The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-09-14
An Imaginative Swede.
YARNS THAT RIVAL THE Widest FIG-
MENTs CONCEIVED by RIDER HAGoARD.

Readers Of Rider Haggard's startl- |
ing story of imagination, "Allen
Quatermain," will readily recall bis de-
scription Of the loathsome and horrible
fresh water crabs which the adventur-
GUS travellers encountered on the banks
of q river in the heart Of Africa, but,
says the Philadelphia Times, there
are few persons aware that nearly 250
years ago stronger and more terrible
monsters were gravely reported as ex-
isting on the Delaware, and that, too,
by historian and minister of the Cos
pei in professedly serious work, than
the romancer has introduced in his
lively novel Of the Dark Continent.
In February, 1643, there landed at
place called "The Rocks" on the
Christianna river, within the present
limits of the city of Wilmington, Rev.
John Campanius, whose name is some-
times printed John Campanius Holme
the last word being added to denote
the place OF his residence, Stockholm,
in Sweden.
Campanius, who came with vessel
load Of Swedish and Dutch i'm
migrants, was the second minister who
visited the shores of the Delaware and
the first who remained any consider
able length of time, his predecessor,
Torkillus, making Only a brief stay.
Campanius remained in the country
six years, exercising the priestly func-
tions, seeing much of the country, the
natives and the early settlers, and
wrote book, which, edited by his
grandson, printed originally in Sweed-
ish and translated in English, forms
one of the earliest authorities on the
history of New Sweden, and is for the
most part trustworthy. D
His errors and exaggerations are at
this day obvious, but when the writ
ings of the clergyman first appeared
in Swe den they must have created, to
say the least, the liveliest interest in
this theu prac ically unknown land, and
doubt many innocent Scaudinavians
marvelled greately at some of the
things of which they were told. OF
the existence of precious metals the
chronicler told only such stories as
were common to the other writers of
the time, and for which it is easy to
account, as, for instance, by the quite
natural error of mistaking iron pyrites
for silver or gold. But such stones
were far too tame and commonplace for
the imagination of Cimpanius. His
remarks upon the FREELY are more in
accordance with his romancing style
and love Of the marvellous.
He says: "There is also kind of fiy
which the Indians call 'cucuyo, which
in the night gives so strong light
that it is sufficient, when man is ira
yelling, to show him the way. One
may also write and read the smallest
print by the light they give"
And now follows an invention which
would really do credit to the author
of the nightmare tales of Africa
''Then the Indians 60 in the night q
hunting" says the old time-Swede
"they fasten those insects to thei
hands and feet, by which they can SCI
their way as well as in the daytime,
and he further states that one nigh
they frightened all the soldiers OF
guard at Fort Christianno (Wilmins
ton), who thought that an enemy wa
advancing against them with torches
But even this does not exhibit Cam
panius' best powers. After speaking
of various colored earths which nigh
be used as ink and paint, and describ
ing tree resembling lockwood ant
smelling like ''raw fish," which coult
not be split, hut when a fire was bull
around it ''melted away" he proceeded
to disclose the wonders of the ami
NAL kingdom. Among the least o
these was ga kind of fish with grea
long teeth" found only in the water
along the shore destined to be the sit,
of Philadelphia), ''which the Indian
call 'manitto, which means spirit o
devil" and which, he says, "pluDge
very deep in the water and spouts i
up like whale"
The favorite subjects for the exer
else of the writer's imagination seem
however, to have been the rattlesnak
and the king crab. The latter Cam
panius really makes so much more fol
formidable than Haggards fresh-wat
or crabs as to put that author of stal
wart fiction to shame "At Spider
Point Bombay Hook), says hi
"when the south wind blows, a grea
many sea spiders are driven on shore
which are not able to return into tn
water. They are as large as tortoi'
es, and like them have houses owe
them of kind of yellow horn. The
have many feet, and their tails ar
half an ell long and made like thre,
edged saw, with which the hardei
tree may be sawed down." Whethe
the crabs were in the custom OF saw
ing down the timber of the virgin TO
est, and thus aiding the colonists
making ''clearings" when they were 6
unfortunate as to be stranded on IL
shore, or If simply the "three-edget
tail might be used for that purpose
the hands of man, is not clear. II
interesting to note with what an add
tional and vague terror the crab is il
geniously invested by being termed
''sea-spider."
The rattlesnake was not made suf
ciently repulsive and terrible by n
ure, and so the Swedes were serious
assured that "there is here also lars
and horrible serpent" which "has
head like the head of a dog, and cs
bite off mans head as clear as ii
had been hewn down with an a
There are horny joints in their tai
which make noise like children's rs
ties, and when they see man the
wind themselves in circle and shal
their heads, which can be heard at Il
distance of one hundred yards. The
snakes are three yards long and thi'
as the thickest part of mans leg"
It is not strange, in view of these al
timiliar statements about the countr
hat the immigration of the Swed
was slow, and amounted to little, fc
even the Scandinavians, whose pro-
ness has been proverbial from the tin
f.liaH frhor ,,,inht ha annalaA !