Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1915-09-10

The sun shone hot In Hamburg that
day; and nowhere was the heat more
intense than in the wharf districts of
Hamburg.
Christopher Poe sauntered along the
strip of street, stopping now and then
to inspect with fond eyes the striking
lines of some fast freighter, or to scan
lining the other side OF the street. He
had skipped away from his banking
duties in New York, and was touring
through parts of the world as familiar
to him as Fifth Avenue, or the Bow
cry.
At length, as he neared a great
wharf, where no ship rode at anchor
and ON which huge iron-bound ware
house stood, the rear square against
the water, he stopped and strained for
ward, listening.
There developed, as he listened, a
wild mingling of noises, chorusing up
in perfect babble.
There was a strange throng quickly
collecting in front of the warehouse.
Poe read in fash the German sign
stretching along the front of the build
ing:
HAGGERUP : co. 49,
WILD ANIMALS.
A huge plate-glass window in front,
barred with heavy iron rods five inches
apart, was belching forth smoke,
through which the burning sun shone
fully, illuminating smashed plate
glass tank right in front, with thou
sand strange fish Tapping and flashing
on the floor amid the smoke and con-
fusion.
"Feuer! Feuer!" screamed the ex-
cited mob OF sailors and longshore-
men. The huge iron-bound door had
evidently been burst open from with
I'm at the first alarm, and men went
iplunging through the cavernous open
ing with hastily snatched pals of wa
ter, and other men came struggling
out, dropping, almost overcome with
smoke.
Then the fire wagon changed up.
Amid that hell Of noise there came
AN instantaneous lull. Christopher
Poe, on the edge of the crowd and
near the long side of the building ex-
tending back to the water, felt that he
heard a far-off splash as though some
hinge animal, maddened by the flames,
had plunged into the water somewhere
IN the rear of the building. But duller
and less watchful ears would not have
caught the sound at all, for an instant
later, the hubbub had broken out
afresh, even more .multisonorous.
There came sudden metallic ring
amid the vociferation; the heavy noz-
(, lzle of the fire hose had already been
rushed into service, and had changed
against an iron shield to the big door,
1t was all over in an astonishingly
short time.
Something possessed Poe; he chafed
under the yoke of inaction. SEEKING an
extra helmet from the wagon near by,
he dashed into the building fearlesssly,
Once within, Poe engaged, amid the
clearing smoke and sitting steam, in a
hand-to-hand conflict with several
Mona monkeys, Sooty Mangaheys and
Patas, which, in the excitement. had
evidently broken open the door to the
huge vivarium where they had been
Gagged together as peaceful mates.
When some order had been finally
restored and the firemen were leav-
ing, Poe joined the three frightened
animal keepers, who were counting
the recaptured monkeys. lemurs and
marmosets.
Thank God!" cried one in German.
'None of the larger beasts had got
loose If Babo, the ape. or that tiger
there had got out! Mein Colt! What
a scene! What scene there would
have been!"
One Of the keepers dashed off at
that moment toward the crocodile
pond, enclosed by low wire fence.
The crocodiles were still in commo-
the water in their pond and the cement
which cropped out dry near the rail-
ing, where they sometimes lay, half
out of water.
A cry came from him as he stopped
before single cage, the door flung
open, swinging useless.
"Babo!" he screamed. "Babo did
escape. Where is he?"
The appalled, keepers were dumb
founded; one rushed to the front door
to see II he had gone that way; an
other ran to the rear, and the third
suddenly chased of toward gallery
at the side, where huge Hamadryas
baboou who had so far escaped no.
tice. chung to a wall support, uttering
explosive, ear-cracking cries. The
beasts had by no means become quiet.
A sweatdripping rhinoceros belched
forth an occasional roar that made the
building tremble: and two huge croco-
dies in the tank were lashing their
tails and beating about In frenzy.
Christopher Poe. aroused by the
strange actions OF these reptiles. step
A. - q