The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-13

with that and our allowance of spirits
l hope that we shan't, as Morrison says
have half of the ships company down
with the fever. 1t is all in our favor
that we have only just come out, for
they say the new Corners can resist the
eneets OF these tropical rivers much
better than, those whose constitution
has been weakened by a residence in
the country AS to the sport, / have no
desire to kill any animal that does not
| NEEDLE with me. My business is all the
other way, and if any of you get
mauled, 1 will do my best to help the
doctor to pull you through; but I am
very we'll on board the ship, and have
no desire to go tramping about among
the swamps, whether it be to hunt wild
animals or fight Malays.''
You think that everyone should stick
to his last, Sandy Dick said with a
laugh well, 1 only wish there were
more on board of your opinion, for that
would give more chances to us who like
| to stretch our legs ashore for a
change"
I can stretch my legs here if I want
to, the Scotchman said, quietly, land
am not anxious to do more. | suppose
| if there are expeditions against the
Malays 1 shall have to go with them,
but the fewer of them there are the
better I shall be pleased.
The talk was more serious aft, where
| the doctor and the first lieutenant were
! dining with the captain. 1t ended by
the latter saying: We'll, doctor, if
what your friend Hassan said be true
we are likely enough to have our hands
pretty full, and shall have to watch
this fellow Sehi as sharply as we dc
his neighbors. He is not under our
protection yet and if he sends his
prahus down the river to plumber on
the coast, as HasSan says, he is not
the sort of character likely to do us
credit, and the position of a British
resident with him would be the reverse
of a pleasant one. However, we must
hope that he is not as black as he is
painted. He has evidently put the
other chiefs backs up, and we must
receive their reports of him with some
doubt However, I have no doubt that
If he turns out badly we shall be able
to give him a lesson that will be of
benefit to him.
The first days voyage up the river by
no means came up to the anticipations
of the midshipmen as to the country
through which they were TO pass. The
width Of the river varied from a quar-
ter of a mile to 300 yards; the banks
on each side were lined with mangroves.
presenting a dreary and monotonous
aspect Progress was slow, the steam
launch going ahead and sounding the
ueptH OF water, IHe captain having but
little faith in the assertion Of the ma
tive pilot that he was perfectly ac-
quainted with every bank and shallow. /
Being now the dry season, the tops of
many of these shoals were dry. and
numbers of alligators We're lying half in /
and half out of the water, basking in |
the sun.
Several of the officers who possessed |
rifles amused themselves by shooting |
at these creatures, but it was very
rarely that any attention was paid to /
their firing, the balls Slancing off the I
scaly armor without the aIligators ap- !
pearing to be conscious of anything
unusual There was more amusement
in watching how, when the swell of
the steamer rushed through the shat
low water and broke on the shoals. the
reptiles turned hastily and scrambled
back into the river. evidently greatly
alarmed at this, to them, strange phe-
nomenon-
I should not care about bathing
here. Davis" Harry Parkhurst remark
ed TO the old sailor
You are right sir; I would rather
have stand-up fight with the Malays
than trust myself for two minutes in
this muddy water. Why, they are
worse than sharks, sir; shark does