White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-16

though In a different place from the one
which we had examined in the morn
ing. What this phenomenon meant we
could MOI imagine.
We saw many small animals, such as
porcupines. a scaly anteater and n
wild pig. piebald In color and with
long, curved tusks. Once, through A
break In the trees, we saw q clear
shoulder Of green hfll some distance
away, and across this a large dun col
ored animal was travelling at a consid-
cradle pace. 1t passed SO swiftly that
we were unable to say what 1t a
but II 1t were a deer. al WINS claimed
by Lord john. 1t must have been "a
large as those monstrous Irish elk
which are still dug up from time to
time In the boys OF my native land.
Ever since the mysterious visit
which had been paid to our camp we
always returned TO 1t with some mis-
givIngs. However. on this occasion
we found everything in order.
II was about this time that I had an
inspiration. My eyes CHANGED to light
upon the enormous gnarled trunk of
the gingko tree which cast its huge
branches over us. Surely IL Its b0le
exceeded that of all others Its height
must do the same. II the rim of the
plateau was indeed the highest point,
then why shonld this mighty tree not
prove to be a watchtower which COM
manded the whole country? Now,
eve since l ran wild as a lad in Ire
land I have been a bold and skilled
tree climber. My comrades might be
my masters on the rocks. but I knew
that | would be supreme among those
branches. Could I only get my legs on
to the lowest OF the giant offshoots
then 1t would be strange indeed IL I
could not make my way TO the top.
Ny comrades were delighted at my
idea.
"our young friend" said Challenger,
punching. up the red apples of his
cheeks. lis capable of acrobatic exer-
tons which would be impossible to 4
man OF more solid though possibly
of a more commanding appearance. I
applaud his resolution"
by George, young fellah, you've put
your hand on IT. said Lord John. clap
ping me on the back. How we never
came to think OF 1t before I can't I'M
agine. There's not more than an hour
of daylight left. but IL you take your
notebook you may be able to get some
rough sketch OF the place. IL we put
these three ammunition cases under
the branch ! will soon hoist you on
10 It."
lie stood on the boxes while | faced
the trunk and was gently raising me
when Challenger sprang forward and
gave me such q thrust with his huge
hand that he fairly hot me into the
tree. With both arms clasping the
branch, l scrambled hard with my feet
until / had worked. first my body and
three excellent ~ofshoots. like huge
rungs of a ladder. above my head and
a tangle of convenient branches be-
yond, so that l clambered onward with
such speed that | o lost sight of
the ground and had nothing but foil
age beneath me. Now and then I en-
countered a check, and nee I had TO
shin up a crecper for eight or ten
feet. but l made excellent progress,
and the booming OF ~Challenger's voice
seemed to be a great distance beneath
me. The tree was, however. enor-
nous, and. looking upward. l could see
no thinning of the leaves above my
head There was some thick. bushlike
clump which seemed to be a parasite
upon q branch up which l was swarm
ing. l leaned my head round 1t In or
der to see what was beyond. and I
nearly fell out of the tree in my sur
prise and horror at what l saw.
A face was gazing into mine at the
distance OF only a foot or two. The
creature TINT owned 1t had been
crouching behind the parasite and had
looked round 1t at the same instant