The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1902-01-18

NAAoh4 NLNl IHE GUN.
cloth aud these beads, meet the war.
riors and endeavor to detaln them.
When you hear the signal, you must
drop the cloth and run for the shore.
Any one of you that fails me now will
be shot dead"
ON with n rush come the savages,
filling the air with their demonIacal
yells. Everything that Stanley has or
dered Is done. His men range them
selves by the boat and the messenger
Is dispatched with the cloth 10 inter
cept the foe
They pause In their headlong flight
70 gather around the brave fellow. and
this is the crucial moment which
means life or death TO the party.
The signal Is given. and madly the
boatnen rush the craft down TO the
water Meanwhile the faithful mes
senger has thrown the cloth on the
ground and Is running headlong Tor
the shore.
VIII the ruse succeed? Like maniacs
Stanley's followers tug at the boat. but
behind them come the horrible yells
and the swift pattering OF the feet OF
their deadly enemies.
With a mighty cheer the boat is
rushed into the water, the men swim.
ming and pushing it farther and far.
Their from the shore. Stanley has leap.
ed inside and has seized his rifle, for
the faithful messenger has 70 be
thought OF.
SWIM he cries as the desperate
man. with the savages hard on his
heels. dashes waist deep into the wa.
ter.
The explorer sees one OF the enemy
pause and raise his spear to transnx
the messenger. Bang" goes the ride,
and the bullet speeds on It's unerring
hight to drop the would be slayer dead
In his tracks.
one by one the men scramble into
the boat The bottom boards are torn
up aud used as paddles The messen-
ger is saved but all danger Is not yet
past. Two huge canoes full OF yelling
savages put of from promontory and
are padded swiftly across the lagoon
In order TO head Off the explorers boat
4 IL Is one man against a tribe Can
Stanley do III
lie seizes his big elephant gun, which
Is loaded with explosive bullets. and
calmly awaits the oncoming canoes.
At this moment terrified shrleks from
his men resound in the air.
"Masterl Mastcri HIppopotomi!
Hippopotomw
Turning his head, the explorer sees
TO his dsmay two huge hippopotomi
making headlong for the boat The
danger Is awful. Death threatens on
all hands. To hesitate Ii to lose.
"Crashr' goes the explosion OF the
elephant gun The explosive bullet
bursts In the brain OF the foremost hip
popotamus Then crash again. and
his mate. MORALLY wounded, sinks TO
the bottom OF the lagoon.
But the canoes are coming up hand
over hand. Again the elephant gun
speaks. and at the third shot a huge
hole Is made In the foremost OF the
enemy's craft. and. with wild shrieks,
the savages are plunged into the seeth-
Ing waters
On comes the second canoe. Crash
goes the elephant gun. The bottom OF
the canoe has been torn out by the ex-
plosion. and, turning over. II sinks with
Its living freight.
Meanwhile other canoes have been
put out, but the dreadful execution
thnt one man has done strikes them
with dismay. and they retreat heller
SHELTER for the shore.
Cheers upon cheers ring out from
Stanley's men. The sail Is hoIsted
and through the lmpld waters the gal.
liant craft cleaves Its way. making
swiftly from the dark island where
death had so nearly been the portion OF
rs crew.