Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-20

quotation seems very apprOpridte- II one
had faith in omens now, q man might say
that this was a good one" And in his
heart he believed It to be so.
Another hours journey brought them
to the point of tho island along which
they had heen travelling.
All" said Otter. NOW / know the
path again. This is the right stream; that
to the left must be a new one. Had we
taken 1t we should have lost our way and
perhaps have found it no more for days
or not at ALL"
Say, Otter" said Leonard, "you es-
capped from this place. How did You do it
i'm a boatf''
mo, baas. The baas knows that am
strong. My spirit who gave me ugliness
gave me strength also to make up for il,
and it is well, for had been beautiful as
you are, baas, and not very strong. I
should have been a slave now or dead.
With my chained hands 1 choked him who
set to watch me and took his knife. Then
by my strength / broke the irons See,
baas, here are the scars of them to this
day. When I broke them, they cut into
my flesh, but they Were old irons that had
been ON many slaves, SO mastered them.
Then as others came to kill me / threw
myself into the water and dived, and they
never saw me more. Afterward swan
all this way, resting from time to time on
the islands and from time TO time running
along the shore where the reeds were not
too thick, till at length escaped into the
open country. I travelled four days to
reach it, and most Of that time / was in
the water"
And what did you feed onf"
Roots and the eggs Of birds"
And did not the alligators try to eat
youf''
lone did, baas, but / am quick in the
water. l got upon the alligator's back
ali, my spirit was with me thenl-and
drove the knife through his eye into his
brain. Then smeared myself over with
the blood of the alligator. and after that
they did not touch me, for they know the
smell and thought that I was their broth
err
Say, Otter, are you not afraid Of going
back to this place.
Somewhat, baas, for there is that hell
you white people talk of. But where the
baas goes there can 60 also. Otter will
not linger while you run; also, baas, !
am not brave-no, no, yet would LOOK
upon that Yellow Devil again, yes, IL I my
self must die to do it and kill him with
these hands"
And the dwarf dropped the paddle,
screaming, xii him, kill him, kill him.
so loudly that the birds rose in alright
from the marshes.
BE quiet, you fOol!" said Leonard an
grily. DO you want to bring the Arabs
on uss"
But to himself he thought that he should
be sorry for Pereira, alias the Yellow
Devil, IL once Otter found a chance to fly
at his throat.
The next day, about an hour before sun
set, they camo to the nest of the Yellow
Devil. The nest was placed thus: 1t stood
upon an island which may have covered
in all four or five acres of ground. OF this
area, however, only about 214 acres were
available for n living space. The rest was
n morass hidden by growth of very tall
reeds, which, starting from great lagoon
on the northern and eastern sides, ran up
to the low Enclosure of the buildings that
on these faces, were considered to be suffi
GENTLY defended by the morass and the
wide waters beyond. On the southern and
western aspects, however, matters were
very different, for here the place was
strongly fortified both by art and nature.
Firstly, canal ran round these two faces,
not very wide or deep indeed, but impass-
| able. except in boats, owing to the soft
| mud at its bottom. On the farther side of
| this canal an carthwork had been con-
| structed, having its crest stoutly palisaded
| and its sides planted with a natural de-.
| Tense of aloes and prickly pears.
| So much for the exterior of the spot. Its
| interior was divided into three principal
| Enclosures. or these three the easternmost
was the site of the nest itself, long, low
matched building of wood, in front and
to the west of which there was an open
space. or courtyard, with a hard floor,
wherein were but two buildings-a shed,
supported ON posts and open from the
| caves To the ground, where sales Of slaves
| We're carried ON, and farther to the north,
almost continuous with the line of the
nest itself, but separate from it, n small
erection, very strongly built of brick and
stone, and having n roof made from tho
tin Innings of ammunition and other cases.
This was q magazine. All round this in
| closure stood rows of straw huts of M
tive build, evidently occupied as q camp
/ by the Arabs and half breed slave traders
/ of the baser sort.
| The second Enclosure, which was to the
4 west of the nest, comprised the slave
/ camp. 1t may have covered half an acre
of ground. The only buildings in it were
four low sheds similar in every respect to
that where the slaves were sold, only
| much longer. Here the captiyes lay pick
eted in rows to iron bars which ran the
| length of the sheds and were fixed into
| she ground at either end This camp was
| separated from the nest Enclosure by a
deep canal 80 feet in width and spanned
|
drawbridge that led across the canal to
the gate of the camp; also 1t was protected
on the nest side by low wall and on the
slave camp side by an earthwork, planted,
as usual, with prickly pears. On this
earthwork near the gate and little guard
house a six FOUNDER cannon was mounted,
the muzzle of which frowned down upon
the slave camp, visible warning to it:
occupants of the fate which awaited tho
1 I,,A- Ill . - At - III
part of the island were devised as safe
guards against a possible emeute Of tht
slaves
Beyond the slave camp lay tho garden
that could only be approached through it
It also was fortified by water and earth
| works, but not SO strongly.
Such is n brief description OF what wa
IN those days the strongest slavehold IL
Africa
CHAPTER V.
The road which Leonard and his com