The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-30

silence, bending double. We nearly
crouched In the dust.
FINALLY, wo reached tho spot. | ad-
yaneed my soldiers, who sprang sud.
denly Into tho vineyard, TO find only
~Timbuctoo, who was crawling. ON all
Tours, ~devouring tho grapes, or rather
lapping them as II dog would IL bowl Of
milk, with open mouth-snapping tho
grapes with his teeth. l ordered him
to get up, It was quito impossible, and
| soon understood why lio dragged him.
self on his hands and knees. As often
rs he was planted on this foot, he would
fall Hat on his nose. This poor, simple
creature a really drunk. IIe was car.
ried away on two props, laughing
and %gesticulating with hands and
feet. THIS solved tho mystery; my
soldiers drank tho grapes, and when too
stupefed 10 move, they silent where
they foil. AS for 1imbuctoo, his love
Tor grapes passed all bounds. He sim
ply lived In the vines like tho thrush,
which he hated like a jealous rival, con.
stantly repeating, The birds cat nil tho
grapes tho thieves!
"Ono evening they came to toll mo
that a strange something was advancing
towards us. | had not my glass and
my sight was bad. Some one said It ap-
peared TO DO q huge serpent, which I'm.
coilcd itself; Others, thatitwa q funeral
train, TN c0nroL
u cont several mon out 10 meet this
queer caravan. l could not guess what
1t might be. 1t was this! T~iinbuGtoo
and eight Of his com, anions bore in tri.
umph a sort Of an alta, upon which
were ranged eight bleeding, grinning
heads. Tho tenth negro led n Horse, to
tho tail OF which was tied another, and
six beasts followed, secured in this
same fashion. They told their story:
Having gone into their beloved vine.
yarl, these Africans had seon a detach-
mont Of Prussians approaching from the
village. Instead Of flying, theyhad con
cealGd themselves, and when tho officers
had ~dlsmounted from their horses for
refreshments at an inn, the eleven me-
groes had rushed upon tho Uhlans, put.
ting them to flight, and had shot the
sontinels and five Of the officers.
That day, l embraced Timbuctoo,
but | observed that he walked with diff.
ticulty. l asked ii he was wounded.
Moi non-mes provisions" he replied;
and then l discovered that he foueht
Tor gain-not for glory. He collected
everything of the smallest value espe-
cially things which sparkled, and
plunged them into a pockctwhich hung
from hip to thigh. He. called it his.pro.
fondc,' and profound it was. Every dav
he added to his collection, stripping
gold from uniforms; leather from caps;
buttons; pieces Of tin;-anything shin.
ing, until his'profonde' was full to over.
flowing. He hoped to convey his collec.
ton to his land OF the Ostrich, and had
there been NJ 'profonde,' 1 verify be-
lieve he would have tried, like the os.
trich, to swallow the things, piece by
piece.
when tho general heard of the work
OF Timbuctoo he ordered tho dead SOL
diers to be buried in haste, in order
that it might not be discovered that
they had been beheaded. Next day tho
Prussians returned and shot the mayor
OF the village, with seven OF his best
citizens, presuming that they had been
betrayed to our men. Winter came and
we were desperate, harassed. starving.
The negroes alone remained fat and
vigorous and always ready for fight.
"Ilnbuctoo was growing visibly
stouter. lie said to me one day, 'Toi,
very hungry. l have good meat and
he brought mo MI excellent tAa. We
had no beef, or sheep, mutton or goats,
nor were there pigs or asses. 1t was
now impossible to procure ever horse
meat: thought OF all this after de-
vouring the y6lst. Then n horrible
thought oppressed mo. These negroes
were born near the land OF man-eaters.
Soldiers were constantly falling into the
village. / questioned Timbuetoo, who
did not care to reply, nor did I insist,
but l refused his presents Of .dla there
after.
"Ho adored me. &One night
the now surprised us at the
outer posts. We were on the ground,
and I looked with pity upon the
poor shiyering negroes, covering under
this freezing, white dust. l also suf-
fered from cold and commenced to
cough. Suddenly l felt something large
and warm cover my shoulders. 1t was
the cloak of Timbuctoo.
II arose and handed it to him, saving,
Keep it, poor fellow. You need it more
than L. He answered, NO, mott is
pour toi,' and declared that he was
warm, insisting that l should keep it,
until l was forced to command him to
take it. He stoud UP, seized the cloak,
and taking his sword, would have cut it
in pieces, but for my accepting it.
Eight days later, We had surren-
dered. A few escaped, but tho majority
went to the village, giving ourselves up
to the conqueror. Twas directed to the
Place d'Armes, where We we're to unite,
when I found myself lace to face
with . negro giant dressed in
white cotton and wearing a straw
hat. l was overwhelmed with
amazement and surprise. 1t was
the radiant Tinfbuctoo, who promo
naded before q shop with his hands in
his pockets. The window was decor
ated with plates and glasses. 1 asked
what he was doing there. FIe replied,
Moi, mango dos Prussiens, roti teau-
coup. ] will not run away. I good
cook
81 shuddered with horror before this
negro in white cotton, who, smiling al-
ways, took me by the arm and made me
enter his shop. | saw a sign leaning
against the wall awaiting our departure
to be hung outside, forhe was ashamed.
1t read thus:
Cuisine Militllre de u. Tlmbuctoo
Ancien Cuisinlcr de s. NJ. rI:mpcrcur.
Artistic DO Paris Prlx N(odcres.
"In spite OF my horror and despair, l
could not resist laughing, and / loft the
negro TO his now occupation.
a"This was better than hnrom;np a