Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-06-03

Il rear, salu nei taxing out MS
watch, chat l am a few minutes too
late. When gave you this envelope
must confess that I had never intend
ed that you should open it, for It had
been my fixed intention to be with you
lefore the hour. The unfortunate de-
lay can be appoTtiOned between blum
dering pilot and an intrusive sand
bank. fear that 1t has given my col
league, Professor Summerlee, occasion
to blaspheme. You need no chart Of di
rectlons now, since you will have the
inestimable advantage OF my own
guidance. From the first | had deter
mined that | would myself preside over
your investigation. The most elaborate
charts would, as you will readily ad,
nit, be a poor substitute for my own
intelligence and advice. As to the
small ruse which played upon you In
the matter of the envelope. it is clear
that had told you all my intentions
should have been forced to resist un-
welcome pressure to travel out with
you"
1t was Aug. when we snapped our
last link with the outer world by bid
ding farewell to the Esmerada, a
steam launch which Lord John ROX-
ron chartered to take us up the river.
since then four days have passed, dur
ing which we have engaged two large
canoes from the indians, made Of so
light material (sIiins over a bamboo
framework) that we should be able to
larry them around any obstacle
These we loaded with all our effects
and have engaged two additional In
ilans to help us in the navigation l
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-
peating It, but the chief has patrl
archal powers in these countries, and
II the bargain is good in his eyes the
clansman has little choice in the mat
ter.
So tomorrow we disappear into the
unknown This account | am trans
mittlng down the river by canoe and
1t may be our last word to those who
are interested in our fate. | have. ac,
cordlng to our arrangement, addressed
It to you, my dear Mr. McArdle, and
leave 1t to your discretion to delete,
alter or do what Eou like with 1t.
From the assurance of Professor Chal-
lenger's manner and in spite OF the
continued skeptcism 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 Esmeralda. /
have to begin my report by bad news,
for the first serious personal trouble q
pass over the incessant chickering's he.
tween the professors occurred this
evening and might have had a tragic
ending. | have spoken of our English
speaking half breed Gomeza a fine
worker and willing fellow, but atiiict-
ed, fancy, with the vice Of curiosity,
which is common enough among such
men. On the last evening he seems to
nave hid himself near the hut in which
we were discussing our plans, and, be
ing observed by our huge negro ZambO,
who Is as faithful as a dog aud has
the hatred which all his 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 captor.
which enabled him to disarm him with
one hand, he would certainly have
stabbed him. The matter has ended in
reprlmands, the opponents have been
compelled to shake hands, and there is
every hope that all win be wen.
For two days we made our way up
a good sized river some hundreds Of
yards broad aud dark IN color but
transparent, so that one could usually
see the bottom The afiluents OF the
Amazon are, half ot them, Of this ma
tme, while the other half are whitlsh
and opaque the difference depending
upon the class of country through which
they have flowed The dark indicate
vegetable decay, while the others point
TO clayey soil Twice we came across
rapids aud in each case made port
age of half 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 aud
we had no great difficulty Ia carrying
our canoes through them How shall
ever forget the solemn mystery Of itj
The height of the trees aud the thick.
ness Of the boles exceeded anything
which In my town bred life could
have imagined shooting upward IL
magnificent columns until at an enor
nous distance above our heads. We
could dmly discern the spot where
they threw ont their side branches into
| Gothic upward curves which c0aescet
TO form one great matted roof Of yer.
dure, through which only an occasional
golden ray of sunshine shot downward
20 trace thin dazzling line of light
amid The majestic obscurity. AS we
walked nolSelessly amid the thick. SOC
carpet OF decayng vegetation the hush
fell upon our souls which comes upon