The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-11-03
l TIMELY SHOT.
A Boys Adventure In the wilds
OF Africa.

|
| The anxiety and distress of Ralpl
Campbell, = youthful masters mat,
| from the survey gun ship Petrol, vver,
| beyond description when, on awaken
ing one morning in his quarters-aI
African hut on q bank of the Senega
| river, up which he had been sent {
long distance on government bushes.
tho discovered that his little brother
| Frank, was missing.
Frank was q bright. clever boy Of
twelve, who had accompanied hi.
brother from the ship, which was
anchored outside the bar. He was the
pet and favorite aboard the vessel,
where he had been receiving instruc-
tions to fit him for naval duties.
Ralph, who now had all his cutters
crew looking for the lost lad, worried
much over the perils to which the lit
tie fellow might be exposed from
venomous serpents and wild beasts.
At length, while searching in the
thick shrubbery on the rivers bank,
the youth reached a cove where, on
the night before, he had left a small
canoe which he had bought of one of
the natives.
He had intended to use it for navi-
eating some of the shallow creeks
further up the river, as tho cutter he
had charge of was too deep and wide
for that purpose. Startled to perceive
that the canoe was missing. a suspi-
cion of the truth broke all at once
upon his mind.
He remembered having remarked to
a sailor, in Franks hearing, that the
little craft must be brought up and
made fast to the latter the first thing
in the morning. The boy, eager to
please his brother, had probably risen
and gone, before any of the rest of the
party were awake. to fetch the canoe,
but if SO, what had become of him?
Ralph, shuddering, thought of the hid
eous crocodiles that infested this river,
while he vainly scanned it for some
sign of the lad.
Then, having resolved not to wait
for the return of his men, but to take
the cutter and go off alone in search
OF his lost brother, he hurried back to
the bank in front of the hut, along
side Of which the boat lay.
This boat was a light. swift one,
which could be easily sculled by On
oar. There was a small, loaded swivel
ready for use, fixed in the bow, but its
weight would not interfere with the
speed OF the craft.
The young officer was soon vigor-
ously sculling the vessel on its way,
going with the tide, as he thought
that frank would have been apt to take
1
cred with shrubbery and flowers glided
the cutter, often Swallowed by the far
branches of huge baobab |
trees that formed broad green arches
above it. |
1t had rounded n peninsula full of |
bloom and foliage. when the watchful |
youth saw ahead of him an over |
Il. and, by the peculiar carving on |
.he bow, he recognized it as the miss |
ng canoe.
1t had been partly crushed-most !
likely. he thought, by the teeth of
In dismay, he pulled Franks little
zap fr1fn Jagged projection of the
The dreadful truth forced itself on his
aind.
The lad had been pursued by the
nonster that had destroyed the canoe.
Had he already met his fate? The
'oung officer tried to shake off his des-
hope. in spite of appear
noes, that his brother might, in some |
vav, have escaped and still be alive.
He looked toward the peninsula
rom which tho canoe seemed to have
rifted. This peninsula, consisting of
'vo high. projecting banks composed
soft rock and earth, opposite each
Their, about fifteen feet apart, was
OO1eO Oy Cnc branches OF slender |
rees that dourished in wild luxuriance
n both banks.
The trunks of these trees slanted so
aat their boughs interningled and
ere SO thickly interviewer with vines
lat they formed dense canopy of
'aves and blossoms over the open
pace beneath, which thus resembled a
'rt of long water cavern.
Ralph directed the cutter to this
avern, and, looking through the green
rchway into the partial obscurity be-
ond. he beheld q sight well calculated
arouse apprehension.
In the back part Of the cavern. living
a shallow, among sandbanks that ,
artially concealed it, was a large :
ocodile. with its head raised and .
rown back and it's horrible jaws wide .
zen, while its eyes were strained, as .
oint. }
Gazing in the same direction, Ralph 3
as startled to see, about ten feet q
'ove those hideoas jaws, the form of =
s little brother, lying. with pale face
I'd closed eyeaseon the narrow shelf
rock. The, rock was under the
anches Of slender trees, which rose r
each side of it from low banks on =
e right and left, about two Yards 3
,na tie elevation. One Of the over :
nglnEs branches, broken off, ex- !,
aimed the boys situation. a
He had evidently climbed the tree to Z.
cape Tire crocodile, had crcpt out on Z
9 slender branch, 1t had given way. q