The Springfield herald., 1909-01-15

and went so fast that Pas feet only
hit the high places.
The gorillas in the cage looked at
them disappear and tried to get out Of
the cage to go along, but they couldn't
get out.
Finally Mr.. Hagenbach said to me:
"Hennery, l guess your Pa has got
what is coming to him this time. Ras-
tus will probably drag your Pa up a
tree and eat him, when his appetite
comes back, but we can't help him, SO
We better haul the cage and the goril-
las that have not had any tobacco to
camp, and in a day or two we. will all
come out here and find your fathers
bones and bury them"
And then we all went to camp, and
the poor gorillas just remained list
lessly In the cage, mourning as though
they knew Rastus and his boy were
dead. We fed them everything wa
could spare, but they would not eat
and by watching them we found there
was a case of jealousy in the cage. as
two male gorillas seemed to be stuck
on young lady gorilla, and they
were scrapping all the time.
Gee, but we needed Pa worse than
ever to settle the gorilla dispute, but
we all felt that Pa was not of this
earth any more, and the camp took on
an air of mournfulness, and they all
wanted to adopt me cause 1 was
alone in the world. There was not
much sleep in camp that night, and
the next day we were going out with
guns to find Pas remains and shoot
Rastus, but little after daylight we
heard the night watchman say to the
cook who was building fire: Look
who's here, and what do you know
about that?" and he called the whole
camp up, and we looked out across the
veldt, and there came Pa, astraddle of
a zebra, with Rastus' boy up behind
him, and Rastus thoroughly subdued
leading the zebra with a hay rope Pa
had twisted out of grass.
The whole camp came to attention
and Pa scratched a match on Rastus'
hair and lighted cigarette, and
when he got near enough he said:
Slept in the crotch of tree all night.
Gave Rastus and his boy drink of
whisky out of my flask and cured them
of the tobacco sickness, had some
mangoes for breakfast. sent Rastus to
catch zebra, and here we are ready
for coffee and pancakes"
"a got off his zebra, opened the
door of the cage and pointed to it,
and Rastus and his boy got in, and Pa
kicked Rastus right where the hair
was worn off sitting down, and Rastus
looked at Pa as though that was all
right, and he deserved it. Then Pa
closed the door, washed his hands and
sat down to breakfast. and when Mr..
Hagenbach said: "Old man, you have
got Barnum and Forepaugh skinned
a mile" Pa said: 20, that is nothing;
| have located a marsh full of white
buffaos, and we will go out, there and
get n drove of them in few days.
They are the ugliest and fightingest
animals in the world, but | will halter
break some of them, and ride them
without any saddle Mr.. Hagenbach
said he believed 1t, and Pa said: Hen
merry, one spell thought you would
be an orphan, but whisky saved you.
When they got big drink of whisky
they began to laugh, and then fell on
my neck and cried, just like a white
man when he is too drunk to fight.
Well, am going to take a nap" and
Pa laid down on a bale of hay and
slept all day. and the crowd talked
about what hero he was.
Copyright 1905. by w. G. Chapman)
Copyright in Great Brittany