The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1917-03-15

|"HE Recruiters Bulletin, the Of
fetal publication of the United
States Marine Corps recruiting
service, tells the story Of an ex-
1edition made by q small company Of
marines to the capital Of the late Abys-
Sinian monarch In the latter part of
1908. 1t Is a story Of lions and tigers
md other wild beasts, Of fetes and
state dinners, and finally Of hOnors
;hown to the expedition by the famous
lack monarch. The account, written
" Leonard ]. Gates, a former marine,
nd q member of the expedition, is In
,art as follows:
"The Abyssinian expedition was n
f the most hazardous and difficult
yer undertaken by a military body,
nd only the services of picked volun-
GERS with q reputation for courage
we're accepted. The route lay across
ands infested with hostile tribes,
through forests and over long stretches
If burning sands, where water holes
vere miles and miles apart. Camels
nd mules furnished transportation fa-
:ilities.
"The American party consisted of
officers, including United States
.mmisSioner Robert P. Skinner and
Maj. G. G. Thorpe of the Marine Corps,
seventeen marines, five bluejackets,
md a messenger. The expedition was
n%augurated by President Roosevelt for
he purpose of establishing CONNER
ial relations with King Menelik, ruler
# Abyssinia, a vast area rich in ivory
md other valuables. The efforts of
Commissioner Skinner and the little
Iand were successful in every particu-
ar, and the most friendly relations be-
ween strange people and the United
States resulted.
"The marines and sailors chosen for
he party were landed at Djibouti, Brit
sh Somaliland, in the middle Of No
jember Of 1903. The seaso was mid
winter for that section Of Africa, a
condition denoted by the fact that the
lightS were comparatively cool, froSts
being prevalent, but during the day the
sun burned the earth with scorching
intensity.
Through a Wild Country.
"From Djibouti q railway run as far
rs Dire Daouah, and at this sun-baked
city camels, donkeys and guides were
procured for the long march through
unexplored territory. For the first few
days the trail led through fertile lands,
broken only with occasional desert
patches. Stunted mimosa groves and
rolling prairies dotted with wandering
herds Of deer and antelope, made a
sight never to be forgotten.
1.-THE forest lands were infested with
lions, tigers and various beasts of prey,
and from time to time ravaged territory
would be encountered, showing where
some herd of rowing elephants had
devastated the small trees and hCrbage.
AS to lions and tigers they were sell
dom seen, being nocturnal In their hab-
it's, but their presence was too realis-
tlcally portrayed by the disappearance
almost nightly Of one or more of the
mules. Such losses occurred in spite
Of the Sentinels and numerous fires
constantly kept burning.
"Hyenas were plentiful and during
the dark hours they would make the
rolling desert wastes ring with their
weird laughter. A more gruesome
sound than that is impossible to imag-
Inc. Jackals also added their melan-
choly walls to the midnight serenades.
These wolflike animals have a strange
way Of calling to n another through
the hours before the dawn.
"FrOm some distant knoll one breaks
forth in plaintiff cries, shrill and clear,
rising like a long-drawn moan. For q
half hour the creature bowls, then
ceases abruptly, and another lone jack
al in an entirely different locality
means through a long half hour. He
likewise ceases his cry as abruptly as
his predecessor, while another takes
uI~ il.n in the music fest.
IN passing through the wooded
areas balloons were often encountered,
creatures Of massive size, their fea-
lures almost human in spite of their
wild grotesqueness. AS though enraged
at the disturbance created by the cav
alcade, they would beat with huge
claws on their broad, hairy chests,
which doomed like a muffled drum I'M
der the terrific impact. Jabbering and
gesticulating horribly they would glare
upon the weary plodders, appearing
themselves through the tangled
growths, or swinging wildly through
the trees. Monkeys were numerous
and, at n point, the company narrow
ly escaped destruction before a wild
stampede of frenzied monkeys and
balloons.
Stampede Of Balloons and Monkeys.
"The aravan was proceeding quiet
~ along on q trail banked on one side