Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-03-27

n AAoNs
''Yes, gentlemen, assure you again
that |, Jean Barbarous, now sitting
here, was once devoured by lion; and
II you will not believe me here is my
friend with the gold spectacles, DR..
Holbeck, who can tell you whether 1
am telling the truth-the pure, unadul-
terated truth.
At these words all eyes were turned
to the man with the gold spectacles.
He contented himself, however, with
one of those modest smiles which leave
it impossible to divine whether the
smiler actually refuses to sustain the
assertion referred to him for authenti-
fication, or whether he simply declines
the honor of being regarded as the
hero of so extraordinary an adventure.
The audience, SO boisterous but lit
tie while before, had suddenly become
perfectly quiet. All awaited with wis.,
ible curiosity the rectal of the wonder
full story suggested by the declaration
of the Marseillais.
Barbarous, quite satisfied with the
result of his words, sat down again,
and without further preliminaries be-
gan as follows:
ut was about ten years ago-either
in 1872 or 1873; but the date doesn't
matter. l had served my full time on
board the Junon; and, thanks to the
recommendations of my captain, cas-
lily procured situation as travelling
agent for the Mennevals. [ suppose
you have all heard of that firm-the
largest Partisan house in the commerce
of feathers and stuffed birds for the
millinery businesS-in the Rue st.
Denis, at the sign of the Casoar (cas-
sowary). The Mennevals send their
travelling agents to all parts of the
world to buy up ostrich plumes, mar
about feathers, and rare birds. They
sent me out, for the first time, in COM
pany with Holbeck. who you see before
you. We were ordered to the African
coast in search of certain kind of lit
tie bird, like blackbird, which has its
breast covered with feathers that look
like gold-very pretty, indeed. Our
employers wanted to place these on the
market as new ornamental design
for ladies' hats; and we were ordered
to procure all that we could find or
buy.
"Holbeck had already travelled
great deal, both in North and South
America and in Africa, while l was
merely new apprentice in the busi-
ness-that was why they sent me out
with him. Since then we have always
been travelling together. Holbeck and
are now inseparable as the cloth of a
coat is from the lining.
''But to come to my story:
ave both started from Bordeaux on
q vessel which took us to Gabon. As
soon as we got there we hunted up
King Denis, the best-natured nigger on
the whole coast, and he said to us:
My children, if you want gold birds
you'll have to work pretty hard to find
them; there are none left here. You'll
have to 60 up the river into the inte-
rior just as far rs you can Thanks
for the information we replied; and
we started up the great river of Gabon.
"AlI along our route we stopped at
the villages; and at every village we
had to hold long parleys with the chiefs
which sometimes lasted sew
eral hours-all to obtain few dozen
bird-skins.
Finally we decided that in order to
complete our stock we should have to
leave the river altogether, and travel
into the unknown country.
"Ah!-let me tell you about that
country! 1t isn't the sort of country
one would like to retire upon ones in
come in. The first part of it is all one
Shiny marsh. full OF snakes and croco-
dies; then, further back, the ground is
covered with forests so thick that you
can scarcely get through at all. But
then, those forests are full of the finest
birds in the world. On the whole, the
Gabon coast is. the worst place l ever
struck. The inhabitants are so lazy
that they grow nothing. and keep no
sort of provisions on hand, so that we
had to go hunting every day for some
thing to eat, just rs they have to do
themselves. l tell you it was q tolera-
bly, rough apprenticeship that / had to
90 through. Whether we were hunt
ing for provisions or for birds, we were |
nearly all the time in those great woods,
where we were surrounded by all i'm
aginabe dangers.
"One day, when our provisions had
nun short, negro came to tell US that
shout a league from the camp he had
,een great herd of those big ante
opes with curved horns which they
,all Douglas. Holbeck and / went af-
er them; but the savages had deceived
is-at least so far as the distance was
for we were more than two
iours running through the jungle,
over rocks or stumps, and
yading through marsh-grass and reeds
,efOre we found the herd ut last. 1t
Eaa comnnSad of inst thran ani,,oala