TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTE3IBER 6, 1908.
3
i
V
Four-Footed Mountain Guide
BT W..W. FENS.
HAT do you say, my boy?
How did I first meet my old
friend? "Well, rather strangely;
but It's a Ion story. Tou would like to
hear It? Ah. I daresay, but If I tell It to
you I must leave off painting for a while
I can't attend to my work and Carnedd
at the same time. Leave off for a bit,
and tell you about hlmT 'Well, I will I
don't mind to oblige you.
'Some ten Summers ago I and my wife,
with two young women friends of hers,
were Maying at a small place called Aber.
on the coast of Wales much aa we are
staying here, you know. now. I was
sketching all day. and ths ladles used to
amuse themselves after their fashion.
Sometimes, I daresay, they got a little
bored, and so, to vary their amusements.
I agreed to give up a day, and go with
them on an excursion up Carnedd Lle
wellyn, one of the many high mountains
abounding In the neighborhood.
"Starting early, therefore, on a glorious
morning, we toiled on up the slopes for
an hour or two, the way becoming mora
and more difficult the higher we went.
After some hard work, however, wa
reached the summit; but we had not been
' allowed to enjoy the magnificent view
very long before there came on rather
suddenly a thick, drizzling mist, which
grew every minute until we found our
eelves In a dense fog through which you
could not see five yards away.
"We started to return, but In a short
: time we had lost all Idea of our where-
- abouts. The cold was Intense, and. to
' add to our discomforts, we found our
' selves In some boggy ground In which.
at almost every step, we sank ankle-deep
below the treacherous surface.
"After wandering about for a long time
', things began to look very serious. The
girls were quite exhausted, and. although
I tried to put the best face on the matter,
I was secretly very anxious on their ac
count In the event of our being unable to
' find our way down the mountain before
nightfall.
"Tfred and dispirited, we at last sat
down on the leeward side of a rock to
finish the remainder of our sandwiches,
of which we had by that time but a very
small supply, about one each.
"While we were engaged In finishing our
sandwiches. I caw, looming up through
the mist, what at first appeared to be a
huge animal as big aa an elephant, but
which, as It came closer, proved to be
only a collie dog. He came up within a
yard or two of us. and for a minute or so
regarded us with great attention. I offered
him half my sandwich which he accepted,
and we Immediately became friends.
"And Is that the dog, sir?" Interrupted
the boy. pointing at the animal asleep un
der the hedge.
"Yes that's my friend, Carnedd," an
swered the artist.
The animal raised his head, blinked af
fectionately at his master, and giving one
or two thwacks upon the grass with his
tail, speedily resigned himself to repose
again.
"Well, to proceed." resumed the artist,
"after a short time I noticed that the dog
went away a few yards, and then stopped
and looked back to us. After thki had
been repeated several times, it struck me
he did this purposely to Induce us to fol
low him. Thinking he might lead us to
his master, who might be somewhere on i
the mountain. 1 proposed to the ladies
that we should follow the dog as the only
chance that offered of our escaping from
our unpleasant and dangerous situation.
"The suggestion was acted upon at once
Little Children of the
BT ELIOT M'CORMICK.
- PART II.
esOM C3GOOD. meanwhile, had
I trudged his weary way along the
road around the foot of the moun
tain, and about 7 o'clock had reached the
city gates. Just before reaching It he
stopped for a moment and looked down
Into the river that flowed swiftly below
the city walls. The sight struck a chord
of recollection.
"What was it I used to read about this
place?" he asked himself vainly. "Seems
to me It was In a piece I spoke once at
achool."
To his surprise, when he reached the
hotel where they had agreed to meet.
Fred was not there nor had anything
been heard of him. His wait, however,
did not last long. In fifteen minutes the
door opened and Fred came in.
There was a strangw look of excitement
on Fred's face, and his step was more
active. Tom thought, than a boy's ought
to be who had Just walked over the Kop
pen berg.
"Feel my pXiUe, won't you. Tom?" he
cried nervously, "and see If I've got a
fever. Did I seem out of my head when
I left you? Did I talk wild, Tom? Did
you ever hear of Insanity in my family?
Really and truly, Tom, I don't know
whether I'm crazy or not."
Tom was gazing at his friend In speech
less amazement.
"What In the world's got Into you?" he
gasped.
"It didn't get into me, I got Into It, and
It was a lunatic asylum as near as I could
make out. Only the keeper looked like a
clown In a circus and the rest were all
children. I tried to get one of them away,
Tom" Fred's voice broke a little "but
just then the whole thing vanished, just
like people do In a dream, you know. I
don't know where she went. I could see
the spot where she stood, but she wasn't
there "
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
Interrupted Tom.
"Dreaming! Do I generally dream In
daylight? Would I stop to dream when
I was In such a hurry to get here ahead
of you? And, besides, Tom. I can whistle
the march the man played. Just listen."
Fred was a good whistler. Now his ex
citement lent strength and. clearness to
his notes, so that the porter was drawn
by them from his desk, the Ober-kenner
from the dining-room, the director from
the office and most of the guests from the
reading and smoking-rooms. In fact, be
fore Fred was through he had quite an
audience, most of whom, he noticed, had
a puzzled look on their faces as though
something about the whistle or the tune
were out of the way. Wbat the look
meant he did not have long to wait to
find out.
"You whistle very well, sir." the direc
tor remarked, almost before Fred was
fairly through, "but perhaps you were
not aware that that tune la forbidden in
Hameln."
Fred was surprised.
"Why," he stammered, "I only learned
It today."
The director shook his head sagaciously.
"It Is not allowed In Hameln." he re
peated. "I wouldn't .whistle It again If I
were you."
"But why not?" demanded Fred.
"For the same reason," gravely, "that
It Is forbidden to play music of any kind
in the Buirnstrasee."
Fred scared.
"What is in the Bungenstraase?" be
asked, "and why may not one play In It?"
The director bowed, gravely.
"Probably the young herren will recall
the story, for one of their English poets
and the collie went before us apparently
well pleased to be our guide. I am cer
tain he was quite aware of the service he
H was doing us, because, if occasionally he
went out of sight In the thick mist, he In
variably cama back to us to see If w
were following. '
"For more than an hour we plodded
wearily on, walking principally along nar-
row sheep tracks, until, at last, quite sud
denly, we emerged from the mist Into
you will be surprised to hear bright sun
shine again, and found ourselves Just
above the Aber waterfall. I should tell
you. my boy. that immediately before do
ing this we discovered that we had passed
along the narrow path on the lace of the
rock, with a precipice on the near side
so narrow that no person could pass an
other. But the. mist here was of some
service, for had the danger been seen,
none of the party would have been bold
enough to venture on this dangerous
track."
has written about It. It happened over
600 years ago that the town of Hameln
wasr overrun with rats "
That was enough. Tom had found his
clew.
"Of course, I've read it!" ho cried.
"Don't you recollect. Fred? They could
not get rid of them, and one day an old
fellow came into town and offered to pipe
them out for a thousand dollars, or what
ever It was. and they took him up. But
when he had done It, and the rats were
all drowned In the river, they wouldn't
stick to the bargain, and so he struck up
his pipe again, and this time all the ehil'
dren followed him why, what's the mat
ter. Fred?"
"The young gentleman Is 111." exclaimed
ths portier, and would Rave rushed oft
for a doctor had not Fred Interfered.
"No, no!" impatiently; "I'm not sick,
Tom; but don't you see? Is it so?" turn
ing to the director. "Is that the story?"
The director nodded. "All the children
In the town followed him as far as the
mountain side, and then, when their
fathers and mothers thought they could
go no farther, the mountain opened and
they were all swallowed up all, that is.
but one little boy who was dumb, and
another who was lame. This was the
street they went down. On the Ratten-
faengerhauser opposite is a tablet com
memorating the event, and ever since
that time there has been no music played
In the Bungenstraase. Even If a. bridal
procession goes through the street, the
music must not play.
And the tune which you were whistling
was the tune the piper played- It was
scored at the time by the kapellmeister,
"You r sil.Air" j
"On reaching the public road the dog
left us. One of the ladies fainted with
exhaustion as wa entered the village of
Aber, but the next day no one was much
the worse for our mountain experience.
"I found the dog belonged to a, farmer
in the neighborhood. We purchased him.
giving him the name of Carnedd Llewellyn
In remembrance of his opportune service
Wa had spent altogether three months at
Aber, and, a few days after I had bought
the dog, left Wales and returned to my
home In Connecticut bringing Carnedd
with us. . - i
'There, that's his story. Now, my young
friend, you be off, and let me go on with
my work," said the painter, rising and.
knocking the ashes, out of his pipe. "It
you come and see me again tomorrow,
perhaps I can tell you another story or
two of Carnedd's intelligence. But for
the present, goodby."
(Copyright, lns, by the McClure News
paper Syndicate.)
Kopperiberg
and every one In Hameln knows It, just
as one knows 'Der Wacht am Rheln'; but
no ona may play It or whistle It or sing
it on the streets. Of course. If the young
gentleman had known It was forbidden,
he would not have whistled it,"
"Of course not," said Fred, abstract
edly.
Fifteen minutes later the . boys were
standing underneath the tablet. Tom", In
the meantime, had listened in open
mouthed wonder to Fred's story of his
adventure in the mountain.
"What In the world does It say?" asked
Tom.
Fred scanned It as closely as he could
in the fading light.
"It's hard to tell." he said. "Part of It
Is Latin and part German, but It's badly
spelled, and there is soma of It that
must be Dutch. As near as I can make
out, it reads like this:
" 'In the year 1284. on the day of St.
John and St. Paul, which was the 26th
of Juno' this very day, Tom 'a piper
with parti-colored clothes led 130 children
born in Hameln by the Koppenberg to
Calvary.' That means to their death, I
suppose. .
Tom nodded, and for a minute the boys
looked at one another without speaking.
"Well, what are you going to do about
It?" asked Tom at length.
With another look at the tablet, Fred
turned toward the hotel.
"There's nothing to be done about it,"
ha said "I don't think I bad better tell
anybody here."
- Tom deliberated a minute.
"No, I don't think you had," he said.
"It happened six hundred and twenty-
four years ago. There aren't any of their
relatives alive, and nobody would believe
you, anyhow. Besides, they seemed to
be having a good time, didn't they?"
Fred's gaze turned down the street
toward the mountain where so' many
years ago the little feet had pattered to
their grave.
But was It their grave?
He wondered If Instead of dying they
had not lived all the time, and whether
any one else had ever seen them besides
himself. He was so absorbed. Indeed,
that he did not hear Tom's question until
It was repeated.
"Oh, did you speak V he asked. "Yes,
I suppose they were. She said so." ,
(The End.)
(Copyright. 1908, by Lothrop. Lee &
Shepard Co.)
Winning a Way in
the West
CHAPTER IX.
ROT and Burt expected an attack from
the two strangers at once, but It did
not come. Instead of that, the fel
lows looked around them for several min
utes, and then the one called Bill quietly
said:
"Well, boys, you have struck it rich
here and must have taken out a good bit
of gold. We don't want what you have
taken out, but you will have to move on."
"And why?" asked Roy.
"Because this Is our claim. We took it
up a week or more ago, but-had to go out
after provisions. Tou can see our stakes
from where you stand. Can't be no claim
jumping here, you know. You wouldn't
have dug here, only you are boys and
don't know the mining laws. You'll have
to move on and take up claims some
where else."
"But those are our own stakes. We
have been In this valley a week, and I
am sure no one was ahead of us."
"Don't call us liars," said the other
stranger, who answered to the name of
Sam. "We came in here and staked out
these two claims, and we propose to bold
them. We don't want any trouble with
any one, but we must have our own. You
can keep what you've got, and If you
want to go back to Big Camp we'll buy
your outfit. There's nothing mean about
us. You are a couple of honest-looking
boys, and we want to be fair with you.
Talk It over terreen yourselves."
The men walked away a distance of 100
feet and sat down, and after the boys had
looked at each other for a moment Roy
said: ,
"Burt, we've got to fight. We have
found the richest spot In the Black Hills,
and we must not let those fellows drive
us away. They have never been in this
valley before. I don't believe they'd let
us no If we agreed to. They'd keep us
prisoners here so that we couldn't tell
outsiders of the find. They might even
kill us."
"Have we got to shoot them?" asked
Burt In a whisper, as his face turned
white.
. "Yes, If they try to drive us out."
"But I I "
"Now, don't tell me that you are going
to play the booby. You are going to help
me defend this camp, it those fellow
get shot in trying to rob us, that will be
their lookout. If we don't fight we shall
never live to get out of this valley. They
are coming now, and I'm going to. tell
them what we have decided on. ;
"Well, boys, hare you decided to pack
tip and gor
"No, sir, we haven't," replied Roy. "Ws
found this flace first and staked out our
claims, and we won t be driven out.
"You won't, eh? Well, I think youjl go
or be buried right herel We are not the
men to put up with any foolishness. Get
a move on you right away, or you'll find
bullets singing about your ears!"
Roy crouched down behind one bowlder
and Burt another, and both pointed their
rifles run at tne men. up to tnis moment
the fellows did not know that ths boys
were armed.
"If you fire one shot at us you are dead
boys!" shouted Bam, -as ha started for
ward at a slow pace, and at the same
time drawing his revolver from its hoi
ster. '
"Stop where you are or we'll shoot I'
replied Roy; and as the men came on the,
reports of the two rifles rang out to
gether) '.'
One can't blame Burt for being fright
ened and not taking good aim. Roy was
also trembling, but his bullet struck Sam
In the right arm and whirled him around
and sent him to the ground. The one
fired by Burt sang by the ear of the other
man, and made him jump aside. He
sought cover behind a bowlder and fired
five or six shots In return, but they did
no damage. While he was shooting, ths
other man was rolling around on the
ground and cursing in an awful manner.
He finally got to his feet and went stag
gering off down the valley, and directly
his partner followed him, turning and
shouting at the boys as he went:
"Don't think ws are 'going away! We
will have your lives for this!
"And what will they do?" asked the
white-faced -Burt, as the boys stood up
to watch the rascals go.
"They won't leave the valley you may
be sure of that," replied Roy. ."They
will go Into camp somewhere down there
and we must be on the watch all the
time. The one I hit will keep pretty
quiet, but we must look out for the
other."
No more digging was done that after
noon. The time was spent in rolling up
more bowlders and getting a good defense
ready against any attack that might be
made that night or on the morrow. W hen
night came the boys took turns at stand
ing guard, and though ready for any move
nothing occurred to alarm them.
When morning came Roy made a scout
half a mile down the valley and located
the men. The unwounded one had erected
a brush house for shelter and now sat In
front of it cooking breakfast. The other
could not be seen, but his voice could be
heard growling and cursing. It was evl
dent that he was pretty severely wound
ed. On hlg return to camp Roy said to
his brother:
"I shall begin to dig again, and you will
stand guard and give the alarm in case
the men. come this way. I think my bul-
r
yew coiriOoS '
oAii Ann- v fl
Seem$ "to me
OCCOl-
I ncyev-i knew
Yet Grnd rncv
Sdacf 'one levt
let took all the fight out of one of them,
but we must look out for the other."
Ths day passed that way. Roy dug and
delved, and Burt stood guard, and nothing
happened. They were cooking supper
when they were hailed by the unwounded
rascal from a distance of 10 rods with:
"Hello, the camp! I am not armed, and
I want to talk to you for a bit."
"Well, what is It?" asked Roy.
"My partner is in a bad way. Have you
got any rags I can use for bandages? I
also want a little whisky, if you have
some. I'm sorry we had any trouble. We
will go away as soon as he Is able."
"We have nothing for you," was an
swered, "and if you come a step nearer
you will get a bullet."
Both boys had seen the man sneaking
nearer as he talked.
(To be concluded next week.)
'
A Truthful Story of a Ghost
(By Dr. Arthur Stradllng.)
WE don't aspire to the possession
of a ghost In my family, but we
have a ghost story one of the
modern kind, too, with all the latest Im
provements. Let me tell it to you, be
ginning at the beginning.
An uncle of mine, who lived down In
Wiltshire, England, had a very great
friend, their intimacy dating from their
schoolboy days. They had grown up to
gether in close companionship; but when
both had reached middle life, circum
stances separated them. My uncle mar
ried, and his friend went abroad, settling
somewhere In the Rocky Mountains,
where, after corresponding regularly for
a time, he lapsed into unaccountable
silence. No one kneV whether he was
dead or alive.
Well, one evening, after some years
had, gone by without a word from the
wanderer, and when (as would naturally
happen) he was much less frequently In
the thoughts of those whom he left be
hind him, J hey having long since given
up all hope or expectation of ever seeing
him again, one evening my uncle, who
. m
They looked full in .each others eyes
Hunting Big Came in British India
IT was in connection with elephant
hunting two years ago that I was
fortunate enough to shoot the third
largest elephant ever killed In India,
writes Edward Pinches In Forest and
Stream. It measured 10 feet 4 Inches !n
height from the shoulder and the cir
cumference of foot was 62 Inches; It was
a "goonda" a solitary mule. It had
been giving considerable trouble fighting
our keonkies, and I applied to the gov
ernment for permission to shoot the
brute. One night the elephant amused
Itself by breaking down the servants
tent and nearly killed two men.
I had a small camp and several friends
were staying with me to see the wild
lephauts taken out of the stockade. We
were all admiring them, when one of my
elephant hunters rushed up and said that
the goonda was going for the keonkies.
This was most serious, as some of the
wild elephants were at that very moment
'roped to tame ones and being tied up to
trees. If the goonda got among them
some elephant would probably be killed,
and certainly some of the drivers.
There -was only one thing to do. The
goonda must be stopped at all costs.
Seizing my rifle, a .160 bore high ve
locity, I ran Into the forest to cut him
off. I bad not gone more than 20 yards
In the forest before I saw the huge
brute, but what was more to the point,
he' also saw me. There was Just one
moment' of hesitation, when he seemed
undecided whether to go for the keon
kies or to come for me. He decided oil
the latter course, and with a shrill trum
pet, charged straight down on me, the
very Incarnation of rage. It was a glor
ious sight, one of thosa moments which
make life worth living. I let him get
within 10 yards, then shot him clear
through the brain. He dropped stone
dead to the one shot, shaking the earth
as he fell, and one more trophy was add
ed to my collection.
Hunting big game is one of the most ex
citing and interesting of sports. Assam
s but little known outside of India, and
yet 4n its dense jungles roam the ele
phant, rhinoceros, buffalo, tiger, bear,
etc.
Even In the present day there are huge
tracts of virgin forest teeming with game
of all descriptions. Perhaps for the true
lover of sport the most lnteerstlng Is the
catching of wild elephants. These roam
the hills of Assam in large numbers; fre-
uently as many as a hundred have been
captured in a single drive.
Of course there are several ways of
catching elephants. In Assam it is gen
erally done by driving them Into a stock
ade, or else by what Is called '"rnela
shikar." In the case of the latter only
one elephant can be caught at a time
and not over about ( teet f ftwhes In
held an Important official position on the
Great Western Railway, was at Reading
Station, about to return to his home, In
Wiltshire. There was no train due for
nearly three hours to start on the branch
line, by which he must travel to his des
tination; but all forms and varieties of
rolling stock were available to him by
virtue of his office, and he was, there-
fore, pushing his way along the platform
to take the seat with which he was ac
commodated on a "milk train." devoted
to the conveyance of the returned empty
cans to the town In which he resided.
I say he was pushing along the platform
because a down express had Just come
In, and he had to make his way against
a stream of folks who had disembarked
temporarily therefrom, with a view to
spending the five minutes" stop In the re
freshment room.
What he was thinking about, as he
stemmed the crowd hurrying in the op
posite direction, I can't exactly tell you;
but he assured me that hl mind was,
so entirely "preoccupied with business
matters that he scarcely noticed the
pressure of the throng, and that cer
tainly nothing was further from his
thoughts than ghostly apparitions or
height. The method is as follows: Two
fast female tame elephants are usually
chosen. On the back of each elephant Is
a driver and one other to help with the
ropes. The elephants are taken into the
forest where wild elephants are known
to be.
Search Is then made for fresh tracks of
a herd. When these are found the herd
Is followed up till the tame elephants get
In among the wild ones.. The one to be
hunted Is then selected and the tame ones
gradually edge up close to It. stopping
when It doe? and feeding alongside it. A
young female is generally chosen. As
soon as each tame elephant has closed In
on each side of the wild one a rope with
a noose is thrown over the neck of the
latter by the driver of each tame ele
phant. As soon as he feels the rope the
wild one bolts, and the tame elephants
have to chase till he Is finally run down,
which is generally done in about one
hour.
The elephant drivers have to be very
careful, as they are liable to be knocked
off by branches of trees or overhanging
creeper?.. This kind of hunting calls for
great endurance and Is 'only done by na
tives. The best way to hunt elephants Is by
driving. JJsually about the end of Octo
ber the elephants come down from the
hills to the salt licks. These are dotted
about at the foot of the hills. Every
year In Assam the right to catch ele
phants is put up at auction by the gov
ernment officials and knocked down to
the highest bidder. Whoever has pur
chased what Is called the "mehal" has
the sole right to catch elephants and pro
ceeding to the hunting districts and near
one of the salt licks much frequented by
elephants, erects a stockade.
A large number of coolies are employed.
These - cut down the trees In the forest
Into posts and drive them firmly Into the
ground. They are bound together and
long posts are braced against them for
support. Inside the stockade a big ditch,
generally about 4 feet deep and 5 feet
wide, is made around the stockade. This
is done to prevent the elephants from
using their great strength against the
stockade.
Along both sides leading to the enclos
ure trees are felled and a guiding fence
made leading right to the salt lick and
left open at the side the elephants usual
ly enter the salt lick. A huge gate Is
made and this Is closed by a rope. Big
pieces of timber are used for barricading
it from the outside. The Inside of the
stockade is left as near like nature as
possible and around the enclosure men
are placed on platforms among the trees,
watching night and day, as there is no
telling when the elephants will visit the
salt licks. Along the tops of the trees
their counterparts of flesh and blood.
Yet, no sooner was he seated In the soli
tude of his reserved compartment than
the image of his lost friend rushed upon
him with such force and Intensity, and
the conviction of his unseen presence,
there In the growing darkness was so
real, and yet so intangible, that my
uncle, though a prosaic, hard-headed
raHway man, felt irresistibly Impressed
with the Idea that he was the subject
of a supernatural visitation. And this
impression grew upon him rather than
diminished during the Journey, reason
with himself on the absurdity of allow
ing such thoughts to master his Judg
ment as he would. Did it portend an
accident to the train, or what was it?
He pinched himself toj make sure that
he was awake. No, he was not dream
ing, all unreal as the experience seemed.
As I have Intimated, he was a prac
tical man, and the last person in the
world to give way to any foolish fancies
about hob-gobllns or their kind; but
at the same time he had the courage to
recognize the fact that here was some
thing worthy of investigation, let thoga
laugh who would. So he determined to
follow the strange Incident up. as far as
he could, in quest of an explanation.
Therefore, as soon as he got home, ha '
sat down and wrote off a letter to the.
secretary of the Society for the Further
ance of Psychical Research, detailing all
the circumstances while they were still
vividly impressed upon his mind.
Neglecting his already long-delayed
dinner, my uncle went out to post the
letter with his own hand. The whole
affair seemed so important that he was
not willing to trust even so small a
matter as this in connection with it to
a. servant. There was a letter box close
to the house, but it was too late for
collection there, and he had to go to the
general postoffloe In the market place.
He had Just dropped It In the box. and
was In the act of turning to wend his
way homeward, when he saw. or thought
he paw unless his eyes were playing
him false there, on the opposite side of
the market place, on the edge of the
dark shadow of the old Guildhall there,
with the full glare of the gas lamp
streaming upon him, standing, the
friend of his youth.
It was almost too much for his over
wrought nerves, and how he crossed the
now silent and deserted street he did
not remember; but anyhow he found
himself on the other rtrte a moment later,
clutching the lamp post, and confronting
the apparition face to face.
They looked In each other's eyes for
the space of a minute or so. mute and
breathless. Then the specter dealt him
a most unghostly dig in the ribs.
"Why, you old rascal!" he cried, In a
very earthly voice, "then it was you at
Reading Just now!"
There you have It. It had been a case
of what they call nowadays "unconscious
cerebration" with my uncle something
the same sort of thing that occurs with
us when anybody asks us a question
while we are reading a deeply Inter
esting book. We hear, and may even
answer mechanically, but we look tip
presently and say, "What Is It? Oh. yes,
so and so" as the full meaning of the
question which we have received dawns
gradually upon us.
My uncle had seen his friend and
looked straight at him while treading
his way through the crowd on the plat-
form; but, with his mind preoccupied
with other and very different matters.
the mental photograph had not developed
as It were until he reached the railway
carriage, and then he could not properly
locate It.
How the wraith helped to devour my
uncle's dinner when they got home, with
appetite sharpened by his lone deten
tion at Reading Station; what a lot he
had to tell and ask and explain, and how
they drifted into uproarious reminiscen
ces of their bachelor days1, laughing un
til they woke the children up, and sitting
up so late that my aunt got quite an
noyedall these things you can Imagine
for yourselves.
But their merriment did not reach Its)
climax till my uncle put a bold face upon,
it and told the recent ghostly trial which
he had undergone, though he knew It
would be a joke against him for ever
more. It's my belief that If he hadn't
told it then he would never have told
it at all. and I should't be writing this, i
(Copyright, 1908, by the McClure News-,
paper Syndicate.)
leading to the salt licks clackers are
fixed to a string which runs along past;
the salt licks, so that when the string
Is pulled they make a great noise.
At the end of the fence men are hidden
with guns. As soon as the elephants en
ter the (alt licks men have been watch
ing every move from the tops of trees
and It is thought that all the herd are
through the salt licks, the men at the;
end fire off their guns and the clackers"
are pulled, making a tremendous noise.
The elephants at once stampeolo and nat-
urally make for where there Is no noise, j
for near the stockade everything Is quiet, j
Men follow behind the elephants till
they are driven right into the stockade, i
The gate Is then closed and barred. It j
Is a most exciting time when the ele-j
phants first enter the stockade,- for as'
soon as they discover they are closed In I'
they make frantic efforts to get out, i
charging at every side of the stockade, i
The men gathered around wave lighted
torches In the elephants' faces, and when
they get too close, prod them with spears. :
They also put the ends of split bamboos
Into the fire, which makes them explode
with a report like a gun. Y'oung ele
phants not accompanied by their mothers
frequently get killed as the elephants
rush about In the stockade.
Before entering the stockade the na
tives chant to their gods three times. As
the last chant Is finished, the gate, which
had been gradually unfastened. Is thrown
wide open and the keonkies enter to do
battle with the wild elephants. As soon
as they enter the stockade they are
formed up in front and on each side of
the gate to prevent the wild elephants
from making a rush and getting out and
away.
It Is a most Interesting and picturesque
sight seeing the keonkies first enter the
stockade. They now advance toward the
wild elephants and endeavor to separate
the one to be caught from the rest. As
soon as this Is done two keonkies range
up, one on each side. The wild one bolts
around the stockade, pursued by the
keonkies, until at last one of the drivers!
Is able to slip a noose o.'er the head of
the wild elephant.
In the majority of cases the wild ones
are taken straight out of the stockadoj
as soon as roped to the keonkies. but In i
the case of big tuskers they are usually
tied up to trees In the stockade and left)
for two or three days without food, to
weaken them. The wild elephants, afteri
being taken out of the stockade, are as1
soon as possible removed to the training'
ground, where would-be purchasers can;
inspect them. Sometimes we have a good;
deal of excitement In the stockade when!
a newly-roped wild elephant drags the1
tame ones clear off their feet, and accl-1
dents frequently occur.