Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-03-15

: at us from hundred points, and all
! the time kept chattering in high glee.
| Every now and then one would de-
scend to the ground and make faces at
us around tree trunk as we watched
him from the carriage,
All at once Ned picked up his gun
and called the rider to pull up.
~ am going to have shot at that
old fellow in the fork yonder," said he
as he opened the door
mo, no, no shoot, sahib," cried the
excited servant as Ned stepped out.
"Apes fight back sometimes, and we
no get away from them if they do"
Sure enough the whole forest seemed
black with the beasts.
They seemed to descend from every
tree. and with cries that frightened me
they leaped to the ground and stood on
their hind feet, while they snapped and
snarled at US like legion of fiends.
The head man leaped upon the horse.
while the other ran to his place behind
the carriage, and the cracking of tho
whip sent the team away.
But we had precipitated a battle
royal with the apes of India, for the
moment the horses started the animals,
with wild screeches, made for us and
in jiffy were swarming over the sides
of the chariot.
saw the man on the horse strike at
them with the whip, while the native
on the back perch did the same thing
with stick which he had hastily picked
up, but this did not deter our assail-
ants, and the attack became fiercer each
moment.
Down with the blinds!" exclaimed
Ned, as he struggled with one "The
demons will swarm inside if we don't
get them down at once!"
l had already turned to the blinds,
seeirg the necessity for their closing
even before Ned had spoken, and whilo
1 tuRged at the one ON my side was
facing pair of ferocious eyes and had
to beat off a large hand which tried to
grab my face.
The carriage being very heavy, the
borses could not draw it very fast, and
as the poor steeds were surrounded by
apes they Lecame frightened and for a
time we feared we would have to stop
and fight for our lives in the road.
l3y this time the blinds had been
pulled down, but the carriage was COW
cred with apes, despite the efforts of
the servants to beat them off
Ned and l sank back and remained
silent. We could hear the screeches of
the giant apes and the wild snorts of
our horses mingled with the cries of
the two men.
All at once the carriage stopped /
felt the fore wheel on my side sink into
chuck hole, and in another instant
heard the driver shout that the axle
was broken.
Now came the tug of war, for we
seemed to be placed at the mercy of
the maddened apes.
'We've got to fight it out here" cried
Ned, as he seized his gun and threw up
the blinds.
The sight that met our boyish eyes
as we looked out was enough to blanch
our checks.
The two men were on the ground
fighting the apes with clubs, and it
seemed to me that all the monkeys of
India had united for our destruction.
Nevertheless, Ned and threw open
the door and presente ed ourselves with
our guns
The enemy paused in their attack at
sight of us, and as we sprang out and
fred into their midst they fell back a
pace, while some retreated with cries
of pain.
"Once more!" cried Ned, and we re-
loaded hastily. "Show them that we
are not to be overpowered by lot of
apes"
But such was the fury of the crea-
lures that they equally came back to
the charge despite our shots, and we
We're driven to the very steps of the
state carriage, where we had to club
the guns and beat them off by sheer
muscle.
1t was a terrible struggle. and
against such host the odds seemed
against us.
Suddenly we heard shout down the
road and in another moment a small