The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-09

brush, where their every step was con-
tested by the virgin vegetation and
mosquitoes. Their own sufferings were
augmented by the horrible hardshps
which the horses endured. Through
lack of food and overwork, these faith
full creatures became distressingly weak
and thin, and had to be favored in ev-
cry possible way. One day the eve
neck bay slipped into a quicksand and
finding himself helpless instantly lost
heart and lay out with a piteous look
of resignation in his big brown eyes.
After hours of hard work, in which they
tugged and lifted and rolled him around
from one position to another they at
last got him out of the pit more dead
than alive. Then they fell to and
rubbed the circulation back into his
old legs, and presently he was almost as
Well as before.
One day they passed horse cold In
death, with his head flung up from his
nnal death agony with the wolves. An
other beast stood abandoned beside the
tran, gazing after the party reproach-
tully, infinite pathos in his eyes. When
one of their horses fell lame and the ar
terial blood spouted from his poor foot
they decided to kill him rather than
leave him to be devoured by wolves, but
they found it nearly as hard to face the
FAITHFUL old chap with a rifle after his
weeks of service as did Nansen and Jo-
hansen, when it became necessary to
XII the dogs. Garland put the slaughter
OH on his companions shoulders. 81
handed him the gun Onto which 1 had
showed two steel-jacketed bullets, the
Kind that will kill a grizzly bear), and
TOOK the old horse by the halter. Come.
boy, | said, it's hard. but it's the only
merciful thing The old horse looked at
me with such serene trust and conf
dence, my courage almost failed me.
HIS big brown eyes We're so full of sor-
row and patient endurance. With some
urging he followed me into the thicket
a little aside from tie trail. Turning
away mounted Ladrone, in order that
l might not see what happened. There
was crack of a rife in the bush, the
sound OF heavy body falling, and a
moment later Burton returned with
colled rope in his hand and look of
trouble on his face. The horses lined
up again with one empty place and an
extra saddle topping the pony's pack"
Mr.. Garland has written a record of
personal participation in an event
which has even now attained a certain
classic Importance and romantic per-
specttve-a record that is so strong and
picturesque and pathetic, it must long
possess interest for adult readers, while
! to the adVenturelovihg boy, it will
prove mine of delight The chapters
of prose are interspersed with short
poems; many of these poems are power
full in their simple strength. They all
bear upon scenes or experiences or per
sons in the narrative.
Idylls of the Sea- BY Frank T. Bull
len. Appleton & Co., New York
Mr. Bullen writes a series of cabalis-
tic letters after his name but the real
~ important thing about him is that
he is or was the first mate of Whaler
that he has been to sea all his life, that
he is the author of THE Cruise of the
Cachelot," which won Rudyard Kip
ling's unqualified praise. and that in
| "Idylls of the Sea- he has written a
| second book quite as good as his maiden
success. There are thirteen short sto-
| rles, seven studies in marine national
history and nine "other sketches. ;"
many of them filled with exact OBJ
| servations and curious facts, and all
saturated with the salt brine of the
sea. One '1dyll' describes in wonder
full way the silent warfare of the sub
marine world; another tells of the birth
| of an island: THE loss of the first
born" is a whale story; "Unconven-
| tional fishing" is a collection of CAPT.
| tai fish stories. 1t is odd to find Mr..
| Bullen complaining of the number of
| foreigners in the English merchant ma
rine, and, indeed according to his ex-
position. the case is quite as grievous
as with the American service. Mr..
Bullen believes firmly in the sea SER
| pent which he identifies with the squid,
or cuttle-fish, and concerning which he
! tells some good stories. In the marine
depths there is good reason to suppose
| that this horrible creature fiourshes,
he says, to size undreamed, and that
man has in all probability never
| seen mature specimen. The
story of 1.-THE loss of the st. George -
relates little complication incident to
a war with Germany, while an inter-
view with cachelot, or sperm whale.
and the tale of his own experiences with
waterspout, must be read to be APP
preciated.
When all is said, no amount of de-
scription describes what is one of the
most irresistible books of the year.