The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-02-23

sts. hbrseed 4uyseIf, tseksa fAArhrsath
and 4wag on him At . boon4- ] neissd him
firmly by the body, but he sepk down,
wrigglsd two. OF three timea, and. sasxs
plnote be- was gone, uPsstsiag me by
grasping my feet, aud hsasiiaG away q
pc, went. j. did not seem thaA be had
been At work over ten, se-onds when
grabbed him, and yet in that Iue he had
extracted the Captsin's watch sni wallet
and several other articles. All we're left
behind, but the thief had disappeared like
ashadow.
Perhaps tn. b-.s' way wdaId have ben
to give in an.i employ a chowkadar, but
we were both determined not 10 bs bull.
dozed into it. All portable articles not
il, hourly use were put into 1 strong
wooden chest and kept under lock and
key, and both of us were on the watch, FOR
any new movement. A couple of weeks
had passed, and We were beginning to feel
safe, when the fellows attempted . very
bold game. A juggler came 10 the We
randa and began to perforns and we both
went out While the room va left alone
the thieves-there were three 81 them
came through the garden alongside the
house and cut hole through the side ex-
actly back of the chest. The Captain
happened to look IN just as the box was
being moved, and with . couple Of bounds
he crossed the room and seized one of the
handles. Icould not realize the situation
until the thieves had pulled the chest half
way out, and by the time / had got around
the bungalow they had disappeared.
How they could have located the chest
so exactly was = mystery to us, as it had
been moved several feet only the night
before. They cut neither to the right nor
the left, but exactly back of it, aud the
space was only an inch wider than the
chest. II
The next move created sensation in
Bombay. Opposite our bungalow, which
was on q side street, was one belonging
to q native-a known thief The frater-
nifty had somehow got the idea that we
had great pile of money hidden in our
bungalow, and that the Captain was max
ing gold nuggets by the wholesale. He
was, as said, experimenting with new
explosive, and this probably started the
idea. The explosive was either dynamite
or something very near it. One day after
the Captain had been fussing around in
the front yard for half an hour, and while
l was reading ON the veranda, there was
terrible explosion. 1t seemed as if our
house was lifted foot high, and every
thing inside was thrown into confu-
sion as it settled back. 1t was an
explosion which was felt for half a
mile around, and when we got
out doors we found hole in our front
yard into which a couple of bullocks
could have been dumped. That wasn't
all, however. A big ditch had been
opened straight across the street to the
other bungalow, and the bruised aud
battered bodies Of three natives were
thrown out within thirty feet of the big
hole 1t ttook US some little time to figure
out what had occurred. The sly old man
and his pals had dug . tunnel from the
native bungalow to withiu three ieet of
ours. 1t was intended to pass around
the house and break ground inside, there
being no floors in our place. The ex-
plosion, which took place in an iron ket-
tie, was almost over the tunnel, and the
force was mainly downward The con-
cussion followed along the ditch and blew
the roof of the native bungalow. The
thieves we're either creeping forward or
backward in the tunnel, and death came
to them 80 quickly that they never knew
what hurt them.
Next morning q native priest, accom-
panied by a scribe, called upon rs to
secure onr account of the affair. The
Captain had explained matters to the au-
thoritfes, and there had been no inquest.
The priest said that the sly old man had
been one of his most devoted followsrs,
and as he was . person Of considerable
Importance in Nagpoor, where he had
many relatives, an account OF his death
was to be published in the native Ian
guage. The visit was made ns at an early
hour in the morning, while everything
was lying around loose, and the two
men had scarcely left the house when we
missed the field glasses, . pocket COM
pass, a pair of shoes and two or three
other articles. A native. detective as
sured US that the priest and scribe were
two notorious thieves, who had come in
that disguise to get even with as.
l was bitten by poisonous snake At
Bengalore, and for several weeks was un-
able to leave my bed" While ont of dan
ger after the first two or three days,
enough Of the poison circulated through
my system to keep me weak snd fevesish
for long time. While lying on my bed
on nv right side could look oat on an
extensive back yard. There was path
running down to . summer house, and be-
yond the summer house was thicket and
a ravine.s Midway between the bungalow.
and the sunmer house, and of TO the left
of the path, were the stables. One fore
noon, ss lay looking oot on this yard l
saw an almost naked native come out of
the thlcket, glide up the path and. turn
into the stables. I knew from his actions
that he was . thief, bat the hand bell had
been accidentally removed beyond my
reach, apd ] could not call loud enough
in my weak state to give an alarm.
There were three servants at the stables,
but it turned ost that they were gambling
and deeply Interested. The thief entered
the buildings and stole two suits of cloth
ing aud some horse goods, and went back
down the path with the bundle on his
back. ....a.t 80,
The Captain was ravipg sngry over the
loss. as be had been bothered { great
deal with thieves, and after dinner we
had 4 consuitation. He went to . friend
and borrowed steel trap which had once
been set for and captured tiger. twas
larger than the bear traps seen In this
country, requiring the services Of two men
g and asiever 10 set Il. - The stable men
!, OOH seyt &,sAv IN arr1i1de. and. assisted