The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-02-18


benedict. was free to rove anywhere in
oil the world, and rove did. had COM
mand of tiny steam ocean yacht, Of
which was also halloween. She was
broad in the beam, but of no great
draught- 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 10 be had,
too. What was my cargo2 A very pretty
one, / can assure you; Il consisted OF ivory,
lions and leopards skins, gum copal,
spices of all kinds, and, last but not least,
| gold-dust."
SIN addition to these oddments, need
hardlystell you that we laid i'm a good store
of 'curios' and specimens of all kinds. II
was in the collecting of these latter that
most Of my enjoyment lay. We always
| filed up, however, with our paying cargo
| first; then, leaving our yacht ut anchor in
some cosy reach of the river-almost hid
| den, perhaps, by the trees that overhung
| the water--accompanied by one or two of
my men, l would journey inland in
search of the beautiful. Or We would
drop down the river, cross the bar, and,
| putting out TO sea, spend weeks in and
about the numerous lovely little lagoon
islands that lie everywhere near the coast
| south of the equator"
| Just at this point the seafarer appeared
| for time to forget entirely that he had
promised story of adventure. He let him
self drift, as it were, hither and thither on
the tideway of his recollection; he gave
Memory the tiller-ropes to hold, and per-
mitted her to steer him wheresoever she
pleased.
1t was strange to sit there in semi dark
ness and silence, buried beneath the snow,
on this bitter January night, and listen to
the graphic description which this stranger
had to give of far off sunny lands, of crys-
talline seas slumbering under MONDAY
heat, and rejecting the blues and puppies
&c the skies above them; of coral islands
fringed with green, that seemed to float
| on the liquid horizon; of marine gardens,
wide and wild, deep down beneath the trans
lucent waters, where shells of every shade
and color, marvelously painted fishes, and
| creeping things, grotesque and horrible, had
| their homes amid foliage forever gently wav-
| ing to and fro as if instinct with mysteri-
Gus kind of life; or in groves of sub-oceanic
| shrubs, whose very stems We're opalescent
and their branches and fronds radiant with
more than rainbow beauty; of the broad
bosomed rivers rolling seaward from the in Z
teriors; and of the great forest-lands that
stretched like an ocean from horizon to hori-
zon, silent rs the grave by day, awakening at
night TO shrek of wild bird and hungry roar
of lion. 1t was strange, l say to listen to
descriptions of this kind in such a situation
strange, yet pleasant.
"The first mate of my little craft" con-
tinued the seafarer, "was a man whom l
had always trusted. Judged physiognomic
ally, none would have said that guile lurked
! in that handsome, open face of his, with
| its laughing eyes 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 yillainy as he,
was guilty of, Lawson-that was his name
had it.
"Just at the bend of the River Lamoo,
some ninety odd miles from the sea, stands
| beautiful little Portuguese village and set
Element. 1t has its Governors house, its
few white inhabitants, its fertilization, and
its small detachment Of soldiers. The woods
and forests around are constantly secured
by bands of armed Somali Indians, who
bear no goodwill TO either Portuguese or
English.
"My welcome to this little village had
been a very genuine one. Seated in the
hospitable and almost European-like draw
ing room of my frient, Colonel Lucas, en-
! loving a quiet game of draughts of an even
-.
who now sits beside, us-presiding at the
piano or accompanying her own song with
! the sweet, dreamy notes of the guitarAI
could seldom get myself to believe that We
were indeed in the center of a savage and
all but hostile country. 1t was so, however.
You had but to go to the veranda of q 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 treach-
erous Indians that the earth holds"
IL know them wells i added.
81 came in time to look upon the village
of Gil as my African home, and upon
Teresa there is something dearer than Sis
ter. When my yacht was laden at last with
everything valuable and negotiable in New
York, used to be off, but in six months
times l was sure to be back. For two whole
years L never changed one of my officers or
men.
"Teresa has told me since that she used
to look out for me and count the DAYS and
hours that must elapse before the week of
my probable return. Well, you know, sir,
used always to bring her little presents of
plants and flower seeds, the last new books,
and the latest music out.
Next to myself-dont think me vain in
saying SO-LawsOn was the most welcome
guest at Colonel Lucas bungalow. / can
not even give Lawson the credit of not
knowing the state of my feelings toward
Teresa, for, indeed, had made him my
confdant. / treated him almost as a broth
er, and so too did TereOa. He had a differ
ent kind of regard for her, and 1 dare say
he came TO look upon me as the only barrier
to his hopes and happiness.
81 was much surprised one morning, just
before setting out upon long expedition
inland, to hear Lawson express wish to
become one of our party. He was usually
more inclined to enjoy the dolce far niente
than anything approaching to an active life.
was not sorry to take him with me, how
over. He would be company, and, besides,
his servant, or boy, was an excellent guide
or bushman, and mine at that time was laid
up-ill.
"All went well with us; we bagged many
skins; we were well armed, and could defy
the Somalis, whether by night or by day.
The fifth day had been very toilsome one,
and almost Immediately after supper 1
stretched myself with my feet to the camp
fire, and fell soundly asleep at once.
4. \