The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22
e. USTA VUS ME YRIN X.

the doctors knees. Send me into a tigers
den,' he shouted; Il will have more chance
to escape with life than thee, master"
The brass helmets shone in the red sun
ike pure gold and threw curious shadows
on the ground, from which the gases issued
in tiny, blush clouds. The men walked
with giant strides, looking neither to the
right nor left. as the doctor feared that the
compressed air might give out if, by any
chance. he had underestimate the distance
TO be covered.
The explorer said afterwards he couldn't
see straight while walking over the forbid
den ground. The earth, the heavens and
the mountains danced and shifted about
him like reeds swayed by the wind, and his
vision was as indefinite as If obstructed by
green waves of water, while the sun itself
looked to him like a sea-green body and the
Roof Of the World" above like a Chin
borasso of emerald snow. Their feet at
last touching grass and flowers, they knew
that they had arrived in the promised won
derland. Bjoernsen was eager to shed his
helmet AT once, but the doctor motioned
him to desist. He wanted to find out first
whether the air was fit for breathing. To
that end he lighted half a dozen matches in
short intervals. and, seeing that they
burned brightly. at last threw off his un-
wanted headgear.
Now they looked behind. The wall of
gases appeared like a fluid sheet of white
blush vapors, bobbing up and down as if
under steam pressure. But the landscape
before them was paradise indeed. Well
groomed, semi-tropical gardens alternated
witt smaller woodlands; there were spark
ling rivulets and easy hills, garnished with
roses and violets. And high above smiled
the heaven of Naples, while the still air
was filed with the fragrance of range
blossoms and jasmin. Flowers everywhere
lilies and pinks and orchids-larger and
more varied in color than they grew even
in the botanical gardens of Martinique. And
such butterflies! The doctor had not seen
their like in the most famous Of the world
famed collections. Some were as large as
his hand and their wings most curiously
embroidered in all known and many I'M
known colors.
After walking a mile inland Hedin and
his servant espied not far away what
seemed like the beginning of a vast forest.
TIL doctor motionad his man to give him
one of the pistols. Then they marched
bravely ahead. They had no sooner
reached the first clump Of trees when they
saw human beings. They may nave been a
quarter Of a mile off, standing in the center
Of a, large, round clearing. Their features
characterized them as Thibetans. their
dress as lamas. They were clad in sheep
skins and wore on their heads large scarlet
sugar-loaf hats with gold embroidery.
From their actions DR.. Hedin concluded
that they had noticed him and Bjoernsen
and prepared to meet them. There were
perhaps a hundred Of these natives; each
seemed more repulsive looking than the
other. In all his travels the explorer had
never seen such shapeless, disproportionate
heads, such ugly, uncouth faces, on which
every form of wickedness seemed to have
left it's impress.
The lamas allowed the strangers to APP
proach within hailing distance; then, sud-
denly, all were seen to raise their hands to
their ears. open their mouth wide and
shout.