The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-09-30
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Major Dunworthy sat Oh camp
stool with his legs crossed and a long
stemmed pipe resting in one hand. He
was telling a story.
The party consisted of thirty English
students under the leadership OF Major
Dunworthy, and they were making
pleasure trip through the interesting
portions of Egypt and Nubia. The
Major himself was well informed
man of the world who had travelled in
every civilized country on earth, and
in many that were not civilized. At
the time of his introduction 10 the
reader he was engaged in giving a
very interesting and exciting account
of an adventure which once bcfcl him
In India.
"Now, my boys" he said, pulling
away at his huge pipe, "we are com
fortably settled for the night. I wish
some of you would build good fire in
front of the big tent to cook those fish
over. When you get ready l will show
you how to brol them. | don't want
to trust any of you boys again. after
spelling those maCkercl we caught the
other day"
The young men gathered wood for
the fire, while the little Major went
on.
Speaking OF fish puts me in mind Of
something that happened 70 me in In
dia n long time ago.
II they had spoken Of gunpowder or
steamboats, the result would have been
the same-but let that pass.
Il was there for several years, and
saw the most surprising things that
any mortal man could ever think of.
You may talk about your sleight-of-
hand performers and jugglers, but
tell you, boys, there isn't anything
can equal those Indian faklrs.
Now, they'll take plpe-Just an
ordinary pipe like this-and put some
kind of stuff in II that'll burn like coal
OIL and light it, You can see il hame
up out OF the bowl Of the pipe. Then
one of them will put his lips TO the
end OF the stem and suck all that fire
into his mouth as If n were smoke.
never saw anything like II, but that
was the easiest thing in the whole lot.
Next, some more OF the fakirs built
pile of shavings and logs on the
ground, and danced about 1t and yelled
for all they were worth. Then, pretty
soon the man that had taken In the
fire went up to the pile and kneeled by
it and breathed-ycs, sir, just breathel
OH the wood. and 1t got atlre."
The Major paused for breath and
looked complacently about him. AS a
story teller he was the equal of Baron
Munchausen, and, being encouraged
by his auditors, he proceeded
THE pile OF wood took fire easy rs
anything, and burned Ike SO much
straw for about fifteen minutes. Then"
continued the Major. impresslvely.
while the students held their breath,
"a man came out OF the ground where
that fire had been, and"
A faint shrek from the story teller,
n gasp Of terror from his circle of lis
teners, and a yell of fear from those
in the immediate vicinity OF the fire.
accompanied a sudden scattering OF
tic flames as two forms bounded into
the air.
"Td rather die this minute" said
} Ned, glaring about him. while
! trembled in my shoes "than stay down
there and be roasted. These fellow:
built their fire right on top Of me-"
? We must have frightened the party
D nearly TO death. for with our soilet
e clothes and dirty faces, and the unfor
J. tunate time of our resurrection. not on,
J. Of the students would approach us
e while the Major lay on his back pant
q ing out a supplicatlon for us to trea
!. him like gentleman and n soldier.
e Ricnzo came back some time after