The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-06-20

| from the southwest extremity of the creS-
cent shaped copse bounding the sandy cove
q point where we had never thought Of
| looking for it, being on the opposite side
| from the spot where the broken musket
| lay.
Although, amid the multitude of other
| tracks, we could distinguish neither the
| lions spoor nor the mark of boot heels it
seemed certain that the men and the brute
| must have gone by this way, and we turn
ed into it with renewed hope So long as
the trail lasted we got on fairly we'll but
| after following it for about mile 1t ended
at the edge of "a stony waste wherein grew
only few trees and scattered clumps of
| jungle.
This is real lion country" observed
| Tom. "They never stay for long in the
deep woods The one we're after has his
lair in some of those jungle NOTES. But
there's nothing to guide us now, and which
way to go is a puzzler If the men were
within sight of the lion when he got here,
there's one chance in hundred that they
have saved Kola's life always supposing
he wasn't killed at first or on the way,
and, as we've seen no blood, don't think
| he was. -
We've not signaled for some time"
said Joe. Let's rest little and fire
few shots, The sound will travel better
here"
After long pull at our water TASKS we
| fired three shots at one minute intervals,
| but heard no answer. Then Joe climbed
a lofty sage palm to get view Of the
country ahead. When he came down, there
was n new look ON his face.
Boys " said he, this plain about three
miles across and reaches to a heavy belt of
timber this side the foothills, and If I'm
not nightly mistaken l saw the smoke
Of fire rising above the trees. If it's sure
enough smoke, some of the men are alive,
| for there are no blacks round these parts l."
This was glorious news-too good to be
true, Tom Bracket thought. So he shin
ned up the tree himself, while we anxious
ly awaited his report. He had not ascend
ed 60 feet, however, when he yelled OUT
1T is smoke, certain, bearing three
points east of north, - and down he came,
looking as if he'd found q fortune.
Our gloomy thoughts vanished, and we
hurried away over the rock strewn level,
steering straight for the indicated point.
Travelling was comparatively easy now.
Getting along at the rate of % or 3 miles
an hour, we had come to about the mid
die of the plateau and were nearing a
clump Of jungle bush when, heavily wing
ed, there arose from its depths cloud of
vulturesl
Shuddering at the thought of what might
lie within, we dashed through the oppos-
ing thorns, and there, close to the mouth
of a rock inclosed den lay not that which
we had so dreaded to see, but the half
picked skeleton of an enormous lionl Near
the head of the beast was dark patch Of
dried blood, and scattered around were
several fragments Of cotton cloth.
"Hurrah, hurrah'' shouted Tom. THAT
brave boy has killed the lion here, and Ko-
Ia has been saved alive. Sec how the young
fellows torn his own shirt up to make
bandagesp'
How do you know twas Harold and
not Matu who killed the brutef" asked,
willing to have my pride in the youths
exploit still further gratifed.
why, don't you see that the heads
bored through and through by an express
bulleti" Tom replied. Besides all crea-
ton couldn't have coaxed the black close
enough to do execution with his old blum
derbuss till the lion was dead. / know
the breedr'
II can't exactly tell " said the younger
brother, how far the smoke Is from this
plain, but maybe the men can hear a shot
now" and he fired In the air.
Three seconds Of suspense Then came
the faint but unmistakable report d an
answering rifle, followed q moment later
by the dull, hollow boom ii Matus big
smoothbore. Two at hast Of the lost par
ty were alive! We shook hands all around,
then fired a confrmatory shot each and
pressed onward, still guided by compass,
for from the grounds level we could not
yet see the column OF smoke. Obviously
between us and 1t stood a greater or less
tract of dense forest
This was resched In another half hour,
but before attempting to penetrate 1t we
fired an inquiring volley. Quick as flash
came the answer In Harold's own ringing,
Hello heno!" apparently not more than
300 yards Distant
Cheering like mad, we plunged into the
wondrous growth Of living woods, tearing,
creeping, scrambling and sometimes chop
ping our way under, over, around or
through all distractions until after fully
90 minutes of fearful toll, we burst out on
the gravelly bank Of a now tiny stream,
one of the mountain feeders Of the Tuwe-
20.
In moment the gallant boy, sound and
whole, but sobbing with joy, was in my
arms, while Tom and Joe, half crazy with
delight, put in congratulatory hug as
chance offered.
On recovering our senses and looking
| dIOuAo We SAW MAUI SitulIR On uIe RTOuuu
by his countryman, who was lying on
Gonskin, alive and conscious though ap-
parently seriously hurt. In response to our
anxious inquiries he replied;
Me not dead yet. Be all right bime-
by"
The party had been, we learned, AZ hours
in this accidentally found refuge-a tree
less slope evidently OVERLOOKED in times of
high water-and had lived entirely upon
birds killed by Matu, whose old musket,
however contemplate for ball, was admira-
bly, adapted to throwing shot.
As I cannot do Harold Beeton justice
by repeating his modest version Of the sto-
~, will give Its substance, as gathered
piecemeA from the two Wagindos, in my
own words:
1t seems that, having enjoyed lots of
sport coming up the river, they had pur-
posely prolonged their stay. Early on the
morning Of the 18th they bad just run
their boats bow ashore at the sandy cove
when an old rogue" hippopotamus sud-
denly rose from the deep water astern.
Matu foolishly fired a charge Of shot at the