Connecticut western news., 1885-12-09
EXPLORERS IN A PLIGHT.
Unexpected Adventures in
 Little-known Regions.
Dilemmas, Some of them Ridiculous and
 Others Dangerous,


 sometimes serious. Lieut.. Cheyne's adventure with polar bear in the arctic regions shows the advantage of keeping ones wits about him in an emergency.
 Lieut.. Cheyne was an English officer in one of the Franklin search expedi-s tions. Early one spring he was sent with couple of sledgemen to examine the condition of some provision depots that had been laid down the previous fall. They took nothing with them but tent and sleeping bags, rations of pemmican and hard tack, and a small supply of tallow to be used as fuel in thawing their pemmican and boiling their tea. One morning, after they had travelled about 150 miles from the ship, Lieut.. Cheyne was awakened by something pulling at the corner of the tent. He lifted the tent flap just in time to frighten a big white bear, and the animal was in full retreat over the ice before Cheyne had eXtricated himself from his sleeping bag The party had more serious work on hand than bear hunting, and they would have let the animal go if it had not been suddenly discovered that his bearship had torn op2n the tallow bag and eaten every ounce of fuel. Here was a predicament. The men were five days journey from the ship, the weather was terribly cold, and they could not eat the solidly frozen pemmi- can. It was necessary to get that tal- low back, and so Cheyne, shouting to his comrades to follow, set out after the bear. The chase was an exciting and anxious one, but the animal was at last overhauled and killed. No time was lost in opening the creatures stomach, and the men returned to camp in triumph with all the tallow of which the unfortunate brute had robbed them.
 During last winter the James broth CTS succeeded in exploring a part of SOmauli, in East Africa, where sever al explorers had been killed. The re- zion has remained almost wholly un- known on account of the hostility of the natives. The bravery of the Messrs. James's escort rapidly oozed out as they advanced into tie hostile country. They refused once or twice to go any further, and finally the brothers hit upon this expedient for infusing them with little courage. A great noise in their own camp gen. erally has an inspiring effect on the natives of Africa. The Jameses had their sentinels fire their guns at ire quent intervals during the night. They report that this practice greatly pleased and inspired their people, who always felt more secure when firing.
 The young explorer, Thompson, two years ago, was considerably nonpluss- ed by lot of smart and suspicious natives whom he encountered near Mount Kenia in East Africa. He had few tricks which he very impressive ly performed when the inhabitants were unfriendly, and it was necessary to exhibit his great power as a wizard to induce them to sell him food. He had two artificial teeth on plate, and the feat that usually overcame all op- position when everything else failed was to extract these teeth. These Mount Kenia natives were very much pleased with this feat, but they said that if he could take out two teeth he could remove the others also, and they insisted upon seeing the entire show. Finally they not only refused to sell him food, but threatened to attack him unless he took his teeth out, and he thought best to make a forced march one night to escape his too ex- acting acquaintances.
 MT. Thompson's white comrade, Martin, had more serious experience with some suspicious natives, and per- haps it served him right He was telling a crowd of WakwaG girls that he could do even more wonderful things than the leader had shown them. Holding out his hand he sait he could cut his fingers off and put them on again. One of the girls sud denly sprang forward, seized one o1 the extended fingers and cut it to tht bone with a native knife. She had taken Martin at his word, and was de termined to see the feat performed.
 Dr. Hayes stole a march on tht Esquimaux who refused to take him and his comrades back to Dr. Kane 1T Smith sound after the failure oi Hayes's attempt to return to Upernavil in small boats. Hayes and his men fully expected to die of starvation unless tht Esquimaux, with their dog sledges assisted them to return north. Int EsquimauX declined to make the long ourney in the growing darkness of tht winter. One day two natives drov, up to Dr. Hayes's hut with a sledg, load of walrus meat. They were or their way home after a long journey and they accepted the doctors invita- tion to tarry while. Everybody att heartily of the walrus meat, and ther the natives, overcome with fatigue laid down for nap. Hayes and hi!