The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-31

under a younger brother of Mr.. Ross, who was
/ educated In Scottish university. Mr.. Forbess
visit to this remarkable country reads more like
chapter from the happy valley of fancy than
that of g genuine experience. Every Cocos
man has had, besides performing his ordinary
duties of gathering nuts and preparing oil,
which, exchanged In Batavi returns as gain or
the food which they cannot produce within
their own bounds, to learn to work
and their proficiency astonished me-in
brass, iron and wood Every Cocos girl has had
| her turn of apprenticeship to spend in Mrs
Ross house in learning under her direction
sewing, cooking and every housewifely duty as
| practiced in European homes. / shall not soon
| forget the deft handmaiden-female servants
were employed to do all the household work
VINO attended TO my room; she was a tall Papuan
| who had been rescued from slavery, now one of
/ the Cocos people, in whom all the grace of body
and limb that she inherited from her race had
/ developed 'uder the happy circumstances under
| which she lad come into the perfection of the
human female figure. She could not have per-
| formed her work with more neatness and dexterity
had she been trained at home With all the respect
| OF a servant she mingled kind soicitude in look
ing after my comfort and attending to my wants,
which as daughter of the island to its guest she
| might without presumption use. A fresh rose
| was daily laid on my pillow and on the folded
| down counterpane while, that the water in my
| basin might seem fresher than its sparkling SELF
Nv.
A STORY OF DESTRUCTION AND REVIVAL
One might have thought that a special provi-
| dence would watch over such community; but
some years ago it was almost blotted out of ex-
istence by a Cyclone of the most terrific fury.
that carried everything before it. the inhabitants
only saving themselves by lying in holows of the
| ground, the waves of the sea washing COM
pletely over the spot where Ross house had
| stood, $50 yards from high-water mark The
| next day the sun came out bright and calm, as
| If the tempestuous riot of the night might have
been an evil dream, but not speck of green was
/ to be found anywhere within the compass of the
| islands. Within six months, however, every
| tree and shrub was clothed in verdure and in
less than three years they were in full bearing
| again, and to day the islands bear little or no
| trace of the disaster.
| The relations existing between the Ross fam
| lily of proprietors and the Cocos and Kulng vii
| layers are of the most affectionate character.
death occurred during Mr.. Forb es's visit, and he
| describes it as being felt by each individual as
| II the departedshad been of his own family.
| 1.-THE interment takes place as soon as possible
and the usual vacations are resumed at once,
| every one trying, as best he may, to seem as if
| he had forgotten that they were one fewer. That
| in their relations one with another there should
| be perfection, is not to be expected, but finer
and more upright community" says Mr. Forbes,
| Il have never known; nor simpler more
| guileless people-many of whom have never
own, which can be surveyed in single'glance of
the eye; and feel more than half confident that
| the English service for the dead has been said
over. and that beneath the coral shingle of Grave
Islet there rest blameess lives as perhaps our
| weak humanity can attain to.
1t is tempting book, this 'Wanderngs, hut
l must be content to give you this glimpse of it
and turn to another part of the world entirely.
v
IN THE LAND OF THE LAPps
| 'Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis" has
| been somewhat discounted by the book of Du
Cnaiilu, first published in America under the tt
| tie of 1.-THE Land of the Midnight Sum-" Du
Chaillu has touch of the journalists style,
which maintain is the very best inspiration of
style for narrative effect Du Chaillu caught
with graphic pen all the picturesqueness of his
subject and dealt with the manners and customs
of tie people with a capacity of comparison
which the general reader thoroughly APP
precIates. 1t was this racy, semi journalistic
style that made Hepworth Dixons New
America" and | note touch of it in Charles
Dudley Warmers Roundabout Journey" pub
lished a year ago The new book about the
Laplanders is, nevertheless, full of interesting
information, carefully set forth and treated with
the conscientiousness of a historian. '.Konto-
koino in November is probably one of the
brightest chapters in the book It describes the
period when the land of the Lapp sumbers in
its winters sleep. The flowers are gone, no
change of color is seen. Nature stands envel-
of filigree hoarfrost and glittering ice crystals
Everything slumbers after the short, bright sum-
mers day; even the wind burst not play with
the snow white cover Of natures couch: the
very air seems to sleep. Nothing breaks the
silence. You may wander for miles over the
wastes. but never sound, save the creak Of
your foot in the snow, breaks the silence, either
from heaven earth. You may listen for
single stroke of a birds wing or a squeak from
an animal on earth. spy for the slightest move
ment lfel0SS SOlituda-in all iS
death.
In the south the light of dawn is SEEN You
wait and wait Day comes not. At last when
| nearly noon a small portion of the suns disk
creeps above the horizon moves a little way
along the hills, and again dips down. to pay a
| shorter call still the next day. Again darkness
gathers over the land, star after star begins to
twinkle in the deep blue sky, while the crescent
1t is only o'clock.
But in the long night which follows nature
shows that she is not asleep and she unrolls be-
| fore your wondering gaze spectacle to witness
which journey to the land of the Lapps would
repay. Across the dark heavens the mystic forces
spread glimmer of light; the grand play of
| light, color, form and motion have begun. Soon
the silent energy rsises magnificent tent Of
| flames over the earth. woven of myriads of trem-
bling streamers, which, resting on the horizon
shoot upward to the coronal point in the zenith
| and now 1t untolds garlands and draperies in all
the colors of therainbow, futtering from north to
| south, from east to west, and moment after the
entire heavens resemble bath of LIQUID fire in
violent motion. With constant change aud in
| cessant renewal this marvellous display con-
tinues through the long winter night, until the
last Pickering remains of the element of light
vanish before the approaching dawn.
| JOSEPH HATTON
at Eventide.
| On the winds that blow cross the restless sea-
| low, soft voice is waited to me-