Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-20
TALL YARNS OF A SOLDIER
"a Variety Of Experiences Calculated
to Curl Ones Hair.
BARON MUNCHAUsEN A HAs-BEEN
Samples OF wonders Performed by
Cavalryman Armed with ripe
Imagination and n Hot
Air Reservoirs.

OidWAH ~ hOhb WV ~ NDhAAAcN W NV
people or class. The army is no exception.
and the yarns Of some Of It's raconteurs
lose nothing of their entertaining qualities
because their authenticity might reason
ably be doubted
Years ago there was one particular cav
airy officer who was endowed with quail
ties rivaling those Of Munchausen. Though
he was not old. those who kept account
of the time he had consumed In his various
experiences could not escape that he had
been actively engaged in mans pursuits for
over a century. at least. His yarns were
unique. For instance, at one time he was
in Scandinavia with his father, who, ac-
cording to the story, was head forester for
the king. Part of his duty was to select
and send to the royal %shlpyards especially
fine ship timber. One monarch of the
forest had long challenged his admiration
But year after year he felt obliged re-
gretfully to pass It by for want Of trans
portation facilities. At last he could re-
slst no longer. The king must have this
pride Of the forest. After carefully pre-
pairing a bed to prevent its breaking In
the fall the splendid tree was felled. AS
an agent of the monarch he requisitioned
oxen to haul It. So heavy was the log that
when the great number OF oxen required
TO move IL were yoked up they strung out
for miles. The long and tedious journey
began. and, in crossing some of the val
leys, 1t frequently occurred that the lead
ing teams would be on one hill top and
the log on another, while miles of oxen
were suspended in midair, like a great
centlpede with legs dangling, hundreds OF
feet above the ground beneath them.
stretching Tail Timber.
Again, he was IN Cape Colony with his
father, who this time was an agent OF the
British government and in charge of the
great government warehouses. Increas-
ing needs made an additional warehouse
necessary. All building materials had to
be brought from England. 1t took a year
to get them. At last the long delayed
material arrived and. following the Gus
tom Of the time and place. everything in
readiness. all the men In the vicinity were
invited to the raising" When, 10 and
behold! through some blunder one of the
principal timbers had been cut eighteen
inches too short. Unless remedied It meant
a delay of another year. MY father"
said he. Thought a moment and then or
dered one end Of the timber chained fast;
to the other end he hitched a pair of strong
young African oxen and began to pull and,
by the Lord Harry, before he could stop
them they stretched that timber twenty
two inches!'
Again; he was in glasgow, this time on
his own account and at the head OF a
great shipyard. The place was infested
with rats. So destructive were the ro-
dents that they gnawed great holes in the
hulls of new vessels and felled their masts.
How to get rid Of them was a question.
Many attempts had been made, followed
by many failures. In the midst OF the
distress appeared a vagabond, who claimed
TO have discovered a means of banishing
rats. But little attention was paid to his
claims. He was persistent and confident.
Finally he was permitted to make a trial.
All openings to the yard, but one were
tightly closed. The tramp entered and
sprinkled throughout the premises a mys-
tarious white powder, his secret, tasteless
and, odorless. Then he emerged TO await
results. Long and patiently he, with the
shipyard officials and the assembled and
curious crowd, waited and watched until
ready to proclaim another failure. Wait
a moment! o sdueeli Another instant a
great rodent hoary with age came out. No
one molested him. Off he moved, followed
by another and an~other-faster and faster.
For four days and nights necessarily the
rats poured out and marched away in sin
gle file. Whittier they went no one knew.
At last the long procession ceased. A
moment more, a little s~cratching-then
emergeSd two young rats with a straw In
their mouths leading an old blind rat be-
tween them. Never again was a rat seen
in the yard. The tramp vanished and with
him his secret.
But back to the tall timber; It seemed
to inspire him:
Standing in the midst of some magnifi-
cent pines in the Wind River country
--aau H.. % hafnU IN Contharn RuQaiQ
with his father, who had become a trusted
and highly esteemed forester in the en-
ploy of the Gear. There had just been
felled a superb walnut. From 1t a log
over 100 feet in length. without a knot or
twig, had been cut. So perfect as the tree
that the log was the same diameter at the
top that It was at the bottom. But his
father was deeply chagrined that In Telling
AZ a silver was sprung out at the base OF
the trunk. He thought to break 1t out
but So straight was the grain that the
silver ran on and on clear to the top and
there It lay. perfectly square and exactly
four inches on each side through It's entire
length.
He was a nimrod, too. Shortly after
toininR the army, he was hunting in In
dian Territory; his army carbine was hi'
weapon; Wild turkeys were the game. But
none could he sight. Discouraged and dis
eusted. he mounted his horse, fired all his
ammunition away TO amuse himself by
y shooting larks on the win as he rod'
s1ong toward camp. Just as the sun wal
sinking a rustling caused him to look back
and following. not fifty yards in the real
was q huge gobbler, followed by a dozer
or more hens all apparently hooking hin
IN his helplessness. oh. for a cartridge
hasty search of belt. box and pockets
only a single blank cartridge. But al
idea. I'm try shooting my hamrod!' In
stantly the act followed the thought an'
said he: Quickly. but carefully L aime'
at the gobbler's throat, and will you be
lieve II, i strung eleven birds on tina
ramrod and took them In camp"
AT one. time he was stationed at a small
isolated post in Wyoming. said he: Their
0wvas little to do and 1 was in command ant
slept late. / never care for early break
fast. IN quarters stood alone. My bed
room was on the ground floor in an L
Just out the window on one side ran
beautiful brook. clear and cold. Quite a
- -k.--