Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1899-08-11

PaAO N1AhCA. VNc lcAt tl6 DdCk SAQule6
with what provisions we did not re-
quire just then at the foot Of the cliff
Our horses we turned loose without
even hobbling. as the grass there was
good, and we knew they would not
stray far. A spring bubbled out from
the face Of the cliff in a narrow gully
to our right, which was connected with
the cave by narrow passage.
After dinner l converted my saddle
into "a pillow and lolled lazily back with
my pipe between my lips. must have
been fast relarsing into that condition
when sleep overtakes man. for was
but vaguely conscious of Savile talking
to Samson. as that intelligent quad
ruped stood upon its hind legs and
graveiy regarded its master. I could
hear the voice of Norah Mackenzie as
she talked to Gordon, telling him some
thing about the horses being uneasy.
say there was only vague conscious
ness OF this in my brain at the time,
for l must have been half asleep. These
things passed before me much as
dream might have done and without
any awakening of my reasoning facul-
ties or volition in regard to action on
my part. Then suddenly there came
hollow drumming sound, as of horses
galloping, and it seemed to me that
could distinguish Gordon among the
powders and trees some hundred yards
away peering all about.
And then coo-ee was shrilled ont,
making me jump to my feet and bring.
ing me to my senses in second. 1t was
Norah Mackenzie, who had called as she
stood by my side. She was evidently
not a little excited and beckoned to
Gordon to come back. In second all
the camp was astir. The girl watched
apprehensively the figure of Gordon,
who came slowly back to camp, linger-
ing and looking around as if he Won
dered why he was being SO energetical-
ly recalled
"Look!" cried the quick eyed Austria
han girl "Don' you seeY There they
are -blacks---dozcns of them If Gordon
doesn' t look sharp. some Of them will
sneak on him and have him yet! Oh,
why doesn't he hurry up2"
looked but for the life of me could
see nothing to alarm any one. Only
Snowfall and Yarry uttered exclama-
tions of surprise and CONSERVATION.
my wordl" they chorused. "Big
mob black fellow''
And now, as if it were the stage Of a
puppet show and string had been
pulled. semicircle Of dusky figures
sprang from the grass, from behind
trees and from behind rocks. How such
large number Of human beings could
have sneaked upon us without being
seen, and how they managed to conceal
themselves. only those who have had
some experience of savage life can un-
derstand In another second shower of
spears was sent after the astonished
Gordon, making him face about. Pick
ing up my Winchester-w which, luckily
| never kept far from me-and without
thought, l sprang from the ledge A
thick golden waffle bush broke my rash
leap; otherwise it might have gone bad
II with me- In another minute / was
alongside Gordon The blacks made an
e. ugly rush upon us, but l stopped short
the onward career Of two of them, and
Gordon stopped another. We had n few
minutes respite, in which we backed
slowly toward the cave.
never saw man take anything SO
coclly as that highlander.
''Dash them!' he cried. relapsing in
to his native Doric. care we to be beaten
or. Parker, and scatter the loonsl The
dell TAX sic ongauns'
And, suiting his actions to his words.
he did charge. OF course | followed
him. but we reckoned without our
hosts. for ihe savages stood firm, send
ing such shower Of spears and boom
erangs at us that Gordon got spear IN
his left arm and l received q blow on
the cheek from a spent boomerang that
drew blood and made me feel sick and
dizzy. In another minute Savile, Jack
and DAILY We're alongside. Surely now
that there were five Of us we could
turn the blacks But, no; they were not
the blacks of Victoria. New South
Wales or even of southern Queensland.
They were as different from the puny
specimen that is generally accepted as
typical of the Australian black fellow
is a Bengal tiger is from cat. They
were the aboriginal highlanders Of the
Carpentarian gulf. resembling the stall
wart inhabitants OF Arnheim Land
savages pure and simple, uncontami
mated by civilization, perhaps with a
tinge of Malay or Papuan blood in theil
veins, for one could see that some ol
them We're not black but copper colored.
We fired together and attempted an
other rush but the effect was disas
trous. Gordon dropped with a speal
protruding from his right side.
'Stand them off. boys. until I picl
him up" cried In another second
had him fairly balanced over my right
shoulder and was running with him to
ward the cave The others covered my
retreat, but saw something that gav'
} me bad scare before getting there. fol
clambering mp the terrace toward th'
two women were couple Of black fel
lows One of them had just gained th'