The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-05
a
classic
EEST a!
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cd all the; other clothes. for fcar tina,
they might develop the disease. too.
| rms happened while was visiting
General Skrbudansky. whom you mus.
havo met here some years ago. Ho
was delightful host, and We had CIV
parties every night. or course there
was good deal OF wine. After u while
hoticcd mat though the old general
ornnk Just as much as the rest OF us.
he would mcrcly stroke his head when
no got little upsy. and in jiffy no
was perfectly cool and sober again.
rlnalty, one night stood behind him
/ and discovered his secret
During the Turkish war sn,in-
Ter Of shrapncl had taken Off a pieco
OF his skull. This wound had han
covered with silver plate. which the
shrewd Old soldier had caused TO be no
arranged on hinges that he could raIso
1T at times. This enabled him 10 ,ci
all the alcoholic vapors escape when
ever he folt them getting tho bettor
Of him
On my way home ono night from
ono OF these little drinking bouts
# i1Ache creatures used
s'roil about st. Petersburg somewhat
freely. | was totally unarned. but
Win quick determination I seized him
by the throat and held him f,rmIy IN
lie froze to death.
II was cold that winter in ST. Pot
ersburg, and in Russia generally. one
uhs we were travelling with a postn-
ION ana we commented on tho fac+
mat he did not bcguile the wav "a
most OF his class do. by playing sweet
tunes on his horn. What an INJUSTICE
we ala TO tho poor fellow That even
ing when we alightea nj n tavern
stove. 80 :
| The position hung his horn IN on ia
wall, Suddenly 1t began 10 play. rune
aiter 'une came out oft. All the Fam
ohs melodies poured forth with delight
fnl pathos. hour after hour. They we're
inc tunes that tho position had tried
! ~ pay during the day. but without
p.puuTthe sound because the fright
III cold froze all the notes before thcv
| could come ont
/ ~ course you never have cxpcFi.nc-
| 90 such cold in this country. There
iorc you cannot realize what n Rus
sian winter means. q. winter when the
"eather gets 50 cold that II is impos-
sloie TO liSht candle because tho WAY
freezes Immediately under tho hurnin.-
wick. - e
That is trinc otherwise than tho
weaver mat ] experienced in Ceylon
"here went hunting With the COVER
nor, wore coat with lcaden but
,onh. ana " happened often that the
neat was so intense that one or more
buttons would melt during the day.
ny the way. one afternoon in the
jungle heard rustIinE behind me
ana there crouched huge lion just
| preparing to leap! must confe.s Ia
my shame that ! lost my presence oI
! n,lnd ana hred load ot birdshot at
hif1. most foolish proceedinR II onl.
enraged him. and I wheeled around 70
! run. a cold chill went over me, for !
turned only to find myself face 70 face
Elth an immense crocodile that had
already spread itH horrible Jaws TO
.heir fullest extent to Eulp me down.
II am sure that Hercules himself
you'd have done what did in this
terrible predicament sank TO the
ground. stunned with terror The next
instant heard loud crash and lifted
| my head In his fury tho lion had
Jumped over mo and clean Into tho
open jaws OF tho reptile,
1T was the work OF m instant 10
leap TO my fec, and hack the great
cats head off with my hunting knife
| Hardly had the body fallen at my feet
before seized my gun and forced the
mead down into the crocodie's gullot
| till 1T choked to death.
! When the rest Of tho party arrived
+, there was some establishment at the
! double bag. We measured the croco-
| die on the spot and found that It was
exactly 40 feet inches long II is now
a priced possession OF the great mus
cum in Amsterdam, but l never go
there because the shameful liar who has
/ charge Of tho exhibits is in the habit
+; of telling a ct bo{
| leaped clear through the reptile be-
(! fore l could XIII him. TO embeilish an
adventure thus Intruthfully Is highly
/ offensive to me.
can tell you that n great load
fell from my heart when l saw both
| brutes dead at my feet. BY the way
/ can show you that load some day
| picked IT up as 1t fell and have 1t
III my collections IT IS n red, white and
blue stone and weighs thirty-two
pounds.
! Il quite fogot to tell you that on
my way TO Ccylon we stopped at an
island where we saw storm that was
different from any 1 had seen before
IT tore UP trees OF enormous bulk by
| the roots. and though they weighed
I many tons they were carried 80 high
by the wind that they appeared like
feathers floating in tho air. As soon
as the storm subsidized they all fell per-
4 pSiiAiSttuil - Ahto t'iobi iCoPSStlSS pldCeS
and took root again. I said "all." That
is not precisely true. When the largest
tree was blown Unto tho air it hap
pened to have on 1t an old man and
/ his wife. who were gathering cucum-
bers. tThat honest vegetable grows
on trees there.) The weight OF this
couple overbalanced the tree when it
descended and brought IT. down out OF
| position.
1T struck the headrnan OF tho island
! and killed him on the spot. lie had
run from his house when the storm
began and was just returning through
his own gate when this fortunate ac-
cidcnt happened
| 1T say fortunate This requires
some explanation. The chief was an
avaricious. oppressive. Infamous tyrant.
] IIe had plundered the natives. and
they were starving, while the goods tina