The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-06-19
LETTER FROM JIM BELDAD.
He Dimes with Stanley, the Explorer-Tha
Great Traveller Regales Him with Some
Astonishing Tales.

He Dimes with Stanley, the Explorer-Tha
Great Traveller Regales Him with Some
Astonishing Tales.
While in London, recently, ] dined with
my friend Stanley, who returned not long
ago from his little hunting expedition.
He has an African waiter who attended
the table. This African waiter I shall
never forget. During the meal Mr.. Stan
ley excused himself to go and kick a
newspaper man down the steps, and ]
took occasion to remark to the waiter:
w alter, there's a bug in this soup.
~Whoop-ee!" said he, with apparent
satisfaction and content; great jokem
IN der soup. don't it.
can never describe my feelings on
that occasion. wanted to do something
to injure this black African. I wanted
to eat him, and l don't doubt but
he wanted to do the same with me. l
was just on the point of saying some
thing l could be sorry for when Mr..
Stanley came in and we ate dinner IN
peace.
After dinner Mr.. Stanley showed me
some specimens he had gathered in Africa
and carried over in his vest pocket. The
first thing he took out was bug, which
was different from any other bug because
had six necks, while our common bugs
Ave but one. Next he showed me what
I at first thought was the sharp point of
some great cliff, but which turned out to
be front tooth of an alligator. And
thereby hangs tale. will tell the story
for there's history conn ected with it
in Stanley's own words. He said:
Zone morning as we were sailing up
one OF the widest and shallowest of the
African rivers in our largest boat, We
xr;&l1 -, n f. IN row
me off the side of the boat into the wat er.
After kicking around in the mud and
water and garter snakes awhile, I struck
what I thought was rock. Iclimbed up
on it and found that it was an alligator,
206 feet in length, as l afterward proved
by measuring it with my penknife.
But you wanted to know how got that
tooth. It was the most simple thing in
the world l took pin and stuck it into
the alligator's ear, and he swung around
with such force that he knocked his tooth
out against spear that one of the nat1ve s
had. 1t hut him so bad that he forgot
for a moment that his mission on earth
was to kill people, and allowed me to tie
rope around my stomach and then
around the tooth; then the natives pulled
me up. Thought would keep the tooth, .
said Stanley, in conclusion, to remember
the alligator by. / had a notion to bring
over the alligator, but thought he would
be little unhandy to carry.
I was greatly interested in this MARIA
tive, and asked him to tell another one.
He seemed to fall right in with the idea,
and SAID
II remember a little scrap had with
| Jungle elephant. I was looking for some
thing to put in my vest pocket, when 1
saw an elephant eying me rather sus-
piciously from behind a b g tree. He
| seemed to think / was some new animal
and that the thicket was hardly big
enough to hold him, let alone any one as
| large as your great explorer. At any rate,
| ne made up his mind that the American
must 60, and, at a rate I didn't stay to
pass Judgment on, he came straight at me-.
I was scared almost to death, and / am
sure that if the elephant had stopped to
/ note the humble expression Of my eyes
| he would have considered the cruel step
he was taking and not take away life
he could not give, just for little fun all
| bv himself-and me. I knew he couldn t
| tell the feeling of the dozen 44-calibe1
| bullets put into him from the scratch
| ing of twigs on his sides, SO | thought
would get in amongst his legs and that
would confuse him when he tried to find
/ me- I made terrible rush, but he
| seemed TO take III Tue Ill ~ 11O
ment, and met me halfway with his
trunk I tried to dodge it, but it was no
use. He got it wound around me and
gave me a gentle toss into the air. l lit
| on his back and staid there, holding onto
his long hair and high backbone. Not
content with one toss, he looked around
where he expected [ would light and was
very much puzzled to see nothing. After
| looking around little, and occasionally
| giancing up in the air to see when [ was
coming he thought maybe I had left and
hid myself. He wasn't going to be
done in that way, and SO took g
tour through the bush, looked into
every nook and corner. But he couldn't
find me, and finally the same thought came
to him and he commenced quietly eating
trees and chips, after which I slid dowI
his tail and sneaked off to the ship.
After Stanley finished this story
! thought to myself it was story in the
| full sense of the word, and further, that
| Stanley must have been celebrating his
return in some manner. I found that my
| suspicious were true when Stanley re-
marked that he was dry, after talking Sc
long, and pulled a flask out of his ves
| pocket.
After little refreshment decided to %
home before Stanley committed himself
further.
"Call again, my friend" said the great
explorer, shaking me warmly by the hand
1T seems as if I have known you fol
twenty years.
JIM BILDAD. of Colorado.