Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-25

d NUT. It had drifted right through the
arctic circle from one side to the other.
II we had staid On board, we should have
discovered the north pole.
When we got back to New York, it
was in the middle of January. but ! was
SO accustomed to the arctic cold that |
was almost overcome by the heat. In
the forties l spent eight years along the
equator, and when l got back to this
country in August, just in time TO he
present at the siege of the Alamo. suf-
fered terribly from the cold.
What was the hottest weather ypn
ever experienced, Haner?' asked the
judge, anxious to get back on season
able topic.
There was some complaint about the
heat" he said, when we were going
through Africa after DR.. Livingstone.
and just before the sepoy revolt, while
was serving in the English army in In
dia, the thermometer frequently touched
120 degrees. Once, in the great desert of
Africa, | saw camel killed by sun
stroke and found it was 130 degrees in
the shade. On July Is, 1851, in Ecua-
dor, when we were out on an expedition
after Jesuits' bark, we found species
of birds that instead Of sitting on their
eggs to hatch them are obliged to fan
them constantly with their wings in Or
der to keep them from getting too hot.
The native Indians of Ecuador depend
chiefly for food on the llamas, which
they use also as beasts of burden. The
llama is covered with thick hair, or
wool. which. in their case, strangely
enough, protects them from the heat. One
day | told q native | was hungry, and 1
watched him while he went out and
shaved all the wool off one of the ami
mails Then he tied it out in the sun for
a few minutes and directly brought me
in piece of the meat. 1t was so we'll
done, however, that could hardly eat it.
1t appears that the natives get expert in
gauging the heat of the sun, and by cut
ting off much or little of the wool can
serve either well done or rare llama
steaks at pleasure. Broiled live llama is,
in fact, the national dish of Ecuador.
The fourth time | was i'll Manila, in
1886, | noticed a rather peculiar thing,
which, am surprised has so far escaped
tue attention of the newspaper CORE
spondents. You may have seen mention
in the papers of the fact that the Taga-
logs, or natives of the interior, have fine
and luXuriant heads of hair. That is
because they never cut their hair. In
stead it is singed by the sun. Almost
every native house has hair singeing
window built out over the street so that
the suns rays will not be interrupted.
Between u and l o'clock any day you
can look up the streets of the villages in
the interior of the islands and see these
windows occupied"
"Haner," said the judge impressively,
you evidently don't know much about
hot weather Now, I've seen it much
hotter than anything you have described
right in New York city. Before / tell
YOU about it perhaps you had better get
another bottle of beer out of the icebox.
shall need it before l get through The
difference between my story and those
you have been telling, Haner, is that |
have the colonel right here to testify that
do not exaggerate anything in the
slightest The colonel was with me on
that hottest day. We had got TO New
York in the morning, and nothing but the
automobiles were running, because it was
too hot for horses. About noon we went
into basement restaurant on the east
side to get something to eat. The colo
mel ordered three eggs fried on one side,
and | wanted mine fried hard. We were
sitting ueyt to a swinging door that
seemed TO lead out into the kitchen under
the sidewalk The man that took our or
der left the door open when he went out,
and we saw just what he did. So far as
we could see there was no stove in the
kitchen. The cover of coal hole in the
sidewalk had been lifted off, and down
through it streamed the sun. The waiter
broke three eggs on a plate and simply
passed it once under the open coal hole.
Then he brought in the colOnePs order.
Going back be broke three more eggs and
passed the plate twice under the hole.
That finished up my eggs-fried hard on
both sides. l had always wondered be-
fore how those east side restaurants
could serve meals so cheaply. Then l
understood. In the summer at least
they are under no expense for cooking"
Old Man Haner got up and stumped
away to see whether any burglars had
broken through the screen doors. AS he
went he sent back a parting shot over
his shoulder.
Excuse me, gentlemen. An honest
man who sticks to facts has no time to
waste on fairy tales. Chicago Tribune