Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-10-24


| ter of the court, q wrfthing blur of
black against the white pavement
flags, was the rogue elephant, strug-
Cling in the chains which so men
held in their iron sockets fixed In
the ground, and trumpeting earth
shaking blasts.
Muley Abdul stood up and sudden
hush fell upon the assemblage, so
that his thin tones were clearly audi
BILE on all sides of the market place
| He spoke, and cackles and shouts OF
derision punctuated his sentences.
When he had concluded his speech
the interpreter rose and addressed
Paul Lane.
Ellis majesty says" he began. that
| you are Spaniard who has come
here to steal away this country
Therefore, you shall test your
strength against France in the mar
ket place. If you conquer, then
Morocco will place herself under the
protection of your country. but If you
lose you will be torn to pieces by the
wild elephant. Let Allah decided"
Paul did not wholly understand, but
he was not long in doubt when, with
a bound that would have done credit
to any acrobat, Mademoiselle Guepin
flung aside her cloak ard sprang into
the market place, displaying herself.
commanding figure IN tights and
| spangles, while a long Spanish cloak.
such as matadors wear, dropped from
her shoulders and futtered In the
wind at every motion. AS she adj
vanced, the Moors, at her shouted
command, released the chains which
held the elephant, and the great beast
leaped to its feet and stood unsteadi-
| ly in the center Of the open space,
| trumpeting shrilly, while hanging
from its neck and legs the stout
chains clanked at every movement.
With its angry little eyes peering
out on either side of its enormous
trunk, its curved tusks, sharp as
scimitars, menacingly thrust forward.
it was spectacle to appall the stout
est heart.
Yet, when Mademoiselle Guepin ap-
preached it dropped its trunk, quiv-
cred, and sank on its knees before
her. Thus, with head humbly low
cred, it received her caresses.
Mademoiselle Guepi1l arose and
leaped aside. She whispered in the
elephants ear and motioned to it to
rise. Then, standing some distance
away, with folded arms she quietly
surveyed Paul as he stood waiting
the ouset of the great numbering
| beast.
The elephant stood watching him.
Another word from the woman and
it broke into a shrill scream of fury,
raised its trunk, and bore down upon
the American. He stood, appalled, by
the terror of the spectacle, until it
was within five yards of him; then
he sprang to one side and let the
monster careen past him. A shout
of delight went up from the throats
Of the encircling multitude. This was
the finest man-baiting sport that they
had seen.
| The elephant turned and charged
down upon Paul again. Again he
sprang to one side, but this time the
beast was warier. 1t turned also,
missed him, but the sweep of it's
| trunk was so near that Paul felt a
thrill of terror go through him. The
| stoutest nerves could not endure that
long. 1t was question of moments
only. He looked up; In front of him
the guards had ranged themselves.
with drawn swords, before their SOW
ereign; a hostile wall of Moors ringed
It. -
place Mademoiselle (4uepin stood
watching, smiling, anticipating her
| triumph Paul turned and ran blind
ly, painting, his fingers clenched at
his Sides
They closed on something in his
hip pocket and, as he ran, he drew it
forth. He stared at it without COM
prehension. The monster was close
behind He turned; the elephant
| turned too, and there ensued again
that hideous flight and that pursuit.
But Paul was staring at the thing in
his hand now, and beginning to re-
| member how it had come there. He
had absent-mindedly pocketed 1t
while in the apartments of the Sui
Again the swish of that fail of a
trunk went through the air. Paul
turned. This time the elephant was
prepared for his manoeuvre, but it
did not know which way he would
turn. 1t stopped still, swinging its
trunk and watching him with its little
evil eyes. Paul lodged backward.
gained twenty yards-and set down
the mouse upon the ground. It
whirred and rushed straight toward
the monster.
The trunk went down. The beast
stood still. A shrill scream broke
from it-and suddenly it turned tail
and boited away, terror-stricken.
across the market-place. It's bulk
between Paul and Mademoiselle Cue
pin, she had not seen the cause of its
confusion. But as it rushed toward
her she looked and saw; and with
piercing shrieks, the. Honeycomb OF
Paradise and Footstool of Gabriel