The Bossier banner., 1892-02-25
A BABY OR A TIGER.
captain Pau;'s Night with a Saw.
age Wild Beast.

~ The steamship Colon, OF the Paclhc
'0sa Nail line, was only twenty-four hours
eafe sss from the Isthmus, but already four
asoa eonyivial spirits had formed friend
las sAip, and were seated in the smoking
IT, nom talking of the business and
pleasure that marked their years of
life in different countries of South
i smerica, for all had come from points
IVA below the equator.
It'd 1t was eleven o'clock. A quiet little
Il poker game had passed time for awhile,
ian 4 but the cards had lain untouched on the
ex table for an hour The night was love
er II, hardly ripple could be seen on the
s moon-frosted water, and the Colon
FIJI e forged ahead as if crossing a pond,
/ is# throwing aside phosphorescent spray
ns 3 and kicking up swirl of fire with her
ef# propeller as she knocked off fourteen
~ knots an hour.
II was the perfect night that had in
IL duced the four occupants of the smoker
10 b 70 leave their cards and sit beside the
,e large door, where they could look over
ii Il the vessels rail and at the same time
Il Il converse together.
John Devine, a civil engineer, who
at# had been working along the line of the
!. 0foya railroad in Peru, had been tell
i 8 Ing about the marvellous construction
! of this roadway, and incidentally had
/ \ remarked that during all the time he
q spent in South America he had not
q seen wild animal except one small
!, \ tiger, and that far in the interior. AS
: 3 he mentioned this, one of the party
was noticed to draw back and shudder
Il as if cold
"What is it, captain? Let's have the
story, said an American consul, who
& was going home on leave. ''In
i warrant there's something rather in
4 teresting if you would tell it. {"
II "Yes, let's hear itr' chimed in the
i other two.
Capt Paul lighted second long
Il black cheroot and replied: ''Well, it's
curious yarn, and I sometimes
\ wonder whether ! really passed
through it all or not, but when it
! seems only dream to me all have to
4 dois to look into my trunk. There is
q something there that is a vivid re-
hinder of the night that will tell you
i about, and that something | will show
you in the morning.
'pf course, gentlemen, you know
that Mrs Paul accompanies me, but /
don't suppose you have noticed my
three-year-old son who is cared for by
Peruvian nurse
i have" remarked the consul, land
asturdy docking little fellow he is.''
When the lad was ten-months-old
Daby." continued the captain, 81 was
ordered to Guayaquil, Ecuador AS you
probably know, have been represent
ing marine underwriters in South
america, having been sent there to pre-
vent agents for damaged ships making
100 extensive repairs at our expense.
mad been sent by my employers to
superintend work on a steamer which
mad sunk in the Guayaquil river al
that point
1t meant four months stay at
that hot little town sixty miles from
tne sea coast and so ] at once rented a
little furnished house two miles from
the city and installed my wife, baby
ana servant there | bought good
horse and rode back and forth every
mernlng and evening. 1t was hot and
mosquitoes were plenty. to say nothing
aoout fieas, but our little place was sc
.lght and open that it caught any
oreeze that might be going, and life
was not half bad there. The house
naa only SIX rooms, and all were on
1ne ground floor, but they were sutfi-
went | frequently told Mrs. Paul
mat It was dangerous to leave any Of
.he doors ajar at night. for although
burglars are not to be feared in Ecua
uor, yet animals once in awhile came
out OF the Jungle, and they had beer
seen near the city But as time passed
ana the nights became warmer we both
grew careless
one day | had been detained il
soWn, and it was nearly midnight wher
! mounted my horse to return, fol
s'lefe had been survey held that day
un the steamer, which by this time hae
psen raised and waited to hear tbs
report The night was perfect one
.acn Ike this, l had moonlight tx
sheer my way until near home, but th.
aasA rays came over the hill as | rod