Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-18

| QlSl 10 luclF IIIe0tlOn. lUdi-
ly. seeing dozen men tied TO stakes.
descended 10 get nearer view.
| They were evidently prisoners taken
in battle, who were 10 be roasted alive
and eaten afterward. for under each
was n pile of wood. some of which
was already lighted, a small fame
curling up near their ankles. II was
too dark for them TO discover me. and
the ground was not favorable TO alight-
ing, so. taking up roman candle.
lighted IL and bombarGed them with
the balls. Looking up and seeing the
| dim substance OF n huge bird lowering
over them vomiting fire balls, they fell
on their faces.
called to them till they looked up
and made signs to them 10 unbind
their prisoners, which they did. and as
soon as the last man was loose
drove the would be devOurers away
| at the point Of another roman candle
Then l rose. firing rockets as / ascend
ed with a view to striking terror into
them. hoping that they would con-
| slider themselves forbidden by the god
bird from further returning to their
captives.
1 then returned to where i had left
my supplies and after partaking of
supper rolled myself I'm my blankets
under the shelving rock and went to
sleep.
The next morning after taking in
fuel and oil sailed away again. By
this time some of the natives had got
sufficiently accustomed TO me to con-
slider me amenable TO attack and made
| Il C,ad1
while making some adjustments which
took my attention great stone pass
ed within q few feet of my aeroplane.
Looking down. l saw tribe who were
working u machine that looked like q
Roman catapult. They were directly
beneath me and about to throw an
other stone. If il hit me it would
break my aeroplane. Not daring to
risk taking time TO rise out of range.
picked up a stick of dynamite and
dropped 1t on them. / saw dust, smoke
and fragments, and after the two first
had cleared away looked for the ma
tives and their catapult. Where they
had stood was capacious hole in the
ground.
Observing a native village beneath
me, ! determined TO descend among
them and remain with them till they
had got used TO me in order that !
might commune with them. When yet
some distance away i could see them
standing together watching my APP
proach. The first evidence of their.
solicitude was when 1 came near them
and began to descend. Then they all
ran away. But when 1 had alighted
/ waited patiently till they should
come back. Presently I saw heads
peeping at me through the long grass.
The children came first, the women
next and last the men. l worked with
them some time in order to establish
communication, showing them my
wonders. Rigging a telephone, / told
a man to go some distance away and
/ would make his wife talk to him.
Having arranged matters for him,
placed a receiver ut his ear and, going
| back to the woman. mOtioned her
| to talk through the tranSmitter. At
the first words spoken the man drop
| ped the receiver and looked about him
as though he expected to see his wife
near him.
Then established a wireless and
|
tremes. He could hear the clicking at
both. one in keeping with the other.
| He looked about for some connection.
but. finding none. ran away from me
| and the machine.
To cap the climax / took a little
child from it's mothers arms and set
1t beside me I'm the machine. The
mother was frantic. though by signs
I endeavored to make her understand
that would bring her child back safe
| ly. / think she believed was a super
natural being and was about to fly
up to heaven with the little one. No
one dared oppose me, and. rising in
the air. i few away. When ten min
utes later / returned and placed the
babe in its mothers arms she tainted
for Joy. Then | was sure she had ex-
pected not TO see it again.
Confident as to the safety and docil-
| fly of my mammoth bird having been
established. I was besieGcd with re-
quests for a ride in the clouds. But
1t would have been impossible 10
choose between the applicants. so /
was obliged to refuse them all.
Returning to my landing point on
the coast. picked up what desired
to take away with me. then rising.
looked out for n ship. Seeing one some
forty miles distant. ! few for ii. II
happened to be an American steamer.
and the captain called to me. inviting
me TO alight / made a safe descent
on to the roomiest part of the deck and
at once covered my recently tried de-
vices.
am now waiting the result of ap-
plications ! have made for patents
and so soon as it seems safe TO do SO
will announce inventions TO the world
which will make aviation far safer
than 1t has been eretofore-