Evening Star Newspaper, October 8, 1898, Page 23

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1898—24 PAGES, TROPICAL DANGERS {nsects and Snakes That Are a Men- ace to Human Life. LAND CRABS AND SOARING BUZZARDS In Many Instances Bad Qualities Are Greatly Exaggerated. AND SPIDERS a es I New 1 Pes Cuba have no ad: nd certain tractive enna sume de weuld otherwise produc lerable difference Bs ngers. The buz- ead tases fearful even of its ing ; the z° 5 prey, devouring k all things. there is an 7 crabs; the s many as pessible arreis, salted, for future ¢ crab, common in 1 aple for other rea- h often proves poi- 1 ones whe enjoy it. ny empty Shell of uses it as a movable mpels him to seek ea puriwinkle mit monopoliz: ent shap until his growth ¢ It ad b al inches in diameter, steered ad by one projecting crab claw which, kept busy out of doors, grows than the other, sheltered and much bigger countries, where thorough sani- sures are not taken, iand crabs rds serve a at purp and so well recognized that in some ies it is unlawful to Kill a carrion = being impo. for the offense. aicdorous and timid, this creature st and pity. Decided- enchantment” to the >. for Whea soaring on ling flight ts almi a company bly grace- of these scavengers t of some still form upon the Swiftly the bircs swoop lways circling, from the height - had appeared like mere specks. upon the leafless branches of t erly the black eyes y perceived from afar, sure that nothing is at s neir right, chey partly r rusty-black wings and stealth- on their banquet. Millions of Ants. © black-robed undertakers re- of ants soon swarm upon the and clean the bones, which, In a tt But ome ned by the strong P. s who have always resided in cities ima y could not face the many ob- noxious hat d ll in wild places. with such surroundings » to regard them with fear, fence convinces them ned an exaggerated » incurred. The rattle- not half as dreadful : fact, a rattle- the same ly to be dreaded is the sae- arrow), called by the M. In- $ uolpoch (evil-minded) because it at- without prov on. Full grown, this snake is about a yard long, of oné thickness throughout. and its color ts that 4 stick; unlucky wood gatherers d up this viper by take. 9 known antidote to its venom. poch draws itself up like a maggot, end to end, and hurls itself at Its victim a few distant. It does this as easily from the ground as from the top of the cabbage palm. its favorite abiding place. It has been asserted that venomous snakes Go not climb trees. How, then, does this k home? Even Less Desirable. with this aggresstve foe an ex- raveler might prefer to take his escape rather than be compelled through a thicket infested with ks, particularly those of the small- ¢ red specks that, under mi- © miniature turtles. k just buries its head under one's get ba appear t of its er gets out induce high ing the ush, or alcohol. ‘As themselves uring the dry ess. The h beneath swarms fall on him » while he fran- sig own skin, ten- when the foot of a tree to Y remain unperceived by if the latter happens to upen the bark of that tree a sin jay send a thrill through his vm head to foot. No, indeed! the ng to do with this. An ant the quality of tts quantity. Formic tive, momentarily. nt's fault if a hand hap- Way. Ants are parttc- urs that cannot be closed boxes cf i of night and carry crumb by crumb. However, em half so bad when . eight inches long, gly swift and evil- with its hun- s its own tail around your using—except to the centl- isk {t off, and the two long utch tightly, while the sharp, flict bite after bite, prod flammation, if nothing more. le lacks courtesy and is not tim- t appears to enjoy a and becomes 4 with—that @ smimmer. this scolopen- lly drowned {f knocked into a water;and to crush {it under foot t. because express trains are not rtaken. Siow-Coach Scorpions. Altogether, after a few centipede expert- e th ctim looks with complacency upon : coach scorpion that never r “s if trying to go around the earth in eight days. Anyway, the scorpion is not half as bad as his reputation, especially the mother scorpion, the unfortunate being, dcomed by nature to be devoured by her own progeny. It is rare, indeed. for any to die ‘of a scorpion sting, thongh the om induces temporary paralysis of the tongue and some fever. Natives of Hon- Guras assert that Indigo is a good antidote, but ammonia {s the best remedy for poison- ous virus. generally. As long as the scor- Pion is treated with due respect {t will re- Ciprocat=; otherwise there is a fair prob- ability that the neat little dart at the end of its Interesting but woeful tafl will be into the aggressor’s skin, injecting andth part of a drop—no more—cf ent white Hquid stored in a gland ase of the sting. scorpion ig often alluded to as if it were a kind of viper. This is simply thoughtlessness, for everybody ought to know that it belongs to the spider pay, Another membgy of the same fa ig jumping spider. called, ey Jog lee In- ns chitun. Jts lorg legs are exceedingly active. and {ts mouth has a spiteful, threatening ¢xpression. The chitun at: tacks very promptly when startled, and ite bite is fatal in some cases. To Be Avoided. The great hairy tarantula is commonly dreaded, thcugh not aggressive; in fact, some persons declare that it does not bite, but it should be particularly avoided on ac- count of its hair, fine bristles, which, if they enter the pores of the skin, make ex- ceedingly bad sores. In places these black- haired : bodies measure two inches in diameter, are so numerous that cecasionally whole armies of them can be seen changing their quarters. In such dis- tricts it is always advisable to shake each garment before donning it; also to give boots and shoes a good rapping on their upturned soles, in order that scorpions and others of the spider family may have a fi chance to vacate the premises. This polite attention may prevent an unpleasant en- counter. As the crab was first considered, the crab pider may close the subject under consid- eration. This curious littie being is too In- teresting to be left out, and sufficiently dangerous to guard against; since one is enotgh to close the career’ of tho finest race horse. When full-grown the am is about the size of a dime; in shape it ts like a clawl crab, and its color is bright yel- low, with brown spots. This pretty 1 body is exeee ly venomous, not that it but because it poisons ‘the man or t that has the misfortune to swallow it in water, or in fodder, among which in- sects are apt to tumble. One am suffices to cause the death of horse or mule. It is a: soned by am! am!” up to hour of death; for which reasen the M Indians name the spider thus. Yo big spider has such an ap- petite as this Small one; it consumes an as- tonishing number of flies. tree: The em lives on and nothing can be more interesting to watch it rapidly spinning its great Upoa the approach of a storm it quickly draws all the fiber back into its body. and until fair weather again prevails 1emairs motionless beneath a leaf or in any convenient nook. + e+ ____ AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF. Twelve Hundred Miles Long and One of the World's Wonder: From the London Standard. That great barrier reef which fringes the coast of Queensland north of Brisbane, in the direction of Torres straits, must always rank among the wonders of the world. For 1,200 miles the coral animalcula have raised a solid protection against the rage of the ocean swell at a distance varying from twenty to 150 miles from the shore, leaving a comparatively safe and calm inner pas- sage, suitable for navigation by the largest steamers on their voyages north and east. Sundry channels penetrate the reef at in- tervals, and whole fleets of trading schoon- ers are regularly engaged amid the in- tricate labyrinth of coral islets. Those who have seen the skeleton madre- Pores and branching corals on the shelves of a museum can form no conception of the surpassing beauty of the living organisms, vigorous at or near the surface of the translucent seas. On the ebbing tide we find every description of animated coral growth exposed, from the rounded masses of brain coral to the stag’s horn madre- pores, those of corymbose form, and a va- riety too numerous to mention. The bril- liant coloration of the myriads of polyps in- cludes every shade, from the more somber brown of the fungia tribe to delicate lemon yellows. lilac, pink, rich green interspersed with golden hues, apple greens tipped with violet, bright_red, chocolate, purple and even blue. The Various aggregations of minute Vivacious animals possess all modi- fications of radicated inflorescence; some fringe, while the number of organism varies according to the families and genera of coral classifica- tion. These gardens of the sea are too beauti- ful for words. By subtle transitions the lime-secreting corais pass into the uncov- splendent kinds, reefs swarm with number! lerms, nudibranch mollusca, and ored fishes of most extraordinary shape and size. Everything in the tropical seas assumes a striking brilliancy of color, and the twenty or more kinds of holothuria are not the least interesting among the or- ganisms which abound. As the beche de mer, or trepeng, these marine animals con- stitute esteemed gastronomic dainties in the celestial marts, the importance of the export trade to the government of Queens- land being proved by statistics. Over a hundred vessels are engaged in the indus- try. The value of the prepared article is quoted from £30 to £150 per ton, according to its quality and kind, and good annual re- turns have exceeded £30,000 for the beche de mer alone. ——_——_e- MARRIED BY ORDER. How Russian Serfs Evade Their Master's From the Atlantle. Marriages by order were so common that amongst our servants each time a young couple foresaw that they might be ordered to marry, although they had no mutual in- elination for each other, they took the pre- caution of standing together as godfather and godmother at the christening of a child in one of the peasant families. This ren- dered marriage impossible, according to Russian church law. The stratagem was usually successf@l, but once it ended in a drama. Andrei, the tallor, fell in love wittt irl belonging to one of our neighbors. He hoped that my father would permit him to go free, as a tailor, in exchange for a certain yearly payment, and that by work- ing hard at his trade he could manage to lay some money aside and to buy fresdom for the virl. Otherwise, in marrying one of my father’s serfs she wuld have become the serf of her husband's Waster However, as Andrel 2nd one of the maids of our household foresaw that they might be or- dered to marry, they agreed to unite as kodparents in the christening of a child. What they hat feared happened. One day they were called to the master, and the ded order was given. are always obedient to your will,” d, “but a few weeks ago we a ather and godmother at a chris- ." Andrei also explained his wishes and intentions. The result was that he was sent to the recruiting board to become a soldier. Military service In those times was ter- rible. It requ a man to serve twenty- five years under the colors, and the Hie of a sold'er was hard in the extreme. © * * Blows from the sergeant and the officers, seing with birch rods and with sticks, for the slightest fault, were the normai state of affairs. The cruelty that was dis- played surpassed all imagination. © * © Thus Andrei bad now to face for twenty- five years the terrible fate of a soldier: all his schemes cf happiness had come to a violehe end ———_—--- Graves May Cause Trouble. From the Chic The greatest 2 ob: railroad in China lies in the nuiberless fu- neral mounds with which the country is tacle {n constructing a covered. The ancestral worship is the only religion universally respected in China, There is no sacrifice a Chinaman will not make, however economical he may be, to assure the repose of his ancestors. Magi are consulted to ascertain the best locality for these mounds, and the wise man often chooses a spot of bis own and thereby turns an honest penny for himself. Once devoted to a residence for the dead the land becomes sacred, and terrible the vengeance for any disrespeot shown. The most ancient are as much respected now as in their first days, and some of them date from thousands of years. To lay out a railroad without disturbing any of them would require a genius, and to destroy them would be to excite a revolution, while it is far from certain that any indemnity would determine the Chinese to permit the condemning of these lands, which to them would be sacrilege. ——+o+____. Could Afford to Remember. From Puek. He—“Don't you remember? It was fust before the war—” Miss Passay (angrily)—“Sir! (Sweetly)— Oh*-aw—you mean the war with Spain?” oo —___ Baby mackerel have been a favorite breakfast dish at the Massachusetts sea- side resorts this summer, and fishermen have ralzed a protest against the wholesal. esthagtion f these ittle , fearing a ssible mackerel famine in the near fu- ture. There {fs a scarcity of lobsters at the present time, and the object k has taught the toilers of the sea wae they must be watchful of their interests, THEY DID THEIR DUTY, TOO Soldiers Who Were Left Behind at Western Frontier Posts. Do Not Like Their Assignments—No Chance for Promotion — Are : Dreadfully Lonesome. From the Chicago Times-Herald. About the lonesomest places in this coun- try at present are the army posts of the frontier from which have gone the soldiers who made the life there so pleasant. By every post is a town, and to these towns the absence of the regulars is like the tak- ing away of the charter; it means a loss of trade and of people on the strests that sives the place the appearance of baving a funeral. A few trades almost compensated for the absence of the large business done just previous to the call for the movement to the front. For instance, the photog- raphers took pictures of the soldiers and of their families day and night that all might have refhembrance. But when the trains pulled out there was sincere grief and longing that has not been assuaged by the passing of the long weeks. And the lonesomest men in the nation are the dozen or so soldiers who have been de- tailed to wateh the weedy parade ground and to keep in order the quarters of the troops who are at the front. One young West Pointer, detailed for duty at one of the far northwest forts when he expected to have a berth near Washington, had add- ed to his disappointment the task of stay- ing with the Indians and feeding them with beef while the other troops went to Cuba, In desperation he offered his services in any capacity to his home govesnor, but there was such a pull for appointments that he was not considered. It ts on record that he wept some very salty tears as he read of the bravery of his comrades at the front, and had several periods of vigorous scolding of fate for the scurvy trick she played on him. He is but a type, for to every regular in the army and navy the War was the chance of a lifetime for pro- motion and experience. To be deprived of these was indeed hard, and the boys who are guarding the posts feel it. Somebody had to do it, however, and not always the highest honors come from service in the e On the most prominent height of the beautiful Fort Riley reservation, in central Kansas, and at what is called the geo- graphical center of the United States, stands a monument to one of the bravest soldiers of the nation’s history. He did not win his laurels on the battlefield—not his brightest ones. Maj. Ogden was one of the military commissioners who selected the magnificent 19,000-acre reservation. He went there with the troops, and when one day in the later ‘50s the plague of cholera broke out among the soldiers ne was ono of the men who did not leave. He stayed day after day nursing the dying soldiers and listening to their last messages. It was Weary staying, but he did not flinch, and when at last he felt the numbness of the disease he gave up his life as willingly as he-had his services. They buried him, there on the crown of a prairie nill, and every visitor reverences the man who died in so noble a cause. The men who are guarding the reservation while their comrades are camped at El Caney, in sight of the spires of Santiago, look at the monument outlined against the evening sky and take a new courage to meet their conditicn. There are other deserted forts and posts. on the frontier that will never be occupied by troops again. They are scattered along the water courses of Kansas and Nebraska, Where once the Indians were many, but where there is nothing more to Le feared than the herds of the cattlemen and the families of the settlers. ‘There are Fort Hi Fort Wallace, Fort Dodge and a dozen others that have been once the ecene of the liveliest happenings of the frontier. The rough riders of those day3 were the men who rode after Custer and Sheridan and Forsythe. The Indian raids were fre- quent and severe. The tribes came down from the northern reservations and terri- fied the settlers, killed a few and destroyed the houses and stock. One of these raids, headed by Roman Nose, ended in a com: pany from Wallace and Hays following the raiders up the Republican I'ork. There the soldiers were surrounded on a piece of low ground near the river, and for four days and nights held the enemy at bay, until the brave trooper who sneaked out of the camp could go to the fort and pring reinforce ments. Such are the reminiscences that cluster about these forts, and the older members of the army recall them with af- fection. But there is now no use for the buildings, and pending the action of Con- gress they have stood for years, slowly rotting away. Fort Hays tas a Jong line of officers’ houses that are gradually going to decay, and the land itself is beim used for a large cattle pasture. ————-+ e+ SPY MANIA IN FRANCE, Annoyances to Which Visitors to the French Capital Are Put. From the Fortuightly Review. I had already been living permanently in London for several years, and it was only five years later that I took up my resi- dence once more tn Paris, although I never Save up my home here. During the whole of the seventies, however, I crossed the channel frequently, and always staid at the same hotel. For nearly a quarter of a cen- tury | have never staid elsewhere while on a visit to Paris. In spite of this the pro- prietor had on two different occasions to bear the severe cross-examination of an in- spector of the “service special des garnis. The first time he wanted to know why my name was so conspicuously like that of the son of the postmaster general of the second empire (M. Albert Vandal); the next time he was anxious to ascertain if I was a distant or near connection of the famous Gen. Vandamme, although, in both cases, he could see for himself that the name on the register was spelled quite differently from theirs. The manager, not a Frenchman, pointed this out to him, adding that a man like myseif was probably competent to spell his own name, and that if he, the inspector, wished for more ample information he could apply either to the English embassy, an English banker on the Boulevard des Ital- fens (since deceased) or any of the English correspondents in Parts, at all of which places I was known. The official's retort was characteristic of the spirit of the time, as showing the value he, and presumably nis superiors, placed upon all testimony af- fecting no matter whom which did not tal- ly with their jaundiced views. “We do not believe in embassies and bankers, and still less in foreign correspondents,” he said. “The most shady people have, as a rule, the best credentials.” The latter sentence was, no doubt, based upon certain though by no means conclusive experience arrived at by the higher functionaries of the pre- fecture of police. It had been rehearsed, perhaps many a time and oft, for the in- spector’s benefit, inasmuch as it had be- come a stereotyped phrase with nearly ev- ery one of the second and third rate news- papers. ‘The inspector, though, was too stupid to invert the proposition to himself, hence, in his mind, the people provided with the best credentials were the most shady. ——_+e+-___ Don’t Like Too Much Mail. From the New Orleans Times-Demozrat. “The new revision of the star routes is doing a great deal of good in the south,” remarked Chief Clerk Day of the railway mail service, ‘and enabling lots of country folks to get their letters and papers daily where they formerly recetved them only once or twice a week. Strange to say, however, the change is not always hailed with joy. Over in Gremer county, Georgia, a star route agent juggled things around so as to get a six-day mail into a weekly town, and was chuckling over the idea that he had been a benefactor to the whole dis- trict when the postmaster hunted him up with a face as long as a backwoods ser- mon. ‘I wish you ell would fix it to that thar mail back agin lke #t was,’ said the old fellow, earnestly. ‘What!’ exclaim- ed the agent, in amazement. ‘Why, what on earth is the matter? ‘Well, it's like this,’ said the postmaster. ‘Our folks has been used to comin’ fer their letters every Saturday an’ was well suited. Now this here new scheme has been started, and tt breaks ’em all up. They feel kinder uneasy like onless they come in every day, and they just can’t do no work. The crops is gettin’ plumb neglected. We all want you to switch her back agin as cue ae you kin.’ The agent went away deeply disgust- ed, and gent in a special report in which he intimated that an annual mail would about meet the needs of the county. At last re- ports, though, it was standing at the six- day schedule.” RANDOM VERSE. ¥ & «cnt te Daybreak.” From the Westminste=> i A human soul went forth into the night, Shutting bebind it Deaths mysterious ‘door, And shaking off with £trai . resistless might The dust that once it wore. So swift its flight, so suddenly it sped— As when by skillfulybands a bow is bent ‘The arrow fifes—thos® watdhlug around the bed Marked not the way it went. Heavy with grief, thei ieliing, tear-dimmed eyes Saw but the shadow fall, id knew not when Or in what fair or unfdwiljar guise It left the wpHd 4 men. It broke from sickness, that with iron bands Had beund it fast a ny a grievous day; And love itself, with training hands, ‘Might not its‘course delay. Space could not bold it back with fettering bars, ‘Time lost its power, and ceased at last to be; It swept beyond the houndary of the stars, And touched eternit Out from the house of mourning faintly It, Tt passed upon fis journey ail alone: So far that even thought could wot follow it into realms unknown. Through the clear silence of the moonless dark, Leaving no footprints of the road ft trod; Straight as an arrow cleaving to its mark, ‘The soul went home to God. “Alaa,” they cried; “we never But fell asleep, outwearied with Nay, rather, he arose and met the Everlasting life. —_——_+e+__.. Mending the Battle Flag. From Judga. He mends the tattered battle flag t ‘That lies upon his knees. Its folds have never dipped to aught But bugle call and breeze. The scarlet stripes are dull with srioke, ‘The stars are shot away, And all the brnting streaked and stained With drops of salty spray. He mends the tattered battle flag-- A stripling long ago " Upon a gallant man-o’-war, He learned to patch and ‘sew; And now with all a woman's skill He draws the needle through, And stitches down the fraying’ red. And darns the raveled biue. he morn, the strife—" . He mends the tattered battle flag, But who will mend in turn The sear upon bis withered cheek, A bullet's cruel burn? Or who restore the leg he lest When, reeling deck to deck, The Kearsarge fought the rebel ship ‘And sunk the shattered wreck. Ho mends the tattered battle flag; Once more it peal files, Its starry splendor scarcely dimmed, ‘A glory in the skies. And so, when poor old sailors pass Beyond the seas of patn, The Lord, who is the Captain there, Will make them whole again. eae Two Songs. From St. Paul's. “Sing me a song,’? quoth she! So he sang how for years and for years and a day He bad sighed for a maid that was deaf and was blind, That was blind to bis love, that was deaf to the wind Of his groaning and sighing! ‘‘Ab, sir, lack-a- day,” Said the lady that listened, as and as could bel h, me, lack-a-day,”” arswered he! “Sing me a song," quoth he! So she sang how for years and for years and a day Her head had been full of a poor love's sighs, For nights and for nights with the love In’ bis eye: Oh, well might she pause, for that gentleman gay Kissed her quick on tho lips most joyous to see! “Ab, love, thou wert blind,” answered she! At the Ena of the Way. Frank L, Stanton in the Atlanta Constitution, Eere, where the life-wayfpart— Remembering not thé sorrow and the wrong, There is ue word of blame! for you, sweetheart— Only this rose of somg! Only this withering mse, From a sad garder whict no spring shall thrill; What thorn the future has/for you, God knows— But may God keep yuu still! We walk in darkened ways; Storms hide the stars that fain would light the night, Bat may. God's angela all your lonely days Gulds ‘your dear steps artgt. k fo° grace; siaued to all the grief to be. So that no shadow darkens your dear face Is Joy enough for me, It is enough to know. - ‘That love is love; that, through the lonely years, If Peace on you her garlends shall bestow 1am content with tears. Love is not le: Even when Love leaves us; we remember yet ‘The first first touch of bis ps—bis first,“ sweet Would to God we eculd forget! than this, ‘The paths where his dear feet Knew the rare kisses of the summer flowers— Where, in some hidden garden's red retreat, He led us to his bowers. Flelds—mountains—ond the streams That knew the pathways where his steps would be, And went with all the muste of bis dreams, Sweet-singing to the seal Shall Love kiss hards and part? ‘Trample all memories in the dust below? God's voice is ringing from the stars, sweetheart: “Love will not bave ft so!” And yet, touch lips, clasp hands! The ways part here: I leave the light—tao oom! Back of me all the glory of the lands— Before me, all the gloom! Clasp hands, and 80—good-by: Yet, with a love that only Death can kill, For you all stars that God can give His skyt For me, whate’er God will! see Her Eyes. From Life. © maddening black eyes, black as the night, And brighter than the sun that shines all day, I sound your depths, and [ am sore affright For men with bearts that pass you on the way. Only the blind are safe—they cannot see The peril of your eyes, nor feel their sways Such cyes in Egypt once smote Antony, And the great soldier gave a world away. patie is Modern Grandmothers. From the Boston Transcript. You “‘wonder where they've gone to, those grand- mothers of yore, With such quaint old nnrsery jingles that we al- ways cried for more, With thelr spectacles and aprons, and thelr ruf- fled muslin caps, And thetr puffs of snowy hair, and thelr broad enticing laps?” Why, they've gone, dear, with the children of those old and happy days, When little ones were little ones, in thoughts and acts and weys; When everything was different and simpler lives roars or mes have changed, Those ‘8 are gone, ‘‘the times we changed,” with that the whole is said. If not, grandma fess, For lads and lassies of these days are critical, I ween, With a grandma of ‘‘ye olden time” they wouldn't once be seen. 1 teary, the modern child might love ber But, after wll, beneath the dress, and this we won't forget, a That's grandma's’ grenémay now as then, ber love turn tb’ her—demand her love 1s ours yet, And if the children in They'll sd that unde it all the grandma’ 7"! that heath "s always there, Nixon Watermen in the L. A. W. Bulletin. ‘You are my friend, for you have smfle@ with me, My belp and bope in fair and stormy weather. I lke you for the Joys ycu’ve whiled with me. I love you for the griefs we've wept together. I've held your hand when life was gold to And shared with you its every gracious You've brought good cheer when earth was to me en en eee ‘Though all And the world were deaf and dark to me, the night and bleak the winds and biti I know well that yon would hark to me And set my path with lamps of Love's glad lighting. ‘You are my friend, for you have smiled with me, help aid bope in iar and stormy weather, th DOMESTIC LIFE IN INDIA It Requires a Number of Servants to Runa Home. As a General Rule They Are Men— Their Various Duties—Serv- ing the Meals. From Vick’s Magazine, The head servant of every house is called the bearer. Upon him devolves the respon- sibility of the general management of all the servants except the cook. His particu- lar duties are to dust and arrange the fur- niture and to attend the door when callers arrive. When a lady drives up in her car- riage the bearer goes to the carriage door with a card tray to receive her card. He conveys it to his mistress, who sends back the word “Salaam” if she is prepared to receive callers. If she does not care to re- ceive, the servant returns to the carriage and says “Dwarzi bund,” which is, the door is shut. The next servant in importance is the cook. This important individual is, be- cause of caste reasons, a Mohammedan; Hindoos will not handle or cook meat; Mo- hammedans will, so Mohammedans do the cooking in European families. This ser- vant not only cooks, but buys all the provisions. It is necessary to hold this important personage to strict ac- count, for, unless he is so held, he will run up bilis that are astonishing, Here is the order of meals for one day: At ris- ing—5 o'clock in the morning—the cook serves in your room what ts known as “chhota hazree,” or the small breakfast; it comprises tea, two pieces of toast, with fruit and an egg if desired. At about 10 o'clock breakfast is served; this consists of a milk dish, then a meat course, fol- lowed by an Indian dish, prepared in the inimitable Hindoostanee fashion. In some of the favored sections of India, where it is cool for a few weeks of the year, coffee is served during the cool season. At 3 in the afternoon luncheon is served; this meal consists of fruit, bread, butter and jam, with tea and cold meat. Dinner is served at 8 o'clock in the evening, and is a formal occasion. The courses consist of soup, a side dish, two or more meat courses, pulao, another India dish; cake and pudding, fol- lowed by nuts, fruits, etc., after which the ladies withdraw to the sitting room and the gentlemen Indulge in conversation, coffee and cigars. To close the day tea is served in the sitting room before retiring. ‘To assist in serving the meals during the day the cook has the assistance of two men, or even more, who are cailed khidmadgars, or waiters. They wear flowing garments of spotless whiteness. Their heads are cov- ered with yards of f_my white goods wound time and time again about like a turban. They never speak above a whisper while on duty, and with bare feet they glide noiselessly and quickly in and out, serving the different courses. Besides the cook and these helpers who wait on the table, there is another quiet and piacid individual, who sits on his feet in the kitchen and washes the dishes. He is known as the michal- chee, or dishwasher. All the household servants have not yet been enumerated. There is the indispen- sable bhistee, or water carrier. He supplies all the bath rooms with water, provides the Kitchen with water and waters the shrubs and flowers. As he has to pull all the water from a deep well by hand his duties are by no means light. Then there is the mither, or sweeper, who sweeps the rooms and attends to the conservancy of bath rooms. The mally, or gardener, looks after the culture of flowers in the garden and cares for the lawn. At every meal he has the table decorated handsomely with flowers. Besides these servants the watch- man has duties that are peculiar to house- keeping in India, and then there are the syce and his assistants, whose duties re- quire them to give constant attention to their master’s horses and carriages. The ayah, or lady's maid, is the only woman ‘ant connected with a European nouse- in India. + 0+ ____ THE MINOR PLANETS. hold Their Uses in Astronomy and a Re- markable Discovery. From the London Times. Of all the d'fferent departments of astro- ncmical work “minor planet” discovery has seemed by far the least interesting and profitable. There seemed no end to their numbers—more than 159 have been detected within the last ten years—they are all too small for any markings to be observed on their surfaces or to afford fields for lightful speculations as to their climates and inhabitants; they are just wandering boulders, as numerous as the pebbles on the seashore, and with, for the most part, scarcely more tndividuality to repay the astronomer for the toil of keeping a watch on their motions and of computing tneir orbits. So that it was with a decided feel- ing of satisfaction that most astronomers saw the first half of the present year go by without a single fresh discovery. The past two months, however, haye each brought a new capture; the first, dis- covered by M. Chariots of the Nice observa- tery, on July 16, having no special claims to attention. But the second, discovered by Herr Witt of the Urania observatory, Ber- lin, on August 14, seems to have so re- markable an orbit that astronomers vill think the labor spent on the discovery and observation of the other 430 or so of these little bodies well bestowed, since it has led to the discovery of this one. The chief interest of ‘minor planet” as- tronomy has lain in the suitability of some of them for use in the determination of the fundamental unit of astronomy, the distance of the earth from the sun. Some of them come sufficiently near the earth every now and then for their distance to be determined with considerable precision. And as the relative distances of the var- fous planets can easily be ascertained, to know the distance accurately of one 18 to know the distance of all. But the “minor planets” as a body Ife between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, anid only one or two ever come nearer to the sun than the mean distance of Mars. The new planet, unlike all its brettiren, if the first attempts at the calculation of its orbit are to be received, has {ts mean dis- tance from the sun within that of Mars, ard, traveling in a very eccentric orbit, will approach the earth, when it is at its hearest approach to both earth and sun at the same time, within 14,000,000 miles. It will be at such times our nearest neighbor in space after the moon herself, but such close oppositions will only occur about once in thirty years. The time of revolution of the new planet is 645 days. Like the other “pocket planets,” it ts of very small size, say twenty or twenty-five miles in diameter; but on the occasion of @ very close opposition it will shine as a sixth nitude star, and therefore be vis- fble to the naked eye. Even at its most distant oppositions it will be of the elev- enth magnitude, five or six times as bright —that 1s, as most of the more recently dis- covered minor planets. This fact makes It most remarkable that it has not been dis- covered earlier, and creates the hope that other bodies nearer than Mars may be de- tected. At any rate, it will revive the in- terest in the search for small celestial wan- derers, of which it is at present by far the mest useful and interesting. FOUGHT WITH PIRATES. The Debut of Our Navy tm Chinese Waters. From Harper's Magazine. The first passage at arms between Amer- ican citizens and Chinese was in 1809, when Mr. J. P. Sturgis of Boston arrived in the ship Atahualpa, Capt. Bacon, at Macao. ‘The terrible Chinese pirate Apvotsae was then ravaging the ccast, capturing imperial forts, laying whole towns under contribu- tion, massacreing those who opposed him and terrorizing the mandarins. In vain were rewards offered for his head. Hav- ing watched and seen the chief officer and an armed boat’s crew leaving the Ata- hualpa for the city to obtain a river pilot, he thought the capture of the foreign devil’s ship would be easy. Ranging his junks under colog of moving up the river, and feigning to run past the American ship, the pirates suddenly rounded, expect- ing to leap on board and kill the eighteen or twenty men left there. Instead of quick success, the ——— sanene a Tartar. ded as ie their dgnnon Were fortunately loated, eka they made lively use of them, ani with Brown Bess muskets, horse pistols and boarding pikes, defended themselves with spirit. The Chinese threw on deck plenty of those home-made hand-grenades which, owing to the quantity of sulphur in the powder, were unpoetically termed “stinkpots.” but they killed none of thetr foes. Amid the shricks and grcans of their wounded, a hellish Gin with gongs and drums was kept up. The Yankees fired with such effect that the Chinese were beaten off. Apootsae called away his men, and his ships were soon lost to sight. This episode put such courage into the cowardly mandarins that, by means of bribery and treachery, they se- cured the cutthroat Apootsae and had him put to death by the slow and prolonged of hacking, called “the thousand From this time forth there was in- tense respect for Americans at Canton and Macao, and business increased with little interruption. oo WRECKS AND DERELICTS. The Vesuvius Very Successful in Re- moving These Menaces to Navigation. From St. Nicholas. A stranded vessel is not a menace to nav- igation, and is therefore left severely alone; but a wreck sunk in a fw fathoms of wa- ter, in the track of coastwise shipping, 1s a@ dangerous obstruction. The large, heavy masts of a sunken coaster might rip up the bottoma of a colliding vessel, and a ledge of rock would not be mcre fatal than the sub- merged hull. In one year the United States hydrographic office, which is a branch of the bureau of navigation of the Navy De- partment, has received nearly two thousand reports of wrecks and dangerous obstruc- tions, and ordered the destruction of as many of thes? as was practicable. This work is done with torpedoes. After the ex- piosion there is no torpedo left, but there 1s also no wreck. It is impossible to say how much damage has been done by collision with wrecks and derelicts, as ships abandoned at sea are called. Sunken wrecks are hidden dan- gers. The sky may be clear and ths sea- Way light; they smite the unsuspecting victim from the depths, and add one more to those disasters which are the more tragic for the awful mystery that sur- rounds them. During ths seven years from 18S7 to 1894 forty-five such collisions—nine, or nearly one-fourth, resulting in total loss, the others in great damage—were reported to the United States hydrographer. Of the nine fatal collisions, five were with wrecks and four with derelicts, Th2 Yantic, the Despatch and the dyna- mite cruiser Vesuvius are among the ves- sels of the United States navy which have most actively waged war upon sunken wrecks. The U. S. S. San Francisco also has the honor of having destroyed a dere- let, In which operation she was, however, obliged to resort to all usual methods of neval attack except boarding—torpedoes, ramming and shelling. Capt. Crowninshield, when commanding the K>arsarge, removed a curious obstruction to navigation off Cape May. A schooner was reported sunk there in twelve fathoms of water. Capt. Crown- inshield was surprised, on reaching the spot, to find the heels of two masts—not the upper, but ths lower ends—protruding fifteen feet above water. In some incon- ceivable manner, these masts must have become unstepped from a sunken v>ssel and the heels had swung up, the ends of the spars being held down by the rigging. One mast was shattered with torpedoes, the other pulled out by the Kearsarge and then destroyed. It was not necessary to break up the hull, as there was enough water above it. The Vesuvius was very successful as a wieck destroyer. Some of the obstruétions ars difficult to locate. The same wreck may be reported in three different positions by as many different vessels; and with so Tuany clues to follow, it is not easy to run down the game. The Vesuvius has found a wreck with only two feet of spar protrud- ing above water—and two feet of spar stick- ing out of the broad Atlantic is rather Itke the traditional needle in the haystack. Seren See EASTERN SAGE’S POWERS. A Strong Case of Arab Credulity in Algiers. From the New York Herald. Perhaps the best evidence of the preva- lence of the strange fatalism and fanati- cism that form so large a part of the Arab faith is to be found in the frequent use the Algerian makes of the rather overworked expression “Mestoub!” “It was written.” Near Bouguirat there lives a celebrated marabout, Sidi ben Tekouk by name, who is credited with an inheritance from his father of strange and supernatural powers. From every quarter of the populous Dah- ra region an almost continuous caravan of people who desire to consult the holy man wends its way toward his unpretentious abode. These pilgrims to the shrine of occult wisdom, by the way, are pretty certain of being entertained by the holy man in royal style. The heavy expenses consequent vpon the giving of this perpetual hospitable reception are defrayed by the faithful whom Sidi ben Tekouk holds under his spir- itual sway. Even the European colonist must seek his aid in discovering the authors of the theft of a horse, a camel or a part of his harvest. The complainant fs always dismissed with the comforting words, “Go, my friend, be merciful toward those who have robbed you; close your eyes and ears, and in three days’ time you shall find the animal before your door.” And so invariably, common re- port has it, is the prediction fulfilled it is hardly to be wondered at that the mara- bout is credited with miraculous ers. On a recent occasion several hay ricks belonging to a rich planter were set on fire. The planter immediately betook him- self to the marabout and indicated to him the’ persons he suspected. Sidi ben Tekouk gent for a half dozen of the supposed cul- prits, and after a short examination sent away all but one. To him he depicted in tively colors all the joys of the paradise where Mohammed awaits the just, and all the terrors of the accursed place’ haunted by demons of fire, and then called upon his trembling Istener to swear his inno- cence upon the tomb of his (Ben Tekouk’s) father. The native, although half dead with fear, took the uired oath. Then the marabout, laying aside the ex- alted tone, said in paternal accents: “Go, my son; go freely, but remember that he who has burned the property of another shall himself perish by fire. Some days later this Arab, impelled by an outraged conscience, put an end to his life with a pistol. By a fatal chance his cloth- ing caught fire, and when the body was found it was almost unrecognizable. The Arabs shrugged their shoulders and said, “Mektoub”—“It was written.” The man with such strange powers of in- sight and foresight is about forty years old, tall and imposing in stature. An abundant silky beard gives to his face a patriarchal aspect. He is very learned, having studied theology In a special school at Damas and traveled much in the orient. He — many languages and is considered a royal — fellow by most Europeans who meet im. Some years ago, during a revolt of the tribes along the Dehras, Sidi ben Tekouk, doubtless on account of his religious pres- tige, was suspected of being the secret chief of the agitators -— ‘was arrested by order of the prefect of Mostaganem. His detention, however, was of short duration. A Pathetic Coincidence. From the Philadelphia Record. The surgeons and nurses at St. Mary's Hospital were unusually distressed over the death a few days ago of Private Henry J. Wind of Company D, 3d New York Regi- ment. The hospital attaches had taken an especial interest in Wind's case, and every- thing possible was done to save him. The surgeons, after a consultation, decided that his only chance of recovery lay tn the per- formance of a, delicate surgical operation. The surgeons did their work well, but the patient collapsed under the knife. They The soldier, who seemed to understand his own condition fully, clutch- one of the doctors by the sleeve and be 4 Just break the news to mother, she knows how dear I love her, And tell her not to wait for me, for I'm not coming ‘Then kiss her dear, sweet lips for me and break the news to her. Almost at that moment the sufferer gasped and was . The Ss 23 FALL OF OMDURMAN An Event of Impertance in the Mohammedan World. WHAT THE SIRDAR'S VICTORY MEANS It Will Strike Terror Into Every Moslem Army. POWER OF THE KHALIFA From the Cleveland Plain Denler. The destruction of the power of the khalifa in the city of Omdurman is a great event in the Mohammedan world, for there is nothing which the Moslem rulers of the wresent day fear more than the establish- ment of the universal rule of mahdt. According to the Moslem theology, a ruler who shall be known as el-mahdi, or “the rightly directed one, leader or guide,” shall appear in the last days upon the earth. The people of Persia hold that this mahdi has already appeared in the person of Abu Kasim, the twelfth imam, who ts believed to be concealed until the day of his mani- festation before the end of the world. But the Sunni Moslems of India, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan and Arabia say that he has not yet appeared, and consequently they are in expectation of the appearance of some great leader who will weld together the forces of Islam and conquer the whole earth. The sayings of the prophet on this sub- ject are somewhat notable. For example, he Is related to have said “The mahdi will be descended from me. He will be a man with an open countenance and with a hish nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice, even as it has been filled with villainy and oppression, and he will reign over the earth seven years. Story of the Khalifa. It was in accordance with this prophecy that Mohammed Ahmed, the mahdi of the Soudan, asserted his right to the dignity of mahdi. He was born in Dongolo of a poor and obscure family, but said he was de- scended in direct line from Fatima, the prophet’s daughter. When a child he was taken by his father to Khartoum, where as a young man he gave himself up entire- ly to religious exercises. As the outcome of certain local disturbunces he became an important leader of the people and event- ually declared himself the mahdi. His Prestige, especially in the eyes of the Arabs, rose enormously, and letters were dis- patched in all directions proclaiming the fact that, according to the sayings of the Prophet, the mahdi had appeared. And he was immediately credited with working such miracles as placed his identity beyond dispute. This was the man who imprisoned Gen. Gordon and was responsible for his death. The cruelties and atrocities trated in the massacre which followed Gor- don’s death are beyond description. But in the midst of this reign of terror the mahdi was seized with typhus fever and shortly before his death he nominated Ab- dullah as his khalifa or vice regent. This is the man who is now being pursued by the British cavalry, and whose capture will Probably put an end to the difficulties in the Soudan. Slatin Pasha described him as a man of middle stature, with a light brown complexion, a sympathetic Arab face which the marks of smallpox are trace- able, an aquiline nose, a well-shaped mouth slight mustache, and a fringe his cheek, but rather thicker on and with a row cf glistening wih which are visible when he smiles khalifa’s pride and confidence in perpe- The his own powers were indescribable, and he fir believed that he was capable of doing : thing and everything, as he said he a solely by Divine guidance. After the mahe di’s death this Khalifa addressed a le ter to the Queen of England, requesting her majesty to submit to his rule and embrace Islam. His Strange Character, His character is a strange mixture of malice and cruelty. He delights to annoy and cause disappointment, and is never happier than when he is robbing families wholesale and seizing and executing all persons of influence and authority. It was this Abdullah who gave the order for no quarter at the storming of Khartoum, and it was he, and not his master, the mahdi, who authorized the wholesale massacre of men, women and children at the fall of the city. He has caused the deaths of thou- sands of innocent people, and Slatin Pasha says that when he was in prison the kh: had the right hand and left foot of a tain general publicly cut off in the market Place because he had been unsuccessful in an expedition. But in spite of his tyranni- cal nature he is said to be devoted to his eldest son, Osman, who is now a young man of twenty-five years of age. The khalifa’s harem consists cf 400 wives. In accordance with the law of Islam he has four legal wives, but according to this law he is allowed to have any number of concu- bines, who, as Slatin Pasha says, vary in color from light brown to deepest black and represent nearly every tribe in the Soudan. These women are almost entirely cut off from intercourse with the outer World, and doubtless have hailed with joy the arrival of the British liberators. During his residence at Omdurman the khalifa conducted the public prayers tive times a day, according to the injunctions of bis religion, and immediately after the night prayers he would sit in the niche of the mosque and receive visitors. On these occasions several thousands would be pres- ent, and the khalifa would be very careful in selecting persons whom he desired to honor. The Khalifa's Religion. The khalifa fs really a Wahhab in his religious sentiments, and consequently he regards many current customs of Islam as idolatry. Smoking is forbidden, as well as the wearing of silken garments and gold ornaments. Every Friday at midday prayer the khalifa would preach a sermon in Arabic, beginning with the salutation, “Peace be upon you, O friends of the mahdi.” After the fall of Khartoum the mahdi se- lected Omdurman as a temporary camp, but the khalifa made it the sacred city of the Moslems and regarded the tomb of the mahdi as equal in point of sanctity to the tomb of the prophet at Medina. The city covers the length of about six English miles and consists of thousands and thou- sands of straw huts. The great mosque is & brick building about 0 yards long and 350 yards broad. The mahdi's tomb is a domed building whitewashed and by no means a structure of beauty. South of the tomb is the great inclosure of the khalifa’s palace, which is surrounded by a high wall built of red brick. Town of Omdédarman. The town of Omdurman is built for the most part on fairly level ground, but here and there are a few small hills. The popu- lation of the city is distributed entirely ac- cording to tribes. The Arabs live in the southern quarter and the Ntle valley peo- ple in the northern portion. A number of new wells have been dug, and while those in the southern quarter of the city are mcstly brackish, there are a few wells ninety feet in depth which yield very good water. The state of things in Omdurman for the last ten years or so has been a disgrace to Christian Europe. If the great powers of Burope could act as one man against the combined influence of the semi-savage armies of the Soudan such a condition of things as that which has existed in Omdur- man would not be endured. But, as mat- ters now stand, the armies of Christendom do not show a united front, and, conse- quently, every Mohammedan ruler in the, world, whether he be the Sultan of Turkey, the Bey of Morocco, the Ameer of Cabul, the Shah of Persia, the Sherif of Mecca, the Sultan of Zanzibar, or even the mahdi Timself, considers it his first religious duty to pray and work for the of army and will be a duced Stscheens —~y on to for the of Christiag ©