Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-26
CHAPTER VIII
Eviscroes Of Human life.

4 - ssx orr we were aware Of a sin
~ deem rh-obains i'm the air,
| --s1ic and solemn. coming and go
\ srfulIv throughout the morning.
:. rwo boats we're padding within a
\ ysr5s ~ each other when first we
IA r. ana our Indians remained NO
| - IS if they had been turned to
\ 80 listansu- irteutly with express
/ - ~ terror upon their faces.
sTbs, Is it:' I asked.
-r--,ns.~ said Lord John carelessly,
| - drums / have heard them be
l a-e"
n. NV breed. wild Indians. braves,
4 y. mansos. They watch US every mile
ne way. Kill rs if they can"
.Hsw can they watch us:' I asked.
| -.-;or into the dark. mOtionIess void.
M hale breed shrugged his broad
| A1ulders.
The Indians know. They have their
am wav. They watch US. They talk
+e drum talk to each other. Kill us il
| 1ey can.
\ all dav the drums rumbled and whis-
-sSa5 while their menace reflected it
| ,a'f in the faces Of our coloTed com
aniors. Even the hardy. staggering
,slf breed seemed cowed. / learned,
4 sowaver. thar day. once for all, that
9Th summerlee and Challenger pos
ssssei that highest type Of bravery,
he bravery OF the scientific mind.
Theirs was the spirit which upheld
Darwin among the gauchos of the Ar
rsptine ar Wallace among the head
\ hunters Of Malaga. Ii Is decreed by
4 nsrcifuI nature that the human brain
.sunot think Of TWO things SimUltane-
ouslv. so that If Il be stepped in curl
ostr as to science it has mo- room for
merely personal considerations All
dav amid that inceSSant and mysteri-
Gus menace our two professors watched
every bird upon the wing and every
shrub upon the bank, with many p
SHARP worly contention. when the Suarl
81 SummerIee came quick upon the
deep crowl Of Challenger. bur with no
uore sense Of danger and no more ref
e7ence 10 drum beating Indians than if
they we're seated together in the smok-
Ing room of the Royal society's club in
s. James street
That night we moored our canoes
with heavy stones for anchors III the
center Of the stream and made every
preparation for possible attack.
Nothing came. however. and with the
dawn we pushed upon our way. the
drum heating dying ont behind US.
About 3 o'clock I'll the afternoon we
came 70 very steep rapid. more than
nile lonC-the very one in which Pro
fessor Challenger had suffered disaster
upon bis first journey. / confess that
the sight Of il couSoled me. for il was
FeallT the first direct confederation,
slight as It was, Of the truth Of his sto-
y. The Indians carried first our ca
noes and then our stores through the
a 5rushwood, which is very thick at this
point, while we four whites. our rifles
% our shoulders. walked between them
and any danger coming from the
woods. Before evening we had sue
cessfully passed the rapids and made
our way some ten miles above them,
where we anchored for the night At
his point I reckoned that we had come
1ot less than a hundred miles up the
tributary from the main stream.
i was in the early forenoon Of the
nezt day that we made the great de-
parture. Since dawn Professor Chal-
.EEgpF had ha1~4 gIraNa1v-
ranaIy scanning each bank of the riv
e. Suddenly he gave an exclamation
q satisfaction and pointed 70 a single
nee which projected at a peculiar angle
ever the side Of the stream.
What do you make Of that?" he
asked.
y Is surely an Assai PALM" said
Anmerlee.
Exactly. 1t was an Assai palm
Saieh took for my landmark. The
@efet opening IS half a mile onward
Poa the other side Of the river. There
! no break in the trees. That is the
'older and the mystery of il. There
'aeFe you see light green rushes in
se&d Of dark green underground, there
'slWeen the great cOrtOnwoOds. that is
y private gate into the unknown.
sAa through and you will under
AEald"
~ was indeed a wonderful place.
Hs'lng reached the spot marked by
4s o. light green rushes, we poled
~ Two canoes through them for some
-'-areds Of yards and eventually
s-sfged into a placid and shallow
'|eam, running clear and transparent
WI sandy bottom. II may have
Feh twenty yards across and was
-a-hed in on each side by most luxu-
~ vegetation. No one who had not
-served that for a short distance
80 had taken the place of shrubs
'-i2 possibly have guessed the exist
l'e o- such q stream or dreamed of
fsiryla1d beyond.
TOT a faTv'aud il was. the most
.V4aerfui that the ina 2iuation Of man
'ld conceive. The thick vegetation
~ overhead. iltcrlacIug into nat
fere9la. and through this tunnel
'efdure iu golden twilight flowed
Green. petucid river, beautiful in
- but marvellous from the strange
RI thrown by the vivid light from
Y'fe filtered and temBpred in its fall