Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-22

| put down the brandy bottle There Is th'
head the writer talks of-'the rock shapet
like the head of an Ethiopian
Yes" said, there ii is :"
"Well, then" he answered, ''the who'll
hing is true"
Il don't at all see that that follows,
answered
1--WE knew this head was here; .youi
father saw it, Very likely 1t is not tb,
same head that the writer talks of. or if il
is, it proves nothing
Leo smiled at me in a superior way.
"You are an unbelieving Jew, Uncl,
Horace, he said. "Those who live vii
see"
Exactly so,' | answered; land now
perhaps you observe that we are driftint
across sand-bank into the mouth Of the
river. Get hold of your oar, Job, and W,
will row in TO see if we can't find place
10 land"
The river mouth which we were enter
ing did not appear to be very wide one,
though as yet the long banks Of steamine
mist that chung about its shores had moi
lifted sufficiently to enable us to see its eX.
act width. There was as is the case with
nearly every east African river, a consider
able bar at the mouth. which, no doubt
when the wind is on shore and the tide
running out, was ABSOLUTELY impossible
even for boat drawing only few inches
Gut as things were il was manageable
enough, and we do not ship a cupful Of
water. In twenty minutes we were well
across it, with but slight assistance from
ourselves, and being carried by a strong
though somewhat variable breeze well up
the harbor. By thisl time the mist was
being sucked up by the sun, which was
getting uncomfortabiy hot, and we saw
that the mouth of the little estuary was
here about half mile across. and that the
banks were very marshy, and crowded
with crocodiles lying about on the mud
like logs. About mile head Of us,
however, was what appeared to be strip
of firm land, and for this be steered. In
another quarter of an hour we were there,
and making the boat fast TO beautiful
tree with broad shining leaves, and flow
ers of the magnolia species, only they were
rose cOlored and not white, which hung
over the water, we disembarked. This
done we undressed washed ourselver,
and spread our clothing and the contents
Of the boat in the sun to dry, whichsthey
very quickly did, and then taking shelter
from the sun under some trees, we made a
hearty breakfast off "Paysandu" ported
tongue, of which we had brought a. good
quantity with us from the Army and Navy
Stores. congratulating ourselver enor.
mously on our good fortune in having
loaded and provisioned the boat on the
previous day before the hurricane destroy
ed the dhow. By the time we had finish
ed our meal our clothes were dry, and we
FASTENED to get into tbem,.. feeling not a
little refreshed Indeed, with the eXcep-
ton Of WEAKNESS and few bruises, snone
of us was the worse for our terrifying ad.
venture, which had been fatal to all our
companions. Leo it is true, had been
half drowned, but that is no great matter
to vigorous young athlete of tive-and-
twenty.
After breakfast we started to lookiabout
US. We were on strip of dry land1about
two hundred yards broad by five hundred
long bordered on one side by the river
and on the other three by endless desolate
swamps, that stretched as far as the eye
could reach. This strip Of land was raised
about twenty-five feet above the level of
the surrounding swamps and the river
level; indeed, it had every appearance of
having been made by the hand of man.
This place has been wharf" said Leo.
"Nonsense!" | answered "Who
would be fool enough to build wharf in
the middle of these dreadful marshes in
country inhabited by sayages, that's, if 1t
is inhabited at all?'
perhaps it was not always marshy. and
perhaps the people were not always saw
age" he said dryly, looking down the
steep bank, for we were standingi by the
river. Look there. he went on, point
ing to a spot where the hurricane of the
previous night had torn up one Of the
magnolia-trees, which had grown on the
extreme edge of the bank just where it
sloped down to the water, by the roots,
that lifted large cake Of earth with them.
Is not that stone-work? II not, it is
very like it."
Nonsense" said again. and we clam
bered down to the spot, and got between
the upturned roots and the bank.
"Well?" he said.
But did not answer this time. ! only
whistled For there, laid bare by the re-
moval of the earth, was an undoubted
facing of solid stone laid in large blocks
and bound together with brown cement,
so hard that could make no impression
on it with the file in my shooting knife.
Nor was this all seeing something pro.