The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-25

an immense quantity of barred slaves and
iron hoops Uttered about in it.
This is our cooperage,'' said he. we
have the slaves sent out in bundles, and We
put them toge her ourselves. Now you
| don't see anything particularly sinister
about this building. do you?"
1 looked round at the high corrugated
iron roof, the white wooden walls, and the
earthen floor. In one corner lay mat
tress and a blanket.
81 see nothing very alarming" said !.
And YET there's something out of the
common. too" he remarked. You see that
| bed? Wen, Intend to s.eep there Tonight
l don't want 20 buck, but l think It's a
bit of test for nerve"
"Why?"
"Oh, there have been some funny go
tngs on. You were talking about the mon
otony Of cur lives. but l assure you that
they are sometimes quite as exciting as
we wish them 10 be. You'd better come
back TO the house now, for after sundOwn
we begin to get the fever-fog up from The
marshes. There, you can see it coming
across the river"
l looked aud saw long tentacles of white
vapor writing out from among the thick
green underwood and crawling at us over
the broad swirling surface of the brown
river. AT the same time the air turned
suddenly dank and cold.
There's the dinner gong" said the doc
4
you about il afterward.
1t did Interest me very much for there
was something earnest and subdued in
his manner as he stood in the empty COOP
erage, which appealed very forciby to my
imagination. He was a big, bluff, hearty
man, this doctor, and yet / had detected
curious expression in his eyes as he
glanced about him-an expression which l
would not describe as one of fear bur
rather that of a man who is alert and on
his guard.
"By the way" said 1, as we returned to
the house, you have shown me the huts
of good many of your native assist
ants, but have not seen any of the ma
tives themselves"
They sleep in the hulk over yonder."
the doctor answered, pointing over to one
Of the banks
Indeed. l should not have thought in
that case that they would need the huts."
ooh. they used the huts untn quite re-
Gently. We've put them on the hulk I'M
til they recover their confidence a little.
They were all half mad with fright, so
we let them go, and nobody sleeps on the
island except Walker and myself"
What frightened them?" l asked.
We'll that brings us back to the same
story. l suppose Walker has no objec-
ton to your hearing all about it. don't
know why we should make any secret
about it, though it is certainly a pretty
bad business"
He made no further allusion to 1t dur
ing the excellent dinner which had been
prepared in my honor. 1t appeared that
no sooner had the little white topsail of
the Game cock shown round Cape Lo-
PEE than these kind fellows had begun
to prepare their famous -pot-which
is the pungent stew peculiar to the West
COast-and to boil their yams and sweet
potatoes. We sat down TO good a ma
tive dinner as one could wish, served by
smart Sierra Leone waiting boy. I was
just remarking to myself that he at least
had not shared In the general flight when.
having laid the dessert and wine upon
the table, he raised his hand to his tur-
ban.
Anything else do, Massa Walker?" he
asked.