The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-11

>G Ga-.~'o ~ @
 May come in7" boOmed a voice from
 the Veranda.
 his old Assyrian Tuxuriance of beard, all his native insolence of dropping eye lids and intolerant eyes.
 a'I fear,' said he, taking out his watch. "that I am few minutes too late. When I gave you this envelope must confess that had never intend ed that you should open it, for it had been my fixed intention to be with you before the hour. The unfortunate de lay can be apporioned between a blum dering pilot and an intrusive sand bank. I fear that it has given my col, league, Professor Summerlee, occasion to blaspherne You need no chart of di- rections now, since you will have the inestimable advantage of my own guidance. From the first I had deter mined that would myself preside over your investigation. The most elaborate charts would, as you will readily ad- init, be a poor substitute for my own intelligence and advice. As to the small ruse which I played upon you in the matter of the envelope, it is clear chat had I told you all my intentions should have been forced to resist un- welcome pressure to travel out with you"
 It was Aug. 2 when we snapped our last link with the outer world by bid ding farewell to the Esmeralda, a steam launch which Lord John Box ton chartered to take. us up the river. Since then four days have passed, durl Ty,r 1f,1T hox 1ore canoes from the Indians, made of SO light material (skins over a bamboo frameworlz) that we should be able to carry them around any obstacle These we loaded with all our effects and have engaged two additional In- dians to help us in the navigation. understand that they are the very two
 -Ataca and Ipetu by name-who ac companied Professor Challenger upon his previous journey. They appeared to be terrified at the prospect of re beating 1t, but the chief has patr1- archal powers in these countries, and if the bargain is good in his eyes the c1ansman has little choice in the mat ter.
 So tomorrow we disappear into the unknown. This account am trans n1itting down the river by canoe, and 1t may be our last word to those who are interested in our fate. I have, ac- cording to our arrangement, addressed it to you, my dear MT. McArdle, and I leave it to your discretion to delete, alter or do what you like with it. From the assurance of Professor Chal-. lenger's manner and in spite of the continued skeptic1sm of Professor Summerlee have no doubt that our leader will make good his statement and that we are really on the eve of some most remarkable experiences
 When wrote last we were about to leave the Indian village where we had been deposited by the Esmera1da. I have to begin my report by bad news, for the first serious personal, trouble q tween the professors) occurred this evening and might have had tragic ending. I have spoken of our English speaking half breed Gomez-a fine worker and willing fellow, but afHict- ed, I fancy, with the vice of curiosity, which is common enough among such men. On the last evening he seems to have hid himself near the hut in which we were discussing our plans, and, be- ing observed by our huge negro Zambos who is as faithful as a dog and has the ahatred which all hiss race bear to the half breeds, he was dragged out and carried into our presence Gomez whipped out his knife, however, and but for the huge strength of his captors which enabled him to disarm him with one hand, be would certainly have stabbed him. The matter has ended in reprimands, the opponents have been compelled to shake hands, and there is every hope that all will be well.
 For two days we made our way up a good sized river, some hundreds Of yards broad and dark in color, but transparent, so that one could usually see the bottom. The affiuents of the Amazon are, half of them, of this na- ture, while the other half are whftish and opaque, the difference depending upon the class of country through which they have flowed. The dark indicate vagetahlo decay, whi4s the othagA pntEt to cIayey sofl Twice WIG csrne across rapids and in each case made a port age of half a mile or so to avoid them. The woods on either side were prime val, which are more easily penetrated than woods of the second growth, and we had no great difficulty in carrying our canoes through them How shall ever forget the solemn mystery of ft2 The height of the trees and the thick ness of the boles exceeded anything which in my town bred life could have imagined, shooting upward in magnificent columns until, at an enor-