Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-22


curing what to them would appear great
wealth.
was thinking of these dire possibilities
and inwardly approaching myself for hav-
ing allowed my young friend to go off so
attended on such an expedition when Joe
Brackett suddenly exclaimed, WHATS
that?'' pointing to something floating level
with the surface few hundreds Of yards
above us.
We were sailing slowly along at the mo-
ment before northeast zephyr, but now
we put out oars and were quickly along
side the object, which proved to be the
umgalla (Harold's boat), with the whole
of her stern broken away! There was moth
ing in the water logged hull-neitheF
arms, blankets nor provisions, not even
ON oar-all had been taken or washed out
After critical examination of the shell
one of my comrades said It's all plain
enough. The Fsllows have tackled hip
DO, lone bull likely, and that's worse
than a rogue elephant. The brute's turned
on them and taken mouthful out Of the
boat What happened then can't say.
"Do you think the men have lost their
! lives?' asked
'Well," slowly replied Tom, ''if the
boat was smashed In the middle of the riv-
err wouldn't give much for their chance.
| In that case they'd lose their guns and run
a great risk of being nabbed by crocodiles
while swimming to land. But it's possible
the accident may have happened close to
shore, and that they afterTard pushed the
boat off, In hopes of its being found by a
searching party. We haven't seen any
floating oars. That's good sign"
"We'd better go on anyway, remarked
| joe for even if the men aye alive ano
we'll they'd wait long time before trying
! to make their way home through these
tangled woods"
So we did go on as fast as possible with
out stopping to eat dinner, and about the
middle Of the afternoon came to bend in
the river, on turning which we saw before
us, grounded on q sand bank at the north
side of the stream, and half in and half
out of the water, the dead body of an enor-
nous hippopotamus, from which as we
pulled in skurried away a swarm OF Jackals.
On jumping ashore we found that the
place had been intended for camping
ground, as the boats sail and oars, two
blankets and many other things which
knew to be Harold's lay on the sand lit
tie way inland, whilo u lot of palm leaves,
evidently prepared for but not used as q
bed, seemed to prove that the party had
designed passing at least one night there
but for some reason had not done so.
The most puzzling find, however, was
one of the old muskets, which, with bent
barrel and broken stock, lay by itself near
the forests edge.
On seeing the disabled weapon my com
panions looked extremely grave, and stoop-
ing down began to examine the sandy
ground But this was SO trampled by IN
Vulnerable tracks of wild beasts that no
distinctive footprints could be picked out
of the tumble, much less any idea gained
as to what had become of the three human
beings who had so strangely disappeared.
The whole thing was mystery. The toat-
ing boat, the dead monster, the broken
gun, the abandoned goods, the absent hunt
ers and the total lack Of blood stains pre-
sented altogether an array Of irreconcila'
BILE facts hard to understand.
"What do you make of it, menH" pres
emily asked.
"Well," began the elder brother "I'vc
got my own notion about It, but I'd rath
or not-hello Look therep' and the man
dashed off toward a contiguous gum tree,
pinned to the trunk of which and about
six feet up we now noticed closely fold
ed scrap of paper. Hastily tearing it down
Tom handed 1t to me- and opening 1t
read aloudi
July Il (the day before).
Hippo smashed boat close to shore. KILLED
him afterward. Turned boat adrift to Civ
alarm. We're preparing to camp; Kola stand
ing guard; lion sprang on him from bush
broke gun; carried him of before our eyes
was out Of sight in second. We've followed
May save the man. Wait here. Wen be back
If alive. II. BEEToN
This terse note was written, evidentl,
In great haste, on leaf torn from Har
old's pocket diary. When had read 1t
Tom said:
Its Just as I feared If not killed be
fore now, the men are lost in the bush
Without a compass they couldn t find thei
way back to the river through a singl
half mile, no, nor quarter mile Of thes
terrible thickets, unless they blaHed TIRE
here and there as they went along. I sup
, pose they've got their ak with them, as it.
not here, but they'd never stop to mark
path in their hurry to overhaul the lion.
, Would 1t be possible for them to d
that or to save their contradict inquired
, such thing has been done once to m
knowledge" Tom replied. IF the blac
wasn't killed on the spot-the lions frs
: blow fell on the gun barrel, I think-an
( If he wasn't dragged off by the head O
neck, they might come up in time TO say
J what little life was left in him, for the
{ could make their way through the bus
faster maybe than the lion could wit
his load. That Kola's big, heavy mar
D you know"
. "What shall we do nowp" asked, fee
ing somewhat cheered by Toms remarks
: "Stay right here and fire signal shot
, every 10 minutes till we get an answer c
! till dark. If an answer does come whe
there's, say, an hour Of daylight left, we
I go out to meet the party at once. But
: we don't hear gun till after shutdown W
, won't bulge till morning, for it would /
certain death to go 30 rods into this bus
, in the dark. If any Of the men are alivt
{ they'll protect themselves by fire and wa
$ for us to come. I've no idea they're With
q hearing distance though. Sound won
q travel far-not more than 100 rods an!
4 way-through these crowded tree tops. :"
3 In addition to our repeating rifles an
= revolvers we had brought with us biz
l smoothbore duck gun, and while the ol
o hunters busted themselves In gathering q
d immense heap of dry fuel kept loadin
. and firing this at the stated intervals, usin
double charges Of powder, but no sho
, The great six gauge piece made repo
p like that Of little cannon, but no responi