Feliciana sentinel., 1892-08-27

time in the large cities on the coast,
where I had many English and A1neri-
can friends. Business connected with
the American firm ] was representing
at last required a visit to the village
mentioned, and to certain high dignl
tary who resided there, and set out on
my journey. taking with me only my
one servant. an Ancrc an negro from
New Orleans. |
The first part Of my journey has been
Travelled too often and described too
frequently to need any description from
mo. The time of which l wish to
speak particularly was the evening VIC
were approaching the village of Loki.
was travelling in a palanquin. with
four bearers, and Sam the negro, trot-
ted nimbly along by our side. we
were hurrying toward the village when
we met a gang of eighteen or twenty
natives, some of them armed with guns
and some with long poles with knives
fastened in the ends. Instantly the
palanouin was set down. and with vlo-
lent gcsticulations the newcomers pro-
ccedcd to detail something that was
evidently great sensation.
When they had gone on the head
man among the bearers approached the
palanQuin and told me the trouble.
The country around Lolli had been tor
rorized for months by a huge Iona
monster of his kind. Repeatedly he
had dragged away oxen and ycarlings,
and of late he had taken to prowlirg
about the village at night. Once he
had killed n goat that was tied at the
very corner of y house. and the last
night he had rushed upon some chl'-
dren that were playing in the street,
and had dragged away little boy IN
spite of the shricl<s and cries of his
companions All day the men of the
village had been hunting him, but as
yet they had seen not even trace OF
the murderer.
The bearers snatchcd up the palan
quin and started off at such a rate tha
it kept Sam in n full run to keep NJ
with them. He coniided to mc.show
ever, that he was mighty glad 10 see
dem pagins humpin' deyselves,' be
cause he considered that was a Goos
ncighborhood to get out of. a brisl
trot of two or three miles brought II
to the outskirts of the village. W.
found everything in the widest excite
ment, groups of women and children
and old men huddlcd together in tn
streets, mothers clinging to their CHI
drcn, and here and there the peopl
already building huge bontircs, whic
were to be kept burning all night I
frightcn away the invader. After som
time we found room where l wa
given n cot and Sam bed on the fioo1
and we both slept like the Seve
Sleepcrs notwithstandin the noise an
confusion around us.
The next morning we found that mo:
of the inhabitants had watched n
nipht. and that great bonfrcs had bee
,.,S ito of
the lion had entered the village, an
had almost killed one of the native
who chanced to fall asleep beside or
of the bonfires he had been left
Guard. This last attack had driven IL
people wild, and it was utterly impo
sible to get them to listen to reaso
The bearers of my palanquln we
panic-stricllen, and they trembled al
their teeth chattered whenever anyoi
mentioned the lions. AS for me. bu
ness cares were pressing upon me hea
ilv. and | found myself conslderab
bored by all this unreasonlnE terror.
was anxious to start. so that cou
get as far as possible on my Journ
before the day was far advanced.
But l found myself confronted by
unexpected obstacle. The gooo-l'
nothinp rasc.ls positively refused
start In vain I alternately coax
and threatened, offered them dou'
wages, and spent hours in trying
persuadc them. In vain went out a
endeavored to hire other carriers.
lion, the lion-that was all heard.
was late in the afternoon at last wh
at the offer of four times the us
wages, they sullzily motioned me II
the palauauin, picked it up and trot
out of the village. If they would hu'
knew that they still had time 10 re:
a bungalow where lived an Eng,
man to whom had letter OF lntrod
,;,n Eut instead of hurrying u
went dragging along in such an
wilIino fashion that my hopes ST
very rapidly.
sam, bitterly indignant, kept nn'
ing to himself: Never You inihu'