Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-05-23


boat at my feet supported by two
bowling native servants
I" Where Il Fic-es' / asked
The others are bringing him: he
viii die soon. too they replied
And the buRalo%'
Dead. was the laconic reply.
"A thick Hood OF blood was contin-
ually lowing from my mouth and the
right side OF my face, The natives
lifted me into the boat. and with
every moment the blood flowed faster.
Quick managed 20 gasp. the
medicine ehest,'
They brought It TO me. There was
only one thing 10 do and that quickly.
Sew. sew. sew! Terrible necessity
taught me how 10 ply the surgical
needle. With a native holding my
shaving-mirror before me and another
supporting me by the shoulders.
thrust the needle through the flesh.
A jagged. irregular hole as large a.
my hand gaped In my right cheek:
my under lip hung loosely quivering.
Under the Mortified gaze of the ia.
tiyes | iabbed the bent needle agaia
and again into my flesh and cobhled
the tAttered ends together
The pain was excruciating Heav.
en- alone helped me TO keep my
senses. To this day do not know
how | managed to do Il. The lower
jaw was broken In two places-near
the ear and near the lip--and from
this crushed mass long splinter of
bone with three teeth attached hung
loosely by the nerves and flesh OF the
gums. The whole outer flesh OF the
lower jaw was scraped loose Teeth.
roots and bones lay white and SHIN
mering through the hole In my cheek.
My tongue. pierced by the point of
the buffalo's horn. was half torn
from Its foundations. spat eontin.
uously splinters OF bone and teeth
AT last the operation was finished
to the best of my ability, and BAN
daged by face as best knew how.
A strong stimulant gave me new life
and helped me 10 face the other sur
gical operation for Ffere.
I'm the meantime the tent had been
erected and bed prepared for my
| poor companion. from whom James.
the cook, had already cut the clothes
with a pair OF scissors He had re-
covered consciousness. and softly his
pale lips formed the words. tres
mRuvais' livery bad) He had been
/ pierced and tossed three times The
left breast muscle hung loose: heart
and lungs were untouched In the
| left side, between heart and hip. was
/ great tear. This wound imme-
diately sewed together. James wash
! ed, bandaEed and put Fiere to bed
He breathed regularly. and seemed
TO sleep
Might fell dark and dlsmal--a
night full OF pain, during which my
Toward morning a short. troubled
sleep gave me temporary relief from
my awful agony. With the gray light
of dawn ! awoke TO fresh tortures.
Everything was deadly still. ! sum
moned the servants by clapping my
hands and they opened the tent door.
Then / arose and crossed over to
Flere's bed The first light OF day
fell on a pale shrunken face. II was
death"
SO. on the very Threshold OF sue
cess, one was taken and ths other
left, a shattered wreck Far from all
aid and alone with his native ser
wants. Lieutenant GraetG faced the
situation as only a man OF his emil.
Der could. One OF the natives was
dispatched at once to KasamR, In
northeastern Rhodesia, to summon
help. This was the nearest point In.
habited by white men.
DR. @. r. Randall. the district sur
geon, and Mr.. Cookson. the magis-
trate of Kasama. marched day and
night for two days to his relief.
Hastily further operations we're per.
formed under the most dificult cir.
cumstances. And then, on an I'm.
provised streteher. Graetz was car.
| ried to Kaaama One can imagine
the painful journey. a journey rem.
dered all the more pitiful because OF
the loss OF his trusted assistant The
relief party buried poor FIere at
| Charenama, but later his body will
be brought to Kasama and Reinforced
there by the white fathers Of this
Catholic mission.
To most men this disastrous set.
back would prove an inEurmountable
ntnuThnEB TO Inb EDTnplelDu OF tins
program; but with Lieutenant Graetz
IT was different He has started
again and will continue his journey
until 1t is completed or until death
claims him He intends 70 reach the
mouth Of the Congo by the end Of the
year. A man of superlative grit. who
fiinches from no dangers and who
knows not what the words fear and
defeat mean.
He il entitled TO q place In history
beside Livingstone Stanley. Gordon
and the others. yet probably he viii
be forgotten except by those who
fully appreciate all he has achieved
for science. When we head at the
end of the year that he has traversed
the dark continent from east to west.
we shall know that he has done what
he said he would do. despite the DIM
culties In his path. Shall we all
recognize what this roansg Some
may-those who. pereharce haze
done similar deeds. or those who
| know the African continent and all