The Princeton union., 1896-10-22
WOURALI.

you that for a day and night have
known what it is to be dead" ...
. 20, come, Mac, that's too much. Tho
major has given us some pretty tall
snes, but we can't quite swallow that"
!. Perhaps suggested the major,
"Mackay refers to state Of alcoholic
saturation. I have heard"
"Shut up, MAJOR" Interrupted High
Geld. "Don't be feeble''
20, all right" said Mackay. "On]y
you said it was my turn for yarn;
out, of course, if
F.! 'Fire away, Mac; never mind the
his own tales are bested Well be-
lieve you. Observe the child-like inno-
+ cence of our countenances."
, "Vcry we'll, then, you shall have the
yarn. It happened out in British
Guiana. Phil Egerton and had been
knocking about that district in yacht.
Phil was a bit of a scientist; had dab
bled In the ologies when he was at Ok
/ ford, and he found something to in
terest him in the shallow waters round
the coast. The buckets of mud and
Shiny things he fished up weren't very
exciting for me, so put in a good deal
of time hanging round the bars and
billiard rooms of Georgetown. Poker
is good game in the other hemis-
phere. You fellows don't rise to it's
possibilities here"
"Take you on a half-a-sOv. ante"
interrupted the Major.
'No, thanks, Major You've been
there, I know. I bar yOu."
Il don't think I could mention a
place." continued Mackey, that I've
spent more than a month in myself
without contriving to make a fool Of
myself over some girl. She was a
barmaid this time, and she was
pretty. We called her ''The Queen"
and I never knew her by any other
name. What nationality she be-
longed to 1 can't tell you. think she
| had a dash of most of them in her;
but English, Spanish and Indian were,
perhaps the most prominent-English
in business, Spanish in love, but pure,
undiluted Indian in. hate. She was a
dangerous mixture, but you've no no
ton how fascinating! I wasn't by any
means the only fellow who succumbed
to her charms; but I believe was the
only one she cared a gin cocktail about.
You'll admit that the position had it's
dangers. Of course, I knew perfectly
well that was making an ass Of my
self: but L couldn't help it. The only
thing for me to do was to bolt. If I
stayed another week I should marry
her, and then there'd be the deuce to-
pay"
Look here, Egerton,' I said, one
night, you've got to take me away
from here. Leave those confounded
weeds of yours, and let's weigh anchor
and be off,
"'What's d" the matter. Mac? said Eg-
erton. Got the fidgets? I'm sorry,
old man, but I've discovered a new
species among these said weeds, and 1
want to work it up
'*Well, Phil, my boy, if you won't
leave, you'll have to be my best man,
that's ALL
THAT frightened him a bit. I told
him the whole story, and he saw there
was no time to be lost if he was to be
saved. Phil Egerton knew me pretty
we'll in those days.
"rll tell you what We'll do, Mac
he said. You know Wilson, the sugar
! planter He tells me there is some cap
ital shooting to be had in the interior;
any amount of birds and a stray
chance at a jaguar or two. He's 60
ing to have month Of it, and has
asked me to join him. We can take
the yachts boat and 60 up to Dema-
rara until we strike the woods. What
do you say?'
Anything you like, so long as you
get me out of this NESS
1--WE went in the morning and saw
Wilson about it. He was delighted,
and said he would start as soon as we
could get ready.
''Of course, any sensible man in my
position would have had the common
time in cleaning his guns and looking
out various odds and ends for the ex-
| pedition; but, as I tell you, where WO-
| men are concerned, I'm not to be
| counted in the class of sensible men,.
I went to see THE Queen and natural
! ly she wormed the whole thing out Of
! me.
"'Phil,' said, when 1 got back, If
! we can't start tomorrow, we needn't
| start at all. It would spoil the party
| if 1 took wife with meH
"'We'll start tonight, if you like,
| Mac I'm ready; and if Wilson isn't,
| he can follow us. But what's the hur-
| ry? You haven't told her you're 60
ing, have your
"'Yes, have; and that's why it
| won't do for me to stay here any long
| err
| "'Well, Mac, of all the laundering
idiots it has been my privilege to
know, I do think you're about the big
gest Why on earth can't you vanish
quietly, and leave her to find out about
it afterward?'
"I meant to-; but when I started
talking to her, out it came
".What possessed you to go there at
| all to-day? 80"
"'Oh, come, Phil, be reasonable
You couldn't have kept away yourself
if you had been in my place.
"'You had a scene, suppose?'
"'Well, slightly. She accused me Of
wanting to get rid of her, trying to run
away, in fact; and, as it was perfectly
true, fancy I didn't show up very
| well in the argument that followed
oh, you great, bearded infant; put
your hat on, and We'll go and see Viii
son at once.' ~.
''We started next morning. I was
| feeling bit hipped, Of course, but tht
!! others were jolly enough.
/ GAS [ think. told you, Phil had s
| weakness for nOtterinp ahO1lt in Scien