Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-07

 to Campignon, for he suddenly turned to Arthur and said, petulantly:
 "We must grease the old villains palms; he either knows nothing, or will say nothing"
 Promise him anything you like, g was the prompt accession.
 In a moment Campignon jingled a handful of rupees before the old mans eyes.
 Tben followed torrent of ejacula- tions, little less unintelligible than the chattering of a baboon. But the willy Frenchman extracted a meaning from the flood of sound.
 "The old sinner bites at the bait, but insists on having a hundred rupees, as he very naively says the other party have promised him that if he holds his tongue. What say you?"
 "Accede to any terms"
 The information given by the korale was we'll worth the investment.
 He said that six months ago two large sampans passed up the river, contain ing three Europeans and eleven Malays; that one of the white men was deathly sick; that he recognized the natives as swamp-dwellers, tribe of great feroc- ity who inhabited a tract of country two hundred miles up the river, and chiefly lived by piracy and acts of plunder; that the white men told him they were going to live on an island un- der protection of the chief of these peo- pie; and that to reanh 1t they must pass through the country of the Rock Ved- dahs.
 ''The Rock Veddahs! Who are thew" Arthur asked, when Campignon was re- lating these details.
 "Did you never hear of the Rock Ved- dahs2" the Frenchman queried. 'Then you have yet to be introduced to the lowest type of humanity, to whom the Bosjesmen of southern Africa are polished gentlemen by comparison They are indeed 8 race of wild men.
 ''They are dangerous, wicked race, and we have to go right through the heart of their country"
 ''Sttn If others have done 1t I suppose we cun," Arthur said, with determine ton.
 "You allude to George Archer and his accomplices, but you forget that they are under the protection of the swamp-dwellers, who are, I expect, too powerful neighbors for the Veddahs to exasperate."
 of you are afraid" Dunbar said, testify, "say so, man, and turn back. As for me, shall reach Sir Harry Gra- hame, or die in the effort"
 And I shall stick with you to the last, sir. When Francois Campignon signs articles, he means to hold to them as long as he can."
 And you shall not regret your cour- age and honesty" Dunbar said, warmly. When they reached the'clusterof trees under whose shade they had left their sampan, they found crowd of na- tives, who had brought every conceiva- ble kind of meat and fresh fruit for their selection, some even the charms to warn of devils and evil spirits which they urgently pressed them to purchase. But a sampan, light and buoyant as it is, is only boat after all, and its gunwale was soon weighed down dangerously near the water, so the order was given to loosen the painter and cast of into the stream, notwithstanding the Babel of chatter ing remonstrance from the disappoint- ed villagers whose wares had been brought in vain. Already the broad | OUSho VI SAS A@NA SSAS " SACAG work, when loud cries from the direc- tion of the village were heard. and they saw the korale's fat body, wabbling to and fro like Dutch lugger in a storm, as he came on a run, with one peon holding huge umbrella over his head. and another pushing him along in a not very dignihed manner.
 Hold hardl" Dunbar cried, and the men, obeying his gesture, rather than his voice, once raore swung the nose of the boat into the bank.
 When the paunchy official could sufa- ciently recover breath to speak, he an- nounced that he had the most important tidings for the Europeans, which he would communicate for consideration So consequently Campignon sprang ashore and retired with him to a cluster \ of trees. A few whispered words seemed tp satisfy ,tlis Ffenohtnan. fos