Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-04-22
CHAPTER XVI.
AN EXPLORATION.

cool from the ocean. Sidney was up |
at an early hour and took his OBJ |
servation of the time of the sunrise. |
1t was Mr.. Kent's turn to get break |
fast, and he did himself credit. In
the meantime Sidney had been pre-
pairing for the exploration of the
island. He looked over the stock of
guns and selected rife and shot
gun. He found these weapons in
fairly good order, but oiled and
cleaned them carefully, and tested
both several times.
1t was about eight o'clock when
Sidney and Mr.. Kent disappeared in
the thicket through which the brook
took it's course. Mr.. Pence had been
detailed to explore the north shore
of the lake, and from the expires
sion of his face he, did not relish
the task.
He refused to take gun, and
armed with a heavy club set out on
what he regarded most dangerous
expedition. 1t was low tide, and the
beach was clear of water to the
frowning rocks which formed the
gateway to "Morton's Bay"
For the first quarter of an hour
Sidney and Mr.. Kent found it fairly
easy to follow the course of the
brook. A trail had been cut along
the winding bank the preceding
year, but such is the virility of
tropical vegetation that already it
was well-nigh closed. On both sides
was a jungle so dense as to be i'm
penetrable.
At the end of an hours hard
work they came to a cleared space
| and found where the dam had been
built across a gorge between two
rocks. The dam was about IL feet
in height. Above was the reservoir;
| lake covering perhaps 20 acres of
ground, from which the timber had
| been denuded. The character of the
forest around this artificial lake was
| far differents from that through
which they had passed. 1t was more
open. Instead of the jungle of
chaparral, Spanish bayonets, and
other forms of thorny plants, brush
and tree, the plateau on which they
| now stood was a noble tropical
forest-a veritable park with glades,
rocks, picturesque ravines and gen
tie hills.
This is more like it, said Sid
ney as they took a seat on a rock
beneath the spreading branches of
a magnolia tree. ''If the rest of the
| island is like this our task is an
easy and pleasant one"
Their view was one to entrance a
poet. They were at the edge of a
| glade covering about 40 acres. Here
and there a rock showed above the
waving grass and flowers, but other
wise the vista was unbroken.
This is a superb spot" said Sid
| ney. did you ever see such flowers
and trees? How tame the products
of Conservatives seem compared
with natures work. There is a
bunch of roses which would be worth
500 in New York. What kind of a
tree is that?'' Sidney pointed to a
medium-sized tree about Is feet in
height, with broad spreading leaves.
'Why, it's a banana tree" he ex-
claimed in great delight. and what
is more. it is loaded with bananas
A huge bunch of yellow and yell
low-black bananas hung from the
point where the broad leaves spread
like stalk of celery. Sidney took
out his knife and cut several from
the bunch.
You are sure these are bananas,
are you?' asked Mr.. Kent. Don't
poison yourself
sThey certainly are" said Sidney,
"and they are delicious. These are
the first ripe bananas I have ever
tasted. The stuff we get in New
York is no more like this than po-
tatoes are like pears. They pick
them green, months before they are
ripe, and ship them north to ripen
in Easements or in tenement houses
Did you ever taste anything so de-
| 1icious?''
"They are fine," said Mr.. Kent
"Cut some more"
They found scores of banana trees
with punches of fruit in various
stages of development. They knew
that life can be supported for an in
, definite period from the banana tres
alone, and while they had no inten
ton of remaining on the island, the
thought was a comforting one.
/ They returned to the brook an6
followed it in a northwester1y di
: rection For some time they haf
/ heard the sound OF falling water
and soon circled ledge of rock anl
| had full view of beautiful cas-
cade. The brook leaped so feet; no.
from the top of precipice. buf
from a point fully 40 feet below the
!. top. It came yelling from cavern
and fell unbrolxen into a pool below
There could be no mistake as to this
| On the crest of the rocks there were
trailing vines and ivy directly abov'