Evening Star Newspaper, October 22, 1898, Page 15

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1898-26 PAGES. “SHE WOLLD GIVE SEEKING TO ESCAPE! M. De Rougemont’s Efforts to Get | Back to Civilization. > AGONY OF THIRST IN THE DESERT A Journey That Was Attended With Hardship and Danger. see Se ee, DOWN THE ROPER RIVER (Copyright. 1898, by SS. MeClure Co. Writt for 1 ing Star by Louis De R mont = ge side of the bay, some twenty miles away, where I thought I who of LWAre Ives suggest- likely then en- ted out to me it much colder t the hope was ow- ve ing sails decided me, and one me ay ture, the whole natic 1 ming out in fu | to bid us adte I think the st thi: s wou igh 1 to « ss the bay ost of my I frier i tamarans. 1 Pp spot for our dwe ing y sured me t w t ¥ t the lone <3, v at feel after <0 : interes uly mativ: s| pi r yea he O. t v I ME ITS B f carried one of these stic! | blacks. miles or so of our trip. At last, however, Yamba, myself and the faithful dog were left to continue our wanderings alone. The reliance I plae>d upon this woman, by the Way, was absolute and unquestioning. I knew that alone I could not live a day in the awful wilderness through which we were to pass, nor could any solitary white man. By this time, however, 1 had had in- numerable demonstrations of Yamba’s t!- most miraculous pow2rs in the way of pro- ‘ding food and water when, to the ordi- ry eye, neither were forthcoming. I ought to mention that before leaving my black people 1 had provided myself wit what I may term a native passport—a kind of Masonic mystic stick, inseribed with certain cabalistic characters. Every chief stuck through his nos2; I, however, invariably carried the passport in my long, luxuriant hair, which I wore “bun” fashion, held in a net of ofossum hair. This passport stick proved invaluable as a means of putting us on good terms with the different tribes w2 en- countered. The chiefs of the blacks never ventured out of their own country without one of these mysterious sticks, and I am sure I should not hav2 been able to travel far without mine. I Presen never I encountered a strange tribe My Card. Whe ME LITTLE TIME r the adventure | along the line of march I always asked to th the alligator 1| be taken before the chief, and when in his moved my dwelling | Presence I presented my little stick. He ce to the top of a | Would at once manifest the greatest friend- land on the other | liness. and would offer us food and drink. Then, before I took my departure, he also would inscribe his sign upon it, handing it back to me, and probably sending me on to another tribe with an escort. It often pened, however, that I was personall troduced to another tribe, whose “frontier” joined that of my late hosts, and in such cases my passport was unnecessary. At first the country through which our wanderings led us was hilly and well wood- ed, the trees being particularly fine, many f them towering to a height of 150 feet or 2 fect. Our principal food consisted of roots, rats, snakes, opossum and kangaroo. The physical conditions of the country were changing as we moved farther astward, and Ya. s ingenuity was often sorely taxed to detect the whereabouts of the various roots necessary for food. It jar with the flora and fauna of every part of the great Australian continent. Sometimes she was absolutely nonplussed, had to stay a few days with a tribe the women initiated her into the best methods of cooking the roots found in that art of the count And often we could not understand the language. In such cases, though, when spoken words were unlike those uttered in Yamba's country, we re- sorted to a wonderful sign language which appears to be general among the Australian All that Yamba carried, by the was a basket made of bark, slung shoulder and containing a variety eful things, including some bone nee- grinding es, etc. Day after day we walked ste: on in an ea: guiding ourselves in the daytime and in the evening by the attitu ant hills, which are always b' & th We crossed many creeks sometimes wading and at other imming them. Desert of Re ly left the hilly country and at length got into an extraordi- nary desert of red sand, which gave off a way, ofu dles, erly direc- by Sand. we be- z st from our very tracks that nearly suf- mn focated us. Each water hole we came in ng acro: now began to contain less and less ant f | of the precious liquid a r daily menu w | Brew mol and more sca y until at length sh . | we w compelled to live on practically pos nothing but a few roots do stray rats. Week a | Still we plodded on and on, finally strik to r i | ing a terrible spintfex country, which was mak | inconceivably worse than anything we had fo ay | hitherto encountered. Not only was the i = water all but unobtainable here, but our Blacks w I as torn with thorns at almost every re I step. Yamba was terribly troubled when 1 s_hefore my next jour- | she found she could no longer provide for r nxious that I wants. Fortunately the dew fell heav- eI fighung expec at night and a sufficient quantity would tions, bu s d. on the ground | collect on the foliage. and more particu- bs w The fact | larly on the blade of my tomahawk t like the | e y tt Ly sted dt poipeyerat t weapons used tr re i s d not show u t n Moreover, tt te Y x rr So far I had wen laurels enough with my t s red the nd my prow- €= n t ahawk was awk : t my | I my | ¥ ‘ w fear the blacks 2; nly, when | I ™ y mu: 1 acks n drinking at . le, Ar scoop up 4 I { ex ” | Striking the Tree. Mawdihns | to refresh me somewhat in the morning } . lap- | How eagerly would I lick the precious winds drops from the shining blade of that Amer- F b {ean ax! Curiously enough, Yamba herself Hs p to this time did not seem distressed Sue : from lack of water; but nothing about this iste it Y agaca | marvelous woman ‘surprised me. It took 7 uwxe the us about ten days to pass through this 4 and solemnly c:z awful spinifex desert, and for at least esha to db 3k muta eight days of that time we were virtually a passed ate was an without water, tramping through never- asc ike a ynotonous fife | ending tracts of scrub, prickly grass and 7 ke rg them upon j Undulating sand hills of a reddish color. h pe ning in their | We were still going due east, but in conse- ee lical trips inland | Quence of the lack of water holes my heroje ‘ for the great ] Buide thought it advisable to strike a lite 5 1 pros i overland to | tle more north. r York. When I spoke to my pted The Agonies of Thirst. = * aa ie a -y 1 | By this time I began to feel delirtous, and people’ forever | J fear I was li baby in Yamba’s r y well I knew that she | She knew that all I wanted was wate ™ aid lo the things. Hor | she became almost distracted when she — a ae P tonks oe re could not find any for me. Of herself she < & Hber WES | never thought. And yet she was full of strange resources and devices. When I ae Si screamed aloud in an agony of thirst, she Often T own home would give me some kind of grass to chew, t when I asked and although this posses no rea) mois- st me with me sh | ture, yet 1t promoted the flow of saliva, and * axe! ary thus materially benefited me ein: Things grew worse and worse, however, ea and the delirium increased. Hour after ‘ver you take n hour through the endless nights would that At length everything was ready, | devoted creature sit by my side, moistening paid a final «il, as I thought, to ny | my lips with the dew that collected on the black friend: Cambridge gulf. gtass and on the blade of my tomahawk. knew I was rg on a long journey | On the fifth day without water 1 suffered overland te art of the country | the most shocking agonies, and in my lucid many miles d t. in the hope of being | n-oments I gave myself up for lost. 1 could » touch one> more with my | not stand or walk, nor could I speak or awn pe and, though they realized they | swallow. My throat seemed to be almost uld never see me again, they t closed up, and jwhen I opened my eyes my departure a very natural thing. everything seemed to be going round and had a very affec at» leave-taking, body of natives escorted us for the first 100 round in the most dizzy and sickening man- ner. My heart beat with choking violence, and my head ached so that I thought I was going mad. My bloodshot eyes, so Yamba subsequently told me, | projected from their sockets In the most ‘terrifying manner, and an indescribable longing pos- sessed me to kill my faithful Bruno in order to drink his blood. My poor Bruno! As I write these humble lines, so lacking in liter- ary grace, I fancy I can see him lying by my side in that glaring, illimitable wilder- ness, his poor, ary tongue lolling out, and Lis piteous eyes fixed upon me with an ex- pression of mute appeal that added to my agony. Gradually T grew weaker and weaker, and at last, feeling the end was near, I crawled under a tree and prepared to meet the death I was now fervently praying for. Had Yamba given up these lines would never have been written. Amazing to re- late, she kept marvelously well and active. though without water. She musi have seen that I was slowly sinking, for at last she stooped down and whispered earnestly in my ear that she would leave me for a little while and go off in search of water. Like a dream it comes back to me how she ex- plained that she had seen some birds pass- ing overhead, and that if she followed in the same direction she was almost certain to come up with water sooner or later, I Axk Yamba to Kill Me. I could not speak; I could not answer, but I felt it was a truly hopeless enterprise on her part, and as i did not want her to leave me, I remember I held out my tomahawk feebly toward her and signed ta her to come and strike me on the head with it, and put an end to my indescribable agonies. The heroic creature smiled sadly and shook her head emphatically. She took the prof- fered weapon, however, and after putting some distinguishing marks on my tree with it, she hurled it some distance away from me. She then stooped and propped me against the trunk of the tree, and leaving my poor, suffering dog to keep me company, she set out on her lonely search with long, loping strides of amazing vigor. It was late in the afternoon when she took her departure, and I lay there hour after hour, sometimes frantically delirious, and at others in a state of sem{-conscious- ness, fancying she was by my side, with shells brimming over with the precious fluid. I would rouse myself with a start from time to time, but, alas! Yamba was not near me. During the long and deathly stillness of the night the dew came down heavily, and as it enveloped my bed I fell into a sound sleep, from which I was awak- ened some hours later by the same clear and ringing voice that had addressed me on that still night on my island sandspit. Out upon the impressive stillness of the air rang the earnest words, “Coupe l'arbre! Coupe Varbre!” I was quite conscious and much refreshed by my sleep, but the message puzzled me a great deal. ‘At first I thought it must have been Yamba's voice, but I remempered that she did not ..now a word of French, and as 1 looked round there was no one to be seen. The mysterious message still rang in my ears, but 1] was far too weak to attempt to cut the tree myself. so T lay there in a sort of inert drowsiness, until, rousing myself, I heard the familiar foot- ps of Yamba approaching the spot where Her face expressed anxiety, earnest- and joy. My Ministering Angel. her trembling hands she bore ste T lay. ni a big In leaf containing two or three ounces of life- giving water. This I drank with gasping eagerness, as you may suppose. My de- lirium had now entirely left me, although I was still unable to speak. I signed to her to cut the tree, as the voice in my dream had directed mé. Without a word of ques- tion Yamba picked up the tomahawk from where she had hurled it and then cut vigor- ously into the tree, making a hole three or four inches deep. it may seem astonishing to you, but it surprised me in no wise when out from the hole there trickled a clear uncertain stream of water, under which Yamba promptly held my ‘fevered head. This had a wonderfully refreshing effect upon me, and short time I was able to speak feebly but rationally, greatly to the delight of my faithful E As, however, I was still t I indulged in’another and far All through that terrible night, while ba was far away searching for water, Bru- no had never left my side, looking into my face wistfully, and occasionally licking my body sympathetically with his poor,parched tongue. While I was asleep the second time Yam- ba had gone off with the dog in search of food, and had returned with a young opos- sum, which was soon ling in an appe- tizing way on a tripod of sticks over a blaz- ing fire. I was able to eat a little of the flesh, and we obtained all the water we wanted from our wonderful tr I have since learned that my life was saved by the well-known Australian “bottle tree,” so called from the shape of the trunk. Of course, Yamba was unacouainted with the fact that water was stored in its Interior, because this wonderful tree was unknown in her country. As a rule, he instinct might be depended upon implicitly. and even after years of her companionship I -d to be filled with wonder at the way in which she would track down game. How Yamba Caught Opossam, She would glance tree casually and discern on the certain minute seratches, which were quite invisible to me at a even when pointed out. Sne would then climb up like a monkey, and would return to the earth with a good-sized opossum, would be roasted in its skin arid ac- companied with many different varicties of deltct roots. When I had recovered Yamba told me she had 1 many miles scovered a full w in a country, for which + © as soon as I was sufficiently strong. Fortunately this did not take very long, and on reaching the brink of the water hole we camped be- side it for several days, in orde to recu- pera I must say that the liquid we found here did not look very inviting—it vas, in fact, very slimy and green in color; by the time we took our departure there was not a drop left. Yamba had a method of filtration which excited my ad- miration. She dug another hole alongside the one containing the water, leaving a few inches of earth between them, and then forced a stick through the partition. When we wished to drink this stick was with- drawn, A stream of comparatively clear water then spurted through the opening. She would also filter the er by letting it drain from the water hole into another hole dug at the side. At other times, when no ordi human being couid detect the presence of water, she would point out to me a little knob of clay on the ground. This, she told me, denoted the presence of a frog, and she would at once thrust down a reed about eighteen inch long nd invite me to suck the upper end. with the result that I im- bibed copious drafts of delicious cold water. At the water hole described above birds were rather plentiful, and when they came down to drink Yamba knocked them over without difficulty, and they formed a very welcome addition to our daily bill of fare. In this way we had a very pleasant rest for four or five days. Continuing our jour- ney once more, we pushed on till we came to a well-wooded country, where the calpytus flourished mightily and w plentiful, but yet, strange to say, there very little game in th¥s plac Soon after this I noticed that Yamba grew a little nxious, and she explained that as we had not come across any kangaroos lately, nor met any blacks, it was evident that the wet season was coming on. We therefore de- cided to steer for higher ground, and ac- cordingly went almost due north for the next few days, until we reached the banks of a big river, where we thought it ad able to camp. One day I saw a number of small snakes swarming round the foot of a tree, and was just about to knock some of them over with my stick when Yamba called out to me excitedly not to molest them. A Barometer of Sunkes. ‘They then began to climb the tree, ana she explained to me that this clearly indi- cated the advent of the wet season. “I did not wish you to kill the snakes,” she said, “because I wanted to see if they would take refuge in the trees from the coming floods.” Up to this time, however, there had not been the slightest indication of any great change in the Weather. Many months must have elapsed since rain had last fallen in these regions, for the river was extremely low between its extraordinarily high banks, and the country all round was dry and parched; but even as we worked a remark- able phenomenon occurred, which told of impending changes. I was’ oppressed with a sense of: coming evil. I listened intently when mba drew my attention, but at first all I could hear was a curious rum- bling sound, far away in the distance. This noise gradually increased in volume, and came nearer and nearer, but still I was ut- terly unable to account for it. I also no- ticed that the river was becoming strangely agitated, and was swirling along at ever- increasing speed. Suddenly an enormous mass of water came rushing down with a frightful roar, in one solid wave, and then it dawned upon me that it must have al- ready commenced raining among the hills, and that the tributaries of the river were now sending down their floods into the main stream, which was rising with aston- Ss: ishing rapidity. In the-course of a couple of hours it had risen between thirty and forty feet. Yamba seeffied aj little anxious, and she approached m® with a suggestion that we had better build a hut on some high ground and remain secure in that lo- cality, without attempting to continue our March while the rains lasted; and it was evident that they were Row upon us. The Coming’ Deluge. We therefore set to Work’ to construct a comfortable little shelter of bark, fastened to a framework of poles’by means of creep- ers and climbing plants: Thus, by the time the deluge was fairly ‘upon us, we were snugly ensconced in our little hut. We did not, however, remain \indoors throughout the whole of the day, but went in and out, hunting for food and catching game just as usual, the torrential rain which beat down upon our bodies being rather pleasant than otherwise. At this time we had a welcome addition to our food in the form of cab- bage palms and wild honey. We also start- ed building a substantia! catamaran, with which to navigate the river (which I af- terward learned was the Roper) when the floods had subsided. My versatile com- panion procured a few trunks of very light timber, and we fastened these logs together by means of long pins of hard wood, and then knitted them still more firmly togeth- er with strips of kangaroo hide. We also collected a stock of provisions to take with us—kangaroo and opossum, of course; but principally wild honey, cabbage-palm’ and roots of Various Kinds.’ These preparations occupied us for several dz and by the time we had arranged everything for our journey the weather had become settled once more, Yamba remarsed to me that if we simply drifted down the Roper river we should be carried to the open sea,nor would the time necessary be very long, since the swollen current was now running like a millrace. Our catamaran, of course, afford- ed no shelter of any kind, but we carried some sheets of bark to fori seats for our- selves and the dog. Off at Last. At length we pushed off on our eventful voyage, and no sooner had we got fairly into the current than we were carried alcng with prodigious rapidity, and without the least ex+rtion on our part, except in the matter of stecring, which was conduc ed by means of paddles from the ¢ the craft. We made such rapid progress that I felt inclined to go on all night, but shortly after dusk Yamba persuaded me to pull inshore and camp on the bank until number of submerged everal of those we found srakes coiled among the branches. About th> middle of the second day w tremendous roar ahead, as th Were rapids in the bed of che now impossible to pull the of its course, no matter how h have striven, th> current being < irresistible. The banks narrowed ns rapids were reached, with the result that the the water in the middle actually became cony2x, so tremendous was the rush in that narrow passagé¢. Yamba cried out to me to lie flat on the catamaran and boid on as tightly as I could wntil we reached smooth water again. ‘This she did hers2if, seizing hold of the dog also. Into the Ra fds. aver and nearer we were swept to the great seething cauldron of polling and foaming waters, and at last, with a tre- mendous splash, we entered th terrifying commotion. We went right under, and so great was tne force of the water that had I not been clinging tenaci to the eata- maran I must infa been swept away to certain death. ntly, how- ever, we shot into less troubled waters, and then continued our course, very little the worse for having braved, these terrible rap- ids. Again we camped on shore that night and were off at an early hour next morn- ing. As we glided swiftly on, I noticed that the river seemed to be growing tre- mendously wide as w2) went. Yamba cx- plained that we w now, getting > very flat country, and therefore the great stretch of water we were paddling over was caused by th> flooding of the river. She also prophe a rather bad t us, as we should not be able to go at night and replenish our stock of visions. Fortunately we shad supply of food with us on th to last at least two or thre € The last time we landed Yamba had stock- ed an additional quanuty of edible roots ard smoked meats, and although we lost a considerable portion of these in shooting th there still remained enough for a few days’ supply. longe Jn consequence of the ever-increasing vidth of the river, I found it a difficult tter to keep in the channel where the current was, so I gave up the stesring pad- dle to Yamba, who seemed instinctively to krow what course to take. a CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR NOTES Mi discussions will be the order of the in Christan Endeavor meetings tomorrow, the topic ling, “Go, or Send, with Acts ) as Scripture reference. Madison C. Peters, D.D., pastor of the Madison Avenue Reformed Church, Ne York, speaks as follows: “The man whose religion does not m:ke him either ‘go, or send,’ or both; who dees t make his re- ligion the business of his life, may disgni it as he likes; he does not belicve, believes in Christ as he believes in Was' ington, or in dead fact which belongs to another age living connection with him or his destiny. he in his do has no nfluence cn A Christian Endeavor S was losing ground, and a special mec ting S called to devise scme plan for making things go. In the rocm were assembled was a parrot. airs had been discussed a while, the parrot shout-d, Work, lubbers, work! There was the difficulty—they did not ork. The Christian is to be rich In good works, not in order to be saved, but be- ause he is saved. A soldier, who was a watchmaker by trade, went ‘to war, and took with him some smail instruments of his craft, thinking to make a few € now and then while in camp. He found plenty of puttering to do, and almost for- got that he was a soldier. So one di when ordered off to fight, he exclained ‘My! how can I go? I have ten watches to mend.’ Many of our young people are so absycb- ed in worldly things that they have no time fe church work. But what if you cannot go? Send! In other words, give! The goods that God has given you > be for the good of others; + not to be greedily . d, nor selfishly to nerously to be employed for Christ and His chureh. Re- ing is good, but it is good for nothing until it has a feeling in the pocket with a resolution moved by a consecrated heart to give out of your income ta the support of God's house, in proportion to sur prosperit The Womaa's F Union M. BE. Chur S170 raised for the Junior © uted $45 for a famine orphi ce Jay r-ign Mission Society of h c.osed the year with foreign missions. Of this ristian Endeavorers conty n orphan in China and_the 8 Cf India, The ¥. P. S.C. B, itributed $0 of it fora lé woman in #45 in advance over last tly encouraging to the union. ent Christian Endeavor meeting at Mr. H. H, Smith led the © “An Old-time Con- ilustYating his remarks of the temple. It was both in- teresting and impr The midweek prayer meeting of Mt. Ver- non Place M. E. Churéh South is to be Ww ervice with the top ution Service, changed from Wednesday to Thursday evening. Tomorrow is Children’s day in the Sunday school at this church and sp celal cxercises have been arranged for at 30 in the morning. The Mission Band of the Sixth Presbyteri- an Church has elected the following offi- cers to serve for the ensuing: year: Presi: dent, Miss Alice Hercus: viee president, Miss Lula McDade; secretar¥, Miss Annie Ran; treasurer, Miss Florence Davis. ‘The band is to be divided into sectiors, the leaders of which will plan work for the children and instruct them on missionary topics. The Y. P.S. C. E. of Eastern Presbyteri- an Church has changed the date of i's elec- tions to conform to the date of chaiges in the union's corps of officers, Senteniber 1. This society takes charge one Monday night of each month of the meeting at the norti- east branch of the Central Union Mission. The First Presbyterian Y. P. 8. C. 2. held its first autumn sociable the 1th 1 stant. A pleasing program was rendered and the evening Was greatly enjoyed by al pres- ent. ‘The tenth legion enrollment reaches: 11,527 this week, and the comrades of th: quiet hour, 10,826. es Situations Secured. Many situations are secured through the want advertisements in The Star. The cost is but trifling. Fifteen cents pays for fifteen words. THEODORE ROOSEVEL HUNTING COSTUME, COWBOY AND HUNTER gto a Experiences of Col. Roosevelt on His Western Ranch. TOLD BY ONE OF THE ROUGH RIDERS Expert in Riding Bronchos and Skillful With the Rifl en ae MOUNTAIN AFTER SHEEP ee Special Correspondence of The Evening St SW YORK, October 20, 18% HERE ARE A FEW men among the Rough Riders who first met their famous leader out in the bad lands of Dakota, where Col. Roose- velt’s ranches are lo- ed. One of the is Fred Herrig Troop K, who was formerly employed on the Elkhorn range. ‘Haunted with Roosev said Trooper Herrig the other day, in answer to a question. ‘Indeed I have, on his Dakota ranch at Elkhorn, and along the hills of San ca e of Juan. It was more fun out in the bad lands than it was in Cuba. “The colonel, as we all call him now, had two ranches when I first knew him in the bad lands, the Elkhorn and the C} y Butte he named "em. They lay ¢ ernment e along the Little M i river, just south of Medera. There was plenty of big game whea he first went out to that country in 'S3, and everybody sized him up for a grassy tenderfoot. "Twas ir Medora (named after the Marquis de Mores wife, a York lady), in front of Joe Ferris’ store, that a lot of us 7 little surpris2 for Mr. H like a kid—I aly and wh past twenty, nd his Knee breeches and his litt! nustache, he did look too nice f thing. W he was in Joe Ferris age stamps, Will Dow, d with me on the r nemed Merrifield, and dled Rooseve the saddle d oun he'd Hellroa oF White-§ him b nd The bron and the bumped his bi easy as you thing except Joe the door and a ‘Not a bit of it,’ went again. Bu what we called t for him to get his rig is time before t right over his firedest j aso gl. brok help him ur couldn't move then beast “k pl Fe ed if Md ¥ of us. He jus scrambled up—ihe dust ck in the road. ‘It’s tor gla said he, and & store. “We thought he'd h nough of it and re wondering how we could change nags again, when erfoot gut with a new pair of hed tofh hand-bag, and f he didn’t jump on the quick this time ull he'd got bot good grip with his kne Kid didn’t start @ it. In a minute he was cyclone of dust. Made Him Popula “There were on eleven i itants in the town then, and it wasn't long until the news got out that the White- faced Kid was) murdering tenderfoc We held a mass meeting in front of Ferris’ store and when the overland train from the cast pulled in, and another tenJerfoot got off and asked for his friend, Mr. Roosevelt, d his name was Dr. Lambert, and he om New York, we said as how h nd Mr. Roosevelt just about need- a doctor, and bad But before we ld lain, lickety split. through — the t came the White-faced Kid, and the is back. with all his teeth showing, was doctor's friend, Roosevelt. W clapped his pepe} out a whoop that couldn't have been beat by any cowboy on the Little Missouri. took a shine to him from that very @ Any fellow who could ride White-faced Kid one trial and holler like that was the man for ovr money, except that we didn't have any money—until we'd hired out to Roosevelt, At the Elkhorn Ranch, “At first I went to work on the Maltese Cross. But when Dr. Lambert came out for some shooting the boss sent word for me to come down and hunt with ‘em at the Elkhorn ranch. That was as pretty a place as you ever saw, right on the bank of the Little Missour!, with a wide valley toc We on the other side, and then a range of sharp cliffs that cut off the vi The house was one story high, of squared logs, but there were plenty of rocms in it, bis easy chairs on the porch and buffalo and bear skins all over the floors. The colonel owns it yet, and the boys are just crazy for him to come out again. He owns the Chimney Butte ranch, too, but tne house on the Elkhorn’s the best. As for wild game—well, you can get lost for three day even now in the triangle cut off by the Lit- tle Missourl, the Big Missouri and the Northern Pacific railroad. “Hellroaring Bill Jones had come to wori for the colonel when Dr. Lambert came cut in September, '93. You see, Bill had been chief of police in Bismarck, and he aad the mayor had words one day. Bill pulled bis gun; he was tco much of a gentleman ‘o shcot the mayer, so he batted him over tke head with the butt end of the pistol. That ended the argument. But after that the ; knocked up the dust alm he | on Dr. Lambert he Jet | mayor said he thought Rill had better re- sign. so he passed in his badge and came to Medora. Ard when he heard of the ten- derfoot who had tamed White-faced Kid, sill said he guessed he was the kind of man he'd like to work for. By the time I Went there Bill was foreman of the Elk- hern ranch, and Sylvain Ferris, Joe's brother, was head cowboy. Bill and Syl- vain had stayed sober all summ be O. K. for the big hunt “Doc. Lambert mounted Sorrel Joc, the eclonel straddled Muley rode Tom and I drove the Kid and Jim in the army wagon slonel said it wasn't any fun to ride Kid any n sin he'd pull to Bes hadn't ever quite forgiven the bucking lost 4 bunting he Kid for him so hard that he knife that day at Med “Our third day out we ‘There's a big bull, but h i Bill Jones new saw ante 60 yards when we first caught sight of the game. But the doctor hadn't got used to a country where distances are so deceiving. In that high dry air th Prong-horn didn't lcok, to a New York tan, farther off than across Madison Square. You see I can talk town now like a tenderfoot since I got to be a soldier and came eas An Antelope at Long Range. I saying, the doctor paid no attention when Bi said the bull was GM yards off, but just blazed away with his 0; he missed the antelope by 150 yards, shot that far shert of him. Then the ¢ tor played Fourth of July with the critter, shooting a half dozen shells at him almost as fast as the Spanish machine guns | banged at us on Kettle Hill. He didn’t j hit the beast, either, which was not strange at the distance, but his fusillade turned the game off toward Roosevelt. And I never Saw a prettier piece of work in my | he did then with his rifle. It was same caliber as the doctor's, and When the colonei—I can’t help cailing him that, though war was the last thi | of us expected then—pulled the trigger twice, at 3: yards, the bull keeled over with one ball th his side and t other 1 get a fine sheep one and I were sitting on the e when Bill says: ‘I sheep's track up on that butte y>s- ye hep, itter up over the rock in front a sheep, by George, and I sho “My last hunt with Col. Roosevelt was late in November. I guess he and I re member it ma because we both froze home to the ranch. H untain ram before all right to shoo’ a whacking big r ad like all out door, is e both made up our minds he must have a ram, and started early in the morning over the divid> between the Yellowstone and the Little Missouri rive By that time of year the bunch grass was so brown you couldn't tell it from th recks. The country looked about as deso- © as you can imagine. The buttes rais+d gged edges against a cold gray sky enly color in the landscape was In 1 porphyry strata of the a4 hard time of it making our rest of the Civide, and just ot there, along toward evening, I nething moving ahead of us. A Diflicult ” says he, way up to the ¢ as w> ot. und you'll get your nd T could see by was all on thorns. We 1 for this very chance. He p swinging over his had easy of us against the sky line. “There "i yelled, for ‘twas no use keep any longer. Maybe that ram didn’ But the colonel had seen him fr first jump and had his gun going. t” went a bullet against the san¢ “Too far to the left,’ 1 yelled. ‘Biff, next one, quicker than I can tell it, t under the ram’s ow's your chance,’ said I, for the been running almost parallel with the of the range and I was afraid every second he'd plunge down the bluff and we'd lose him. “With that the rifle cracked once mor ere and that time I didn’t see where the bail struck. But I did see the ram jump into the air, headed straight down the bluff, and sappcar. When we got to where we lost him, fearing to find he'd made one of those gigantic leaps down a precipice that the big horns are fond of in an emergency, the colonel gave a yell you could have heard two miles, The Rough Riders say Sherman Bell of Troop K can beat ‘em all on the yell, but the colonel was right in it with him that day. The ram lay ten feet down the cliff, on a little shelf of rock, half over th= edge and half propped again-t a dwarf pine. He was stone dead, and we got the finest pair of horns I ever saw off of him. It was after midnight when we got home that night, and we were happy even if our ears were frozen. “We can get new skit on our ear: the colonel, ‘but we'll never get ram like that one.’ ” ——+e+ MESSENGERS OF TH! How the Carrier Pigeon Manages to Find His W From the Literary Digest. The facuity possessed by many animals for finding their way homethrough an un- known region has always been more or less a mystery. It rises to its height in the case of the carrier pigeon, and its would-be explainers fall back on expedients that range all the way from a mysterious spe- cial sense of “orientation” down to every- day ordinary observation of landmarka, | Such as man uses when he finds his way Most authorities are now inclined to tak@ & middle course, and believe that the pigeon finds {ts way by methods more or less or- dinary, but by a very extraordinary skilled combination of them. We translate below art of an article on the subject, contribus j ted by M. A. Thauzies to the Revue Scien« tinque «Paris, March 26). The auth assumption that the animal organism is sensitive to magnetic conditions is contrary to scientific | but this is doc observation and experime only detail of his theory and not materially affect it. M. fter giving ri ions for reject ory of a cial sense, and ot eses put forth on the subject, proc State the following facts which he by to be firmly established: 1. Well-trained pigeons, even if very far away—say several hundred | from the pigeon cote—get their bearin, |) 4 normal atmosphere with wonderfal promptness, without turning about in other directions, without rising to a great he Refor one can count fifty they hi 2 pigeons, left in open alr in their baskets several minutes belore re leasing them, white they are given food and drink, look around them, walk to and fro, evidently studying the sky, until, have ing found out, doubtle ss, what they sought, they remain quiet. ‘Then, if the baskets are opened, they fly off low and almost horl- zontally, without zigzags and in a straight | line, in the proper direction. T Ame pigeons, transporte] to @ sion—that Js, for instance, where make @ southerly journey when j they are accustomed to make a nortiorly one ay a striking degree of lisqui- etude in their baskets at the mom: of | departure; they seem to be surprised, and somewhat taken aback. As soon us they ire free they fly off eastward, making large | ellipses toward the sun; then they explo in all directions, but they always return to the east with a patient tenacity that seems to signify that there is the key of the prob- lem and that there alone will found its | soluti After several minutes cf th having reached an altitude of 150 to 206 yards, they disappear in the proper direc- tion. “4. The earlier in the morning they aro | released, the more prompt ts their success in gettting their direction. After noon, even pointing to the range right in |!" Calm weather, and even if the distance of us, across the valley, A Rocky |!8 small, thelr orientation 1s dull, slow. {mountain sheep is about the rarest gam” | WA¥ering and without vivactty. get out there. Bill had no more than When the day coincides with a chango 1¢ words out of his mouth when som>- | f the moon, the orientation, both at the | thing poked Its head up over the edge of | PML of departure, and also on the route, | clit. “There's the sheep now, says | Pecomes difficult: the birds return. slowly | Roosevelt. ‘No, I believe it's a black-tailed , at tone intervals. } antelope, and I've a mind to go after him.’ | Finally, even when the sky seems jens as said Bill, “That's | every very clear, If the atmosphere 1s ame ariteee telope you ever saw.’ | U"@ergoing any of those invisible disturb- ances that are revealed only by the most Bags delicate instruments of our observatories, “By this tims the creeping up | the pigeons. a in the preceding case, hesi- 5 We two sat still | “te. lag behind, and sometimes take double xy his Sie Weise Bat Still ies shane ahat Srond oe Meehnmete Ree Eee hed him. The air was calm and | journey under other elteumennees a bell, and when he was a half] “What must be concluded from these © could hear every word we sa facts? t{ to keep to the left and climb ‘The carrier pigeon, a bird eminently * said Bill, never thinking the eer =} 5 en ee a . But he aia keen » is also endowed with pre jous! hear him. But he di r siiive vision and with special intel crawling up th we that cannot be doubted. The inde- ited with gull fatigable excursions that it makes, espe- sses,” said Bil cially in the morning, often to considerable coionel’s fie F distances around its cote and to all pointe just. then th of the compass, accustom it to a great enough for } number of magnetic and visual sensations him as har wh Verious characteristics {t learns to sh according to the region w to the hour of the day. By what my be called its sense of touch and by its sight, it registers, as it were, like a dell- | cate mechanism, impressions ‘as varied jthey mplex, which, resulting in t | concerted action of the organism, enable it to determine in given place, at a given mo- ment. the direction in which the dove ¢ wil be found. mt power discernment increases with the accumulation of heredity of what ¥ be called ‘local instinct. the carrier pigeon is not it has behind it an ancest pigeons living in the same region. This ts why, wien, for any cause, the air is dic- turbed, even to a degree imperceptible to man, the pigeon’s | its means lement of inv n, f getting its bearings, being dif- insufficient, it looks about, hest- 8, gets its direction with difficulty and sometimes even is lost. It gets its direction best in the morning | because it prefers to fly in the morning.’ and because the atmospheric notions that it gets from this habit are clearer, more distinct and more numerous. It gets its bearings without effort in a familiar ai- rection because it then experiences, even before leaving the basket, the normal sen- sations that have previously guided ft t ard a definite part of the horizon. It di- cts itself slowly toward an unknown point hecause of the indectsion resulting from the solicitations of an already despotic routine, and the new but not less imperious tm- | pressions that Cause it to deviate from the orm. 4 about four hundred yards in | accustomed route. front of us a little down the ridge. It was | “During the period of training, all 1 x a“ 5 3 ef agnetic and sual faculties and f ° finest rams I ever saw, his long | M#snet pesos ny own, hair so much lighver in color than | Kuowledge of meteorologteal conditions 4 ewe's he stood out tolerably plain | Yelp little by little, and become mere deli- en among the boulders and at that dis- but may afterward fall into a pri | tance = » state of powerlessness, as month pees! : ‘ ter month of careless lelsure dulls their } wa ust pointing the critter t, When m fi {ne faced About, ifted “his big horns over a !fublle vivecity, And an it be ailfleat eo reck he'd been grazi behind, and cau find united in an individual, nm when it has superior natural endowments, the rare | and complex qualities that this wonderful effort at orientation necessitates, w can thus see without trouble why, by ono chance or another of incomplete’ heredity, | the offspring of pigeons of fine quality are often of but mediocre abilit —__+2.—_____ Wants Quickly Fined. | At this season, when so many are seek- ing situations, and, on the other hand, so | many seeking employes, it is of interest to know that advertisements under thg | classifications Wanted Help and Wante: Situations are inserted In The Star at a charge of 15 cents for fifteen words. “Don’t you think, James, that these lone- ly dinners at the club drive a number of men to matrimony?” “Maybe, sir, but not so many as matri- mony drives to the club!”—Punch.