The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-06-23

The second lieutenant. however, was
equal TO the occasion. and soon showed
me how the thing might be done. Whip
ping out his knife, he quickly cut a
! length of "monkey-rope" or creeper, and
Twisting the tough plant stem onto a
lgrummet round the trunk OF the tree ne
lbade me pass the blight over my shoulders,
and then showed me how. with Its aid,
IL might work myself gradually upward
II Accordingly. acting under his directions
II placed myself with the blight, and tuck
ling Il we'll up under my arm-pits. slid the
.grummet up the trunk as hign as It would
lgo. Then bearing my weight upon II, SO
that II supported my whole weight,
worked my body upwards by pressing
against the tree-trunk with my knees.
By this means rose about two feet from
the ground. Then pressing against the
tree firmly with my feet gave the grum-
met a quick jerk upward and again work
ed myself up the trunk with my knees
as before In this way i got along very
well, and after an awkward slip or two.
in which my knees suffered somewhat and
my breeches still more, soon acquired the
gknack OF the thing. and speedily reached
1.-THE lowermost branch, after which the
urest OF my ascent was OF course easy.
On reaching the topmost branches /
Hound that the tree l had climbed was
u.ndeed. as the skipper had aptly described
LIT. forest giant; It was by far the most
lofty tree in the neighborheed, and from
my commanding position / had fine
uninterrupted prospect OF many miles ex-
tent all round me- except In the south
ward where the chain OF hills before
Y mentioned shut In the view.
Away 20 the northward and eastward,
in which direction l happened 10 be facing
when / at length paused 10 look around
me, I could catch glmpses OF the rdvor
oyer and between the intervening tyee-
tops for a distance of quite twenty miles
ard from what / saw came to the con-
clusion that in that direction the river
must widen out considerably and be
thickly studded with islands. among
/ which I thought II prabable might be
\ found many a snug lurking place for
J slnve-craft on the extreme verge OF the
horizon also distinctly made out small
= group OF hills which | conjectured TO be
situate on the northern or right bank OF
n the river From these hills all the way
round northery. to about north north
west the country was fiat and pretty
we'll covered with bush: although at a
! distance OF from two 20 four miles in
land I could detect here and there large
open patches of grassland. Bearing about
N N w. from my point of observation
was another chain OF hills which stretch
ed along the sea-coast outside the rivers
mouth and extended beyond the horizon.
To the left of them again, or about ~. w.
from me, lay Banana Creek its entrance
about eleven miles distant. and over the
Intervening tree-tops on Boolambemba
Island 7 could so clear was the atmos-
phere Just then. distinctly make out the
royal-mast heads of the Daphne and the
American bark l could even occasionally
Al, .wfn Of Ia ell .At,ta arRf
as II waved tdly I'm the sluggish breeze.
S,ill further to the left there lay the
rivers mouth, with the ripple which
marked the junction between the fresh
and salt water clearly visible. Next came
shark Point. with the open sea stretch
ing mile after mile away beyond IL. until
its cleaning surface became lost In the
r,iddy afternoon haze and on the inner
side OF the point ! could trace. without
much difficulty the course OF the various
creeks which we had explored I'm the boat
on the occasion OF our first visit. Looking
below me. ] allowed my eye TO travel
along the course of the stream or canal
which flowed past almost under my feet.
and following Il along / saw that 81 fork
ed az n point about thee miles to the
westward and turned suddenly north
ward az point about three miles further
on the branch and the stream itself
eventually Joining the river. and forming
with u two islands OF about Ave and three
miles I'm length respectively the larger o'
tho two being that which we had so la
horlousy crossed that same afternoon
Tho view which lay spread out below
and around me was beautiful AZ n dream
A. would have formed n fascinating study
FOR painter: but whatever art-instinc'
NAV have been awakened within me upor
NV first glance round were quickly put
70 fight by n scene which presented Itself
at point only some three miles away
At that distance the channel or stream