The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-09-09

4 49,
closed eye, was neat round hole, as
though made by bullet of high cali
! Der; as the American looked close, he
| found that the hole was full of slow,
| sluggish blood, clotted at the top, a
little of the thinner fluid dripping
down the nose of the reptile and along
| the scallops of his jaws, damned to-
| gether as they were in that character
| istic grim grin.
| At that moment the keeper who had
| rushed to the rear came back with big,
frightened eyes, and held out thick
steel window bar, pointed at one end,
where it had fitted through a hole in
the iron-reinforced masonry. That end
| of the rod was coated with thick blood
| for six inches upward from the point.
'Babo jumped into the water from
the little back window, ripping out
these bars!" he cried in German.
Look! 1t is blood! He has used it to
kill, or has hurt himself with it,
| Poe answered smoothly in the same
| tongue, as though it were his Ian
| guage:
But an ape does not SWIM"
''He does not swim if he can help 1t!
Ach, Colt! / do not know what to
make of it all"
How did the fire start?" asked Poe.
THAT do not know, either"
"But what kind of an ape was Ba-
boz" asked Poe, feeling privileged
| through his work in assisting with the
recaging of the monkeys.
"Oh, he was bad one," said the
| first keeper. 1--WE haven't had him
more than a week. He was to be
shipped to America. He was a big
brute, four feet high, an orang-outang;
| strong enough to twist off that big
lock to his cage, you will notice.
Weighed one hundred and forty
pounds. Just came from Borneo.
Seemed to be half tame, but vicious;
you never can tell about those orang-
outangs. They bought him from ma
tive The largest ever caught; worth
a thousand dollars or more. 1t will
mean our jobs, the losing Of him"
And here's another little loss," an
swered Poe soberly, taking the rod
from the second keeper and pointing
to the hole in the crocodile's head.
"Mein Gctt!" cried the head keeper,
the second keeper and the assistant In
a commissioning chorus. 1t was easy
to see how the animal had been killed.
"Ach," cried the head keeper, here
| is another five hundred dollars gone.
1t is a rare Asiatic crocodile, lives
only in salt water"
Better hoist it cut" warned Poe, as
| the other. crocodiles were still lashing
about, now and again striking with
| their tails the dead carcass, "or the
| hide won't be worth mounting"
The suggestion was acted upon at
once, and few minutes later, by the
aid of a pole or two and some rope
| tackle. the monster lay without the
| enclosure.
Poe suddenly found himself alone
beside the ugly form on the floor. The
keepers had been interrupted by po-
licemen and interested agents Of the
company, who had been admitted to
the building. AS he stopped to exam
inc the mouth, he gave sudden start.
Where the scalloped edges of the jaws
joined he noticed blood, and thought
it came from the wound. But now he
realized his mistake and, looking
around to make sure that he was not
observed, carefully took the clean end
of the window bar and pried open the
huge mouth. He swayed back at the
astonishing sight that presented its
SELF Then, controlling himself in a
second, after passing wavering hand
through his hair, the helmet having
toppled off, he made a quick, covert
motion, took something from between
the ugly jaws Of the monster, wrapped
the object dexterously in two hand
kerchiefs, and slipped it into his coat
pocket, strange, thoughtful express
sion coming into his intense violet
eyes, lips and eyebrows twitching in
thought.
Then he stood up, the reptilian jaws
mashed back to place, and he turned
to talk with one of the members of the
firm Of Haggerup & Co., who had been
summoned to the scene of havoc.
"You were very lucky" said Poe.
1.-THE fire was we'll controlled"
"Ah, but the rest is not over yet.
The fire did not do much damage, but
think what may happen with Babo
loose in the city! He is a powerful
ape. He may kill dozen men
while avoiding recapture. 1t is not
so much the loss of him as the fact
that we can't conceal his escape or the
peoples lives will be endangered We
must tell all, and it will give the house
bad name It will make people
afraid of u.s.
Call your keepers, then, and warn
them to say nothing about it. ! think
can recover your ape before he col
lects any toll of human life, If you'll
keep the thing secret. If it gets cut
that you know Babo has escaped, you
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