Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-06-25

note Of hand for $4,000, payable this day
three years, for which gave him receipt.
lie said IL was some bet ho had made with
you, Mr. Forbes, and that yon would un-
derstand about it,
81 felt as If l were in a state of serio-
comic dream but mechanically took The
slip of paper of which the manager had
spoken-there were only very few words
on ii: This day three years, May 10, 1885,
at Eve in the afternoon, in tie smoking
room, Langham Hotel, u. j.
"'Where is the gentleman nowY cried +,
starting from my chair.
Immediately after speaking to me he
left tho hotel, and calling hanson, drove
off,
~ sank back feeling that had been out
wtted, and feeling very much inclined to
use strong language.
"Jack came over to me, and laying his
hand on my shoulder, said, lie IS a sharp
hand at bargain but cheer up, old fellow,
we III take he wind out of his sails before
we We done with bim. Let me see, now
l We just sold out Of the list, and don't
well know what to do with myself So
I'm your man for any mountainous ex-
crescence from this TO Timbuctoo.'
"'Thanks, my dear fellow" cried /,
CRASHING his hand but it won'tdo. Icould
not think of letting you go on this wild
goose chase with me. Why, heaven only
knows how long shall be away from Eng
land, for do my utmost to win the bet
certainly SHALL
"'Don't talk any rubbish of that kind,
about thanks. Why, 1 could not think of
a more amusing employment than seeinga
little of the world and at the same time
cutting out our friend the Yankee. No,
since l was partly the means of getting
you into the scrape by talking at all TO the
man, certainly mean TO sec you well out
of it,
$50 after a great deal OF talk, it was final
ly arranged that Jack Hilyar and 1 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.. Zachari-
ah Johnston was not penniless adyentur-
er, Srfhe had wherewlthal to pay his debt
if he should lose. This p0iut being ascer-
tanned, the next great question that arose
was, what mountain should we attack.
Switzerland had been long used up. Nor
way was voted too low for our purpose.
The highest peak of the Andes had al
ready been attained. So that for a time
we were at loss. l suggested that it
might be good plan 10 cut out the Amer
lean on his own soil, by conquering any
peaks Of the Rocky Mountains that were
not already known TO the Alpine Club;
but, on careful consideration, we rejected
the idea; as the hunters and trappers are
familiar with them, and but little fame is
gained by a second ascent. A happy
thought struck Jack. 4 have it, he cried
Central A frica and the Mountains OF the
Moon
THE more We talked TIE thing over, the
more we liked it. Utterly unknown TO all
Europeans, and surrounded by sort of
halo of mystery, these, of all others, were
the mountains for us. Within a fortnight
we had le0 London, laden with everything
that could by any possibility be of any use
to us in our distant explorations and
good many things which certainly could
not be SO. My life, for few days before
we started, was made a burden 10 me by
the enthusiasm which Jack showed for
buying all kinds of strange articles which
he asserted might come in handy. Among
these, remember, were circular saw, a
churn, and a barrel-organ. The last he as
serted would be invaluable in apDeasng
the minds of the natives. In spite of the
amount of our impediments, we were more
successful than most African travellers.
Gaining information from every possible
source, and accompanied 10y perfect gang
of natives from various tribes, who, in
spite of their assertions, knew as little as
we did ourselves, ne wandered for nearly
four months over hitherto untrodden
ground before we even came in sight of
the Moon Mountains. See them, howev-
er we did and there, in the midst Of the
mighty group, rose one giant peak, soaring
far above the rest, and, in spite of the tor
rid 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 confirmation
OF the idea contained in the ancielt rhyme
that Mumbo Jumbo Inhabited the Noun
tains of the Moon.
"Well, sir, need not trouble you with
an account Of all the difficulties we en-
countered before wo reached the top of
Mumpb Jomb. So Often were we driven
back by storms and msts and falling
stones, that the natives were confirmed in
their original impression of the mountain
go with us any more.
"Jack and were thus left alone to fight
it out with the great peak, and at last we
ii. 1t was the third day after We
had been LEFT alone that we cut our way up
the last ice slope leading TO the top. hap
pened to he first at the moment, and as the
last step was cut, l sprang on to the clear
space on the top with wild cheer. The
sight that met my eyes there, however,
the edge. Quietly seated on the very high
est point was our friend Zachariah John
ston, picking his teeth with his bowie
knife. Il reckon you're half an hour late,
stranger he remarked in a cheerful tone
of voice. 'While you made tracks up one
side of this ere mountain, l did similar
up the other but l guess you'll have to
grease your boots better if you want to
beat me at that game With that he took
off his hat. and, with low, mocking bow,
wished us good morning. Three minutes
later he was lost TO view down the same
side of the mountain that he had assembled
by.
81 need hardly tell you that we felt great
ly crushed by this melancholy termination
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