The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-11-26


1t was the fourth night after our
22d of July, 1885, and the two tall
masts of the poor old Corisco stood
gauntly up against the red sunset out
of the sullen waters that had engulfed
her hull, while the few shreds of rig
ging that had escaped the plundering
Kroomen whose canoes had been
swarming around the wreck like CAD
flies all day long, looked unpleasantly
like strips of flesh dangling around a
half picked skeleton.
But even with this dreary memento
before our eyes we were as merry as
men could we'll be who had hardly
clothes enough to cover them, and
whose only chance of escape from the
swamps and jungles of this deadly re-
gion was the possibility of passing
steamer hearing the news and coming
up to the rescue before they all died of
fever. The jollity, which otherwise
would have been uproarious, was
hushed in Difference to the presence OF
sick lady in the next room, which had
been courteously assigned to Mrs. Ker
by the kind-hearted Dutehman who
owned it, and whose ready hospitality
made nothing of accommodating fifty
nine persons in house originally built
for two But no one who looked at
the bright faces and heard the CHEEKY
voices of the stalwart young fellows
who gathered round the rough deal
table from which our supper of beef,
rice, and "damper" had just disap-
peared could easily have guessed that
many of them had just lost all they
had and very nearly their lives as well.
l forget how it came about that we
began to discuss feats of strength and
nerve, always favorite subject with
the muscle-w orshiping Anglo-Saxon.
The talk was at its briskest, each in
turn relating some athletic exploit
which he had either performed or wit
messed, when it was suddenly broken
in upon by startling proposal from
Major ", a veteran in the Zulu war,
and now one of Stanley's best officers
on the Congo, whittier he was bound
when the sinking of our steamer inter
rupted him so unseasonably.
Il can show you one trick of that sort
which perhaps you mayn't have seen
before. III spill some water on the
table, and one of you can take my dirk
and stab as hard as he likes at my
hand while / wipe the water up, and
I'll do it without his being able to touch
me-"
Every one laughed, supposing the Of
fer to be merely Joke; but it soon APP
peared that it was nothing of the kind.
Major V. poured some water upon the
table not far from the edge and then
produced his dirk, which was broad
and keen enough to have satisfied Col
onel Bowie himself.
"Now," said he, lone of you sit here
on the table, with the wet patch mid
way between his knees, and strike his
hardest at my hand as try to wipe it
up"
The laughing faces began to look
grave, and our stanch skipper, Cap
tain Porter with whom the Major was
special favorite on account of the
courage that he had shown on the night
of the wreck, called out anxiously:
Don't do it, Major; I've seen that
sort of thing before, and it always ends
badly. / won't handle the knife, for
one."
"Nor J." echoed three or four other
voices.
"Infirm of purpose, give me the dag
GER" shouted MIR. F., a FOSTERING
young trader from the Niger, Selling
the dirk with theatrical air Here's
one volunteer for you, Major. What
am L to do?"
The Majors preparations for the per-
Torrance were extremely elaborate.
He seated his volunteer recruit on the
table with outspread knees, measuring
! the distance from each knee to the split
water as exactly as ii he intended to
make reduced map of it on the spot.
Then he carefully examined the point
and edge of the d rk before handing it
to Mr.. F., Finally he turned up
his sleeves, and, taking a dishcloth
! from the cupboard, slowly extended
his unprotected hand toward the spot
| where the stout table was quivering be-
| meath shower of stabs as swift and
| merciless as those of an Italian brave.
| AS the hand and knife approached
each other more than one looker-on
turned away his face, and the indrawn
| breath of the excited watchers sounded
like hiss in that dead hush of ex-
pectation. Suddenly the Major clutched
Mr.. r by the feet and whisked b m
off the table on the floor, right across
the wet patch, which his clothes wiped
up so thoroughly in passing that no
trace of it was left; and there sat poor
Mr.. r in the middle of the floor,
open mouthed and KIN fe in hand, a per-
| feet statue of establishment. There
was moments pause of silent amaze
ment, and then roar of laughter that
shook the whole house, and startled
the prowling Kroomen outside in the
darkness, announced the success of the
Majors stratagem.-Dauid Ker, in
| Hdrper's Magazine.
The Gold and Silver Standard