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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1908)
' t. V ..i Thrilling Ate if eg dCTaTByg3K5f3WTaTt CHAO CHAHNG AND THE MAN-EATER 4 I . tef w ess 'Any boy or fix! who thinks the elephant is a slow, clumsy beast, ha net heard of Qiao Chahng, the biggest and strongest and most docile of all the Prahadali elephants. Prahada ia a chief elephant ma iter, who lives by the aid of the Menam River In Slam. There la at leatt one Incident In thla elephant's life that is worth the telling. One morning the Prahada aighted a great man eating tiger on a rock in the middle of the river. He had a warn there In the night and been caught by the rising tide. In tern minutes, lour elephants with their drircrs were deep la the pool, Chao Chahng leading. There had bees a rainfall somewhere op the river, and the muddy water was still slowly rising round the man-eater1! rock of refuge. Every tropical beaat stands In supreme dread of an inunda tion, and the tiger turned from his besiegers, minnte by minute, to sniff and growl Very soon, toe, three of the elephants shifted about in their tracks and made for the shore. Only Chao Chahng was left ; Something drifted past towards the rock a great teak log that the rising water had brought down from somewhere upstream. As it scraned along the rock the tiger glided epon it The heavy log, Boating deep in the water, sank lower beneath his weight as, crawling to the middle of ft, he was borne from the rock. Chao Chahng pushed swiftly forward trpon the tiger, who, balancing himself apon his unsteady support, coold move only forward or backward. At sight of the tusks and upraised trunk above him, the man-eater, with' a whins of fear, crept slowly back on tit log. But Chao Chahng, following his movements' with stolid Interest, sud denly struck him a sweeping side blow with his trunk that sent him Hying mto tha water. It waa battle that, began and ended in. an instant In that Instant the man-eater was dead amid the rising flow of waters, Chao Chahng stalked shoreward through tha flood, with the air of having just dis covered that tha river waa rising. The earth had been relieved of a terror to man. The elephant had shown Its courage, and fa its heavy plodding way seemed happy. A SXRTANGE CRAFT w ROM a boy's standpoint, Seattle is one of thfe moat lntereating ports on the Pacific coast Robert Cole, whose father had lost all his fortune after the boom had ended, lived very near the waterfront, and Vsed to spend many hours, when he was not in school, dangling his feet over the edge of a dock, tad watching the interesting shipping b the buay Sttget Sound port Bobby had a little craft himself. It was an old tow-boat with a leg-o'-mutton sail, but it did very well for a day's cruise. Charley Haggles, who was file son of one of the harbor pilots, and who had taught Bobby all ha knew about sailing and the 'jwinds and Hit and currents, nearly always went jarfth him on the daylight sail of exploration. ( .Ona day la August the boys had arranged to sail Over to the western shore of the Sound to a fishing settlement of Siwash Indiana. Bobby had coma j&own to the float where the Ready, as he called hia all-boat, was tied up; It waa early morning, with heavy mist over tha bay. Bobby peered over the wharf-edge and saw Charley balling oat the boat E Beyond, there was tha queerest-looking craft he had L i ..i . M Bjver seen, irerung against ui puw on vac vuier tide of the dock j in the mfst and against tha dark arface of the water he could hardly see her,.aP fbongh she was only a few yards away. AH aong bar thirty feet of thin, narrow length, she waa painted a dull, neutral gray, the color of battleships lo wer-time. At bar bow was a little black machlne no peeping out from a cover of gray canvas; she looked for all the world as if she were built for the of pirates. "Hello! Charley," cried Boh, "what boat Is thatr "Don't vott know?" answered the other, "that's Che Smuggler's Nightman, or at least that Is what fcbey call her." "The smuggler's what?" exclaimed Bobby, v 'Why you know how much smuggling of Chinamen -tod opium there is In the Sound. Well, that's the boat the government has bout to catch the smugglers. fcheV gray and can't be seen any distance, and she tats electric power and so is very fast and doesn't fjaake any noise. - . ... - f V I a. -she looks like a ferret, commented hodvj. I ' '' M. . 1 J .1. ..! I - V..V 11 fViA mArfL. v ws nave nau toe wmu i uui vav. ."v. fctg," said Bobby, about noon; "and unless it shifts fjre will have to beat our way every inch homeward." Suddenly the breeae dropped altogether, as if it fead been shut off by a curtain. Charley scowled. "We're going to be becalmed, la said finally. "I thought so." fWhat mean luck!" said Bobby, dipping nis hngers la tha water. "We ve only got one oar, ana we may Hot get any wind before to-morrow morning. Charles nodded. "What time is full tider he ftated. I dont know " said Robert "It most be nearly JaU now. Are you wondering "Yes," interrupted Charles. "I'm wondering now fkf the tide will take us before morning. The gray fog, damp and salty, had rolled up the fSiav and. orowinsr heavier and thicker, shut off the feght of the opposite shore. I ?Why, we are under way!" exclaimed Bob, at he Kelt the slight resistance of the helm. "And look jat that seaweed go byT He cast a glance at the teaH; It waa a till lying limp against the meet Ifa the tide!" aald Chart. -If a running out!" Both boys sat dejected and helpless, preparing themselves for a long fast and a cold night oo the fawteiv " . " ': " . Suddenly Bob started. "Did you hear thatr he tiled. The xauf3ed found of the explosive pound tsj of a naphth4auach came to them over the By RICHARD W. CHILD "Yes." said Charles, straining hia eara. "Listen! Ia It coming nearer? I think we'd better yell to them." He threw his head back and ahouted, "Ahoy, there!" several times. The noiae of the naphtha engine stopped for a moment Charlea continued hia hallooing and then a curious thing happened: behind the curtain of fog and darknesa the chugging noise of the launch began again; but this time, in stead of coming nearer, it faded rapidly away. The boys looked at each other in amaaeraent t was followed by two others carrying several small wooden boxes. Bob thought only of getting home; he had already filled hia lungs to shout, when he felt Charles's hand tighten upon his wrist and heard him whisper: "Keep still, Bobl Can't you see they're the smugglers! There's the launch we heard. See ft on the shore?" It was as Charles said: a black launch loaded with small wooden boxes had been pulled over the gravel into shallow water. "Lookl" whispered Charles in Robert's ear. "You can see their shadows through the trees. Now is the time for us to get away." -f -iOSSSi-a I sate -. i -';- ., . u yt ' " l,v'... :. '.. , ... .' ' ' . 7". " ' .': - '.. . - ..j''- . " -'- ft I- ', 7 I - v- ' - f'.'.V"')- f 7 7 7.. !-,! '.i', ,' . . .. ,. l'-r" -- -- t v'l I . a . ai ; ; I Iff ,idfm A Mmmm , . a, Ml Whene'er this stuffy, puffy scribe Sets out to write a diatribe, Or aught else that he pleases A busy, buzzy bumblebee. Perched on his desk, sagaclousljv Supplies him cooling breezes. THE SEARCH-LIGHT SUDDENLY SETTLED ON THE LAUNCH. pater; "Well, whoever they are they're mean enough," aaid Bob indignantly. Charles nodded. "1 should say so," said he. "Now we have the problem of spending the whole night in this wet mist; and, what Is mora, so one can tell where ws will be in the morning." . ' Suddenly the boat bumped over a rock and, with a slight shiver, turned half around. "Shallow water I" cried Robert "You're right!" said Charles; "and look therel" Both the boys could make out black aha do we against the moonlight -This is land, anyway," aald Bob. He stopped wddenly, for not fifty yards awayx through the pmea be saw the light" of a lantern moving toward the tacfc. It waa carried hx ft fbort atocky mas, arha Robert set his mouth in a determined manner. "See here, Charles," he said; "these men are . law breakers. They're cheating the government It would be cowardly to run." "Well, what are you going to dor inquired Charles. "Yon out rat a naphtha-launch." "Yes." "Then we haven't a second io lose. The men will be back in a minute. I'm going to take that launch and her cargo back to the revenue officers, and leave these smugglers prisoners on this island." "Whew!" exclaimed Charles. "Think of the danger I And, besides, the' men could escape in the Rtoiy." "No," said Bob, firmly. Til posh the Ready oat Into the current GtfyrtgMei (he Onimry Cb. Charles was enthused by the Idea. TQ do ft!" aald he. He ran beck and pushed the little sail boat into deep water; when he had waded beyond bis waist he gave her a final push that sent her out into the channel. As he came back to the beach he heard once more the voices of the men approaching. "Ifa too latel he whispered. "They're coming!" "It's our only chance to get off this Island now the Ready has gone," said Bob, his voice trembling with excitement. "Come on!" The two boys started down the beach hi a race for the launch. As they tugged away to get her into deep water, the lantern was coming nearer and nearer through th'e trees. "Quick!" cried Bob. Both boys sprang over the side of the launch, which now floated in the deeper water. . The three men were running down the beach, shouting hoarsely, and had nearly got to thev water's edge when the propeller of the launch began to buzz and foam boiled up in the broadening wake. "Come back here!" shouted one of the men, frantically running into the water. v "Stop or I'll shoot!" cried another. "Don't shoot 1" cried the stocky man, knocking tho other's hand into the air. "We're caught here like rats and we don't want to be taken for murder." ,Tho launch pounded along over the black waters, and finally turned Into the open Sound. Suddenly Charles stopped the engine. "Listen!" said he. Behind them they could hear the pounding of a propeller in another boat They're chasing us!" cried Bob. "Start the engine again." Once more they were off. "We've got to race for ft now," cried Charlesj "they're after ns. Yen see, they carry no lights. The launch now plowed along at her 'topmost speed, but it soon became evident that the ether sras gaining, v . fioms Suddenly with a eufck flash the beam of a light stretched oat over the water like a long flngeft, It turned this way and that, and then suddenly sef tied on the launch with Its two boye and its cargo. of boxes. "Oh, weNre got em this timer shouted a yvtosJ and the bQnding light began to come nearest "It's the Smuggler Nightmarer cried Bob. "Why, they're nothing but boys!" exclaimed bearded man in a trig blue uniform, more astonished than any one. "Give us a hand, please," said Bob, "and IT1 aboard and explain." To the revenue officer the boys told the wfiola story. He listened Intently to all that they sal "This is splendid!" I'll put a man Into the launc with you so that you can go right home. Of course. we will have to go to the island for the men." Uf you should happen, to see our boat, I you'd pick It up, said Bob." "Oh, I wouldn't worry about your boat," said the officer. There Is enough reward for the capture of these smugglers to buy you a very respectabli little cruising-yacht cabin and alt Both the boys and one of the 'sailors got Into the launch. "Good night!" shouted the revenue officer J Once more the naphtha-launch started on her Jc ney toward tne harbor, but tms time instead of sneaking along she bore a light at her bow ant carried two very tired and very happy passengers "It isn't so bad being becalmed, after all." sa Charlea, when they had climbed up on to the wl and were saying good night "No, bdeedr Robert said heartily; "and we won't really lose the ikaJy, either, for I took the bearwgfl of a little cave aha drifted mto as we were comingj aatt with the buoch," 'ti:.
