

ever thought of

a day's hunting

medicines ; indeed, he would

of leaving his rifle behind.

tired after a hard day"s work, what

easier than to catch a chill whilst

Whilst with
no white man
going out for
little stock of
as soon think
Hot and
could be

THE POCKET MEDIC

MR. STANLEY TOOK

ONLY THE SIZE O

without his

The bottles could be refilled, of couise, when
empty, each phial holding about twenty to thirty
tabloids. The little tablet shown is presumably
for writing down prescriptions or notes.

The water-bottle depicted above always hung
at Mr. Stanley's side. As will be seen from the
photograph, it has been covered
with a piece of cloth— not by
Mr. Stanley himself this time, but
by his native boy Saleh. This
was done to keep the heat of the
sun from evaporating the water.
In spite of this, however, Mr.
Stanley has many a time gone to
it in order to slake his thirst,
only to find the bottle empty !

Not only water did they lack
on occasion, but food also. Daring
the march through the Great
Forest they absolutely ran out
of all food, subsisting on berries
and wood-beans — in fact, any-
thing eatable which they could
find. Hence the interest attach-
next illustration, which shows a
wood-bean, the half-crown piece being photo-
graphed by its side in order that the reader

INE-CHEST Willi. I
WITH HIM. IT IS
F A CARD-CAsP.

ing to our

resting? And then fever would probably ensue,
as it does in nearly every case, whether the
trouble be sunstroke, dysentery, or chill ; and the
hunter, unable to crawl home in such a condi-
tion, would in all probability die in the forest.
Provided with medicine, however, he would be
able to allay or perchance prevent the fever.
Our next illustration shows Mr. Stanley's little
pocket medicine-chest. It is about the size of
an ordinary card-case, the medicines being made
up in doses in the form of tabloids, a large
number of which were taken by the expedition.

Vol. iv -13

DURING THE MARCH THROUGH THE GREAT FOREST THEY RAN

OUT OF FOOD, AND HAD TO LIVE ON WOOD-BEANS LIKE THIS.

(HALF-CROWN ON LEFT.)

may compare their relative sizes,
name is the " makweme," and it grows in pods,
four ans in each pod. o\ about loin. long,
an is very plentiful in the forest, and,
being an inch thick, is fairly substantial. It
has ^ i. dove coloured skin, which when

scraped away a hint, by the way, given them
v woman whom they happened to
the bean may be mashed, bruised,
or boiled whole. On account of its tough,
iery nature, however, the bruising method
usually adopted. When these beans, which
wen ist satisfying, were not forthcoming,

Mr. Stanley and his men had to fall back upon
such various kinds of berries as they could find.
. when nothing of even tins sort was to be
procured they had to consume white ants, slugs,
era!-, tortoises, and roast field rats— an experi-
ence surely terrible enough to turn any man's
hair white in the course of three years.

Hut to turn to a more pleasant subject. Our
next illustration is a photograph of the compass

11 IK WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE

Its native

THIS MR. STANLEYS EXPEDITION THROUGH IHE

IT IS As TRUE NOW AS EVER IT WAS.

The little box of safety matches next repro-
duced has had an eventful career. It was left
at Yambuya with the reserve stock of provisions,
etc., whilst the expedition journeyed farther
down the river, and was subsequently sent on
with other things by canoe. In its course the
canoe filled several times with water, only reach-
ing the expedition after some months. The next
adventure undergone by the matches was to
be upset in the Great Forest, and being valuable
they were, of course, scrupulously picked up and
replaced, and when needed were found to strike
quite properly. After the return of the expedi-
tion the remaining matches, together with the
box (which is of the kind sold in London streets
at six boxes for a penny), were duly installed
amongst the Stanley relics as champion long-
distance travellers — at anv rate, as far as a box
and matches are concerned.

Our next picture shows the three whistles with
which Mr. Stanley called his followers together.
The whistle to the left was given to the explorer
by a friend, an officer, and has engraved upon it
the words, "Oh, blow such kind of walking."
This mysterious inscription, the existence of
which Mr. Stanley was not even aware until it
was pointed out to him after his return, is a

which guided the expedition through the (beat
st of Central Africa. Mr. Stanley always
carried this instrument fastened round his neck.
Without it he says it would have been impossible
•netrate the forest. Like a ship in mid-
n without a compass nay, worse, tor the
ship usually has the stars by which to guide her
course — the expedition would infallibly have
been lost. It would have taken a circular route,
always returning to the place from whence it
started. Lvery tree is alike; there is nothing
which could in any way serve as a guide, the trees
themselves turning the most brilliant sunlight
almost to twilight. This compass certainly was
an important factor in the materiel of the
expedition. At one time it was japanned, but
every vestige of the enamel has now disappeared
through constant wear. The compass itself,
however, remains as true as ever it was.

THE THREE WHISTLES WITH Wl
; HER. I HE MIDDLE ONE

Wl EY CALLED HIS MEN
NTED HY MRS. STANLEY.

SOME STANLEY RELICS, AND WHY THEY ARE PRIZED.

IHE EXPLORERS BOOTS AS llll-.VW
THEY HAD BEEN REPAIRED Wl

curiously appropriate one in view of the immense
amount of tedious walking Mr. Stanley accom-
plished.

The police whistle in the centre, presented
to him by Miss Tennant (now his wife), was
only used on special occasions. If, for instance,
news had come to
Mr. Stanley which
he wished to com-
municate with all
possible speed to
his followers he
would blow this par-
ticular whistle ; and
so accustomed did
the natives get to
its sound, that they
could tell exactly in
what sort of mood
their leader was
when he gave the
signal ! If blown
impatiently they
knew that the
sooner they an-
swered by their

presence the better it would be for them ;
whereas, if an ordinary blow were given, they
took their own time and strolled leisurely
towards the appointed meeting-place.

The next illustration is, indeed, an interesting
one. It shows the last pair of boots Mr. Stanley
wore on his expe-
dition, together
with their con-
dition when he
reached civiliza-
tion. Six pairs
were taken, each
made specially
strong in order
the better to re-
sist the tremen-
dous wear and
tear. And the
expedition lasted
over three years,
one pair of boots
wearing out in

about nine months when travelling over ordinary
paths. This pair, however, did not last anything
like that time. They had to be used whilst Mr.
Stanley was travelling from Stanley Falls to the
coast. By far the greater part of this journey
had to be made over rocky ground, by leaping

from boulder to
boulder and scram-
bling over sharp
rocks — which, as
will be clearly seen
from the photo., is
a bad thing for
boots. The sole is
completely gone
from the farther
boot, and in the near
one it is fastened to
the boot with pieces
of trade wire ; the
patch covering a
rent in its side being
made out of a por-
tion of sail-cloth
taken from the in-
flatable pontoon
which was used during the expedition.

Our concluding illustration is interesting inas-
much as it shows what strides civilization has
made of late years in Africa. This little book,
presented to Mr. Stanley by a missionary, was
printed at Lukolela. in Central Africa, entirely

by the natives,
and in the lan-
of the
Congo
The mis-
sionary wished to
show Mr. Stanley
that the people
with whom he
once fought were
already giving up
their evil ways
for more peaceful
pursuits. It cer-
tainly is an ad-
mirable piece of
native work.

ERE WHEN HI-; REACHED CIVILIZATION
I'll SAIL-CLOTH AM) 1 RADE tt IRE.

guage

Upper

tribes.

A SIGN OF PROGRESS

THE FKIN'TED BOOK PRESENTED TO MR. SlA.NLliY BY
A MISSIONARY ON THE CONGO.

A Doctor in the Wilds.

\\\ Col. F. T. Pollok.

Colonel Pollok's missionary host first relates some hunting adventures, and then tells how a

desperately-wounded Masai warrior was brought to him to be cured. And if the missionary medico

failed to effect a cure, the whole mission station was to be wiped out !

IN one o\ my wanderings in East
Africa, about two days' journey
inland from Mombasa, I found
myself on the top of a range of
hills. Hert was a mission-bouse,
in which a lay missionary resided with bis wife
and family. Me very kindly allowed me and
my follower- to sleep in a portion of the bouse

too — three of them in the heart of the town of
Mombasa ! He wouldn't shoot one there now !
We used to sit outside and chat of an evening,
and as I was new to that part of Africa, and
also an ardent sportsman, I never tired of asking
my host questions, which he was ever ready to
answer.

" You were at Mpwapwa, were you not ? " I

From a]

Tilt AUTHOR IN EAST AE-'KICA — COLONEL POLLOK IS RECLINING ON THE I I

[Photo.

set apart for the daily services, but we had to
clear out each day at 6 a.m., at which hour
service was carried on by the incumbent in a
native dialect, which neither I nor my comrades
understood. However, as we left at daylight
;am the jungle in search of game, and did
not return until the evening, that entailed no
inconvenience on us.

I found the pastor a gentleman and a man of
culture — an M.D. of Edinburgh and London —
who, out of pure philanthropy, had volunteered
his services as lay brother to the East African
M ^ion. He was a powerful, determined-look-
ing man, a great athlete, and a first-rate shot. He
was very fond of natural history, and possessed
many specimens of rare birds and some very
small antelope. He had shot a good many lions,

inquired. " I am told there is good sport to be
had there."

" Yes," replied my host. " A friend of mine
was tossed by a buffalo, there ; and, if you like
to hear the details, I'll relate them as nearly in
his own words as I can."

" Pray do so," I replied.

Accordingly, my host, lighting a fresh cheroot,
commenced: "About six months after my
adventure with the lions in Mombasa, I was
ordered off" to Mpwapwa (which was then one
of our principal stations in this part of Africa — ■
that was before it was bonded over to Germany),
where there was a good deal of sickness just
then. Although I hurried over the ground, as
I was anxious to get to my destination, I had
'1 snort en route. And I had one rather

A DOCTOR IN THE WILDS.

IOI

narrow escape. I had knocked down an oryx,
and, on going up to cut its throat, the antelope
sprang up suddenly and prodded at me with his
long, sharp horns. So sudden was his attack,
that he managed to knock the rifle out of my
hand, and one horn actually went through my
waistcoat sideways, grazing the flesh. I seized
him by both horns, however, and then we had a
tussle, I can tell you. Fortunately, I was
tolerably strong in the arms, for I was given to
athletics and boating in my college days, and do
a little gymnastics even now, whenever I get the
chance. I was in prime condition and hard as
nails on this occasion. The poor brute, though
as big as a pony, was severely wounded, and
had lost much blood, or the encounter might
have ended very differently. After a tough
struggle — which lasted, I should say, for nearly
five minutes — I succeeded in throwing him over
on his side. Then, kneeling down, I got one

round Mpwapwa is a high table-land. It is a
lovely country, with every diversity of forest and
prairie. Our hunting - ground was from two
to three miles off. It was about 4 p.m. when
our friend started. Our dinner hour was
seven. As he did not return, we waited till
eight, and then, fearing some accident had
happened, we went in the direction he had
indicated. Taking with us some boys with
torches, we searched for ever two hours, every
now and then firing off 0uns, but we got no
reply of any sort ; and it was nearly midnight

before we came across poor B , more dead

than alive. He was in a truly shocking condition,
and unable to articulate. We made a stretcher
and carried him home, where for three weeks he
hovered between life and death. At last, thanks
to'a good constitution, sober habits, and an all-
powerful Providence, he began to mend ; but it
was nearly six weeks before he was able to relate

", *»

c v

AFTER A TOUGH STRUGGLE I SUCCEEDED IN THROWING HIM OVER ON HIS SIDE.

knee on to his head, and having my right arm
free, I soon put him out of his misery with my
shikar knife.

" I had been at Mpwapwa about two months,
and some of us generally went out daily to get
game for the larder ; we seldom came back

empty-handed. One day B took his

smooth-bore, saying he had heard guinea-fowl
calling in a nullah not far off, and that he would
try and secure a brace or two. The country

what had happened. I may say here that we
knew from the marks on his body, and an ex-
amination of the ground next day, that he had
been mauled by a buffalo.

" I could not leave my patient, but two of our
party took up the trail and, after following the
brute a long way, came up with him. He proved
to be a solitary bull. They came upon him
suddenly, and after a stubborn fight killed him.
They brought home the head as a present for

io:

THE \\'11>I<; WORLD MAGAZINE.

B . It is one o\ the finest 1 have ever

n, the hums at the broadest part measuring
5 1 in. and very thick. Our injured friend gave
the following account of his adventure : —

" • After leaving you,' he said. ' I took a broad
path to the north-west, and followed it for about
two miles. 1 had seen only a small antelope or
two, for there is seldom anything bigger so near
the station. I had ball cartridges in my pocket.
my gun was loaded with No. 4 shot only.
The nullah I told you of was then about half a
mile oil. and 1 was walking quietly along the
narrow pathway, skirted with longish grass, when
I heard footsteps behind me. and had only
partially turned round, when, without the slightest
warning, 1 was tossed high into the air and
flung to a considerable dis-
tan There were no

preliminaries (exciting or
otherwise) such as one
reads about. Of course I
was much shaken, but no
bones were broken, nor

- I wounded. Had I
lain quiet, I have no doubt
I should have escaped
further injury : but. in the

itement of the moment,
I jumped up to recover
my gun — only, however, to
find a fiend in the shape
of a buffalo of the largest
size down upon me again.
This time the monster
severely wounded me, and
threw me with great vio-
lence. Following me up
closely, he thrust his huge
horns forward, and rolled
me backwards and for-
wards, mauling me dread-
fully. I did not lose con-
sciousness, but remained
as quiet as I could, feign-
ing death. I was afraid
he would kneel on me and
knead me to a jelly : in-
deed, twice he essayed to
do so, but seemed to
change his mind each time.

It was dreadful to feci the hot breath from his
nostrils, and see his diabolical eyes glaring at
me only a few inches off.

" ' Having rolled me about, the buffalo presently
stood still and eyed me suspiciously. He then
walked off a few paces and paused. Whether I
unwittingly moved a limb, I know not, but that
fearful brute rushed back again and tossed me
as though I had been a rag doll. Never can I

hope to describe the stunning thrust of the
powerful horn, the giddy sensation of flying
through the air, and the final crash as my poor
maimed body struck the earth. This time I
lost consciousness, and knew nothing more until
I found myself here in bed.' "

"What a perfectly miraculous escape!" I
exclaimed, as the doctor concluded the story of
his friend.

" Yes," he replied ; " but after I married, and
my wife and I went to live at a solitary station
of the mission, I think we had an even narrower
escape from those mighty warriors, the Masai.
The people of the surrounding country were all
communicants. We had built a large chapel,
and it was daily well attended. The inhabitants

mt -

C K

HAVING KOI. LED .ME ABOUT, THE BUFFALO PRESENTLY STOOD STILL AND EYED .ME

SI SPICIOl SLY.''

had few cattle, and there was nothing to attract
the Masai to that district. Besides, we were
far away from any of their usual haunts. Y'et
one morning these dreaded warriors rushed into
the villages, killing men, women, and children
in the most appalling manner. The few who
escaped the first rush fled to us for protection,
but were followed very quickly by the relentless
savages. Our first child was then but a month

A DOCTOR IN THE WILDS.

103

living

amongst

old, and my wife barely convalescent. Imagine
my horror and despair when I found we were
completely in the power of these dreadful savages,
who had never been known to spare a soul. I
had my battery at hand, and although I did not
value so much my own life, I was determined
to defend my family to the utmost of my power.
At the same time, I knew that unless a Higher
Power intervened, we wTere as good as dead ;
for what could one man do against a horde of
bloodthirsty Masai ? I had but little time to
think, however. I fastened the doors of an
inner room as well as I could upon my wife
and child, and then, with my guns lying on
the floor close to my feet and covered over
with a mat, I sat with a small table in front
of me in the veranda, which was raised
about a foot and a half off the ground.
Had we had secure fastenings to our doors
and windows, I should have barricaded the
house and fought it out ; but
the more simple Africans, we
had acquired a sense of security,
and our frail doors and windows
had neither shutters, bolts, nor
bars. Indeed, there was no need
for them, living as we did, and
trusting our people. In the
ordinary way there was much
greater danger to be apprehended

than from men

A few minutes
after the first attack, a crowd of
fugitives came running up the
hill-path which led to our house,
closely followed by the Masai.*
It is impossible to describe with
accuracy the savage appearance
of these blood-stained monsters.
Hideously ugly naturally, they
adorn their persons with every
device that can make them look
still more repulsive. The extra-
ordinary fringe of feathers that
envelops their ugly countenances ;
the loose monkey skin, which,
fastened by a string of beads
round the throat, lies across the
back, swaying to and fro with
every movement of the body ;
their huge naked limbs, the
great spear and shield, and the
short sword carried at the waist

in a leather belt, with a formidable knob-
kerry ; and the bits of feathery skin tied below
the knee which fly out as they trot along — all
these render the Masai the most terrifying of
human beings.

" Two or three of the poor villagers were
speared and killed in front of where I sat, and
my blood boiled at my own impotence. But
for my wife and child I would have shot d^own
some of the savages where they stood, regard-
less of the consequences to myself. As it was,
I was obliged to sit still, quivering with rage and
horror, my revolver grasped tightly in my hand
and resting on my knees just under the ledge of
the table. Suddenly one of the chiefs, a giant
in stature, with blood dripping from the blade
of his spear, sprang into the veranda, and
with upraised weapon stood glaring at me,
not a yard off. We were both, I believe,
within an ace of death. Had he moved forward
but an inch I should have shot him dead,

from wild beasts
in that region.

* This strongly recalls the scene preceding
the massacre of the missionaries— Mr. and
Mrs. Houghton— by the Masai, as related in
our May number by Mr. Walter Bone, now
residing in Sydney. Mr. Bone afterwards
visited the Masai country to inquire into the
dreadful affair.

c-k;-

CHIEFS SPRANG INTO THE VERANDA, AND WITH LT'KAlsED WEAPON
STOOD CLARIM, AT ME, NUT A YARD OFF."

io4

THE WIDE WORLD MAC. AX INK.

and been myself instantly speared by his
numerous followers. Controlling my feelings,
how aking in one of the native

dialects, 1 said, ' Well, chief, what is the
matter? Sit down and tell me what brings you
here, where there are no cattle and only a

mleSS people.' He appeared to understand
what I said, but spoke so rapidly in return that
I could not follow him. Lowering his spear.
lie again addressed me, this time more slowly,
and 1 made out a part o\ what he said. We

I, it appeared, a girl in the mission who had
formerly been a slave among the Masai, and
- ':ie chief asked for her, I called out to my
to >end her to me at once. In the mean-
while the slaughter had ceased, and the warriors
now assembled in great numbers in front of
the house, and even in the veranda itself.

• The poor girl presently came out, trembling

but did not care about the latter, as he could not
understand it. 'If you are a great medicine
man,' said he, 'attend without delay to one of
our principal men, who has been severely injured
I iv a buffalo. If you can cure him, we will go
away and never again molest this part of the
country, nor allow anyone else to do so.'

" ' Where is he ? ' I inquired ; ' send for the
sick man.' So saying I called out to my wife,
telling her that she need not be afraid, but
might show herself and the baby. I also told
her to collect our servants and get a room
ready for the expected patient. I then quietly
pocketed the revolver, removed the guns and
rifles from beneath the mat, and got together
my medical instruments and appliances.

" About a quarter of an hour later a warrior was
carried in, in a sort of native blanket, and I laid
him down on the camp-cot and examined him

'I LAID THE WARRIOR DOWN ON THE CA.MI'-COT, AND EXAMINED HIM MOST CAREFULLY.'

all over, and no doubt thinking he'- last hour
had come. However, on seeing me sitting
n quietly and unharmed, she became a little
more tranquil, and proceeded at my request
to interpret the interview. The chief then
demanded what I was doing there. I told him
I was a medicine man, who administered not
only to the body but also to the soul. He said
he could appreciate my usefulness in the former,

most carefully. I found a compound fracture of
the thigh ; several ribs and a collar-bone broken,
and the body generally not only punctured in
several places, but practically one vast bruise. A
worse case I never sawr, and as the wounds
were several days old, I was afraid gangrene
had, or would very soon, set in. I thought that
in order to save the life of my savage patient I
should have to amputate the broken leg close

A DOCTOR IN THE WILDS.

!°5

to the hip ; but when I suggested this, the
patient and his comrades grew furious, and
promptly denounced me as an impostor. ' What
use,' they asked, ' would a warrior be with only
one leg, even supposing he survived the
disastrous operation ? '

" The savages now became very threatening in
their language and manner, when my suggestions
were interpreted. May the sympathies of the
respectable London family practitioner be with
me ! — for surely a doctor never had so amazing
a ' kill or cure ' case, so there was nothing for
it but to do the very best I could for the
desperately wounded man, and then trust to
Providence. I desired all the Masai but two to
retire, and before they went they promised a
truly embarrassing truce. No man, woman, or
child among our people was to be injured while
the ivounded chief lived ! If I couldn't save him,
however, we would all be wiped out. That was
exactly the situation. In the meantime they
appropriated the few cattle the villagers had, and
feasted on them. My milch cow they spared,
as we told them it was required for the baby.
Turning to the patient on whom so much
depended, I reduced the fracture, bound the
man up secundum artet/i, washed his sores with
diluted carbolic acid, and did all I possibly
could. Then, giving him a mild opiate, I
enjoined the greatest quietness and left Nature to
do the rest. Now, although these Masai live on a
meat diet exclusively, they are abstemious in
every other respect, and taking, as they do, an
immense deal of exercise, they are naturally
healthy and hardy. In a week my patient was
decidedly better, and if the improvement went
on, I hoped to save not only his life but his
limbs also. But it was an anxious time, as you
may suppose. My wife attended on the savage
assiduously, and fed him like a child. At first
he objected to any diet but that to which he had
been accustomed — that is to say, great pieces of
half-cooked beef. But beef was scarce with us.
We seldom tasted it, and lived mostly on dried
amelope meat, which I either shot or purchased
from the village shikarees. We fortunately had

just at this time a large stock of meat, as I had
lately been unusually lucky in bagging a lot of
deer and two buffaloes. Out of this store we
made the strongest extract we could, and per-
suaded the sick man to take it. His progress
was rapid and splendid. After ten days or a
fortnight the greater part of his tribe, finding
him doing so well, left our country — to my un-
speakable relief— promising that we should not
be molested again.

" In a month all but two had left ; one was a
brother of the chief who had threatened me on
the day of the raid, and the other some relation
of the wounded man. At the end of another
month even these two left, asking when I thought
the invalid would be able to get about again.
I told them in about six weeks or two months
more, and they promised to return then. They
had noticed my fondness for natural history
specimens, whether dead or alive, and when
they did come back they actually brought with
them (carried by people whom they had forced
to act as porters) quite a small menagerie of
birds and beasts, and also a lot of horns. Some
of these I have been able to send home by men
of the mission going back to England for a
change of climate, but I have several rare birds,
especially two live eagles, which I think are new
to science, and which I greatly prize. It is,
however, very difficult to get them food, as they
will touch nothing but fresh raw meat, which is
not always obtainable."

I told the good doctor I should be going
home shortly and would, with pleasure, take
charge of anything for him.

" But what became of the wounded man,"
I asked ; " and did the Masai keep their
promise ? "

" The chief got quite well," was the reply ; " he
had a slight limp, but it was scarcely perceptible,
and so grateful was he for my treatment and the
care bestowed upon him by my wife, that he
presented her with the full-dress costume worn
by a Masai chief of the highest rank, together
with all his implements of war. You can see
the whole 'harness ' hanging over there."

Vol

iv.- 14.

Odds and Ends,

The photographs reproduced in this section are selected as representing the highest standard of interest
and remarkableness. They are the pick of thousands received from all parts of the earth.

V THE DEI
LL WAS

IRE— SK1K 1'S 11' F< il
From a Photo.

fJORSKS IN
CHARGING.

DROPPED, SO AS TO

From a]

i THE THICK QUILTED COTTON SKIRTS ARE

PROTECT THE HOUSES' LEGS FROM SI'EAR-
THRUSTS. [Photo.

1 RST of all this month we have
two photographs, taken at Assouan,
Egypt (First Cataract of the Nile),
of a horse in a Dervish cavalry
protector. This curious armour was
only worn by Dervish cavalry whilst engaged
in inter -tribal warfare. The rider himself
wore a very thick quilted and coloured cotton
garment, reaching from the shoulders to the feet,
open in the middle, front, and back, to enable
him to mount and dismount with facility. Over
this the Dervish wore a chain-mail shirt reaching
to his hips in order to arrest pointed spears.
Arm-pieces and a shield, together with a helmet,

THING LIKE A ELAZE-

V 36,000-ISARREL TANK OF CRUDE OIL
From a Photo, by A. .)/. Ketchum,

completed his military outfit. The photographs
show the rider's horse protected by a large and
curiously-made garment of the same heavily-
quilted cotton, the thickness being nearly ^in.
— quite enough to render a cut from a sword or
a blow from a hroad spear quite harmless. The
head and breast- of the horse, by the way, are
also covered with metal armour. A fantastic
design of red and white squares has been
adopted in the armour shown in our photos. —
a design at once distinctive and pleasing to the
eye. Loops are provided to enable the skirts to be
drawn up and let down respectively when gallop-
ing and going into action. This rare specimen
is now in an English collection.

What have we got here ? Is it
an earthquake, a tornado coming
up, or what ? Whenever any-
thing extraordinary is happening,
from one end of the States to the
other, you may be sure someone
is there with his camera ; and
someone was certainly " there "
on this occasion. The fact is,
the photo, shows the burning of a
36,000-barrel tank of crude oil,
situated about
5}4 miles to the
south - west of
Findlay City,
Ohio. This tre-
mendous fire was
caused by light-
ning striking the
tank. Fifteen
hours after it was

AFTER IT HAD BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. - ,

Findlay, Ohio. Struck, Mr. A. M.

ODDS AND ENDS.

107

Ketchum, the photographer of Findlay, was on
the spot with business in his eye and a few
plates in his camera. The tank seen to the
right of the vast smoke-cloud is 25ft. high, and
of equal capacity to the one that is burning.

What are these — bathing machines ? No —
listen. The Chinese — the better class, that is

from the central area, and exposed to the ob-
servation of the soldiers who guard the place,
and watch that no one has the least intercourse
with the imprisoned students. Confinement in
this cramped position, where it is impossible to
lie down, is exceedingly irksome, and is said to
have caused the death of manv old students

THEY ARE NOT BATHING-MACHINES, BUT EXAMINATION-SHEDS AT CANTON— IN THESE THE STUDENTS ARE KEPT IMPRISONED.

From a Photo.

— are perpetually passing examinations in the
hope of being appointed to some fat Civil
Service post which will enable them to acquire
riches. And our photo, shows the Canton
Examination Hall, or Koong Yum, as it is
called. It contains 7,500 cells, each measuring
four feet by three, and high enough to stand
up in. The furniture consists of two boards,
one for sitting on and the other contrived to
serve both as writing-desk and eating- table.
The cells are arranged round a number of
open courts, receiving all their light and air

who were unfit to undergo the fatigue, but who
still enter the arena in the hope of at length
succeeding. The characters on the cells indicate
the particular place for each student.

The curious photo, showing hundreds of
graves will give you some idea of the " prospect "
round about Tientsin, in China. In the distance
you will see men at work on them ; and right
on the horizon the walls of the city itself are
visible. Every year, at a stated time, these
graves are put in order by guilds, which exist
for this very purpose ; and the men in the photo.

E DAP.S OF WHITE TELL THE CHINESE WORLD THAT THE GRAVES OF THE DECEASED

are p.eing cared for. \riwm.

[•111. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

tration, often grow-
to a height of 6ft.
or 8ft., or even
more.
As a bull's excel-
n lence for Spanish

.J^m&tki sporting purposes
depends on the
fierceness of his
temper, it is ob-
vious that he can
only be brought in
to the towns from
his pastures with
all manner of pre-
cautions. The
small hours of the
morning are gene-
rally chosen for the
purpose, when few
people are likely
to be about. Our
photograph represents the departure of some
fierce Andalusian bulls from the pastures between
Cordoba and Seville. The herd may be dis-
cerned grazing in the background. A regular
track has been fenced in all the way to the
outskirts of the town, and along this a body-
guard of horsemen, armed with stout lances,
accompanies the bulls which have been chosen
for the next corrida, or bull-fight, one lead-
ing the way and the others bringing up the
rear. It would be a very dangerous operation
but for the excellent training of the cabeslros or
decoy bulls — long-horned and specially sturdy
animals, two of whom may be noted flanking

. . THE NATIONAL DRINIC OF THE MEXICAN'S, [S OBTAINED FROM THE CACTUS PLANT

From a Photo, by Lorenzo Becerril.

are engaged in this work. On each grave you
will observe a dab of white. This is "joss
gin " : and the patch is equivalent to a prayer
for the departed. It is also a sign that the
departed's grave has been looked after.

Pulque, the national drink of the Mexicans, is
manufactured from the milky sap of the maguey
plant, or cactus, which covers acres upon acres
of ground in the vicinity of all the cities and
towns. In the accompanying photograph we
see a Mexican drawing off the sap from the
central leaf bulb into a pig-skin, which, when
full, will be strapped upon the back of the
patient burro in waiting. The pulque is sold in
the market exactly
as obtained from
the plant, and has
then the taste and
appearance of
corn-juice. In the
fermented state,
some two days
old, the pulque is
slightly intoxicat-
ing, and in this
condition is drunk
in enormous quan-
tities by all class
but especially by
the poorer people.
There is a third
variety known as
meschal, which is
a powerful intoxi-
cant. The pulque
plants, as mav be

fOttn fi-/-.rr. n,„;ilnc THIS IS H0W THE FIERCE FIGHTING HULLS OF SOUTHERN SPAIN ARE COAXED FROM THE PASTURES TO

seen irom Our lliUS- From a] the arena. [I'hoto.

>#«&3»«iW.> - MJgF**'

ODDS AND ENDS.

109

each fighting bull. The cabestros are the most
fortunate of all the bulls in Spain, for their lives
are spared and their great intelligence earns for
them the best of treatment. They will keep the
fiercest fighting bull in order and lead him any-
where they may be directed. At the end of the
run to town, they have to lure him into one of
the cages similar to those we see outside the
track. This is always a very ticklish job, and
requires infinite patience. Once inside the cage,
however, the fiery bull is put on to a cart and
driven into the ring, where he remains in the
corral or stables until the hour of the per-
formance.

The perils and difficulties of the winter mail
service in Prince Edward Island, off New
Brunswick, may be realized on glancing at the
accompanying photo. In the early days the

during the rigours of the winter. Her engines
are of such great power as to force her through
ice of almost incredible thickness, and her
prowess herein has to be seen to be understood.
A long continuance of north wind or a heavy
blow from that quarter drives the ice from the
Gulf of St. Lawrence into the Strait of North-
umberland, where, mingling with the ice already
formed there, it becomes so closely packed as
to defy even the engines of the Stanley. On
more than one occasion, indeed, she has been
caught and imprisoned for more than a wTeek.
Hence, when the Stanley fails, another service
has to be resorted to. This is prosecuted by
means of ice-boats which cross between Cape
Travers on the New Brunswick coast and
Cape Tormentine on Prince Edward Island.
These boats are yawls about 14ft. long, built of

THE STRANGE^

/•>-. m a Photo. by\

ICE IN THE Wi

I '.' , ["HE STEEL-SHI >[>
TO THE MAINLAND.

ICE FROM PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

[G. Lewis.

mails were conveyed to Prince Edward Island
by sailing vessels in summer, and in winter by
couriers and ice-boats of a very primitive type.
In 1832 the first steamship was run between the
island and the mainland, and for ten years she
did good service. Many winter-service boats
came after, and serious and numerous were the
mishaps and adventures experienced. But all
these vessels were more or less unsatisfactory.
The advent of the Stanley, however, made so
great a difference in the winter mail service that
to-day she stands forth as the most conspicuously
successful of all the experiments that have been
made in years gone by. Yet even so fine and
powerful a boat as the Stanley cannot be
depended on to make a continuous service

cedar, and placed on runners of steel. For
many years these boats formed the only link
between the island and the outside world during
the winter months. When the passage across
has to be made, the distance is, of course,
greatly increased by reason of the constant flow
of the ice, the rapidity of which, again, depends
on the rate of the tidal current and the velocity
of the wind. The boats are fitted with
hauling ropes, having stout leather belts
at their ends, at a distance apart of from
two to three feet. These belts are thrown
across the shoulders of men, who walk alongside
and pull the boats — a proceeding in which the
male passengers are also glad to have a share, in
order to preserve their animal heat. The time

1 lO

I in: wide world magazine.

. THE SIWASH INDIANS CELEBRATE THE QUEEN S BIRTHDAY BY CANOE KACES.

[Photo.

This American
suggestion of our
own Gog and
Magog was made
in honour of the
Lumbermen's
Union by the
Phoenix Lumber
Co., of Housten,
Texas. The figure
stands 12ft. high,
and is entirely
made of wood —
even the axe being
of the same mate-
rial. The man
seen bearine the
mallet and chisel

transit depends on the condition of the ice
and weather — though, under ordinary circum-
stances, it occupies from four to eight hours.
There are those who profess to enjoy the ice-
boat trip, and the novelty of the journey ; but
it is seldom made without more or less peril ;
and, on more than one occasion, it has even
been attended with downright calamity and
horror. But was ever such extraordinary boat-
ing known as that depicted in our photograph ?
The next photograph reproduced depicts an
Indian canoe race in the Gorge, Victoria, B.C.,
on the occasion of the Queen's Birthday.
Naturally Victoria is always en fete on such
occasions, and makes herculean efforts to
live up to its name and provide for the
entertainment of the many provincial visitors
—not to mention the good friends south of
"the line." Prominent among the outdoor
sports are the bicycle races at the fine Oak
Bay track and the regatta in the Gorge.
At this latter a huge attendance is always
secured. The programme contains com- t
petitions for all types of craft, from the
native "dug-out" to the naval pinnace. To
new-comers, however, the piece de resistance
is undoubtedly the Si wash canoe race, which I
is shown in our illustration. The boats
measure fully 18ft. in length, and are made
from a solid block of cedar or fir, hollowed
out by adze and fire. Each craft is manned

leven paddlers, the hindmost acting as
steersman. Indescribable excitement prevails
during the race, both among the crews and
their tribal supporters on shore. The winners

ve a perfect ovation on passing the
mark, and everybody — including even the
losers— is in the best of good humour.

^ Here we see " Cypress Bill," of Dallas,
Texas— a striking and interesting trophy of
the lumber trade in the Western States.

is the carver and designer of " Cypress Bill,"
while the man with the saw put it together.

At the top of the next page is shown a
remarkable photograph, for which we are
indebted to that distinguished administrator,
the Right Hon. Lord Stanniore, G.C.M.G. It
represents the trial at Bari, in South Italy, of the
Secret Society of Malavita. This was a society
that existed throughout the whole of the South
of Italy, and its members seemed to live as bad
a life as it was possible for them to lead. They
did not go in for very much open brigandage,
but relied principally upon blackmailing, assassi-

Vjl*1-

t*:

• t

-1 " "- •'T--'

------

IS A I.I'M
SCULPTORS

iKR-TRADE TROl'HY OF I).\l.l.\
ARE SEEN AT WORK ON HIM.

{FllotO.

ODDS AND ENDS.

From

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL OF ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MURDERERS IN SOUTH ITALY. [Photo.

nation, and secret murder. Their exploits, how-
ever, became altogether unbearable, and the
authorities took steps to capture the band.
They succeeded in making prisoners of no fewer
than 170 of them. These were removed to Bari,
and during their trial were specially confined in a
couple of huge cages like the one in the photo.
A significant fact about these men was their
extreme youth, for there were only two of them
over thirty years of age. The trial lasted three
weeks, and throughout the whole of the pro-
ceedings the men maintained a most defiant
demeanour. The cages in which
they were imprisoned were always
guarded by gendarmes armed with
rifles. While the trial was going on
at Bari the great feast of St. Nicholas,
the patron saint of the town, and of
that part of the country generally,
was celebrated there. Pilgrimages
were made from all parts of the
country to the shrine of St. Nicholas
at Bari, and one day a very striking
incident was witnessed. The pri-
soners were always marched to the
court manacled to a long chain, and
as they walked along on this par-
ticular day, they presented a most
revolting appearance, shrieking out
all sorts of blasphemous cries and
hurling vengeance upon their captors
and accusers. They bore a striking

resemblance to a
huge centipede ;
and as one stood
watching them
pass through one
of the squares
singingtheir revo-
lutionary songs,
from the opposite
side of the square
approached an-
other procession
of pious pilgrims
singing litanies
and waving
palms. The con-
trast was most
remarkable. The
result of the trial
was that most of
the men were
committed to
prison for vary-
ing terms of
penal servitude.
One man who
had committed
twenty-eight murders got fourteen years, which
was the highest sentence inflicted.

Ouida's charming novel of peasant life,
" Signa," has made the little Tuscan village
bearing that name known to all the world. It
is situated about ten miles from Florence, and
is easily reached by tram. The people of the
neighbourhood are all engaged in the manu-
facture of straw hats, one of the staple industries
of Tuscany ; and our photograph shows a pile
of this head-gear in its preliminary stage, drying
in the sun. The curious cone-like objects seen

TUSCAN STRAW H

AT SIGNA, NEAR FLORENCE.

a Photo.

! 1

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

on the ground, having all
the appearance oi an array
of beehives, constitute the

straw hat as it leaves the
hand of the local plaiter.
In this state they arc sent
away to England and <
where to be pressed into
the Fashionable shapes one
- - in shop windows.

When the noble sav;
becomes a convert to the
civilizing influences of
Christianity, his fervour is
uently positively hys-
terical in its intensity.
N i sacrifice is too great
for him to make, and he
will go to almost any

_;hs to prove his devo-
tion to the new faith.
Unfortunately, however,
his enthusiasm is often
very fleeting, and it re-
quires strenuous efforts
on the part of the patient
missionaries to keep him
from sliding back into the
old bad ways. Here we
see a Solomon Islander
whose admiration for the
missionary has led him to
obtain — probably felo-
niously— an ancient dress-coat, a " pot " hat
that has seen better days, an imposing-looking
Testament, and last, but not least, a dropsical

HOPE OF ACQUIRING HIS VIRTUES.

umbrella of the type be-
loved of Mrs. Gamp.
Thus equipped, the devout
savage fondly imagines
that he is imbued with the
same beneficent powers
as the good missionary,
whose outer garb he has
copied to the best of his
limited ability.

And lastly we see a road
in one of the Western Caro-
line group, in the Pacific.
There is nothing very
remarkable about the
thoroughfare except the
symmetrical border of big
stones. These are coin of
the realm in this benighted
island, and the two lines
of boulders represent —
literally — quite a large
fortune. Surely there was
never a more cumbrous
medium of exchange !
When the native desires
to buy anything, from a
bow and arrow to a wife,
he sticks a long pole
through the hole in
one of his stones, and
staggers off to market
with it. It is easy to
imagine that the completion of a transaction of
any magnitude would necessitate the transfer
of a veritable quarry in miniature.

[Photo.

A ROAD LINED WITH

From a Photo, by]

-WHEN- A CAROLINE ISLANDER WANTS TO BUY ANYTHING, HE CARRIED AWAY SOME

op these stones on a pole. [/. Paine, Sydney.

ALLAN CALLED OUT, ' THIS IS MY DAY ; HAVE NO FEAR— AN V OF YOU.

I AM A MAN.'"

(See page 119.)

The Wide World Magazine.

Vol. IV.

DECEMBER, 1899.

No. 20.

We wish to draw the attention of our readers to a novel "Contents=Map" which is repro=
duced at the back of the frontispiece. It shows at a glance the locality of each article and
narrative, and will henceforth be published every month as a kind of supplementary "Wide
World " Contents. We hope it will prove both interesting and instructive to young and old.

In the Khalifa's

dutches ;
Chains

or, My Twelve Years' Captivity in
in Omdurman.*

By Charles Neufeld.

VI.

EPORTS now reached us that the
Beit el Mai was in sore straits, and
that the Khalifa had already ex-
pressed his intention of reinstating
Wad Adlan if matters did not im-
prove. Then it was that Adlan unbosomed him-
self to me — practically unreservedly. Gradually,
but surely, he gave me to understand that if ever
he was reinstated he would do all in his power to
secure my release ; and he so often told me not
to attempt flight if I were released, that I saw
clearly he meant to assist me. As the Beit el
Mai went from bad to worse Adlan's spirits
rose, and he appealed to me to advise him what
to do in the event of his being reinstated. He
saw that for a time, at least, he should have to
abandon his old policy, and he did not know in
what direction he might have to turn to revive
the fahen fortunes of the State Treasury and
Granary. Trading had been permitted to a
certain extent, so I suggested its extension, but
Adlan would not at first hear of this.

Abdullahi's purpose, he said, was to
keep the Soudan as much a terra
incognita as possible, and the further
opening up of trade routes would
defeat this object. My next suggestion was that
the Beit el Mai should hand over to merchants
gum, ivory, feathers, etc., at a fixed rate, to be
bartered against specified articles required at
Omdurman, which, being received into the Beit
el Mai to be distributed from there, would allow
of its making double profits on the transactions.
At first he scouted the idea, for there was not a
single man whom he could trust ; and if he gave
merchants any goods and they did not return
with the proceeds of their barter, he himself
would be held responsible. It was then that I
suggested he should only advance goods to people

Vol. iv.— 15. * Copyright, 1899, by the International News

The

Khalifas

Ideal.

who had families in Omdurman, which would
insure their returning. Adlan then jumped at the
idea of trading, and said that as soon as his
release came — for he felt sure he would be
released — he would ask the Khalifa to release
me also, so that I might assist him in the work.
Poor Adlan — "man proposes," etc. The first
essential, he told me, was to abandon my
present attitude towards Mahdieh, and offer to
become a Moslem, or at least a make-believe.
I agreed to do so, and Adlan reported to the
Saier, who, in turn, reported to the Kadi, that I
was willing to embrace the faith.

"What!" said the Kadi, "Abdallah
Modern :a- Nofal a Moslem ? No, his hearty is

the old black one ; he is not with
us. He is deceiving ; his brain (head) is still
strong. He is a deceiver, I say ; tell him so
from me." The Kadi had not forgotten my
old discussions with him in the presence of
others, when he perhaps had the worst of it,
and, therefore, he could not forgive me. Fail-
ing my " conversion," he knew that I should
have to suffer the tortures of the Saier, and he
intended that I should suffer them too. Soon
after this, Adlan was released and reinstated in
his old post ; but he sent word that I must be
patient, as he could not speak to the Khalifa
about me until he had got back fully into
favour, and felt himself as "strong " as ever.

I should have mentioned before that, on the
Khalifa asking for designs for the proposed
tomb of the Mahdi, Kadi Hanafi and others
suggested I should prepare drawings in the
hope they would be accepted. In that event,
I should have to be released to see to their
execution. Remembering the old Tombs of
the Caliphs at Cairo, I had little difficulty in
drawing a rough sketch of one, and this I had

Company, in the United States of America.

111 i: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

iKE A CLAY MODEL, AND SPENT
IN MAKING ONE ABOUT TWO FEET UK, 11."

IE Till I l

submitted to Abdullah as being an entirely

original design — a little thing of my own. I

was then told by the Saier to make a clay

model, and spent some three weeks in making

one about 2ft. high. Hundreds came to see

it, but one day it was knocked to pieces by a

umed fanatic, who objected to a "dog of

an unbeliever" designing the tomb of the holy

man.

But from what I learned later, it

thDeeMih'drs %vas on'y kicked to pieces after it
Tomb. )ia(i foeen copied^ Adlan, knowing of

this incident, next sent me word
to prepare designs for the mural decora-
tions of the interior, and I spent some weeks
over these. When they were finished I sent
them direct to the Khalifa, who in turn sent
for Adlan, and told him to make inquiries as
to how long the transfer of the designs to the
walls would take, and also how much the work
would cost. I gave an estimate of sixty days
for the completion of the work. Adlan, on his
part, said the cost would be nil, as he had the
paint in the Beit el Mai.

While these designs were being sketched out
I made preparations for flight as soon after my
expected release as possible ; and having paper
and ink in comparative abundance, I was
enabled to write letters surreptitiously. On
October 12th, 1888, I sent my servant to a
Greek captive, asking him to write me a letter

in Greek to my old friend, Mankarious Effendi,
station-master at Assouan. The original letter
is before me, anil the following is a literal
translation : —

Mr. Neufeld has asked me to write this letter because
Ik- could nut write it himself. You cannot know what a
difficult position he is in. Since he came here he has
been taken twice to the gallows, but
was not hanged, and is still in chains,
and subject to their mercy. He wants
you to take over his business, and to act
forthwith as his agent. He borrowed
from the bearer a hundred medjedie
dollars, which please refund to him, and
give him something for his trouble, also
try and send him back with two hundred
pounds, for which he might buy his
liberty. This letter is to be kept secret,
as there are people who carry all news
here, and if the authorities got to
know anything about it Mr. Neufeld's
condition would grow from bad to
worse.

(Signed) Niroghopoi.o.

I had heard from people

^iphjfp.* wno nad come to Om-

durman of strange doings

in connection with my business,

and in order that my manager

should understand that the letter

was authentic, I also signed it,

also using our cipher for payment of ^200

— jt.r.r.

While in a fever of excitement and anxiety
over the dispatch of these messengers, Adlan
sent me a secret messenger to say that Sulieman
Haroun, of the Ababdeh tribe, who was then
living at Omdurman, was sending his son,
Mohammad Ali, to Cairo. Divining that Adlan
wished me to communicate with Sulieman, I
sent out word that I wished to see him. In a
few days' time he gained admittance to the
prison, and I at once set to business, and asked
him if he would undertake the arrangements for
my escape. This he agreed to do, but only on
condition that I succeeded in getting outside
the prison walls myself. So that he should have
some confidence that I would assist also, I
asked him to call and see Adlan, and I believe
it was Adlan who advanced to Sulieman the
two hundred dollars he brought me, and for
which I gave a receipt for ^100. I gave him a
letter for his son to deliver to my manager at
Assouan, inclosing a receipt for ^100, and an
order for payment of a further ^200. On
receiving the money he was to buy goods,
arrange for relays of camels on his return
journey, and to bring the goods to the Beit el
Mai, where Adlan assured him he would find
me. Mohammad Ali was to leave immediately,
and return to Omdurman at the earliest pos-
sible moment.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

117

r^rrl^r1

Female
Prison
Enclosure

Within a few

Arrange* days of the dlS-

ments- patch of this
m esse n ger,
Moussa Daoud el
Kanaga, also of the
Ababdeh tribe and an
old acquaintance of
mine, came to see me,
and I enlisted his
services. Also I told
him of the other arrange-
ments I had made, and
asked if he would go
partners with Moham-
mad Ali in effecting my
escape. To Kanaga I
gave a letter telling my
manager that I had
drawn against him a
draft for ^200, which
I instructed him to
honour. But, in case of
accidents, I instructed
Kanaga to see Man-
karious Effendi at As-
souan, and, failing to
find him, he was to
make his way to Cairo,
and hand the letter to
the German Consul.
Kanaga left Omdurman
about December 30th,
1888.

After my remarks
anent the reliable unreli-
ability of everyone in the
Soudan, the deceptions
practised one against
the other, and the
absolute necessity for
secrecy, it will naturally
be wondered how it was
I came to intrust my
secret to so many — if
secret it could be called,
when so many knew of
it. The explanation is
simple. I knew the
people I had to deal

with, and perhaps you have noticed the seem-
ingly insignificant fact that I borrowed money
from each of the men I employed ! Later in my
narrative I will explain these peculiar transac-
tions.

While these different messengers are on their
journeys — being " held up " at one place, per-
haps, and at others pretending that they were

5aiers

Sr»bi«

Yard.

£}

Private
riVard

T £ ' R

_L*

Saier's
Yard.

O/Veufelds
Hut.

Saier's
yard

P-,

Entrance

Saier's Chief Wife's Hut.
Harem Apartments.

Mother.
Harem Kitchen.
Saier's Store-room.

Saier's Bedroom.
H Harem Entree.
1 Guest Room.

rs Children's School-
room,
ic Jailor's ( luard-room.
l Bint Umm Hagar.

GROUND PLAN OF THE GREAT SAIER PRISON AT OMDURMAN
FROM -MR. NELTELD's OWN SKETCH.

gola for trade — I will
relate what was happen-
ing in Omdurman.

News filtered
" victory- through that
Faith1™, the "faithful'"'
had won a
great victory over the
English at Suakin ; but
as the Saier filled with
prisoners who were pre-
sent at the fight, they
gave vastly different ver-
sions from that ordained
as " official " by Ab-
dullahi. Hence their
imprisonment ; and in
this way we learned the
truth. The "faithful"
had received a severe
defeat. Soon after this
the army sent against
Abyssinia won its great
victory over the forces
led by King John, and
the fortunes of the Beit
el Mai took a turn for
the better from the pro-
ceeds of the sale of
slaves and the loot
brought in. Adlan was
coming into favour
again, but Abdullahi
was at this time too
much occupied in goad-
ing Nejoumi to attack
Egypt to give any atten-
tion to such relatively
minor matters as the
decoration of the
Mahdi's tomb or the
extension of trade. He
was still less inclined
to give any attention to
such matters when the
news arrived — ■ and it
arrived very soon — that
Nejoumi's army had
been almost annihilated
at Toski. My evil star
was certainly in the ascendant, and was
mounting higher and higher. It was at this
time that the poor, weak-witted Joseppi received
a flogging for his vocal exercises, and, having a
severe fit of mental aberration in consequence,
he went off to Idris es Saier and told him that
he knew I was a great military general, and that
I was maturing plans for the overthrow of

M Umm Hagar, or Stoni

Prison.

N Straw Huts.

o Hut.

p Shelter, or " Rekooba "

i) Straw Hut, or " Tukol."

r Well.

s Chain Post.

T Trees.

U Cell of Khalifa Sherif.

v Jailor's Guard-room.

w Saier's Brother's House.

x Female Prisoners' Huts.

gradually working their way to Berber or Don- Abdullahi. I do not for a moment believe the

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

foi he
usual.

\h \m had
i Omdurman
in the
time for
dently be-
that
Mj s tomb
/it would have
after the return
I relays
g that the scheme had
ssary that I
lie time before
lUgh for my
di _ my movements.
ut in anxiously to inquire.
from the Khalil And

s r took back my reply,
But ni) query referred more
At last the joyful
! he work was to be done ; and two
Saier, and conducted me to
I hen I discovered that my
een faithfully copied, with the

IAPED THE
Front a Photo.

ption that the builders had shaped the dome
Adlan came to me there, and congra-
tulated me on this being my last day in makkiehs,
or chains. Telling me to remain at the tomb until

.turn, he went off to the Khalifa to receive
his order for my transfer to the Beit el Mai, and

at the verj moment he was receivingit the depu
tation o( the Muslimanieh put in its appearance
to report the disappearance of Joseppi. How
1 evei lived through such crushing disappoint-
ments 1 do not know. I was hurried back to
11. and an extra chain fitted to me. How
1 cursed Joseppi : but I did not know then
that the poor fellow had been murdered. It
was not long after this when, to my amazement,
1 saw Adlan himself brought into the prison,
heavily weighted with chains. He was taken to
a but some distance from all the others, the
prisoners being forbidden to approach or speak
to him. During the night, on pretence of going
to the place of ablution, I shuffled towards his
hut, and when a few yards distant I lay on the
ground and wriggled close up, stretching my
chains to prevent their rattling and attracting
the notice of the guards.

Asking in a whisper, "What has
"ha^Me°g happened?" he replied, in a startled
voice, " Ims/iee, imshee"-— go away, go
away. " Do not speak to me," he muttered. "A
big dog has me by the leg this time ; go away, or
he will get your leg." I tried again to learn
what was the matter, but Adlan's entreaties for
me to go away were so earnest
that I wriggled off, and gained
my hut without being dis-
covered. Soon afterwards
Adlan's slave boy, when walk-
ing past my hut, said, " Do
not speak to my master : if
you do you will hear the
ombeyeh." The whole night
through the boy passed back-
wards and forwards between
Adlan's but and his house
outside the prison. Asked as
to what be was doing, he gave
the same reply each time I
put a question to him —
" Burning papers ; do not
speak to my master." I had
learned from Adlan that he
had been in communication
with " friends," and under-
standing from him that, in the
event of my ever returning to
Egypt, I was to be his " friend
at court " with the Govern-
ment, I suspected that he was
destroying all evidences which
might be used against himself and others. That
the Khalifa himself had received word of some
correspondence is evident from the rage he ex-
hibited when Adlan's house was searched and no
incriminating documents found. Indeed, Idris
es Saier nearly lost his head over the matter,

CLAY MODEL HAD BEEN
I. CONICALLY."

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

119

for the Khalifa accused him of having assisted
Adlan in disposing of the papers in some way.

But the very worst was to come. On
Ylt'toVcomlthe morning of the third or fourth day

of Adlan's imprisonment we saw him
being led out of his hut bound,
and taken to the anvil to have
his chains struck off. We all
knew what this meant — an execu-
tion ; but most of us believed that
the Khalifa was only doing this
to frighten Adlan, and impress
him with this evidence of his
power. We were
not allowed to
approach him,
but Adlan
called out,
"This is my
day ; have no
fear — any of
you. I am a
man. I shall say
and do nothing
a man need be
ashamed of.
F arewell."
While extra
chains were
being fitted to
my ankles, the
deep - booming
ombeyehs were
announcing the
death of Adlan.
The mourning
for his death
was general;
but few if any
knew the rea-
sons w h i c h
actuated the
K hali fa i n
ordering his
execution.
Maybe the fugi-
tive Khalifa
himself only
knows ; but it
is possible I can throw a little light on the
matter. To coin a word, Adlan had been
" ( lordonized." About the time of the anniver-
sary of Cordon's death, Adlan met with his, and
that while waiting for that help which it will be
seen started " too late."

In reply to the charges of refusing to
R Escapf ?° escape from the Soudan, I have brought

together the links of the chain of
evidence in my favour up to the present period of

ADLAN REPLIED IN* A STARTLED VOICE,
NOT SI'EAK TO .ME.' "

my narrative. Other evidences will be forth-
coming in connection with incidents to be treated
of later. Certain letters I possess are ample
proof that from October, 1888, until April, 1890,
my guides and myself were doing all in our power

to effect my
escape ; and
while we were
thus occupied
others were
busy with wed-
ding festivities
and dispersing
the goods and
properties of
the helpless
prisoner some
thousands of
miles distant.
And while my
guide — when
not occupied in
running from
pillar to post —
is kicking his
heels in the
corridors of the
War Office, the
Intelligence
Department on
March 10th,
1890, are writ-
ing to my wife
as follows : —

M o h a m m a d
F.ffendi Rafai, late
Sub-Lieutenant
4th Battalion, 5th
Regiment, w ho
left Khartoum three months ago, stales
that he knew Neufeld very well, and
saw him at Omdurman only a few days
before he left. Neufeld had been under
surveillance until about five months prior
to this, but was now free. His release
was owing to one of the Emirs repre-
senting to Abdullah Khalifa the great
service Neufeld had rendered in enabling
arms and ammunition to be taken from
ihe Kabbabish at the time he was cap-
tured. He now was employed as one
of the Khalifa's mulazimeen, and received
a small salary ; the Khalifa gave him
two wives, and treats him well. Neufeld has very little
to complain of except want of funds, which renders living
difficult ; good food being very dear. He is frequently
staying with Ibrahim Bey Fauzy, who has opened a small
coffee-shop. It is untrue that the Khalifa ever threatened
Neufeld's life ; he was only threatened with imprisonment
unless he turned Mussulman. Informant does not think
it possible that Neufeld can receive any letters, etc. , from
outside. Neufeld does not occupy himself in business in
any way." He has never heard Neufeld express any wish
to go away, but does not think he would be able to do
so even if he wished it, as everyone knows him.

GO AWAY — DO

Till: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

In S nlvr. iSSS. it had been re
r.\ .s • having made

I had bi

( hndurman

ik thai nglish lady

d this unnecessary

I nightlj . hourly

in the hell I

my wife and child from

thrown into through such

■

from the foregoing,

the

War
I

plain,
•re-
time
anxiously
le return
of my i;

_ to myself

the my friends

g to insure

success (though they

itly

i] : d), reports

. circulated

I r to

and my wife

in consequent

pient of num-
of
in some
h pious ;

ing

turn the heart of your

ing the ho()e that
the ties which bound
her to me would soon
I by my
g my des
ie hands of the Khalif utioner. Those

: I thank: One who knew the
rd those prayers. Those who con-
demned me I do not blame, nor do I feel any
resentment against them ; they merely believed
what was communicated to the Press.

The disappearance of Joseppi, followed by
the death of Adlan, threw me into a state of
almost abject despair ; there appeared to be no
hope of my ever being released from the fright-
ful Saier Prison, and after the replies given by
Abdullahi to Wad Adlan and the Muslimanieh

I A]
i HE WAR OFFICE OF

From a Photo.

when they interceded for me, my friends outside
evidently abandoned all hope also. But I was
soon to have an interesting fellow prisoner whose
deceptions ou Abdullahi and others were in-
directly to lead to my release. It will take
main generations of Gordon College teachers
to uproot the firm belief of the Soudanese in
" jinns " (spirits, sprites, and fairies), and also in
the supernatural powers claimed to be possessed
by certain communities and individuals. Cen-
turies of most transparent deceptions have not
shaken the belief of these people, so it was no

wonder the Mahdi
found many imitators
in the miracle-work-
ing line, and also that
these people found
thousands of be-
lievers.

Indeed,

Gunpowder ctrnncrp is
from Sand. Strange as

it may ap-
pear, the more these
charlatans failed in
their endeavours to
produce powder from
sand, lead from dust,
and precious metals
from the baser ones,
the more credence
was given to the next
professing alchemist
who came along. For
example, a man
named Shwybo, of
the Fellati country
(near Lake Chad),
had driven a good
trade in Omdurman
by inducing people
to give him large
copper coins to be
converted into silver
dollars ; he had even
offered his services
to Wad Adlan, but
as the Beit el Mai
had already been mulcted in some thousands
of dollars by people like him, Adlan refused
to entertain any of his propositions. On the
death of Adlan, however, Shwybo offered his
services to the Khalifa and the Beit el Mai.
The Kadi was first instructed to inquire into his
pretensions. Now, Shwybo professed to have
power over the jinns who converted copper
into silver ; and in due time a number of his
dupes presented themselves to the Kadi,
and complained that Shwybo's jinns had not
only not converted the coins given them to

D, «)!'■ FREQ1 ENTLY LEARNT 1 VEN
I HE DEATH i HUSBAND.

by Reiser, Assouan.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

I ?T

work upon, but had actually stolen the coins
into the bargain. Shwybo pleaded that the
action of the jinns was in consequence of a
want of faith on the part of the complainants,
and also to their curiosity in trying to see the
jinns at work. The jinns, as anyone ought to
know, would never work in the presence of
strangers ; no one but the magician himself
might remain in the place where the converting
of the metals was in progress.

Shwybo succeeded in imposing on

Experiments the Khalifa's Government. He was

commence. given about a hundred dollars' worth

of copper coins, besides incense,

drugs, spices, etc., to a further value of

nearly two hundred dollars, which were taken

prisoners were invited to go and see the coins
buried in the ground - - the jinns having
been first propitiated. A quarter of an hour's
incantation was given, Shwybo speaking a lan-
guage which must have been as unintelligible to
himself and his jinns as it certainly was to us.
A similar incantation had to be given each day
until noon on the following Friday, as it was at
this hour each week that the jinns finished off
any work they had in hand.

Accordingly on the Friday, at noon,

MiTacie we were asked to go to Shwybo's hut ;

performed. an(j on ^e earth being removed, sure

enough, the copper coins had dis-
appeared, and silver dollars had replaced /hem !
The next Friday, however, only part of the

RICKERV OF SHWYBO— SURE ENOUGH THE COPPER COINS HAD 1)1
DOLLARS HAD REPLACED THEM."

kPPEARE D AND SILVER

from the Beit el Mai, and charged to the
account of the Kadi. The incense, drugs, and
spices were to propitiate the angry jinns ,- but
to insure their not being disturbed at work, the
Kadi drily remarked that Shwybo had better
carry out his experiments in the Saier, where
Idris, the head gaoler, would personally see
he was not interfered with. He was given
a hut apart from the rest, where he set to
at once with his incantations and incense-
burning. Idris and a number of the
Vol. iv— 16.

coins had been converted, when Shwybo remem-
bered that the jinns had not been fed, and
must now be hungry. They had delicate tastes.
Asseeda they would not eat, so they were
liberally supplied with roast chickens, pigeons,
white bread, milk, eggs, and other comestibles,
that made the mouths of us poor, tortured
prisoners fairly water. We were not permitted
to see the jinns eat, but we were allowed to see
the clean-picked bones and empty egg shells !—
surely the next best thing ! Yes, it was an

im: \vii>k world magazine.

- imething went

m the following Friday it was

• ins h;ui been

Unb< an to whisper that

ad run through hiu stork of dollars.

Iced me my
Shw 5 bo wished
ther try. 1 replied that little
untry would not be deceived
further, that if the
id his money on food, he
ime for the starving women and
on supposed jinns.
Whether my reply or the conviction
shwybo that he had been duped angered him
rfotlne. I cannot say, but Shwybo received a
gging. Not a civ escaped
ver. IK- even laughed at the
trike harder. The flogging
nfidentially told Idris that although
rking jinns had flown off, and that
no fault of his. yet his gold-working
had come to his succpur, and had
posed their bodies between his and the
sh. Hence his fortitude. Idris, as I have
•inted out, was the very incarna-
ion of superstition and credulity, and it was
only necessary for Shwybo to mention that his
iful gold jinns could convert lead into gold to
Meeting dollars from the
prisoners on the " \'< bbi Khiddr"
int : and with these our head
gaoler set up a special laboratory
• in the house of Wad
gaolers— and a
puted son of Idris. Shwybo
now provided with a number
mall crucibles : two sets of
. with a couple
of si to work them : a

. and a number
- and powders
el .Mai pharmacy.
Id to keep an eye on
the raaj i and see that he did
not purloin any of the gold when
it appeared. When the first lot of
lead Shwybo drew

attention to its reddish
colour, proving that the conver-
sion was taking place ; then Farag
retired while Shwybo utt.
another incantation. On his being
called in again, and the cover
removed from the crucible, a bright
yellow mass was seen, from which
strong fumes arose. Farag was told
to cover up the crucible quickly,
which he did, and left the room with

The Kadi
has His
Doubts.

Shwybo to allow of the jinns completing their
work and cooling the metal. Farag then went off
to Idris and the Kadi, telling them that the con-
version of the lead into gold had actually taken
place — that he had seen the gold with his own
I j s

The Kadi was dubious, but as Idris
was only employing Shwybo on this
work, he declined to come into the
prison to see the gold turned out.
When it was believed that the work was com-
plete Idris, Farag, and Shwybo proceeded to
the laboratory, when, lo ! and behold, the crucibles
were found empty 1 Shwybo thereupon accused
Farag of having stolen the block of gold, and a
tremendous row ensued. The prison and the
prisoners were searched, and the gold not being
found, Farag was flogged to make him disclose
its hiding-place. Shwybo heroically essayed a
second attempt, but as Idris insisted upon
remaining in the laboratory from beginning to
end, the jinns refused to work, and then
Shwybo himself was severely flogged. One
would have thought that, after this, people
would see that Shwybo was duping them, but
he continued successfuly to collect money for
" conversion " from the prisoners, and now and
again was even able to give to an earlier dupe one
or two dollars he had received from a later one.

IOVED FROM THE CRUCIBLE A BRIGH1 VELLOW
MASS WAS SEEN."

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

123

Complaints were made against him,

imPosntor-s though, and he received repeated

End. floggings to make him discontinue his

frauds, finally dying in the prison as a result of

his injuries.

It was while Shwybo was working away at his
alchemistic frauds that Hassan Zecki, an old
Egyptian doctor, and then in charge of the
medical stores of the Beit el Mai, came into the
Saier in connection with the drugs being pur-
chased on Shwybo's account. Zecki had known
me by name for some time, for I had in my
practice as " medicine man " frequently sent him
notes for the medicine I required, and not know-
ing the Arabic terms, I used the Latin names for
such drugs as I was acquainted with. From this
Zecki must have come to the conclusion that I was
a qualified chemist, and as at that time his assis-
tant, Said-abd-el-Wohatt, was, and had been for
some time, trying to extract saltpetre in Khartoum
and the neighbourhood, Zecki questioned me
as to its production in Europe. I had to admit,
however, that I had only seen the crystals ob-
tained in the laboratory when at the University,
and had no experience of their production on a
commercial scale. I told Zecki what little I knew
of testing the crystals, and you may imagine my
surprise when three days later I was summoned
before Yacoub, the Khalifa's brother (who was
killed in the Battle of Omdurman), to explain the
manufacture of saltpetre. The new Amin Beit
el Mai — El Nar El Gerafawi — came to the Saier
after sunset, and conducted me to Yacoub's house.
One thinks rapidly under such cir-
SubX°eed cumstances, and by the time we
Yacoub. ,-eac|le(j Yacoub's house I had my
tale thought out. I saw that if I de-
clared that I could not do the work I should
not be believed, and would be flogged and have
extra irons placed on me for "obstinacy.'' On
the other hand, to lead them on to believe that I
could manufacture saltpetre meant my release
from prison. Well, after a long discussion with
>ub, it was arranged that I was to construct
three large tanks, about 6ft. long and 4ft. high,
in which impregnated earth was to be mixed
with water, and the solution drawn off and
allowed to evaporate. Believing that I should
be set to make these tanks or reservoirs, I
suggested, them, as their construction would
necessitate the removal of my chains. . And
sure enough, the following morning I was called
to the anvil, where the rings holding the heavy
iron bar were cut and forced open, and the
heavy ankle-chain I was wearing replaced by a
piece of light awning chain taken from one of
Gordon's steamers. I was thankful even for
this relief, as it removed a dead weight of 151b.
to 2olb. of iron from my feet.

Under an armed escort I was taken
Ihemie. down to the Nile, where I found

awaiting me the Emirs Yacoub ;
Ahmed Fedeel — who was lately causing trouble
on the Blue Nile ; Mohammad Hamad'na
Allah — Zobheir Pasha's old Wakeel ; and a
party of thirty to forty workmen with materials
for the tanks. Whenever Abdullahi gave an
order immediate execution of it followed.

I had existed in the vile-smelling Saier for
nearly four years, and you can imagine how
I enjoyed the two hours on the river reaching
Halfeyeh. On arrival at this place we were met
by El Fiki Amin, a Fellati then in charge of the
works. He did not disguise his displeasure at
my being taken there, as he evidently con-
sidered it a slight upon himself. He was ex-
tracting the saltpetre from mounds, mixing the
earth and water in pierced jars lined with fine
matting, then allowing the solution to filter
through, and finally boiling it down to obtain
the crystals. His appliances were very primitive,
but he was producing a very good quality of
saltpetre in " needles." Yacoub now ordered
me to search the ground for any deposits,
and, coming to a dark, damp patch, I tasted
the earth, and, believing saltpetre to be present,
I mixed some of the earth with water, pouring
off the solution into a small coffee-pot and
setting it to boil. More solution was added
as the water boiled away, and at the end of two
hours I had a small deposit of a thin, syrupy
consistency. Touring this upon a burnt brick,
the moisture was absorbed, leaving the crystals
behind ; and these on being placed on hot
charcoal burned away.

I next took some of the earth, dried
•■Expiri- it, and rubbing it fine, allowed it to
ments." fajj jn a tnjn stream on to the fire ;

the " sissing " and occasional coloured
sparks convinced all present that a valuable
deposit of saltpetre had been discovered, and
Hamad'na Allah was sent to Omdurman to
inform the Khalifa of this important find.
During his absence the Fellati told Yacoub
that the burning of the crystals was no
proof that they were saltpetre. I was, there-
fore, ordered to produce a quantity to be
submitted to Zecki and the Greek Perdikaki, the
Khalifa's gunpowder manufacturer. Hassan
Zecki himself came to Halfeyeh to examine the
crystals and declared them good. Perdikaki sent
a Greek employed with him, but this man, not
being able to give an opinion, he took the
crystals to Perdikaki, his master, who sent me a
message to the effect that they were useless, but
that rather than I should be sent back to prison
he would say they were good on condition I
tried to produce further quantities in " needles,"

nil. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

i ill u II II \\ A I E R.

me it' I thought I could not find
deposits elsewhere.

I innocently suggested

A New
Suggestion.

looking farther north,

It was really a serious situa-

lly my life depi on finding

ibout which I knew little,

nd manufacturing iff when I had found

i I felt terribly incompetent to do.

lUrcefulness were needed, surely

- the ti:. H in Zecki present-

rt to the Khalifa, and telling him

iould have some large pans sent out to

a nuiii big copper boilers,

and an officer's camp bath. 1 h< latter must

have been taken from Khartoum or Hicks

army. The Fellati in charge grew very

sullen on s all these- preparations, and

mb, knowing that the Khalifa was entirely

dependent upon the Fellatis — the only people

who seemed to understand the extraction of the

saltpetre — rather than offend the man, asked

but this would not do.
He wanted a place close to Om-
durman - where I could be
watched. I then suggested Khar-
toum, but the Khalifa would not
at first hear of my transfer there.
What probably decided him was
that, when I had been two weeks
at Halfeyeh, Hasseena came to
tell me that Makkieh, her child,
was dead, and the Khalifa hear-
ing of the loss, and believing
that there was now nothing to
hold me in the Soudan, agreed
to the transfer to Khartoum, as
a better watch could be kept
upon me there. I was not sorry
to leave Halfeyeh, for although
the place offered every facility for
escape, I saw that I had a
jealous and bitter enemy in the
head Fellati, who was then spying
on my every movement. It was
certain that he would frustrate
any plans I might make for flight,
and suspicion would have been
aroused immediately if any of
the guides came to me there.
Hamad'na Allah was made
director of the Khartoum salt-
petre works ! Abdel Wohatt was
his second, and I was to work
under the orders of Wohatt.

On arrival at Khar-
NThreef's toum, in January, 1891,

Guardians. J was alSQ placed ill

charge of Khaleel Has-
sanein, the director of the Arsenal, and all three
had to answer for me with their lives. Wohatt
was given the chapel of the Mission as a house
to live in ; I was given one of the priests' rooms
opposite the arches. Windows, doors, every
scrap of wood, metal, and ornaments had all
been taken from the place ; it was almost a
complete ruin, but the garden had been kept in
excellent condition, its produce — dates, figs,
oranges, limes, and vegetables — being sold
on account of the Beit el Mai. Wohatt, when
arranging his sleeping quarters, found the very
substantial altar in his way, and made two or
three ineffectual attempts to pull it down ;
failing this, however, he utilized it as a resting-
place for household rubbish, and here cocks
crowed and hens hatched out their broods !
When we came to construct saturation tanks

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

125

it was proposed to take the material from the
walls of the Mission ; but I told Hamad'na
Allah and Wohatt that as we had to live in the
place it would be far better to repair than further
demolish, so the necessary materials were
brought from outside by the fifty to sixty slaves
sent over to assist us in making the tanks and
carrying the earth from the mounds. While the
construction of the tanks proceeded we had to
extract saltpetre in the boilers, etc., sent to us at
Halfeyeh, and which had been brought with us.
We produced maybe four to five pounds per
diem on an average during a period of six
months —the time we were occupied in building
the tanks.

Perdikaki made some gunpowder with
GaFa°uI?l.rour first consignment; but it was a
sorry failure. The good fellow, how-
ever, mixed it with some powder from the old
Government stock, and sent us another warning.
My immediate chief, Abdel Wohatt, was the
son-in-law of Ali Khaater. the director of the
Omdurman Arsenal, and to whom our saltpetre
went in the first instance ; and Perdikaki telling
him of the had quality of our produce, Khaater,
fearing for his son-in-law, mixed our next consign-
ment with an equal quantity of saltpetre from
the old Government stock in his stores, and thus
it passed muster, although Perdikaki complained
again that it was only half purified. However,
the powder made with it would explode, though
it did leave about 25 per cent, of ash. The
Fellati, hearing of the success, came to Khar-
toum to examine our product, for the secret of
producing pure crystals was believed to be in
the hands of the Fellati only — and, as a matter
of fact, in the Soudan, it is. Again he declared
the crystals were useless for the purposes they
were intended for ; but as Abdel Wohatt had
been a dispenser in the Egyptian Army, and as
such was supposed to be a chemist, and I, as a
medicine man, being similarly credited, we won
the day. Fellati appealed to Perdikaki, but got
no satisfaction in that quarter.

Honest, loyal Perdikaki ! He was not
pe?d?kak°f long to be troubled with the rival salt-
petre makers, for on the sixth anni-
versary of Gordon's death some tins of powder
in his factory exploded, killing him and those
working with him.

Some time about June or July, 1891, our
tanks were finished, and in about two months'
time we produced between 5cwt. or 6cwt. of
crystals, and then stopped work on account of
the rains. These crystals were — as usual —
mixed with an equal quantity of good crystals
from the stores, and then sent to the powder
factory. It must not be imagined that at this
time the Khalifa was actually short of powder

or ingredients for its manufacture. In fact,
there were, unknown to others in the town, very
large stocks indeed, which Abdullah was keep-
ing as a reserve ; but he wished to add to that
reserve as much as possible, and expend only
such powder and ammunition as was then and
there produced.

On the death of Perdikaki, Hassan Hosna,
a Circassian, and, I believe, formerly an officer
in the old army ; also Abdes Semmeer, formerly
in the ordnance section of the old army at
Kassala, were placed in charge of the powder
factory. When our mixed product was used for
the manufacture of gunpowder queer things
happened.

After a few cartridges made from such
ca?t"fdges. powder had been fired, the barrel of
the rifle was found coated with thick
white fouling ; then a serious inquiry was held.
The rifles were brought to us at Khartoum, but,
pointing loftily to the cleaning rods, I asked
what these were intended for. On being told
for cleaning the barrel, I asked sarcastically
whether it was not far better to have a powder
which left a white ash that might be seen than
a powder which left a black ash that could not
be seen. Hut, for once, my argument was of
no use. Wohatt replied that perhaps we were
working on bad beds, and suggested our being
transferred somewhere else. Nothing was done
at the time, however, and we worked on for
some more months ; but as large quantities of
saltpetre came in from Darfur. and later, con-
siderable quantities of good manufactured
powder arrived from Upper Egypt and by the
Suakin route, Khaater was able to store away
our saltpetre, and supply the factory with pow-
der and saltpetre from these new sources. The
Upper Egypt and Suakin supplies were supposed
to have been put to the reserve, so that when
cartridges exploded in the breeches of the rifles,
and destroyed the eyesight of a number of
soldiers, our saltpetre came in for the blame
again — this time quite unjustly, of course.
Another inquiry was held, when we were told
that the bullet did not leave the rifle, and that
the breech-blocks blew open.

This, we argued, could not be the fault
07XFRifil of the powder, but of the rifle. What-
ever the Khalifa's opinion might have
been, he sent off Wohatt to Alti, on the Blue
Nile, where, with a number of Fellatis working
under him, he was able to send considerable
quantities of " needle " saltpetre to Omdurman,
while I continued at the Khartoum works to
turn out as poor a quality of saltpetre as before.
Abdel Wohatt is in Cairo now, and tells me our
precious production — about two tons of salt-
petre— is still lying unused in the stores at

rin: wide woRin magazine.

I N I 1 \ c, '] i > ['HE
. ■•.. D WHAT IHKSE WERE INTENDED IOR.

CLEAN1NI

Kli.

still alive,

Hassanein

and would

and Ali

doubtless

: at the ! that I " manufactured

for the Khalifa to shoot English soldiers

-particularly when I forbade the use of

in the saturation tanks, and this

addition, they knew later, was the Fellati secret

for the purification of the saltpetre.

W . at the Mission - house in

Khartoum, Father Ohrwalder came on three or

e me, the last occasion

- I believe, about a month before his

ould sit together talking of old

times and commiserate each other on our hard

lot.

fiuardedly — very guardedly —we would

HESPcaSpe' v'-'n breathe a hope that, in someway

and by some means, our release would

come ; but I have no recollection that we ever

confided to each other any plans
for escape. Father Ohrwalder knew
1 had had letters written by some
Greeks, but I do not think he knew
of any of my plans. That we did
not openly discuss such plans now
appears to me strange — and yet it
is not strange. Where all led for
years a life of falsehood, in which
deception of self had no less a part
than the deception of others — sus-
picious of everyone around us, and
trusting no one — what wonder that
deceit became a kind of second
nature, and that truth, honour, and
morality ■ — that is to say, morality
as preached iii Europe — should
have retired to vanishing point !
When I heard of Father Ohrwalder's
escape, the conclusion I at once
jumped to was that my guides,
seeing the impossibility of effecting
my escape from Khartoum, had come
to some arrangement with him.
How fervently I cursed them all !
But I did not pray for their recap-
ture. Even had I done so, it would
have been useless.

There was nothing, pro-
N™°e^ity. vided you had money with
which to purchase camels
and arrange a couple of relays in
the desert, to prevent everyone who
wished escaping from Omdurman.
Your guides had only to lead you
away from any settlements ; no pur-
suers could overtake you once you
reached your first relay, fast a$ their
camels might go, and you would
travel at twice the speed the news of
your flight could — besides having some hours'
start of it. In the event of your coming across
any straggler in the desert, a few dollars would
silence his tongue ; for the dollar is not more
"almighty" in America than it was in the
Soudan. And supposing the dollars did not
appeal to him, and your bullet missed its mark,
the chances were a thousand to one against his
picking up your pursuers on the route you had
come, for they would make for the settlements
near the river, and waste their time in useless
inquiries, while you were fast covering the dis-
tance between you and safety.

As if my troubles were not all-sufficient in
themselves, Hasseena, my Abyssinian servant,
in addition to the begging and other undesirable
proclivities she had developed since the death
of her child Makkieh, now added that of
thieving. She naturally devoted her talents in

IN THE KHALIFAS CLUTCHES.

127

this direction to my friends, knowing that they
would not, on my account, prosecute her.
Numberless complaints came to me, and many a
recommendation was made to get rid of her,
but as she had been sent to me by the Khalifa
I could not send her away without his sanction.
The question also arose as to what

Hc1ttsna excuse I might offer for divorcing her.

Trouble. por to gjve ^g reai reasons might end

in her being stoned, mutilated, or
imprisoned, and this I naturally shrank from.
I must admit, too, that, bad as she was then, I
did not like the idea of throwing her over.
Being in receipt of ten dollars a month, I sent
word to my friends that I would save what I
could to repay their losses, and do my best to
break Hasseena out of her bad habits. My
friends warned me that if I were not careful I
should find myself
before the Kadi as
Hasseena's partner in
crime ; and the Kadi
— being no friend of
mine — would certainly
order me into prison
again, which would
mean an end to all
chances of escape. In
the end, however, Has-
seena had to go.
Xahoum Abbajee, my
greatest friend, gave a
feast at his house to
celebrate the marriage
of his son Voussef.
Hasseena was one of
the invited guests. It
was a great opportunity-
She stole all the spoons
and cutlery before the
feast commenced, and
also a number of
articles of dress be-
longing to other
ts, all of which
property she sold in the
bazaar. Xahoum could
overlook her stealing his property, but to steal
the property of guests under his roof was
carrying matters too far. He sent word to me
that I must get rid of her, and that at. once.
Calling Hasseena to Khartoum, I was com-
pelled to quarrel with her in such a way as to
attract the attention of Hamad'na Allah ; and
on his asking me the reason for our constant
squabbles, I told him that Hasseena was not

acting as she should by me, and begged his
intervention in obtaining through the Emir
Yacoub the Khalifa's permission to divorce her.

Abdullahi was " gracious." He per-
Smvo?lef mitted the divorce, and sent word that

he would select another wife for me.
This, however, was just what I did not want.
Always expecting the return of my guides, my
not having a woman in the place lent pro-
bability to my having a whole night's start of
my pursuers, for my absence might not be dis-
covered until sunrise the following morning, at
which time we went to work. And some hours
further would then be lost — and gained — by
Hamad'na Allah and others making a thorough
search for me before daring to tell the Khalifa
that I was missing.

Returning my thanks to Abdullahi, I asked

ENA STOLE All. THE SPOONS AND CUTLERY P.EFORE THE FEAST COMMENCED.

to be left in single blessedness for a time, but to
this he replied that " his heart was heavy at the
loss of my child. No man," he said, " might be
happy without children, and he wished me to
be happy. He also wished me to have all the
comforts of life, which did not exist where
woman was not. If I did not take another wife
he would believe I was not content with my life
in the Soudan under his protection."

(To be continued.)

The "Holy Blood** Procession at Bruges.

\\\ Mrs. I.ii.v Bridgman.

nt that has been kept up for more than five centuries in the old-
R jotted down as the great procession passed Mrs. Bridgman's

ind illustrated by photographs never before taken.

M>\ in

these days km

through personal

. hearsay —

\ irthern Venice o\~ the

\. n as such by

t and thesplen-

le Counts o( Flanders,

the I >< Burgundy.

enturies have elap

. I !ount o\ Flanders, as a

rious deeds performed in

ived from Baldwin III.,

■ni. and the Patriarch of

rtion of the precious relic

in the Church of the Holy City

and virtue called forth

had sprung therefrom ; his descendants even-
tually handing their precious heirloom over to the
safeguard of Mother Church.

Relying, therefore, firstly on the enormous
probability of anything connected with the
Saviour during His earthly life being devoutly
sought for and treasured by the early Christians
alter their Master's death; secondly, on the
decided conviction given in endless historical
documents by those great in learning and
wisdom of the Eastern Church ; and lastly, on
the assertions of the historians of the Holy Land,
the Church considers it a fact, based on solid
and well-founded grounds, that the relic it pays
such intense and devout veneration to in the
May of each succeeding year in the ancient

PLACED THE RELIC.

IN WHICH HE

[Photo.

all the : religious enthusiasm and ardour

:ig the followers of Peter the

:nit in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth
centuries. And what wonder, when the world-
famed relic was no less than some of the blood
of Chri

Tradition shows that it was through Joseph of
Arimathea that the Church obtained this relic.
He it was who took the body of Christ down
from the cross, and who, after reverently bathing

-acred wounds, preserved the blood which

capital of Western Flanders is actually and in-
contestably the Blood of our Lord.

Thierry d'Alsace brought it to Bruges in
1148 with all die pomp and circumstance be-
fitting so precious a gift. He placed it for a
while in the private chapel attached to his
Palace on the Bourg ; I give a photograph of
the Palace, which is remarkable for the elegance
and delicacy of its architecture. It is now used
as the Town Hall. In the right-hand corner of
this photo, you see the Chapel of St. Basil,

THE "HOLY BLOOD" PROCESSION AT BRUGES.

129

where the relic was eventually placed, and
where it is to be seen to this day, at any time,
for the modest sum of fifty centimes. The lower
part of this chapel dates from 1150. The Holy
Blood was kept there for close on four centuries.
In 1 531-1533 the upper chapel, part of which is
said to have existed in 1482, was finished, and
the relic placed in it.

Whenever their sacred charge was in serious
danger of falling into irreverent hands, the
guardians thereof — known as the Guild of the
Holy Blood — rose in a body to withstand any
and every attack made upon it.

In 1578 a band of iconoclasts from Ghent
made a forcible entry into Bruges, and began a
systematic course of sacking and pillaging every
church and chapel in the place. The relic was
only saved by the vigilance of a
Spanish member of the Guild,
one Don Juan Perez de Mal-
venda, who, seeing the danger it
was in, carried it off in the folds
of his cloak to his own house,
and hid it in a place of safety
until the storm was past.

Once again, in 1 792, when the
French Revolution was at its
height, and the French them-
selves in Bruges, did the good
citizens shake in their shoes for
the safety of their beloved
treasure. The chaplain of St.
Basil conveyed it, first to the
Episcopal Palace, and then to a
certain Richard Godefroit's resi-
dence, where it was blocked up
in a cavity of the wall until the
following year.

Again in 1795, when the san-
guinary law of suspects was pro-
mulgated, and terror reigned pre-
dominant in every heart, the vial
containing the Holy Blood was
packed into a strong box and sent with others
holding Church treasures into Holland for a time.
Later in the same year, however, the relic was
brought back. From 1795 to 18 19 it was carried
from one hiding-place to another in Bruges itself,
when, all danger over, it was finally restored
once more to public veneration, although not to
its ancient resting-place. In their senseless fury
ngainst everything relating even to the very word
" religion," the Revolutionists had practically
demolished the Chapel of St. Basil, leaving
merely the outer walls standing. In 1819 its
restoration was begun, and in 1824, the lower
part being finished, Bruges placed her precious
relic once more within its walls.

Every Fridav morning throughout the year

V I. iv.— 17.

THE RELK^UAKY IN

BLOOD HAS BEEN

CENTU

Front a

the relic is exposed to the veneration of the
faithful from the first morning mass until after
the last, which is said at eleven o'clock.

The next photo, represents the reliquary in
which is preserved the Holy Blood, faint traces
of which can be discerned through the cylinder.
Most of the precious stones studding it were
presented by the Archduke Albert and the
Archduchess Isabel of Burgundy, in the begin-
ning of the seventeenth century. In order that
it shall run no risk of falling, when removed
from the " chasse " in which it lies all through
the year, the priest first fastens a long silver
chain to both ends of the reliquary, and then
puts the chain round his neck, before taking his
seat at the improvised altar in the chapel. To
this altar, every Friday, those who desire to kiss
the relic stream one after the
other, the priest holding the re-
liquary in one hand ; and as each
person passes on after performing
his or her act of veneration, he
wipes the relic with the hand-
kerchief which he holds in the
other.

Many are the miracles vouched
for by faith in the authenticity of
this sacred relic ! I can quote
but one — produced, however, by
a totally different cause from that
of faith.

The miracle is authenticated by
a " bull " issued by Pope Clement
V., in which he assures the faith-
ful of the fact that the Holy Blood
liquefied about six o'clock every
Friday evening throughout the
year, until 1309-1310, when this
wonder ceased owing to the act
of some disbelieving ruffian
amongst the pious crowd flock-
ing up to kiss the sacred relic.
One Friday morning this sacri-
legious man, when it came to his turn, dared to
mutter horrible blasphemies against the Holy
Blood and the death of the Saviour, as he
stooped over the reliquary. The instant petri-
faction of the blessed relic was a clear witness
of the wrath of God at this abominable
sacrilege.

Only on one occasion since that date has the
precious blood been known to liquefy. That
was when, having replaced the outer cylinder of
the relic by one of purer crystal, the chief
magistrates prayed the Bishop of Ancona to
perform the ceremony of translation. He was
in the act of doing so, when the Holy Blood,
up till then a compact and congealed mass,
suddenly changed colour, became a brilliant red,

which 111.. holy
venerated for

RIES.

Photo.

THE WIDE WORLD MAC.AZINE.

wly detached themselves
the whole.
. now for .1 descri| ' the Pi

I 5 woke between five

the mornii he 8th (the

5 plat n the Monday

,i large school of ,uir's

h my window, praying aloud as

the line of march the procession

I hours later. From that hour onwards

the: am of pilgrims along

and rank, all telling
5, and the majority of the men bare-
head What with these pious folk, sight-
rs on foot and in carriages, and bicyclists
without end. the cobbled and often moss-grown
I - are well-nigh impassable on

stands in which is not crammed with expectant
sightseers.

from my point of vantage I can see a fair
portion of the great market-place, with its quaint
houses and old-world air. My next photo.
shows the belfry, or " Halles," on the top of
which, in honour of the day's festivity, has been
placed a large fir-tree, from which floats the red,
yellow, and black national flag of Belgium.
The fine old building, which dates from the
thirteenth century, towers solemnly above
all the worldly frivolity of the sweet booths,
•• Montagues Russes,'' shows, and what-not of
the yearly fair, which takes place every May
and almost fills the Place. The " Halles "
contains one of the finest "carillons," or chimes
of bells, in all Europe.

I If If I

I i

••**'iv

jj a

From a]

[VI TV— THE GRAND HI. ACE. ON THE DAY OF THE PROCESSION
NATIONAL FLA', FLOATS FROM A FIR-TREE ON THE DELFRV.

THE
[P/lOtO.

this day : and as I gaze down on the multitude,
from the friend's window at which I am com-
fortably installed about the time the procession
is supposed to come by, I breathe a silent
prayer of thanksgiving that it has not fallen to

lot to have to join the crowd below. The
world, as personified by the Brugeois them-
selves, and by those who have flocked within
their gates for the occasion, is on the tip-
toe of expectation. Flags are waving from

v house; bells are tolling (chief of which
is the great bell in the belfry known as the
"Bourdon1';; and there is not a window on
cither side of the street my friend's house

As I stand at my window, meditating on the
splendour, now long decayed, of the Bruges of
olden days, there comes a sudden break in the
crowd, surging out beyond the street I am in, at
the opposite end of the market square ; and I
hear a sound as of martial music in the
distance. Every head is craned in the direction
from whence it comes, and every soul in the
living mass below me is all agog.

The holy relic, having been conveyed by
the clergy from its chapel to the Cathedral,
and High Mass having been said by the Bishop,
the procession has formed, has already made the
round of several streets, and is now close upon us.

THE "HOLY BLOOD" PROCESSION AT BRUGES.

13*

MRS. BRIDG1*

r GLIMPSE OF THE

From a Photo.

PROCESSION.

! I 1

Following the example of my neighbours, I,
too, crane my head out of the window and,
looking up towards the market - place, see the
red -plumed brass helmets and gold -braided
uniforms of the Lancers, as they make a broad
way through the immense crowds, which fall
back on either side to avoid the horses'
hoofs. The next photo, depicts but faintly
the effect, picturesque and striking to a
degree, which the entire cortege produced as
it wound in and out through the huge con-
course massed in the spacious Grand Pla

The Lancers' pennons
wave gaily and their
band plays inspiriting
strains. The whole
atmosphere is full of
commotion and music.
As the head of the pro-
cession draws nearer, I
perceive that a priest
on foot, in surplice and
biretta and rosary in
hand, leads the way,
now and then turning
to address a word and
a smile to the foremost
of the Belgian " Tom-
mies " behind him.

Reeds and rushes are
scattered freely by the
residents in the houses
on either side of the
street, in front of the
cavalcade. Then come
in quick succession (for
the sky looks threaten-

ing) one group after another, represent-
ing the various parishes of this Cathedral
town. They are typical of the lives of
their different patron saints, and one
and all are remarkable for the beauty
of grouping and colouring of dresses.

Three .Mary Magdalens pass by —
one depicting her as she was before
her conversion, and the other after;
whilst the third shows her leading a life
of penitential mortification in Provence,
surrounded by angels. I behold also
a brilliantly attired St. Margaret, robed
in red plush and ermine mantle, tread-
ing the earth once more, venerated as
a martyr to her faith.

Our next photo, shows a recumbent
figure of Christ in the Sepulchre,
surrounded by Crusaders in full war-
paint and Knights of the Order of St.
Sepulchre. One of the Church's most
powerful and noble patronesses follows
hard in their footsteps — one of our own Kings'
daughters, Walburga, canonized on her death.
And yet another personification of her passes
by directly after, robed as Abbess of Eichstadt,
in the midst of her nuns.

Lxigencies of space forbid my entering as
fully as I could wish into details of this lengthy
and very interesting pageant. I will, however,
touch lightly on some of its chief features.

Behind the band of the Garde Civi(/ue, which
is led by the tambour-major — a huge man in
dark uniform and enormous bear-skin — stream

FIGURE OF CHRIST

IN THE SEPULCHRE SI.

From a Photo.

N'DED BY CRUSADERS AND KNIGHTS.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

MOW v VII "■ A Dl II OLE LINE

OF WHITB-SURPLICED PRII
From a Photo.

more queens, martyrs, hermits,

saints, and virgins, all representa-

of the Church at various

„es of her existence, interspersed
bv statues of the .Madonna, her
Mother. St. Anne of the Sacred
Heart, St. Joseph, and countless
otht. Banners there are, too,

gorgeous in their splendour of
embroidered velvets and embellish-
ment of precious stones ; angels
both great and small, with hair
elaborately curled, white dresses
stiffly starched, white wings already
sprouting from their shoulders, and
bearing before their sweet persons
Latin and Flemish mottoes, or
baskets and bunches of flowers.

The town band goes by ; and
now comes into view a double
line of white-surpliced priests in
birettas, students from the Bruges
seminary, a choir of fresh boy-
voices singing a hymn of praise to
that which is close behind them :
whilst more boys and a <!
tonsured priests swing costly cen-
wafting clouds of perfume up
to my quaint window. The next
thing I see through these delicious
clouds is that to which all the
honour and glory of this magnifi-
cent procession is due — the Blessed
Blood itself contained in an ex-
quisite "chasse" (casket), borne by
two priests on their shoulders. It
is a perfect chef cTcpuvre of the
goldsmith's art, and the work of a
master goldsmith, Jean Crabbe,

who finished it in 16-16, when it was presented to
the township o[~ Bruges by the Archduke Albert
and Archduchess Isabel of Burgundy.

The reader will see by the photo, here given
of it that it is a hexagonal coffer, composed
entirely of silver-gilt, richly engraved and covered
with enamelled shields, precious stones, pearls,
and cameos of great antiquity. The four
statuettes above the " chasse " represent Christ
rising from the tomb, the Blessed Virgin, St.
Basil, and St. Donatius. All four figures are of
massive gold. The relic is always placed in
this magnificent " chasse " when carried proces-
sionally through the town ; and on the day of
the annual procession alone is the gorgeously

A PERFECT MASTERPIECE OF THE GOLDSMITH'S ART — THE JEWELLED CASKET
From a] CONTAINING THE HOLY BLOOD. [Photo.

THE "HOLY BLOOD" PROCESSION AT BRUGES.

i33

jewelled crown which forms the subject of our
next illustration placed just above the " chasse "
and beneath the flat roof supporting the statu-
ettes. This is the crown of Mary of Burgundy,
left by her to the Chapel of the Holy Blood.

THIS JEWELLED CROWN IS PLACED ON THE HOLY BLOOD CASKET
WHEN' THE RELIC IS CARRIED IN PROCESSION THROUGH

From a] the streets. [Photo.

Armed gendarmes guard the blessed relic on
either side, and after it follows the Bishop of
Bruges. He distributes blessings all along the
line of route as he goes, surrounded by revered
canons of the Church and the highest in rank
among the town officials. A body of Lancers
brings this imposing religious cortege to an end,
and all that is left
for me to note, as I
still gaze down below,
is the huge con-
course pressing on-
ward in the wake of
the procession — all
hurrying to reach the
Bourg, where the
Benediction is to be
given, and all in the
best of humours,
notwithstanding the
heavy drops of rain
which are now be-
ginning to fall.

By the way, I was
told by one of my
own countrywomen
(at procession time
the English Colony
musters in full force,
on balconies, at win-
dows, and in streets)
that it had rarely
been known to rain
on the day of the

■> THE HALT IN THE PLACE DU

procession, and that Froma] blending

when it did, the Brugeois considered it in the
light of a bad omen for the prosperity of
their town.

Presently I join them on their way to the
square where stands the Hotel de Ville. This
square is called the "Bourg." Under the trees
stands a statue of Jean van Eyck, and in the
buildings surrounding the " Bourg " you see a
curious diversity in the style of the architecture.

I arrive in time to find the Benediction
about to be bestowed. A more picturesque
sight I rarely, if ever, saw. The next photo-
graph gives a view of it — although, to see
it to its greatest advantage, one must
be actually present to appreciate the artistic
grouping and blending of every colour in the
rainbow. I stand in the midst of pilgrim
fathers with their staves, and of the Apostles
surrounding a man personifying our Lord. Near
me stands a tiny St. John the Baptist in flesh-
coloured tights, a sheep-skin his only covering.

Farther on are grouped girls and boys in the
costumes of every nationality on earth — all bear-
ing testimony to the widespread power of Mother
Church ; and close at hand is a group of young
girls, veiled in white and wearing many-coloured
robes, each bearing a cushion on which are
placed the various symbols of the Crucifixion,
viz., a sponge, a hammer, dice, nails, and so on.
A statued group of Christ after the descent from
the Cross ; Our Lord lying in His Mother's lap ;

BOURG FOR BENEDICTION— " THE ARTISTIC GROUPING AND
OF EVERY COLOUR IN THE RAINBOW." [Photo.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

and .1 ontaining a fragment

the Holy * both resting on stalwart

st behind me.

■ lifferent groups, and

:ns help to make a wonderful

stand massed together in the

old "F which has seen the same sight

e\ er since the year

n this remarkable procession was

to which Emperors and Kings, with

Archdukes, and tin- great

many kinds have paid the tribute of their

tting the present Pope,

:i he v. Nuncio at Brussels in

usly coloured altar, erected in front of the
old Hotel tie Ville for the occasion. Then
tomes an almost complete silence among the
tremendous crowd around me, as Monseigneur,
surrounded by lesser dignitaries of the
Church, turns and raises the holy relic
itself in blessing above the kneeling multi-
, all of whom cross themselves devoutly.
A roar of sound succeeds the silence ! The
Church groups disperse, the bands play them-
selves off the " Bourg," each to a different air ;
the besandalled and brown-bearded Carmelite
monks who have taken part in the morning's
proceedings stream by me in their coarse brown

THE BENEDICTION IN FRON r OF THE

HOARY OLD HOTEL DE VII.LE, As GIVEN YEAR BY YEAR FOR FIVE CENTURIES.

From a Photo.

1844 (a fact the devout Brugeois love to dwell
on). A wonderfully fine sight, indeed, recalling
visions of the days of long ago.

The last photo, shows the final act in what
has been a long and tiring morning for most of
those taking part in the procession. It is no
small matter walking over the uneven cobbles
of Bruges, under the weight of heavy statues
and huge banners.

The Lancer band fills the air with music,
until the Bishop mounts the steps of the gor-

robes, one of them bearing aloft a painted
wooden cross, on which are displayed the signs
symbolical of the Crucifixion ; the crowds hurry
off to seek shelter from the now fast-falling rain,
and the great ceremony is over.

It only remains for me to add that it is
greatly owing to the courtesy of Monseigneur
Bethune, Canon of the Bruges Cathedral,
that I have succeeded in obtaining so many
details concerning . the history of Bruges' most
sacred relic.

In the Jaws of a Lion.

By Captain J. H. Vanderzee (late Indian Staff Corps).

A late officer of H. M. Indian Army relates his own personal experience of the above, and describes
what the sensations are really like. Poor Captain Vanderzee ! His story has a sad sequel,
for he was destined never to return in search of that lion's " relations." His gallant voice is a

voice from the dead.

EADERS of The Wide World will
hardly yet have forgotten, even in
these days of short memories, Mr.
Brockman's experience with a lion
in Central Africa,* which is probably

without parallel in the records of any country,

and furnishes one more proof of the truth of Dr.

Livingstone's statement, made many years ago,

that under circumstances somewhat similar (in a

lesser degree) to

those narrated, he felt

no pain whatever

whilst being gnawed

by the "king of

beasts." Now to my

own adventure.

Although I had

devoted most of my

leave and leisure to

the pursuit of big

game in various parts

of India for more than

five years previously,

it was not till 1895

that I was able to

carry out a long-
planned project to

essay my fortunes (as

a hunter) in new

fields.

The scene of the

adventure which I

am about to relate

is that portion of

Portuguese East

Africa lying between

the Zambesi and the

Pungwe Rivers.

On 1 6th August

of the above year

I left camp on the

River Urima at

about 8 a.m., accom-
panied by five Kaffir

"boys." One of these

'577

CAPTAIN VANDERZEE, WHO HEROICALLY LOST HIS LIFE IN THE

WILDS OF BURMA SHORTLY AFTER WRITING THIS ADVENTURE

FOR THE " WIDE WORLD."

From a Photo, by the Artistic Photographic Co., Oxford Street.

carried my double
Express rifle, together with twenty cart

After walking over the short grass for about
an hour or more, several shots in rapid succes-
sion were heard about a mile away to the left,
the direction in which my companion (a Dane,
named Jansen) had proceeded on leaving camp
that morning. Thinking from the number and
frequency of the shots that Jansen had fallen
in with a big herd of buffalo, I did not pay any
particular attention to this, but proceeded on my

way. Soon afterwards,
the Kaffirs who were
following behind stop-
ped, and catching the
word "pondoro"(lion)
I also stopped, and
turned round to see
what had attracted
their attention. About
half a mile away to
the left (from whence
had come the sound of
firing) four yellowish
objects, looking at
that distance very like
big mastiffs, were
visible; these were four
lions, or rather two
lions and two lion-
esses, which, after
being disturbed by
Jansen, were making
their way to the near-
est patch of long reeds.
The ground for nearly
a mile on all sides was
quite devoid of
shelter, being covered
with short, green grass
about six or eight
inches in length.

When I first saw
them, the lions were
shambling along at a
good pace in single
file, and they appeared to be heading towards
some high grass nearly a mile away to my left rear.

ridges, most of which were loaded with solid This being my first introduction to these animals,

against buffalo. I it may easily be imagined that I was most

reluctant to lose the chance of improving their
acquaintance, but to do so meant at least half a
mile's. hard running before I could hope to get
near enough to shoot, supposing the animals
maintained their present course and pace.

hardened bullets for use against buffalo. I
myself carried a sporting Lee-Metford magazine
rifle, with a supply of cartridges ; the remaining
four " boys " were taken to bring in heads and
meat for camp.

'See issue fur June, 1898.

11 li; WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

always been a bit of a runner, and
hav '1 many races at various distances

in my rim S telling four out of my five

I remain where they were, and taking

strapping Makalolo

pina), w ■ '■' at a good pace

ting I rms in front of us.

My costume consisted of a flannel shirt, a

aki knickers cut short like running

nd moccasins of sambhur

My companion was in a stat

r a loin cloth, so we were in nice

:or travellini

r running hard for

ie 700yds. or so,

more than 350yds.

divided us from the

magazine,
regards the

HARD FOR SOME 700YDS., NOT MORE THAN 350YDS. DIVIDED US FROM THE REARMOST LION.

rearmost lion. As we gradually closed up with
), the leader of the four, a superb brute
with a good mane, put on the pace a bit, and
was followed at an interval of some yards by
the second (a lioness), hut the other two slowed
n perceptibly and growled once or tw

g by this time rather pumped I essayed
or three shots with my "303, but as the
muzzle was describing circles in the air at the
time, these were without result.

Another but shorter run this time brought us
to within about 200yds. of the pair in the rear,
whilst the other two were now quite a consider-

able distance ahead. Having by this time got
my wind a bit, I was fairly steady, and my
second shot brought the male to a standstill,
w minded somewhere, but where exactly it was
then impossible to say; however, he pulled up
and lay down in the short grass. Another shot
at the lioness also proved effective, wounding
her somewhere in the body, for she, too,
dropped. The remaining pair of lions con-
tinued their course, and eventually disappeared.
Exchanging the -303 for my double -577, I
now proceeded slowly to reduce the distance
between myself and the wounded
lions, followed at about ten
yards' distance by the Makalolo,
carrying the "303,
which still had
the empty shell
from my last shot
remaining in the
chamber, with
three or four cart-
ridges in the
As

577,
besides the two
cartridges in the
rifle, 1 had two
spare ones loose
in the breast-
pocket of my
shirt. All four
were loaded with
a hardened lead
sol i d bullet,
weighing 520
grains.

Slowly and
cautiously we
advanced until
not more than a
full 1 ooyds. re-
mained. At this
point the lion
which had first
been wounded
stood up facing me; I also stopped and waited
developments. In this way we remained gazing
at each other for perhaps half a minute, though
it seemed longer. The lion seemed to be
deliberating what to do, but stood motionless
except for an ominous twitching of the tail,
which moved slowly from side to side.

Judging from my previous experience with
the cats (tiger and panther) and other animals
in India, and after a careful study of what
recognised authorities have written on the
subject, I had come to accept it as an axiom
that, as a general rule, animals, wounded or

IN THE JAWS OF A LION.

J37

unwounded, do not charge from a distance of
more than 50yds. or so. And, provided the
firer stands firm and holds his rifle straight,

there is little danger of the animal making good

whilst charging,

his charge, for, if not disabled
it will usually swerve off at the last moment.
Hence in the present instance I thought it
unlikely that the lion now facing me would
charge so long as a distance of rather over than
under 1 ooyds. separated us. Or, if it should do
so, I thought that a shot in the head or chest
would in all probability disable it, or at all
events turn the brute from its course.

Animals, however, differ much individually.
The absence of cover and the fact of its having
been hustled and driven off its prey by Jansen
probably had something to do with it ; at all
events, after the tail had twitched round for the
third time, up it went in the air, and the lion
came rushing towards me — not in bounds, how-
ever, for that was impossible, as will be seen
presently, but simply with a low rush, belly and
head nearly touching the ground. Waiting, in
order to make the more sure of my aim, until it
had reduced the distance between us by about
one-half, and then aiming just below its mouth,
I fired, and saw at once, from the way it swerved
suddenly, that the bullet had gone home. But
the lion came again without any perceptible
pause, and it could not have been more than
15yds. or 20yds. away when it received the con-

THE NEXT THING I KNEW WAS BEING GRABBED ABOUT HALF-WAY DOWN THE
LEFT THIGH AND THROWN TO THE GROUND."

V I. iv.— 18.

tents of my second barrel. The smoke
prevented my seeing the immediate effect of this,
but the next thing I knew was being grabbed
from the left about half-way down the left thigh
and thrown to the ground. As I fell, the rifle
dropped from my hand and lay a little way to
my right rear.

The lion was evidently nearly done for, as it
made no attempt to use its claws, but lay with
its body clear of me whilst holding my thigh in
its jaws. As I fell, it shifted its grip higher up,
seizing me just below the left groin and driving
all four canine teeth deep into the flesh. On
my moving, it again changed its grip, this time
to a place a few inches above the right knee, its
head and neck resting across my legs.

Whilst this was going on I was not conscious
of any pain whatever, but remember wondering
in a vague kind of way when the brute was
going to stop gnawing my legs.

In the meanwhile Dinakopina was hovering
round behind me, endeavouring to load the "303,
but being unacquainted with the mechanism he
did not at first succeed ; so, thinking that he
would find the "577 easier to manipulate, I took
out the two spare cartridges from my shirt
pocket, and from my position, half sitting and
half lying down, threw them over my head, at
the same time telling him to load — of course,
all these things occupied very little time in
the doing, probably not more than twenty
or thirty seconds.

After the lion had got hold of
me by the right leg I instinctively
tried to push his head away from
me with my right hand, the result
being that the brute dropped my
leg and grabbed hold of my wrist
with its mouth, one upper fang
entering deep in just where the
radius bone of the forearm
terminates. Another fang (a lower
one) penetrated in front of the
end of the ulna bone.

It was just at this moment
that my native companion man-
aged to work the Lee-Metford
rifle, and fired. Whether from the
effects of this or succumbing to
his previous wounds, I know not ;
but the lion immediately after-
wards released its hold of me and
its head dropped. Hastily scram-
bling to my feet I took the -303,
loaded, and fired it into the
animal's head just to make sure,
lest he should revive again. On
investigating the damage on
both sides it appeared that the

mi; wide world magazine.

j had broken a
ah near the fetlock, while
in the chest a few inches

■ry. The only Other

d by my las: shot

;',. 1 1 < Metford. \ trace o\

■ iund, but this may

hidden by the hair of the

. with a

. mane.

My n in all— s

in th ur in the right thigh, and two

fhe • 2 i law-scratch

if the left wrist, but this was

51 down my appearance was

rath. ! th h ^ were completely

th blood in thick, semi-liquid gouts.

he thighs looked as though an auger had

being carried to camp on the shoulders of two
men, I was able to direct operations. With the
help of a bottle of carbolic acid and so
lint, the wounds were thoroughly cleansed and
dressi

Next day a messenger was sent on to apprise
the doctor in medical charge of the Beira
railway employes, asking him to come to
Fontesvilla, the then terminus. At first, an
attempt was made to carry me overland on a
stretcher, but owing to the narrowness of the
path and other reasons, this had to be abandoned.
The only alternative was to go down in a dug-
out canoe by river. At first we tried travelling
at night as well as by day, but this was found to
be impracticable, and the risk of a capsize too
great owing to the number of hippos in the
river, not to mention the crocodiles, which are
very numerous in these parts.

DINAKOPIN'A TO TI >IX CI.OTH INTO STRIPS AND MADE BANDAGES OF THEM."

been at work boring holes all over them— every

hole being big enough to admit the forefinger,

and from an inch and a half to two inches deep.

•ie place a strip of flesh about three inches

:id a half inches wide had been

taken bodily out. My right wrist was badly

-hed and quite u this day I am

u°2 and how I managed to work

-.3 and fire a shot, using the

hand throughout.

care was to stop the hemorrhage as
far as possible. I _■ • Dinakopina to tear his loin
cloth into strips and made bandages of them.

t him off to bring up the other "b
with the water-bottle. A message was also
to Jansen at the same time. Beyond being
rather weak and a bit dazed, I did not feel very
much the worse for my adventure, and after

On the fourth day — that is to say, on the 19th
August — I was landed at Fontesvilla and handed
over to the doctor. After a week's treatment,
during which time I was a sort of side-show for
the residents, not one of whom in all probability
even knew my name, I was advised to get down
to Durban, in Natal, as soon as possible, in
order to get the nursing and dieting which my
case demanded.

After being carried on board the river steamer
at Fontesvilla we started down stream for
beira, but stuck fast in the mud before we had
gone more than a few miles. This delayed us
for several days, and eventually we continued
our journey in a sailing-boat.

On arrival at the mouth of the Pungwe
opposite Beira I was just in time to catch a
German steamer, southward bound. Having

IN THE TAWS OF A LION.

139

been put on board, the German doctor, with a
view, I believe, of reducing inflammation, slung
my hand to the roof of my cabin, which had
the effect of increasing the swelling of the fore-
arm to an alarming extent. By this time the
circulation in the right hand had nearly stopped,
and, apart from the constant pain, my right arm
appeared to be in a bad way.

For the next five weeks I was never free from
pain, and my right arm at one time looked as
though it would have to come off. At length
the pain and swelling subsided, and the out-
look generally began to improve. On the 9th
of October I left Durban by one of the Union
boats, and, after a very pleasant voyage, arrived
at Southampton a very different being from
what I had been a month before, but with a
bad stiff wrist as a memento.

Luckily for me, one of the first surgeons of
the day interested himself in my case ; but
many months passed, and many a half-hour of
torture had to be endured before I even par-
tially recovered the use of my right hand and
arm, and it was not really until some time after
my return to India, towards the end of 1896,
that they altogether ceased from troubling, and
became for all practical purposes sound and fit
for use. At present, I am looking forward to
the time now, I hope, not far distant, when I
shall be able to return to the scene of my mishap
and exact full toll for the past from the author
thereof, or rather from his relations and kindred.

Strange that this gallant officer should come
almost unscathed through the terrible adventure
related here, only to meet with a tragic death by
drowning. The following appeared under the
heading of " Naval and Military " in the daily
papers of Monday, February 20th : "The death
is announced of Captain John H. Vanderzee,
Indian Staff Corps. Drowned in Burma. Aged
thirty."

We communicated at once with his father,
Major-General F. H. Vanderzee, I.S.C., of Bath,
only to learn with sincere regret that the sad
news was true. General Vanderzee kindly sent
us the following letter, which tells the whole
story of his gallant son's death : —

"Myitkyina, Upper Burma.

"Sunday, February 26th, 1899.

"Dear Sir, — It is with sincere regret I write
to give you details of the death of your son,
Captain J. H. Vanderzee, of the battalion
under my command, of which you will have
heard by cable before the receipt of this. He
was in command of our most advanced post—
N'Sentaru on the N'Maikha River, and at the
time was the only Englishman there. He took
out the detachment there in November last, and

by his energy and hard work established them
in a fort in an incredibly short time. I visited
the post in December, and last saw him on the
22nd of that month.

"On Sunday, February 12th, while boating
on the N'Maikha, the sad accident occurred
which cost him his life. Communication was
only kept up with N'Sentaru by means of the
heliograph, and it just happened that the 12th
and 13th of February were dull, rainy days, when
signalling was impossible. Hence the news did
not reach Myitkyina till the 14th of February.
I was on tour at a place called Hopin, seventy-
one miles away on the opposite side of
Myitkyina, when I heard the news ; and as
N'Sentaru is fifty-six miles north-east of
Myitkyina, I was only able to reach the spot in
the afternoon of 17th February.

" Your son had just received a boat he had
ordered from Calcutta (one of Osgood's portable
folding-boats, described in the inclosed cata-
logue, which I took from amongst his papers) ;
and he had been out in it on the river two or
three times only, just opposite the fort, where
the water is still and quiet. From all accounts
the boat gave satisfaction. On the 12th of Feb-
ruary, at about midday, he, with his Sepoy boat-
man, Jangbir Rai, and his Kachin servant, Mah
Tu, embarked apparently with a view of going
some considerable distance up stream surveying,
as poor Vanderzee took some surveying instru-
ments with him. When only a few hundred
yards up stream, however, and only just out of
sight of the fort, they came to some bad water,
where the river, in running round a point, was
disturbed, and the current very strong. Sepoy
Jangbir Rai was in the bow of the boat paddling
(face towards the bow) ; the Kachin, Mah Tu,
was in the middle paddling, and your son in the

stern steering.

" As the boat first felt the strength of the
current running round the point, Jangbir Rai
called out that he did not think they would be
able to make headway, and suggested their
landing and pulling the boat past the point
with a rope. He received no reply to this, and
suddenly, without a moment's notice, the boat's
head was knocked aside by the strength of the
water, which, catching it broadside on, over-
turned it and precipitated all three into the
turbulent river.

"The N'Maikha is a large river, several
hundreds of yards across during the rains ; but
at the place where the accident occurred it is
only about a hundred yards wide at the present
season. Vanderzee was an excellent swimmer,
I belieye ; Jangbir Rai could also swim ; but
the Kachin, a big, powerful man, dreaded the
water — like all hillmen — and could not swim a

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

r Rai saved himself by

me two hundred yards

•i the opp to the fort.

alarm by shouting. A sentry

him, and the native officers

: the river with logs,

not think it probable they ever will. The
river is very deep and full of huge rocks, worn
into all sorts of fantastic shapes and holes by the
water. The bodies are no doubt caught in the
rocks below, and will never be recovered. The
river at the scene of the accident, and for miles

" THE BOAT'S HEAD WAS KNOCKED ASIDE BY THE STRENGTH OF THE WATER, WHICH OVERTURNED
IT AND PRECIPITATED ALL THREE INTO THE WATER."

ropes, etc., to try and render a>>istance. Sepoy
Jangbir Rai was much exhausted and terrified,
and can give no details as to what occurred to
the oth<

landing and

turning to look at

the river he saw either poor Yanderzee or the
hin — he cannot be certain which — rise to
the surface and then sink again. The men were
:ided all along the river bank, but not a sign
of • ;. A glimpse of the over-

turned boat was caught by one of the men
x>ut a thousand yards below the scene of the
t, and every endeavour was made to get
•i the hope that Yanderzee might be hold-
on to it ; but without success, and the boat
washed away and not recovered. That
your son. a good swimmer, and only lightlv clad
in tennis shoes, knickerbockers, and stockings,
did not d in saving himself, or, at li

w; '• r for the space of ten
mir, >zn he might have been saved by

the S on the banks, can, it appears to me,

be explained in one way only : namely, that he
did his best to help his wretched servant, whom
he knew could not swim, and that the man
held on to him in his terror, and so drowned
them both. I regret to have to inform you
that, in spite of every endeavour, no trace
of the bodies has been found ; and I do

down-stream, has been carefully watched and
patrolled for over a fortnight, and rewards for the
recovery of the remains have been offered to the
tribes living about the banks; but without success.

" I hope you will permit me, though a
stranger, to offer you my sincere sympathy in
your great loss. Your son thus suddenly cut
off in the prime of life is a great loss to Her
Majesty's Service. He was a most active,
vigorous, energetic, and capable officer — just the
man required for the wild frontier life we have
to endure. He had been living this lonely life
for about two years, during which he had
made himself acquainted with the Kachin
language ; had given much useful information
to the authorities on the various villages and
routes in the hills ; and several of his maps and
route reports have been printed. As we are
military officers in civil employ the duties of
winding up your son's affairs devolve on the
Deputy-Commissioner for Myitkyina District —
Captain E. C Townsend — to whom I am
handing over all your son's kit, among which
are some very valuable sporting guns, rifles, and
scientific instruments.

" Believe me, yours faithfully,

"A. W. W. Taylor, Captain,
" ist Burma Gurkha Rifles.

" Battalion Commandant, Myitkyina."

The Ice Harvest of Iowa.

By W. E. Barlow, M.A., of Iowa City.

Farming extraordinary. The fields of ice are ploughed, and a highly remunerative harvest gathered in
by the " farmer." With a complete set of snap-shots illustrating the different phases of the industry.

IFTEEN degrees below zero ! Forty-
seven degrees of frost ! I can see
my English readers shivering in
anticipation ; but I hasten to assure
them that they have felt the cold
more keenly in England, on some wet
winter day, with the cruel east wind
searching and wounding, than I did on
that glorious December day on the Iowa
River. Indeed, as I stood on the boat-
house slip, a little out of breath from
my brisk walk from town, the blood
tingled through my veins, and I felt a
warm glow of- animal life. The exhila-
ration produced by the dry, clear cold
of an Iowa mid-winter must be experi-
enced in order to be understood.

Below me, as far up the river as I
could see, the thick ice was dotted
everywhere with men and horses, hard
ru work. It was the beginning of the
' ice harvest " — that short season of
'■ hustle " and excitement, during which
hundreds of thousands of tons of ice
are cut and stored in huge wooden ice-houses,
for use in the scorching heat of the following
summer.

The scene was a magnificent one. To the
left, near the dam. where the ice-cutting had not
yet commenced, crowds of skaters glided and
circled. Behind them, in the distance, the
towers and spires of the churches and Univer-
sity buildings rose against the brilliant blue of

the sky. Directly beneath me snow-plough and
ice-plough passed and re-passed ; whilst ringing
blows of crowbars and a ceaseless " whish-
whishing " of innumerable ice-saws came from
far and near. To the right, where a cross-road

■

---*fA

—^■Hf

I. — THIS Is THE ICE-PLOUGH BY MEANS OF WHICH THE ICE SURI'

From a I'hoto.} divided into SQUARES. [by the

2.— THE ICE PLOUGHMAN WORKS VERY MUCH AS HIS BROTHER DOES ON DRY LAND.

From a Photo, by the Author.

from the river joined the main road, a close
procession of heavily-laden sleds struggled up
the bank, hurrying and crashing along as though
the horses themselves understood how valu-
able the minutes were. Almost over my head
great blocks of ice glided, rattling away along a
wooden chute ; and above everything — gleam-
ing on the blades of the skates ; on the sparkling
snow-crystals ; on the open squares of rippling
blue water which grew in size each
minute ; reflected in a hundred shim-
mering colours from the sides of the
great blocks of transparent, bluish ice,
shone the sun — a regular, mid-winter
Iowa sun, warm and glorious.

I had dropped from the platform, and
walked up the river. Here the snow
had already been partly ploughed and
swept away, and I was in time to get a
couple of photographs of the ice-plough
in operation. By means of this machine
the surface of the ice is divided into
squares about 3ft. in each direction.
First a line is ploughed along one side
of the area to be cut; then the two teeth
of the guiding bar, seen in the first
Author photo., are fitted into this groove, and

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

1 \ rHE DIS

<c_

allel line — just the width of the
a from the first — is marked out. Two sets
such lines, at right angles, are ploughed over
whole field. These grooves may
n in the first photo., in which
also the cutting teeth of the plough
- iwn. Photo. Xo. 2 shows the
dually in motion.

lares are marked out,
me: horizontal saws, somewhat

the saw of the ice-plough,
go over the lines and saw to the di

ral inches. One of these hori-
zontal saws may be seen in the distance
in phot' \ . 3. Then comes the
_ ■ • . which is carried on by

large, coarse-toothed saws, 4ft. or 5ft.
in length. Photos. Xos. 3 and 4 show
these well. The figure in the fore-
ground in Xo. 4 is that of a typical
ice-sawyer. He is a Bohemian, and—

made

if one may judge from his appearance
in his shirtsleeves — a warm-blooded
one. Most of the photographs which
illustrate this article were taken when
the temperature was about i2deg. or
i5deg. below zero, out of the sun. In
spite of such a temperature, however,
it is possible for a man scantily-dressed
to keep up a glow by continuous exer-
cise, and the ice-men get it. Then, too,
in the sun it is often positively hot.

When the blocks are sawn nearly
through, men with crowbars, as shown
in Xo. 5. follow on along the edge of
the ice and split off the rows of blocks,
guiding them along the edge of the
water towards a trough cut in one
corner of the open piece. Photo.
No. 6 shows these composite cakes,
up of from three to six blocks each.

In the left foreground a boat-hook is hauling
in a double cake.

-i-v*

2wv

- •**

From a J'hotoA

1 \ SAWN THROUGH THEY AKE SPLIT OFF BY

the crowbar-max. \by the Author.

a I'lioto. by the Author.

First comes the workman with the
horizontal saw. Xext comes the man
with the vertical saw. On his heels
follows the bearer of the crowbar. The
work goes from right to left. Other
men with, boat-hooks and crowbars
h and divide the rows into blocks,
which are guided, four at a time, into
the trough. Here they are seized, as
shown in photo. Xo. 7, by a grappling-
hook attached to a stout rope, which
passes over a pulley above and is then
made fast to the harness of a horse.
When the blocks are thus seized a
signal is given, the horse is started,
and the blocks are guided up a pair el
rails on to the stage, whence they are

THE ICE HARVEST OF IOWA.

immediately loaded upon sleds and wag-
gons and hurried town wards.

When, as is often the case, the ice-
house is built near the river, the blocks
are hauled from the trough directly up
on to a long chute, the man with the
grappling-iron following up and holding
the blocks in position on the rails.
Photographs 8 and 9 show such a chute.
When the little procession reaches the
summit of the incline - — which may be
seen in No. 8 — the horse is stopped, and
the blocks glide away down a slight
descent into the ice-house, where men
are waiting to receive and store them.
This particular chute crosses the river
road. On the extreme right of the photo-
graph a part of the team of horses used
for the hauling may be seen, the cable

^ »' J" +

• r

6.— HERE ARE THE ICE SLABS READY FOR GLIDING TO THE

From a Photo.} TROUGH. [by the Author.

being led, by means of a series of pulleys,
down one of the chute supports and out
into the road.

Accidents happen occasionally on
these long chutes : for example, when
the tackle slips and the string of ice-
blocks gets loose and slides back clown
the rails. Then the man with the grap-
pling-iron has the alternative of getting
out of the way — if he can — or of being
seriously injured. A broken leg, or a
pair of crushed ankles, is a small
matter when such an accident occurs.
Photograph No. 10 shows a teamster
hauling ice to the warehouses in town.
In the rush of the ice harvest almost
everything which may be drawn by
horses, either on wheels or on runners,
is used for transport.

CE SLABS BEING SEIZED AND LOADED ON TO THE WAGGON.

From a Photo, by the Author.

Some of the waggons run on wheels, but
this is a sled mounted upon two pairs of
runners. As long as the ground is frozen
hard the sleds run merrily and smoothly along,
whilst the waggon-wheels slip in every direc-
tion ; hut, towards the end of the harvest, it
sometimes happens — partly in consequence of
the sudden changes of weather common in Iowa,
and partly because the cutting is postponed until
the last minute, in order to take advantage of
every inch of ice possible — that a sudden thaw
softens the roads. Then the tables are turned,
and one may see the sleds tugging along stolidly
through slush and mud, whilst the wheeled
waggon rolls on its way cheerfully.

And now a word as to the magnitude of this
enterprise. From the field which I first visited,

-CONVEYING ICE

"—THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WORK.

From a Photo, by the Author.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

and on which four dealers were cutting, about
Soo lor. • were hauled to town in one day ;

and between 400 and 500 men were engaged in
hauling, and storing. A few miles up
the river the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific
Railroad has special tracks running into the
Hot/, ice-fields. Here, when the hard cold
comes, making ice several feet in thickness,
nearly a thousand men work day and night,
under electric light, filling the warehouses and
loading the long trains of cars. These trains
carry the ice to every part of the great Mississippi
Valley, the railroad companies of the West and
South being Mr. Hotz's best customers. I was
unable to ascertain the weight of ice cut at
this field during the season, but I learned
that Mr. Hotz often paid the railroad com-
pany as much as 2,ooodols. daily for freight.

And the object of all this hard work ?
Well, if this is a land of cold winters it is
also a land of hot summers — of very hot
summers — of summers so hot, in fact, that
it is almost impossible to preserve food and
drink without some artificial means of keep-
ing them cool. And so almost every house-
lolder has a valued refrigerator, or ice-chest,
lined with cork or charcoal, or with sawdust,
and coated with hardwood and zinc, in which
to keep cool and sweet to-morrow's eggs and
butter, and milk and meat. Covered ice-
waggons lumber through the streets in the
early mornings of the summer days, and
Scent or iocent blocks are rapidly distri-
buted, ides this host of small con-
sumers, there are the great breweries, the
butchers, the milkmen, the restaurant-keepers,
the pork and beef packing- house men —
everybody, in short, who has to do, directly

or indirectly, with food. The railroad
companies, who transport tremendous
quantities of perishable food-stuffs in
specially-constructed " refrigerator cars,"
are probably the largest consumers.

Hardly a picnic party leaves the
dusty, sizzling heat of Iowa city's
streets, hurrying for the rippling waters
of the Iowa River and the refreshing
shade of her wooded bluffs, without
the all-important blanket-covered cube
of ice. Could anything, indeed, more
disgusting than tepid lemonade be
placed before a perspiring pleasure-
party on a Midsummer day ?

There are many beautiful things to

be seen, and many interesting things

to be done, on the rivers and bluffs of

Iowa in mid-winter ; but perhaps the

most fascinating of them all is to become, for

a while, part and parcel of the excitement and

bustle of the ice harvest.

The panting, tugging horses, surrounded by
rolling halos of their own congealing breath,
and with their heads and trappings crusted with
hoar-frost ; the ice-laden sleds ; the teamsters
with their icicle-decorated beards ; the busy
river ; the shouts and the laughter ; the hurry
and excitement ; and, everywhere, the gleam of
ice and snow in the radiant sun, combine to
make a picture, and to inspire a sensation, never
to be forgotten. One leaves the ice-fields with
a four-fold impression — ice, sun, work, life.

-HAULING ICE TO THE WAREHOl 5ES IN

From a Photo, by the Author.

My Treacherous Dragoman.

By Z. E. Birasky.

A Hungarian gentleman, who is at once a doctor, a trader, and a traveller, relates how he was
all but murdered by his dragoman in the interior of Persia for the sake of a valuable chrono
meter. With actual photographs of the caravansary in which the incident happened, the dragoman

himself, and the police who arrested him.

j^3P

RAVERSING Persia without a
friend or any knowledge of the
language of the Shah is a difficult
enterprise. The journey was both
wearisome and monotonous, and I
really think that had it been a little more
extended I should have lost my powers of
speech, having always to make myself under-
stood by gestures.

When I left Bokhara for Teheran with a
small camel caravan I
made a great mistake in
disregarding the advice
of my friends, who sug-
gested that I should take
with me an interpreter,
who would act both as
servant and dragoman.
As it was, however, I
had a very unpleasant
journey to the Persian
capital, thanks to the
muleteers whom I had
aged at the former
town. On many occa-
sions they did as they
thought best, and at
every station they wanted
to stay for a day or two.
Before I reached Teheran
I was utterly disgusted
with their conduct, and
resolved when I arrived
there to engage imme-
diately a dragoman for
the rest of the journey.

The heat during my
expedition was intense ;

to one unaccustomed to the climate, indeed, it
is often fatal. The sky was perfectly clear, and
the unmitigated rays of the tropical sun poured
down upon our unprotected heads with terrific
force, for there was neither friendly rock nor
shady tree to shelter us. The effect of this
upon me was very enervating, and several times
I thought I should have fainted through sheer
exhaustion.

At length we arrived at Teheran, where I
remained a considerable time in order to
recuperate my strength after such a tedious
journey. And, of course, I was very pleased to

Vol. iv.— 19.

BIRASKY, WHOSE VALUABLE WATCH NEARLY COST HIM HIS
I.e. I.i 1111 COVETOUSNESS OF His DRAGOMAN.
/■'roi/i a Photo, by the Author.

dispense with the muleteers who had so meanly
taken advantage of me on account of my being
a stranger and ignorant of their language.

Having a letter of introduction to a certain
European in the city, Mr. Galy by name, I
called upon him and requested him to recom-
mend me an honest and able interpreter who
would accompany me to the Persian Gulf. My
friend was able to assist me in this respect, and
took me to a Khan (chief) with whom he was

acquainted. The Khan
engaged for me a young
fellow of about twenty-
five years, conversant
with English and French,
and, in fact, exactly the
person I wanted. His
name was Alinoor, and
he seemed to be a really
kind-hearted and honest
fellow ; whilst we were
in Teheran he was very
courteous and respectful
to me. (I am glad to
be able to give at the
top of the next page a
photograph of this inter-
esting person.) Alinoor
conducted me about the
town, and showed me all
the famous buildings in
the Persian capital.

On the day of our
departure from Teheran
Alinoor prepared our
baggage and engaged
the muleteers, and I was
highly delighted by the
way in which he carried out these arrangements.
He looked very imposing in his Caucasian suit,
with a long,' shining sabre at his side, and well
able to command the obedience of the mule-
teers.

I particularly noticed, in the early stage of
my journey, that Alinoor had a special regard
for my chronometer, which I always carried on
account of its good record as a time-keeper.
He more than once asked me how I managed
to obtain such a splendid watch, and remarked
how fortunate he would consider himself if I
could obtain one like it for him. These remarks

lHi; WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

ler the outcome of any bad

lently they did not

the time. On the

- nd him a similar

gland should he fulfil my

:;;. 1 have studied the

utions, but was unfor-

tu; inted with that of the

He happens to be a very

nd has been known to

r faithfully for years, and

or no reason at all to turn

not until my arrival at Ispahan

iad anj - m to suspect Alinoor.

irtments at the beautiful

and | caravansary shown in the

mpanying photograph. My room was

on the first and the easement over

1 the courtyard where my guide slept.

I determined to remain here for a few

I had become somewhat

wearied with my journey. I also wanted to

the striking landscape of the surrounding

countrv. The broad River Zeinderud wends its

way through the centre of the city, its banks

crowded with shady fruit trees.

after my arrival at Ispahan Alinoor
advised me to visit the lovely gardens of the
re the finest in all Persia. Accord-
ingly, in the afternoon my guide conducted me
to one of these gorgeous resorts situated on the
river bank, but rather isolated from the rest,
entering this garden, its magnificence so
ed my admiration that I was held spell-
bound. Tropical fruit trees abounded every-
where, and !!(■ grew in indescribable pro-
n. Whilst I was musing on the beauty of
scenery, I was suddenly startled by the

AN ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH OF AI.INi
TREACHEROUS DRAGOMAN.

From a Photo, by the Author.

*****

I'AHAN, IN WHICH THE NIGHT
a Photo.\ attack i . \by the Author.

report of a rifle,
which was dis-
charged twice in
rapid succession,
apparently from
the other side of
the river. We at
once ran to the
gate of the garden
to see what had
happened, and Ali-
noor, who was well
acquainted with
these parts, quickly
understood what
was the matter.
We saw a man
swimming in the
water towards us,
whilst a Persian
soldier was con-
tinually firing at
him from the opposite bank. The soldier
seemed to be firing without any sort of aim, and
several of the bullets came dangerously near to
us. My guide explained to me that the swimmer
was a fugitive from justice — probably a thief;
and he had been followed by the soldier, who
intended to arrest him.

Finally my dragoman, drawing his sabre, with
a sinister smile, declared he intended to seize
the poor wretch when he landed. The soldier
presently observing Alinoor's intention ceased
firing, whereupon my eccentric guide suddenly
became like a madman. Wildly brandishing
his sword he rushed down to the edge of the
river and called upon the fellow to surrender or
he would kill him. The look of abject despair
which came over the poor man's face was really

terrible to witness on find-
ing that, after he had strug-
gled so bravely through the
swift-flowing water, followed
by the shots of his pursuer,
he was only to fall a victim
to another and more dan-
gerous enemy on the
opposite side.

The dragoman's conduct
so greatly perplexed me
that I could scarcely believe
him to be the same man.
He had entirely changed
from a kindly disposed
fellow to a ferocious brute,
and I trembled for the
safety of the hapless crimi-
nal. I reflected, too, that
if he could become thus

MY TREACHEROUS DRAGOMAN.

i47

suddenly transformed over an affair that did not
concern him, he might also turn upon me when
I least expected it. I became decidedly uneasy,
and my confidence in the man was so shaken
that I longed to escape from him altogether,
indispensable though he was. Directly the
supposed thief landed he sank to the ground
from sheer exhaustion, whereupon my valiant
dragoman promptly tied his hands behind him,
and then awaited the arrival of the soldier, who
crossed the river in a boat.

I would have resented Alinoor's interfering in
this poor man's capture, but feared that he
would vent his rage upon me in some awkward
manner. I could see by the wild look in his
eyes that he was now scarcely responsible for his
actions. After surrendering the thief to the
soldier, however, he explained (when he had
sufficiently recovered) that the "thief" had
stolen a single piece of firewood from his neigh-
bour. It was to me incredible that such a
trifling offence could have been the cause of so
tremendous a commotion, but so it was. When
we were alone I reproved my dragoman for the
part he had taken in this unpleasant adventure,
but he replied that he was obliged to uphold
the cause of justice, though it jarred against his
better feelings. Alinoor's next association with
justice must have jarred against him far more
forcibly.

The same evening, as we prepared our effects
for the journey to Yzed the following morning,
I noticed with much astonishment that Alinoor
had not in the least recovered from his excite-
ment, and was still both furious and eccentric.

When we bade each other " Messak Allah
Kher," or good-night, and retired to rest, I
carefully closed the door and bolted it on the
inside. I also closed the window, which, how-
ever, owing to its dilapidated condition, could
not be very securely fastened.

Nervous and agitated with the tragic events
of the day, and also dwelling upon Alinoor's
surprising conduct of the last few hours, it was
with a feeling of positive apprehension that I
lit my candle and prepared for bed. Terrible
thoughts invaded my mind which, combined
with the stillness of the night, drove all sleep
from me. I felt every moment that something
dreadful was about to happen. At last, vexed
at what I told myself were perfectly idiotic
forebodings, I tried the expedient of sleeping
without a light. Gathering together the little
courage I had left, I sprang from the bed and
extinguished the candle.

When I was but half asleep I was suddenly
startled by a peculiar noise at the door, and in a
pel feet paroxysm of terror I leaped from the
couch. "Who is there?" I cried; but after

waiting awhile and receiving no answer, I con-
cluded I must have been dreaming, and hoped
that nobody had heard the noise I made. After
this fright I again lay down, but sleep was im-
possible— I was at a loss to know what was the
matter with me. Tossing about for a long time,
I worked myself up into a perfect frenzy. I
laughed aloud to buoy up my spirits, but my
mirth sounded so strangely harsh that I shud-
dered and buried my head beneath the clothes.
Presently, I could stand this no longer, and
jumping from my couch I seized my brandy
flask and drank at a draught a quantity of
the fiery liquid, in order to stimulate my now
shattered nerves, and if possible obtain a little
strength for the next day's journey. This dose
certainly had the desired effect, and I felt a
pleasant drowsiness creeping over me. Before
lying down again, however, I took out my watch
and, placing it on the table, was surprised to find
how quickly the time had passed : it was already
one o'clock.

I must have been asleep for some consider-
able time when I was rudely awakened by a
sharp blow accompanied by severe pain on my
left arm near the shoulder. This time I knew
I was not dreaming, for as I turned in the bed
I felt the blood streaming from my shoulder
and my clothes sticking to me. And even as I
turned another and still more terrible blow was
delivered. All this happened in so short a time
that, when I jumped from the bed to ascertain
the cause of this murderous assault, I was so
bewildered that I entirely forgot my suspicions
of Alinoor and the dread I had had of an attack
from him. Whilst I was groping about for the
matches in a dazed condition, I suddenly con-
fronted a weird figure enveloped from head to
foot in a mantle not unlike a monk's cowl. I
attempted to cry out for assistance, but before I
could do so I received a third cruel stab upon
my wounded shoulder. My senses were rapidly
leaving me, and as I collapsed on the ground I
dimly saw my would-be assassin escaping by the
window.

On regaining consciousness I was so weak
from loss of blood that I had not the strength
to summon aid, and was fearful lest at any
moment my nocturnal visitor should return and
finish his terrible work, in which case I should
be utterly helpless. The blood was now flowing
freely from my wounds and my clothes were
saturated. As a medical man I knew that
something must be done quickly, otherwise I
should bleed to death. With great difficulty
and excruciating pain I succeeded in lighting
the candle, and it was then I noticed that my
chronometer was missing. It now dawned
upon me who my assassin was, and it caused

Till: WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

le mental anguish to think that

1 had ti whom 1 had

nld murder me for the

• ion were also aroused,
the time endowed with new
i nded the stairs

the proprietor, who. after
ime from his room in a towering
. from his rest at so
1 now realized my awkward
How was 1. knowing not a word
plain to this man what had
However, by showing him my
il wounds, and with a few expressive
-. 1 mi to explain to him that 1

stabbed. He ran to awaken my
an, but found his room empty— thereby
spicions of Alinoor's villainy.
■li-
the

. which he
immediate!; re-

turn >rtly after-

mpanied by
a weird-looking indi-
By this time
had dawned, and
stinctly
the precise nature of
my wounds. The first
- 'ii my left
arm near the shoulder,
- ping
about an inch
>nd was
on • ne arm but

- the hand, and
rious
nature : there was
ry bad con

ily caused by the blow which

: me senseless to the floor. Had it

not been for the travelling coat (which I had

d of my night-gown, in consequence

: early rising), the knife— judging

on in which 1 g< ■rally lie would

undoubtedly ha\e pierced my body.

rything the supposed "doctor" did to

top the bleeding proved unavailing, and I

could see by the way he went about his work

that hi gical knowledge was of a most

elementary character. As I am a doctor myself,

i ARE THE PERSIAN POLICE WHO PURSUED AND CAPTURED
THE i s DRAGOMAN.

From a Photo, by the Author

however, 1 thought it best after such poor
'• treatment " to do what I could for myself, and
putting my arm into cold water I soon succeeded
in stopping the flow of blood.

later in the day I went to see the police of
Ispahan, and happily found an officer there who
could speak English. To him I explained
everything ; he assured me that they would do
all in their power to effect the arrest of Alinoor.
I returned to the caravansary, and that same
day was seized with a terrible fever, the result
of the shock and loss of blood. Next day an
officer came and told me he had captured my
murderous servant just at the moment he was
about to start back to Teheran with a caravan.

The examination at the trial of Alinoor
revealed the following facts: On the night before
our proposed departure from Ispahan the villain
had decided to kill me, steal my watch, and

return with it to Tehe-
ran. He admitted
trying to open the
door when I cried
out "Who is there?"
and having failed in
this he returned to the
courtyard and, climb-
ing the wall, entered
my room by the
window. At this time
I was somewhat over-
come by the brandy I
had taken to induce
sleep, and did not
awaken until I had
received the first
blow. Alinoor in-
tended to finish me,
but thinking he had
killed me when I
fainted after the third
blow, he escaped,
taking the coveted watcn with him.

I was astonished to hear before I left Ispahan
that the Persian Government had sentenced
Alinoor to have his left hand cut off for
attempted theft, and to undergo three years'
penal servitude for attempted murder. The
watch was returned to me in good condition,
and I hurried to the Persian Gulf for proper
treatment. On arriving at my destination I
was fortunate enough to find a European
surgeon, who dressed my wounds, and under
whose skilful care I speedily recovered.

"Brusher" Mills, the Snake=Catcher.

By Mrs. Delves Brought* in.

A lady penetrates into the wilds of the New Forest to tell us all about a real English Wild Alan
of the Woods, and his curious calling of Snake-Hunter. With a complete set of photographs

specially taken by her for this article.

Ifn

N that part of the New Forest lying
between Brockenhurst and Lynd-
hurst, some distance from the high
road, and almost hidden by under-
growth and giant beech, is the home

of the snake-catcher, Mr. Henry Mills, com-
monly known as "Brusher." The origin of this

appellation is a dark mystery : he is ignorant

himself of how he

came by it, which

is the less surprising

when we hear he has

been so named ever

since he was four years

old.

" Harry, Brusher —

no matter what they

call me, so long as I

gets my dinner," are

his laconic words ;

and, like many a man

before him, "to get

his dinner" is the

whole aspiration of

his life.

His home is a

charcoal-burner's hut,

constructed of • tree

branches covered with

sods and bracken —

here he lives i n

solitary grandeur ; his

furniture (if such it

may be called) con-
sisting of a bed of

dried ferns, an old

tobacco tin made to

hang over the fire by

means of a piece of

wire inserted in the

sides, and a spoon

of home manufacture. He is contented with

his lot, which is more than can be said of

others richer in this world's goods.

I '.rusher is an hospitable person, and a tea

party is no uncommon occurrence with him.

His guests, we must acknowledge, are generally

"his home is a chakcoai.-eurner's hut of branches covered
From a] with sods and bracken."

self-invited, but none the less welcome. From
the inner recesses of his " house " he produces
his tobacco tin, black from age and use, and
in this he brews the tea, boiling it over the wood
fire he has lighted inside. The smoke streams
out through the doorway and also up through a
hole in the roof. Cream is an unknown quantity,
but sugar he is able to supply. Then comes the

spoon with which to
stir the decoction.
This spoon is of
strange shape, and is
about oin. long with
a crook at one end,
and so polished and
darkened from years
of hard work that it
resembles ebony. The
guests must be con-
tent to drink from
the same vessel, for
Brusher's store of
tobacco tins is limited.
Tea is not the only
beverage he has to
offer, however. From
some secret corner in
the thatch he un-
earths a bottle of
whisky, which he tells
us " the doctor has
ordered " for his deli-
cate chest, and no
doubt it is a very
efficacious cure for a
diversity of ailments.
He seems quite
affronted if from shy-
ness or reluctance of
any other kind his
hospitality is refused.
In this little hut of his he lives summer and
winter, or rather sleeps, for at daybreak he is
out and away, walking for miles about the
country, catching snakes, cutting walking-sticks,
attending fairs, humbugging tourists, and
generally picking up an odd shilling or two as

[Photo.

11 1 1 WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

KAK HE I-- Ol I AM) AWAY —HERE XVI

ll'I'EI) FOR THE DAYS HUNT.

From a Photo.

he can in an honest way. At night he
returns to his ferny bed ami his dinner — not a
very elahorate one, but consisting of bread and
cheese. I ! r e a k f a s t
to be his
:rite meal, and a
smile lights up his
usually rather solemn
features as he recalls
voury delights
while describing how
" I lights
: rasher
of ticks a

>ked wire
i it, and c<

Hi usher

ho:; the shad'

_ fall, and then
to tramp all
through the night
_aining his
humble dwelling ; but,
be it moonlight or
dark, he never 1
his way. so accus-
tomed is he to every
turn and twist of the

Front a

THE SNAKE-CATCHEK CUTTING

IIS

foresl : nor does he ever seem tired, although
he canies about him a heterogeneous collec-
tion of goods and chattels. In a tin with a per-
forated top ,ni' some adders, both dead and
alive : vrhilst slung round him is an old water-
proof coat, worn and stiff. He has hung over
one shoulder a sack of snakes, and over the
other a second bag filled with odds and ends-
such as scissors for cutting open the adders
and removing their fat. This weird sub-
stance he eventually melts down and makes
into an ointment, bottles of which he keeps
ready for sale to anyone who wishes for a
perfect cure for bruises, sprains, or adder's
bite. In the mysterious odds and ends bag
Brusher also carries a knife, some bits of
string, a perfect medley of other strange
things, whose use only Brusher is cognizant
of. Stuck through the button-hole of his coat
rests the flat - pointed scissors with which he
secures the adders by their necks ; and in his
hand is his staff of office — a rough stick forked
at one end, and used both as a walking-stick
and for snake -catching. Even when amongst
the undergrowth or half hidden in moss and
leaves his experienced eye detects his snaky
prey, which he is able to pin to the ground by
means of the forked end before the snake or
adder has realized its danger. In the case of
the former he grasps it fearlessly with his bare
hand, and untying the mouth of his sack drops
it in to join the wriggling company already there.

But with the adders
he has, of course, to
act more cautiously.
Then the flat-pointed
scissors comes into
play, and clasping the
* neck of the reptile

between its two points
he holds it while he
removes the perforated
top of the tin slung
about him. Then
putting the adder in
he shuts the lid tightly-
down, for it does not
pay to be careless
with such live cargo.

This roving, inde-
pendent life is the
one that best suits
our wild man of the
woods. In his own
way he works hard,
but hard work in the
accepted sense of the
word he will have
none of. One bitter

AN ADDER TO EXTRACT

FAT. [I 'ho to.

"BRUSHER" MILLS, THE SNAKE-CATCHER.

i -, i

BRUSHE R

From a |

MILLS PINS A SNAKE TO THE GROUND WITH HIS

FOKKED STICK. [1'ftoto.

winter, when snow lay two feet deep around
his hut, and snakes had long ago retired to
their holes and tree crannies, there to await
the kindly warmth of spring — and therefore
Brusher found it hard to light his
fire 01 gain enough money to buy
bread and cheese — he was charitably
offered work in the shape of stone-
breaking. One morning of this
sufficed him.

Again was he invited to earn some
money by the sweat of his brow.
Haymaking time had come, labourers
were scarce, the weather doubtful,
and a good crop of standing grass
might be spoilt for the want of hands
to save it. Brusher was asked to
help : of course he was ready and
willing, being a most obliging person,
but when dinner - time arrived he
preferred playing practical jokes to
eating and resting, and as these took
the form of letting loose amongst
his fellow-labourers the snakes and
adders he always carries about him,
they objected strongly, and declared
that nothing would induce them to

stay in his company. Brusher thus gained his
purpose, which was to relinquish his uncongenial
employment.

Fear is unknown to this strange being. No
terrors, either supernatural or real, disturb his
nightly rest ; he sleeps soundly and peacefully
on his bed of ferns in his sod-covered hut, whose
door of branches is his only protection against
intruders. There, in the depths of the forest,
far removed from other habitation, he feels as
secure — perhaps more so — as a king in his palace.

One year, not long since, when England was
visited by that terrible scourge, influenza, and
many a home was made desolate, Brusher fell a
prey to the disease. Alone and unaided he-
battled with his deadly foe. No comforts, no
remedies, were at hand to help him, and, in all
probability, his snake-catching days would then
and there have come to an end for ever had not
some passer-by happened to find him in his sore
distress. He was taken to the " workhouse "
(or " House of Industry " as it is now called),
where he was cared for, and nursed into con-
valescence ; but he retains no kindly feelings of
thankfulness for this act of charity. The enforced
rules, the regular hours, were all antagonistic to
the roving nature of the man, and what seems
strangest of all, considering the simplicity and
meagreness of his daily meals, the food was
not up to his standard of excellence.

Brusher declares he is fifty-eight years old,
but he does not look that age, and is as active
as many a man ten years younger. For the
past eighteen years he has fo.lowed the pro-
fession of snake-catcher, and seems now quite
at home with these loathsome reptiles, handling

SEEMS

Trom a\

QUITE AT HOME WITH THESE LOATHSOME REPTILES, HANDLING

THEM AIM 1ST LOVINGLY." [Photo.

mi; W11H. WORLD MAGAZINE.

nderly and lovingly. I'h. grass
etimes found over 6ft. in
quite harmless, and his only object
them is to make a little money. At
xcellent market lor them,
. who then lived at Bolder
New I orest, paying him a shilling
lake he caught ; but at the present
nds principally on the chance fancy
vist who may like to carry off a
this wild and picturesque region,
be seen surrounded by trippers
the arrival of the
h from Bourne-
mouth exhibiting
handfuls of his sna

In his _ teen

- .:t the snake-
S • ade he has
d 29,023
besides 198 of
nailer and much
r species which
he calls " levers " (a
.1 name, no doubt,
is not to be
found in encyclo-
lias), and 3,834
add'.:-. These latter
•.tifullv marked,
rtainly the
-t attractive to look
at : but their venom-
sometimes
I -her
himself, accustomed
as he is to handle
tures, has
not escaped dangerous
illness caused through
adder-bite. On one-
occasion he had
caught an adder by
the tail carelessly, and
was proceeding to pass his hand up to grip it
the neck as usual, when it curled its head
round and fastened its fangs in his finger. The
onlookers were filled with pity, and cries of "Poor
fell ood heavens! he's bitten; what

will he do?" reached his ears. But his nerves,
or want of nerves, stood him in good stead.
"Cure it in two minutes," was all he said.
Throwing the reptile from him, he hastily got
his knife out of the sack, and cutting a deep
incision in his finger where the wound was, he
let the blood flow freely.

" Poison go out with the blood," he explained
to the still awestruck and gaping crowd.

HE ADDE1

I-'rom a\

His next proceeding was to search in a sack
for a bottle of his magical decoction, made out
of the oily fat of the adder, and, pouring some
of the contents over the cut, he rubbed it
well in.

" Worth five guineas if the bottle was full,"
was his short comment as he shouldered his
sacks and walked off, leaving the onlookers,
who had been prepared for a speedy and tragic
death, proportionately disappointed.

Brusher's presence of mind and quick action
no doubt saved him from any ill-effects that

might have attended
the bite ; but others,
either ignorant of a
remedy or neglectful
of applying it, have
paid a severe penalty.
Brusher tells of one
poor little girl, who,
with her brothers, had
come from Bourne-
mouth to spend a
long and happy holi-
day, and as they were
playing in the forest,
enjoying the delights
of rambling about be-
neath the leafy trees,
picking flowers here
and chasing butter-
flies there, a moving,
glinting object on the
ground attracted the
attention of one of the
boys. To his shame as
an English boy be it
spoken, fear forbade
his touching the
reptile, so he bribed
his little sister by the
promise of two
pennies to take it up
and put it in his
pocket.

The prospect of such untold wealth and the
sweeties it would bring overcame any dislike for
the task. The little one stooped, picked up
the adder, and fumblingly tried to put the
wriggling thing into her brother's pocket. Alas !
it fastened its poisonous fangs in her plump
little arm and inflicted a deadly bite. There
was no one to advise, no one to help, and by
the time the terrified children reached home the
poison had taken a firm hold. Her forearm
had to be amputated, then her arm, but all in
vain, and her young life was sacrificed to the
foolish ignorance of her brother.

Brusher formerly got a shilling each for snakes

ROUND
FINGER.'

I ASTENED ITS

{Photo.

BRUSHER" MILLS, THE SNAKE-CATCHER.

tS3

"HE LAUGHED pVER THE RECOLLECTION OF HIS DUPLICITY.

From a Photo.

which he sent to the Zoo, where they made a
feast for the King Cobra, but on one occasion
he had a particularly good find of adders, catch-
ing seventy-six in a single week. These he
dispatched in great glee to London, and
promptly received his seventy-six shillings for
them. But, with a merry twinkle in his eyes,
he tells us, " They'd have no more of that sort,
for they said ' they bite ! ' " and he laughed over
the recollection of his duplicity in having sub-
stituted the venomous adders for the harmless
grass snakes.

Brusher's wild life in the forest has given him
plenty of opportunity to observe the habits of
his favourite reptiles, and he has availed himself
of it. He knows that both snakes and adders
are enemies to game, sucking pheasants' eggs and
swallowing young birds. Their skin and mouths
are so elastic that bodies of even larger diameter
than their own find easy passage down their
throats ; frogs and toads are favourite dainties ;
they go alive into the snake's stomach, as into a
living grave, there to be slowly digested — so

Vol. iv.— 20.

slowly, in fact, that frogs have been known to
live and cry for some time after being swallowed.
A feast of this sort will sustain the snake for a
considerable period. Brusher has proved the
fasting capabilities of both snakes and adders
by keeping them for two months at a stretch in
his tin can without a particle of food, and at the
end of that time they seemed as lively as at the
beginning of their imprisonment.

He also relates a peculiarity connected with
the adder, which he declares to be a fact from
his own observation. After the female has
produced her young, and when they are in her
company, should anything cause her alarm she
promptly swallows her little ones, and then
when the danger is over they return the way
they went, alive and unharmed.

Brusher says : " I counted as many as twenty
tiny fellows go in at the female adder's mouth,
and twenty come out, and the last to disappear
was the first back again on the grass." His
theory is that the adder has little pouches in her
interior, each of which can hold a young adder.
There they are snugly housed till all fear of harm
is over.

Charles Knight, in his " Cyclopaedia of
Natural History," alludes to this peculiarity of
the adder or viper as a " notion " handed down

"brusher" gives a practical lecture on adders.
From a Photo.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

id, and adds that " there

i against it," but he

l anyone who could state thai he

n the young enter or issue from

We are more lucky than he, for

mphatic and clear as to what

.thin his own observation during the

he has -pent alone, hermit-fashion,

in th

\ w Forest, with its miles of greenwood

•rland, is a happy hunting ground for

and in many of its glades their curious

ons may he seen — primitive erections of

ipparently covered with rags, which can

• dignified by the name of tents, but in

which I dwell and flourish. The

»y children and Brusher do not agree : why,

them at his opponents, when tears and terror are
the result, followed by a hurried stampi
leaving Brusher complete master of the situation.
The snake catching trade in the New Forest
is by no means so lucrative as it used to be,
the numbers of these reptiles having greatly
diminished of late years — whether from Brusher's
unflagging energy in their capture or from other
causes it is difficult to say. But our hermit
complains bitterly of the present scarcity of
snakes. The market also does not appear to
be so good as formerly ; so our friend's outlook
is not a hopeful one. Eighteen years of hard
work, carrying no pension and with very pre-
carious pay, might well affect the spirits of even
the most sanguine. But in Brusher's case it is
not so : he is still cheerful on the whole, fond of

From a]

'the gipsy children know it's Mi use jeering at the snake-catcher.

[Photo.

difficult to imagine, as there is space enough
and to spare in that wild region. Perhaps they
are jealous that there should be anyone, not of
their own kind, who still lives much the same
wild, forest life.

nge, unkempt beings, whose clothes,
ar always to be made several sizes too large

"hern, and whose hair remains ignorant of
the brush as their faces and hands are of water,

i without the accompaniment of soap ; these
black, keen-eyed little creatures, I say, often
surround Brusher at a safe distance, jeering at
him and putting out their tongues to show their
contempt for the snake-catcher; but Brusher
knows he can retaliate and scatter his foes with
no great difficulty. Slowly untying his sack, he
has but to hold out a snake or two and flourish

a joke, especially one of a practical nature, and
his eyes twinkle and his face puckers comically
as he smiles at the recollection of his success
over the timid, by means of his snaky prey,
while he holds up a reptile in his hand to act
the part.

Brusher Mills is a character that is not often
met with : clever in his own way ; uneducated,
with an inexhaustible fund of conversation
which is not always intelligible, owing to a
defective power of speech ; fond of company,
and yet preferring his lonely home in the depths
of the forest, with wild creatures as his only
companions, to the more attractive comforts of
civilization ; he thus exhibits a strange mixture
of geniality and shyness, of the hermit and the
merry good fellow.

Saved by "Jack " in the Blizzard.

By Egerton R. Young, of Toronto.

The well-known missionary describes the risks and sufferings encountered in one of these unique
storms of the Canadian North-West, and tells us how his own life and that of his Indian comrade
were saved by the marvellous sagacity of a trained St. Bernard sleigh-dog, who is seen with his

master in the photograph.

S onwards sweeps with irresistible
fury the cyclone in the tropics, so
marches, with ungovernable power,
the blizzard in the far north land.
Despotic and unconquerable are

these storms, and, while they last, all Nature

yields submission

to their rule.

They seem to

flourish most on

the great treeless

plains and on the

vast frozen lakes

which, like great

i n 1 a n d seas,

abound far up

in the high lati-
tudes of North-
ern America.

Throughout the

day they have

darkened, as well

as through the

gloom of night,

they seem to

shriek out their

rage and anger,

because, in spite

of all their over

whelming power,

the victims of

their fury are so

few.

Blizzards may

occur when the

sky is cloudless,

and may begin

in the brilliant

sunshine, which,

of course, they

quickly dim. A

true blizzard is

not a downfall of

snow from the heavens, but an uplift of the vast,

dry, feathery quantities on the ground. The

three essentials for a first-class blizzard are :

first, a previous heavy snowfall of light, dry

snow ; second, a fierce, terrible wind ; and third,

a vast, unbroken waste place in which, without

any obstruction of mountain, hill, or forest, the

Storm can hold its high carnival.

as England and Scotland combined

THIS IS THE CANADIAN .MISSIONARY, MR. EGERTON R. YOUNG, OF TORONTO,
AND HIS .MAGNIFICENT BLACK ST. BERNARD, "JACK," TO WHOM HE

From a Photo, by] owes his life. [Rosevear, -Toronto.

These three conditions met one bitterly cold
day in January, when my duties as a missionary
called me to make one of my long trips with
my dog-trains on my mission-field in the Hudson
Bay Territories. My allotted field was as large

Over it I
travelled in sum-
mer in a birch
canoe and in
winter with dogs.
I generally took
with me a trusted
Indian guide ; but
to keep down
expense, and in
response to
Church authori-
ties, I only had
as my companion
on this trip an
Indian lad of
about sixteen
years of age. We
each drove a
splendid train of
four dogs. Our
sleds were in
shape like the
toboggans of
Quebec. They
were iSin. wide
and i oft. long.
Our dogs were
harnessed to
these sleds in
tandem style. As
on this journey of
several hundred
miles we would
not for days to-
gether see a house
or wigwam, we
carried on our
sleds our provisions, kettles, blankets, fur robes,
axes, guns, and other things necessary to winter
travelling in such a land.

We slept each night in a camp made in the
snow which we dug out, using our snowshoes as
substitutes for shovels. The temperature ranged
from forty to sixty degrees below zero — which to
English people is simply inconceivable. One

1111 WIDE WORLD MAO A/1 XL

red my hc.nl, and in

lition drew my hand oul of

hold of something,

rously, and in my

i 1 in it was the end of

my surprise, when the

length fully awoke me, and I

all off my own n<
: 'ail !
Indian lad. and I had started to
Indian bands who lived on the
s of I ake Winnipeg. They
^, hut many of thorn were still
and I was anxious to do them good.

ider of my train a white Esquimaux

The other three dogs were

- and one Newfoundland. The

the train was Jack, the hero of my

He was a black St. Bernard, a gift from

-niford, of Hamilton. He was the

g 1 r owned or saw. He stood 33m.

. r, and his hardworking weight

lb. many years he was the undis-

of my pack, which numbered from

to twenty- five trained dogs. His

r in harness I never knew. Other

ere the shelter of a friendly bluff or balsam
forest could be reached, we could depend upon
Jack to get us there. No whip ever fell across his
sable back or brought blood from his silky ears.
Ih was as gentle and intelligent as he was strong.
At our mission-house he was as a house
servant. He kept the kitchen wood-box full,
bringing in the great sticks in his mouth from
the wood-pile in the yard. Two or three lessons
enabled him to open any door, furnished with
the common thumb latch, from either side. He
was the finest dog I ever shot over, when hunt-
ing wild geese, ducks, or smaller birds.

Alec's train consisted of four well-trained
St. Bernards. One morning on this memorable
trip we had left our camp in the woods, and,
directing our course towards the north, had
hoped that ere that wintry day ended we would
have been sixty or seventy miles farther on our
journey. We pushed out from our camp on to
the frozen surface of Lake Winnipeg, keeping
the distant headlands well in view for our
guidance. So well trained were our dogs that
all we had to do was to point out to them the
next high landmark, many miles ahead, and for
it they would go as straight as a surveyor's line.

.UND IT, AS WE COULD JUMP OFF OUR DOG-SLEDS AND RUN.1

dogs, good and true, on some of my fearful
trips, often of many days, would sometimes lose
heart and require to be urged on by voice or
whip, but Jack's courage never faltered. We
could depend upon him to infuse new life into
5 weary comrades, and in emergencies to take
the greater part of the work himself. When we
were caught in a storm, and had to toil for miles

( )n and on we thus travelled for some hou'rs.
The cold was intense, but as we were clothed
in moose-skin and furs, we did not much mind
it, as we could easily. jump off our dog-sleds
and run, until we felt' the glow and warmth
which such exercise will give. Especially was
it so now, as the running was heavy on account
of the snowfall of the previous night. After a

SAVED BY "JACK" IN THE BLIZZARD.

i57

while we noticed that the strong wind, which
had now become very fierce, was rilling the air
with fine, dry snow, thus making the travelling
very difficult and unpleasant, as well as quite
bewildering. Soon it increased to a gale, and
it was not long before we found ourselves in a
real north-west blizzard, on stormy Lake Winni-
peg, many miles from shore.

Our wisest and most prudent course would
have been, at the commencement of the storm,
to have turned sharply to the east and found
the shelter of the forest on the shore ; but the
bay we were crossing was a very deep one, and
the headland before us, when last seen, was
much nearer, so we thought it best to run the
risk and push on, and find refuge in the dense
woods in front.

The blizzard had now filled the air with
blinding snow. As a precaution against our
sleds being separated in the storm, I fastened
what we call the tail-rope of my sled to the
collar of the leader dog in Alec's train. About
the greatest danger encountered in travelling in
a blizzard arises from the fact that often in these
storms the wind veers so rapidly, and yet so
unconsciously to the traveller, that he turns
from the direction in which he imagined he was
going and wanders on in a most erratic manner.
Then, in addition to this veering around, the
fickle wind often blows in such whirling eddies
that it makes it almost impossible to tell from
what point of the compass it really is coming.
Stung by the icy particles, which seem at times
to burn into his face like hot sand, the un-
fortunate traveller in his agony turns his back to
it, only to find, however, that the storm has
turned about as quickly as himself.

It is because of this fickle changing of the
wind in a blizzard that so many people, caught
in them on the prairies, have been lost.

After Alec and I had dashed on through the
bitter gale until we thought we ought to have
reached the land, and yet not the slightest sign
of it appeared, we began to realize that the
terrible blizzard had been playing one of its
tricks upon us, and that we had wandered far
from our course and were out somewhere on the
great lake.

We stopped our dogs, and there, amidst the
roar of the tempest, as Alec's train came up
alongside, we shouted out our fears to each
other that we were lost. We were completely
bewildered. The direction that I thought was
east Alec declared was south. Perplexed and
somewhat alarmed, I said : —
; Alec, I am afraid we are lost."

;'Yes, Missionary," replied Alec, "we are
surely lost."

As we had now been travelling since some

hours before daylight, and it was fully midday,
and we had had a good deal of vigorous running
in the early part of the day, we were both very
hungry. We opened our provision bag, and
taking out some frozen food and dried pemmi-
can (pounded buffalo meat), we did our best,
under the circumstances, to satisfy our good
appetites. We missed very much the warm
cups of tea we would have had if only we had
been able to reach the point for which we had
been looking, and there had been fortunate
enough to have found some dry wood with
which to kindle a fire.

After our hasty meal and a brief discussion,
in which it was evident that we were bewildered
and knew not which way to go, we decided to
leave the whole matter to our dogs, permitting
them to take their own course, and go in what-
ever direction they chose. To many this may
seem running a great risk, but the fact was, I
had a great deal of confidence in my dogs. In
winters past I had seen displays of sagacity and
intelligence which, under certain circumstances,
had even eclipsed the marvellous ability and
acumen of the cleverest Indian guides.

To Jack, the noblest of them all, I looked in
this emergency to lead us out of our difficulty.
So ere we started I did what was not generally
allowed. I opened my pemmican bag, and
with an axe cut off some bits of the frozen
dried meat ; I gave a portion to each of the dogs
of the two trains. Jack, as usual, had crowded
close up to me while we had been lunching, and
with him I had a talk. I said something like
this : —

"Jack, my noble fellow, do you know that we
are lost, and that it is very doubtful whether \V2
shall ever see the mission-house again ? The
prospect is, old dog, that the snow will soon be
our winding-sheet, and that loving eyes will look
out in vain for our return. The chances are
against your ever having the opportunity of
stretching yourself out on the wolf-rug, before
the study fire, with the children gambolling over
you ; or taking, as in the past, your well-earned
rest after the toils of a laborious trip. Arouse
yourself, old dog, for in your intelligence and
perseverance we are going to trust to lead us to
a place of safety."

Alec lost heart, and chided me for not having
brought along an experienced old guide. He
said he would never see his mother again, and
that I would never more see my wife and little
ones. I tried to cheer him, and then helped to
wrap him up in a great rabbit-skin robe. Then
I securely lashed him on to his dog-sled, so
that if he should become unconscious in the
terrible cold he could not fall off. Straighten-
ing out the trains, I wrapped a fur robe about

1111. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

i\ ;« If on my own dog sled, as

1 shouted, " Marche "

the dogs. Koona,

at me in a bewildered

I HAT WE ANT. I.OST; AKI) IT IS DOUBTFUL
HE MISSION-HI i I N ?"

raging for his prey. Not for a moment did
fack seem to hesitate as to the route. Gal-
lantly was he aided by the two splendid dogs
behind him. They seemed to catch his con-
fident spirit, and so aided
him that the weight upon
him was not very great.

The cold was so intense
that I had very grave
fears that we should freeze
to death. Alec and I
were both so tied on our
sleds that we could not
get off and run. Indeed,
the snow was so blind-
ing and so dense that it
would have been a fearful
risk to have attempted to
leave the sleds. Often
we could not see five
yards in any direction.
So we were obliged to
remain where we were
and run the risk of there
perishing with the cold.
Occasionally, when there
was a lull in the roaring
gale, I would shout to
Alec, to rouse him and
keep him from going to
sleep, as, in all proba-
. hility, if he had done so,
there would have been
no awakening.

On and on wTe thus
travelled through that
terrible blizzard. Jack
never faltered. Some-
times I would cheerily

;ort of way and, as clearly as a dog could speak,
: —
'• Which way, master, is it ? 'Chaw ' or ' yee '?"
r left).
id not know myself, and the Esquimaux
tood there so irresolute in the blinding gale, I
shouted out : —

on, Jack, whichever way you like. Do
the hi can, for I don't know anything

about it."'

Koona still hesitated, Jack, with all the
confidence imaginable, dashed off in a certain
direction, and Koona, with slackened traces,
ran n, g ing him all the honour and

ibility of leadership. For hours the
dog pt bravely to their work. The terrible
blizzard howled around us like a wild beast

call to him, and back
through the appalling
storm would come his
welcome bark. It makes me shiver still to
think how relentless and bitter were those
continuous blasts, which, like great guns, seemed
to assail us from every quarter. After a while
the light of the short day faded away, and we
wi re enshrouded in darkness.

Still the storm swept on and around us. It
seemed so much more dreadful now than it
was when we could occasionally see our
dogs and get a glimpse of each other's sleds.
There was, however, no use in giving way to
despondency. Better keep up our courage
and hope for the best. We could only rejoice
that our noble dogs kept up their rapid
travelling; and surely, I thought, if they can
continue that gait, after a while we shall
certainly reach somewhere. So all there was

SAVED BY "JACK" IN THE BLIZZARD.

159

to do was to shout occasionally to Alec and
to the dogs.

About three hours after dark the dogs
quickened their pace into a sharp gallop, and
showed by their excitement that they had
detected some evidence of safety or nearness
to the shore, of which, however, we knew
nothing. About eight o'clock they ran us up
on a pile of ice, the accumulations of the
freezings of a water-hole, cut out each day
afresh by a company of Indians, who there
obtained their needed supply of water. Here
the dogs did not linger, but turning sharply
to the right, on the trail of these Indians,
dashed along for a couple of hundred yards
more, and then dragged us up a steep bank
into the forest. In a few minutes more we
found ourselves in the midst of an Indian
village of wigwams.

Aroused by the jing-
ling of our dog - bells
and the furious bark-
ings of their own dogs,
the natives came rushing
out, and were amazed
at our arrival at such
an hour. They rejoiced
with us at our marvel-
lous escape. They gave
us a cordial welcome,
almost carrying us, half-
frozen as we were, into
their warmest wigwam.
They adopted the best
methods possible for
our recovery from the
numerous frost-bites
from which we suffered,
so that after a few days'
rest, the storm having
passed away, we were
able to resume our
journey, thankful that
we had had such a
marvellous escape from
that terrible blizzard,
which was the wildest
and fiercest of that
whole year. Days after,
when we reached a

Hudson Bay Company's trading post, where
a daily record is kept of the temperature,
we found that the least cold it had been
during the full blast of that storm was 48deg.
below zero.

Months passed away, with their usual varied
experiences, in that northern field of toil. In

June, the ice having all melted from lake
and river, the packet, witli its welcome budget
of letters and papers, arrived. Only twice a
year did we hear from the outside world. Once
in winter by dog-train, and now in summer
by the fur-traders' boat. When we turned
out on the floor our bundles of letters, we
were saddened by seeing some of them
with mourning borders, telling us of death
among friends. On opening one of these black-
edged missives we were grieved to read of the
death of the Rev. George McDougall, a minister
on the great Saskatchewan Plains. He had gone
out with horses on a journey, and never came
back alive. When the storm arose he was
only eight miles from his camp, but he never
reached it. His horses failed him and drifted
away with the storm from the place of safety.

IN A FEW MINUTES MORE WE
FOUND OURSELVES IN THE MIDST OF
AN INDIAN VILLAGE OF WIGWAMS."

Many days after his dead, frozen body was found
far out on the plains. When we saw the date of
his death, and compared it with my journal, we
found that it was in the very same blizzard in
which he perished that my dogs had run me
through the blinding gale for many hours to a
final haven of safety.

II v Visit to the Island of the Dead.

r>\ M. Dinorben Griffith.

iand '• monarchy " in Cardigan
te property of a member of the

HI", travel epidemic has raged so

f late years that it is difficult

imagine there can be an unex-

ok in the whole of Europe,

me spot untraversed by the foot

ubiquil Vet, within the

t Britain, there exists a small

ient, his , mti of unique interest,

%nita to a large majority.

rly as the fifth century this island was

a pi :tle kingdom, with a noble abbey

lintly brotherhood, who, according to

n and existing documents, were granted

1 the privilege of dying according to

Bay, which in olden times was one huge cemetery,
aristocracy, but has a crowned King of its own.

an island three leagues from the mainland, at
the northern extremity of Cardigan Bay; but the
latter part of the journey will not be found easy
to accomplish. Reaching the little, out-of-the-
world village of Aberdaron, the island may be
i in the distance. On two occasions I
reached Aberdaron, but failed to get to the
island, for the passage, although only four miles
n ross, is dangerous, and often impossible, by
reason of adverse winds and a tide that runs at
the rate of seven miles an hour. But I com-
forted myself by walking along the shore, where,
under my feet, lay the skeletons of many who
had failed to reach the sacred isle, and had

IS^

tL.»v* ■ *

mae

4©*g

imtm

• _.. „... v.-, I»^ „..

5?^H

: i VILLAGE OF ABER1 I
P/lOtO. by] THE DISTANCE."

THE ISLAND

MAY BE SEEN IN

[Milton, Pwllheli.

It was also the Mecca of religious
!. and, finally, it became an Island of
1 id.

:r little kingdom is a sea-girt rock, to

which, for centur: _e and shallop

5 in place of living emigrants,

and every turn of the spade gave evidence of

mortality. To-day the island is a tiny Arcadic

.1, where the monarch and nis subjects

in true patriarchal simplicity. To them the

presents fish of many kinds ; while the thin

soil covering the grave-tunnelled rocks yields an

abundant harvest of unrivalled wheat, barley,

and potatoes.

The truth of these strange-sounding state-
ments may be proved by a journey to Bardsey,

been reverently buried, their faces towards the
wished-for goal. The sacredness of Bardsey,
by the way, and the difficulties of the journey
may be estimated from the old saying : " Twice
to Bardsey, once to Rome, or never to Heaven."
After many delays we secured a passage in a
fishing boat for a sovereign, which is the lowest
fare across the sound to Ynys Enlli, or Isle of
the Current, as it is termed by the natives.
Every moment the boat seemed destined to be
sucked under by the hungry current ; and as we
dodged the flying spray and cowered under our
mackintoshes, we wondered if the reason that
more dead than living had gone to Bardsey was
totally unconnected with the discomfort of the
trip.

MY VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF THE DEAD.

161

From our port of departure Bardsey looked
like a barren rock tapering into a narrow head-
land at the southern end. But on near approach
the rock develops into a fairly lofty mountain,
bristling seaward with overhanging crags, under
the shadow of which our smack passed, before

through Chester, Holywell, St. Asaph, Bangor,
and Carnarvon, right on to Aberdaron. Every
seven or eight miles were wells or fountains, in
the centre of a square composed of stone seats;
these were stages or resting-places, on reaching
which the fatigued and footsore monks, after

THIS IS WHAT THE "ISLAND OF THE DEAD " LOOKS LIKE FROM ACERDAROX.

From a Photo, by Milton, Pwllheli.

reaching a peaceful, sandy creek, sheltered by
low rocks and forming a safe harbour for vessels
of not more than forty tons.

Here we disembarked, with the aid of some
of the islanders, headed by their present
" monarch," King John Williams the Second,
under whose guidance we proceeded to explore
the island. Bardsey's present is peculiar, and,
in some particulars, unique ; but the little
island's past is so weird, not to say sensational,
that the present is tame by comparison.

The whole island is a graveyard, tunnelled
everywhere into shallow trenches a little more
than 2ft. deep, and about the same in width. In
these the uncoffined bodies were laid in lines,
head to feet, the top of the trenches being
covered with rough slabs of stone, over which
earth was laid. The King informed us that
many of these rude tombs had been laid bare
when the foundations of the new farmsteads,
built by Lord Newborough, were being dug.
" I have seen barrows full of bones taken up,"
he added ; " and we buried them up there,"
pointing to the old monastery.

Strangely enough, all the skeletons found have
been those of aged people, which seems to
verify the quaint old record of the " dying by
seniority." Every day and all day long, in
ancient times, processions of monks, bearing
the dead, slowly traversed the old high road

Vol. iv.— 21.

reverently laying down their burden, rested and
bathed their weary feet. Several of these wells
are still to be seen.

Every monk engaged in this solemn office
could demand free lodging and food at any
wayside house on the route. As a rule, the
usual arrangement was that one set of friars
carried the body one stage, and were then
relieved by others. Returning, they would
probably only have time for refreshment and a
brief rest before starting again on the same
funereal errand.

Relays of funeral processions were daily
arriving at Aberdaron, where, if the weather
was unpropitious for crossing to Bardsey, the
dead were deposited in St. Mary's Chapel, to
wait for a fair wind and tide. Often, during
the late autumn and winter, communication
between the island and the mainland is impos-
sible for weeks together. When this was the
case, the bodies were buried in the churchyard
by the sea, with their faces towards the sacred
isle, and the moaning of the waves as their only
requiem.

As may be seen to-day, the little island is a
peaceful resting-place, guarded by precipitous
rocks rising out of the sea. The headlands are
covered. with gorse and heather, swaying softly
to and fro in the westerly breeze; while birds
sing of the ecstasy of life, far above those who

I 111. \\ [DE WORLD MAGAZINE.

n id sorrows for ev< r. It

autiful when the sea arises in

shoreward in mountainous

the rooks to engulf them in

im. A ' whirl the scream

and

omplet

ire.

hts arc

ght back to the

when the King

3 our

f white
marble,
d by the
1 . ( ;. Wynn, the

the Isle,
in memory of his father,
the late Lord New-
borough, whose wish it
was that twelve months
after his death his re-
mains should be finally
deposited in Tardsey.
The island entirely be-
longed to him, and he
took a deep interest in
it The erection of this
monument, which weighs
over thirty tons, was only
accomplished with great
difficulty.

The Bardsey of to-
day is as unique as it was in the past.
It has only seventy -two inhabitants — thirty-
men and thirty-six females. They are
ruled by a " King.'' who is crowned on his
election, and who, like his subjects, earns his
bread by the
sweat of his brow.
The; nt

Ruler succeeded
his father. King
John Williams
the lirst, who
was unfortunately
drowned whilst
crossing
alone to the
mainland.

With great
difficulty we in-
duced his present
Majesty to sit for
his portrail
was the first and
only one ever
taken of hirn.

He permitted the crown to be placed on his
head for the occasion, but no persuasion — even
on the part of his wife — could make him put
on his regal Sunday suit.

The crown is of home manufacture, and is
neither very valuable nor
very beautiful, and the
King, with a sigh of in-
a tense relief, as soon as

the sitting was over, ex-
changed his cumbrous
emblem of sovereignty
for an old hat.

The natives, although
a little suspicious of
strangers, are, when their
confidence is won, very
kind and hospitable. A
few words of Welsh insure
a ready welcome. Un-
fortunately, the old cot-
tages have nearly all been
replaced by substantial
farmsteads,'~very comfort-
ably arranged, but not
half so picturesque or
interesting to strangers as
the quaint old cottage
still standing, of which
exterior and interior views

are given.

THE PRESENT RULER OF THE ISLAND — KING JOHS
WILLIAMS II. HE WEARS A HOME-MADE CROWN.

From a Photo, by Milton, Pwlllicli.

THE

From a Plioto. by Milton, Pwllheli.

The owner was an old
widow. Her face, bronzed
and wrinkled like a winter
apple, was set off by the snowy frills of her cap,
which was surmounted by a soft felt hat. Asked
why she had discarded the traditional tall hat
of her nation, the old dame hastened to assure
us they were " old-fashioned now."

There is
neither public-
house, inn, nor
prison on the
island ; and rates
and taxes are un-
known. The
people lead
healthy, peaceful
lives, knowing

nothing of the
outside world, or
of poverty, or of
riches. There
have been only
fourteen deaths
during the last
twenty - five
years !

the

Although

MY VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF THE DEAD.

16-

island cannot boast of a single tree, the
land is very fertile ; and the barley and oats
of Bardsey always find a ready market, and
are better known than the island itself. The
sea also yields a plenteous harvest of fish — such
as lobsters, crabs, roach, cod, gurnets, and

is delightfully invigorating, and water is their
only beverage — the best I ever tasted, and as
clear as crystal.

Curiously enough, until the year 1798 no
sparrow had ever been known to breed on the
island ; three nests were, however, built in that

THIS IS WHAT THE INTERIOR OF THE KINGS " I'ALACE

From a Photo, by Milton, Pwllheli.

mackerel. Several seals have also been caught ;
one, a very large one, was recently captured in
the Seal Cave, which lies at the south-east of
the island. The inhabitants, many years ago
(the King informed us), used to make a living
by the dangerous work of collecting the eggs of
sea-fowl, but this is now forbidden, on account
of its danger.

We looked up at the rocks, where, we were
told, the men were let down by chains, in order
to reach the crevices and precipices where the
eggs were most plentiful, and really one felt
glad that such hair-raising exploits are no longer
permitted.

Among these rocks the tiny sheep of Bardsey
browse contentedly, perched on ledges that
make them look as if suspended in the air.
Dogs are cleverly trained to catch them, but,
once on the rocks, they are safe from pursuit,
for they will even jump into the sea to avoid
capture.

The inhabitants own about sixty head of
cattle, besides horses, pigs, and poultry. So
that altogether their lot (except for the loneli-
ness of their lives) is a very enviable one. They
pay merely nominal rents. The air they breathe

year, and the cheeky little birds have now
become quite a colony.

A new church has recently been built, and
the old one converted into a school-house. The
minister is also schoolmaster, most of his pupils
beinu his own children ; for he boasts of a
larger family than the whole of the islanders put
together !

On the headland at the south end of the
island is a lighthouse 108ft. high, belonging to
the Trinity Board. It is provided with a
revolving light and a fog-horn. Three light-
house-keepers and their families live there.
Mr. Jenkins, the principal of the lighthouse,
was recently killed by falling 120ft. over the
precipice.

The Hon. F. G. Wynn, the Lord of the Isle,
frequently spends several days among the
people, shooting and fishing. For our own
part we were loath to leave the island, both the
place and people being so interesting. But,
being warned of a coming storm, which might
keep us prisoners in Bardsey for a week or two,
we hurriedly bade our hospitable entertainers
farewell ; no less a personage than the King
offering to row us back !

With a Mad Mate in Paraguay.

By Charles F. Hughes.

story of a maniacal assault in mid-stream. Left alone in the great primeval flooded forests.
!ng and swimming through the undergrowth, and the final rescue by Paraguayan Indians.

i] WENT through the following terrible
adventure in Paraguay during the
months of October and November,
>. having gone to South America
shooting and adventure gener-
n going down the little-known
irru
for about seven
and with
ion of
one small vill
called Villa Maria,
and 1. a

solitary rancho,
had seen no -
of human habita-
tion. Once we
met a party of
Indians hunting,
and we stopped
in their camp
for the night,
treated us
: hospitably,
meat

and . both

of which the y
had in ; : and

thed
us to sleep with
the music of their
nat: uments.

I: w - in a 15ft.
canoe that we
travi We

had a small tent,
and it was

to find
dry land we always stuck the tent up and
slept in it ; otherwise we had to sleep in the
can as only 3ft. wide, what with

the mosquitoes and the heat, you may be sure
our sleep was never of the soundest. I had for
some days noticed my companion becoming
rather sullen. He was a middle-aged man, and

THIS IS THE AUTHOR, MR. CHAS. F. HUGHES, WHO SUFFERED SO
H THROUGH HIS ".MAD MATE."

From a Photo, by Lafayette, Dublin.

one who could not put up with much discomfort.
Now, we had a lot of discomfort to put up
with daily, far more than we ever bargained for
when starting. Some days we had to live on
roots alone, finding nothing to shoot, and a
tropical sun was for ever blazing down on us.

Indeed, the sun
was at times so
unbearable, that 1
was forced to jump
into the river and
swim alongside the
canoe. My com-
panion, who could
not swim, had to
content himself
with bathing his
head. We also
suffered greatly
from thirst during
the day, and had
nothing to drink
but hot river water.
One morning I
had shot a couple
of monkeys, and,
having skinned
them, was about
to put their skins
to dry on a stick,
when Benyon, my
compaflero, who
had been particu-
larly morose for a
long time, told me
to leave them in
the bottom of
the canoe. I did
not care to do so,
as I wanted the skins, which were good ones,
and would have gone bad if not dried at once.

However, Benyon insisted on my putting the
skins down, and I jokingly told him he was
going mad. Next moment, without a word of
warning, he started up with one of the oars and
brought it down with all his might on my head.

WITH A MAD MATE IN PARAGUAY.

165

The oar broke in two, and thanks only to the
stout helmet I had on, my brains were not
scattered. For a few moments I was stunned,
and in the meantime, the oar being broken, my
mad mate caught up my Winchester rifle which
was beside me, and went for me with the butt
end. I jumped up also, saved my head, and
caught one end
of the rifle.
Silently we strug-
gled for mastery,
the frail canoe
being in danger
of going over
every moment.
There were mur-
der and mad-
ness in my an-
tagonist's eyes.
I had no time
to realize what
had happened,
however. He
seemed to have
entirely lost his
senses, and not
to care what hap-
pened— whether
we A*ent into the
river, where he
would have
been promptly
drowned, or
whether I killed
him, which I
could easily have
done, as I had
both revolver
and knife in my
belt. On the
other hand, he
had no arms of
any kind.

I must here
explain that this man, Edgar Benyon, whom
I had met some months previously in a
colony, and whom I had asked to come with
me down the river as I wanted to do some
shooting, came only to oblige me, and up
till now I had found him the best of friends.
He would take upon himself all the hard work,
and I got to like him very much. What came
over him I cannot tell. His brain, I think,
must have become affected by the blazing
sun.

I could not bring myself to shoot him, so I
thought that if I let myself into the water and
he saw me there, he would, after a minute or
two, come to his senses again. Over I went

SILENTLY WE STRUGGLED FOR
IN DANGER OF GOING

accordingly, but I still clung to the rifle. He
shouted to me to let it go, but I would not, as
I guessed that he would either have shot me or
dashed my brains out with the weapon. At
length, finding himself unable to wrest the rifle
from me, he let it go, and immediately snatched
up a large stick we had for hammering down

tent-pegs. With
this the man
tried to brain me
as I swam, and
whenever I came
within his reach
he dealt a tre-
mendous blow at
me.

After a few
minutes I had
to let the rifle
go, and I dare-
say it will never
be found again,
as the river was
about 30ft. deep
at that place. I
shouted to the
maniac that I
should drown if
he did not let
me in, I being
now hard set,
swimming with
breeches and
shirt on. I told
him that I had
been only jesting
when I said he
was going mad ;
but all my plead-
ing was in vain.
I besought him
again and again,
but he only
cursed and raved,
and told me I might drown. He next took up
a paddle and began to propel the canoe swiftly
forward, leaving me to my fate. I never saw
him or the canoe again.

Here was I, then, swimming for dear life in
the middle of a large and swiftly-flowing river.
After a severe struggle I reached the bank
utterly exhausted, and bleeding from the first
stunning blow my crazy mate had given me.

I must here tell you that we were travelling
after very heavy rains, and the country along
each side of the river was flooded to such an
extent that the banks were only discernible in
very few places. We had found that the river
wound its way almost the entire journey through

MASTERY, THE FRAIL CANOE BEING
OVER EVERY MOMENT."

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

a v impenetrable forest,

it and leaving its

rippoi orru, which

has more bends in it

: travelled on, doubl-

few hundred yards. When

■ iok us all our time to

. ■ ed through the forest,

irrent would oft( n be taking

a ni! a

t a

the

h a v i n g

I v

ng as near
to the river as
! .and

thinking that

on might
have recovered
his wits and be
waiting for me

: down. If
not, I thought
that by some
good chan< !
might strike on
some hut or
camp. I
never less than
my waist deep
in the whirling
flood, and every
now and then
the water would

oo deep for
wading, coming
gradually u;
my mouth and
compelling me
to swim. The
forest, how
was generally
too thick for
swimming, being
interlace

vines and thorny
plants. What
clothes I had on I found a serious encum-
brance, and I had at length to throw them off and
proceed almost naked, with the exception of my
belt, in which I had my knife and revolver. I
also had in my possession fifty paper dollars, and
these I carried in my mouth when swimming.
But after some time I had more swimming than
walking to do, and I began to feei as if money

CING AND CUTTING MY WAY THROUGH WATER

. VINES AND THORNY i'l.A

would be no further use to me, so I let the
dollars drift.

( )ii 1 went all day with no food of an) kind to
i at, forcing and cutting my way through water
and forest, vines and all manner of thorny
plant-, which twined themselves around me,
tripping me up and tearing me in a pitiable
manner. Sometimes 1 would climb up one of
the enormous forest trees to try and spy cut

some dry land,
but naught could
I see but an
appalling pros-
pect of forest
and water.
Night came on
presently, and I
could go no
farther, so I
waded back to
a bit of fairly
dry ground I
had passed some
time before. I
then got bits of
branches and
leaves off the
trees to try and
cover myself. I
lay down, but
not to sleep, for
what with the
mosquitoes,
which I could
take off my
body in hand-
fuls, and later
on the cold and
general wretch-
edness, sleep
was impossible.

During the
night I heard
crocodiles floun-
dering about in
the water, and I
thought if one
of these ghastly
reptiles would
only come my
way and tear
me to pieces, it would be at least better than
having to die of slow starvation. To add to
my miseries a strong wind rose during the
night on the river, and I felt so cold that I
had to get up and carry my covering of leaves
into a hollow which was soaking wet, but yet
sheltered from the biting wind.

As I walked I came upon a bunch of pampas

WITH A MAD MATE IN PARAGUAY.

167

grass, which I wondered how I could have
missed ; and taking my knife I went out to cut
the prize, which would certainly have been a
great addition to my covering. To my horror,
however, just as I seized hold of it I found it
contained a nest of large black ants, each about
an inch long. Some of these terrible insects
attacked me at once and gave me some fear-
ful bites.

With the dawn I rose, aching, bleeding, and
wretched, and found it hard to move a step,
my feet being full of thorns, and the wounds
on my body having stiffened with the cold.
On I had to go, however, through the gloomy
flooded forest, stumbling on despairingly through
the cold, black waters. So thick was the forest,
indeed, that not a gleam of sun could enter, so
that I had to stagger half blindly forward,
perished with the cold, shivering violently, and
with my teeth chattering. 1 did not get warm
all that dreadful day, and I thought several
times that fatal cramps would overtake me.

I saw some vultures in a tree over my head,
and tried to bring one down with my revolver,
thinking I might in this way obtain a meal
(fancy anyone eating a vulture !) But the cart-
ridges were wet and useless, so having enough
to do to carry myself I left the revolver in a
tree. As the unspeakably dreary afternoon
wore on I began to give up all hope of being
saved. I found the water getting deeper and
deeper, and when I was not actually swimming,
with half-hearted, spasmodic strokes, I was up to
my chin in the black, never-ending flood.

At length I came to a wide river running into
the Tippocorru. I realized at once that if I had
attempted to cross this vast stream I should
have been swept away to certain death, being
now utterly spent. To get over the river in
front, then, was impossible, and yet, unless I
crossed it, I could go no farther. To go back,
even if I could reach the spot from which I had
started, would have been useless, so what to do
I knew not. I make an appeal for pity, for
surely no man was ever in so deplorable a
plight.

Suddenly I saw an old tree with a beam of
sun striking on it, and over to that tree I swam
as fast as I could. I even climbed up a little
way. The heat of the sun was so grateful, that
I was not in the tree a minute before I fell
asleep, and, of course, the moment I lost con-
sciousness I tumbled off like a log into the
water. I climbed into the tree again, and the
same result ensued. It was only a single limb,
so that when I fell asleep I had no secure hold.
I repeated this operation several times, and
derived a little benefit from the heat of the sun.
Whilst in the tree I considered the situation,

and saw that my chances of being saved were of
the smallest, so I said a few prayers and wished
I might die at once ; but the worst of it was I
knew I had a very lingering deaUi before me.
Still, I did not care much as I felt myself grow-
ing unconscious with despair, pain, and fatigue.

I then thought of my mother and everyone
at home, and reflected with a kind of dull
bitterness that they would never know what had
become of me, as my bones would never be
found in such a weird, out-of-the-way place. I
doubted, indeed, whether they would even know
whether I was dead or alive. At length, solely
for the sake of those at home, I screwed up my
remaining courage, and determined to make one
last effort. Down I got into the water, in which
there were a number of old logs floating around.
I promptly swam here and there, and collected
three or four, which I tied together at one end
with my belt and some trailing vines. I had
tried this plan of making a raft earlier in the
da)r, but the thing had gone asunder when I
placed it in the river, with the result that I had
been nearly drowned, and only just saved my-
self by grasping at a thorny shrub, whose top
appeared above the water.

However, this second raft turned out some-
thing of a success. I used my belt as the prin-
cipal means for fastening the logs together, as
the vines were not to be depended upon.
In making my crazy craft I dropped my knife,
and as the water was too deep for me to find
it, the last of my earthly belongings disappeared
for ever. I got the raft into the river all right,
though, and up I got on to it straddle-wise.
Down it sank, however, and I just managed to
keep my head and shoulders out of the water.
I had hard work to balance myself on that raft.
Sometimes I would go altogether underneath it,
but usually managed to regain my position. I
thought every minute it would go asunder, as it
was only tied at the top end. One log would
go erratically in one direction, while another
would begin to float off the other way. If it
had gone asunder I was done for, as I was
floating with the current down the centre of the
great river, and was too utterly worn out to
have reached either bank. And yet on I went
in comparative safety.

Some vultures circled round my head, think-
ing, I suppose, I was dead, or soon would be.
I had to shout at the dreadful creatures to keep
them at a respectful distance. I went along
like this for a league or so, having a wonderful
escape from the crocodiles with which the river
is infested ; and in the end I came to some
high ground, where I heard some cattle lowing.
Then,- indeed, I felt hope arise once again
within me, as I knew that where there were

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

wners not very far

. with my hands as near as I

•ik, and at last, casting my frail

..-bed the land and went in the

• l ard the cattle. Still 1 had

rim through the long, wiry pam-

p of which appeared above

: the water. It would get in

make them understand my condition. They
brought me a " poncho," or native cloak, and gave
me plenty of meat. They even got grease and
rubbed it all over my wounds ; and 1 may say
that from my head to my toes I do not believe
I had a sound inch of skin on my body. It
was about a fortnight before I got all the thorns
out of my feet.

VULTURES CIRCLED AROUND MY HEAD, THINKING I WAS DEAD OR SOON WOULD BE."

' >es and fingers and caused m t
acu: g to the bone.

on the treeless land presented

a great contrast after the flooded forest and the

where the tropical sun had full

.t first like e itoavery hot bath.

r jour:. about two miles I came

upon a camp of natives, just as night was falling.

My appearance at the camp, half dazed, bruised

and bl and perfectly naked, caused no

sm; . more especially as they spoke

only Guaranee and understood very little

More by signs than speech I tried to

If I had not by good luck come to this camp
I should have had to go thirty miles to the next,
where two Englishmen named Fairbairn lived.
I afterwards went to the camp of these men, and
they treated me very kindly. I stopped with the
natives for three weeks, and then went down the
river with the hunters.

The Paraguayan natives are, I think, the most
hospitable people in the world, and many
civilized nations might take a lesson from them.
I never heard anything of my mad mate Benyon,
nor of the canoe ; but as long as I escaped
safely myself I am thankful.

Our Adventures in Unknown Uganda.

By Lieutenant R. Bright, Rifle Brigade.

A narrative of the travels of the important Government expedition under Colonel Macdonald in the

very heart of the African Continent. With a complete set of snap-shot photographs, taken by the

author, illustrating many phases and incidents of life en route. Practically it is to Colonel Macdonald

that the British Empire owes the possession of the vast territory commonly known as Uganda.

COLONEL MACDONALD.

From a Photo.

FTER leaving the Uganda Railway,
of which, in 1897, only seventy
miles had been constructed, the
Macdonald Expedition was divided
into three columns. The first, con-
sisting entirely of porters, was under the com-
mand of Colonel Macdonald himself, while the
other two columns were made up of waggons
drawn by bullocks, and their attendants. The
road made by Captain Sclater was followed.

For the first four days there was practically no
water, the road leading through the Taru Desert.
All the porters, however, were provided with
water-bottles, and a water-waggon accompanied
the caravan for the
first two marches ;
while, to make assur-
ance doubly secure,
as many mussocks
full of water as
possible were car-
ried in the waggons.
In spite of these
precautions, how-
ever, my boy came
to me one night,
and plaintively de-
clared he had had
no water to drink
for two days ; I gave
him all I could spare.
It proved to be,

Vol. iv.— 22.

LIEUT. BRIGHT, WHO WRITES THE ARTICLE AND PROVIDES THE

PHOTOS.

From a Photo, by Werner <5r> Son, Dublin.

literally, a " stirrup-cup," for, having obtained a
supply of the precious fluid, the young rascal
promptly deserted and returned to Mombasa.

The first water we came to was the River
Tsavo, which it took the expedition many hours
to cross. Fortunately, the water did not come

r --

GROUP OF MISSIONARIES,
From a]

WATCHING TWO INDIANS JOINING THE ENDS OF THE TELEGRAPH LINE ON
THE UGANDA RAILWAY. [Photo.

II 1 1 : WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

the monsoon, and no doubt
verely tried by the hard marches
and scarcity of water, had wan-
dered some distance from the
camp in search of rest and quiet.
Presently he lay down in a shady
pot for a peaceful " forty winks,"
little dreaming that he was being
stalked by our sportsman col-
league. At any rate, he was
rudely awakened from his slumbers
by an express bullet behind the
shoulder, and, on looking round
to ascertain the cause of this un-

M.UCHIS FROM MILE zgo TO Till

- f the waggons, so that the

loads did not require to be unpacked and

-for which we were devoutly

nkful. The photo, reproduced below shows
one of our "gharris," or Bombay country carts,
crossing the river, assisted by Sikhs and Swa-
hilis. 1 its were specially brought from

India for the use of the expedition, and proved
- rvio able. They are light andean
be man-handled.

Mention of the Rn i Tsavo reminds me of
a rather comical incident. The country near
r had the reputation for affording good
shooting, but so far very Little game had been
seer. I if our party, getting impatient, went

out one mi uning vowing that he would not

irn until he had killed something. The
manner in which he fulfilled his vow was deci-
dedly curious. A poor water buffalo, after
hav: . ie from India through the worst of

. THE RIVER

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

1HE CART WAS LOADED WITH THREE SECTIONS OF OUR STEEL
BOAT FASTENED IN A CRATE."

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

kind treatment, he received another ball in the
neck which finished him. He never drew a cart
again. Our porters, who subsequently
ate him, were no doubt perfectly well
satisfied, but I do not think that the
sportsman was altogether proud of his
" bag."

We followed the cart road for some
400 miles, through somewhat unin-
teresting country. The nature of this
" road " may be best judged by an
examination of the above photograph,
which shows one of our bullock-
waggons crossing one of the swamps
which intersect the track. The cart
was loaded with three sections of our
steel boat, securely fastened in a sub-
stantial crate. This craft was a whale-
boat, intended to be placed on Lake
Rudolf to keep up communication
between the north and south ends of
the lake. It was 25ft. long, and was
carried the whole way from the coast
in ten separate sections. For the
first 400 miles it was packed in crates

TSAVO.

OUR ADVENTURES IN UNKNOWN UGANDA.

171

THE CARA\ .-.

From a Photo.

on the waggons, as seen in our photo. ; but
beyond that point its parts were shouldered by
the Swahili porters, each section being slung
on bamboos and carried by two men, who
generally carried the pole-ends on their heads.
The boat, however, owing to the outbreak of
the Soudanese mutiny, never reached its desti-
nation, but was left
■on Lake Victoria for
the use of the
Uganda Administra-
tion.

At Ngara Nyuki,
our next halting-
place (sometimes
called Equator
Camp, because it is
almost exactly on
the Line), we were
joined by the Uganda
Rifles, who were to
form the main part
of the escort. The
Soudanese on join-
ing were very dis-
contented ; they had
just come through an
arduous campaign,

and had an aversion to starting off on an expe-
dition the very destination of which they did
not know. And they had another very real
grievance. The particular three companies
to which they belonged generally had to do
most of the fighting in the Protectorate, whilst
the other detachments of the regiment remained
in garrison in peace and plenty. How, finally,
they deserted the expedition and marched to
Lubwa's is now a matter of history, as is the
subsequent battle on the high ground overl
ing the Victoria Nyanza. Here the pursuing
Colonel Macdonald, with a small force consist-
ing of nine Europeans, seventeen Sikhs, and
340 partially-trained Swahilis, was attacked by
the mutineers. He beat them off, and drove
them back in disorder to Lubwa's Fort, which
they had seized the night before. By this signal
victory there can be no doubt that British
prestige was saved and the L'ganda Piotectorate
preserved to the Empire.

Fighting continued round Lubwa's until the
beginning of 1898, and during the whole of this
period the exploring work of the expedition was
at a standstill. The indefatigable Macdonald
was here, there, and everywhere — fighting,
pacifying, and avenging ; until at last, during
his absence, the mutineers— the primary cause
of all the trouble — escaped in a dhow across a
bay of the Victoria Nyanza. They were, how-
ever, pursued and defeated. Mwanga, the

rebellious ex-King of Uganda,* having been
signally smashed about the same time, the
expedition was at liberty to resume its long-
delayed journey towards the unknown north.

The caravan marched in single file, as the
next snap-shot shows ; and, as long as they kept
well together, the men were allowed to march

pretty much as they
pleased. In front of
the long, straggling
column went the
advance guard, com-
posed of Sikhs and
native soldiers,
accompanied by an
officer. Then came
the porters, as we see
them in the photo.,
nearly all armed with
Martini-Henry rifles
and sword-bayonets.
Each company of
porters had a drum-
mer, and these
" instrumentalists "
marched together in
the fore-front of the
caravan. I was lucky
enough to obtain a very characteristic snap-shot
of two "of these curious musicians, and it is here
reproduced. The bundles on their heads are

' In The Wide World for May, i3g8, under the title of "The
Strangest Monarch in the World." will be found a complete history
of King Mwanga and his little eccentricities. It is written by one
who knew 1 im, and i-- copiously illustrated with photoerai hs.

CHID I\ SINGLE FILE.

by Lieut. Bright.

"EACH COMPANY OF PORTERS HAD A DRUMMER .... THE
BUNDLES ON THEIR HEADS ARE THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS-'

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

N MARCHE D ALONG THE
OF LAKE BARINI

by Lieut. Bright.

theii - igs, usually consisting of

the weirdest possible assortment of odds and

ends. Their water-gourds are strapped outside,

and th ping- mats and food are made

a roll and tied round with a piece of

string. All the porter's worldly belongings, be

ver so cumbrous and unwieldy, go

into this bundle on his head. Even if he

poss live fowl — the acme of his ambition

-he ties a piece of string round its leg and

it to his load. These drummers have

nt "bjats" for different occasions — a

graph-code, in fact ; so that the

porters in thJr rear know when camp is near,

or when there is a river to be crossed, or a halt

for rest is about to be called.

For several days the column marched along

the western shore of Lake Baringo, a snap-shot

of which — probably the first ever taken — is

Lake Baringo is a fresh-water lake,

some forty miles in extent, belonging to the

ain of Central African lakes. It is

tuated four hundred miles in the interior —

the eastward from the Uganda

id. The inhabitants of the lake shores are

the Wa-Njemps, a peaceful and

industrious tribe, who have a few canoes on the

r fishing purposi

■ rocodiles in Lake Baringo,

men indulged to the full in bathing, a

luxury of which they were very fond : and a

couple of more or less merry bathers may be

;en disporting themselves on the right in the

photo, und' • leration. There were a few

opotami in the lake, and lions abounded

round the flat, marshy shores.

One night a posted to look after the

cattle was struck down from behind by a lion
and seriously mauled, but the brute was driven
off before any harm was done. The man, in

spite of his terrible wound (he was badly scalped
by the brute's claws), recovered rapidly, and
was soon able to go about his duties once more.
A little while after, whilst in charge of a small
party who were carrying letters, this same man
had another thrilling lion adventure. The
whole party were attacked in their little camp
by a troop of lions, and only succeeded in
driving them off after the expenditure of some
three Jiundred rounds of ammunition, which was
proved by an examination of their pouches !
The deadly aim of the men and the fierceness
of the fight will at once be apparent when I add
that no damage was done on either side !

But this was by no means the last of our
rencontres with lions, which seem to fairly
swarm round the lake. A party of five porters
deserted soon after passing Lake Baringo,
intending to make their way back to the coast.
But Nemesis was on the track of these sinners.
Whilst sleeping under a tree they were
suddenly surprised by lions, and had barely time
to climb up into the branches before the hungry
brutes were upon them. Then, and not till
then, did the unfortunate men realize that in.
their excitement they had left their rifles — their
only means of salvation — at the foot of the tree.
Apparently fully understanding the helpless con-
dition of their victims, the lions waited patiently
until, one by one — worn out with hunger and
exhaustion — the poor fellows dropped down on
to the ground, only to be instantly torn to pieces
and devoured before the eyes of their horrified

GUIDES WHO HID NOT KNOW THE WAY.

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

OUR ADVENTURES IN UNKNOWN UGANDA.

i73

companions. Only one man survived to tell
the dreadful tale, and he rejoined one of the
columns of the expedition some months later.

Wherever possible, guides were procured from
the natives ; and the next photo, shows a group
composed of three guides and the same number
of Masai warriors.
These particular
guides came from
Njemps, a large vil-
lage to the south of
Lake Baringo ; and
before they started
from their homes
they led us to be-
lieve that they knew
every inch of the
way. This proved to
be very far from the
case, however ; but
they did succeed,
notwithstanding the
thick bush, in pilot-
ing us as far as the
next native settle-
ment, where fresh
guides were pro-
cured.

The victualling of
the expedition was,
of course, a vitally
important matter ;

and for this purpose we had to take along with us
large herds of cattle, to say nothing of immense
stores of flour, and sometimes water. We engaged
a number of Masai to look after the cattle, and
during the whole time — in spite of the manifold
difficulties of the route, and the fact that some-
times they had as many as 400 head to drive —
they never lost a single beast. On the way back
we paid each man off at his own village, giving
him two cows as a reward for his fidelity.
These Masai are a warrior race, and replenish
their herds of cattle by the delightfully simple, if
somewhat questionable, method of raiding their
weaker neighbours.

As a rule, we bought flour from the natives in
exchange for beads, cowries, cloth, or wire. A
one-pound tobacco tin was used as the standard
measure, and this, piled high with flour, was a
porter's ration for two days. As is the universal
custom in East Africa, the higher a man's rank
the more food he is supposed to require ; there-
fore the headmen received double as much food
as a porter. The giving out of the rations
was called " Posho," and the ceremony is
well illustrated in the photograph reproduced
above, which shows the headman filling the
flour-tins.

THE HEADMAN .MEASURES OUT T

From a Photo.

Sometimes as much as ten days' food is given
out at a time, and this is carried by the man
himself; it is for him to see that it lasts the
right number of days. At first the men were
inclined to eat up their ten days' food in half
the time, hoping that when it was exhausted

they would be given
more. This caused
considerable incon-
venience and suffer-
ing in the early days
of the expedition.
But, later on, when
they got to under-
stand the difficulty
of carrying more
food than was abso-
lutely required, they
did their best to
make their rations
last over the allotted
period.

Elephants were
very numerous in
some parts of the
country, and in the
next illustration we
see a native carrying
a large piece of ele-
phant meat. Swa-
hilis, although as a
rule not very deli-
cate feeders, will rather starve than eat either
elephant or donkey meat. The natives, how-
ever, did not share this aversion, and when-
ever an elephant was shot they would assemble
rapidly and attack the carcass with their spears

HE RATIONS IN A ILI1. TOBACCO TIN.

by Lieut. Bright.

A DAINTY DISH — ONE OF THE NATIVES CARRYING A LUMP OF

From a Photo, by] elephant meat. [Lieut. Bright.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

and eal
Si mie would

it quite
■

em to ha\

own

ncidents which came

tion : A number oi

driven along, when

it o(

\\ thout the s 1 i u. 1 1 : n a

.mt made straight For one of the

. him bodily into the

stroying the bales of

h he was laden. The poor

don'-. ime evening probably from

:(.! in the tossing process.

-on

of my brother

king an

elephant, his riding-

ng led

hind him. Suddi nly,

in t': ting way

donkeys have, the

brute began to bray,

and the elephant, hear-

rged down

upon poor Neddy. The

man leading the donkey

nptly dropped his

rifle and fled, while the

donkey also made

tracks, faster than

he had don re in

his life, hotly pursued

phant. By

a clever double, the

donkey eluded the big

which then re-

- and came across the discarded
phant picked up, and, waving
triumph, i red in the bush. Neither

phant nor rifle was ever seen again.

' graph reproduced has a
pathetic int When one of the columns

of the expedition reached the north shore ol
jdolf, the natives who live on the banks
1 »mo were found to be in great
distress. They had been raided a few months
bef - bands of Abyssinian horsemen,

ming down both sides of the river, had
destroyed all their crops, burnt their granaries,
and driven away their flo<k- and herds.
Dead bodi- lying unheeded in the almost

deserted villages. These people, some repre-
sentatives of whom are shown in our illustration,
were in a starving condition, and were, besides,
suffering from smallpox. When asked what

STARVING NATIVES KKOM LAKE KUDOLF-

From a Photo. by\ GUIDE."

they had to eat, the poor creatures pointed first
to their stomachs, round which thongs of
re tightly bound to stave off the pangs
o\ hunger, and then to the river^signifying
thereby that they subsisted on what fish they
could catch. On the left of this famine-stricken
group is our guide This man was rather a
character in his way. He was very fond of
snuff, and even pinches of Cayenne pepper,
surreptitiously administered, did not appear to
upset his equanimity. His nasal organ was
indeed quite useful to him, for even when given
a little tobacco he preferred to smoke with the
mouthpiece oi' the pipe up his nose!

Providentially only one case of smallpox
occurred in the caravan : so we were spared the
awful suffering and wholesale decimation which

would inevitably have
occurred had this dread
disease once taken hold
on our men.

There being no food
to be had in this part
of the country, the ex-
pedition had now to
beat a hasty retreat.
We managed to get a
small supply from the
inhabitants of the
north-west shore of the
lake, and this was just
sufficient to enable the
caravan to continue on
the return journey for
some thirty days. On
the very day when the
last of the food had
been consumed,- and
things were beginning
to look desperate, we
fell in witli Lieutenant Hanbury Tracy's column,
much to our delight. Major Austin had, for-
tunately, foreseen the difficulty of obtaining food
for the return journey, and a column had been
sent back to Mount Elgon some two or three
months previously, to bring up fresh supplies
for the Rudolf column.

News was here heard of Colonel Macdonald,
who had had an adventurous journey into the
Nile Basin. Lie had reached Tarrangole, the
capital of the Sultanate of Latuka, where he
had been cordially received by the natives. The
Sultan of Latuka was an eminently diplomatic
gentleman, who aspired to be on good terms
with everybody. He possessed an old Egyptian
flag, but when " political considerations " re-
quired it, he exhibited a Dervish standard, and
clothed his minions in the patched "jibbas" of
Mahdism. The next white man who visits this

-" ON THE LEFT IS

[Lieut. B

OUR ADVENTURES IN UNKNOWN UGANDA.

"the NATIVES OF KETOSH inhabit the country
From a Photo, by] of .mount elgon.'

1 HE S"UTH-\VEST

[Lieut. Bright.

Soudanese corporal, who was struck in the
neck, died shortly afterwards from the effects
of the poisoned shaft.

The natives of Ketosh inhabit the country
to the south-west of Mount Elgon. Thev
are a warlike race, and caused considerable
trouble to bring into subjection.

Some years ago a small party of men
belonging to the Government station at
Mumia's were murdered by these people,
and a punitive expedition was sent against
them. On the storming party entering the
village, the huts were found to be separated
from each other by fences of brushwood.

Our next photograph shows a Ketosh
village forge, where spear-heads, hoes, and
pipe-stems are manufactured. The apparatus
is wonderfully simple and withal efficient.
Two mud-pipes, converging into one close to
the furnace, serve to conduct the draught,
and these are covered with goat-skin, into
which a stick is fixed. A native sits at the
end, and moves each skin backwards and
forwards alternately, thus making a very

accommodating monarch will find that his
collection of international emblems has been
increased by the addition of a brand-new Union
Jack, which will doubtless be displayed in the
stranger's honour.

There are a large number of caves in the
lower slopes of Mount Elgon, and these are
inhabited by the natives, who drive in their cattle
every night for safety, the entrances being strongly
stockaded. Several of these natural fortresses
had to be stormed in order to punish the in-
habitants for outrages committed on members of
the expedition. On the alarm being given, by
means of horns, the flocks would be driven into
the caves and a heavy discharge of arrows kept
up from the darkness of the interior. Several
of our men were wounded whilst engaged in
cutting down the defensive stockade, and a

A KETOSH VILLAGi

From a Photo, by]

[Lieut. Bright.

A BARGAIN JUST CONCLUDED — SUPPLY OF FL

VILLAGERS AND ABOUT TO BE TAKEN AWAY.

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

good, if primitive, bellows. The forge is roofed
with grass to protect the workers from the sun.

I have said elsewhere that, wherever possible,
we bought our flour from the villagers, and the
above photo, shows a supply of this precious
commodity all ready to be carried away. A
string of white beads, large enough to go over
the head, was taken in exchange for about a
pound of ground millet. The people here go
almost entirely nude.

On the occasion of a marriage great rejoicing
takes place among the villagers, the men and
women,' in separate parties, dancing round the
village wall. Here we see the men clapping

IIll WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

their feet on the ground,

They wear

und tli st Men in pairs

irward, lifting their

their heads back, and

into their sides, Pre-

. gain, their places bring

warrioi S metimes these men

3 a paii - horns,

the hair. These horns,

iting out of the men's

them a decidedly diabolical appear-

om the surrounding villages

me in with supplies to the town,

stablished our market ; and

. IjANCE in the ketosh country.
From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

after selling their wares and emptying their
.;ets of flour, they would sit down under
the trees for a friendly chat with their
neighbours. I noticed on some of these
people ivory armlets that had grown into
the flesh, having been put on when the
wearers were very young.

Most of the flour bought here was made

from bananas. The fruit is gathered while

_ :en, peeled, and then split down the

The slices are placed in the sun,

hen thoroughly dry, are pounded

ur with a smooth stone on a rock.

Banana flour has rather a bitter taste, and

unpalatable to Europeans. It

was eaten by the officers in small round

\ cakes as an indifferent substitute for

ad.

spent Christmas Day at Mumia's.
In the fort it was, of course, observed as a
holiday, and many of the native women
:ame in and danced. They were dressed
in pretty coloured pieces of cloth, which are
here bartered by the Government for food.
The dance lasted many hours, and was not
exhilarating. The leader of the dance
carried an umbrella, and the ceremony was

and

U H CAMP O.N ["HE SHORES OP REMOTE LAKE NAIVASHA.

From a Photo, by Lieut. Bright.

conducted on " follow-my-leader " lines. The
dance continued many hours, and as the fair
ladies became hot they cooled themselves by the
simple expedient of removing a garment or two.

On the journey back to the coast a halt of
several days was made on the shores of Lake
Naivasha. This lake is of volcanic origin, and
contains an island in the shape of a crescent
moon, which is undoubtedly an old crater. A
few prisoners are seen in the photo., engaged in
cleaning up the camp at this remote spot.

Another snap-shot shows a magnificent pair
of tusks bagged by Captain Ferguson. They
weigh ioSlb. and nolb. respectively. It speaks
highly for the honesty of the natives that, several
days after Ferguson had mortally wounded the
elephant, they found it and immediately sent
messengers to tell him where the grand beast
had died. Four men carried each tusk slung

"a magnificent pair of tusks, bagged by captain ferguson"
From a Photo, by] (total weight, 2i8lb.). [Lieut. Bright.

OUR ADVENTURES IN UNKNOWN UGANDA.

177

suddenly

gallantly

Captain

[ kdi.v

SOME OF THE INCORRIGIBI.ES OF THE EXPEDITI1
CONVICTED OF STEALING FOOD.''

From a Photo, by Lieut. Fright.

on a pole. On the right of the photo, we
see Colonel Macdonald himself; and on the
left is Captain Ferguson, who shot the elephant.
The man in the centre is a Somali headman
named Ali. He was with Count Teleki's expe-
dition which discovered Lakes Rudolf and
Stephanie. He was never tired of talking of
the hardships of that expedition, when for
nine days the men were without food.
They managed, however, to subsist on
nuts and the roots of trees.

The above photo, shows some of the " in-
corrigibles " of the expedition — men who
were repeatedly convicted of stealing food
from their comrades. As a punishment,
they were fastened together in the way
shown in the photo. An iron collar is
worn round the neck, and through a loop
in this a chain is passed, fastened at the
end by a padlock. The prisoners are com-
pelled to carry a load in the usual way, but
are guarded by a few soldiers. If this were
not done they might seize their opportunity
and smash the padlock. So salutary an
effect, however, does this punishment
have, that escaped prisoners have been
known to bring their irons back and
deposit them by stealth in the camp,
lest at some future time they should be
recaptured and accused of having stolen
their fetters !

The accompanying group of officers was

taken by Mr. Stanley Tomkins, on the ss.
Canara, during the voyage from Mombasa
to Aden. Ten officers started with the expe-
dition in 1897. A great loss was suffered in
the death of Lieutenant N. A. Macdonald,
14th Sikhs, who was killed in one of the fights
against the mutineers at Lubwa's. His com-
pany of only partially trained Swahilis was
attacked in thick grass, and while
rallying his men, he was shot dead.
R. Kirkpatrick, D.S.O., Leinstcr
Regiment, had seen much of the fighting in
Uganda ; he afterwards fell a victim to the
treachery of a native tribe. With an escort of
nine men, he had left his camp to climb a hill
a few miles distant, as he was anxious to get a
good view of the surrounding country. The
natives appeared to be very friendly, and were
walking with the small party. Suddenly they
attacked Captain Kirkpatrick and his men with
pears, and only two of the party succeeded in
escaping and reaching camp. The loss of
these two comrades, who were both deservedly
popular, was most keenly felt.

Major Woodward, who was suffering from a
sunstroke, had been invalided home a year
before, and Lieutenant Osborne had been
severely wounded in the knee at the Battle of
Kabagambi, and had also returned to England.
He was much missed by the remainder of the
officers. Captain Pereira, Coldstream Guards,
who belonged to the Uganda Rifles, remained
at Mumia's.

The author, Lieut. R. Bright. Capt. Macloughlin, D.S.O. Major Austin, R.E.

Capt. Ferguson, D.S.O.

Col. Macclonaltl.

Lieut, the Hon. A.
Hanbury Tracy.

TEN OFFICERS STARTED, BUT ONLY THESE SIX WENT THROUGH.

From a Photo, by Mr. Stanley Tomkins.

Vol. iv.— 23.

\moiiir Kurdish Brigands in Armenia.

\)\ Al I \ VNDl R J. SvOBODA.

chant was journeying through Turkish Armenia from Samsoun to Kharput
icked by Kurdish brigands, who demanded a ransom. The narrative
hat travel is like in this wild region, and it is illustrated with actual
raphs taken by M. Svoboda himself.

11. W

lie foil
lered my nar-
id most thrilling

Armenia on busi
he journey, know-
Id have an opportunity of

i the

which

in the
11 humani-
zing
1 in th(

lary,
Brus-
itinople
en, 1
r time, I
the turbulent
Sam-
first port of
i. I arrived in
that town very much
fa t i _ . and v.
ther i of a

Soon,
r, I was greatly
and
ho cam
their, n
. invaluable

. it to
_ h e r
ting
I
_ htful

my pi
route, which

the high and all but inaccessible

I tral Armenia. This region,

I, was inhabited by tribes of

[thirsty Kurds, whose sole

lay in the robbing and

varied by periodical

of Christian Armenia.

i the point of changing my mind, and

proceeding by some other road, when I formed
a resolution that 1 would not allow myself to be
discouraged, but would proceed at all costs. I
therefore concluded a contract with the bravest
and most courageous guide I could find —
Kalousse by name. He had already made the
journey to Kharput many times, and was well
acquainted with its discomforts and hazards.

Many times, by the

way.

had he

MR. I, Ullo HAS TRAVERSED NEARLY EVERY RF.(.I'

■ </o.) HE east. \by the Author

been
attacked, and even
severely wounded by
the Kurds, who had
on two or three occa-
sions left him for
dead.

From Samsoun to
Diarbekir the traveller
is carried in a primi-
tive kind of springless
wooden cart, with two
wheels ; it is called a
karossa. As a rule, an
Armenian karossa is
in a ruinous condition,
and the iron - work
almost completely
eaten away with rust.
In the interior of the
vehicle two men may
contrive to stow them-
selves away.

On the evening of
February 23rd last I
decided to leave Sam-
soun next morning.
Two native Armenian
merchants were to
travel with me ; they
were going to Diar-
bekir in another
karossa. That night,
however, when I was
about to retire to rest, I was surprised to
see my worthy guide, Kalousse, enter my
room, looking very grave. He told me that
some travellers had just arrived in the town
with the unpleasant news that they had been
attacked on the road to Kharput, about three
days away from Samsoun, and right on our
route.

AMONG KURDISH BRIGANDS IN ARMENIA.

179

Their assailants were a band of mountain
Kurds nearly 200 strong. The result of the
affray was, that one gendarme was killed and
two others very seriously wounded. The three
gendarmes, by the way, had been ordered by the
Governor of Diarbekir to escort the travellers;
but that their presence had no deterrent effect
upon the Kurds will be evident from the fact
that the travellers aforesaid were robbed of
everything they possessed, except the bare cloth-
ing they stood upright in.

This, of course, was not cheerful news ; but,
strangely enough, instead of
altering my decision, it had the
effect of confirming me in my
resolve to push on at all risks.
At ten o'clock the same evening,
therefore, I and Kalousse paid
a visit to the principal khan,
or hotel, in order to interview
the travellers who had been
attacked.

These Armenian merchants
received me very courteously,
and confirmed the story told
by my guide. On leaving them
I made my way to the local
Kaimakan, or Governor, and
requested him to send some
soldiers with me in order to
insure my security in the wild
regions through which I had to
pass.

The reader may well imagine
my sensations as I set out on
this remarkable journey across
Turkish Armenia — paiticularly
if he bears in mind the appa
narratives of eye - witnesses

THIS IS THE GUIDE, KALOUSSE, WHOM

.Ml;. SVOBODA HIKED IN SAMSOUN.

From a Photo, by the Author.

ling and ghastly
icerning the
fiendish cruelties of the Kurds during the great
Armenian massacres.

Early next day I called my guide and told
him all I had gathered. He said he intended
to keep to his agreement with me, but it would
be better not to let the news leak out among
the rest of the men, lest they should refuse to
go with us. I warned Kalousse to keep his
own counsel, and told him we should certainly
start within half an hour. I then went once
more to the Kaimakan, and asked him how
many soldiers he could spare me as escort.
He was very kind indeed, and told off an
unimposing force of three gendarmes to go with
me to Kharput. He also informed me that on
arriving at the last-named town other soldiers
would be placed at my disposal, and so on until
I reached Diarbekir. These arrangements com-
pleted, I and my party — eleven souls in all-
left Samsoun, and took the road which brought

us to Amassia, the same night : this was the
first stage of our journey.

We were now fairly on the road, our caravan
consisting, as I have said, of eight persons only,
besides the three gendarmes. The " carriage "
turned out to be a frightful affair, into which my
large quantity of baggage, myself, and Kalousse
were packed in a manner not agreeable to
myself. Inside the crazy vehicle I scattered
straw several inches thick, so as to obviate the
ill-effects of the severe jars and jolts, and I laid
my head at night on the softest package I could
find. Never in all my experi-
ence of Oriental travelling have
I known such frightful going.
The road zig-zagged through a
terribly wild country, ascending
and descending high mountains
- now lumbering through a
gloomy gorge, and then perched
upon the very verge of a dizzy
precipice. The horses were for
ever slipping and falling; and
after only a i'cw hours on the
way I became horribly sick,
and my head ached as though
it would burst. After a time I
was obliged to get down and
walk, leaving Kalousse in my
place ; he was more or less
accustomed to this kind of
thing. After two hours of walk-
ing over large stones and small
boulders, however, I felt both
tired and hungry, and ordered
a halt for breakfast. Then it
was that I noticed some liquid
from my cases and packages. I
hastened to open some of these, and found to
my rage and disgust that about two dozen of
bottled beer and soda-water had been smashed
by the tremendous jolting, and had distributed
their contents over a large quantity of valuable
merchandise, to say nothing about my supply of
photographic dry plates. And this, thought I,
at the very commencement of our journey !

On arriving at Amassia we found the village
to be a small Armenian hamlet, and were com-
pelled to resort to a small khan, which was the
most uninviting-looking place one could pos-
sibly imagine. It was built of wood and was
very old — just like a quaint little toy, in fact.
Certainly it was cheap, for the entire charge for
the whole caravan only came to about sixpence
for the night .'

Soon I discovered that everyone knew the
story of the murdering of the one gendarme
and the wounding of the others ; and of course
my muleteers also got to know of the occurrence,

nir. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

I much reluctance to advance.

with me, however, com-

. them to push on, which they did in a

kind o( way. Every day

1 w me martyrdom of jolting

no decent road being

• >n the 25th, at five o'clock

truck the high

led by beautiful hills.

u journeying along here many

mi: n 1 suddenly saw the driver in

. burly fellow — tern his

and speak to him in

. with every manifestation

The man actually com

0 me, and at length, finding

id his signs, he stopped

lived into certain internal recesses,

.\ ■

w^HHIHMMII^^BHHMhHHI

DA 1'ITCHF.D HIS TENT JUST BEFORE THE ATTACK.

From a Photo, by the Author.

in immense revolver. He then
jumped down, spoke excitedly to the other
men, and made frantic signs towards me.

Up to this moment I had not asked Kalousse
lat was the matter with the driver, but I con-
that he had gone mad, and wanted to
mok and shoot the lot of us. Kalousse
hims disinclined to tell me what was

the matter, and so, not knowing what to think,
ny rifle and revolver, loaded both of
. and then jumped to the ground to inves-
tor myself.

however, stopped me and told me

50 on any farther. He said we were in

: danger— the driver was not mad at all,

iad red that we had been pursue. 1

by a tribe of wild and fanatical

had followed us from stage to stage,

in the valleys and waiting a

portunity at night to rob and

• us. This was not at all cheerful

particularly as our whole caravan only

No village or civilized

1 sight, and there appeared to

r us from the clutches of thi se

murderous Kurdish brigands. Taking my glass,
I looked in every direction, and suddenly
discovered a large' black spot in the distance.
1 told the principal gendarme about this, and he
said, grimly, "Those are the people into whose
hands we shall fall to-day."

Kalousse here gave a cheering manifestation
of his fidelity, declaring that he would give his
life for me, if necessary. I should not like to
tell you my private opinion of this manifestation.
However, our three soldiers turned their horses
towards the mysterious enemy and galloped
away as fast as they could. I may say I awaited
their return in a state of considerable suspense
and anxiety. In the meantime, Kalousse ex-
plained to me that, situated as we were in the
very heart of the Kurdish mountains, escape
was out of the question, and the only thing left
was to put a bold front upon
the situation and trust to
luck.

As he was speaking, I was
following with my telescope
the soldiers who had gone
to visit the Kurdish leader.
Judge of my amazement
when I saw far down on the
plain that the brigands had
apparently run helter-skelter
before the three soldiers who
had gone to meet them.
Presently both gendarmes
and Kurds disappeared from
view, and then I waited for
about two .hours, wondering what it could all
mean. At length, a little before sunset, the
three gendarmes returned, and told me that we
were in very great danger indeed, as the band
we had seen consisted of a whole tribe of
Kurds, who had pursued us insidiously from
early morning, with the intention of attacking
us at night.

When, however, they saw we had no fear of
them they thought it best to disappear.
Presently I noticed that our three soldiers had
brought back a prisoner whose horse had failed
him. This picturesque ruffian appeared to be
in a deplorable state of terror, and kept begging
of the soldiers to let him loose and not kill him,
as he said he had been pressed into the service
of the brigand chief. We gathered from the
man all the information possible, and then let
him go. As he rode slowly away he assured us
earnestly that we were in the greatest possible
danger, as the Kurds were mustering in great
numbers. By this time I was wondering
whether we should ever get out of those
accursed mountains alive.

Almost every moment we expected an attack,

AMONG KURDISH BRIGANDS IN ARMENIA.

181

'to

and the reader may well
imagine for himself what our
feelings were all through the
long night. Fortunately, how-
ever, we arrived at Sivas in
safety, and left that town again
on the 27th for Kharput.
Everything went well until we
were about five hours from
Kharput itself, when we were
encamped between two rugged
ranges of high mountains on
smooth, sandy ground, We
chose this on account of the
showers of rain which had
been falling, and which ren-
dered progress through the
villages all but impossible.

At five o'clock in the even-
ng, when I was lying quietly
my iron bedstead in the
tent, thinking of the exciting
alarms of the past few days, I
heard a tremendous yell, and,
jumping from my bed, was
confronted by Kalousse, who appeared to be in
the last extremity of terror. He was jabbering
in some language I could not understand, but
I gathered that something frightful had hap
pened to us. I questioned him sternly, and,
when he grew a little more composed, he cried,
" We are lost ! We are lost ! For God's sake,
get your rifle 1 "

I could make neither head nor tale of his
story, but just as I was cross-examining him
in much perplexity, two shots rang out sharply
just outside my tent. Knowing that some-
thing serious was amiss I rushed for my rifle
and revolver, but to my dismay and horror
found that they had been unloaded and the
cartridges placed in some inaccessible package.
However, I made my way outside with my
weapon, and then saw, to my indescribable
amazement, crowds
of strange, barbaric
figures clothed in
camel - hair tunics,
and all in a state
of great excitement.
They were, I knew,
the fierce and mur-
derous Kurds.
Positively I knew
not what to do. In
my hands I had
not a single avail-
able weapon, and
even if I had, it
would have been

THESE ARE TWO (IF THE VERY KURDISH

BRIGANDS WHO ATTACKED MR. SVOllODA

From a Photo, by the Author.

NEAR THIS RUIN THE AUTHOR WAS SEVERELY SCOURGED BY THE K

From a Photo, by the Author.

of little use, for there must
have been several hundreds of
these brigands around my
encampment.

Turning, I saw two stalwart
Kurds seize my guide Kalousse
by the back of the neck and
then tie his hands and feet.
This done, they dragged him
out of the tent by his hair.
The next thing I knew was,
that two other brigands were
approaching me, no doubt
with the intention of serving
me in like manner. The first
man I pushed away with all
the strength I could muster,
but he growled and pulled out
his pistol threateningly. His
si^ns were unmistakable, so I
submitted. Whilst he was
tying my hands and feet I
looked at Kalousse, and saw
that they wgre dragging the
unfortunate fellow along the
sand by his hair. Presently they pulled him
on to his knees and began to lash him about
the body with a long and curious whip. And
I, myself, by the way, came in for a pretty
considerable scourging, souvenirs of which I
carry at the moment of writing. I was, indeed,
most savagely whipped- and beaten, until I
nearly fainted. I knew, however, that it would
be all but fatal for me to beg for mercy.

Whilst all this was going on the rest of the
brigands had removed all my trunks, boxes, and
packages in the tent. Then came a heart-
breaking onslaught upon my baggage. Every-
thing was broken and torn open, and, almost
worst of all, my photographic plates were
smashed to pieces, as being of no use. When
everything had been thoroughly overhauled and
no money found, about fifteen of the Kurds

came and t o 1 d
Kalousse that, if
his master would
hand t h em over
r,ooo beshlik, we
would be allowed
to proceed to Khar-
put unmolested. If,
however, the money
were not forthcom-
ing, everyone in the
caravan would have
his throat cut, after
which the bodies
would be thrown
into the river.

1'HL WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

. 1 will not that when

1 did not

or dreaming ; nor

mulate any scheme

1 will
my eves in a kind
on my youth ami
mine in that
land. '1 Kalo

that 1 only had ,
liked they might take
vith all ni' ts. I'he

. that it was useless to
ihey must haw what they
mptly.
\ I that, perhaps on seeing the

free, and thereupon 1

II them I would give

1 if only they would cut

nd my hands. This they did,

if the money were promptly

ing 1 ■■•> mid escape with my life, but if

, I s d b cut to piec

md myself free 1 hitched round

my belt, in ti ch of which were some

if credit upon Kharput merchants and

all the money I ; d / .20 Turkish. I

handed the money to the foremost brigand, and

on counting it, he hurled the

- tying that they must have

dred — times more than that if we

ling with our lives. Then,

rently thinking that extreme measures were

ss ry, two of the brigands went some paces

away and. kneeling down, actually levelled their

; at Kalousse and myself. Then,

hide (oked at the ominous muzzle of

. which the brigand pointed straight

at me, I realized that my last moment had

It was awful— horrible -thus to die in this

ile manner. Breathing a hasty prayer, I
d why the man's finger lingered so long
Poor Kalousse, I remember,
like a 1 The

•mplexion was
vish green.
now when I rem

quivering lips
. the v ,od-

have coura. 1. to my

amazement, a chai med

iv unfortun

in fact,
Leaping
to his Let, and wrenching
himself free with a

tan

run like a deer ; but he had not gone many
yards before a shot rang out, and my poor

Kalousse collapsed like a sack of potatoes,
badly shot through the calf of his left leg. I
certainly believed that they would lire again
and kill him and me. They did not, however.

( )n the contrary, it seemed as though they
were alarmed at what they had already done.
They asked Kalousse what arrangements I
could make for sending them the necessary
ransom. They added, probably by way of
bravado, that they had no fear of any Govern-
ment, and they would, if necessary, pursue us
from one place to another, until I disgorged
the necessary sum. I could not, for the life of
me. understand why our lives had been spared
up to this time, and also those of the gendarmes
who were, of course, in the same plight as our-
selves. I'he rest of my party busied themselves
in collecting the sovereigns which the brigand
had thrown away, and these they were at once
requested to hand over to our captors, who also
took our rifles and revolvers. Then, forming
into two parallel columns, they marched along
with my caravan between like a flock of helpless
sheep.

Presently the chief of the gendarmes informed
me that he considered we were free. " Free "
was good ; here was I in the wilds of the
mountains of Kurdistan, robbed of everything
I posNessed, and not knowing how I was to get
to my destination alive.

Finally, I decided to beard the lion in his
den and go and interview the chief of all the
Kurdish robbers, who, I learned, had a village
not far away. I determined boldly to ask him
to give us a safe conduct away from his desperate
and murderous people, as we were simply
traders and travellers, and really had no money
to give away. Amusing to relate, we were
received in a most courteous and delightful
manner by the Kurdish chieftain in his mud
hut, and when we told him of all that had
happened to us, he grew quite excited — partieu-

- ;-*^T^ V^^^iV^PTt'

HERE WE SEE THE VII.

From a Photo, by]

CAGE OK THE BRIGAND CHIEF TO WHOM MR. SVOBODA APPEAf.ED

FOR protection. [the Author.

AMOXG KURDISH BRIGANDS IX ARMENIA.

i8-

larly when he saw my poor wounded guide
Kalousse. The chief immediately sent about
a dozen of his trusty men to bring in the
brigands who had attacked us. Why, we

Finally, when we left the chief, it was with the
escort of a dozen of his own men, who had
instructions to see us safely to Diarbekir, so that
no one should interfere with us. I must say

I EVEN OBTAINED PERMISSION To PHOTOGRAPH THE KURDISH CHIEFTAINS HAREM.

From a Photo, by the Author.

actually stayed a day or two with the chief,
enjoying his most delightful hospitality. He
insisted that the money taken from me should
be tefunded, and that night I slept in his own
room.

Next day the brigands flocked round me in a
most embarrassing manner, the scene being so
picturesque that it was difficult to believe one
was not standing on the stage during the run of
some romantic drama. I even obtained per-
mission to photograph the Kurdish chieftain's
harem (which photo-
graph is here repro-
duced), but I don't for
a moment believe he
imagined I was taking
a picture of the
women. As a matter
of fact, he was under
the impression that
the " one-eyed box "
would have a life-
giving effect upon the
ladies. For himself,
he said, it did not
matter; he was
healthy enough. I
did not care to press
him further.

that the idea of hobnobbing with a robber
chieftain, whose men had been within an ace of
wiping us all out ; photographing his ladies, too ;
enjoying his hospitality, and finally being safe-
guarded by his men, greatly appealed to my
sense of humour — afterwards — that is, I am
quite certain, however, that had we not gone to
interview the chief in this way, we must inevit-
ably have been killed. Never — never can I
forget those moments when I was looking down
the rifle-barrel of that Kurdish brigand.

■o>

:£amL

FRIENDS IN KHARPUT COME OUT TO CONGRATULATE MR. SVOBODA ON HIS ESCAPE (REMEMBER \\ HA
kllARPUT ITSELF SUFFERED IN THE KURDISH MASSACRES IN ARMENIA).

From a Photo, by the Author.

The Hermits of the Sierra Morena.

B\ Herbert Vivian.

Monks we know all about, but hermits are still mysterious and mediaeval. The following is a

mmunity of hermits inhabiting the wilderness of Cordoba, in Spain.

th photographs and described by a gentleman who paid them a visit, provided with
a special permit from the Bishop of Cordoba.

us have by this time a very

; of the life of a monk or

a nun in any Catholic conventual

tblishment which may be named.

much has been written on the
in the form both o\ "heavy "and perish-
. that anyone of average education
njure up a fairly accurate picture of their
work and prayer in all its mono-
3 sii ii ity. But the mere mention of a
Jiermit still si all sorts of mysterious

- : men living the lives of outcasts in
almost inaccessible caws, prodigies of privation ;
skulls for cups, rats and serpents tor sole corn-
par :. all the romance of religion,
n was observed in the Middle Ages.
For everything really mediaeval and least
impaired by the lapse of centuries we must go
Spain, where nothing changes except (lovern-
ments and a few other details which really do
not matter. So to Spain I went in search of
hermits, and was fortunate enough to find a
goodly number of them scattered about upon
- rra .Morena, a league or so to the north
of Cordoba, the ancient and glorious capital of
the Moorish Empire in Spain. If they do not
quite come up to the expectations conjured up
by the hermits of legend and art, my hermits
are, at any rate, deeply interesting in themselves,
and afford us a vivid picture of the life and
of the average hermit three or four
hundred years ago.

Hermits, known as "Sons of the Wilderness,"
ave occupied this mountain since beyond the
lory of history. The first definite record of
in the year 1309, when a band of
tillian soldiers deserted the army of Ferdi-
nand IV. and took to the hermit's life—
olved," as an old chronicler puts it, "to
2 war henceforward on behalf of the King-
1 of Ibaven/' The original hermits are
thought to have come from Egypt, or at any
ate to have adapted their mode of life from
that of famous Egyptian hermits.

Though the hermits we are about to consider

-arto Cordoba, they can boast of a full

re of seclusion. To begin with, we may

m without a special permit from the

this is not very readily granted. I

iaye ' nt myself at his palace punctually

a certain hour and explain, in broken

Spanish, to his chaplains the reason of my

request — what my motive is, what the result of
my visit will be, etc. They are very courteous,
but inclined to be a little suspicious. Am I "a
North American " ? Heaven forbid ! (I have a
purpose to serve.) They smile graciously. Am
I a Catholic ? Of course — though I do not
enter into vexed questions of Roman and
Anglican, which they would not understand.
At last they are satisfied, and I am furnished
with a document addressed to " the Chief
Brother of the Hermits," and setting forth that
" we grant our license to Mr. Herbert Vivian
and any other persons who may accompany him
to visit the desert and chapel of Our Lady of
Belen, provided the established rules are ob-
served. But no permission is given to pass the
night in the desert ; and this license is only
available for three days from the date of issue.
* The Bishop of Cordoba."

Ladies used not to be allowed in " the
desert," and even nowadays they are only
accorded permission if accompanied by male
relatives. So the solitary modern globe-trotting
girl is hereby warned off.

Then come difficulties of access. The hermit-
ages are only a league away, but the road is
infamous, and the cabmen of Cordoba declare
with one consent that the thing can only be done
with three horses and for a payment of seven
dollars. However, I have been long enough
among Spaniards and Orientals to know how to
drive a bargain ; and eventually, after waiting
almost the full tether of my permit for the
weather to clear, I set out with only two horses,
and for a conscientious price. But the road
proves as impossible as even the cabmen
had pictured. Never have I traversed such
roads— no, not even in Bulgaria. The result
is that I have to walk the greater part of
the way. Still, when I come to "the desert," I
feel that I have been amply repaid for all my
toil and worry.

It is not at all a " desert " as we understand
the word. Indeed, the sole thing the place has
in common with a desert is its loneliness. We
make our way up the slopes of a well-wooded
mountain, amid orchards of olives, Moorish
rose-gardens, palms, aloes, chestnuts, cactuses,
and all kinds of tropical plants. Every now
and then great tufts of geranium lend a fragrance
to the air. Surely the "desert" has fulfilled the
Scriptural prophecy and " blossomed as the rose."

THE HERMITS OF THE SIERRA MORENA.

185

AL HERMAxNO MAYOR DE LOS ERMITANOS

Cordoba^^- de ^/^odx/^A-c- de 18 %f

Qonccdcmoo wa\m>Kkx tic&wcia a. ^J)/r- fa, >'rf"-j ^~

lltCLl/l.

-<&.

7f^m?/f>.i

.,/.

O <W/

y£^

)<xza que-

incite cldcoicztc u capi^faSe SfCueafaa Seno^a3e eBelen,
o£>oert>du8oo'e las xeglao cc>ta6/feci3a:>, din poSe-i. pecttoc-
tax en ti desie-zto, n sin auc valqa cota lic&ncia pasaSos
eo 3ia? 8e ?w fecna.

>J< £1 Obispo de Cordoba,

NOTA

durante la Cuaresma ni en dias festivos.

J-L

YOU CAN T GO AND SEE THE HERMITS IN THEIR WILDERNESS WITHOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT.

ISSUED BY THE BISHOP OF CORDOBA TO MR. VIVIAN.

HERE IS THE ONE

From Cordoba itself, and from the shaky
railway by the Guadalquivir, the scudding
tourist may catch a glimpse of the hermitages —
a number of glistening, whitewashed cottages,
nestling among the dark woods of the mountain.
But the guides will have told them that there
is nothing to see but the view, and they will
have grudged an after-
noon deducted from
their treadmill of
churches and galleries.
These recluses and
their simple lives do
not appeal to the slaves
of the red-bound guide-
books.

But I grow excited at
the prospect of an inter-
view with a latter-day
Simon Stylites, and my
spirits rise as the air
grows rarer and more
exhilarating, and at last
the details of the " head
brother's" hermitage are
distinctly visible.

Adjoining it are the
chapel and refectory.
The dwellings of the
other hermits are scat-

Vol iv.— 24.

tered about the hill-side at sufficient distances
apart to secure the privacy which is the anchorite's
ideal. When at last I arrive I find a simplicity
and modesty which exceed all my anticipa-
tions. Head hermitage, chapel, and refectory
all together only make up the humblest little
whitewashed cottage, with a red-tiled roof and a

small belfry surmounted
by a cross. In the rude
yard outside over a
score of beggars (never
to be avoided in Spain)
are crouching in groups
over the coarse but

"HEAD HERMITAGE, CHAPEL, AND REFECTORY ALL TOGETHER ONLY MAKE UP THE HUMBLEST

From a] little whitewashed cottage." (beggars awaiting food.) [Photo.

[Hi; WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

which the hermits never refuse

urg their needs. I lie

all who care to come

of the place, and

- me of the beggars

dition o( raggedness and

se in the beautiful phi

.need has little more than a

j and it does not suffice to

from the sharp air. The

minutes, however, they emerge in procession,
most of them with their hands raised upon
their breasts in an attitude of devotion, as if they
were still reciting their grace after meat. Among
the group is a young man from Cordoba,
who has been privileged to share their frugal
fare. In spite of their austerities, the hermits
all look the picture of cheerfulness. The head
brother has a particularly kind expression, and,
alter examining the Bishop's permit, which 1

" THE DISTRIBUTION Ol (I KIM CARE TO COME FOR IT IS ONE OF THE SIGHTS OF THE PLACE."

[Photo.

countenances of these beggars wear that expres-
sion of mingled wistfulness, gratitude, and
dignity which is the characteristic of mendi-
cants all over Spain. The soup is brought out
in a large earthenware tureen of mediaeval
shape, glistening with cleanliness, and tilted out
into a bowl, from which it is eaten with three
large wooden spoons, which are handed round
in turn. A couple of young hermits are surveying
the with benevolent smiles, which have

endeared them throughout the whole country-
-

le of these young hermits comes forward

me me, and explains that the rest of

'ill in the refectory. In a few

hand to him, he makes me an amiable speech,
every word of which he evidently means. He
then bids the young hermit accompany and
show me everything.

hirst I am taken the round of the various
hermitages and told something of the life there.
At present there are seventeen hermits and one
novice in " the desert." They maintain rigorous
silence, and are completely isolated from each
other during the greater part of the day, only
meeting for the daily mass and the pious reading
which follows it, and for their mid-day meal in
the refectory. Breakfast and supper are pre-
pared and eaten by the hermits each alone in
his little cell, where he has a simple kind of

THE HERMITS OF THE SIERRA MORENA

187

From a]

5GE IN PROCESS] , MOST OF THEM WITH THEIR Hf
THEIK BREASTS IN AN ATTITUDE OH' DEVOTION.'

RAISED UPON

[Photo.

kitchen. Most of the day and night is spent in
meditation and prayer, very little time being
accorded for sleep ; five hours out of the
twenty- four, however, must be devoted to
manual labour, generally digging and
various forms of gardening. One advan-
tage the hermits have over monks is
that they are very little bound by rules,
but are free to choose their own times
for most of their occupations, the regular
hours of prayer alone excepted. The
habit is for ihe head brother, as he
goes through his own devotions in the
chief hermitage, to sound the bell in his
little belfry. Every cell is provided with
a belfry and bell of its own, which each
hermit must sound when he hears that of
the head brothei. In this way they
make sure of observing the hours of
prayer simultaneously. To
sound his bell is held to be
remission of duty, and entails
penance.

The next photograph represents the
outside of one of the cells. It is
certainly very picturesque with its stately
cypresses and great hedges of prickly
pear. My guide is standing on the
pathway which leads to the mountain,
and the owner of the cell is just return-
ing with a pitcher of water which he
has been fetching from the well some
distance off. Above the little window,
which is closed by a thick wooden
shutter, we see in a niche the skull of a
previous tenant. It wears an expression
of deep calm, and seems to smile as it
reminds us of the shortness of life. In-
side the cell we find little more than bare

head brother is
hermitage is only

walls. All the furniture
there is consists of a hard
mattress, where the hermit
passes his few hours of
sleep; a praying-stool with
a heavy, antiquated book
of hours, printed in the six-
teenth century ; a large
rude crucifix ; a couple of
pitchers, and the few things
required for the simple
cookery. I can scarcelv
restrain my amazement at
the cheerfulness which sub-
sists in so terribly depress-
ing a dwelling.

Most of the other cells are

identical with this one, and

need not be particularly

described. That of the

not more luxurious. His

larger because it comprises

omit
a
a severe

to
grave

EXTERIOR OF ONE OF THE HERMITS CELLS.

ABOVE THE WINDOW IN

Front a J

A NICHE IS THE SKULL OF A PREVIOUS TENANT.

[Photo.

till WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

is only one at present, the hermits take it in
turns to stay with him and fit him for adopt-
ing their mode of life. The novitiate lasts six
months, which is found quite sufficient to deter
any who may have no real vocation for the life.

Besides their regular devotions, the hermits
constantly repair for prayer to various parts
of the " desert " which may be hallowed by
sacred associations. For example, the graves
of deceased hermits are favourite resorts, but
the most popular place is a large, whitewashed
pillar, surmounted by a wooden cross. Here,
tradition says, a hermit was once upon a time
martyred by the Moors. Though the hermits
may not speak when they meet in this way,
except for reasons of charity or necessity, they
doubtless feel it a relief from their solitude to
meet other human beings. My guide would
not allow this, saying that if that were the
object of their coming to the place of prayer
it would be a sin which they would have to
confess and do penance for.

Confession, by the way, is frequent, but
generally quite voluntary. Any hermit may
give absolution, but most of the community
prefer to come with their sins to the kindly
old head brother, whose sympathy and com-
mon sense may always be relied upon.

THl PULAR PLACE OF PRAYER

• . WHITEWASHED PILLAR, -
A WOODEN CRI
From a Photo.

the chapel and refectory
under the same roof. In the
chapel is a large and some-
what imaginative picture of
the t," as it appeared

in bygone days. Though the

spective is not what it
might be, we can see that
the hermitages are still much
what they were in the Middle
The gardens seem to
have improved, but there

"he same predilection for
cypresses.

me to the
house of the novices, which
is some distance apart from
the other hermitages. When
there are several, the novices
live all together, but as there

i OF 1HK HERMITS PRONOUNCING ABSOI
Frotll a] THRONE OF THE EISHOPS 0

rED in ii

KDOBA.

NT SI

[Pkoto

THE HERMITS OF THE SIERRA MOREXA.

189

Farther up the hill we come upon an
elaborate stone seat, or throne, which was made
bv the hermits for the use of the Bishop of
Cordoba whenever he deigns to visit them.
It is often utilized as a confessional ; and the
next very artistic photograph reproduced
depicts one of the hermits in the act of pro-
nouncing absolution. Assuredly no more
fitting place could have been chosen for the
solemnization of a holy rite. Here we enjoy,
in all its magnificence, the view which the
tourists come out for to see. In front
of us are the majestic Guadalquivir and the
spires of Cordoba, while in the distance are
the blue peaks of the mountains of Cabra and
Granada, with the peak of Alcaudete standing
forth to the south-east. Among the hills are
dainty white pleasure-houses and ruined castles,
one of which is pointed out as the summer
residence of the Moorish Sovereign, Abderrah-
man I. With the world so fair to look upon, it
becomes more incredible than ever that all these
men should abandon it voluntarily and remain
contented in the
seclusion of their
lonely "wilderness."
But they certainly
seem to deserve the
title of "Sons of the
Wilderness," by
which they have
been known to the
outer world for so
many centuries.
They appear to revel
in the barest and
loneliest corners of
their domain, and to
find supreme happi-
ness in cherishing
the most gloomy and
morbid thoughts.
Xotice the beatific
expression of the fine
old fellow in the
next photograph as
he digs his own
grave. Like an
animal about to die,
he has chosen for his

last resting-place a spot as far away as possible
from the habitations of the living. With a huge
pick he has cleared away the brambles
and made some progress with his digging.
He has paused in his work to say a prayer,
and is reflecting upon that blissful state
where the wicked cease from troubling and the
weary are at rest. He came to the hermitage
in the hope of forgetting all the sadness of his
former life, but he has long ago realized that
there can be no complete forgetfulness on this
side of the grave, and for death accordingly he
yearns.

I saw many other weird scenes such as go
most largely to make up the life of the " Sons
of the Wilderness." In one spot I beheld
a fervent hermit, clad in his uniform of a
scapulary and cowl of grey cloth, holding a rosary
and praying in most absolute solitude before a
skull set upon a rock. Presently he heaves a
deep sigh of penitential devotion and prostrates
himself upon his face before the grisly emblem,
clasping his hands in an agony of self-abase-
ment, and remaining
motionless for end-
less minutes amid
the deathless silence
of Xature. The
scene carries us
back into the Dark
Ages, and I know
not which is grim-
mest— the mocking
expression of the
skull or the derisive
gaiety of the palms
and rose bushes in
the background.

Dies irce, dies ilia.
Solvet soeculuin in
favilla.

A bell tinkles in
the distance, and
the rapt hermit rises
slowly from his
knees, with a strange,
far-away joy lighting
up his rugged face.
And I return to
Cordoba.

ONE OK THE HFRMITS DIGGING HIS OWN GRAVE. — HE HAS
From It] PAUSED IN' HIS WORK TO SAY A FRAYER." [Photo.

Our Mysterious Panther.

Bv Lieut. 11. C. Sandford (isi P.I.)-

•ant of the havoc wrought by an enorm

way in which the

- '. ! i \ '. ! I.". ). WHO

I BED THE "MYSTERIOUS PANTHER."

From a Photo, by F. Bromkead, Clifton.

Hl.X I was marching through the
Shan Hills in Eastern Burma, en
route to join my regiment at Fort
Stedman, I met
an officer of the

ous leopard in Eastern Burma, and the remarkable
brute met his death.

the manner of [nippies, used to object, in a
lamentable voice, to such treatment; so it
generally ended in my patience being exhausted,
and in letting him loose to wander at his will
in my room and veranda. Alas ! poor puppy !
Ills habit of nocturnal exploration proved his
bane. 1 was awakened one night by a piercing
yell, and, leaping from bed and rushing to the
veranda, was just in time to see him disappearing
in the bright moonlight, an enormous panther
having seized him from my very doorway.

Soon afterwards I was stationed on detached
duty at a small post not far from the Siamese
frontier. My bungalow, raised, like all Burmese
houses, some 6ft. from the ground, on wooden
piles, stood in a fenced compound, but the pine
forests of the hills ran right up to the palisade.
One moonlight night I was awakened by
the whining of my two dogs ; and, after vainly
trying to quiet them, I opened the door and
let them out. The only result was that, just
as I got back into my warm bed, they began a
diabolical duet in the veranda. In vain I
cursed and wished all dogs to the dickens.

Suddenly there was a thud and a snarling
roar, and then arose the cry of a dog in mortal

lie Works, who invited
me, with true Indian hospi-
tality, to stay at his bungalow.
- my two terriers and a
puppy with me, he warned
me to be careful to tie them
up under my bed at night —
lerwise," he added, "they
will be bagged by a panther

-ure as fal But I was

young and foolish, and showed
by my incredulous smile that
I thought he was merely try-
take a rise ;! out of me.
'Veil," said he, "you

dn't believe me, but only
a month ago a panther
jumped in through the
window in broad daylight,
while I was having my
and took a greyhound of
mine from my et."

' " ild rdly doubt him

- this, so I took the
caution to tie my two d
under my ,,

The puppy, however, after

IN MIS

If^.wfoow

I ILED ONI 01 MY HAPLESS DOGS, WHILE THE OTHER HAD

-l IZEI i I Id; BRI I E BY '! UK HIND II '

OUR MYSTERIOUS PANTHER.

191

fear and agony, mingled with growls and the
same horrible snarling. I leapt from bed, and
seizing my gun, which I had loaded with two
No. 8 cartridges (the only ones I possessed),
I rushed out. My heart seemed to stand still at
the appalling sight before me. Near the back of
the centre room, which, open at both ends, ran
right through my house, half in shadow and
half revealed in the bright moonlight, was
an immense panther. In his mouth struggled
one of my hapless dogs, while the other, with
the almost incredible pluck of his breed, had
seized the furious brute by the hind leg, and was
growling as fiercely over it as if fighting for a
bone. The panther did not want to drop his
prey, and made frantic efforts to turn round and
seize his brave little foe ; but the terrier was too
quick for him. I was only a few feet away
when I fired. With a roar of baffled fury and
fright the panther dropped his prey, shook off

dozen Sikh Sepoys, armed with Snider rifles, sat
under my veranda behind a hurdle, whilst I
kept watch from the window above, intending
to come down and join them later, when I had
finished my pipe and an engrossing book.
There was a bright light burning in my room,,
and it was pitch dark outside, the moon not yet
having risen. My friend the panther, however,,
upset my calculations by making a sudden and
silent onslaught on the goat before I had had
time to go down and take up my position with
the men. The cry of the stricken animal was
drowned in the roar of a volley, but, when we
rushed out, we found the goat torn by the
panther and riddled with bullets, but nothing
more.

I left the carcass lying there, and took up a
position with the men. Within a quarter of
an hour the beast returned and dragged the
body of the goat to the end of the rope. It
was very dark, but I could
lave sworn my gun was aimed
dead on the brute when, at
my word, another volley was
poured forth. But, again,
nothing resulted, not even a
trace of blood.

For the next two weeks
hardly a night passed but

I COULD HAVE SWORN' MY GUN

the little terrier, leapt
from the veranda,
and was gone, his
plucky antagonist
pursuing him to the
very edge of the
jungle. My other
poor dog lay moan-
ing in a pool of
blood, but, thanks
to the care of the

native hospital assistant, he eventually recovered,
though his head and neck swelled to twice their
normal size, poisoned by the fangs and claws of
the fierce brute.

I need hardly add that I had missed, or at
most barely touched the panther, although I
was so close to him when I fired.

Next day I procured a goat and tied it up at
dusk a few feet in front of my house. Half-a-

WAS AIMED DEAD ON THE TRUTH WHEN, AT MV WORD, ANOTHER
VOLLEY WAS LOURED FORTH."

this uncanny beast levied toll on us. Once it
sprang into a Burman's house at night ; and,
while he and his family lay quaking with fear,
slew and greedily lapped the blood of one of
his goats. My orderly tumbled into my room
to wake me, but I was again too late to catch
even a glimpse of the mysterious animal.
Another time, while I was sitting at dinner, it
leapt on to my veranda, and snatched away a

rill. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

h I hail tied there, prepara-
bait thr same night.
bed impartially the
.1 the villagers of their
. who were all Sikhs, declared
ame to me one day,
last exploit, when
'. which was to them, as
animal. They brought with
S ians, who asked my leave to tr)
This i sted of shutting up
.1 k of stout logs, placed

of my palisade, through which the
■ had now broken a regular thoroughfare.
lire converged on the
ge, wei supported on props ;
and string of which passed behind

the k'hile the bow itself was stretched just

re the by a thread secured about

in front of the muzzle, was placed on each
rifle. It looked as if nothing could escape it.
I sat in my veranda, one after the other
the three rifles
ploded. and I rushed
out to find the rifles
and the kid
I verily believe
the panther had fired
them by touching the
threads with his paw.
Think of the cool
pluck of an animal
•which could walk un-
dismayed through
i a deadly fusil-
lade, relentless of his
cruel purpose ! And
he died at last. A
days later the
i officer. .Mr. Stir-
I
real name —
1 known in the
i States— as he
•would not, I feel sun;,
ioath to i orrobo-
ry word of my
ordinary tale. We
sitting at dinner in his house, when
suddenly a frantic noise arose, and, as wi-
ng from our seats, his Burmese servant
ushed into the room and made straight for
3 rifle. No need to ask what
matter. Stirling seized the rifle and I a
ife, and we dashed out to find our enemy
i in a stable, having killed a foal

which, with its mother, occupied it. The stable
was closed by a brushwood palisade, through the
cornci- of which the panther had forced its way.
Vainly we peered through the brushwood; we
could see nothing in the thick darkness.

.Meanwhile a ring of servants with flaming
in kept the tierce beast in, while my dogs
barked with hysterical fury at the narrow open-
ing. At last, mad with rage and fright, the
panther rushed half out, but stopped, appalled
at the circle of flame before him. A hush fell,
the men ceased their wild cries, and nothing
was heard but the crackling of the torches and
the terrified whimpering of the dogs, while clear
in the torch-light, thrown back on his belly
as if to spring, his ears laid back and teeth
glistening as he snarled, the fierce animal met
his doom, game and savage to the last.
Stirling walked steadily up to within about
3ft. of the panther and, after a tense pause
which seemed to last for ages, shot him
through the heart. He fell without a groan,

CLEAR IN HIE TORCH-LIGHT, HIS EAKS HACK AND TEETH GLISTENING, THE FIEKCE

ANIMAL MET His DOOM."

and the joyous crowd pressed round us
scoffing at the dead body of their dreaded
enemy. His measurements were on the largest
scale - 7ft. ?.'m. in length and 2ft. 2in. high at
the shoulder.

Thus, after many days, was I deprived of the
honour of killing the brute that had given me
so much trouble.

What the Sealers Endured on the Ice.

By Arthur P. Silver, of Halifax, N.S.

A vivid glimpse of an interesting industry, completely illustrated with snap-shots, taken under
circumstances of great discomfort by Officer J. A. Farquhar, of the sealer "Newfoundland."
Narrative and photos, taken together convey a remarkable idea of the perils encountered by the

seal-hunters of Newfoundland.

of vessels which had struck the herd
at different points. It is estimated
that in this herd there must have
been over two milium seals — a mass of
mammalian life analogous to the old-
time buffalo herds of the rolling prairie.

There are three such wonderful
herds known by hunters to form
each winter on the ice of the Straits
of Belleisle, and also three other
great herds off the east coast of New-
foundland.

The " harps," so called from their
markings, which bear a resemblance
to an ancient Welsh harp, school by
themselves. The " hoods " are a
larger variety, so called from their
being furnished with a bladder-
shaped bag which they can inflate
at pleasure for the protection of
their skulls ; and the hoods also
keep in separate communities. It
is the instinct of breeding which
draws together these vast hosts of
si als from many a remote inlet and

THIS IS A TYPICAL NEWFOUNDLAND SEALER. J

Front a Photo, by J. A. Farquhar.

T is difficult to conceive a

human occupation more deeply

steeped in excitement and peril

than hunting the Greenland

seal on the vast ice-fields off the
coasts of Newfoundland and at the mouth
of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

By midwinter the vast white field of
glistening ice has generally extended its
borders to a distance of at least 150 miles
off the shores.

Hither arrive towards spring marvellous
herds of mammalian life in the shape of
immense " schools " of seal, the " harp " and
" hood " varieties predominating.

These schools of seal are sometimes-
sighted extended in a straggling line along
the surface of the field ice for a distance of
upwards of thirty miles, running in a general
direction from north to south. Their mass
has a width varying from a quarter to one-
half of a mile. One school is known to
have reached for a length of sixty miles.
Its extent was ascertained by the reports

Vol.

-25

THESE ARE THE OFFICERS OF THE U'.i'VK SEALER. THEY ARE
PROBABLY THE HARDIEST FELLOWS ALIVE.

From a Photo, by J . A. Farquhar.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

VLING. THESE YOl NGSTERS STOWED
, A M-.Al.l i ii TAKEN.

From a Photo, by J. A. Farquhar.

>rd of the Arctic Zone. From their
collected multitude a roar goes forth that rends
the air for many miles, and may be compared,
when heard at a distance, to the hum of a vast
metropi

Towards the end of February the whelps are
born, and these mingle their plaintive, baby-like
winnings with the hoarse roar of the adults.
Most welcome are these distant murmurs to
the ears of the hardy adventurers who fight their
perilous way among the besetting icebergs of
these Northern seas ; for it means for them

and the
favours of for-
tune, wrung from
a stem and i
lentless environ-
ment.

Although the
hunting of the
enland seal
is inseparable
from almost in-
dible hard-
ships, and beset
with danger to
human life in
most appalling
forms, it never-
theless attra*
large numbers of
men from the

■ w-
idland.

And yet not a
season passes

ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR SEALS.

From a Photo, by J. A. Farquhar.

without claiming its victims : sometimes,
indeed, the stern Northern seas demand
a veritable hecatomb, as in the terrible case
of the sealer Greenland. Treacherous ice-
floes part in some sudden storm, or yawning
chasms open and close mysteriously, with-
out warning, separating the adventurous
toilers of the sea from safety, and con-
demning them to a frightful and lingering
death from starvation and exposure. Yet
the excitements of a successful hunt are so
fascinating, and its rewards so considerable,
that for a Newfoundland fisherman to be
rejected by the "skipper" of a sealer is
regarded by the men as the extremity of
misfortune.

Briefly, "sealing," or "going on the ice,"
is the great annual event in the Colony
of Newfoundland, overshadowing every
other local interest. Whole fortunes are
sometimes made in a brief voyage of six
weeks ; while frequently the seals are
missed by the vessels becoming imprisoned in
the ice, or crushed and made to founder by
the "packing" of ice sheets piling up in drifts
from the effect of violent storms. Hence an
inevitable element of gambling enters into the
pursuit, and it is therefore not surprising that in
every office, in every " saloon " or public bar,
in every inn, almost in every dwelling house,
pools are made up and enormous bets
occasionally made on the first steamer home
with a load ; the biggest take ; the first
vessel to sight the schools ; and so on.

There is estab-
lished for a dis-
tance of four
hundred miles
northward of the
port of St. John's
a s y s t e m o f
signal stations
and "weather
bureaus," which
report violent
storms, the
strength or
velocity of cur-
rents, and the
direction of the
prevailing winds
— all of which
have to be taken
into considera-
tion by the seal-
ing skippers in
guessing the
whereabouts of
the herds. For

WHAT THE SEALERS ENDURED ON THE ICE.

the icefloes are like floating islands, and are
scattered by storms and tides in most unlooked-
for directions.

However, it is not the purpose of this paper
fully to describe the extremely interesting annual
seal hunt, chiefly undertaken by a fleet of some
twenty steamers from Newfoundland, but rather
to relate the thrilling story of a Newfoundlander
as communicated by him to the author. This
particular seal-hunter assuredly came through
an experience under which the majority of
civilized men would certainly have succumbed.
But Newfoundland's hardy race of men are
accustomed to " near things."

I was one of a crew of two hundred — this
sealer told the present writer — shipped in
Harbour Grace for
a voyage in the
sealer Greenland.
Our vessel was un-
fortunate from the
very start, for in
blasting our way
out of port among
ice of extraordi-
nary thickness, a
dynamite cartridge
exploded prema-
turely, killing two
of our number and
inflicting consider-
able injury on the
bows of our ship
— the ill-fated
Greenland.

However, we

got

well out of
port in the middle
of a perfect winter
night. The whole
village population
turned out with
torches and
cheered us as we
steamed out into clear water,
northern constellations blazed
winter sky, while the fitful

A NEWFOUNDLAND SEALER IN THE ICE.

From a Photo, by J. A. Farquhar.

The bright

in the dark

glare of the

'Aurora," or Northern Lights (sometimes called

by us " the dance of spirits," or " the dance of

the dead "), illumined the northern sky.

Yet we knew that the unusual splendour of
these lights presaged a violent storm — which,
sure enough, burst suddenly upon us the very
next day. Never before did I experience such
a stinging from the hail and sleet, driven, as they
were, by a gale which howled frightfully through
our rigging, like the raging of a troop of lost
spirits. The thermometer showed twelve
degrees below zero, and our decks became iced

up so that it was dangerous to release one's
grasp of the life-lines. Through intervals of
lull in the terrific storm we saw huge icebergs
and "growlers" (smaller bergs) lifting their
cold, jagged summits to the skies ; and we
inwardly prayed that none might strike our good
ship, for if this happened it meant an infallible
descent to the bottom of the sea.

Terrible storms came on successively, with
slight intermission. At last we got embedded
in a vast field of ice, at first easily piercing
it, but soon finding it of such formidable
thickness as almost to prevent progress
altogether. Occasionally we came upon great
lanes of clear water, and sometimes open
spaces exactly like vast inland lakes.

One night we
were all delighted
at the well-known
roar of the distant
seals, which
sounded like the
subdued noise of
some f a r - a w a y
cataract. We could
tell that this pro-
ceeded from a vast
herd, and our
spirits immediately
rose in anticipa-
tion of a successful
voyage. Vet we
knew that seals
always choose the
ice where the
thickness is only
moderate — about
I2in. or there-
abouts — so that
they may be able
to perforate it with
their heads and
flippers, each
animal having its
own hole for ingress and egress, which it
infallibly returns to among thousands exactly
like it. Therefore the seals select the outer
edge of the ice-fields, from which we were just
then a long way distant. Here, then, were
we, imprisoned and chafing with impatience
for the fun to begin, separated from our
valuable quarry by some score of miles.

" Full steam ahead " ordered our skipper,
and we crashed through the formidable ice till
every timber in the ship trembled and her
whole hull was convulsed. Only her excep-
tional strength of construction preserved her
iron frame from splitting as she drove against
the ice.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

ushed towards our find, tearing

with the iron ploughshare o( our prow.

g gained only a few miles we were at

to a standstill against perfectly

I an ominous haze in the

h we knew portended a snow-storm.

2 was the excitement and

rhich that distant roar oi the herd

scinating spell upon our spirits

ling all danger, we leaped out upon

THE ICE INTENDING TO SPREAD DESTRU

Front a Photo, by J. A. Farguhar.

irmed with guns and clubs, and intend-
•rthwith to spread destruction among our
quarry.

gave heed to the portentous sky

vhen we reached the herd and the killing com-

;nced. It is not a nice business. Huge

s of " pelts " were soon surmounted with our

protecting flag, and still we proceeded in our

vork of slaughter down the ranks of the great

army of seals.

Thirty of us were at the extreme end of the

chool, all working away at our mission of

ruction, and far too absorbed to notice that

awning fissure had glided silently open

.tween us and our companions. We were

• on a floating island of ice perhaps two

miles in circumference— and around us was the

dark Arctic sea flecked with innumerable masses

n at length the alarm was given by one
■ number, a gap of no less than twenty-
intervened between us and the main floe,
thout hesitation five of our number at once
into the icy water, and of these two
the opposite edge of the ice-field, and
' -- 1 into safety by their comrade.
The other three, however, sank like lead, being

perhaps poor swimmers, or else they were over-
powered by the cold.

Then the horror of our situation dawned
upon us. To all appearance we were a handful
of doomed men helplessly adrift on an ice-floe
in that terrible Arctic sea. We laid aside our
weapons, and looked up into the wintry sky
with a dazed, despairing gaze which betrayed
the hopelessness of our condition.

To add to the terror of our position there
suddenly appeared two
huge Polar bears, who
had doubtless been
attracted by the scent of
blood, and were now fast
approaching us. It was
astonishing indeed to see
their utter fearlessness of
man. Without molesting
us, however, they turned
to the red carcasses of the
seals from which we had
stripped the pelt ; and
having gorged themselves
to their hearts' content,
the big, ungainly beasts
shambled slowly away
and took to the water
once more.

Along the edge of the
ice we also saw the
dreadful forms of huge
sharks, which in some instances almost leaped
up on the ice in their frantic efforts to get at
the raw seal meat, which they had evidently
scented from afar.

Still further to crown the awful misery of our
position, making it truly appalling, and cutting
us off effectually from all hope of rescue, there

CTION AMOXG OUR QUARRY.

THE FLAG MARKS ONE MAN'S OWN ['ARTICULAR PILE OF " I :
From a Photo, by. J. A . Farguhar.

WHAT THE SEALERS ENDURED ON THE ICE.

197

His SHOWS HOW THE SEALERS TOW T
From a Photo.

covering

suddenly burst over us a cruel, blinding snow-
storm, darkening the air and seeming to bring
on us in a moment the terrifying gloom of night.
And suddenly, with incredible rapidity, dark
masses of clouds piled themselves in the eastern
sky, and out from their ranks there burst a
tempest of awful
fury. The sea
now became
churned into an
angry, seething
maelstrom,
which caused
our floating
island of ice to
heave up and
down in a sick-
ening manner.
The temperature
fell lower and
lower, until the
savage cold went
through and
through our seal-
skin clothing,

cutting like a knife. The salt spray, freezing
as it fell far from the edge of the ice-field,
encased all whom it reached with a
of ice like a coat of glistening armour.

Soon we could scarcely see each other, and
so suddenly had our fate overtaken us that we
positively could not realize tha*. we were
the same beings who, barely an hour
before, had walked the decks of our
cozy ship, singing snatches of sailors'
songs and whistling merry tunes in
anticipation of a large and speedy haul.

What was to be done? Absolutely
nothing, apparently, save to face our
hopeless misery and die, perhaps even
inch by inch, as became brave men,
without a murmur of complaint, sharing
the fate which at various times had
befallen so many of our countrymen
before us.

Same of our poor fellows had, by
this time, stretched themselves at full
length on the ice, beaten upon by the
pitiless sleet ; and soon we knew by
the rigid stiffness of many familiar
forms that the cold and exposure had
completed their deadly work.

After making this horrible discovery
a group of some eight or nine of us
made for the only shelter which was
in evidence — a few thick "pans," or
cakes of ice, which had " rafted "
together and formed a heap. This
made a kind of rude buttress against

the storm. Here, then, we gathered — a truly
forlorn group of survivors. Near to us, when our
work had so suddenly become interrupted, was a
group of still living seals, mortally wounded, but
yet retaining some of the warmth of life.

I was the first man to hit upon a somewhat

gruesome, but
vitally neces-
sary, expedient,
which, fortu-
nately, was the
means of saving
the lives of some
of us ; while the
rest of the band
of hunters died
a slow, cruel
death from frost-
bite and the
deadly, incon-
ceivable cold.

Taking my
sharp knife, I
ripped open
the body of a
large " hood " seal, and, placing hands and
feet alternately in the warm carcass, kept
off the deadly advances of numbness. The
others followed my example. I also managed,
by the aid of some shreds of linen from our
under-garments and strips of " blubber," or cleai

HE PELTS, OR SKINS, BACK TO THEIR SHU'.

by J. A. Farquhar.

BRINGING IN THE STRIPPED SEALS FOR FOOD.
From a Photo, by- J. A. Farquhar.

rill. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

lamp, which prod;
ne. 1 lowever, the b
tinguished it. until at
xhausted.
or yi >urself.
themselves wearily out
:s : while
abin,
and bairns around the hearth,
my longing view. And various
my past life went by like
dd, familiar drama. One
lly kept recurrin in and

curio.. stency. It was the

;ir boats were over
i terrific storm far from land.

med on our boat that there

her beim jed down by inches

- i we were compelled to throw

dead body of my own brother,

• had dropped from cold and exhaustion, in

ler to lighten the craft lest all should be

:. The splash of the body kept con-

tly haunting my ears. ( her and over again

v the white, sightless eyes of the dead, and

I, mute faces of our crew, rowing hard

their lives

-: the tide.

fearful

. it that ensued

I would gladly

from my

mem <»ry if I

u 1 d . How

•med !

nturies ap-

red to have

over my

head before

morning

broke.

cold and steely grey. I had suffered tortures

during those hours which made me regret that

life still remained to me — made me regret that I

were not as impervious to cold as the rigid,

ncased forms that lay stretched about me.

However, morning broke on a clear day.

storm had passed, and Nature seemed to

smile amends. The captain of a sealer never

abandons a lost man while the ghost of a chance

remains of saving him. This is the rule of the

sealing fleet, and is as immutable as the laws of

the Medes and Persians.

Looking around I saw that the only survivors
of that terrible night were myself and the six
comrades near me. The others were stark and
stiff in death. Nor had we survivors escaped
scatheless : we bore marks that would last us to
the grave.

With scarce animation enough left to rejoice
thereat we descried the white boats being
dragged by our crew along the ice to our rescue.
At length stalwart but tender arms lifted us
from our deadly couch, and, more or less dread-
fully frost-bitten, one by one we were rescued
from the very jaws of death and taken into
warmth and shelter. Had the storm continued a

few hours longer
not one single
soul could by any
possibility have
remained alive.
In the case of
three of the sur-
vivors amputa-
tion was neces-
sary of fingers
and toes, and
in two instances
the right arm had
to be sacrificed.

PREPARING TO TAKE SKINS ON BOARD THE SEALER.

From a Photo, by J. A. Farquhar.

The Lovers of Susee, the Ute.

By P. V. Mighels.

Susee, the Indian belle, smiled on two lovers. One of these killed the other and became an
outlaw. How he was tracked. How he treated his pursuers, and what was his ultimate fate.

With a complete set of photographs.

OR love of a woman — and such a
woman ! Murder, feud, and the
blood of four mighty braves is the
tale of a modest, industrious matron
who now weaves her baskets and
waxes fat in far-away Carson City, the capital
of the State of Nevada.

She and her lovers were North American
Indians — fierce Pah Utes, of a tribe quelled to-
day and living on
reservations in
Nevada. Mrs.
Squaw now excites
no turmoil of
love, and her hot-
blooded Romeos
follow the trail in
the land of Happy
Hunting. Had
they foreseen the
alterations which
were scheduled
to occur in the
maiden's appear-
ance, would they
still have waged
their war? The
question is
"open '' ; it is also
quite beside t he-
story.

Something more
than eleven years
ago Susee, the Pah
Ute maiden, was
a plump, copper-
hued, bright-eyed
creature, beautiful
in the way of In-
dian belles. She
was the centre of
a whole system of attraction among the smart
young bucks of the nation. She resided in a
"wikiup" planted in the sage-brush, outside the
corporate limits of Carson City. The patriar-
chess of the tribe has been through all the
stages of amazingly attractive babyhood, plump
young-womanhood, fat complacency, and final
shrinkage, which seem to furnish the personal
biography of nearly all these hard-labouring
females. The home is a typical " castle " of
this degenerate but picturesque people.

NOWADAYS SUSEE, THE PAH UTE BELLE, WEAVES HER BASKETS AND tt'A!

FAT IN CARSON CITY."

From a Photo, by Dunham &» Cartland. Copyrighted by H. Cohn,
Carsoti City, Nevada.

Susee, photographed recently with the baskets
of her craft, committed the indiscretion of
smiling on two of the braves at once. But
she was then in the heyday of her buxom
charms. The trouble began immediately after
one of the yearly " fandangoes." This dance
is the relic of a ceremony in preparation for
war. It is practised to-day as a sort of religious
function, more than as an excitement prepara-
tory to taking to the
war-path. Never-
theless, in partici-
pating in it the
braves still adorn
themselves with
red and white
paints, doffingtheir
civilized clothing
and donning the
habiliments of the
battle.

Perhaps because
the dance serves to
reveal the other-
wise concealed
magnificence of
the young chiefs
its period has be-
come a time of
wooing in the land
of brush. How-
beit, hot love and
savage jealousies
spring rife at the
function. Now,
Susee's admirers
were Mudge and
Jonny Shay, by
name. The attrac-
tiveness of each
must plead its own
cause, through the means afforded by a white
man's camera, portraits of both bucks being
here reproduced.

For reasons best known to herself, Susee
manifested a slight preference for Jonny Shay
" after the ball was over." Developments
might have taken any form at this critical
juncture had not Fate intervened. One of
Mudge's ponies went astray, and Mudge went
forth to hunt it up. Jonny Shay improved his
opportunities with a result entirely satisfactory

THE WIDE WORLD MAC. A/INK.

to himself— and to Susee. Ordinarily Indian
a particularly virulent descrjp-
M . Ig . however, was a passionate b
grieved at being thus I
absence.

after these incidents,

, was making a bronze statue of him-

ttire, in front of a shop in the

: Carson. Mudge entered the

:i a wiry broncho : across his

lent d a Winchester rifle. The citizens

• no herd to either Indian, for

they wei >med to such sights. Riding

surely d iwn the stn
Mile. I keenly

about at the usual haunts
of his kind. By way of
vari Shay presently

the walk
into the street when
Mudge was near at hand.
Without a moment's
warning, and halting his
horse when fifty yards
away. Mudge abruptly
raised his rifle and shot
his rival in the back.

The bullet went clean
through Shay's heart —
the man fell forward
id. Men came run-
ning from a score of
buildings, alarmed by
the startling report of the
rifle. They beheld the
Pah Ute, Mudge, gallop-
ing wildly away, his rifle
held high in defiance,
his face fierce to see. A
thin stream of blood
crawled in the sand near
the prostrate man, and
glistened in the sun.

Other Indians and several whites had actually
seen the murder committed. Excitement ran
high, but in the natural confusion not a man
was mounted before an hour to ride in pursuit
of the revengeful savage.

When at length the sheriff, with his posse
and set of Indian trailers, got out on the track
Mudge, they were led to the hills, where the
assassin had the advantage. They were soon
baffled, the crafty Indian having employed all
the arts of his cunning kind to throw them off
the scent. His knowledge of trailing made this
mparatively easy.

friends and relations of the dead Shay buried
the body. They also held a council of
vengeance, and declared a vendetta. In a few

days the search developed the fact that the
whites, in the lead of the sheriff, were likely to
be long at the task of flushing their man.
Although they scoured the country thoroughly,
not a sign did anyone get of Mudge. After a
week of vain searching the sheriff grew weary
of the game. He gave the task over to the
outraged Pah Ute relations of the victim.
Susee, in the meantime, did nothing. Natur-
ally, she felt flattered. Also there were still
many young braves, and Mudge might yet
accomplish wonders.
With

unrelenting

THIS IS MUDGE, THE SUITOR WHO WAS NOT FAVOURED — BUT

HE SHOT HIS RIVAL DEAD, AND TWO OTHERS BESIDES.

From a Photo.

persistency the Indian
trailers remained in the
mountains.

About ten days after
the deed of blood had
been committed, a young
white man was out in the
brush, hunting rabbits.
He had climbed a hill-
side and was approach-
ing a clump of granite
boulders, when suddenly,
on rounding a great rock,
he found himself face to
face with the mysterious
Mudge, and looking
down the muzzle of the
outlaw's deadly rifle.

" Put down your gun,"
said Mudge. " I wants
talk with you."

The young man put
down his shot-gun with
alacrity, and told the
Indian all he knew about
the search of the sheriff
and the other Pah Utes
— relatives of Susee's
dead lover. Mudge
asked a number of ques-
tions, watching his visitor
At length he said : —
" Oh, I been watch that sheriffs nearly every
day. He's can't find nobody. Him heap fool.
Somes time Fse got my gun " (pointing) " rights
at him. If he's comes too close where I'ms
hiding, he's never gits away. Two, three times
I'ms pretty near kills him. He's better let
Injun alone. I's don't wants kills him, but he's
better look out."

The rabbit-hunter gave Mudge a piece of
tobacco and left him in the rocks.

A few days after this event three Pah Utes
were trailing the fugitive up a canon. They
were relations of Shay, bent on revenge. The
gorge was narrow, filled with rock and some-
what grown up to manzanita. Mudge was in

narrowly all the while.

THE LOVERS OF SUSEE, THE UTE.

20T

the brush. Without the slight-
est warning his rifle cracked,
and a man reeled headlong,
shot through the head. Realiz-
ing that they had been am-
bushed, the remaining two
turned about and ran for their
lives. Again the repeater made
the echoes rattle in the canon,
and again an arm thrown
quickly up preceded the fall of
a human being. This second
man was shot through the
body; he writhed for a
moment only on the earth.
The third Indian reached the
protection of a boulder, then
ran swiftly around a bend,
and so escaped the dread
Pah Ute lover.

Down from the mountains
ran the one safe Indian, never
pausing till he reached ( 'arson.
The sheriff and force, who
came at length upon the scene
of action, found the two
bodies lying in the hot sun-
light, one with his fist gripped
full of gravel, the other in a
pose of utter limpness. The Indian who had
been with the two now discovered the bush
behind which Mudge had knelt. The empty
cartridge shells were lying in the sand.

On the, fresh trail several Indians started
without delay. The sheriff recommenced his
efforts to rout out the implacable Mudge, now
become a serious menace to public peace.
As hefore, however, the wily savage eluded
all. But an old man, a warrior of times past,
aroused himself. He was the father of one of
the last victims. He departed from his wikiup,
alone, and at night, armed only with a long,
keen knife. He had wearied of justice which
sacrificed innocent men for no result ; he would
wait no longer, he said, for the white man's law.

Necessity finally drove the murderer down to
the valley. He availed himself of temporary
refuge in the deserted camp of a friend, while
the Indian hounds searched in the mountains.

But the old warrior haunted the dim, un-
certain trail day and night. If he slept at- all, it
was in his enemy's tracks. He ate nothing ;
he saw no one; he simply dogged the doomed
Indian's footsteps. A snake could have been
no more silent or subtle than he, when at last
he had run his prey to cover.

It was still early night when he came upon

JONNY SHAY, THE FAVOURED SUITOR 01
l-'rom a] HE WAS KILLED BY MUDGE. {Photo.

the wigwam where the unsus-
pecting Mudge lay in the
brush. The avenger then
stretched himself full length
on the ground for hours.
He heard the rustle of a
breeze in the b r u s h , a n d
shook his head ; he heard the
stirring of a prowling creature,
and knew it was not his man.
Vet when the murderer finally
slept, the old man raised him-
self alertly, nodded recognition
of a sound, and began to creep
and creep, his knife now held
between his strong -teeth.

The wretched campoodie or
wigwam loomed like a pyramid
before him, its entrance darker
than the darkness of the brush.
Mudge stirred within ; the
avenger halted. Again the
breathing steadied. Stealthily,
and silently as a shadow, the
old Nemesis crawled forward
on his stomach, snake -like.
He was well inside the camp.
By the very warmth of the
doomed man's body he deter-
mined where feet, legs, and trunk were disposed,
and so avoided the extremities and brought
himself near the tired body. Then he sat
up, as still and as noiseless as death, and
twined his bony talons about the handle of
his knife. The striking hand was raised
deliberately, and down shot the cold, sharp
steel into its hot sheath of flesh and blood.
The old man grunted when the hilt met its
barrier of ribs and skin. A gurgle escaped
from Mudge's lips. He could make no cry.
He moved only in sudden muscular contractions,
like a mortally-wounded serpent.

Leaving the steel embedded, the avenged
father glided out into the untainted air. Then
he walked away in the sage-brush.

When the information came that Mudge was
no more the white man's justice nodded
approval. And Susee married another eligible
brave of the tribe. She now weaves her baskets
and remains complacent. And that she has
waxed fat you can see for yourself. The notion
of men fighting and killing one another for her
"smile" appears too absurd to us. But the
whole narrative is an interesting glimpse of a
picturesque phase of native life, and shows that
love is a great power in every land and among
every race and class.

Vol. iv. — 26.

\ Missionary on the Upper Congo.

1>, , 3 John Dodds, of the Baptist Missionary Society.

I of photographs eloquent of the noble and unselfish life led by missionaries who
: th-ir lives among the cannibals of the Upper Congo. Duties and pleasures, sports and customs
trials and sorrows all are depicted and described by a sympathetic pen.

lat( ■ attention has

ally directed towards the

itral Africa. It is

■ r of a century since

Mr. H. M. Stanley made his first

own the Congo River in a

is handful of Zanzibari servants.

2 on that opening-up of the country to

ii) . gi nts of trade have proceeded

thither, and during recent years have stationed

the! at various places o\ advantage on

hanks of the Haut Congo. There they

snd in large quantities ivory and rubber

and palm-oil, besides fertile soil suitable for the

cultivation of coffee, tobacco, rice, and other

valu ps.

Twenty \ _o there was not a single

aer on the 1,000 miles of navigable water-
between Stanley Falls and Stanley Pool,
there are over fifty steamers carrying
lies up stream and returning laden with
native products for the European markets.

But Christians were not behind the traders
g : they were, if not quite first, at least
contemporary in their design to enter the newly-
door into the very heart of the Dark
tinent. The English and American Baptists
have now several stations on both the Lower
1 _ region and the Upper River districts.
They have found there a great mass of human
beings — human in spite of many inhuman cus-
toms— who need not only that traders should
rid take from them the rich products of the
country, but also that missionaries should go
and give them the higher and imperishable
riches of education ; id Christianity, which
alone are able to civilize and elevate the teem-
_
ristian missionaries have been on the
now more than twenty years on the
don, and about twelve years on
the Upper River. The accompanying photo-
i on thi ingo by one of the

:>tist missionaries may help to give
of Tin; Wide World Magazine some
idea of th ery and the class of peo

among whom these devoted men are working.

These views were taken at Upoto and Mon-
s.inbe, towns in the wild and remote district
of Bangala, on the Upper Congo. These photo-
graphs will doubtless also afford our readers an
interesting glimpse of the people among whom
some of our missionaries work, where, it need
hardly be said, the camera is a vara avis
indeed.

The first photograph represents the mis-
sionaries sitting at " palaver judging." The
scene is on the mission station at Upoto.
Thither, about noon, the chiefs of the surround-
ing towns or villages have come in a body, that
they may pour their grievances into the ears
of the sympathetic missionaries. The Congo
native prefers to go with his troubles to the
missionary rather than to the State officials at
the various courts on the river banks. They do
so for reasons of economy of time and money.
Of time, because the distance is often several
hours' journey ; and of money — because in cer-
tain parts of the Congo a fee is demanded before
the officials will even give audience to their case.
Consequently they make a practice of bringing
their minor troubles to the missionary for advice.
He, of course recognising the lawful rights of
the State, does not attempt to abrogate their
place. The missionaries only advise, they do
not authorize.

Palaver hearing takes up much of the time of
the missionary. Day after day the natives go to
him seeking his advice and help in whatever
disputes they may have on hand. They are not
compelled to abide by the advice given ; still,
they do not often despise or ignore it. We find
that in almost every case "the ancient troubler,
woman," is at the bottom of the mischief. It
may be the trouble is that someone has stolen
a wife or a slave from a man on account of a
standing debt, or that a woman has volun-
tarily run away from her husband to some other
man. Listening to these disputes is very weary-
ing, for the Congo man — a born litigant — will
never come to the point at issue when giving
his defence or version of the case. He prefers
to go back to the origin of things and to recount
for you the " how and the why " of the whole

A MISSIONARY ON THE UPPER CONGO.

20'

THE CHIEI'

From a\

i \ 1 1.1 fE COME TO ' HKIK

THE SYMPATHETIC MISSIONAR1]

RS OF

[Photo.

affair. You listen as patiently as you can while
he tells you how his great-grandfather and the
great-grandfather of his accuser had made some
agreement or other. You begin to smile with
the hope that you will soon be nearingthe point
of the controversy — when, lo ! there comes a
junction, and the defendant goes off the line
and you are left in a maze denser than before.
A curious case came before my own personal
observation a short time ago. Two men
desiring to purchase a freeborn woman between
them, each gave one woman slave as price for
her. The woman gave satisfaction to her new
owners for some time, but in the course of a
few months they wanted to part with their
bargain. The woman was re-sold and two other
women slaves were obtained in exchange.

The difficulty now was how they should
divide the returns, as one of the two men was
greedy. He wanted as his share not only one
slave, but also that a share of the other woman
should come to him. He could not have the
other woman in his town, so he arranged that
his relatives who lived in the town of his partner
should be recipients of part of the earnings of
the second slave. Against this the other man
protested. He said that as he had given one
woman originally, he was clearly entitled to a
woman in return. The matter was therefore
referred to the chiefs of the district, who for

several days discussed the problem. Their
decision was not agreeable to the greedy
man, hence they took the matter to the
missionaries. They, after securing a promise
from the natives to submit to their decision,
consented to judge the case. After much
patient hearing of ancient history and repeated
questions, the truth was at last unravelled from
its tangled mesh, and the verdict given definitely
against the greedy one. Thus missionaries need
even the wisdom and insight of a Solomon in
their work, which is often interesting, romantic
(in the popular sense of the term), and occa-
sionally thrilling, even in these prosaic days.

Our next photo, shows one of the cruel
customs of the Congo people. It is a woman
cutting the tribal marks of the natives of Upoto.
Each tribe on the Congo has its own peculiar
design of tribal-marking. The Bangala has
his Likwala (comb of cock), which, pro-
truding from his forehead, gives him his
fierce and cruel expression. The Bapoto
disfigure their faces even more than others. The
horrible custom is begun when the infant is but
a few days old. The mother first takes a sharp
instrument of iron (as may be seen in the
picture), and makes several preliminary incisions
on the face and forehead of her child. These
snicks are repeated year by year, the number
and depth of the cuts being increased at each

THK WIDE WOK 1. 1) MAGAZINE.

■

I ARKS OK THE NATIVFS OF I'PllTO.

[Photo.

operation. In the photograph you see a young
man seated and submitting to the operation by
his wife. His face is in reality covered with
blood, yet were you to ask him if there was
much pain, he would most probably tell you
no, on just the same principle, I suppose,
as the dandy who will not admit that his shoe
pinches or that his collar is too high and stiff,
for the natives of the Congo endure this ordeal
_*ly in order that they may win the admiration
of the opposite - \. < )ne day some of the lads
ked why their faces were cut. They
said, "It does not disfigure us: we don't like

having it done, but unless we do we should
never get a wife."

Our third photograph represents the popular
game on the Upper Congo. It is a wrestling
match. The opponents are representative men
of different villages. Crowds of supporters
always attend to witness the event. The
wrestlers in this case are men of the Bapoto
district. They do not seize each other by the
waist as do the people nearer Stanley Falls,
but stand upright and watch their opportunity
to so seize their opponent by the arms as to
throw him down. When this feat is accom-

THS-.
From a]

MISSIONARY ENCOURAGES SPORT — HERE WE SEE A WRE!

CKIT1CAI. AUDIENCE.

tunc; match taking placf

[Photo.

A MISSIONARY ON THE UPPER CONGO.

205

lighter alongside,
incident shows how gre

a very few years, yet he is carrying a model
of the ss. Goodwill which he himself has
made out of the stem of a banana tree. The
lad had occasionally seen the steamer pass up
and down the river. In quiet hours he,
from memory, carved and constructed this
rough model of the mission boat. It will be
seen that he has also attached a canoe as

Undoubtedly this little
an interest the
natives take in mission work and its concomi-
tants. The beautiful dress he is wearing is
simply a fathom of ordinary trading cloth
wound around his person.

In the next photograph we have depicted
a group of Congo workmen enjoying their
Christinas feast. The missionary in the
picture is the Rev. W. L. Forfeitt, who
directed the men in the erecting of the
schools and houses — for a Congo missionary,
besides being called upon to act as judge,
must often be an architect also. The feast
is very primitive to us, perhaps, unappetiz-
ing ; but to the Congo native a veritable
The food, consisting of goat's
flesh, monkey, and fish, is cooked by the
men themselves in native earthenware pots
such as you see in the picture. Seasonings
such as salt, chili peppers, and palm-oil are
generously added to give piquancy. The
things like plugs of tobacco you see on the
right are the bread eaten by the Congolese.
This bread is made from the manioc root,

HE MADE THIS MODEL OK THE
MISSIONARY STEAMER OUT
NANA 1 REE.
From a Photo.

plished the referee
throws a quantity of
white earth in the
victor's face, and then
his supporters form a
procession and carry
him shoulder - high
through the village.
This famous pastime
develops the eyes and
muscles of the natives,
and is encouraged and
fostered by the mis-
sionaries.

In our next illustra-
tion we have proof of
the latent powers of
the Congolese. The
boy in the photo, has
been on the mission
station at Upoto only

THE REV.
Ft Olll a ]

FORFEITT PRESIDING OVER A CHRISTMAS DINNER
AND FISH.

OF GOATS FI.ESH, MO

IK1 V,

[Photo

1111. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

, I in w. eral days in order

Afterwards it is boiled

lip.

up in plantain leaves and

anged for a piece

t long. Sugar-cane is

nng the

the menu. I h< man

in t feathers considers

tylish person, and he
inn by putting on

me the sports. In the two
iphs \\ the natives at

Such a village is for the most part composed of
low huts made of bamboos and palm -ribs, a roof-
thatch of palm leaves, and a doorway about 2ft.
square through which the people climb when r< 1 ir
ing or seeking shelter from the rain. The houses
are usually huddled together forming three sides
of a square. On the open space in front ol
their houses the various dances and palavers are
held. On the beach, where you see the men
tugging, a market is held every day during tin
cail\ hours of the morning-. Many women
from inland villages bring there the different
products of their farms, such as plantains,
manioc bread, and also palm-oil and nuts. It

-WAR. ENTERED INTO Willi SUCH SPIRIT

From a Photo.

•I HAT SEVERAL TIMES Till- mil H <s BROKEN.

their On the occasion shown, there was

an additional inter n to the sports by the

f the workmen employed on the
Good; 'ill.

1 the tug-o'-war, entered into

-SO much so. in fact, that several

was broken, to the unbounded

onlookers who saw the con-

n und. It is so easy

to laugh at the discomfiture of others.

ph also gives a fair idea of a
native river . illage on the Congo.

is an interesting sight to watch these women
bartering firewood, bananas, and other produce
lor the fish of the riverine people. Many are
tlie noises which reach your ears, as each
endeavours to cet the better of the bargain.
Unless you knew better, you would think that
the women were very angry ami about to fight.
but, no; it is only their way of doing such
business. It would not be right if a riverine
woman were to accept the price of a bush
woman without the strongest possible verbal
protest.

A MISSIONARY ON THE UPPER CONGO.

207

In our next photograph we have a view of the
great Congo River. At this part the river is said
to be about ten miles wide. After the feast and
the tug-of-war, there was a swimming match at
the mission station I am describing. All
Congolese are expert swimmers, and as a rule
they seem fond of the water. Notwithstanding

was not accepted, however. The friends of
the injured party made extravagant demands
for compensation — two slaves and 2,000 brass
rods ; and the accused had to raise this fine
somehow or else forfeit his life.

We now descend the Congo to another station
of the mission at Monsembe, in the Bansrala

A SWIMMING MATCH IN THE CONGO— AT SICK EXCITING TIMES TUT. NATIVES FORGET THE CROCODILES.

From a Photo.

that there are numerous crocodiles in the river
at times, the villagers fearlessly enter the water
and enjoy floundering about just like small boys
in a London swimming-bath. The reason of
their fearlessness lies in their belief that no
crocodile will molest them unless it has
been instructed to do so by a person of evil
intent! The Bapoto hold that every crocodile
has an owner who is able to communicate his
mind to the reptile, no matter at what distance
they may be separated from each other. All
that the owner has to do is to go down to the
beach and whisper the name of his special
crocodile, and immediately it will appear to
receive its instructions, after which it departs to
obey them as speedily as possible. A woman
was one day washing her manioc, preparatory
to making bread, at the river-side, when sud-
denly a huge crocodile swam to her, and, seizing
her by the arms, bore her off to the river. Soon
there was a stir in her town, the husband raving
and shouting to learn whose reptile it was that
had seized his wife. The witch-doctor was in-
terrogated to find out the owner's name. He
investigated the matter, and in course of time
affected to have discovered the culprit. The
said culprit, of course, indignantly denied the
charge, saying that as he had already had two sons
killed by crocodiles, and had by way of revenge
hunted and slain six of these dreadful monsters,
surely they could not hold him guilty of har-
bouring another such creature. His defence

district. Here the land lies low. During the
past two years the country for miles around has
been flooded owing to an abnormal rise of the
river. The photo, at the top of next page, taken
from the deck of the mission ss. Goodwill, is
one of the mission-houses. There is a fine
row of red acacia trees in front of the station,
which only eight years ago were planted as
seeds— surely an instance of amazing fertility.
Now we have annually a gorgeous mass of
carmine to strike a contrast to the universal
green. Last year the river rose some 16ft., and
we were compelled to use the boat in order to
go from house to house and from house to
school. In the illustration you may see a
missionary leaving the house for the steamer.
This may be considered an interesting glimpse
of one of the difficulties under which the
missionary labours. These floods cause much
anxiety among the missionaries and natives.
Nearly all the vegetables are destroyed. To
buy food then means for the natives a journey
of at least seventy miles, and, of course,
increased prices : whilst the European has to
return to tinned vegetables — a' disagreeable
alternative — or be satisfied with bread.

These floods continue about four weeks.
When vou consider the size of the river (from
Stanley Falls to Stanley Pool, a distance of
1,000 miles in length and with an average
breadth of over seven miles), a rise of 1 6ft.
obviously means a tremendous increase in the

nil. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

iNARY IN A CONGO FLOOD

WE WERE COMPELLED TO USE THE BOAT TO

From a Photo.

lOUSE TO HOUSE.

volume of wal Happily, when the flood

subsides the ground is speedily dried again
by the exi essive heat
of the sun.

The next photo-
ih we have to con-
r is that of Ban-
women preparing
food for their
and masters.
The women having
returned from tl
work, in the fields,
where they have been
planting manioc; and
mai/ y\n to make

ly their evening
!. Manioc is their
staple food. This
they boil and then
mash in a mortar with
a p s you

the woman doing in
the middle of the
»n the right of
graph. In
iowl ti-
me spinach, which

they rub fine and boil with palm-oil and
peppers, etc. A bit of smoke-dried fish, well

U-A WOMEN PREPARING FOOD FOR THEIR LORDS AM)

From a l'hoto.

A MISSIONARY ON THE UPPER CONGO.

209

cooked, is added to the table on the floor.
The family usually squat on the ground round
the three dishes of food, from which they help
themselves with their fingers till the food is
exhausted. The photo, also gives us a good
idea of the native costume of the Bangala
women — viz., a dress made of grass. However,
the cloth of the trader is fast becoming more
common, and it is to be hoped that soon a

African lily. There is an extraordinary wealth
of these lovely flowers on the Congo. I think
this is the bloom known in England as the
Eucharis lily, or rather another species we have
on the Congo, which is perfectly white. The
flowers in the photo, are white, with a chocolate
stripe in the centre of the petal. They have a
faint, delicious scent. Oftentimes one comes
across them in the forests and marsh lands — a

AFRICAN LILIES GRDWING ON THE GRAVE OF A DEAR CHILD OF A CONGO

From <?] MISSIONARY. [Photo.

more abundant covering will be worn by the
women of the Congo.

Our knives and forks are cumbersome to them,
yet they are amused to see us taking our meals.
One day we invited a native chief to dine with
us on condition that he should use a knife and
fork like ourselves. He came, and sitting him-
self down in front of a good plate of Congo
fowls' legs and wings (Congo fowls are nothing
else) he began his task. After some hard but
vain struggling to get the flesh off the bone of
one wing with the knife and fork, we took com-
passion on him (and ourselves) and gave him
permission to use his own method. In a very
short time the whole plate was cleared, and
almost the bones as well.

Our last photograph is that of the beautiful

beautiful and inspiring contrast to their sombre
surroundings.

The Congolese cannot appreciate our love of
flowers. They take no interest in such things.
Thus, when they see us stop to admire a flower
they are struck with amazement, and doubtless
do consider us foolish. The lilies seen in the
photo, are growing on the grave of the dear
child of a missionary there — a pathetic emblem
of the pure soul taken from the midst of the
dark surroundings of life among the repulsive
cannibals of the great Congo.

Such, then, are some of the scenes on the
Upper Congo, and such are the people among
whom our missionaries are nobly endeavouring
to spread some of the Light which we in our
favoured land rejoice in, and but too often neglect.

Vol. iv.— 27.

Trapped by a Maniac.

\\\ Mrs. Emma Brewer.

Brc how she attended a curious social function at a lunatic asylum, and was

m with a dangerous patient whom she had unwittingly offended.

,i i'~ HAT ] to relate 1 appened

Mvit V m l'U' ^ear kS"U' NV'UM1 a

iTiViH lew p iet to celebrate the

g of a new wing belonging to

on r county lunatic asylums.

the invited guests, but being an

in attendant was ordered to take me

n in the new wing where the visitors

; dis-

rom

tired by the

iched the top

■ lirs.

e that the

ivas\ eryisolab

a curious sensation

n of me,

which I could not

iunt, and which I felt

a little ridiculous.

I was sorry to find on

_ the room that

had

finished tea, and w

about to go down to the

main building to join the

and patients ;

had a strange dislike

MRS. UREWER

_ left alone up
far from help if
lOuld need it.
It was at this moment
that the matron, whom I
knew quite well, can
to me, asking if I would
■ her leaving m

little behind

with her preparations

ne or two

Strang ■ idents whii

had occurred during the

ist two days, and which she would explain

later on. Of course I d her not for

one moment to think of me, as I would take

off my bonnet, get a cup of tea, and join the

t at ■ - thanked me, and pointing to

cone other person in the room said: "My

1 will look after you."

I tur the lady mentioned ; there

indeed nothing in her appearance to account

for the very uncomfortable impression she made

- e had a good figure, dark hair,

From a Photo. Irp Lock £\~ Whitfield, Regent Street

dreamy eyes with long lashes, and her dress of
black silk was well made, relieved by narrow
white lace collar and cuffs ; her age may have
i, perhaps, thirty.
She seemed to know that I was regarding her
with earnestness, and, without raising her eyes,
said, " May I offer you tea or coffee?"

To which I replied, "Tea, if you please; but
won't you sit down ? 1
don't like to see you
standing."

As she took no notice
of my suggestion and con-
tinued to stand, I did the
same ; and while drinking
my tea the silence became
so oppressive that I broke
it by saying, " The matron
said that you were a friend
of hers. I suppose you
are on a visit to her, as I
do not remember your
face."

" Yes," she replied, " I
am a governess, and am
spending my holidays
here."

"Well," I remarked,
" I do not think it is
quite the place I should
select for a holiday."

" Perhaps not," was
her answer; " but beggars
cannot be choosers."

I don't know what pos-
sessed me to go on talking
to her, but I did.

" Surely," I said, " it
must be frightfully de-
pressing to be with these
poor creatures, and watch
them hour by hour, with
no power to help them ! "
To which she answered, with a near approach
to a sneer, " I don't think the ' poor creatures '

emphasizing the words — " would thank you
for your pity ; but let me take your bonnet
and cloak — you will be glad to join the com-
pany."

So far so good ; nothing had happened as yet.
Still, as I made my way downstairs I said to
myself, " There is something very strange
about that friend of the matron's ; but surely,
had she not been reliable, I should not have

l >\ RAGl AND iELF-POSSESSION SAVED
HER FROM THE .MANIAC.

TRAPPED BY A MANIAC.

21 I

been left alone with her, and quite in her
power. Really, I don't think I can be quite
well."

I soon found myself in the well-lighted
hall, where patients and visitors were talking
or dancing with each other to the sound of
bright and good music ; so for the next hour
or two I forgot the uncomfortable feeling
which had taken possession of me while in
the new wing, and was amused for the time
at the grotesque dresses of some of the
patients, who had been allowed to make up
or suggest their own costumes for the occa-
sion. And I must say that some of them
were very ingenious.

The two or three gentlemen with whom I
had come were obliged to leave early for
the House of Commons, and I was returning
with them. We had not much time to
catch the train, especially as we had to walk
through the extensive grounds to get to the
station ; so, while the men put on their over-
coats and drank a cup of hot coffee, 1 ran
upstairs into the new wing for my bonnet
and wraps. Oddly enough, I had by this
time forgotten the strange fear which had
possessed me an hour or two before.

Seeing no one, and not knowing my
way, I called loudly for someone to help
me; this I did two or three times without
getting any answer ; but at length the
matron's friend came forward in a leisurely
manner from out of the darkness, asking
in a slow, drowsy sort of tone, " What
is it, madam?3 Can I do anything for you?"
'Yes, please; I want my bonnet and wraps,"
I replied.

She opened the door of what proved to be a
bedroom, with one small, iron-grated window,
which faced a brick wall. This room contained
a small bed, a chair, and a table, with a looking-
glass and wash-stand for one person. All this I
took in at a glance.

Having opened the door and placed the
candle on the table, my companion suddenly
whisked back, shut the door with a loud bang,
locked it, and put the key in her pocket. Then
placing her back to the door, and with her arms
crossed, she looked at me with an expression
I shall never forget— it was so fiendish. Her
eyes, no longer dreamy, were full of hate and
malignant passion. For a moment the sudden-
ness of it all quite paralyzed me.

She positively hissed out her words : " Now
pity yourself, for / am one of the poor creatures
you spoke of at tea this afternoon. Pity your-
self, I say, for you are in my power, and Pll
have no mercy on you. Not a sound can be
heard, however loudly you call."

. ES, M

l.NCER DREAMY, WERE II II <>l HATE AM)
MAL1GNAN I E'ASSION."

This speech gave me time to get my breath
and to summon my courage; for I knew
that to show a particle of fear would be dis-
astrous. I had never been a coward at any
period of my life, and was quite aware that
courage and self-possession alone could get me
out of this dangerous dilemma.

Looking at the woman, and gazing straight
into her eyes, I said, "I am sorry, indeed, that
you should be one of the patients here,
and sorry too if I hurt your feelings to-day ; but
really I have no time to explain. My husband
and two or three gentlemen are at the bottom of
the staircase waiting for me."

With an awful expression the woman intimated
that they would have to wait a long time for me.
With apparent coolness, and keeping her always
in view, I put on my clothes, and peeped in the
glass to see if I looked "all right," as the phrase
goes ; then walked over to the woman and said,
calmly, " Give me the key."

She laughed in a way that curdled one's
blood. ■ Again I demanded in a quiet, cool
manner, " Give me the key ; it is quite useless
your trying to keep me here. I am not a bit

2 i

HE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

\ ou cannot hurt me, but you
ii that's certain."
1 themselves leisurely,
wards her pocket.
nick : 1 said, " you will have the men
lent, and 1 shall not be able to
punishment."

; the key out it was rather

her arm. she flung it

with an awful imprecation. Had it

uld probably have

- HER ARM, SHE I LUNG THE KEY AT
Willi AN AWFUL IMPRECATION."

ifigured for life, but by watching her
every movement I evaded the blow, and the
fell heavily to the floor.
We both stood motionless for a moment.
Then I said. " Tick up the key." This I had
at in the calmest, most commanding
manner I could assume. She stooped with the
utmost reluctance and obeyed me. " Now," I
said, "unlock the door." This also was accom-
plished, with a curse, and I, with beating heart
and almost at the end of my strength, walked
tly through the door and along the corridor
until I came to the long stone staircase, down
which I literally flew.

I found the gentlemen a little impatient at

_ kept waiting, and without a moment's

dela rted off through the darkness to the

where we arrived just in time to catch

town. Not until I was seated in

the carriage did I lose self control, and fell back
fainting. When 1 recovered I felt ashamed of
this weakness.

Naturally my friends wanted an explanation
of tins extraordinary occurrence. I gave an
account of what had happened as well as I
could, and they were all intensely angry at the
want of care and forethought displayed by the
matron. The first thing they did on reaching
town was to telegraph to the doctor of the
asylum to look after the young
woman Sweetman, and see
that she did no harm to her-
self or anyone else.

The matter was thoroughly
looked into on the following
day. A committee was called,
and the matron severely cen-
sured. It seems that she
had had a series of disasters
during the previous forty-eight
hours. Among the patients
was a fust -rate cook, whose
condition was only dangerous
at stated times, and of which
the matron was forewarned
by certain symptoms. Her
malady was suicidal mania.
She was extremely well at this
particular time, and gladly
undertook to help in the
kitchen. Unfortunately, dur-
ing the absence of the matron
on business, one of her attacks
came on, and everything in-
trusted to her was ruined : the chickens, the
hams, the pastry — all were reduced to mere
cinders. At the same time a patient, who was
invaluable when well, both in organizing and
looking after the workers, was suddenly taken
seriously ill, became quite unmanageable, and
was with the greatest difficulty prevented from
taking her own life.

Naturally the places of these women had to
be supplied by the staff, and there was no one
to help with the tea ; so the matron employed
this lady, a well-educated girl, who had
benefited so much by being in the asylum
that she was about to leave. The only
way to account for her behaviour was that she
had become greatly excited by the circumstances
of the last couple of days. Poor thing ! she
became gradually worse, and whenever I asked
after her she was still an inmate of the asylum.

John Mills and His "Golden Hole."

By John Marshall, of Kalgoorlie (late Hon. Secretary of the West Australian

Gold-Diggers' Association >.

The following true and interesting account of the discovery of the " Londonderry Golden Hole" was

told to the writer by the discoverer, John Mills, shortly after the sensational find was made public.

The narrative illustrates in a sensational manner the startling uncertainty of gold-mining luck.

^rf*

Wr -ssrafer

-«s

HEKE WE HAVE A GENERAL VIEW OF THE LONDONDERRY OOLU MINE IN THE EARL'S

From a Photo, by II'. Roy Millar.

OWHERE does the wheel of
fortune revolve more quickly,
" bringing chances and changes,"

ups and downs, than on the world's
great goldfields. And among the
many striking instances I have seen of the truth
of this fact, during my long residence on
American and Australian goldfields, none is
more remarkable than the story of the party
who found and sold the " Londonderry," and
the subsequent decline of this once world-
renowned mining property.

In the early part of 1894 the mining industry
on the Coolgardie goldfields was very sick.
Since the dis-
covery of " Bay-
ley's Reward
Mine" no im-
portant find had
been made ; and
it appeared as if
there was going
to be a severe
set back to the
whole gold field.
The people were
beginning to lose
faith in its future.
Land values, too,
were falling ;
there was a severe
drought prevail-
ing, and every-
thing looked
blue. But when
things were at
their worst the
startling news From™

was announced
that a wonder-
fully rich dis-
covery had been
made about
twelve miles
south of Cool-
gardie, which
roused feverish
enthusiasm, gave
new life to the
mining industry,
raised the price
of land values
in Coolgardie
by 100 per cent., and brought thousands over
from the other Colonies to try their luck on the
goldfields of Western Australia. The story of
the men who found the " Londonderry " is one
of the most astonishing on record. They were a
party of six, who set out on a prospecting tour
from Coolgardie in the early months of '94.
They were not well provided with money to
purchase an outfit ; and, indeed, the buying of a
horse and dray and enough provisions to last
them for a few months almost completely ex-
hausted their store of wealth. For some time
they prospected south of Coolgardie, near
Widgiemooltha, but without success.

GROUP OF MEN ARE STANDING NEAR THE "'GOLDEN HOLE. THE CROSS INDICATES THE

IMPROVISED STRONG-ROOM WHERE THE GOLD WAS STORED. [Photo.

-14

THE WIDE W0R1 D MAGAZINE.

A ..t!i tramping, and mis

n account of their

ig back to

. up the sponge

jes. The

the party had scattered,

■• mi his own '" for the

making north towards ( !ool-

. a young Irishman

11 Mills, a native of Londonderry,

r from New South Wales,

. tired with his weary tramp and

iwn to have a smoke and

run; 5, wishing himself hack

r's station in sunny New

-. and out of the country of "sin,

The huge reef which he

i many places, without seeing a single

» Id, lay at his feet. Sitting thinking, in

a h. iv. listless state, he almost unconsci

d his heel against the huge, mn»

tcrop at his foot, and carelessly look-

nly caught the glint of some

:i the rock. Lazily raising

toked to see what the bright speck

I found to his intense astonishment and

of stone full of gold.

veral pieces of the cap of the reef, he

his amazement that it zvas literally

ther with :^<>hi !

spirits, which but a moment before had

i down to zero, now rose to boiling pitch,

and he felt inclined to throw up his hat and

shout out " Eureka ! Eureka ! " After having

_ • number of specimens he walked

■ amp, inwardly exulting, though

G TUCKI , FOR 1 HE

Iroma Photo. l>y II'. Roy Millar.

trying to maintain the appearance of dejection.
His mates were all gathered together, and were
l>v no means in a pleasant mood. Hard living
and hard luck were breaking their tempers, and
the conversation was tar from cheerful. Some
of them had wives and families in other Colonies
who were waiting and longing for good news
from their bread winners.

After supper was over Mills said, "I have
something to show you, mates. Wait a minute
till I go and get it.'' So saying he left the
cam]), and returned in a few minutes with his
hands full of stones. "What do you think of
them ? " he yelled, as he dumped the lot down
on the gunny sack which did duty as a table-
cloth. As his mates picked them up and
looked at them, they found that the pieces
of quartz were literally held together with
gold. And when they received Mills's assur-
ance that there appeared to be an unlimited
quantity of the same incredibly rich quart/,
the delight of the members of the party knew
no bounds.

They pressed Mills to lead them to the
treasure-spot that night, but he pointed out the
futility of such a proceeding, as he would be
unable to find his way back in the dark. There
was but little sleep in the camp that night ; and
long before daylight the old horse was hitched
up and the party were ready to start, moving
away with the first peep of day. After some
difficulty the exact spot was located, and on
reaching the place where Mills had obtained the
specimens the night before they found that half
the truth had not been told, for, as they broke
off pieces of quartz and with hammer, wedge,
and pick delved down, the quartz became

richer and richer.
After the first
wild excess of
joy at finding
such a treasure
had passed away
the party settled
down to hard
work, and for
weeks toiled like
galley - slaves,
night and day.,
calcining the
stone in an open
furnace, and then
dollying it by
the rudest and
most primitive
methods — meth-
ods which en-
tailed the hardest
of hard work.

I N II- IL1 .

TOHN MILLS AND HIS "GOLDEN HOLE.

2I5

At first the novelty of the work and the
extraordinary richness of the stone kept them
from wearying : but after a while, when the
novelty had worn off, the dollying of the stone
became a terrible task. John Mills himself
assured me that after a time the sight of gold
grew positively hateful to him, so monotonous
and hard was the toil associated with its extrac-
tion. How arduous their labours were may be
inferred from the fact that in a few weeks they
dollied out about 8,ooooz. of gold, valued at
^32,000— and that with the rudest appliances.

So far they had not applied for a lease of the
precious ground,
and their only
fear was that any
day a prospect-
ing party might
drop across them,
and probably peg
out the place they
were working.
On the other
hand, if they did
apply for a lease
of the ground,
some of the men
whose business it
was to watch ap-
plications when
they were posted
up outside the
Warden's Court
(as was required
by law), and to
find out where
fresh discoveries
were made, might
make inquiries
and find where

they were -which was the last thing they desired.
At last their fears of discovery prevailed, and
after a solemn council had been held it was
determined that Mills and Huxley should go
into Coolgardie and get Mr. W. H. Lindsay, a
mining agent there, to apply for a lease of
twenty-four acres. No hint whatever was to be
given of the richness of the property, and the
two selected for this duty were well tutored in
the tale of woe and distress which they were to
pitch to the mining agent, with all the artless
eloquence they could command.

Accordingly, Mills and Huxley marched into
Lindsay's office one forenoon and told him a
pitiful tale of the wants and privations they had
gone through, and how they had come on a
likely place, where the reef was narrow and the
stone might yield half an ounce to the ton —
probably a little more. The main reasons why

they were willing to stay and give the place a
trial were, firstly, that the horse they had was
nearly knocked out ; the feed was fairly plentiful,
and water not far away. Also they were tired
of knocking about the country. They had
therefore agreed to take up a gold mining lease
of twenty-four acres, but being extremely poor
men, and having spent nearly every shilling they
had in prospecting, they hoped the agent would
make the fees as light as possible.

But there was a curious air of intense eager-
ness about the men — an evident overpowering
desire to take up the ground, and a tremendous

From a Photo, by

OFF AT I AST TO THE NEW GOLD RUSH.

\U~. Roy Millar.

anxiety that no informality should be made in
the application. There was also such a parade
of their poverty — a matter about which the
genuine miner, be he never so poor, is extremely
reticent — that the agent thought there must be
something behind it all. So he mentally
resolved, whilst applying for the lease now
known as the " Londonderry " - to make a
search and see whether this party of hard-up
miners could really be found— if for nothing
else than to congratulate them upon having
determined to battle further with fortune in spite
of their poverty.

A few days after this, Lindsay set out to find
the "Londonderry." He searched all day, but
was unable to locate the place, and that night
had to sleep out without blankets. As the night
was intensely cold, he cursed his curiosity for
leading him out on such an errand. Next

I 111. WIDE WORl.H MAGAZINE.

j. however, he was lucky enough to

Almost the first thing he

open air furnace for calcining

en on too many mining
•low what that meant.

horn the whole members were

extremely sorry to see

help showing how vexed

In answ.r to his inquiries, they told

small leader which re-

n a little gold ; and then they tried

him. ndsay was far too shrewd

isily bluffed ; and after he

ent. oi the truth out of

1 him to secrecy. Then, bit

• uth leaped out, and the agent

what a magnificent property they

. and that thei eight thousand ounces

i n .'
but such an extraordinary find could not long
i In of the party, an old man,

tions. Ere the day closed, however, we were
fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of
John Mills himself, who was far and away the
be>t and most generous of the party. He
showed us some magnificent specimens, the like
of which had not been seen since the early days
when Bayley discovered the great Reward
Mine.

1 shall never forget the excitement which
thrilled the whole community, nor the feelings
of renewed hope which were experienced by all
when it was authoritatively stated that gold
valued at between ^30,000 and ,£40,000 had
been lodged in the bank for safe keeping. The
following day (Monday) some magnificent
specimens were exhibited at the bank which
fairly astonished the diggers.

The desire to purchase this phenomenally
rich property became an object of supreme
importance to the representatives of speculative
svndicates already on the field. There was a

A GOLD ESCORT READY FOR THE ROAD, WITH LARGE QUANTITIES OF GOLD FROM THE FAMOUS

From a Photo, by /J'. Roy Millar.

and rather infirm, took sick, and went into
Coolgardie, where, as a relief from the strain to
which his mind had been so long subjected, and
to give vent to his overpowering sense of joy,
_ A wildly drunk, flashed his gold about the
town, and made a clean breast of it all. When
the news was confirmed, the excitement in town
became perfectly franti< . and the whole popula-
tion rushed to great "Londonderry
Golden Hole/' A little later the country along
supposed line of reef was pegged out for
mil

The following day we went out and searched

round the " Golden Hole" to find if possible

. but were unable to see the

"est trace of gold. It was hard, indeed, to

:alize that such a wonderful amount of gold had

obtained from the small hole shown to us,

with such an apparent lack of favourable indica-

good deal of competition to secure this rich
prize, but negotiations were successfully con-
ducted by Lord Fingall, who was resident on
the field, and ultimately purchased the property
for, I believe, ,£100,000. It was subsequently
floated in London and Paris for -£750,000.
When negotiations for the sale were finally
arranged, the " Golden Hole " was covered over
with a strong plate and then sealed. Thus it
lay for many months, unopened, the subject oi
many a wonderful story in the newspapers
throughout the world.

The re-opening of the " Golden Hole " took
place some considerable time after the company
formed to work it had been floated, and every-
thing arranged with much pomp and circum-
stance. It was thought possible that if the
golden treasure which had been so freely taken
out from a shallow depth continued to go down,

JOHN MILLS AND HIS "GOLDEN HOLE."

217

it might even lead to the depreciation of gold
values !

The eyes of the whole world were on John
Mills's "Golden Hole," and mining men were
quite prepared to see gold sent away from
it by the ton. But after a few days' work
in the Londonderry — then considered to be
one of the greatest treasure stores in the
world — it was found, to the utter amazement
and dismay of all concerned, that the kernel
had been taken and only the worthless shell
left. People looked at each other in blank
astonishment when the news was made public.
It was darkly hinted by those in authority
at home that the "Golden Hole" had been
tapped and its treasures spirited away. Surely,
they said, it could not be possible that the won-
derfully rich mine, which had turned out so many
thousand ounces of gold from a small hole —
which had caused the mining world to ring with
its fame and to look forward with eager hope to
the payment of enormous dividends, could have
" petered out ! "

Alas ! it was only too true. The " Golden
Wonder of the World " was a wonder no longer ;
its matchless riches had been exhausted, and
one of the biggest
mining com-
panies had been
floated on what
was little better
than a burst
bubble. When
the exact posi-
tion of affairs
became known,
and the full truth
realized, such a
storm of indig-
nation, vilifica-
tion, and abuse
was let loose
upon the heads
of the vendors,
promoters, min-
ing experts, and

everyone connected with the flotation as has
rarely been equalled.

The effect of this blow upon the entire district
was disastrous in the extreme. Hundreds of
claims that had been taken up and worked on

the strength of the great Londonderry find were
abandoned, and that after hundreds — in some
instances thousands — of pounds had been spent
upon them. Public confidence in the per-
manence of the goldfields was rudely checked, at
least for a time; " Golden Holes " were looked
upon askance, and the mining industry severely
crippled. The failure of the Londonderry to
come up to the high expectations raised had
an immense effect upon the Coolgardie gold-
fields. It is safe to say that every ounce of
gold afterwards taken out of the Londonderry
district cost ^20. The original holders got out
of the Colony with their gains, enriched as they
had been " beyond the dreams of avarice "
ordinary avarice, that is.

Although a considerable time has elapsed and
the high hopes respecting the Londonderry
have not, to any considerable extent, been
realized, yet it is confidently predicted by those
who ought to know that there may yet be a big

WHEN THE BUBBLE HAD BU
/ rotn

KST— CROWDING BACK FROM THE GOLDEN HOLE.
a Photo, by II'. Roy Millar.

future before it as a dividend payer, and that
the disappointments which have been experi-
enced in the past may be, to some extent.
counterbalanced by the success to be achieved
in the future.

Vol. iv.— 23.

Odds nnd finds.

,,t ihe phi produced in this section represent the very cream of all that

ip-shotter" and traveller in countries both near and far. Special
the wonderful full-page photograph of a " snaky " country given on
beneath each will enable you to find the locality on the novel contents-
map at the back o\ the frontispiece.

HEIR i A I I IK BY RINDERPES'I I 1 1 IC CONVICTS HAD TO

;URDEN.

HE first photograph reproduce i this

month conveys a more vivid idea of

' rrible ravages made by the

grue of rinderpest among the

ih African cattle than whole

mere description. The district of

Idutywa, in which the photograph was taken,

situated in the Transkeian Territories of

South Africa, and is thirty-six miles in length and

it twenty in breadth. Within the short

:' about six months the residents

jst over 25,000 head of cattle. In a

'. many instances the natives had to

ly their ploughs and revert to the

old method of hoeing their fields. The

photograph shows a gang of prison

pulling a cartload of stones to repair the

Having lost all their oxen the

.. '1 to use the prisoners

f burden."

Our next pi depict some

of the victims of a caste riot, but a

be witnessed often enough

ither at Benares — that abode

ities — or at Puri, in

the hope of seeing Jug-

_ ; .■ r : r j _ > together large

numbers of pilgrims. Some of these,

either from a wish to please the gods

or in fulfilment of private vows, make the

journey to the temple — or more fre-

quently round it
— in the recum-
b e n t posture
s h o w n in t h e
photo., rolling
over and over
on the unsympa-
thetic, not to say
nobbly, road.
Some of the
devotees will
actually roll ft r
miles in this man-
ner ; while female
enthusiasts —
unable to imitate
their male - folk
exactly — journey
along by lying
down at full
length on the
ground, making a
mark where their forehead touched, and then rising
to lie down again with the toes touching the last
mark. They continue this deliberate and weari-
some process until the temple is reached. Readers
of a sporting turn of mind will no doubt engage
in lively speculation as to whether a man, with his
queer rollings, or a woman, with her " self-mea-
surement " mode of locomotion, would be most
likely to arriveat the temple first from a given point.

[Photo.

' SOME OF THE DEVOTEES Will. ACTUALLY ROLL FOR MILES IN

From a] this manner." [Photo.

ODDS AND ENDS.

219

round and round the in-
closure, and sand is thrown
on his legs and body at
judicious intervals until
he yields to the tempta-
tion and is presently roll-
ing hilariously with his
fellows. It has been found
that this novel bath cleans
the horses beautifully, dry-
ing up the moisture and
imparting a glossy appear-
ance to their coats.
Curiously enough, how-
ever, only Arab steeds

3_ — HORSES OF THE 2IST LANCERS ENJOYING THEIR
CURIOUS SAND BATH IN EGYPT.

From a Photo.

The above photograph is extremely
interesting, showing as it does the
Arab horses of the 21st Lancers having
their sand bath. At Abbassayeh
Barracks, where the heroes of Omdur-
man are (or were) quartered, there is
a large space adjoining the stables
filled in with clean desert sand. This
is the " bath " ; and after an arduous
field day, or drill, the horses are
unsaddled and allowed to roll as they
please in the soft, warm sand. They
enjoy themselves immensely whilst
doing this, and as a rule require no
inducement to lie down. Should a
horse prove indifferent to the pleasures
of this curious bath, however, he is led

5. — ROMAN CATHOLIC RESIDENTS OF TETUAN (MOROCCO) FIRING UPON
From a) THE EFFIGIES OF JUDAS. [/'/into.

4. — IN THE PYRENEES

From a]

THEY COLLECT THE DEAD
IN THIS QUEER SLEDGE.

)R MANURE

[P/ioto.

appear to take kindly to the sand
bath.

The accompanying photo, depicts not
a cage for wild animals, but a curious
kind of sledge bearing a large crate
for carrying dead leaves. This curious
vehicle was photographed in the
environs of Pau (Basses Pyrenees), and
is believed to be unique in that part oi
the South of France. The leaves are
used for manure, and the curious sledge
is usually drawn by cows or oxen.

The photograph shown above illus-
trates a somewhat remarkable scene
lately witnessed at Easter time in the
town of Tetuan, Morocco. Upon
suddenly turning a corner from whence
great noise proceeded, a large crowd of
men and boys was encountered — chiefly
Spaniards, but with a fair sprinkling of
Moors as well. Several men in a highly

THE WIDE WORLD MACAZINE.

ODDS AND ENDS.

221

*V<>

excited state, accompanied by shouts and
groans from the spectators, were firing off
their muzzle -loading guns into two head-
less effigies of Judas Iscariot, which were
being dragged along on the ground by
boys, and were composed of straw clothed
with European dress. It transpired that this
is a common Easter custom of the Spanish
Roman Catholics in Tetuan. The effigies are
first hanged on a tree and then cut down at the
neck, and ignominiously dragged through the
principal streets of the town to be fired upon at
intervals, until nothing remains but a smoulder-
ing mass of rags and straw. The effigies are
then cast into some side
street and there left.
The photograph was taken
at the moment of firing,
and it will be observed
that the use of smokeless
powder is unknown in
Tetuan.

Readers of The Wide
World are accustomed
to extraordinary photo-
graphs, and the one re-
produced as a full-page
illustration well merits
that description. Run
your eye over it, and you
get a positive sense of
creepy movement ; you
also think that the photo-
grapher must have been
a very plucky fellow.
'" ( me million snakes to
the mile" sounds alarm-
ing enough in all con-
science, but that it is
not a fiction is shown
photo. It

towards the inhabitants. All sorts of esti-
mates have been made as to the number ol
reptiles in this district, the lowest being the
truly colossal figure above-mentioned. You
should show this photo, with its descriptive text
to your friends as a typical Wide World
illustration.

The curious mud-volcanoes of which one is
seen in the remarkable accompanying snap-shot
are situated at Minbu, in Upper Burma. They
are in constant eruption, throwing up from their
miniature craters masses of greasy-looking mud,
which when flowing down the sun-baked slopes,
as we see it in our photo., have very much the

■-K

A WEIRD MUD VOLCANO IN UPPER Bl RMA. — VISITORS IGNITE Mil-: GASES WITH MAM Ml -

Frotn a Photo.

by this remarkable
shows a section of only a few
feet of land below Kalmath ball, in Oregon.
For over a mile along both banks of
the stream the snakes swarm in countless
wriggling hosts, just as you see them in the
illustration. Fortunately they are water-snakes,
and quite harmless. Indeed, so little do
they trouble the inhabitants of the town of
Kalmath that no attempt has ever been made
to exterminate them. More remarkable still,
although the place is literally alive with snake's,
they are positive benefactors to the inhabitants,
as we will show. Twenty miles south of
Kalmath deadly rattlesnakes are almost as
numerous as water-snakes at the Falls ; but
curiously enough, so great is the enmity exist-
ing 1 iet ween the two species that the water-
snakes kill off the "rattlers" in great numbers,
thus acting the part of positive protectors

appearance of lava. A curious gurgling sound
is audible as the liquid mud reaches the top of
the crater, where it bursts in a big brown
bubble. A pretty effect can be seen at night by
throwing a lighted match into the crater just as
the bubble heaves upwards. The gas inside
takes fire and burns brilliantly until the rush of
vapour has subsided. The mud, by the way,
is nothing but a mixture of shale, clay, and
water; while the gas which provides the ejecting
force consists of carburetted hydrogen and
probably the vapour of petroleum.

The two next photos, are an amusing instance
of the readiness and intelligence with which the
British tourist abroad uses his hand-camera.
The gentleman who sends them in writes as
follows: "While spending a few weeks in a
small French village last spring, I was much
amused one Sunday afternoon in watching
the efforts of two gendarmes to remove

Illi; WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

troll v drawn by boys, with four gendarmes
.is an escort."

It is an extraordinary kind of savage oracle
or newspaper which is depicted in the next
photo. Here we see a number of shells and
stones placed on the ground in a clearing.
The locality is the remote wilds of New
Guinea. To this place come every morning
such natives as want to read the omens. It
a bird flies on to one of the stones, or if a
lizard emerges from one of the shells, it is
supposed to portend certain things. Each
stone represents a house in the village. If
a stone is found to be disturbed in some
way. a calamity to the house it represents is
supposed to be inevitable. If a man is
taken ill in the village, his relatives go and
consult the oracle. Perhaps a small lizard
will fix the blame on some perfectly inno-
cent person by creeping out of his shell, and
then the sick man's relatives repair without

i MPORARILY,
VPE. [Phi -

a drunken peasant to the lockup. Failing
in this, they put him temporarily in a
kind of stable or hen-house, while they went
k reinforcements. Meanwhile the
ner broke some bars above the double
doors with his sabot, reaching the ground
safely with the assistance of some sympa-
thetic bystanders, as is admirably shown in
the first snapshot. His triumph, however,
was short-lived, for he was speedily recap-
tured : and. in the second photo., we see his
minious removal to the lock-up on a

From a]

rURED. HOWEVER, AND RUN OFF ON A TROLLY GUARDED

BY GENDARMES. [Photo.

IO. — THIS IS HOW THE NEW GUINEA FOLK CON-
SULT THE ORACLE AND READ THE " NEWSPAPER."
]■'> om a Photo.

delay to the house of the suspected
person, and ask him why he has
made So-and-so ill ! The person so
accosted d$es not deny it, for two
reasons. Firstly, his interviewers
would not believe him, and secondly,
he is only too proud to be credited
with such powers. He is then beg-
ged to throw his magic, or witch,
stone into the sea. In the photo-
graph three savages are seen con-
sulting the oracle. But not only do
they come here in matters of life and
death and war, but they will even
come to read the omens in regard to
the weather and items of local in-
terest. So that, in point of fact,
this may be said to lie a Papuan
newspaper.

ODDS AND ENDS.

223

11.- pari 01 rm sun rbs of si ity sliding down 1

Fiow a] r 7%\K. PER DAY.)

One's first impression on looking at the next
photo, is that it must have been taken from a
balloon or else that something was wrong with
the artist's camera. Nothing of the sort, how-
ever. It only illustrates the effect of a land-
slide (not of the political variety) in the United
States. It is, in fact, a portion of the suburbs
of Seattle, Wash.. " on its way from Rainier
Heights to Lake Washington.'1 These are but
a few out of fifty or sixty structures, all of which
are similarly "on the move," their average rate
of travel being about 2 '-in. per day. A
section, nearly as large as the City of London,
of this very
" progressive "
suburb has been
" moving to the
front"' of the
lake shore for
nearly three years
past. A large
saw-mill on the
shore of the lake
is being steadily
pushed out and
submerged in its
waters ; while
s e ve r a 1 v e r y
handsome resi-
dences and a
large church are
on the verge of
destruction on

above ; portions of their
gardens and such odd
trifles as coach-houses and
other out-buildings have
already broken away and
become part of the chaotic
jumble below. The pro-
cess is so gradual, how-
ever, that no one seems
seriously to trouble until it
becomes no longer possible
to hold the furniture in
position. While most of
the buildings have become
utter wrecks and collapsed,
there are several which
have moved considerable
distances without their
occupants abandoning
them, and these are still
occupied. Needless to say,
some very novel legal
™ — ^moMmi questions have arisen and

O LAKE WASHING I' IN • .,

[Photo. are occupying the courts
in connection with
this extraordinary occurrence.

You may not be aware that there is a happy
island off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland,
called Tory Island. It is three miles long and
has a population of something under four
hundred. We say "happy island" advisedly,
because the inhabitants pay no rent. In 1878
tluv had a dispute with the agent of the property,
and refused to pay their rents. Possibly the
poor agent realized the utter impossibility of
collecting the money without the aid of a
gunboat : at any rate, the islanders were left
unmolested, and now we are informed that by

the

heights

•AY no RENT. \A lex A yton, Londonderry.

'-4

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

. I CIAN WEDDING ARE OFFERED FOOD FROM THIS
POT THEV KNOW n is A HINT TO DEI-ART. [P/w/o.

natural process of time they have become the

I, or at least the prescriptive, owners of the

Landlordism in the wilder parts of

Ireland evidently has its drawbacks. The photo.

i a very good idea of West Street, Tory

id— the Strand, as it were, of this free and

independent island, whose inhabitants know

little and care less about the doings of the great

world without.

The old Norwegian custom of bruragrauten,
the bride's mush,'"' is very curious. It is
rved at Hardanger, and is nothing more or
s than the last course served at the wedding
banquet. It is made of either rice or wheat flour,
in a big kettle and then carried to the
it-house to be served. Directly the "mush "
has been eaten
the know

it is time t
part. It is, in fact,
a concrete hint.
Our ph iws

the kettle being
carried in state- to
the house,

followed by the
ks, who are
armed with capa-
ius dishes and

us.
Our next pi
s taken in the
missionary com-
pound at Hi
kan, a city of about

20,000 inhabitants, lying
some forty miles north of
Hankow, the capital of Cen-
tral China. Exclusive of the
missionaries, no other for-
eigners are to be found there.
The school seen here is an
" I Hish," or free school— a
very meritorious institution
in the eyes of the Chinese,
who have a proverb to the
effect that " children un-
taught, like gems unwrought,
are of no use." They have
also a refreshing fondness
for the fascinating word
" gratis." This being a boys'
school, there should be no
girls in it ; but sometimes
an exception is made, and a
group of girls may be seen
on the left-hand side of the
picture. The children are
from six to twelve years of
age, and say their lessons aloud in unison, making
a perfect Bedlam for the time being. The work is
largely repetition in these early years, there being
very little attempt made to develop the reasoning
powers. The teacher has a rather hard time of
it, as witness the wrinkles in his forehead. The
photo, provides an amusing study in expressions.

14. — . HOOL IN CENTRAL CHINA.

THE PUPILS MAKE

From a Photo.

A GREAT NOISE LEARNING THEIR LESSONS.

Id
B!
Q

a
u
<

o
o

<
<

a
(j
z
<

z
a
H
z
o
u

a
>
o
z

"THE GAOLEKS THREW INTO THE CELL HANDFULS OF BLAZING STRAW AND
GRASS, AT THE SAME TIME LAYING ABOUT THEM WITH THEIR HUGE WHIPS."

(see pace 238.)

Vol. IV.

The Wide World Magazine.

JANUARY, 1900.

No. 21

In the Khalifa's Clutches; or, My Twelve Years' Captivity in

Chains in Omdurman.*

By Charles Neufeld.
VII.

IT was a long rigmarole of a message

Sa'Newg he sent, and it wound up by saying

wife. tnat as j na(j Deen \\\ for two months,

he must send a wife to attend to me,
and had selected for the purpose a daughter
of Abd el Latif Terran. This was making
matters worse than ever, for this girl, although
brought up in the Soudan, and speaking only
Arabic, was a French subject, being the
grand-daughter of Dr. Terran, an old employe
of the Government. She was only nominally
Mohammedan, and lived in the " Christian
quarter." When marriages took place in this
quarter the Mohammedan form of marriage
was gone through, and then Father Ohrwalder
performed the Christian religious ceremony
surreptitiously later in the day. I spoke
to him about the Khalifa's intention, and as
he knew I was already married, he advised
me to try and get out of the proposed
marriage by some means or another, as it
would be considered binding. After casting
about for excuses which I thought might
appeal to the Khalifa, I asked Hamad'na
Allah to inform him that I thanked him for
his selection of a wife, but as she was of
European descent, had been brought up in
a rich family where the ladies are waited
upon and never do any work, she would be
no use to me, as I required someone to nurse
me and do the cooking and housework, and go
to the bazaar to buy food — all of which this
lady had had servants to do for her.

I therefore begged to be allowed
Neufeid to select a wife of the country.
^elcus°ed.e The latter part of my message evi-
dently pleased the Khalifa. It
appeared to him an earnest that I was
" content," but again he undertook the selec-
tion of the woman. When Abdullahi told
a woman she was to be the wife of anyone
she no more dared refuse to consent than the
man she was allotted to dared refuse to
receive her. Fearing that the Khalifa might
send me someone from his own harem, I
asked Nahoum and other friends to find me
a wife in a great hurry. My object was to
her into the place before Abdullahi sent

his unwelcome " present," who, on arrival, I
might send back on the plea that I was already
married and could not support two wives.
Nahoum promptly found me a wife, and sent
me the following history of her.

Uram es Shole (the mother of Shole — Shole
being the name she had given her first child)
was an Abyssinian brought up from childhood

REQUIRED SOMEONE TO NURSE ME AND DO THE COOKING AND
HOUSEWORK "— L'MM ES SHOLE WAS FOUND FOR THE PURPOSE.
From a Photo.

Vol.

29.

nil-: WIDE WORLD MAOA/INE.

Greek family settled in Khartoum. On

ling womanhood she was married to one

if the family. On the fall of

:ni her husband, with seven male

relatives, was butchered in the house in which

• had taken refuge. I' mm es Shole herself,

with her three children, was taken as " property "

to the Beit el Mai. where she was handed over

mcubine to the Emir of the Gawaamah

tril ;

Refusing this man's embraces, he in
Tw,fee*w revenge tortured her children to death,
History. Up0n which I" mm es Shole escaped
■ ulurman, and through Abd el
ler, the uncle of the Mahdi, had her case
Mohammad Ahmed, who, after
tails, gave her a written docu-
ment declaring that, as she had been married to
and borne children to a free man, she was a
woman, and to make certain that she might
never be claimed as a slave, the document also

that everyone in the " Christian quarter " should
married. Umm es Shole married an old
and decrepit Jew, whom she nursed until he
died two years later. Returning to a woman
relative of her husband's, she supported the old
woman and herself by cooking, preparing food
for feasts, sewing, and general housework.

This, then, was the wife my friends had
selected for me, and I accepted her thank-
fully— but there was a hitch.

When she was approached on the
Deciftiaedsf subject, she positively declined to be

married again, and it was only upon
her being told that I was ill, and might die, that
she consented to the marriage. You see, the
lady was not flattering. I had to appoint a
" wakeel " (proxy, in this instance) to represent
me at the marriage and the festivities ; Nahoum
prepared the feast at his house, the bride pre-
paring the food and attending to the guests.
At the conclusion of a few days' ceremonies and

SHE SET TO AT ONCE WITH HER HOUSEHOLD DUTIES AND ATTENDANCE UPON ME."

was ateekh (freed) by the

lared that she
Mahdi himself.

When the Khalifa Abdullahi succeeded the
Mahdi he ordered every woman without a
husband, and every girl of a marriageable age,
to be married at once. He was most particular

feastings, Umm es Shole was escorted to Khar-
toum —a married woman, and introduced for
the first time to her husband. She set to at
once with her household duties and attendance
upon me, and during a long and weary five
months nursed me back to life.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

229

As can well be believed, Hasseena resented
no less bitterly my projected marriage with
Umm es Shole, or anyone else, than she re-
sented her own divorce. And this, in truth,
she resented very bitterly indeed, for, passing
as the wife of a European and a presumed
" General " to boot, gave her a certain social
status in Omdurman, which she took advantage
of when visiting in the various ways pointed
out.

Hasseena argued that I was bound to keep
her for at least two years, so that if the Khalifa
sent on his " present," I should have two house-
holds to support on ten dollars a month. When
making my plans for escape Hasseena was
always included. She was to have got away on
the same dromedary as myself. When my guides
returned, I now reflected ruefully, they would
find me with two wives, and having made
arrangements for one only, they might demur at
taking the two. Indeed, the probabilities were
they would abandon the thing altogether, fearing
that one or other of the women might betray
them, which would mean instant execution for
them and imprisonment for me. And if I con-
tinued to keep Hasseena, she might steal from
some stranger, as the houses of my friends were
now closed to her, and then I should be sent
hack to the Saier. Then, again, if I sent her
away, she, knowing my guides and all my
arrangements, would be the first to meet them
on arrival in Omdurman, and would insist upon
coming away with me under threats of disclos-
ing the plot.

It was a most awkward fix for me to
Awk"wlrd be placed in, but after considering the

Fix# whole matter most carefully, I decided
upon sending Hasseena off, and trust-
ing to luck for the rest. I had hoped she might
get married to someone in Omdurman, and
then I should not have been afraid of her. But
she returned in February, 1892, some months
after my marriage with Umm es Shole.

Hasseena, doubtless, had for me the Soudan
equivalent for what we understand as affection.
She had saved my life when we were first
captured ; she had nursed me, as only a woman
can, through my first attack of typhus fever, and
had kept me from starvation during the famine.
And while I could not forget all this, I could
not forget also that she had become a source of
great danger to me ; and although my treatment
of her in sending her away when I did might to
some appear harsh in the face of what she had
done for me, it must not be forgotten that self-
preservation is no less a law of Nature in the
Soudan than it is elsewhere. I supported
Hasseena for nearly two years, when her second
child died. She then left Khartoum, where I

was still a chained prisoner at large, and went
utterly to the bad.

I heard of her from time to time, and,

KnownSof on my release in September last, hear-

Hasseena. ing she was at Berber, I delayed there

until I had provided for her elsewhere

— only to receive a telegram a few weeks later

saying that, hankering for the life she had led

for a few years back, she had run off to return

to it.

When Father Ohrwalder escaped, bringing
with him the two sisters and a negress, Man-
karious immediately set about finding some
reliable messenger willing to undertake the
journey to Omdurman with a view of ascertain-
ing if my escape were at all possible. He
argued that if Father Orhwalder could escape
with three women as an encumbrance to his
flight, there was nothing — provided I was at
liberty — to prevent my escaping also. But
those who knew the Soudan — and it was only
such he might employ — argued that if the
remainder of the captives were not already
killed, they would be found chained in the
prison awaiting their execution.

Months slipped away before Man-
sa"o™r. karious could find anyone to under-
take the journey, and then an old but
wiry desert Arab, El Haj Ahmad Abou
Hawanein, came to terms with him. Hawanein
was given two camels, some money, and a
quantity of goods to sell and barter on his way
up.

Some time in June or July, 1894, Abou Kees,
a man employed in the Mission gardens, came
to me while I was working at the mounds of
Khartoum, and whispered that a man who had
news for me was hiding in the gardens, and that
I was to try and effect a meeting with him.
The man was Hawanein. Always suspicious
of traps laid for me by the Khalifa, I asked
the man what he wanted. He replied that
he had come from friends to help me. He
had brought no letters, but, by questioning him,
my suspicions disappeared, and I was soon deep
in the discussion of plans for my escape. The
camels he had brought with him, he said, were
not up to the work of a rapid flight, and he
suggested he should return to Assouan, procure
two good trotting camels, and also the couple
of revolvers I asked for, as it was more than
likely I should have to use them in getting clear
of Khartoum.

Soon after Hawanein's departure the guide
Abdallah, who brought away Rossignoli, put
in his appearance. Ahmed Wad el Feki,
employed in Marquet's old garden, one day
asked that I might be allowed to call and
see a sick man at his house. On reaching

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE

introduced me to a young man,

illah, who, after a few words, asked me

i him the following day, when he would

letter.

1 met my " patient " again, when he

iBta££uaf handed me a bit of paper, on which

"p**Un**" faint marks were discernible; th<

lie said, would come out clear on
the paper ; and, cauterization being
the favourite
remedies in the Sou-
me live char-
procured
without exciting any
suspicion. The words
which appeared
ved that the man
no spy, hut had
really come from the
ptian War Offi<

we had
time to drop into a
ission of plans
men employed
in the place came
near, and we had to
adjourn until the fol-
lowing day, when I
again to meet my
"patient." On this
asion we were left
undisturbed, and fully
ussed and settled
upon our plans. To
escape along the
tern hank of the
Nile was not to be
thought of; this would
necessitate our pass-
ing Omdurman, and
to pass that town
unobserved was very
improbable. Abdul-
lah, having left his
camels and rifle at

was to return there for them, and then
>ack up the eastern bank of the Nile,
long which we were to travel when I escaped.

During his absence I was to send

p*yl vis'i ts. L' ' n m es Shole on weekly visits to her

friends at Halfeyeh ; as she was to

pe with us, this arrangement was made for

a twofold purpose. First, her visits would not

ite suspicion at the critical moment, as the

pie both at Halfeyeh and Khartoum would

become accustomed to them ; she was also

to bring me the promised revolver concealed in

her clothes, and then return to Halfeyeh for

another visit. She and Abdallah would keep a

' THE MARKS, HE SAID, WOULD COME OCT CLEAR ON HEATING
THE PAPER."

watch on the hanks of the Blue Nile for me
and assist me in landing. My escape would
have to be effected in my chains, and these, of
course, would prevent my using my legs in
swimming. I was to trust for support to the
pieces of light wood on the banks, which
children and men utilized for holding them up
when disporting themselves in the Nile, and also
to the current and whatever help I might get

with my hands for
landing on the oppo-
site shore. Abdallah
went off, but never
came back. I kept
to our agreement for
months, for the plan
formed with Abdallah
was similar to that
arranged with Hawa-
nein ; and besides
this, Abdallah, in the
event of his not being
able to find revolvers
at Berber, was to
continue his journey
to the first military
post, there obtain
them, and exchange
his camels for fast-
trotting ones, as those
he had left at Berber
were of a poor race.
In order to prove to
any officer he met
that he was really
employed to effect my
escape, I gave him
two letters couched
in such words that,
should they fall into
the hands of the
Khalifa or any of the
Emirs, their contents
would be a sort of
puzzle to them.
Each day during those months I
Lo0News!Dr looked forward eagerly to a sign from
any one of the people intrusted with
my escape.

For various reasons I considered it advisable
to interview Abdallah after my release, and did
so, but to make certain of his explanations, I
also arranged that others should question him
on the subject of Rossignoli's flight and his
reasons for not keeping his engagement with
me. This is what he says.

( >n leaving Cairo he was given a sort of
double mission. He was promised three
hundred pounds if he brought me away safely,

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

231

A Tragi-
comic

and a hundred pounds if he brought away any
of the other captives. Seeing the difficulties to
be encountered in effecting my escape, and
appreciating the risks unless we had revolvers
and swift camels, he decided upon " working
out the other plan," as he expresses it — viz., the
escape of Rossignoli, as " he was at liberty and
could go anywhere he pleased," while I was
shackled and constantly under the eyes of my
guards. Instead of returning for the camels,
Abdallah arranged for Rossignoli to escape on
a donkey as far as Berber.

When some distance from Omdurman,
Rossignoli got off his donkey, squatted
spectacle. on tj-,e ground, and refused to budge,
saying he was tired. When Abdallah
tried to persuade him to continue the journey,
Rossignoli refused ;
he said Abdallah
was only leading
him to his death,
and demanded to
be taken back to
Omdurman. For a
few moments Ab-
dallah admits he
was startled and
frightened. To go
back to Omdurman
was madness and
suicide for him ; to
leave Rossignoli
squatting in the
desert made Cairo
almost as dangerous
for him as Omdur-
man, for who would
believe his tale
there ? He felt sure
he would be accused
of having deserted
the man, and there
was also the chance
of Rossignoli being
discovered by any
pursuers, when a hue
and cry would be
set up for Abdallah.
One cannot help but
admire Abdallah's
solving of the diffi-
culty. There was a

tree growing close by ; he selected from it a
good thick branch, and with this flogged
Rossignoli either into his right senses or
into obedience of orders. Then placing
him on the camel behind him, he made his
way to Berber. Here Rossignoli, instead of
keeping in hiding, wandered into the town, was

recognised by some people, and, when spoken
to, told them that Abdallah was leading him to
Egypt, whereas he himself preferred to return
to Omdurman. Fortunately native cupidity
saved Abdallah; he "backsheeshed" the people
into a few hours of silence. With great difficulty
he got his charge clear of the town, and with
still greater difficulty hammered and bullied
him into Egypt and safety. This is Abdallah's
own tale.

He assures me, and I believe him,
fo^Nlifeid. ^at it was his intention, as soon as
he had handed over Rossignoli safe,
to have asked for the revolvers and started back
to try and effect my escape — though risky he
knew it to be ; but, Rossignoli having betrayed
his name in Berber, he knew well that the

Khalifa would have
men waiting for him
from Omdurman to
the frontier, and he
showed the same
sound sense in flog-
ging Rossignoli that
he showed in set-
tling down with his
well-earned hundred
pounds rather than
attempting to make
it into four hundred
by passing the
frontier.

Rossignoli's ab-
sence was not
noticed for a little
time, and that fortu-
nately enough, for a
donkey leaves much
better tracks to
follow than a camel.
The Khalifa was not
particularly angry
about the affair,
although he im-
prisoned for a day
Mr. Cocorombo, the
husband of Sister
Gngolini, the former
superioress of Father
Ohrwalder's Mis-
sion ; and also Ros-
signoli's lay com-
panion, Beppo. The latter, after Slatin's escape,
became my fellow-prisoner in the Saier.

One would be inclined to believe that
either myself or some dramatist had pur-
posely invented the series of accidents which
cropped up to frustrate my various plans for
escape.

SELECTED A GOOD THICK BRANCH, AND WITH IT FLOGGED
ROSSIGNOLI INTO HIS RIGHT SENSES."

THE WIPE WORLD MAGAZINE.

Excitement U„~ ,-1
overSlatinsIIL a u

On February 28th. 1895, without a

Thinde'r- w warning. I was SO heavily

boU loaded with chains that 1 was unable

to move, and placed under a double

rd in the hous S ! [amadan, the

rnor o( Khartoum. At firsl I

d that either Abdallah or Hawanein had

I and imprisoned, and had finally

that our plots had been divulged

fore it was with no little

that 1 heard the questions put to me

_ the escape o( Slatin. 1 denied all

i any arrangement

d with it. I pointed out that 1 had not

oken to, or heard of Slatin directly for

tolers and guards could

I w; - from no sense of justice to me, but

that he had not neglected his duty in

ping a strict watch upon me, that Hamadan

k my part in the inquiry. I might have been

again released had not Hawanein put in his

appearance a lew days after the escape of Slatin

Slatin's absence from his usual

had not been reported to the Khalifa until

three days after his escape : he was supposed to

be ill.

' >n the third day, Hajji Zobheir, the
of the
Escape. Khalifa's body-
guard, sent to
his house to inquire
about him. Not being
satisfied with the reply
he received, he informed
the Khalifa, who ordered
an immediate search. A
letter from Slatin to the
Khalifa was found stick-
ing in the muzzle of a
rifle, and was taken to
Abdullahi. After the
usual string of compli-
ments and blessings, the
r continues : —

ten years I have sat
at your gate ; your goodness
and grace to me have been
great, but all men have a love

family and country. I
have gone to see both'; but
in g< ■:■ g I -ill hold to the
true religion. I shall never

ay your bread and salt —
even should I die. I was
wrong to leave without your
permission. Everyone, my-
included, acknowledges
your great power and in-
fluence. Forgive me ; your
are mine. I shall

r betray you, whether I
reach my destination or die F™Jf V"A' IBEAH,W ™H

upon the road. Forgive me ; I am your kinsman and of
your religion ; extend to me your clemency.*

Abdullahi, on first realizing that Slatin

KhaMfhaeand nad actually escaped, and had had

siatm. aDout tnree ,jayS' start 0f any pursuers

he might send after him, was furious.
Losing his temper completely, he anathematized
him in the presence of the assembled emirs,
kadis, and bodyguard. He reminded them that
Slatin had been received with honours when
first tendering his submission, as he had openly
professed the Mohammedan faith and been
circumcised while he was still the " Turk "
Governor-General of Darfur. He reminded
them also how he had been allowed to bring
into the camp his household, bodyguard, and
servants, and had been attached to the Mahdi's
personal suite, of which he, Abdullahi, was chief.
Also how, with Zoghal, his former subordinate,
he had been intrusted with the subjugation
of Said Guma, who had refused to surrender El
Fasher when ordered to do so. How he had
treated Slatin as his son and his confidant,
never taking any step without his advice and
guidance. But, suddenly pulling himself up,
seeing the mistake he had made in showing how-
much he had been dependent on the fugitive, the

Khalifa broke off short
to say what he would do
to Slatin if he ever laid
hands on him, and
promised a similar pun-
ishment to anyone else
who returned him in-
gratitude for his favours.
Reading out aloud
Slatin's letter to him, he
calmed down on reach-
ing the protestations of
loyalty, and ordered the
letter to be read in the
mosque and the different
quarters of Omdurman.
After the public
Di,sfp?n,eng reading of the
pripertyl letter, the Kha-
lifa sent for the
officials of the Beit el

*This letter was found on the
fall of Omdurman, and came into
the hands of people who, probahly
on the grounds of its content>
differing from those given by Slatin
after his escape, published it in
such a manner as to lead people to
believe that the protestations t
loyalty it contained were sincere.
In my opinion the letter should be
looked upon as a clever composi-
tion to humbug Abdullahi. so that,
in the event of Slatin being re-
taken, the protestations of loyalty
would .Tl least save him from the
hands of the Khalifa's mutilator or
executioner.

A FAL'ZI

DAYS.

.Ol IKED LIKE IN THE

[Photo.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

233

Mai and ordered them to take possession of
Slatin's house, wives, servants, slaves, land, and
cattle ; at the same time giving them strict in-
structions, in the presence of all, that the house-
hold were to be treated gently, as being the
property of a true Muslim. Slatin's Darfurian
wife, Hassanieh, whom he had married when
Governor - General
of Darfur, was
claimed from the
Beit el Mai by
Dood (Sultan)
Benga as of a
Royal family, and
was by him mar-
ried to another of
the Darfurian Royal
family. Desta, his
Abyssinian wife,
was reduced to the
position of a com-
mon slave.

It was while the
Khalifa was await-
ing the return of
the scouts sent out
to recapture Slatin
that Hawanein put
in his appearance
at Omdurman. He
was at once seized,
accused of assisting
in the escape of
Slatin, and also of
having returned to
effect mine. Plead-
ing ignorance of
myself and Slatin,
he was not be-
lieved, but was first
sent into the Saier,
and then, refusing
to confess, taken
out and publicly
flogged ; even this,
however, did not
Khalifa, not being

(URITE WAS BEING SHACKLEI
INTO A SENSE OF MANHOOD.'

extort a confession. The
satisfied, ordered yet another
flogging, but the Ihsharas interceded for Hawa-
nein, and succeeded in obtaining his release. As
my would-be deliverer passed through the portals
of the Saier I passed in — March 26th, 1895.
Hawanein lost no time in returning to Assouan,
where the relation of his experiences — with his
torn back and unhealed wounds to bear him
out — put an end finally to all attempts in that
quarter to assist me in any way whatever.

It might be as well that I should not
saieVonce attempt to describe my mental con-
More. ditjon on finding myself once more in

the ghastly Saier prison. I have a faint idea
of what my state must have been. Despair
cannot describe it — insanity at blasted hopes
might. Yes, I must have been insane ; but
I was mentally sound — if such a contradic-
tion of terms be permissible. I remember that
for days I shuffled about, refusing to look at or

speak to anyone.
Perhaps what
brought me round
was that, in my
perambulations, I
came near the Saier
anvil and heard a
man crying. It
was Ibrahim Pasha
Fauzi, Gordon's
old favourite, who
was being shackled.
My expostulations
on his acting as a
child, and bullying
him into a sense
of manhood, again
prevented that
slender thread
between reason
and insanity from
snapping. It must
in some way have
calmed and com-
forted me to be
brought to the
knowledge that
others were suffer-
ing as much as I
was, and like a
child requiring care
and attention itself,
giving all its affec-
tion and sympathy
to a limbless doll,
so must I have
given my sympathy
to Fauzi, and in
so doing took a step back from the abyss of
insanity which I was certainly walking over the
edge of.

When Said Abd el Wohatt was transferred
from the Khartoum to the Alti saltpetre works,
his father-in-law, Ali Khaater, the storekeeper of
the Omdurman arsenal, considered he was no
longer obliged to risk his neck by mixing the
Khartoum product with the Fellati's, or sub-
stituting for it the good saltpetre in stock. A
consignment of mine was consequently sent
direct to- the powder factory, and was used in
making what Abd es Semmieh and Hosny, the
directors, believed would be a good and powerful

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

The result, while being eminently

myself, was just the reverse for

■Me for making the stuff.

V | being certain where the fault

"«* . they mixed this powder

i a quantity o( really good powder

. the Fellati's product, but only

in spoiling the whole bulk. When

my nsignment was sent in they carried

me experiments, and, discovering where

fault lay, sent me an intimation that if our

not turn out saltpetre equal in quality

rmerly supplied by us, I should be

irted to the Khalifa. Nahoum Abbajee,

ring o\ the affair, came to me in a state of

tement, and pointed out the danger I was

IN GREAT EXCITEMENT, AND POINTED OUT THE DANGER
I WAS RUNNING INTO."

running into ; and as he was then trying to
think out an invention for coining money, he
suggested that he should apply to the Khalifa
for my services in assisting him. This request
Abdullahi was only too glad at the time to
accede to ; saltpetre was coming in in large
quantities, and he was in great trouble about
his monetary system.

Khalifa, he was entitled to one-fifth of

all loot, property, taxes, and goods coming in
to the Beit el Mai; and as all property of
whatever description was considered to belong
primarily to this administration, it followed
that Abdullahi was entitled to one-fifth of
the property in the Soudan. But as he him-
self had not much use for hides, skins, gum,
ivory, and such like, he took his proportion
in coin — after putting his own valuation upon
his share.

As the money the Khalifa took from
omdurmkn.tlie Beit el Mai was hoarded and never
came into circulation again, a kind of
specie famine presently set in. Attempts had
been made in the early days of Abdullahi's rule
to produce a dollar with a fair modicum of
silver in its composition ; but Nur
el Garfawi, Adlan's successor at
the Beit el Mai, came to the con-
clusion evidently that a coin was
but a mere token, and that, there-
fore, it was immaterial what it was
made of, provided it carried some
impression upon it. The quantity
of silver in his dollars grew less
and less, and even then was only
represented by a light plating,
which wore off in a few weeks'
time. When people grumbled, he
unblushingly issued copper dollars,
pure and simple. All dollars were
issued from the Beit el Mai as
being of value equivalent to the
silver dollar, and when the baser
sort were refused, the Khalifa
decreed that all future offenders
should be punished by the confis-
cation of their property and the
loss of a hand and foot. The
merchants, though, were equal to
the occasion. When an intending
purchaser inquired about the price
of an article, the vendor asked him
in what coinage he intended to
pay ; and the merchant then knew
what price to ask.

As the silver dollars
gradually disappeared,
the few remaining ones
went up enormously in
value, until in the end they were valued at fifty
to sixty of the Beit el Mai coins— so that an
article which could be bought for one silver
dollar could not be purchased under fifty to
sixty copper dollars. And, although a rate of
i xchange was forbidden, the Beit el Mai took
advantage of the state of affairs by buying in the
copper dollars, melting them up, recasting them,
and then striking from a different die. These

Silver

Dollars

Disappear.

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

235

coins would be again issued at the value of a silver
dollar, and the remaining copper dollars in the
town put out of circulation by the Beit el Mai
refusing to receive them. To make matters
worse, the die-cutters cut dies for themselves
and their friends ; and it was well worth the
while of the false (?) coiners to make a dollar of
better metal than the Beit el Mai did, for these
were accepted at a premium. The false coinage
business flourished, until Elias el Kurdi, one of
the best of the die cutters, was permanently
incapacitated by losing his right hand and left
foot ; and this punishment — for a time at least
— acted as a deterrent to others, leaving the
Beit el Mai the entire monopoly of coinage.

Sovereigns might at any time be
DTraade.of bought for a dollar, for their possessors
were glad to get rid of them. Being
found in possession of a gold coin denoted
wealth, and many people attempting to change
a gold piece returned home to find their hut in
the hands of the Beit el Mai officials, who would
be searching for the remainder of the presumed
"gold hoard," and, failing to find one, they
would confiscate the goods and chattels of the
indiscreet person. The trade with the Egyptian
frontier, Suakin and Abyssinia, was carried on
through the medium of barter and the Mustrian
(Maria Theresa) trade dollar.

It was while the peculiar currency question
was at its height that Abbajee came forward
with his scheme for a coining press ; and, in

under Roversi, in the department for the re-
pression of the slave trade. Although ten years
had elapsed since the fall of Khartoum, the
arsenal must have been in as perfect working
order as when Gordon made it into a model
Woolwich workshop. Power was obtained from
a traction-engine, which drove lathes, a rolling-
mill, drills, etc. ; while punches, iron scissors,
and smaller machinery were worked by hand.

In the shops proper were three engines
w™k'lhops.and boilers complete, ready to be

fitted into Nile steamers ; and dupli-
cates and triplicates of all parts of the machinery
then in use were also ready in case of accidents.
Smelting, casting, moulding, and modelling were
all carried on in the place. The store-room
was filled with every imaginable tool and article
required for the smithy, carpenters' shops, and
the boats. All the metal of the Soudan had
been collected here. There were parts of cotton
presses and sugar mills ; bars of steel and iron :
ingots of brass and copper ; iron, copper, and
brass plates ; and the heavier class of tools and
implements. I was assured by Osta Abdallah,
a rivetter in the shops in Gordon's time, that
there was enough material in the place to build
three more boats and keep the whole fleet
going for many years. He did not exaggerate,
either. All other administrations were supplied
by the Khartoum arsenal with whatever they
required in the way of tools, furniture, iron
and other metal work, cartridge presses, and

IX THE CENTRE OF THE ABOVE PHOTO.

From a]

YOU WILL SEE KHALF.EL HASSANEIN, WHO HAD CHARGE OF THE .
ARSENAL AT KHARTOUM. [Photo.

order that I might assist him, I was transferred
to the Khartoum arsenal. I was obliged to
give up my quarters in the Mission buildings,
and live with the bodyguard of thirty Baggaras
in the house of Hamadan, the Mahdist < '.overnor
of Khartoum. The arsenal was presided over
by Khaleel Hassanein, at one time a clerk

steel blocks for coinage ; and very efficiently
indeed was the work turned out.

The little time I spent in the arsenal
Hoiwadeey was> °f course, fully occupied with the

Money

men were

steel

Coinage question. Two

kept constantly engaged casting square
blocks for the Omdurman mint. These

THE WIDE WORLD MAC.AXINE.

shed and cut in Omdurman,

lerally in use at the
»sibly two hundred men wen
in the melting of the copper and
t into moulds the size and thickness ol
rhe discs were next passed on to
ve them the impression. This
iy placing the disc on the lower
and then hammering the upper block
n ::. The impressions produced were in the
r : the coins spread and split,
onstantly splitting and
breaking. After we
had studied the pro-
■ ■( :ss, and Abbajee
had explained his
ideas of a press, I
suggested we should
commence opera-
tions with the punch-
We

Neufeld

on the

Khalifa's

Treasure.

IL WE HAD SUCCEEDED IN SMASHING DIES AND SPOILINI
SHEETS OF COPPER."

rimented until we had succeeded in smash-
ing dies and spoiling sheets of copper — and in
the end smashing the machine itself; when
Abbajee. as chief of the operations, was roundly
Being of an excitable temperament, he
wanted me to take part of the blame, but I only
laughed at him. Then it was that I learned he

had just reason to be angry ; he had gone surety
for me with the Khalifa, and as I was expecting
Hawanein and Abdallah every day, I kept the
quarrel going until Abbajee left the work in dis-
gust. You see, I wished him to be out of the
way when I escaped. His return to Omdurman,
leaving me in complete charge of the invention,
put an end to his surety for me. I might have
saved myself this trouble, and the temporary
misunderstanding with my old friend, for, before
I had time to settle upon an idea for a coining
press, Slatin effected his sensational escape, and
I was taken back to the Saier.

I have been frequently asked what
estimate should be put upon the
Khalifa's buried treasure. Really, it is
next to impossible to say; one thing
only is certain : All good gold and silver jewel-
lery and coins have altogether disappeared
during the last fifteen years — though, of
course, thousands of individuals may have their
hoards here and there. Some idea
of what the Khalifa's treasure may
amount to might be gleaned from
an examination of the Beit el Mai
books, for these were well kept. The
real question is : Where is Abdul-
lahi's wealth ? But this is a matter
which people need not trouble them-
selves about. It was generally
believed in Omdurman that those
who actually buried the money were
soon afterwards buried themselves —
" Dead men tell no tales." I doubt
myself if the Khalifa's hoards will
ever be found — officially. The
fortunate discoverers are hardly likely
to exhibit any particular anxiety to
ask their friends or the Government
to share in their good fortune. Per-
haps a small amount may be found,
but it will be a very small one. The
few millions the Khalifa has buried
in various places will, no doubt, be
discovered some day, and we shall
hear about it — but a long time after
the fact.

It was some days after my return
to the Saier before I learned that I
had been imprisoned against the
wish of the Khalifa and Yacoub;
but Hamadan and Khaleel Has-
sanein, fearing that I might escape, declined to be
responsible lor me any longer, arguing that
Slatin's escape had been effected through Govern-
ment agents, and that mine would certainly follow.
Therefore, in deference to the wishes of Hassa-
nein more than those of Hamadan, the Khalifa
ordered my return to the Saier. But it is very

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

probable that he sent Idris es Saier instructions
how to treat me ; so that, taking it all in all, my
lite was not rendered so unendurable as it had
been on my first entry into the prison.

Added to Abdullahi's kindly interest (?)
"interest.'^ m me> Idris himself had become a sort

of reformed character ; he had tasted
the sweets of imprisonment himself, and also the
lash he had been so generous with. He had
even experienced what it was to be robbed on
the Nebbi Khiddr account ; the tables had, in
fact, been completely turned on him, and he had
learned a lesson. When Adlan was executed
and his house searched for incriminating papers
without result, Idris es Saier was accused by the
Khalifa of having assisted Adlan in disposing of
the documents he was in search of. Idris was
then imprisoned in his own house and flogged
into the bargain. He was in dis-
favour for some time, and this gave
the released Baggara prisoners an
opportunity of getting even with
him. They explained the cruel Nebbi
Khiddr extortion to Abdullahi, who
ordered Idris to repay all the moneys
he had collected on this account. He
was deprived of all he had, but
right up to the end any former Bag-
gara prisoner in want of a dollar
knew where to find one. He would,
in fact, present himself to Idris, and
ask for a further contribution towards
a settlement of his claim.

These importunities actually
Gloie"Bl|s.drove Idris into begging

from the prisoners. As Idris
never knew when the next call would
be made upon him, he found it
politic to be as kind and considerate
to the prisoners as possible, and he
relaxed discipline to the utmost. This
state of affairs, added to the presumed
instructions of the Khalifa regarding
myself, must have accounted for Idris
assembling the gaolers, and telling
them in my presence that I was only
brought into the Saier to prevent any
Government people carrying me off
to Egypt ; also that if any one of them
begged money from me or ill-treated me in any
way, he would be imprisoned, flogged, and
deprived of his post. Umm es Shole and her
child were to be allowed to come into the
prison at any hour they chose — but, and this
spoiled all, I was never to be allowed to sleep
out in the open, and must pass my nights in the
Umm Hagar. I have already described a night
in this ghastly " Black Hole " ; but it may not
be out of place to try and give a slight descrip-

Fauzl
Breaks
Down.

tion of the first night Ibrahim Pasha Fauzi
one of Gordon's favourite officers — spent in that
inferno, especially as he wishes me to do so.

When taken to the anvil, as I have
already remarked, Fauzi broke down
completely, and was carried off in a
swoon to the Umm Hagar, where he
was placed sitting with his back in the angle of
the wall farthest from the door, and there left,
as I was, to " come round." When the first
batch of prisoners was driven in at sunset there
was room for all to lie down on the foul and
saturated ground. But when the second batch
was driven in about an hour and half
later, those lying down had to sit up with
the new-comers ; and poor Fauzi's out-
stretched legs gave a dry and comfortable seat
to four big Soudanese. I was driven in with the

IDRIS ASSEMBLED THE GAOLERS, TELLING THEM THAT I WAS ONLY IN THE
SAIEK TO PREVENT GOVERNMENT PEOPLE FROM CARRYING ME ml.'

third batch after the night prayers, and then
all in the Umm Hagar had to stand up or be
trampled upon. Now Fauzi, still suffering from
the effects of the shell wound he received in
one of the sorties from Khartoum, with four
people sitting or standing on him, and being
heavily chained as well, was unable to rise to
his feet. I. could hear him from my place near
the door feebly expostulating with the people
who were standing upon him. I thought that

[Ill; WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

rampled to death, and in

I . ommenced to fight my

11. striking friend ami foe indis-

harder as I received

urn.

A m in pro-!

E*^**nl-. the few yards 1 had to travel, as

Main in the darkness who

they had received, and all struck

My friends told

that 1 was a "shaitan " (devil)—

id they showered other dubious

pon me. But I reached Fauzi.

g the uproar, had opened

binary, they commenced

• the heads of all they could reach

3 and whips. While the uproar

height, ami the prisoners swaying

side to side, I recognised the voices

>ne or two near Fauzi who were under

to me for occasional little kind-

in the way of food : and enlisting

rvices on most extravagant promises,

tackled the people standing on Fauzi's

. pushed them away, and then made a

of barricade round him with our bodies.

In clearing the space we must have struck each

r as often as we struck others whom we

wished to get out of the way, and Fauzi, the

unfortunate, half asphyxiated, could not tell

whether an attempt was being made to murder

or rescue him. When we did at last get him

we had to use a bit of old rag as a sort of

punkah in order to bring him round ; then he

babbled. About midnight the doors of the cell

were thrown open again, and about twenty men,

each wearing a shayba, thrust into the place.

Practically there was no room for them, but

had to be driven in by some means.

i make space for them the gaolers
a*ftUtapot!"r'-'^>rt. d to a favourite device — throw-
ing into the cell handfuls of blazing
straw and grass, at the same lime laying about
the bare heads and shoulders of the prisoners
with their huge whips. The scene must tie
imagined. Fauzi, seeing the fire falling on the
heads of the prisoners, believed that he had
really been sent to hell ; he even communed
with himself in a dazed sort of way as to
er he was in hell or not. He appeared
:dl to memory all that he had ever read
of the place of torment, and tried to compare
the picture his brain had formed of it from the
descriptions with what he was now actually
experiencing, and he came to the conclusion
that he could not be in hell, as hell could not be
so bad. At this stage I was able to get him to
take notice of me, and we discussed hell and
orments until sunrise. But nothing could

even now shake Fauzi's opinion that hell could

bad as such a night in the Umm Hag
and the worst lie can wish his deadliest enemy
is to pass such a night. To Youssef Mansour
he wishes an eternity of them. This Mansour
was formerly an officer in the Egyptian Army,
who had surrendered with the garrison at El
Obeid.

He afterwards became the favourite of
aTpens1on. the Mahdi, the commander of his
artillery, and commanded it at the great
and final Battle of Onidurman. It was on the
representations of Mansour that the Christian
captives were circumcised, and Fauzi placed in
the Saier — as he (Fauzi) was known to be loyal
to the Government, and Mansour was afraid
that if the Government troops advanced Fauzi
would seize an opportunity of joining them.
And, as I write, I hear that Mansour is coming
to Cairo to claim his back pay and pension
from the Egyptian Government !

Among others who spent that memorable
night in the Saier were Ahmed and Bakheit
Egail ; Sadik Osman ; Abou el Besherand others
from Berber, who were arrested for assisting in
the escape of Slatin. They were later trans-
ported to the convict station at Gebel Ragaf on
the evidence of the guide Zecki, who conducted
Slatin from Omdurman to Berber. Zecki had
been arrested with them on suspicion of com-
plicity in the escape, and had confessed that he
had been engaged by Egail and others to bring
away from Omdurman a man with " cat's eyes "
— but did not know who the man was.

Close to the common cell was a kind of off-
shoot of it — a smaller chamber named " Bint
Umm Hagar"(the daughter of Umm Hagar),
which took the place of the condemned cell in
Europe. On my return to prison I learned
that my old enemy, Kadi Ahmed, had been
confined there for a year; the ostensible reason
for his imprisonment was that he had been in
league with the false coiners, and had made
large amounts of money. But the real reason
was that the Khalifa was angry with him on
account of the death of Zecki Tummal, who
had conducted the Abyssinian campaign when
King John was killed.

Kadi Ahmed had been induced by
ju^tiJl! Vacoub to sentence Zecki to imprison-
ment and starvation ; so when Ahmed's
turn came, the Khalifa said, " Let him receive
the same punishment as Zecki." He was placed
in the Bint Umm Hagar, and after about ten
months the doorway was built nf and there
Ahmed was left, with his ablution bottle of
water only, for forty-three days according to
one tale, and fifty days according to another.
When, for days, no sounds had been heard from

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

239

his living tomb, he was presumed to be dead;
but on the doorway being opened up, to the
astonishment — not to say superstitious fear — of
all, he was still alive, but unconscious. And the
once big, fat Kadi had wasted to a skeleton.

"IMF. ON'CK BIG, FAT KADI HAD WASTED TO A SKI (lIR

WAI-LED UP ALIVE BY ORDER OF THE KHALIFA.)

Abdullahi must have received a fright too, for
he ordered Ahmed to be tenderly nursed and
given small doses of nourishing food every
twenty-four hours, until the stomach was able to
retain food given oftener. In spite of all care
and attention, however, the Kadi died on or
about May 3rd, 1895. He was regretted by no
one but the Khalifa, in whose hands he had
been a willing tool, dispensing justice (?) as his
master dictated it — only to die the lingering
death in the end to which he had condemned
so many at his imperious master's nod.

Kadi Ahmed's place in the " Bint " was soon
taken by his successor — -Kadi Hussein Wad
Zarah. His offence was that of refusing to
sentence people unjustly when ordered to do so
by the Khalifa and Yacoub.

When first walled up in his tomb, he
WAiiYe.up was given through a small aperture left
for the purpose a little food and water
every four or five days, but towards the end of
July, 1895, the doorway was built up entirely,
and Zarah, not being the big stout man that
Ahmed was, starved, or rather parched, to death
in about twenty-two or twenty-three days. It is
hot in the Soudan in July.

During the first weeks of my imprisonment,
Umm es Shole had little difficulty in begging a
small quantity of grain, and borrowing an

HAD

occasional dollar to keep us in food ; but soon
people became afraid of assisting us any further,
and we were bordering upon semi-starvation,
when, in the month of September, an Abyssinian
woman came into the prison to see me under
pretence of requiring medical treat-
ment. She handed me a small packet,
which she said contained letters from
my friends. They had been given to
her by a man outside, who had said that
he also had money for me, and wished
to know whom he should pay it to.

Three days elapsed before I
o? Letters, found an opportunity of open-
ing the packet unobserved,
and, as with all letters received and
written then, I had to wait until I
found myself alone in the pestilential
atmosphere of an annexe to the place
of ablution. The packet contained a
letter from my sister, posted in 1891 ;
another from Father Ohrwalder, and a
note from Major Wingate. They were
all to the same import — to keep up
hope, as attempts were to be made to
assist me. Nearly two months must
have slipped away before I succeeded
in getting my replies written. I sent
these to the guide, Onoor Issa, who
promised he would return for me in a
few months' time. Father Ohrwalder has handed
me the letter I sent to him. The following is
in brief its contents : —

I have received your letter inclosing that of my sister
written four years ago, and the note from Wingate.
Before everything else, let me thank you for the
endeavours you are making to assist me. Your letter
was delayed in reaching me owing to the imprisonment
of the guide, followed by the watch kept upon us after
Slatin's escape, and my transfer to the Saier, from which
I hope to be released soon. There is great need of coins
here ; up to the present, no one has been able to produce
a silver-resembling dollar.

If I could produce such a coin it would lead
a Letter tl) my release from prison, and lend proba-
Neufeid. bility to my chances of escape. Could you

send me instructions for the simple mixing of
any soft metals to produce a silvery appearance, and send
me some ingredients ? I should like also an instrument
to imitate the milling of coins ; the dies can be cut here.
I should be glad of any tools or instruments which you
think cannot be had here. If I am not released by the
time these arrive, 1 feel sure that I shall be released
through their agency. Please send the inclosed notes to
their respective destinations, and when the answers arrive,
send them on with the things I ask for. Can you give
me any news as to how my business is progressing at
Assouan, and the transactions of my manager ? Our
common friends here are in a sad way. Slatin will have
told you all about the forced circumcisions ; and now all
the Christians have been ordered to marry three or four
wives, and are engaged with marriage ceremonies.
Beppo and I are in prison together in chains ; other
prisoners are Ibrahim P'auzi, and Ibrahim Hamza, of
Berber, who was arrested after Slatin's escape ; Ahmed

llll. WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

en trans-

tions. Your

:h him J which have been

I 1 inclose lii> receipt for them.

; I incl Wingate. I

but I under-

ret.

not let the newspaper

o'ThV 5 you know, if they

Prr***" le my head. Perhaps, if

get them I mething

i help in. : "We hear that, after the

\ scape : he

Mahdieh with the saltpetre;

Vbdallah, who is now

1.1 is in the . and

in death close at hand : the

believe I lation of Slatin."

In the same letter I ask for details of any
sums which may have been sent up to me, and
r a quantity
s, ami
no fewer
than 2,500 aphro-
disiac pills, which
Idri- S ier had

f( >r. These
would have given
me, as they had
given many others.

rtain free
throughout the Sou-
dan. They were re-
quired strong— as I
wrote to Father Ohr-
wa 1 d er — s t r o ng
enough to have
•_ on Idris him-
self.

oor Issa went
oft" with my replies,
undertaking to re-
turn in a few months,
after having made
arrang ents be-
:i Berber and
Cairo for my escape.
During his absence
I was to scheme for
any excuse to get

out of prison : escape from there was impossible.
Onoor — or the translators of his accounts — are
mistaken in saying he actually met me in prison.
. all negotiations were carried on
through the Abyssinian woman he employed to
come into the prison for " medical attendance,"
and Umm es Shole. Sometimes days and days
elapsed between the visits, in all covering
maybe two months.

There were times or mental tension in
■rTmeTfn the Saier of Omdurman. To me ill luck
the saier. an(j g00(j \uck appeared to be ever

IS A I'ORTRAIT '>!•' ONOOR ISSA, THE GUIDE WHO KEPT GOING BACK-
kDS AND FORWARDS, TRYING TO I R. NEUFELD's RELEASE.

striving for ascendency during my long cap-
tivitv. Good lurk gained in the end — the
same good link which had accompanied -the
Sirdar throughout his daring campaign to con-
quer, not only Abdullah, but the Soudan, and
which, God grant, may ever accompany him in
future campaigns ; but the cup-and-ball-catch-
and-miss strain was to me terrible. My one
prayer was that the end — any end — might come.
Liberty, of course, I always hoped for; but
I often discovered myself speculating as to
whether it was true or not that those suddenly
decapitated by a single blow experienced some
seconds of really intellectual consciousness. I
used to wonder to myself whether, when
my head was rolled into the dust by the
Khalifa's executioner, there would be time

to give one last look
of defiance ; and yet,
when one comes to
think of it, there was
nothing very strange
in such contempla-
tion. What soldier
or sailor has not
often in his quiet
moments tried to
picture his own
death — defiant to
the last as he goes
down before a more
powerful enemy?

And, after
Re™**.' all, thous-
ands and
thousands of men
and women in civi-
lized countries are
enduring a worse
captivity and im-
prisonment than
ever I or any one
else did in the Sou-
dan ; but they are
unfortunate in this
— that no one has

thrown a halo of
romance over their sufferings. My lot was a
hard —a very hard— one, I must admit ; but the
lot of some other captives was such that
thousands in Europe would have actually
coveted, and gained by the exchange.

ion after the departure of my messenger,
Onoor Issa, I was saved any further trouble in
the way of scheming for excuses to get out of
the Saier. Awwad el Mardi, the successor of
Nur el Gerafawi as the Amin Beit el Mai on the
appointment of the latter as director of the
Khalifa's ordnance stores, had been approached

IN THE KHALIFA'S CLUTCHES.

-41

by Nahoum Abbajee and others on the subject
of the extraction of gold and silver from certain
stones which had been discovered in the neigh-
bourhood. Awvvad sent Nahoum to see me
about the erection of a crushing-mill or furnaces.
My interview with Nahoum was a
intlrvri™w. stormy one ; it commenced by his up-
braiding me for the pranks I had
played in smashing the arsenal punching-
machine when we were associated in the
establishment of a mint. The more I laughed
the angrier Nahoum became ; he is deaf, and like
many deaf people, invariably speaks in ar
undertone, which is as distressing to the
hearer as is the necessity of bawling back his
replies. It is next to impossible to hold a
conversation with a deaf person without the
natural result of raising the voice exhibiting
itself in the features. The annoyance is there
plain enough, and when the face flushes with
the unwonted exertion, your deaf friend thinks
you are getting angry, and follows suit. This is
precisely what Abbajee did. He showed me
his specimens, and
I bawled into his
ear, "Mica — not
gold. Not silver
— mica"; and he
yelled back," Cold
— silver — gold ! "
The noisy discus-
sion, accompanied
as it was with
frantic gesticula-
tions, attracted
other prisoners
round us, and Na-
houm went off in
high dudgeon.
When he had gone
a few of my friends
asked why I did
not offer to assist
him, and even if
the thing was a
failure, the y
thought I was
clever enough to

find something else to do. Said they, " Promise
anything, provided it gets you out of the
Saier."

Now,

Reasons ,vl-.,7.1,
for Delay. " lllCIl

why
should occupy months

there were excellent reasons,

I might not confide to them.

any work I undertook to do

and, if necessary, years

in completion. To offer to assist Nahoum in
extracting gold and silver from such stones meant
that two or three weeks at the outside would
evidence our failure, and then it would be the
Saier again for me. Whether any work I under-
took to do for the Khalifa was to end in success
or failure was immaterial to me ; but what was
very material was that the result — whatever it
was to be — should not be attained for months,
as by the time my guides returned the conditions
surrounding my escape might have so changed
as to necessitate an entire change in plans and
programme. They might even entail the guides'
return to Cairo or the frontier, and this journey
occupied months. However, the advice to
accept Nahoum's proposals, and trust to luck

to discovering
some other excuse
for remaining
out of the Saier
when failure could
no longer be con-
cealed, appealed to
me ; and, in reply
to my offer ol
assistance, a mes-
senger came from
the Khalifa order-
ing the Saier to
hand me over to
the director of the
Beit el Mai. Other
instructions were
that the bars and
heavy chains were
to be taken off my
feet and legs, and
I was to be secured
by a single pair of
anklets connected
with a light chain.

"HE SHOWED ME HIS SPECIMEN'S, AND I BAWLED INTO HIS EAR,
' MICA — NOT GOLD.' "

{To be con tinned.)

Vol. iv.— 30.

L Underground Fires at Broken Hill.

\\\ Ras i>i S. Macntsskn.

sident in the famous "Silver Town" of New South Wales sends a thrilling account of the vast
subterranean fires that have blazed fiercely for years in the fabulously rich Proprietary Mine,
of remarkably impressive photographs, showing how these weird conflagrations were
fought by means of water, steam, sand, and carbonic acid gas.

IRES that have laid in ashes
immense areas of valuable property ;
hies that have destroyed villages and
towns, and even large portions of
cities, are so common nowadays
that they are dismissed with mere daily Press
mention. A fire that hums for years is, however,
still a novelty. In Australia two such fires blaze
in the one mine, and that the greatest silver-lead

I V,E THROUGH MILES UPON MILES OF THESE TIMBER WORKINGS.

From a Photo.

mine of the world. Mine fires, unfortunately, are
not rare — not much rarer than fires in busy
centres of population ; but the great majority of
them are extinguished in the course of a few days
or, at most, weeks. Usually a sea of water is
pumped down on the fired area, and the con-
flagration swamped out ; then the water is re-
pumped to the surface, and after a few days'
muddy, uncomfortable work, the men are
to resume their ordinary labours. But

the occurrence of an underground fire that
cannot be conquered is fortunately uncommon.
Any fire that occurs below the surface of the
earth, where thousands of men imperil their
lives in their daily work, is an event that calls
for sympathy — sympathy for the poor miners,
and sympathy for the unlucky company owning
the property. For the mine is then thrown out
of work and men cast into the ranks of the
unemployed. The company is
saddled with a dead asset;
and under ordinary circum-
stances affluence on the part
of both masters and men is
apt to give way to dire poverty.
Too often, also, a fire of such
a serious nature is attended
by loss of life.

Two gigantic fires of the
extraordinary character indi-
cated here occurred in the
world-famous Broken Hill Pro-
prietary Silver and Lead Mine,
at Broken Hill, in New South
Wales. Broken Hill is a
strange town, that has risen
within the last fifteen years in
the centre of the Australian
desert, in the midst of
red sand and barren ridges,
on what was once part of
a large sheep station.
Fifteen years ago there was
no Broken Hill, only a
paddock of Mount Gipps
Station, where scrub and salt bush vainly strove
to flourish, and wallabies, emus, and wild turkeys
wandered unmolested. To-day the town has a
population of 28,000 souls. It is connected by
railway with Adelaide ; is supplied with most of
the adjuncts of civilization — though some of
them are costly luxuries ; and by reason of the
magnitude of its exports and imports it is
second in importance in New South Wales only
to Sydney, the capital city.

UNDERGROUND FIRES AT BROKEN HILL.

243

Yet within three-quarters of a mile of the
centre of this astonishing town there still burns
a fire that broke out on July 21st, 1895. About
a quarter of a mile from it — maybe less — there
burns another, which first caused alarm on
September 12th, 1897. The Broken Hill
Proprietary Mine proper consists of three
blocks held under mineral lease, each about
forty acres in extent. From May, 1885, until
May, 1898, these blocks produced 352,780
tons of lead ; 93,648,83702. of silver, and
35,288oz. of gold. And they distributed to the
shareholders in dividends ,£6,616,000, and in
bonuses and " pup " shares ,£2,408,000. These
are figures to juggle with. The blocks com-
prising the mine are numbered 11, 12, and 13.

The first fire in the mine broke out in Block
11 somewhere between the 100ft. and 300ft.
levels. Only a few days previously a deplorable
disaster in the South mine, in which nine men
lost their lives, had plunged the town into
mourning. Between seven and eight o'clock on
the evening of July 21st, 1895, the alarm of fire
was given. The alarm signalled was for "along
the line of lode." What such an outbreak
meant few of the citizens knew from actual ex-
perience. Miners and others hurried to the
mine, to see nothing but a thin smoke whirling
upwards from the Drew, McGregor, and

DENSE, STUPEFYING MIST, WHICH RAPIDLY AFFECTED THEIR SENSES

From a Plwto.

Weatherly shafts, and also from one of the
open cuts. The manager of the mine and his
officers sped below, to find the drives filled
with a druse, stupefying mist, which rapidly
affected their senses and caused a hasty retreat.
An endeavour was made to locate the seat of

the fire, but the thing was impossible. Men
attempted to enter the fumes, onl\ to stumble
back choking and gasping. Quickly the fumes
and smoke thickened. The fire brigade arrived,
and adopted the usual methods of fighting a
fire. Hose was sent below and water pumped
in the direction of the flames — or where the
flames were supposed to be. Then they could
not be seen. Very soon it was realized that the
enemy was no ordinary one, and would require
a particular form of attack. What was the
form ? No one knew for certain. Had any-
one been able definitely to locate the trouble a
decided scheme might have been adopted. But
no one was. Theory was all very well, but the
result of experience was what was wanted, and
that was lacking. Meanwhile the fire spread.
Stopes, cross-cuts, drives — all became ablaze.
The huge timbers of the mine (Oregon pine
chiefly — a very resinous wood) smouldered and
fired and generated poisonous gases. "Pyrolig-
neous gases" these have since been called, their
chief property being best represented by the
chemical formula C02. You all know what that
means — "after-damp.'' It became more and
more dangerous to go into the smoke, and men
had to confine their operations chiefly to the
edges, where the fumes were weakest. Towards
midnight, the signal was given by whistle for

'• rescue men " ; and for
the first time the ordinary
citizen understood that
something serious was
amiss. The response to the
call was generous, and with
increased assistance more
work was accomplished.

The flames had been
seen at the bottom of
Harry's Open Cut, and
huge volumes of smoke
ascended. From the
shafts, too, the smoke
increased. More hose was
laid, more water poured
below, down shaft and
open cut alike. Under
the orders of the manage-
ment all energies were
then directed towards im-
prisoning the fire, to pre-
vent its extending ; and
throughout that fateful
night large bodies of sweating men laboured
bravely erecting barricades, fighting to stay
their livelihood being entirely swallowed

What was done that night will ever
live in the memories of many. Lives were
endangered every moment ; hardy miners were

Mil wmi. world MAGAZINE.

FIGHTING THE UNDERGROUND FLAMES IN" HARRYS OPEN CUT.
From a Photo.

utterly prostrated. Sheer fatigue knocked over
nearly as many as the gases. Yet all worked on,
with what result no one knew, for the smoke
• denser and denser. It crept through the
ices of the harricades, rushed along the
unprotected drives, and thickened in the cut,
until the workers, casting about for a simile,
thought of themselves as
working in the bowels of
a live volcano. All this
time the heat was intense,
and was ever increasing.

In the morning a more

. t plan of campaign
was adopt..]. It was
proved impossible to get
at the seat of the fire
in the underground work-
ings. Therefore, the only
thing to do was to tackle
it from above. The blaze
was directly underneath
the bottom of what was
known as Harry's Open
Cut, one of a series of
huge quarries — this one
was then 75ft. deep —
where the ore was dug
out in the manner of quarrying ordinary
building stone. Many lengths of fire-hose
laid into the cut, and tons of water
thrown in, in the hope that this would percolate
through the earth on to the blazing timbers.
Thus an endeavour was made to flood part of
the mine. Work elsewhere on the property was
stopped, to allow a full supply of men to be

kept on the great task.
N et the fire gained. And
it was not for a couple of
days that the magnitude
of the outbreak was
thoroughly understood.

The news of the fire
was telegraphed all over
Australia, and soon from
Melbourne and Adelaide
rushed special trains con-
veying the directors of the
company and the best fire
experts of the great cities.
The latter arrived, and
saw, and advised — and
admitted themselves
beaten. To check a con-
flagration that threatened
to destroy a whole city
would have been child's
play compared with what
confronted them. Huge
charges of "fracteur" were exploded at the
bottom of the cut, with the idea of dislodging
masses of the earth into the burning area,
so as to smother the fire. But the blasts
only made huge gaps in the ground, from which
additional sickening fumes arose. More water
was poured below, through these openings.

From a]

AM. THAI

ON THE Sl'KEACE.

yriwto

Tons of sand were also washed down. Steam
and carbonic acid gas were tried, but, like a
dragon of fable, the fire area ate and drank all
that was given it — and still burned. For full a
fortnight operations for extinguishing the fire
were carried on night and day ; then fears began
to be entertained for the safety of other parts of
the mine. Would the mine stand the strain

UNDERGROUND FIRES AT BROKEN HILL.

245

HBr^ £S

pr-.-* ^

" 1 '

^k 1 -•■

HERE WE SEE THE MEN* PREPARING TO SEND DOWN CARBONIC ACID GAS rO

Froma] extinguish the fires, steam and sand were also tried. [Photo.

of the immense volume of water sent into it ?
This was a question anxiously asked. The
management was afraid, so active fighting was
eased and chief attention turned to pumping
out the water that lay in the lower levels
several feet deep, and to blocking in the
fire so completely that it could not pos-
sibly spread. This was accomplished, the fire
caged, and work in the rest of the mine gradu-
ally resumed. But the
area blocked off was a
large one. The remain-
der of the blocks was not
extensive enough to find
work for all the nun
previously employed;
neither could all the sur-
face mills be kept running
with the output from the
safe section. So of the
2,900 men on the pay list,
1,260 had to be dis-
charged.

The Block 1 1 fire, truly,
was a sad occurrence for
many. No one was killed
in it — nor, strange to say,
more than temporarily
affected by working in the
gaseous fumes ; but of the
1,260 men thrown out of
work, very many for a
long time could not find
employment elsewhere. Not very long before,
an historical strike had terminated, and the
workers were just beginning again to "feel their
feet." The fire threw them back, and much
suffering followed.

No attempt has yet been made to take away
the blockings. The lire is still active, and a
current of air let in would only revive it. Often

from the bottom of the big cut
steam and smoke rise. On very
muggy days the smell of the burn-
ing timbers and ores spreads over
the town. Frequently the men
employed in the cut (which has
been considerably deepened since
1895) find the ironstone on which
they may be working so hot that
it has to be continually doused
with water to allow necessary
operations to proceed.

The other great fire that has dis-
turbed the regular working of the
Proprietary Mine was discovered
between six and seven o'clock on
the morning of Sunday,
September 12th, 1897. Two
watchmen, Carroll and Bolitho by name,
going their rounds, were amazed on entering
Darling's 200ft. level (Block 12) to find that a
stiff blaze was roaring there, and had apparently
been roaring for some time. Block 12 adjoins
Block 1 1, and the site of the fire was only
about a quarter of a mile from that of its pre-
decessor. The alarm was soon given. First
the fire-whistles were sounded. Immediately

From a]

I.IKE A DRAGON OF FA1ILE, THE FIRE ATE AND DRANK ALL THAT WAS GIVEN IT.

(NOTICE THE GREAT GAS-PIPE AMOVE.)

[Photo.

afterwards the whistles for the "rescue men"
were heard. The Proprietary alarm was taken
up by the other mines, and in a few minutes
pandemonium reigned. Everyone enjoying a
late Sunday snooze was awakened. Experience
teacheth ; and profiting by the lesson of
Block 11, a scheme of attack was soon
formulated. Unfortunately the fire had

THE WIDE WORM) MAGAZINE.

! V Till; FIRE HAD OBTAINED A STRONG FOOTING EKE IT WAS DISCOVERED.
Front a Photo.

lined a strong footing ere it was discovered,
How it started will always remain a mystery
The mine had been emptied of men at
midnight, and no one but the watch-
men should have gone below after that.
However, the fire arose in some
worked -out stopes ; and probably
.Messrs. Carroll and Bolitho thought
that from there least of all was danger
to be expected.

Two of the first men to descend to
burning region were General
Manager Stewart and Mine Manager
Horwood. One descended Dickenson's
and the other Darling's shaft. Both
had to return to the surface very
quickly, however, for the gases bred by
the blazing timbers were overpowering.
Within an hour the iooft, 200ft., and
300ft. levels were all thickly crowded
with sn But the lessons taught

over two years before were stern ones ;
and no matter how great the danger,
prompt action had to be taken. No
dilly-dallying was permissible. The
danger was acute none denied that ;
therefore, the management called for
volunteers to go below, and no one
but a volunteer was allowed to risk his
life. No on-.- was ordered to descend,
yet the result was splendid unanimity
in everything that was done ; and the
firemen, both those of the town and
thos-- of the mine, were promptly on
hand. The officers were allotted
various tasks in the sections, and the /.,.„','„'

where they
did not ask the

aim of all was, first to con-
line the fire, and then to
extinguish it. The first
only proved possible.
Again was an open cut
(Baxter and Saddler's
this time) of immense
value in tackling the
troubled area. The heart
of the fire was directly
under the cut, and
several worked-out shafts
were available for dis-
tributing the water.
Water and sand and steam
were brought into play.
All surface machinery
was stopped, so that
every available drop of
water could be utilized.
General Manager Stewart
and his officers led the
attack below ground, and
themselves could not go they
men to venture.

JENERAL MANAGER STEWART AND Ills OFFICERS II I' THE A i

a\ BELOW GROUND." [P/wlO.

UNDERGROUND FIRES AT BROKEN HILL.

>47

The writer has seen bravery in various shapes

on the battlefield, in a railway smash, in a

shipwreck — and yet he asserts that heroism
greater than that shown by the workers at
Block 12 fire could not be. Death from
burning, or suffocation, or falling ore stared
every man who went below in the face.
There was no wind above ground, so the
smoke and fumes hung about the workings
heavy and foul. Into these gases the men had
to penetrate, carrying with them lengths of
piping or hose, or bags of sand and mullock.
Part of the fire could at times be seen. An
attack would be made on the point for a
moment, and then the holder of the hose would
have to run far back for a mouthful of com-
paratively fresh air. More time was spent in
inhaling air than in actual work. To remain in
some spots more than a minute was to court
death. But bit by bit the work proceeded.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were
thrown on and around the conflagration from
every side. The untouched portions were made
safe. But at a cost — a frightful cost !

Three men lost their lives in the fire, from
suffocation. "Nearly ioo others were for a time
lingering on the borderland 'tween life and death
— some for half an hour, others for several hours.
As they laboured, men dropped down like logs,
stupefied and senseless, and had to be dragged
out of danger by their gasping comrades. Some
recovered in a minute or two on reaching a
clear drive. Many had to be helped to the
surface, where four doctors were on continual
duty for two whole days and nights. A tem-
porary hospital was erected of canvas and
Hessian to contain about eighteen patients.
This soon proved much too small, however,
and its size was doubled. Saddening and

IS THE TEMPORARY HOSPITAL FOR EIGHTEEN PATIENTS WHIG
From a] THE SURFACE. FOUR DOCTORS WERE CONSTANTLY ON

heartrending it was to see strong, brawny
miners brought to the surface in the arms
of comrades and chums. Some looked
already like dead men ; others, just what they
were — men in a bad faint or fit. Others
arrived from below literally " drunk " with the
fumes, and in their delirium eager to fight all
and sundry ; or babbling hysterically of green
meadows and running brooks. Managers,
bosses, miners, all were alike affected. A
number had, after a prolonged stay in the
hospital, to be sent home disabled. But many,
in half an hour's time, were ready and anxious
to go below again. Those who had mates
underground would not remain idle while they
were in danger. Time and again the same
men were overpowered by the terrible "C02"
and hospitalled, until the medical men earned
much abuse by absolutely forbidding any
" fumed " man to return to anything but
surface work. Yet a few did venture below,
in the face of this prohibition. All griev-
ances against the company were forgotten.
" We must save the mine," was the motto of
each ; and well they acted up to it. All
were fighting for their daily bread, but that
alone did not inspire them. Rescues, deserving
of the V.C. or Albert Medal, were accomplished,
but the heroes' only reward will be in historical
recollection and in the small gratuity presented
by the company — and quickly "melted." So
effective was the work accomplished that within
three days the fire was virtually hemmed in and
under control ; then the blocking-up was more
leisurely and thoroughly carried out.

For a couple of months afterwards the fumes
in the mine were so powerful that the men were
at times dazed and overcome. For over a week
a doctor was always on the mine and was
seldom idle. Nearly twelve months
afterwards a party of men clearing
out an old shaft near the fire area
had a narrow escape from death,
and were rescued only at great risk.
Block 12 fire — like Block n —
still burns away merrily in a limited
section, fed by its own fumes, the
gases in the ore, and the charcoaled
timber. When it will be a thing of
the past is beyond human ken.
Sad to say, both these tremendous
and apparently perpetual subter-
ranean fires are originally believed
to have been the work of incen-
diaries. There are man)' indications
in that direction, but although sus-
picion, especially in the later case,
rested on certain men, evidence of
guilt could never be produced.

H WAS ERECTED A I

DUTY. \Photo.

Cyclist v. Tiger For Dear Life.

]\\ DR. /. E. BlRASKY, OF ESSEC, SCLAVONIA.

A curious meeting— An excursion M. Gilbert sees
jer Desperate attempt to escape — A long and

111. w 1896 found me in the

Himalayas, partly on pleasure bent
and partly on a mission oi' scientific
My work done in those
ions, 1 proceeded to Nagpoor via
Allahabad. I took to in a

.v owned by some clean natives; and

a bicycle and borrows it — A lonely ride- -Sighted by
thrilling chase — And how finally the cyclist escaped.

gone during his long and eventful walk. In China
he had been nearly killed by the mob, having
sustained several severe wounds in the back.

The day of our strange meeting being none
other than December 25th, we agreed to spend
Christmas Day together, and arranged a little
trip into the country, ordering a palanquin for
this purpose. The bungalow shikari was
instructed forthwith ; our outfit including a
small tent, with some coolies to carry our
baggage. We started off as early as possible in
the morning, and went in an easterly direction
from Nagpoor to Raepur. I determined to push
farther on, and eventually encamped near a
small village called Aring. We soon learned
that formerly tigers were very frequently seen in
this locality.

THIS IS DR. BlRASKY, WHO TEI.LS US ABOUT HIS

friend's WONDERFUL ESCAPE.

From a Photo.

the morning after my arrival was aroused by
hearing a commotion in the courtyard below.
I gathered that someone speaking French was
trying to make himself understood by the
natives. Marvelling that a European should
find his way to this place so soon after me, I
hurried down and went towards the excited
gentleman. At first he paid no attention to
me, probably thinking I was one of the natives ;
but his amazement when I accosted him with
jour, Monsieur" was quite comical.
I found that the new arrival was M. Henri
<",i]bert, a man of about forty, very energetic
and intelligent. He told me that he was on a
walking tour round the world with a view to
achieving a record, which should bring him
fame and money. He had started from Paris
on his self-allotted task in 1893, and undertook
to return to France in time for the exhibition of
1900. At the time of our meeting, M. (lilbert
was on his way from the Chinese frontier to
Bombay. I was extremely interested in his
account of the many adventures he had under-

:.!. HENRI GILBERT Is A BRAVE AND Rl K III;

WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP THE RAC1 .

From a Photo, by C. L. Thci'enct.

CYCLIST v. TIGER — FOR DEAR LIFE.

249

The scenery round about was exceptionally
beautiful, and my companion and I were enjoy-
ing a very delightful day. About noon we went
out for a little stroll, and on our way back to the
tent were astonished to see on the veranda of a
bungalow a first-rate safety bicycle of a well-
known American make. Now, we could not

An hour or so later Gilbert said he was
ready to start off on his ride. Feeling really
afraid that something would happen to him, I
suggested that I should accompany him, each
of us taking turns to ride. But he laughed at
this suggestion, and so lying down to rest I
wished him good luck on his little trip. Off

believe that these natives were

so far advanced in civilization

as to indulge in bicycle rides ;

but while I was debating the

thing in my own mind, Gilbert

said he was anxious to know

whether any Europeans were

staying in these parts. I went

slowly on towards the tent,

however, leaving him to make

inquiries. In about half an

hour my friend came back,

and said that an English party had arrived in

Aring from Nagpoor; he added that the owner

of the bicycle had given him permission to go

for an hour or two's ride.

I confess I felt a little astonished. I asked
M. Gilbert what he wanted the loan of the
bicycle for, and where he thought he could go
in this outlandish district, where it was more
than possible ferocious animals were roaming at
large. He declined to pay any heed to my
warning, however, declaring that he was exceed-
ingly anxious to go for a cycle ride, it being over
two years since he had mounted a machine. I
did not press my objections further, not wishing
to interfere with his enjoyment. After lunch
we inquired of our coolies whether tigers and
leopards were numerous in the district, and we
got the satisfactory answer that they were not.
And yet, we were told, not a year passed without
the larger carnivora committing depredations in
one village or another. Our informants warned
us particularly to avoid a certain nullah or
water-course close by.

WE WERE ASTONISHED TO SEE ON THE VERANDA OF A BUM. ALOW A
FIRST-RATE SAFETY BICYCLE."

he went in the direction of the bungalow to
procure the coveted bicycle, calling out as he
disappeared that he would be back in an hour.
Soon after his departure I noticed with a feeling
of uneasiness that he had left his revolver on a
chair in the tent.

I fell off to sleep after my friend had gone,
and on waking found that it was past five
o'clock — nearly four hours since he had started.
I inquired of the coolies if they had seen him
return; but they knew nothing about him. I
grew uneasy, and straightway went up to the
bungalow ; but he had not returned there either.
The young gentleman who owned the bicycle
told me that M. Gilbert had taken it away about
one o'clock, since which time nothing had been
seen of him. I was now really at my wits' end
to know what step to take, not knowing in what
direction he had gone. Hastily returning to our
tent, I sent the coolies out in all directions to
search for the missing man. After an absence
of about two hours they returned, saying that
they could find no traces of him or the bicycle.

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

and his continued absence thoroughly

unnerved m< . 1 was in a perfect fever of excite-

:it. I ncluded that he had been

me wild animal or else had lost

himself in the jungle. At last, inactivity being

intol <• of our escort and went

ration. The darkness

I had now commenced to fall, with a

;n in which it was quite impossible to dis-

It was, I should explain,

■ at I should lose no time in return-

I wanted to proceed on my

. that nig

A: bout a mile through the jungle

I appeared before us, and simul-

I although not very distinctly —

a moving body advancing towards me. My

anxi ame more and more intense, because

uld not determine whether the object was

my missing friend or some ferocious animal. I

thought the best course was to call out as loudly

»le. Accordingly, I and my companion

shouted vigorously, and the next moment I was

immensely relieved to hear in reply the voice of

my missing friend Gilbert — though it alarmed

me not a little to notice how feeble it sounded.

A few minutes later M. Gilbert was alongside
us on the bicycle. He was in quite a deplor-
able condition when I touched him — cold as
aid quite unable to articulate. I urged him
;ake some reply to my questions, but with-
out success. He appeared quite demented and
in a state of collapse. I lifted him off the
machine and led him to our tent, with the
assistance of the coolie who had accompanied
me. Here I gave him some ether, which I
always take with me upon my travels. Mean-
while the young Englishman who lent M.
Gilbert the bicycle had come over to our tent,
and shortly afterwards our friend was sufficiently
recovered to give us a coherent account of his
terrible adventure, which substantially is as
follows : —

■" I left you about one o'clock in high glee,
the machine running beautifully. As I glided
along the jungle paths the excitement of cycling
under such conditions raised my spirits to quite
a frantic pitch. After going some little dis-
tance, I suddenly found myself in a delightful
open glade, which was one mass of verdure and
flowers. Here I dismounted from the machine,
and, placing it against a bush, selected a nice
spot on which to rest. Then, taking off my
hat, I sat down and had some refreshment.
■ I speak of was surrounded on
all • thick jungle. As tin- afternoon sun

now streaming down upon my face, 1
i If under the shade of a wild
banana tree. Straight in front of me there was

a small watercourse, in which some pools of
rain-water still remained. As I sat there con-
templating the beautiful scenes on every hand
1 was gradually overcome with sleep, and stretch-
ing myself out at full length, I prepared for a
little nap. Suddenly I heard a curious sound in
the bed of the watercourse, as though some
animal were moving."

At this part of M. Gilbert's narrative, the
coolies, who also were listening in the tent with
us, cried out, " The nullah ! the nullah ! where
the tigers drink water."

" Yes," continued Gilbert, " the nullah.
When the dry, crackling sound reached my ears,
I lifted my head drowsily and looked towards
the spot. Evidently some large animal was
making its way out of the jungle, and presently
it came into sight at the water's brink. 1 can
assure you that my heart almost ceased to beat,
and a dull, heavy, paralyzing pain appeared to
seize the whole of my body when my gaze rested
upon the fierce and wicked head and long, lithe,
striped body of an immense tiger — I should
judge that he was about thirty yards from me.

" Whether he detected my presence I cannot
say, but he remained motionless for some time,
his majestic head raised, and his great eyes
glistening like phosphorescent balls. I think
that had he come towards me at that moment
I could not have offered the slightest resistance,
being quite unable to move. Growing a little
more collected as the moments sped by, how-
ever, I attempted to nestle in under the shade
of the bush in order to hide myself — never, of
course, taking my eyes from the huge beast
before me. It seemed absolutely impossible
for me to think of escaping by means of the
bicycle, for it was at least twenty yards from
me ; and how could I possibly reach it and
make my way to the high road without attracting
the notice of the terrible animal, who in two or
three bounds would be upon me ?

" My mind was torn with agony as to whether
I ought or ought not to make a dash for the
bicycle and life. I knew that, once astride the
machine in safety, I could outdistance the tiger.
Then another thought occurred to me — I
fancied that, if I remained perfectly still, the
tiger would drink and then go away into the
jungle again. At one time I wondered if he
could hear the thumping of my heart-beats ;
and my mouth was so parched and my tongue
so stiff that 1 was in mortal dread lest I should
make some incautious sound. And I was
entirely unarmed. To add to my terror, I
imagined that the tiger had not been satisfied
with the result of his previous night's prowl, and
so had come down to the water in the hope ol
waylaying additional prey.

CYCLIST v. TIGER— FOR DEAR LIFE

251

THE TIGER STOPPED SUDDENLY, HIS GREAT EYES FIXED ON THE SHOT WHERE I LAY.

" Presently I saw him drop his beautiful head
and begin to lap the water. As he raised his
head again, I knew that one single false move-
ment on my part must inevitably attract his
notice. Following every movement of the huge
monster with terrible anxiety, I was at length
relieved to see him apparently about to return
into the jungle whence he had come ; but, alas !
some little bird moved in the bushes around
me, and the effect was instantaneous. The
tiger stopped suddenly and wheeled round like
lightning, his great eyes fixed intently on the
very spot where I lay. He paused for a moment,
and then, to my indescribable horror, com-
menced to creep slowly in my direction. As
the dreadful creature advanced, I saw him care-
fully inspecting every branch and leaf in his
way, now and then stopping altogether and
squatting like a gigantic cat. Probably he had
by this time scented me. At any rate, after
another short pause, he continued to advance
upon my hiding-place in the same cautious
manner.

" Presently he got so close that I was only
able to distinguish his movements by the crackl-
ing of the leaves and twigs as he crept along.
The agony which I now endured grew quite
intolerable. Not only was my heart beating as
if it would burst, but my b'rain felt as though it
were on fire. I now felt that my case was quite
hopeli ss. - Nothing,' I said to myself despair-
ingly, 'can save me from a dreadful death.' And

yet -so quickly does the brain work in such
cases — only a mere fraction of time . after these
despairing thoughts, I conceived the desperate
idea of making a dash for the bicycle ! I
noticed that the creeping tiger was at this
moment only about fifteen yards from me.

" Leaping to my feet, I fairly hurled myself
in the direction of the bicycle. I threw myself
upon it, and with the impetus so gained began
to glide swiftly along — ■ even before my feet
touched the pedals — literally racing the tiger
for dear life. The very instant I got fairly
under way I heard the huge beast make his
first leap in my direction. Notwithstanding the
dreadful emotion which I suffered in that awful
moment, my control over the machine was
complete and my movements sure. At one
time it seemed to me as though I were travelling
as fast as the very wind itself; and as the
moments sped by and I found myself still
intact, a little confidence was restored to me,
and I plodded on with growing hope. The
pace was quite terrific for a time. Needless to
say, I was driving the bicycle frantically and
recklessly.

" Suddenly thefrightful thoughtoccurred to me
— What if some part of the mechanism gives way?
I did not, however, relax my efforts, thinking
that if I succeeded in putting fifty yards between
myself and my dreadful pursuer, he would have
little chance of overtaking me. In order to
show the imminent peril I was in, I may say

rill w IDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

1
a

that the fourth leap of the tiger brought him to

within about six yards of my back wheel, and

although i as fast as a first-class

travel, a sixth leap almost brought

: the monster within striking distance

But still 1

'.. d away

;rt nearly

and my
•sing like
fury.
" As 1

that
gaining
little, my exer-
w e r e
mbled, I
knowing well that
any slacken:

. or an extra
leap or two on
the part of my
terrible foe,
would put an end

the race and my life almost simulta-
neously. Having gained a "little, I glanced
round, and saw that the tiger was still
coming on, and at a great pace.

"Just at this moment I saw in front of
me another straight road opening before
me. You may judge of my terror, however,
when I tell you that as soon as I had turned
into this new road I beheld, lying right across my
path, a huge tree that had fallen through decay.
I charged the obstacle headlong, and, just
before crashing into it, I leapt from the machine
and scrambled over recklessly, feeling certain
that th was gaining. It goes without

saying that I literally threw myself into the
saddle again with frantic energy, and pedalled
away from the inexorable monster. I heard
the tiger leap over the fallen tree, and, sick at
1 ili/ed that if the chase lasted much
longer I should have to give up.

reatly to my relief, however, a short dis-
tance in front on my left I saw yet another road,
and a ray of hope came to me as I noticed a
descent Driving the bicycle with all
I • titer, d upon the descent like
an arrow, and a minuli o later put fifty or

sixty yai i my pursuer and myself. 1

was pretty well done for, however — so much so,
that at one time I felt I must fall out of the
saddle.

" A little farther along I looked round, and
the tiger was nowhere to be seen ; evidently he
had given up the chase. And yet I was by
no means filled with the joy which you might
imagine, the fact being that I was too utterly

SIXTH LEAP ALMOST BROUGHT THE CLAWS OF THE MONSTER WITHIN
STRIKING DISTANCE OF MV BACK TYRE."

exhausted to harbour any decided emotion.
Then another fearful thought struck me.
Evidently I had lost my way altogether, and I
reflected helplessly upon my condition in the
event of my being benighted, situated as I then
was, in that tiger-infested wilderness.

" But luckily, just when I had almost given
up all hope of seeing you again, a Hindu
woman appeared on the road before me, and in
answer to my inquiries indicated the road to
Aring. Following her directions for about two
hours, I suddenly beheld you in front of me,
thus ending my exciting ride for life."

While M. Gilbert was recounting this terrible
experience I was much pained to notice the
various acute emotions depicted on his face.
At one time it grew quite yellow, and every limb
of his body trembled as though he were smitten
with ague. When he had quite recovered, M.
( rilbert assured me that he owed his life entirely
to the splendid machine he rode that day.
What a fine advertisement it would make !

Mrs. Martin's Cure for Caterpillars.

By N. Lawrence Perry.

You may remember the " Laffan " telegram about the farmers in the Catskills blowing horns and

things under the trees to bring down the destructive caterpillars. Well, here is the first full

descriptive article on this extraordinary subject, illustrated by snap-shot photos, taken by our

own Special Commissioner, and proving once and for all the absolute truth of the telegram.

$w$

HE first day of June last was a
typical American summer day.
Ashton, in Greene County, New-
York, presented a typical American
farming scene. Above the hamlet
towered the hemlock - covered sides of the
majestic Catskill Mountains. Below and around
it the valley was resplendent with the picturesque
profusion of fruit and maple orchards and corn
and meadow land. In fields adjacent to the
snow-white wooden farm buildings groups of
toiling men and grazing cattle completed the
pastoral picture. Mrs. Arthur Martin, emerging
from her home to wind the conch-shell horn
that would summon the tillers to their noonday
meal, paused on the threshold to survey, not
the landscape, but the progress of a terrible
blight that had already rendered the foliage
sickly and scanty and threatened its speedy ruin.

THE I, i i he HOUSE WEJE SLOWLY, BUT SURELY, SUCCU

SUGAR MAPLE IN THE CENTRE HAS BEEN KILLED 11Y THE C A 1 I 1,1

From a Photo.

The trees about the house and those in
the orchards beyond were slowly, but surely,
succumbing to the voracious leaf-eating siege of
thousands of green worms or tree-caterpillars.
Trees which, but yesterday, were gorgeous in
their summer green, now stood naked to the
boughs. Farmers anxiously, almost constantly,
watched the destruction of their carefully-
nurtured crops of sugar maple and fruits, and
sighed over their own maddening impotence.
Only three years previously the plague had
descended upon them, and all the remedies
which a brilliant army of American scientists
could suggest were tried in turn, but to no
avail. The next year, and again the next, came
the worms with the same result — the practical
destruction of the tree crops of that vast and
fertile region.

So Mrs. Martin, coming out of her home to
wind the dinner-horn, looked up into
the trees and sighed. Then, pointing
the dinner-horn upward and outward
she blew a long, piercing blast.
Then an amazing thing happened,
which before many hours was to be
flashed all over the world by the
always accurate and enterprising
Laffan News Agency. Before the
roaring echoes of Mrs. Martin's horn
had ceased, the ground at her feet
was thick with big caterpillars, lying
motionless and apparently dead.
They had fallen from the tree above
her. Astounded beyond the power
of words to describe, Mrs. Martin
sounded the horn again, and once
more hundreds of green caterpillars
fairly rained from the tree. Mr.
Martin and his men, plodding home-
ward from the field, stopped dum-
founded at the worm-covered grass,
and listened wonderingly to the
housewife's tale. Experiments with
other trees had the same surprising
result. The afternoon was devoted
entirely to similar tests throughout
the farm. Armed with a motley

MBING — THE
'ILLARS.

'54

THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE.

imm

vfj

I) WITH A MOTLEY COLLECTION OF HORNS AND DRUMS, THE TROCESSION
WENDED ITS WAV FROM TREE TO TREE."

From a Photo.

collection of horns and drums, the procession
wended its more or less musical way from tree
to tree. Inevitably each yielded up its hosts of
ructive caterpillars into bed-sheets spread
below : and sheetful after sheetful was consigned
to the bonfire. In three hours the farm was
declared rid of the thousands of insects that had
seemed so hopelessly entrenched there only
that morning.

these same scientists -or some of
them at least are studying the
phenomenon with interest, for in-
vestigation has shown it to be true.
Professor Slingerland, the official
entomologist of New York State,
has been made aware of the marvel ;
and it is not unlikely that the sub-
ject will soon engage the solemn
attention of that mighty bureau of
dignified investigators, pamphlets,
and red tape — the Department of
Agriculture at Washington. The
writer, at the especial instance of
The Wide World Magazine,
journeyed from New York to the
Catskills; and an exhaustive canvass
of the stricken region — a vast area,
including not only Ashton, but
other large villages such as Hen-
dersonville and Windham — con-
vinced him of the implicit faith
the local farming folk place in
their remedy. From clergymen to
dram - sellers, through the whole
gamut of the country population,
there came in the simple words of
unvarnished truth the unvarying testimony of a
discovery, confounding, by the very simplicity
of its utility, the involved pedantic dogmas of
the wise.

The most rational theory advanced in expla-
nation of this wonderful and hitherto unheard-of
efficacy of music to rout the tree pests is that
the insects are shocked into insensibility by the

The news of the discovery spread like
wildfire. Other Catskill communities applied
the experiment and rejoiced. Musical in-
struments commanded a premium, and many
of the people impressed into playing them
could hardly hum a tune. Real music-loving
and sensitive folks generally had a ghastly
time. A country correspondent telegraphed
the news to the New York newspapers.
rk it spread throughout the
United States, and finally to England,
'ting the risibilities of a vast but in-
credulous reading public. Americans
detected in the story the fine Italian hand
of the newspaper writer or " Press agent "
employed to advertise a summer resort,
whilst Britishers suspected either a Yankee
lie or a woful evidence of Yankee gullibility ;
and, finally, scientists of both lands sniffed
at the " yarn " as too simple to be interest-
ing and too foolish to warrant denial.

But now, only a few months from the
day of Mrs. Martin's unwitting experiment,

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THEY FOUND THE REMEDY PRACTICAL ENOUGH IN THE CATSKILLS— HERB
WE SEE HORN-BLOWING AT CLOSE QUARTERS To SAVE THE All

From a I'lioto.

MRS. MARTIN'S CURE FOR CATERPILLARS.

255

air vibrations produced by the horns and drums.
The accompanying illustrations, reproduced from
photographs specially taken in various sections
of the stricken region and at random, show the
method employed so effectively to redeem the
trees, and the extent to which branches were
denuded before Mrs. Martin's horn delivered

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