Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-07-06
SHE..
A History Of Adventure.
[By H. RIDER HACGARD. !
Y /.
An EARLY cuRfsTIN CEREMONY.

y ext morning, AT lht edIllcSt bluSn Oh
dawn, we rose, and performed such ablu-
tions as circumstances would allow, and
generally made ready to Start. am bound
10 say that when there was sufficient light
10 enable us to see each others faces, |,
for one, burst out IN roar of laughter.
Jobs fat and comfortable countenance
was swollen out TO nearly twice It's natural
size from mosquito bites, aud Leo's con-
dition was not much better. Indeed. of
the three had come off much the best,
probably owing to the toughness of my
dark skin, and to the fact that good
deal of it was covered by hair, for since
we started from England had allowed
my naturally luXuriant beard To grow at
its own sweet will. But the other two
were, comparatively speaking, clean shaw
ed. which of course gave the enemy a
large extent of open country TO operate on
though as for Mahomed the mosquitoes
recognizing the taste of true believer,
would not touch him at any price. How
often, wonder, during the next week or
So did we wish that We were favored like
an Arab!
By the time we had done laughing as
heartily as our swollen lips would allow it
was daylight, and the morning breeze was
coming up from the sea, cutting lanes
through the dense marsh mists, and here
and there rolling them before it in great
e So
and having first taken a look at the two
dead lions and the dead alligator, which
we were of course unable TO skin, being
destitute Of means of curing the pelts. VT
started and sailed through the lagoon
following the course of the river on the
further side. At midday, when the
breeze dropped, we were fortunate enoug b
to find a convenient piece OF dry land OF
which to camp and light fire, ana here
we cooked some wild duck and some o.
the water.buck's lesh-not in very
appetiziug way, it is true, but still, sum
GENTLY. The rest of the bucks flesh We
cut into strips and hung in the sun t'
dry into "biltong, as believe the Soutl
African Dutch call flesh thus prepared
On this welcome patch of dry land we stop
ned TIL the following dawn, and, as be-
fore, spent the night in warfare with tn
MOSQUITOES, but without other troubles.
It was on the fourth day of our journey
when we had travelled, so far as we cou'
reckon. about one hundred and thirty nv
to hundred and forty miles westwar
from the coast, that the first event OF an
real importance occurred. On that morl
ing the usual wind failed US about eleve
O'Clock, and after pulling little way W
way we were forced to halt, more or les
exhausted, at what appeared to be jun
ton of our stream with another OF an III
iform width of about fifty feet. Son
trees grew near at hand-the only trees
s.. all this country were along the balk
the riyer-and under these we rested, al
then the land being fairly dried just her
walking little way along the edge OF III
river to prospect, and shoot few water
fowl for food. Before we had gone nj
wards we perceived that all hopes OF e
ting further up the stream In the whal
boat was at an end, for not two hundr
wards above where we had stopped was
succession of shadows and mud'banE
with not six inches of water over theT
1t was watery Guide sac.
Turning back, we walked some W
along the bank of the other river, ands
came to the conclusion, from various
dications. that it was not river at a
but an ancient canal, such as is to be &c
about Mombasa, on the Zanzibar Goa
connecting the Tana river with the .
in such was as TO enable the shlppi
coming down Tana TO cross to
other river and reach the sea by 1t, q
thus avoid the very dangerous bar Il
blocks the mouth of the Tana. The ca
before US had evidently been dug out
man at some remote period Of the worl
history, and the result of his digging S
remained in the shape of the raised bal
that had no doubt once formed town
paths. Except here and there, VIII
they had been followed out or had fal
> in, the banks of stiff, binding clay W
at uniform distance from each 9th
and the depth also appeared to be unifoi
Current there was little or none, and,
consequence, the surface of the We
was choked by vegetable growth, in
sected by little paths of clear water, ma
l suppose, by the constant passage
water-fowls iguanas, and other veru
Now, as 1t was evident that we could
proceed up the river, it became equ'
evident that we must either try the cal
or else return to the sea. We could
stop where we were, to be baked by
sun and eaten up by the mosquitoes,
we died of fever in that dreary marsh.
"Well | suppose that we must try it
said; and the others consented In Il
various ways-Leo, as though it were
best joke in the world job in respect
disgust and Mahomed, with An invC
ton to the Prophet, and a comprehen!