Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1900-02-13

hold, for the slime in these canehrskes
was as thick as tar and black a. old
bilge-water.
"One day he was soothing his ex-
element by beating me with a heavy
bamboo, till my back and arms we're
covered with blood Close by were a
whole gang of the tribe squatted I'M
der a palm tree. smoking bubbles
bubbles made out of nut shells. look
ing on and laughing at the torture
was undergoing; but in the midst of
their sport we heard roar that made
our hearts tremble. and all ready to
scamper off.
There was mighty crashing and
swaying of the wild canes in the adj
jacent brake. and then a great, square
headed and tawny haired lion, as large
as goo1-sized pony, and with tuft
like swab at the end of his switching
TAIL came plunging forward, with eyes
flashing and red mouth open.
"Souse as sheet anchor goes into
the sea, he sprang upon my owner,
and in the time / take to turn this
quid Master Rodney, that trouble
some parsonage was borne OF into the
jungle, bruised mass of bones and
blood, dangling in his jaws.
THE whole thing passed like fash
of lightning!
Sat first the niggers were about to
pursue the lion. but upon reflection
they thought 1t less dangerous to fall
upon me and kill me outright, saying
that my stupid cries had brought the
wild animal upon them. Then an old
fellow, whose wool had become white
with age, who was coiled up in the
root of a tree. where he generally
berthed himself, and who was consid-
cred wise man, came forward and de-
manded their attention He had been
a brave fellow in his time, for he
wore row of human teeth at his neck,
all strung on a lanyard, with bit of
an old quart bottle which he had
found upon the beach, and wore as a
great medicine or order OF the gar
| ter, perhaps. He saved me by saying
in their outlandish gibberish that l
was evidently under the protection OF
the great fetish, in honor of whom l
should be made like themselves and
handsomely tattooed.
ct might as we'll have hallooed to
the wind in a tearing pampero, or a
stiff reef-topsail breeze, Master Rod
ney, as have attempted to oppose this
piece of Congo kindness. In a minute
I was hove down under the nasty,
black paws of five-and-forty bowling
and jabbering niggers, all smearing
me with palm-oil out of calabashes and
old gallipots, and they persisted in
rubbing it into me till all my skin was
nearly peeled off.
"Then the old fetishman. who lived
in the root of the tree, after making
three summersets and uttering si1
bowls, ornamented all my face, hands
and arms in this fashion, using kind
of knife, which he dipped from time
to time in some black stuff that ht
carried on a cocoanut shell. In ter
minutes l was all over serpents ant
circles, stripes. pothooks and hang
ers!
at went to my heart to have m!
beauty spoiled, but was far past max
ing any opposition, and SO have hat
to go through life in all weathers, will
a face like the clowns in panto
mime.
"They made me SO like nigge
that they scarcely knew me from on
of themselves. This so favored my es
cape that soon found an opportunit.
of giving the Mussolongos the slip II
the night, and made a shift, afte
many a break-heart adventure, t.
reach a British settlement
ITO be continuedl