The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-02-14

passed and two lights, and then, "a
had long expected, saw right ahead
apale, eye-shaped glimmer, and knew
that / was coming out into daylight
again. EIGa ~, IA.
1.-The opening came nearer, and it
was with intense eagerness that |
gazed upon my trophy, the floating
arinchi, the last of the winged reptiles.
! Already, in Imagination. l saw my
self the foremost of travellers in Eu-
! ropean fame, the hero Of the day.
What We're Banks kangarcos, or Du
Chaillu's gorilla to my discovery of
the last survivor of the pterodactyles,
of the creatures Of the food, the flying
saurian of the prem oachin epoch of
catastrophe and mud. ~+ p
! Full Of these thoughts, had not
noticed that the vampire was no longer
moving, and suddenly the bow
of the canoe bumped against it.
In an instant it had climbed up on to
the boat Its great bat-like wings
once more beat me and scattered the
flaming brands, aud the thing made a
| desperate effort to get past me back in
to the gloom 1t had seen the daylight
approaching, and rather than face the
sun, preferred to fight.
/ ''Its ferocity was that of maddened
dog, but kept it off with my pole,
and seeing my opportunity as it chung,
Tapping it's wings upon the bow, gave
it such thrust as made it drop off. 1t
began to swim Il then for the first
time noticed its long neck, but with
/ ,+, \
stunned it, and once more saw it go
drifting on the current into daylight.
''What relief it was to be out in
the open air! 1t was noon, and as we
passed out from under the entrance of
the cave, the river blazed so in the
sunlight that after the two days of al
most total darkness l was blinded for
a time. turned my canoe to the shore,
to the shade Of trees, and throwing a
moose over the floating body, let it tow
behind
'Once more on firm land-and in pos
session of the vampire!
II dragged it out Of the water. What
a hideous beast it looked, this winged
kangaroo with u python's neck! 1t was
not dead; SO made a muzzle with
strip of skin, then firmly bound it's
wings together round its body. l lay
down and slept. When I awoke, the
next day was breaking; so, having
breakfasted, I dragged my captive in
to the canoe and went on down the
river. Where l was had no idea; b,at
I knew that I was going to the sea;
going to Germany, and that was
enough.
For two months I have been drift
ing with the current down this never
ending river. OF my adventures, of
hostile natives. of rapids, Of alligators
and jaguars need say nothing. They
are the common property Of all tray
elers. But my vampire! It is alive.
And now l am devoured by only one
ambition-to keep it alive; to let Eu-
rope actually gaze upon the living,
breathing survivor of the great rep
tiles known to the human race before
the days of Noah-the missing link be-
this end denied myself food; denied
myself even precious medicine. ! In
spite Of itself gave it all my quinine
and when the miasma crept up the
river at night covered it with my rug
and lay exposed myself. If the black
fever should seize me!
'"Tllree mon this, and still upon this
hateful river! Will it never end?. l
have been ill-so i'll that for two days
could not feed it. l had not the
strength to so ashore to find food, and
fecsr that Will die; die before can
get it home.
"Been i'll again--the black fever!
But it is alive. I caught a vicuna
swimming in the river, and it sucked
it dry-gallons of blood. 1t had been
sunfed three days. In it's hungry
haste it broke its muzzle. was al
most too feeble to put it on again. A
horrible thought possesses me. Sup
pose it breaks its muzzle again, when
I am lying i'll, de'irious, and it is raw
.enous? Oh, the horror of it! To see it
eating Is terrible. 1t links the claws
of it's wings together and covers over
the body, it's head under the wings out
of sight. But the victim never moves.
AS soon as the vampire touches it there
seems to be paralysis. Once those
wings are linked there is absolute
quiet Only the grating of teeth upon
bone. HORRIBLE! hcrriblel But in
Germany l shall be famous. In Ger
many with my vampl1e
Gam very feeble. 1t broke its muz-
zle again, but it was in the daylight
when it is blind. Its great eyes are
blind in the sunlight It was a long
struggle. This black fever and the
horror Of this thing! I am too weak
to kill it if I would. must get 1t
home alive. Soon-surely soon-the
river will end. Oh, God! does it never
reach the sea, reach white men, reach
home? But if it attacks me / will
throttle it. If we cannot go back to
Germany alive, we will go together
dead. will throttle it with my two
hands and fix my, teeth in its horrible
neck and our bones shall lie together
on the bank of this accursed river"
This is nearly all that was recovered