Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-08-07

an interininablo caravan VI animals.
Certainly something had happenei.
for dull, dead sound began Ia make
itself heard from the north. A croco-
dile In wild haste made . passage
shruugh tho branches of = thorny shrub
and passed quickly On II could not
then ts nm inundation. ursgorio mount.
ed to tho top of tree, not daring yet
TO say 10 himself. 1T must be q fire"
There was no need to climb to the
highcst branches In order 20 distinguish
an immense light which spread to tho
north and west. The whole forcst was
In flames. The lightning. falling pr.
hap~ somc 500 timcs. had vet nrc 20 tho
dry branches aud r,-inous tr~s; 10 very
soon spcad. and now thcrc was burn.
ing circle which was gradually contract-
ing 20 ~ TO hem In aud destroy all with
In H.
Grcgurio at once made MP his mind
what Co ,lo. lie followed the tigers. the
birds. tho reptiles. and rushed toward
the cast. not Tor . moment quitting the
direction taken ly tho dcnizcns of the
forcsi. for he knew very well that their
uncrring instinct would lead them to-
ward the Amazon river.
Nor could he ~ tooquickly. The firc
befoc br,al;ina out anil wrapping the
largo trcss in its embrace advanced rap-
idly along the ground u the forest.
wherc thu deal leaves and infianinable
shrubs caught ~ II by magic, 81 that
before running tho risk VI bring burned
alivo thec was danger u suilocatiou.
fur the ssokc was slrcady sprca,ling un.
der the NSgcant's very fcct and mount.
ell In thick column toward the vault
Of wool overhead. 0reevrio. mad with
fear. bounded from branch to branch
without giving q thought 90 what he
had 90 tear his way through. although
at every step he left . shred either VI
his cloths or his slin.
A band of apcs wild with fear.
passed near him. uttcring cries of term
and making the most frightful grimaccs.
For more than q quarter of an hour he
rivaled ths-e crcaturc- In agility and
made as much way n they did.
What day Il wsl Il needed man
with q constitution u irun TO have
strength for flight after all that bee had
undergone during the last ~ hours ~
length hc felt u little fr-hne~s In the
mir. Tho river could not be very far on.
Nothing can b. concivcd mOrc hid
sous than the aspect of this man at this
moment. covered from heal to fcot with
blood and mosquitoes IL would have
b~n difficult for the most clever naiu'
raiist to have decided at % glance whcth.
cr he was man or an ape, and yet he
oyccame all obstacles ~ II be did not
know what fatigue meant. His arm
and legs wcc ~ plant n II, instead of
muscles. he hal springs of steel.
At length the last oak of the for~t
stood before him. and he percciycd the
immense river. the strong current ut
which Wa ALREADY carrying down q
thousand animals. who wcrc seeking the
opposite hank In their flight AZ his feet
was u sandy bach about 20 yards
broad and extending very consider.
able DISTANCE from one end io the other
hut upn this beach. brought together
n II for new Noah's ark. were all the
animals ~ iho-c parts, wild with fear.
lcaping un tearing each other 10 pieces,
In a pitiablc fashion. scratch
ing up the soil with their claws and
lifting their no~ss to the wind M n 90
catch the iirst SCENT of Oh. cunning con-
fiagratiIn Il was u fearful and grew
some sight
To have gone down thero In order 10
leap into the stream would have lscn
simple madness Between the Jaws of
the jaguars. the aps- and of all ihcse
ccaturs devoted 10 death might h.
seen an innumerable multitude II rep
tiles crawling along. frum the serpent
~ thin ~ q willow rod MP 10 the cnor.
nous LA constructor. All this crowd of
trvatur,s werc seething. writing. hiss
ing. killing. and nj intervals. urged for
ward by the instinct II self preservation.
they threw themselves headlong into
the stream. where they became an easy
prey " the alligatopl