The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-04-14

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all the way. And when you add to
all this confusion the cry of servants,
the barking and yelping of dogs, the
bawling of babies, and above all the
screenings of camels, and that ex-
cruciating bray of the jackass, which
makes you willing to stake all you've
got that he can't do that again and
live through it, why then you can get
some faint idea of what the starting
of a caravan is on big scale. |
don't wonder any more as | used to
that when Joseph and Mary started
from Jerusalem with caravan at
night after the feast, and could not
find the boy Jesus in the crowd and
confusion they should have said,
"Well, perhaps we had better go on
He is somewhere about. 1t will be
impossible to find him to night, but in
the morning we will look for him. He
will be on hand" We bade good bye
to the missionaries except Miss Brown
and Miss Tucker who were going
with us as far as the branching Of the
roads which led them northward into
the mountains Of Hadjin. We mount
ed our horses and off we went in
magnificent procession. They say
that the grandest moment in the life
of boy-that moment when first Of
all he feels that there was no hap
hazard about his being born, but is
conscious that he came into this
world for purpose-is when for the
first time he gets on a pair of red
topped boots with copper toes to them.
They are the cradle and that is the
birthday of all his future greatness.
And l think that those who have tried
it have found it equally true that the
very sublimest, and top-most event in
the life of young man is at the mo-
ment when with belt full of pistols,
a heart beating with valor, and spur
on his heel, he puts his foot into the
stirrup and swings himself across the
back of horse. / am ready to ad-
nit that it was so with me. felt as
though somebody ought to go ahead
on the road and let the people know
that / was coming, but that wasn't
dangerous. that probably l wouldn't
hurt anybody. | remembered that it
was the same country where Paul had
been taken for Mercury and Banabas
for Jupiter, and thought what if this
superstitous people should take it into
their heads that / was the War-God
Mars, let loose upon them and
careering through the country, breath
ing fire from my nostrils and striking
out forked lightning from my horses
hoofs. And then had visions rising
before me, villages forsaken, and
cities depopulated, the inhabitants
fleeing to the mountains and calling
upon the rocks to fall on them, and
hide them, and then. looked down
at my two pistols and sighed for more
worlds to conquer. One ofthem had
barrel about the size Of tooth
pick, and my brother had said to me
before | left home, that if it would
afford me any amusement, he would
stand up against the wall on the other
side of the room and l might practice
on him if / liked. But knew well
enough from what experience had
had with that weapon that all l want
ed was to find the right man and
somebody to hold him still enough
and long enough, and it would only be
a question of time-I should certainly
kill him. But my other pistol was
altogether different affair. 1t was as
large as the other was small. AS
nearly as 1 can recollect it was some
where from one to three feet and a
half long, it extended from my third
rib down to my knee-pan, something
as lightning rod goes down the side
of a chimney, and kept me bolt up
right and stiff in my saddle. 1t was
SO big that I wouldn't have liked to
fire it off without getting behind
something. And l thought that if
worse came to worst and we met an
Arab--or a Circassion--coming. to
rob us would just hand it over to
him and let him discharge IL and then