The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-09-08
THE LOG OF NoAH.a voyAce
 RESCUED.
fExehaneel


 been shown by the discoverers of ancier, manuscripts and the finders of. ancien, relics. The latter have suddenly come to the front by the discovery of Noah's ark in that part of the American pla,eau ssili known as Nit Arzrat. The find was made by a party q Russian. engineers who were surveying glacier. An ex- traordinary spell of hot weather had melted away afont portion ofthe Araxes glacier, and ohey were surprised to see sticking ouk o9the ice what at frst ap- peared to be tAe rude facade of an an- eient dwelling On closer examination |, was found to be composed oflongitudinal layers of gopher wood, supported by in.- mense frames, still in a remarkable state of preservation. Assistance having been summoned from Nakhehewan, the work of uncovering the find was commenced under the most extraordinary difficulties. and in weeks time the indefatigable ex- plorers had uncovered a section of wha, they claimed to be Noah's ark, as it bore indisputable evidence of having been used as boat. At this point archaeology could afford to rest at any ordinary per iod of the world, and we should expect the luckiest finders to form a syndicate and open bazaar for the sale of relics. But in our day antiquarian industry took another turn. IL ism | looking for merchan- disc so much as for testimony. Wemust not forget that the planting of the Cardiff giant was not so much to make money as to establish the missing link. The Noah's ark syndicate are only following the tactics of the antiquary who recently offered to sell an original manuscript of the Mosaic law, signed by Moses, 10 the British museum. They are trying to correct the record with facts With these principles in view, the reader must not be surprised to learn by the latest dis patches from our representative. MT. Benjamin, who is not going to Persia for nothing, that the engineers have broken through the third compartment of the ark, and, in the true spirit of the age, has discovered the original log kept by Noah and his sons. Startling as this announce ment is, it is backed up by the documents, which must stand for what they are worth without any comment of ours. Philology, ethnology and archaeology must light it out for themselves. \ newspaper can only narrate the occurrence. The docu- ment, which is written on the hide of what appears to have been an ich,hyo- saurus, Is in characters that make the cuniform inscriptions look sick The translations are hastily done. and, as we might expect, betray the Chaldean origin of the whole thing.
 November IT, o37 E. C.-All got in to-day. No signs of shower. If l, don't rain tomorrow might as well give up business. The women have had a fight over their state-rooms, as l expected Mrs. Shem IS in the bow. She couldn't stand the smell of the mas,odons. What a.rs
 November I7. Clouding up. The aquarium tanks in the steerage have caused me more trouble than anything else. Yesterday a unicorn busted two of them with his horns. suspect I've los, six or eight species of lizards and pos teri:y will never forgive me. The crowd continues to groan at us all day and want 10 know where the water is coming from to float this boat. That's a conundrum. IL is not pleasant to be called an old crank by the population. Ham has been sampling my wines. He thinks 1 don't know it.
 November iS-Raining like )--S The crowds are not so perfectly dead certain about the water. Six spotted megetharium stampeded to- day and got overheard
 November i9.-Got of to-day. Took in gang blanks at 6: ;o. Rain coming down violently. Crowd very riotous on shore. Contractors wanted their pay. Gave 'em all forty day paper. Herders who had driven in the elephant and rhi- noseeri were very abusive Ham foolishly :. struck one of them with his umbrella. Coming down lively now. Looks as if il would be considerable of shower after all. Here hiatus occurs. and it is the opinion of the translator that, when he got out of the sigh, of land, Noah, who was heavy thinker, went below and stayed there, leaving the log to Shem.]
 November eo.-Wet weather Old man cranky as J: (Translator-bed bug.) Drinks too much for a navigator. Keeps the best liquor in the snake de- partment. Had fight with the O ogi- cal bureau to-day. Shem and Japhet struck; swore they wouldn't shovel guano any longer, rain or no rain. Boat leaks like sieve. Had to plug it with Spi,z dogs. Think the gnawers are all work ing through.
 November 25.-An hands on sick list. Stock of liquors running low. Fine view from cabin window. Collided with a megetharium at {. Stove in the port bow. According to the weather gauge three feet of water fell yesterday. In the matter of fluids the water is altogether disproportionate. Old man is arranging the dove trick with an educated pigeon. Ii keeps him quiet.
 Here the translations break of. Further pages will be given to the public as the Royal Persian College of Philoso- phy make them out. Mir. Benjamin has been made master of arts and member of the Royal academy by his highness the Shah.
 A Genuine Dude.