THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND,
1904.
Adventures of Ben and Nancy
CHAPTER VIIL
WHEN" April finally came and the
lake was clear of Ice, except here,
and there a big cake floating'
about, Ben and Nancy were ready for the
fishing season. They had made two
trips to the grounds and met with fair
success, and were out on their third, when
a schooner hove in sight flying a signal
of distress. She was the only craft In
sight on the waters, and alter looking at
her for two or three minutes, Ben said:
"That schooner has set that signal for
us, Nancy. I can't say what's the matr
ter with her, but we'll run down and
see."
The lines were taken in and the boat
headed for the schooner, which was five
miles away and hove to and waiting for
them. As the wind was light it took the
best part of an hour to reach the bigger
craft, but the children had made out the
cause of her trouble long before reaching
her. She had run into a solid cake of
ire and stove a great hole in her bows.
Her crew had stuffed bedding into the
hole, but were doing lively work at the
pumps to keep the water down.
Hollo the- boat!" called the. captain of
the schooner as Ben and Nancy drew
near.
"Hello the schooner!" ' called Ben In
reply.
W- aro badly stove and must have
help. Can you sail to Shelter Bay with
a message for me? There Is a tug there,
and I want her as soon as she can get
here. This schooner has a cargo aboard
worth 330.009."
Ben sold he would take the message
and get it along as fast as possible,
though the dlstanco to the bay was al
most SO miles, and It was then so late
In the afturaoon that he could not hope
to make it before dark. He was told
to find a certain business men and tell
him that the schooner Bed Bird was
badly damaged and likely to go down,
and the captain said a good reward would
be paid for delivering the message. It
would have been carried Just the same if
nothing had been promised, as sailors
and fishermen feel bound to aid each oth
er in distress. "While the fishboat head
ed for Shelter Bay the crew of the schoon
er went back to the pumps, and both
Ben and Nancy thought ihey would have
hard work to keep her afloat until the
tug arrived.
The bay was not reached until after
dark, and Ben lost no time in hunting
up hie roan and delivering his message.
KHES THEX CAST OTT AXJj MEN WAVED THETO CATS AND COT
A -
Word was at once sent to the tug to get
up steam, and the services of half a doz
en extra men were engaged, and after
the children had been given time to eat
per the tug started out. She took. Ben
and Nancy aboard and their boat in tow,
and the owner of the schooner said to
them, as the tug swiftly made her way
to where it was expected that the schoon
er would be found:
"How la it that two such young chil
dren as you are allowed to be sailing
about so far from shore? "Why didn't
your father come along?"
Then. Ben told him their story, and that
both hud been fishing, sailing and hunting
ever since they could remember, and
that' they now had their living .to make
that way. He also told him how much
money they had In the bank, and what
their hopes were for the future.
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed the man
as the story was finished. "I knew we
had some pretty good people up here In
the woods, but I never thought our boys
and girls were so full of energy and cour
age. "Why. my boy, you and your sister
have got along better than most men and
their wives. "Very few men have made
as much money as you have for the last
year, and very few children could have
planned better. I am going to give you
$250 for bringing me that message, for
there is tho light of the schooner show
ing that we are in time to save her, and
If the time comes when you need a good
friend, Just remember my name."
The six extra men on the tug were put
aboard the schooner to help the crew at
the pumps, and the tug got out a stout
rope to take the disabled croft in tow.
"When she was ready to move off, the
captain of the schooner shook hands with
Ben and Nancy and said:
"If you will come along to tho bay
with us I will see that you have tho best
rooms at tho hotel tonight, and the best
breakfast the landlord can scare up in the
morning. Mr. Budderman has told, me
your story, and of the amount of money
he has given you, and I want to tell you
that JI am very grateful for your willing
ness jand promptness. I am a poor man
or I, should have handed you at least a
hundred dollars tho minute you got back.
I Iulvo no money to give, but you can
couh,t me your friend and make my house
your; homo as long as you will." m
In' replying, tho children thankod him
for Jils kind words and good wishes. They
wore used to passing the night in the
boat, having1 good warm blankets to cover
them, and instead of returning to Shelter
bay with the tug they would get Into
their own craft and be ready to drop their
lines over at the first signs of daylight.
"When they cast oft- all the men waved
their caps and cheered, and Mr. Rudder
man, tho owner of the schooner, called
after them:
"Good luck go with you, and don't
forget that I want to be your friend."
"Tomorrow," said Ben, as they watched
the lights of the tug and schooner mak
ing up tho lake, "wo will go over to
Glendale and bank our money and see if
Mr. Scott has come back."
(To Be Continued.)
Thrilling Story of the Jaguar of the Temple
Adventures With the Tiger of Yucatan, by Capt. R L, Spier.
B NEATH my feet is a mat made of
th skin of a jaguar, the largest and
fiercest of America's wild beasts,
with the possible exception of grizzly and
polar boars.
He Is to tho New World what the tiger
i to India, and fears neither man nor
last. I got my specimen in the forests
f Honduras, where I went looking for
htm. and. by the same token, "tho Jaguar
was looking for me and nearly got me
instead.
Accompanied by a single guide. I had
worked into a remote part of the little
republic a region to which white men sel
dom came, and whero tho forests were
reputed to be warming with all sorts of
game. Wc reached a native village in a
Uraring and woro received with extrava
gant Joy when it -was understood that I
bad como to shoot Jaguars. It reminded
me of my reception In a native village In
India where I once went to shoot a man
rating tiger which had been a terror of
the neighborhood.
A native boy of 12 begged to be allowed
to accompany me on my hunt. Six months
before, he said, a Jaguar had caught his
brother on the outskirts of the clearing
and killed him. He was eager for revenge
and I took him along.
Wo traveled two miles into the woods
to the ruin of a great building of pro
historic times. It had been a temple in
lis day, but now lizards and wild beasts
"kept Its courts" and trees of great age
grew upon its crumbled terraces and bat
tlements. We built a fire to keep off the animals,
tethered our horses and camped for the
night, taking turns in watching, for all
about us the deep black forests resound
ed with the cries and calls of wild crea
tures. Toward morning I was awakened by a
shout of terror from the boy Jose, and
sprang to my feet to see a great Jaguar
Jump upon my horse and bear him to the
earth, while the steed actually shrieked
with fear and pain.
Of oourso I fired as soon as i could get
my hands on my gun, but In the Aanrtng
firelight I missed the Jaguar and only
buried my bullet in the carcass of the
horse. Again I fired, but the Jaguar had
plunged into the near-by river, and the
darkness was so dense on the opposite
shore that the huge cat escaped me.
Jose was in a state of Intense excite
ment, and my guide was hardly less ex
cited than the boy. "No to apuris tan to I
Don't fret yourself so much," said L
"There arc other Jaguars In the woods,
taough, alas, no other horses. Jose shall
yet have his revenge and I my Jaguar
Ekin."
After breakfast that morning I started
to explore the old ruin. Broken flights of
Fteps led to the platform on which the
great building hod once stood In all its
splendor, and as I reached the root of the
incline, I looked up to see a great Jaguar
slowly emerge from a richly sculptured
doorway and stand, with lashing tall and
bared and gleaming teeth, looking down
at me from the top of the broken stairs.
My rifle was at my shoulder in an In
stant and the bullet sped. At the same
instant the beast crouched for a spring
and launched himself through the air
with an angry snarl, changing into a
look down-
1W vfcT my! J
growl In which was mingled a note of
pain.
I knew that I had hit him. but not so
as to cause death. As the beast launched
himself toward me. I threw mvseJf to
tho right, and his great body Just brushed
me as It swept past. It was all done In
an instant of time. It was quick work
and a close call.
Bruised from the stones of the ruined
stairway, I tamed to see the Jaguar
JOSH. TOO FARALYZED TO MOV.. iECEIVEI A SXiwOi -0B
rolling on the ground in his death agony.
I had shot him through the lungs, and
another shot in tho" head at close range
put an end to him. But there, not far
from the dead beast, lay poor Jose, ap
parently dead. The boy had been follow
ing me when I started from the ruins,
and when the Jaguar sprang and missed
me, Jose, close behind and too paralyzed
by terror to move, had received a stroke
from a huge paw as tho beast fell to the
earth. He had escaped death by a narrow
margin. One arm was broken and half of.
his scalp torn away.
we carried the boy to his village and
I tended him with my rudo surgery until
he was well on the road to recovery.
"When, after some more hunting In the
neighborhood, I left tho village to return
to the coast, I said: . "Jose, do you not
want to leave this place of perils and
come with me to a land where wild beasts
do not kill?"
"No, senor," he replied. "This Is my
land. But, oh, senor, leave me one of
the guns and teach mc how to use it. that
I may keep tho village safe from the
Jaguars. I will make long Journeys to the
coast for ammunition when that you leave
mo gives out."
So I did as he desired and came away.
I wonder if he has yet killed a Jaguar
or has a Jaguar killed him? The chances
are about even.
Story of Pilot Boys of Norway
$ ... . . .. . ........................ .. . . . . . . . . , . .
when the Vessel approached he lights a plare-up.
THE hardy Norseman takes to the
Bea like a duck to a pond. He is
almost amphibious. Tho young
sters on the coast begin to work for
their living at an early age, and It is
astonishing what different phases of
sea life tho boys fill to the satisfaction
of their employers and themselves. The
Norwegian pilot-boat, a clumsy-looking-
craft of some 30 feet in length, is
perhaps as seaworthy a' craft of her
size as swims the sea.
She has a large cruising ground.
She carries a sprit sail of fair size and
several Jibs to suit the weather. Caro
fully handled, she will ride out the
heavy gales which In the German
ocean kick up a dangerous and choppy
sea that calls for all the seaworthy
qualities of a sailing vessel.
The boat is manned by a pilot and
his boy. Her cruising ground Is be
tween" the Naze and the Skaw-r-proml-nent
landmarks for vessels bound to
Norwegian ports or harbors in the Bal
tic or Gulf of Finland.
The pilot-boat is run alongside the
ship, thfr pilot Jumps aboard and the
boy trims sheet and- steers for his
home port, which' may be as far north
as Stawanger.
The sail Is loner and lonely, but the
boy contrives to navigate thither,
blow high or blow low. H seems to
have the homing instinct of the pigeon
as the only aid to navigation that he
has Is a chart and a compass. An
easterly sale often blows him far off
his course.
Some of these boys are only 13 or 14
years old. They are the youngest nav
tcators on any sea. Flaxen of hair,
with blue eyes and rosy cheeks, they
are brave and sturdy sailors. Their
diet is chiefly salt fish and sea biscuit
when afloat, but sometimes the ves
sel that takes the pilot will throw the
youngster a chunk of cooked salt beef
or salt pork, and sometimes a hunk of
plum duff for his own private con
sumption; but these cases are compar
atively rare, and the boy generally
has to depend .upon the narrow r&
sources of his own larder.
His little craft carries no side lights.
"Whenever a vessel approaches him he
lights a flare-up signal a torch of
oakum soaked in tar or kerosene.
On his solitary voyage to his home
port he sleeps In the daytime, his boat
steering herself. In this way he pre
pares for the vigU of tho night.
The dangers he encounters are many
and great, but he takes them in a
matter-of-fact i way highly creditable
to him. It is strange that so few of
these boats are lost. The truth is that
their model 1b such as to withstand
Just the sort of weather they meet. In
their principal features they resemble
the viking- ships of old, which in their
adventurous voyages weathered the
heaviest Atlantic gales and ravaged
the British and Irish Sea coasts in
many a hostile and bloody raid.
The young Norwegian after his
training In the pilot-boats or mackerel-boats
mans trading; ships of every
country.
"Lars or Nils or Os.car has one ideal,
and that Is to Bhlp aboard an Amarican
yacht, preferably a steam craft, where
he lives a happy life, well fed and well
treated. He is a frugal, thrifty sailor,
and his earnings, with but few deduc
tions, are sent home to gladden many
a Scandinavian fireside. ' '
He gets on an average ?30 a month
on a yacht, an amount which looks
very big to him In comparison with
the scanty wages paid tp sailors under
the Norwegian flag.
A Future Magnate.
Cub Run Cor. Har County News.
Mr. Jesse Taylor says ho will buy all
of the wasp nests he can get and pay a
good price for them, to fill with molas
ses and sell them for honey.
THE CHAMBER OF EXECUTION
Remarkable and Thrilling: Illusion That Can Easily Be Produced.
iy-wNB of the most perfect and startling
I illusions possible that can bo pro
duccd with the most simple means
is the illusion of tho execution chamber.
It is always sure to make a hit.
Tho spectators aro Introduced into a
room, or they aro seated, before a curtain,
which Is withdrawn suddenly. Immediate
ly they behold a very realistic tableau
of an o!d-tlmo execution. A headsman's
block covered with black cloth supports
the head of a living person stretched be
fore them. A headsman stands over him
The Misdeeds of pillydoll and Japlittle. No. IV
GHANDPA Jack Springh&sg rpoa be
came so. exerted that he leaped clean
out of his house and began to teeter
around on his long, thin, spiral legs. In
stead of being sorry to see an old and
venerable man. make such a show of him
self. Dillydoll punched Japllttle in the
ribs and said: "Grandpa Jack Is having
fun with those policemen, isn't he?"
So ho was.
No doubt. Grandpa Jack Springbang, be
ing a ven-er-a-ble and xespect-a-ble old
party, only attacked tho two policemen
with such in-tense and un-ex-am-pled fury
and des-per-a-tion because he was highly
excited. But the natural cast of his kind
ly coun-ten-ance was so lovely that even
in-his violence he looked deeply pleased.
Bo old Tame Guddyguddygudd, who was
walking by Just then, said to herself:
"Ah I Now I can seo through that old
villain. He has lived here In our midst
for 71 years, four months and three days,
and all that time he has acted so nice and
kind that we all thought he was the best
man a-llving. All but me. I always says.
'says I: 'Walt and see! "Walt and seel'
I says that GO-year ago, when he was only
10-year old, and I says that only last
week. And now we have it! Ixok at the
bad, bad old man smiling like anything
while he Is fighting! That shows how ho
loves to fight!"
You cannot see old Dame Guddyguddy
gudd in the picture, because she Just
SNEAKED past. That's why.
Old Grandpa Jack Springbang did not
really love to fight. But his thin, spiral
legs seemed -to be full of life and he could
1 ' " I
......... ... ......... . ... ,
not help but feel excited, so he kept on
bobbing up and down and this way and
that way, and every time he bobbed, he
would hit either Cllbclub or Clubcllb very
hard on their beautiful and carefully made
faces.
Sometimes he would hit them both.
One time Cllbclub would fall down and
another time Clubcllb would fall down.
It was a hor-ri-fy-lng scene.
Yet It was not to be expected that
Grandpa Jack Springbang could long defy
the forces of law and order. The police
were bound to rule In the end. So It was
In this case.
But Dillydoll and Japllttlo did not care
whp won. All they wished was to seo
everybody fight and get hurt. They even
laughed like anything and more too when
the ambulance came with a ding-dong and
took poor little Blackerblack to the hospi
tal whero the doctors snlpsnapped with
scissors on his poor head and stitched
and cross-stitched him.
Yes. All the time, Dillydoll and Jap
little Just laughed -Hahahahahahah!
i
Which of Them Was to Blame
" r . . . , . , . . . . ,
THE PTVAfg CAT SAID NOT A WORD.
I ',
gg OHNNYS a good boy!" said the
J green and red parrot from his
perch.
"Humph!" said the black cat. "Do you
think It manners to be always praising
yourself? Green and red feathers don't
prove goodness."
"Johnny's a good boy! Johnny's a
pretty good boy!"
"Conceited, stuck-up old bird! Fur Is
better than feathers any -day. I'd be
ashamed' to go around with an extra claw
on the end of my nose. Don't bother mo
any more with your virtues, my break
fast's waiting."
"Johnny -wants his breakfast!"
"Well, don't you Interfere with mine.
Stay on your perch and eat your old sun
flower seeds," said this ill-natured black
cat.
"Johnny wants his. breakfast!" said the
parrot, and down from his perch he went,
head first, and scuttled toward the black
cat's basin.
"R-r-r-r-r-r-! st! st! st-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!
Squawk!"
There was a whirl, of fur ands feathers,
black, red and green.
Then the air cleared as the parrot
screamed "Edna!" Edna!"
In came their mistress flying to find
Johnny back on his perch looking like
the wake of a cyclone, while the black
cat was humped like an Inch worm, and
his tail was large and waving.
"Oh, you baddies, why do you quarrel
soZ" cried Edna. "Tell me now, which
wa3 to blame?" and she looked straight
into the black cat's guilty face.
The black cat said not a word, 'but
Johnny, gazing Innocently, out of his one
open eye, said:
"Johnny's a pretty good boy! Come
back and kiss Johnny!"
with a huge ax ready to do his offloe. A
deep-toned bell Is tolling slowly, solemnly.
An official in a long robe or cloak stands
facing the headsman. He holds a hand
kerchief. It Is raised above his head. As
the bell ceases tolling he drops It. The
headsman raises his ax swiftly and imme
diately brings it down with a thud upon
the neck of his victim. A moment elapses.
All is still.
All at once the decapitated man arises,
and as7 he docs so all see the red circular
section of his neck where the ax passed
through It. He passes out of a door,
leaving his head behind him. A cloth is
thrown over the. head and the astonished
and puzzled audience Is dismissed.
Although under ordinary circumstances.
It would be absurdly superfluous to use
such a precaution, yet In this illusion the
arfalr looks so real that it tnere are
nervous women or girls among the au
dience It 13 Just as well to assure them
before the trick is performed that it Is a
trick and not to be taken seriously.
This la tho way It Is done: A boy with
a high forehead and with rather long
hair is selected for the victim.
Ho lies down on his back full length
upon the floor In order to allow himself
to be "mado up."
The young artist who makes him up is
provided with a paint box of water colors,
or at least with a cake of red and one of
black paint, a brush or two, a red crayon
or pencil, a glass of water and a bit of
putty, and a little face powder. In lack
of face powder flour will answer.
He rasps, scrapes or flies enough of
the red pencil Into the powder to make It
pink.
Then he paints black eyebrows upon his
subject's face, at the same distance under
the eyes as the real eyebrows are above
the eyes. These painted eyebrows must
be curved in the opposite direction from
the real ones.
Then with his putty he models a false
nose upside down upon the subject's fore
head, between the eyes and extending to
ward the roots of the hair far enough to
leave room between them and the nose to
paint a mouth.
Having done this, he uses his red paint
to paint Hps in the space left between
the hair and the nose. A pair of mus
taches can be- made of black wool or of
excelsior, or, better still, bought at a toy
shop for a nickel, and pasted on with
mucilage in the proper place.
A part of the victim's face that has
been treated nose and all has now to
be well powdered.
As the subject lies on the floor he seems
now to have two faces, two noses, two
mouths and two sets of eyebrows.
Throw a piece of drapery over his body
and over hl3 face below the eyes, and It
looks as if you had before you- a head
decorated with a mustache and beard, but
lacking a body. Iet the boy subject He
behind a curtain so that only this much
of his face can be seen.
Now let another boy put on a coat that
Is a bit too large for him. Take hold of
the lapel, of the coat, pull it up and but
ton It above tho boy'3 head. It Is a trick
boys often practice It makes a person
look as If his shoulders sloped consid
erably and as if he had no head at all!
In the collar of the coat, flat upon the
head of the boy Inside of it, fasten a cir
cular piece of pasteboard painted red.
This Is tho section of neck that shows as
he rises after he hag, to all appearances,
been decapitated.
Lay tills boy down so that the collar of
bis coat comes against that part of the
other boy's head projecting from under
the curtain. "When the blade of the ax.
&
NW WNNY
N N CAN
&EALLY
-SAY
3UT1Y
MAY PR?3)D?NT
JW DAY
L . - i
which 13 made of pasteboard, comes down,
the boy who holds the handkerchief and
whom you may be sure no one is noticing
particularly at that moment, gives a lit
tle stamp with his foot. That is the thud
of the ax. The deep-toned bell Is a poker
hung up by a string and struck with a
stick.
- An Oriental Answer,
liipplncott's.
It was in a Maine Sunday school that a
teacher recently asked a Chinese pupil
she was teaching to read if he understood
the meaning of the words "an old cow."
"Been cow a long time," was the prompt
answer.
THE AXE COMES DOWN WITH. A THUD.