The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07


Of the already sufficiently difficult road
which still winds among dim teak for
ests and jung.e-clad ranges from the
banks of a turbid river through the
Shan country into China. Even now,
when the British government has built
rest houses and police outposts all along
it. that road is best traVerssd in broad
daylight, when it can be seen If land
slip has gouged out some portion over
hanging a precipice, while the few Eu-
ropeans who cross it on officia. business
halt and gaze down with worder mo
the depths of Thatmayo gorge.
Riven through the mountains by some
CONFUSION of ma. ure ages ago. it II
an awful gulf Of shadow where, just at
noon the sunlight touches tie palms
far away below, while at any other time
the spray of a frothing torrent mingles
with the mist which hides half the drip
ping jIngles on the less precipitous sides
until these in turn give place to stuntod
deodars on the heights above. Yet from
time immemorial a stream of native COM
merce passed that way into the red
country-tea, silk, spices, incense, coming
down on the little hill ponies backs,
which the ancestors of Bob Mayo plum
dered at will Once a frail bridge Of
twisted creepers spanned the narrowest
part of the chasm until the father of the
Doh hewed it through just when a band
Of armed merchants who refused to pay
his toll were crossing, and the gorge
became the scene of another tragedy.
Afterward, for a generation, the pack
trains spent three days winding down
through transverse raVtneS and palm
fully scaling the heights again, and no
one refused the Bob his due, uni! enc
day an emissary Of the British govern
mont decided that such state of affairs
had lasted long enough and orders were
g.> en- for bridge to be built.
81 two ropes were made in Sheffield
from little bars Of steel with blisters
on them smelted with charcoal in Swedish
forests and afterward melted down III
small plumbago cruc;bles, so many
pounds at a time, which is a costly and
OH World process, though no modern
method produces the same quality of
steel, and the government demanded the
best Then the rods rolled from it were
qucnched in the old hardening water
which Is dsarer than sherry, drawn into
wire, and tempered in oil again by men
whose skill was inherited, and wlen
at length the ropes We're finished each
strand was proved to possess double the
strength Of common ste1l, While the
cutter ones could scarcely be scraped .by
a file. Coiled up on huge wooden
drums, they suggested only the prosaic
completion OF work well done, and yet
each roll of tough hard metal was to
rlay its part in romance.
Next, Edward Kennedy, bridge builder.
went up into the forests, taking with
him one white assistant several score
OF mechanics trained on Indian railways
and at least as many Hindu coolies. be-
sides pondeTous elephants carrying porta-
lie FORCES and two heavy wooden drums,
whose purpose the dusky natives made
vague guesses at. 1t was in the wet sea-
son, and several loaded beasts fell over
a precipice while at times the elephants
stuck fast in the mire. A landslip also
obliterated one camp, and when they
reared the gorge a number of the coolies.
without acquainting Kennedy of their in
tentlon, departed hurriedly for the coast,
while the rest declared they had seen
l1alevOlent faces watching them among
the leaves But Kennedy, who fell sick
of dysentery, and was carried in a ham,
mock, held on stubbOrnly for he had ex-
Tected this, and, in due time, with a
third Of his followers and various valu-
able sIndries missing, reached the gorge
1t was listless evening some time
later when he sat in the doorway of his
tent puzzling over a strip of paper which
was covered with what seemed Chinese
characters. High above the deodars were
Iadlng into dinlnesS and the ranges
lcomed up black and solemn against the
dying light, while the last glimmer Of
the cooking fires only intensified the
gloom. He could hear the fret of the
torrent in unseen depths, and there was
drumming of moisture upon vibrating
leaves, until the strangeness of 1t all
grew oppressive, and he felt, as it were
ianslated out of the nineteenth century
INTO the beginning of a primeval world
2en there was sound Of cautious foot
steps and Kennedy started when. half
visible in the light of a dying fire, a
WAte man approached the tent. His
thln uniform was torn In places his
helmet bulged and shapeIess from long
exposure to sun and rain, and only tho
Dig revolver seemed cared for and new.
Kennedy also noticed that both face and
frame bore the stamp OF the damp, hot
cAnate IN certain gauntness, though
TIC former was keen and resolute. Then
tne stranger smiled. as though enjoying
MS De"llHerment and waved the two In
ulan soldiers behind him away
thought I'd come over the ranges and
see you,' he said. Its very lonely here
uhtH one gets used to it; besides, I'm
cur or tobacco and haven't seen a white
man for MONTHS
am very glad" said Kennedy. pass-
ing his cigar box across. "Sit down.
I-ese are at your disposal. lay I ask
VINO YOU aTe?" and the stranger launched
as he answered, Lieut.. Cochrane. Joint
ruler Of this delectable district with tho
Bon Mayo. My jurisdiction extends So
lar as there IS sunlight to sight a rifle
IN ana the Bon takes over all that's hid.
uen IN the shadow of the bush. We
SI"lA eacn other on opportunity. and
TAT s. one reason 1 came SO quietly"
/ was warned about him" said Ken
II dy. Perhaps he sent me this letter
IAN you read it?' and opening the fiimsv
paper under parafine lamp, Cochrane
nodded as he answered: Eyes. this
gorge was his faVorite nome un+il
hunted him out of it: we lost several
SI+-ns n the process. Now he lives most
~ among the peaks up there, and it's
strange he hasn't already called unon
you. lie has persuaded some trader to
write you an indignant remonstrance
pointing out that from ancient davs n a
people were custOdians of the gorge
ana ne cannot allow any bridge to he
bunt across it. You are therefore noIi+a-
~ requested to go away or take the
consequences"
MS time Kennedy also laughed. OTIS
chance have hong been waiting for
anu the bridge will be built If all the
tohpeIs between here and China object
10 IT, he said. They can't burn that
steel rope, and save for some made In
TWO ancient cities no steel In the Eaot
cap cut IT." while Cochrane answered
oryly No; but human Dodies are not
equally lmpervtous, and If I were Won 7
would sit close in camp and confine NV
ser TO timed provisions. I will answer
TINS, II l can get any one to bear tho
message, for the Bob mas a habit or
naming those who bring him unpleas-
ant tidings. Now, tell me all about
nome for we must start long before the
uaWn In case the Bob, hearing of NV
coming. is waiting for me-"
fVUN