Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-11-13

hear the last of it
"As he got up to leave the room the
manager of the hotel came in with a very
puzzled expression of countenance. En-
cuse me, sir, but are you Mr. Forbes?'
"'les, Forbes is my name
"'Well, sir, the American gentleman
who has just left the house-very strange
gentleman he appears to me came TO me
few moments ago and asked me to give
you this slip of paper But the strange
part of the matter is, gentlemen, that he
handed me a note of hand for $4,000,
payable this day three years, for which |
gave him receipt. He said il was some
bet he had made with you, Mr.. Forbes,
and that you would understand about
it,
Il felt as if | were in sort of serio-
comic dream; but mechanically took the
slip of paper of which the manager had
spoken--there were only a very few words
on it-'rhis day three years, May 10,
1885, at five in the afternoon, in the smoi-
ing-room, Laugh ohm Hotel, L. j.
"NWhere is the gentleman now" !
cried, starting from my chair.
Immediately after speaking to me,
he left the hotel, and, calling Hanson,
drove Off
| sank back, seeing that had been
outwitted, and feeling very much inclined
to use strong language.
Jack came over to me, and laying his
hand on my shoulder, said, He's sharp
hand at bargain; but cheer up, old fel-
low, we'll take the wind out of his sails
before we've done with him. Let me
see, now-I've just sold out of the
Seventy first, and don't well know what
to do with myself. SO I'm your man for
Timbuctoo.'
"Thanks, my dear fellow cried |,
grasping his hand; but it won't do. |
could not think of letting go on this wild
goose chase with me. Why, heaven only
knows how long | shall be away from
England; for do my utmost to win the
bet | certainly shall"
"'Dont talk any rubbish of that kind;
about thanks. Why, could not think of
more amusing employment than seeing
little of the world, and at the same time
cutting out our friend, the Yankee, No,
since | was partly the means. of getting
you into the scrape by talking at all to
that man, certainly mean to see you
well out of it,
$50, after great deal Of talk, it was
finally arranged that Jack Hilyar and
were to start together in search of the
highest and most difficult mountains to be
found OF course, before anything more
was done, we took care to find out that
Mr.. Zachariah Johnston was not a penni-
less adventurer, but had wherewithal to
pay his debt, if he should lose. This
point being asCertained, the next great
question that arose was, what mountain
we should attack. Switzerland had long
been used up. Norway was voted too
low for our purpose. The highest peaks
Of the Andes had already been attained.
SO that for time we were at a loss. |
suggested that it might be good plan to
cut out the American on his own soil, by
conquering any peaks of the Rocky
Mountains that were not already known
to the Alpine Club; but, on careful con
sideration, we rejected the idea; as the
hunters and trappers are familiar with
them, and but little kudos is gained by a
second ascent. A happy thought struck
Jack. i have it, he cried. Central AT
RIGA and the Mountains Of the Moon
"The more we talked the thing over, the
more we liked it, Utterly unknown to all
Europeans, and surrounded by "a sort of
halo of mystery, these of all others, were
the mountains for us. Within a fortnight
we had left London, laden with everything
that could by any possibility be of Use TO
us in our distant explorations, and good
many things which certainly could not be
50. My life, for few days before we
started, was made burden to me by the
enthusiasm which Jack showed for buy
ing all kinds of strange articles which,
he asserted, might come in handy. Among
these, / remember, were circular saw,
a churn, and a barrelorgan. The last he
asserted would be invaluable in appeasing
the minds of the natives. In spite of the
amount of our impedimenta, we were
more successful than most African travel
ers. Gaining information from every
possible source, and accompanied by a
perfect gang of natives from various
tribes, who, in spite of their assertions,
knew as little as we did ourselves,
we wandered, for nearly four months
over hitherto untrodden ground before
we even came in sight of the Moon
Mountains See them, however, we did
and there, in the midst of mighty group,
rose one giant peak, soaring far above
the rest, and, in spite of the torrid zone,
white with eternal snow.
"On asking, as well as we could, of the
natives, what the name Of this peak was,
they replied something that sounded like
Mumph Jomb' This delighted us i'm
mensely, as their name for it, corrupt as
it seemed to be, was an evident confirma-
ton of the idea contained in the ancient
rhyme that Mumbo Jumbo inhabited the
Mountains Of the Moon.
well, sir, need not trouble you with
an account of all the difficulties we en-
countered before we reached the top of
Mumph Jomb. SO often were we driven
back by storms, and mists, and falling
stones, that the natives were confirmed in
their original impression Of the mountain
being haunted, and absolutely refused to
go with us any more.
"Jack and | were thus left alone to
fipht il out with the great peak and at