Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-01-06
lshed along rapidly, bearing Oscar

rushed along rapidly, bearing Oscar
where?
! Out came the moon again, and he
felt little easier. Once in a while
some great fish would rise to the sur
face and peer up at them with eyes
like gig-lamps. and the Tetrarch would
make remark like this:
"Ah! there's an Arapaima! Never
saw such a large one" or "Hello! !!
Look at the Blanquillo! Isn't he q
beauty? And there's Gizzard.shad {!
Strange to see them here. see, too,
hippocampus floating along, and just
beneath him a Jobn.dory! See them?
"You know all these fish, do you
not?" he asked, turning to Oscar, who
was staring hard at the queer fish.
The boy made no reply, for he had no
time, as the Tetrarch talked along
just as if he were alone. As some
birds appeared flying by he exclaimed ::
"See! Yonder comes q quetzel! |!
My! my! and there's roller, also !!
And bless my soul, I see pair Of hoo
poos and drongo! This is wonderful!
Did you ever see brambling? There's
one overhead. Also q Chacalaca
And upon my word there is q Lory,
otherwise called Turacou! What a
splendid exhibition OF birds, and proba.
bly, all for your benefit, because you
must know them all so we'll Perhaps
you can tell me the name OF this brill
liant one that's approaching us so fastf
Ah, still obstinately silent! Well,
that's an Ortolan, and q fine one, too"
Thus he went on, and it seemed to
Oscar that every bird that he had nev-
er heard of was coming along to tor
ture and shame him.
He wondered now how he could
have imagined that he knew anything,
as he began to discover 90 many
things of which he was totally ignor-
ant.
The Tetrarch asked him to state the
difference between cirrus clouds and
cumulus ones; he required him to tell
whether he noticed the phosphores.
cence Of the water, and demanded him
to say why salt water was heavier than
fresh. Poor Oscars head was swim
ming, when suddenly his tormentor
shouted:
Land ahead, and it surely is the
coast OF Coromandel! You know that
coast we'll. 1 suppose, my learned geo.
grapher, the cleverest boy in Sprops?"
Oscar had heard of it, but do not
blame him for forgetting it under such
trying circumstances. He wondered
how the Tetrarch always managed to
light on names and places with which
he was unfamiliar; light on them un-
failingly, and never by any chance
give him an opportunity Of showing
that he knew something, at least.
This WAS the most uncanny thing of
all the annoying circumstances, and
I 11e sasets at the .coast with frown.
although he would otherwise have
been glad to SEQ any foreign land.
"Where is the Coromandel Coast?"
asked the Tetrarch, with the sir of .
school teacher.
"Don't know!" snapped Oscar.
"Hoighty toighty! Dear Dear!
How perplexipg! did hope you
knew that much. You are truly the
most densely ignorant lad l have
ever met. Here are other interesting
places. Observe them."
The Bunder shot along so fast that
the shores rushed past like fast NOV
ing panorama. Strange trees, tall pa.
godas and obelisks were silhouetted
against the dark blue sky, their edges
shining in the moonlight as if they
had been cut out of paper cardboard
and stood up there 10 confuse him,
and be could not tell the name OF
single thing he saw.
Here was mosque at the waters
elge, its gilded dome rising like huge
orange above the dark green palms.
but he could not tell it from an ice.
house. Yonder slender minaret
reared its straight shaft upward above
rounded housetops, but he did not re-
call its name. Suddenly the Tetrarch
said:
"Hello! We are already in the Car
amnasss, and I, never noticed that we
had even got into the Ganges. Know
any thing about this river'"
OF course, Oscar didn't; who on
earth would remember that name ex-
cent a school teacher, who has to know
everything9 The boat sped on.
"We are in Kalahandi now," said
the steersman. "Here's where the
deadly hamadryad rears its awful head
to strike some unwary traveller through
the Jungle" :,
Il suppose that's snake" guessed
Oscar, doub,fully.
"Rght for once; but can you spell
it"
Oscar couldn't, and didn't even try.
The Tetrarch shifted dlsdainluily.
Then he continued:
"Now we are in Bah-du-garh.
Where are WEI"
"Oh, what's the use" moaned
Oscar, dejectedly.
"Dont you kno" we've been In
India all this time? We'll, as l see
Won know little about the Orient we
will 60 elsewhere"
DJo, tept right along. sboot.