Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-07-27

crowd of people standing out clear
against the skyline beyound the entrance
10 the cave. Up the cave | went, and
after me came the Others, aud after them
! Numbered the whole crowd of cannibals,
mad with fury at the death Of the woman
With a bound cleared the PROSTATE form
of Mahomed As flew over him | felt
! the heat from the red hot pot, which was
| lying close by, strike upon my legs, and
\ by its glow saw his hands-for he was not
quite dcad-stlll feebly moving AT the
top Of the cave was little platform of
rock three or so high by about eight deep,
ON which two large lamps were placed at
night. Whether this platform had been
| left as a seat or as IA raised point to-be cut
away when 1t has served It's purpose as a
standing place from which to carry on the
excavations, | do not know-at least !
did not then. At any rate, we all three
reached it, and jumping on it, prepared to
sell our lives as dearly as we could. For as
| few minutes the crowd that was pressing
on our heels hung back when they saw us
! face round upon them. job was on one
side of the rock to the left, Leo in the
center, and | TO the right. Behind us
were the lamps Leo bent forward and
looked down The long lane Of shadows,
terminated in the fire and lighted lamps,
through which the quiet forms of our
would be murdereIs fitted to and fro,
with the faint light glinting on their
spears for even their fury was silent as
! bull dogs. The only other thing visible
was the red hot pot still glowing angrily
! in the gloom. There was curious light
in Leo's eyes, ard his handsome face was
ct like stone. La his right hand was
his heavy hunting knife. He shifted It's
thong little up this wrist and then put
his arms around me and gave me good
/ hug
"Good.bye old fellow. he said my
dear friend-my more than father. We
have no chance against those scOundrels;
they will finish us in few minutes. and
eat Us afterward. suppose. Goodbye.
| led you into this hope you will for
give me Goodbye, Job.
Gods will be done" said setting my
teeth, as prepared for the end. At that
moment, with an exclamation, job lifted
his revolver and fired, aud hit man-not
the man he had aimed at, by the way
anything that job shot at was perfectly
safe.
On they came with rush, and | fired
too as fast as could and checked them
between us, Job and | killed or MORALLY
wounded i've men with our pistols before
they emptied, besides the woman. But
we had no time to reload, and they still
came on in a way that was almost splendid
in its recklessness, seeing that they did
not know but that we could go on firing
forever
A great fellow bounded up upon the
platform, and Leo struck him dead with
one blow of his powerful arm ascending
the knife right through him. | did 1.-THE
same by another but Job missed his
stroke, and saw a brawny sAmahagger
grip hun by the middle.and whirl him by
the rock The knife, not being secured
Dy.a thong fell from his hand as he did
So and, by most happy accident for Job
lighted upon its handle on the rock, Just
as the body of the Amahagger, being
undermost, hit upon its point and was
transfixed upon it. What happened to
Job after that am sure | do not know,
but my own impression is that he lay still
upon the corpse Of the deceased assaiant,
playing 'possum. as the Americans say
As for myself | was soon involved in a
desperate encounter with two rufiians
who luckily for me- had left their spears
behind them; and for the first time in my
life the great physical power with which
Nature had edowed me stoo me in good
stead | had hacked at the head of one
man with my hunting-knif which was
almost as big and heavy as short sword
with such vigor that the sharp steel had
split his skull down to the eyes. and was
held so fast bv it that as he suddenly sfell
/
of my hand
Then it was that the two others sprung
upou me. | saw them coming and got an
arm around the waist Of each, and down
we all fell upon the floor of the cave to-
gether, rolling over and over. They were
strong men, but was mad with rage, and
that awful lust for slaughter which will
creep into the hearts of the most civilized
Of us when blows are flying, and life and
death tremble on the turn. Ny arms
we're round the two swarthy demons and
Rugged them till heard their ribs crack
and crunch up beneath my grip. They
twisted and writhed like snakes and claw
ed and battered at me with their fists, but
| held on Lying on my back there,
so that their bodies should protect me
from spear thrusts from above. | slowly
crushed the life out Of them, and as | did
so, strange as it may seem, | thought Of
what the amiable Head of my College at
Cambridge and my brother Fellows would
say If by clairvoyance they could see me,