Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-06-26

anu rugs, sne seemed sinlllnS anu
happy.
Was it strange that, so situated, the
seatarer and | should begin to talk a.
bout the sunny shores and the blue,
sparkling seas Of the Indian Ocean !?
1T was there, on the coast of Africa.
that wooed and won my wife here.
My wooing eliminated with bit Of
an adventure"
do tell me-" | SAID "and make it
as long as you possibly can. Spin it
out. Dwell longest on the prettiest
parts Of it.
lie laughed and complied. But |
must here make this story shorter.
"Although," he SAID, 81 am by pro-
fession sailor, still | believe l could
make my living on land-indeed," he
added, gIancing affectionately at the
pretty face that peeped out from the
bundle of plaids and shawls in the
corner. 81 am not sure that have not
promised to try to do so, at all events.
But four years ago | was not bene-
dict. | was free to rove anywhere in
all the world, and rove did. | had
command OF a tiny steam ocean yacht,
Of which | was also half owner. She
was broad in the beam, but of no great
draught-precisely the kind OF vessel
to explore the big rivers Of Africa
with.
"Ah sir, there is money to be made
by that sort of trade. and pleasure to
be bad, too. What was my cargo? A
very pretty one, can assure you it
consisted of ivory, lions and leopsrds'
skins, gum copal, spices of all kinds,
and. last but not least, gold dust.
"lu addition 10 these oddments,
need hardly tell you that We laid in =
good store of ''curios' aud specimens
# all kinds 1t was in the collecting
+ these latter that most Of my enjoy
ment lay. We always filled up, how
ever, with our paving cargo first then,
leaving our yacht at anchor In some
cosv reach oil the riyer-almost hid
den, perhaps, by the tres that over
hung the water-acc accompanied by one
or two Of INV men. would journey
inland in search of the beautiful. Or
sr would drop doan the river, cross
the bar, and putting out TO sea, spend
weeks in aud about the numerous
lovely liIll.. lagoon islands that lie
everywhere near tue coast south OF the
equator.
.'ust at this Toint the seafarer sp.
peared for tim to forgst entirely
hat he had promised story Of sd-
venture. He le, himself irift, as II
were, uIthefsnd tfSftner on lis "
way Of his recollection he gave..es
arv tnr tlil~r ropes 70 hold, an'e ~.
mltt,d her 10 ste.r him wheresoeyer
str pleased.
l. "as strange 10 sit there in semi
Iarkn ss and ,Ilence, buried beneath
'ur suos, u this bitter J ,nuarv night,
tua '1s,ru Ia the graphic description
shGch his stranger had 10 give of far
III sunny lands. Of crystalline seas
'lumhtggns under noonday heat. and
r,il~c'lng the blues and purplrs of the
saics nb,yr them: of coral islands
hinged with green, that seemed to
1naI ou the liquid horizon Of marine
-ari.ns, vide aud wild, deep down be
Irath thr Translucent waters. where
shells of every shade and color, mar
vcliouslv painted fishes, aud creeping
.blugs. grot.sque and horrible, had
hear hotne- amidst foliage forever
,~utly waving Ia and fro as If instinct
Alrh a mys--rIons kind of life or in
groves ot sub-uceanic shru's whose
very stems were opalescent, aud their
branches and lronds rad ant with more
tnau rainbow beauty; Of the broad
0o>omud rivers rolling seaSard from
he interiors: and Of the great forest
.ardS that stretch Il like an ocean
from horizon 10 horizon, silent as the
grave by day. awakening at night to
shrek of Wild bird and hungry roar
If lion. 1t was strange. say, to listen
to descriptions Of this kind in such q
Situatlon-st strange, yet pleasant
The first mate Of my little craft >
continued The seafarer, was man
whom | had always trusted. Judged
physiognomically, none would have
sald that guile lurked in that hand
some open face of his, with its laugh.
ing eve of blue, and fair, soft beard
know now why this fellow played me
false, and all have to say is that if
there be an excuse for such villainy as
he was guilty of, Lawson-that was
his name ad it,
just at bend of the River Lamoo,
some ninety odd miles from the sea,
stands beautiful little Portuguese vii
lage and settlement. 1t has its gov
ernor's house, its few white inhabi
tants, its fortitication. and its small
detachment of soldiers. The woods
and forests around are constantly
secured by bands of armed Somsli In
dians, who bear no goodwill to either
Portuguese or English.
"My welcome to this little village
had been very genuine one. Seated
in the ho>pitable and almost European
like drawing room of my friend, Col.
Lucas, enjoying u quiet game of all
evening, or listening to music, his
daughter who now sits beside us
presiding at the piano, or accompany
/ ing her own song with the sweet.
dreamy notes Of the guitar. | could
seldom get myself to believe that We
were indeed in the centre Of savage
and all but hostile country. 1t was
so, however. You had but to 60 to
the veranda of a night to hear the
lions roar. Away over there, in the
depth of the gloomy forest, they lived
and prowled; and, too, on the plains
and hillsides beyond the woods burned
the camp. fires of the Somalis-the
most treacherous Indians that the
earth holds"
II know them WE'LL" | added.
81 came in time to look upon the
VILLAGE of Gil as NV frican home