Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28

party, by forest lever, by long exposure ant
the innumerable disheartening incidents OF
travel in an unknown and barbarous coun
try, from the far coast to the upland interior
"Rinaldo' Gas I called him), the cast.
away, was my ever faithful companion. Ht
followed my every action, every look, every
gesture. He paid me the most implicit
obedience always, and forestalled my every
unexpressed wish. His oldish wrinkled
face lit up always with the same bright smile
when l addressed him. His CHEEKY voice,
in good old English, came to my ears amid
the jibbering of half a thousand naked men
like cool water to the thirsty palate. His
devotion to me was the blind devotion oi
animal to human. He would sleep nowhere
but in front of my tent at night, or trot by
my side the long weary way through the
forest belt.
Inspired Awe in the Natives.
He exercised peculiar sway with natives
who accompanied us, though he spoke not
their language. He excited certain awe
among them as much by his peculiar physi-
cal appearance as anything else. We were
| travelling in the country of the Beteimas-
araka, a degraded and vindictive race and
stepped in all the lowest beliefs of saw
agery and fetishness. I often at sly mo-
ments studied this peculiar creatures face.
| When in repose it expressed little, and 1
have tried to picture to myself how such a
head would look upon another body, or
such body with younger head.
Then the combination in Rinaldo would
suddenly force itself upon me again, and L
could have shouted with laughter at the
oddity of things but for the earnest, honest
look of love and reverence for me could
see creep into his black eyes when he
caught my glance at him. At the end of
a. = 4ha o1 in ha fol 30 T
started at the head of native expedition
of nearly 400 souls to reach the west coast of
Madagascar. Rinaldo accompanied me-
His devotion for me became more and
more marked each day, both while we were
in Antanarivo and the terrible journey
toward the sea-
Something Was Wrong.
In somewhat over a month our party
found ourselves in the heart of the Western
or Sakalara district, the country of a totally
barbarous, cruel and savage race. By con-
slant desertions and deaths our once small
army had dwindled to handful of men and
women, and food was scarce. We were
many, many miles from the coast. Our sit
uatiOn grew daily more hopeless, and was
full of dull foreboding and anxiety. Little
by little L noticed too that the natives
about me showed in many ways discomfort
and insubordination. Slowly I began to
understand that, for some unknown reason,
they had lost both fear and respect for me.
The crisis came rapidly.
One morning rose much earlier than was
my custom. l came out from my tent in
the very early morning light. To my aston
ishment did not find Rinaldo at my door,
as had been his invariable custom, and saw
that the campfres, that generally died out
during the night, were all burning brightly
and surrounded by groups of natives. L
knew both the value of caution as well as of
action with the rude people who surround
ed me. I went back into the tent and
armed myself; then, on coming out, stepped
cautiously around and behind the cauras
into the woods behind the native camp.
Noiselessly trod the forest path till 1 got
within few rods of the nearest blazing
fire. Twenty naked men were standing
about it, gesticulating and talking wildly
one to another.
RinaIdo Was a Sakalara.
/ could not of course understand them,
but l was sure that several stanger faces
were amongst them. 1 looked closer-my
heart almost stopped beating-they were in
deed strangers-theY were Sakalara and not
my party. There were 20 fires burning in
the clearing. How many Sakalara? Oh,
What should do? turned again to the
fire. Suddenly there was stir about 1t and
figure Joined the group of natives. Ny
eyes fairly started from their sockets-1ny
blood seemed to cease flowing in my veins-I
doubted the vision God had given me for
there in the light of the early dawn, stood
Rinaldo; not the ''stowaway'' Rinaldo that
1 had rescued and befriended, but the dark
and naked Rinalde-the Sakalara.
He was talking vehemently to the excited
natives about him in the native tongue, the
one he had sworn to me he did not know a
syllable Of In whirl ofsurprise, of horror,
of fear, knew not what, I got back to my
tent and fell heavily on the blankets.
When I aroused myself, the sun was up,
the hustle of early preparation for the
march was in the camp, and Rinaldo was
wrapped in his blanket at my tent door. I
had made up my mind what to do. stepped
over him and out into the open air. Rapidly
/ mustered a dozen of the most trusty of
those who had come all the way from the
east coast with me. One or two of these
understood little English and had always
been faithful and true. 1 harangued them
excitedly of the Sakalara and Of the GER
tainties that I had of an attack this day.
Soon had them
As Excited as Myself,
and by q hundred native ways they tried to
convince me of their valor and integrity, I
had to trust them, and 1 gathered them in a
knot near my tent. The rest of my party
collected in groups about wondering and
chattering as only the Malagasy can. Of
Rinaldo had said nothing. I intended to
see him. 1 threw back the flap OF my tent
and touched him lightly as entered. sat
down on the grassy floor as he came in.
''Sit down, Rinaldo," 1 tried to say
calmly. He did it wonderingly.
''Rinaldo, said, eve have been long
friends. found you a waif-an outcast-a
for you. You know the story. This early
morning saw not Rinaldo, the outcast, but
who? the Sakalara!'
He said nothing, but rose slowly to his
feet.
"Open that tent, STRIP
He did so. raised my hand slowly.
''GoP' l said.
The same wrinkled, oldish face The same
soft, pleading look in the coal black eyes,
the same bland and childish smile upon his
lips; he turned but an instant to me, then
dropped the flap, walked slowly across the
forest open, and was lost forever in the
gloom of the mighty wood.
l never saw him again. But one of the
BIedtest puLLles VI uly NdTleu llie sIl1l re-
mains unanswered in my brain. Who was
this oldest of odd creatures, and what the
fate Of this last Of ''outcasts?''
MASON w. SHUFELDT,
Lieutenant Q. s. N.
Previous to July4
There will be an explosion of prices on good
clothing at our store. Monday, Tuesday
and "Wednesday we will offer some of the