The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1892-07-01


tives who might have been expected TO
endure the raiscries with less suffering
than the Europeans; but Capt. Cam
pignon, whose stout frame shranlz from
the exposure, but whose tread was the
most elastic, and whose CHEEKY words
animated his companions to fresh eazer-
ton
You bear a charmed life" Dunbar
said to him, fretfully, one day. las for
myself. feel as though this cursed eli
mate was stealing my very manhood
from me. II we do not end our journey
soon there viii be nothing left for nae
but to lie down and die"
(Which you must not think Of do
ing" Campignon observed, with smile
which showed every one of his glenn
ing teeth, coz Sc anything happened TO
you, what would become Of these
brave fellows who are trotting along
with their tongues 1olling out of their
mouths like dogs?"
''YOu would lead them back again, I
suppose was the weary reply.
''Assuretly I would for my own sake
as well as theirs; but you forget that
il we reached Colombo without You, our
chances Of remuneration would be dis
agreeably curtailcd. You see, we arc
not undertaking the adventure for chiv-
airy, but are selling our services for
vulgar currency"
y know it, CampIgnOn," Dunbar said
but have provided against such a
contingency. I have left your pay Sc
cured to you in the bank at Colombo
and enough TO make these faithful fell
lows happy for the rest Of their lives in
case anything happened TO me-"
For q few minutes the Frcuchman
walked on An silence. Suddenly he
turned 70 Arthur and said, eagerly:
What made You tell me that? Have
you no fear that ] should play You
false? What is to hinder me from
abandoning you in this Wilderness
Why, man, You cannot even speak a
word Of the native language, while I
could talk these natives into any plot
before your very eyes, and you be none
the wiser"
81 know it, Campignon, but"
''But2"
''But, trust myself TO you without a
thrill of Inisapprehension, for I know
that though you would stoop to tricl1ery
and deceit in small things. you Will be
true as steel to the man who trusts you,
when once you have bound yourself to
follow his fortunes"
CampignOn's eyes glistened.
''And you have implicit confidence in
mel" he said, with tremulous tone.
Then, by the Lord, young man, you
shall never have cause to regret it"
There IS n prevalent idea that most
tropical forests TEEN with Wild fruits,
which nature is supposed to produce
spontaneously. Nothing can be more
erroneous It is true our cdventurers
sometimes found the guava and llatun-
bile, which served to slack their burn
ing thirst, the blaclrberrics and the
acid gOoseberrics, and very rarely the
sweet mora" which grows in grape
like clusters, but none of these We're
plentiful. The beautiful 'jamb DO" apple
hung tcmptingly over their heads, but
though it is exquisite In appearance,
being snow-vhite with pink bushes on
its side, they soon discovered that it
was vapid and tastclcss-a Dead sea
fruit. But If the wild bushes did not
pander TO The sense. of taste, they graft
fed those OF sight and Odor, for on
every side the most exquisite flowers
dropped, ladening the heavy air with
their delicious perfume.
For Eve days the wearied men fol-
lowed the mysterious path, becoming
hourly more exhausted with their toll,
yet without having met with any adven-
ture worth recording, During the ex-
treme heat of midday and in the dark
ness which OvershGdOWed them like q
curtain before the moon rose, they
slept, stretched on light hammocIzs
which they hung to the branches of
trees,
1t was during one of these resting
spells that tho first disaster OF conse-
qucnce occurred. One among them had
been accustomed to watch over the
sleeper, the vigil beng shared ia turn
by European and native. On this oc-
casion Campignon had been on duty.
No noise had aroused the tired sleepers,
yet when they woke it was to find the
F'renchman missing g. the Frenchman
and the dog. In vain they cried aloud
till the woods reechOcd their voices; in
vain they fred of their rifles and
waited Z. response. The Frenchman
was gone from their midst, and, what
was worse, he had taken their best rife
and their dog with him.
"Oh, the false-heartcd traitor! to
leave me like this for a few paItry
pieces of gold!" Dunbar groaned, when
the natives who had secured the woods
returned after a vain search. He could
not communicates to them his sus-
piclOns- He could only sit upon the
trunk of a fallen tree and give way 70
despair. Somehow his memory seemed
TO be falling him; he forgot where he
vvasi the trees assumed fantastic shapest
the rocks seemed to be perpetually
wheeling round, and his head was
heavy as lead. He had an indistinct
idea that he was falling, a blurred
vision Of a tawny coolie tviniug his
arms around him, and his senses failed
him utterly,