The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-20

the soldier whom I had sent for Du,
Chien, the man-dog, returned with that
strange creature. He surely deserved his
name. He must have been six feet high,
but was so lank, loose, fabby and jum-
bled up that it was hard to even guess
at his stature. His legs were long and
lank, and his hands hung down to his
knees. A brfstly shock of red hair grew
nearly down to his eyebrows, and his
head slanted back to a point, sugarloaf
fashion. His chin seemed to have slid
back into his lank, fabby neck, and his
face looked as if it stopped at the round,
red SOLDERING mouth. His nose was not
remarkably large, but the sloping away
of all the facial lines from it, as from
a central point, gave his nasal organ an
expression Of peculiar prominence and
significance. When he walked, every
bone and muscle about him dropped for
ward, as If he We're about to fall face
foremost, and travel with his hands and
feet.
Briefly 1 explained what had happened,
and thereupon Du Chen, who seemed to
be man of few words, said:
Stay where you are, all Of you, for a
minute. Then he started off at his
singular dog-trot pace, and followed the
edge of the water all the way around,
just as I had done. lightly but with
wonderful CELEBRITY. Then he came back
to US. looking much puzzled. I handed
him the coarse, dirty handkerchief which
1 had taken from the dead woman's
mouth, and Du Chen Immediately buried
that wonderful nose of his in it, and
snuffed at 1t long and vigorously. Having
apparently satisfied himself, he removed
the dirty rag from his face, and said:
Niger"
No" said I, thinking of Celia, and
looking Du Chen in his little, round,
deep-set eyes; "a mulatto,'
No, he answered, with quiet assur-
ance; not mulatto; niger; black, WOOL
headed and old-a buck niger"
What can you do?" said l.
wait minute" saidsiDu Chen Then
he started off again to make the circuit
of the peninsula, but more slowly and
deliberately than at first. HE threw his
head from side to side, like a hound
and smelled at every tree and shrub. He
had got about half way around when he
reached a mighty tree that grew on the
edge OF the swamp, leaning out over the
water where 1t was naProWest and deep
est, and seemed to mingfe its branches
with the branches of another tree Of
Similar gigantic growth that grew upon
the other side. He walked up to this
tree, saying: Niger went up herer
and at once began to climb. The irclin-
alton of the great trunk and the lowness
Of the branches made the task an easy
one. Almost instantly Capt Martas, I,
and two or three soldiers followed Du
Chen up the tree. Du Chen had gone
UP some thirty feet into the dense foliage,
when all at once he left the body of the
tree, and began to slide along a great
limb that extended out over the water,
holding to the branches of the tree
on the opposite side, and thence to the
trunk of that tree, down which he Gid
ed, and stood upon the opposite bank
waiting for US to follow We did SO as
speedily as possible, and, as soon as we
were safely landed by his side, Du CHEN
aid: single file, air. and started off,
smelling the trees and bushes as he went.
The spot at which we had descended
seemed to be a hummock similar to
that on the other side, but less regular
in its outline; and soon the way by which
Du CHEN led us became more and more
difficult and impossible. Often it seem
ed that the next step would take US right
into the dark and sluggish water, but
Du Chen. almost without causing at all.
would smell at the leaves and branches
and hurry on, now planting his foot
upon cled just rising out of the water,
row stepping upon fallen and half rot
ted leg, now treading fringe of more
solid ground skirting the dreary lagoon,
but going every moment deeper and deep
er into the most painless and inacceS-
sible Portions of the swamp.
For nearly two hours nthis strange
man followed the trail, and we followed
him. At last we came to a consider
able elevation Of grouf1d under which
opened little Vshaped' valley made
by the water Of branch which drained
the high land into the swamp. This val
ley was rather more than two acres In