The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-05-17
too-full the size of the Governors wolf-dog.

|
| balloons are the biggest, or which donkeys.
l grant it, There is one species of apes on
| the Rock which is considerably larger than
| the common sort, and which. therefore, may
| perhaps be properly called balloons Well
in passing along that perilous path one of
| these balloons met you. 1t was an interest
ing meeting to both parties and singular
adventure. Now please to tell me all par
| ticulars.''
The Captain, somewhat toned down bv
the idea of telling, began to narrate. For
some distance he made his way along the
| path with no obstruction, save ONLY the
want of additional space. One arm brnsbed
against perpendicular wall of lofty rock,
the other hung free over the abvss. He
owned ne didn't like it; but his GOODNESS
and deter mination, not to mention the i'm
| possibility OF turning back, carried him for
| ward. Just as he had got round project
ing lidge, which, once passed, return was
hopeless, what do you think he saw in the
path before him? An enormous balloon!
Yes, sir; not an ape, baboon. What was
| to be done? He could not 90 back, and the
baboon would not. Passing was impossible
There they stood for some seconds, each
| looking daggers at the other It was ques-
ton OF life and death! Presently the ba-
boon began to grin-grinned menacingly-
raised himself erect on his hind legs, and
| grinned again, advanced a few steps and
| gave another grin! The Captain could
easily have pitched the beast over the ledge,
but in so doing might he not have lost his
balance and gone over himself? At this
moment, bright idea occurring to the Cap
| talns mind, he made slight movement
downward with his hand, hoping that the
beast would do as goats do Under similar
circumstances. e., lie down upon the
path in order that he, the Captain, might
walk over him. The balloon took no notice.
What remained? Only that as the baboon
would not, the Captain must. Accordingly
| this part of the adventure the Captain mar
rated with a considerable amount of self
vindication), the Captain laid himself along
at full length, and the baboon walked over
him. So they parted; each went his own
way; and the Captain embraced the earliest
opportunity of transferring himself from the
face of the precipice to the summit, where I
had hehonor of landing him in the bowed
and colliquescent condition already de-
scribed, getting no thanks for my trouble
VERY glad to see you safe back again."
said l. ''Had you missed your footing, the
result must"
Here our conversation was interrupted bv
distant bugle. We both knew the note-it
sounded for some one escaping to the enc
my's lines. Then followed cannon shot
from the Queens Battery, then dropping
fire of musketry.
In order to see what was in the wind we
both made the best of our way back to the
Rock Guard, whence there was a clear view.
the whole of the Neutral Ground" or space
between the enemy's lines and our own, "
ing spread out almost beneath our feet. At
first nothing was visible, save the occasional
striking of our shot, as they knocked up the
sand. Presently, however, we distinguished
little black speck, which was evidently
Of fo tha
lines.
Our glasses were promptly in requisition.
The party escaping was at once brought
nigh to the Captains eye as well as mine.
The fugitive ran well. No wonder; he ran
| for his life.
Presently, needless of the fire, he paused,
coolly faced round, laid one hand on his
heart, with the other took off his hat land
made profound semi-circular obeisance to
the garrison. He then skipped down into
the epemY's trenches, and was lost to our
view.
But not till he had been recognized both
by the Captain and myself.
''That little wretch of Frenchmanr' ex-
claimed the Captain.
The ludicrous reality broke at once upon
my mind. ''Thea Baboonw l replied.
Captain Schnaub turned on me like
tiger
ings, but the whole thing was so unutter-
ably comical, laughter was irrepressible. SO
laughed heartily; there was no helping it.
The Captains rage knew no bounds 1t
was too clear. "That little wretch had
again been too much for him, had disguised
himself, had taken the path at the back of
the Rock, had there met the Captain, and
had got off undetected and unsupported.
The Captain, to hide his wrath and morti-
fication, was again disposed to quarrel. (
Perceiving, however, that l continued far
less inclined to wrangle than to laugh, he
gradually toned down and turned sulky
Savage that the ''little wretch had got off,
what chiefly stung him was one particular
Incident. After some minutes gloomy ST.
lence it at length came out. ''To think
that was his. bridge, and that ne actually
walked over ME from end to endn'
"Never mind, Captain said l. Coon
sidering your different amplitudes, he knew
very well it would be much. more serious
business if you walked over him, so of two
evils he chose the less And now let me ad-
wise you to keep your own counsel. No
body in the garrison knows of this little
affair at the back of the Rock but our two
selves, and l shall not mention t."
Somewhat Modified, the Captain awhile
remained silent and pensivo. AT length
growing confidential and speaking low, ''Do
you know said he, ''just as he got his
beastly foot on the small of my back, he
gave utterance to strange sort of gutteral
cry which l did think rather odd as coming
from a baboon; kind of mixture between
chuckle and the growing of a cockr'
So, then, the little Frenchman had felt
such intense exultation at the rich idea of
walking over the Captain, that between
growing and chuckling, he had nearly be-
trayed himself and stood detected, a man
and no monkey.
However, though the joke would have ex-
hilarated the whole garrison, 1 kept my
promise and did not tell; so the Captain was
not made laughing stock. There was
strict examination of the quarters which
had been occupied by M. De Montmaur, but
the search brought nothing to light which
indicated preparations for leaving. He had
doubtless been aided in his escape by some
party or parties within the garrison. 1t
transpired that he had been wholly absent
from his apartment during the four-and-
twenty hours which Immediately preceded
his flight; and for not reporting this the pro-
prietor, civilian, had to pay small pecu-
mary fine-a far lighter punishment than
he deserved.
Whether the baboon carried any important
information respecting the state of affairs
within the fortress to the enemy without,
we never learned. If he did it mattered little.
few days after. came their grand attack.
We burned their floating batteries, and
shortly safter the siege was raised.
Passing along the sea-wall the second day
after the attack, noticed a brother officer
with his elbows on the parapet, blowing a
cloud. was soon by his side, doing as he
did.
Our faces were toward the water. We
saw the whole surface of the bay covered
with fragments of the wreck the debris of
battered galleons. And, let me remark, if
we had not burned them we should have
sunk them, so steady and overwhelming was
the fire of our artillery. True, we fired red
hot balls, but quite agreed with the re-
mark of an old artillary officer: ''Sir, we
could have beaten them with cold shot,
Among the wreck that had floated in, my
companion and I noticed several human
bodies popping up and down, now visible,
now disappearing, as they were rolled and
tossed by the waves-the corpses of our
enemies who had persisted in the attack.
Up bobbed a very dark face.
"Ah," said my companion, ''that's an An
daluz. How curious! IHose fellows always
call themselves RInncOS and thew ara only,