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About The Yamhill County reporter. (McMinnville, Or.) 1886-1904 | View Entire Issue (July 6, 1894)
m Those Pimples .1.. t( / «.. Mt , , By CAMHIE DEEAN3, he dhl not wish to be . u by tmy one who could give the 1« a~t indication ras to tii* course !i- had t*) n. What has be; Il ulr* ally related lias necesrairy for the pr-,p■>•«• umi t- amling of til* tale, but th* sad - *ry begins frum this point Twoday- v tin man had seen his brother fall doiiu dead un d*r th* influence ot tbe mo- t.-rrible poison iu th* world. Without having had time to lament him, he had listened tohisownd -atli ~eur .n . Hohud-uff er- ed th' most poignant anguish during the night that should have precede I hi*own execution. By his own presence of mind, in the midst ci a thousand alarms, he bad escaped an ignominious death. II* was saved, and yet this was all as nothing compMa l m ith th* alarm, the anguish and the tortnr* which this unhappy man wa; about t*> encounter while- making his i.-.*ape. True, there did not seem much chanc*. of bia being retaken. He plunged into the forest as soon as he had skirted the vill.tge of Salem. Tho paths of the negroes and tli* Indiana wei. familiar to him up to a certain distance. So far as h* could judge, he directed his course toward the east His intention was to ge t as far as possible from th* seacoast, to cross the Amazon aud then to come down to Para. As Alfonso had been more than a year at Salem, L. knew perfectly well that this woa on. of the virgin feuests of the equator, ami if be ventured him self into this wooded desert it was only because no other path was open to lnm. He walked vigorously forward till day light by a track that he knew perfectly well. Still he was often obliged to stop and hide himself in a thicket or climb up a tree in order to allow a jaguar to pass him iu pursuit of its prey, or to avoid some other wild beast. At 0 o’clock the sun suddenly ap peared above the horizon Altons* looked around him. The part of the for- ’ blv.-'l Catt, C'U‘.~U"I' qi. ' . n <’ '<1 'ti. igftll't coiupUrion. u all fonaji- a 'I nip" «■ >a.it<«.i, < «.nose the buiod thoroughly, anrl guv a clear and i j .« h /'i. ejiect-1 aal, etna entirely ha Cl.is lieato.n 73 Laurel Street, Phiu. 1 have had tor \ear, a hurrior tn niy blood uhich mad« hv ,dre-nd to-.I...- > -o 0,0, jt bunpies would be cut, thus cau ling haring to be a great anno, ante After taking three bottles ru .. ....... r ..-.Loti. SS m I " *“ _ «a : 4 e toot race all Ur the use ot S o S. Treatiser.n tioodnm a.ndaeases maned tree SV» IF i t PLcli- iC LO . Atlanta Oa. Tickets i/3'S PiCTOf^ DE», SALT IAKF, OMAHA. KlriSAS CITY, ST. LOUIS. CHICAGO. AND ALL EASTERN CITIES. 1 paysto 2 C1IICA(4<> The Quickest to Chica go and the East. Quicker to Omaha and Kansas City. Pullman and Tourist Sleepers, Free Roclining Chair Cars, Dining Cars. 8. H. H CLARK, 1 OLIVER W. MINK 7Recovers E. ELLERY ANDERSON,) For Kxti-s or general iufortuatlon call on or ad- dress W. 11 111 ttl.ltl KT, Asst. Gen. Pass. Agt. ‘¿it Washington St.,Cor y PORTLAND, GK. AND SOUTH EAST VIA The Shasta Route He teat often obliged to climb up a tree. cst where he found himself was com paratively unknown to him, and he had already made a long stage of his jour ney. Fear had given him the speed and instinct of a wild beast, and bo he found himself in safety and on the right road, for tho rays of the sun, which shot obliquely here and there through the thick trees, showed him by their direc tion that he was constantly advancing toward the east. Still lie was nearly worn out. The wretched man had been already tw days without sl< ep. yet sleep h must have in order to get strength to continue his journey. Two enormous cedars rose to an in *< Jible height in the air, al most side by side. About 15 or 20 feet from the ground an entanglement of immense tropical bindweed had formed a sort of bridge, or, if you choose to .•all it so, a hammock, stretching from one tree to tin other. The interlacing of the branches enabled him to climb easily enough up to this bindweed, and there he found a kind of bed, covered with balmy flowers and green leaves, on which he stretched himself luxuri ously, invisible to all the world, except birds and squirrels, and at the very time when Don Luis Vagaert heard of his escape he was wrapped in tho most profound and refreshing sleep. OF THE Express Tretas Leave Port laud bully LE av I ~ arrivé l’ortUiel ..... i> l P M I tan Francisco. VU A M Ban Francine*.7:1)0 P M i Portland............ H:2OA M Above trains stop at nil stations from Poitland to Albany inclusdve. Also Tangwut, rfiiedds, Hal- Bey, Harrisburg, Junction City, Irving, Eugene an»i all staiioiH froui Roseburg to Ashland Inclu sive. ICubehiirg Mali IMHIy. LEAVE ARRIVE: Portland.........*:80 A M I Roseburg... oPM Roseburg 7:(M) A M | Portland 4.30PM DINING CARS (IN OGDEN ROUTE. PULL'MKN » BMF-RET SLEEPERS SECOND CLASS SLEEPING CARS, Attache*! to all Through Train««. JVVest Side Division. PORTLAND AND CORVALLIS BETWEEN Mail Train Daily, (Except Sunday.) 7Di) A 10:1 A 12:1 P M i tv M | Lv M | Ar fortluiiil McMinnville Corvallis At Albany and Corvallis connect with trains of Oregon Pacific Railroad, CHAPTER III. The fugitive had now penetrated far beyond that part of the forest ordinari ly visited by the soldiers of Salem, and he was soon about to plunge into the depths of tho virgin forest, which for several reasons ought to have a special <lescription—in tho first place, that some idea may be formed of the sufferings of this man when we know the obstacles he had to surmount, and also because these iffimense forests, which stretch Express Train Daily, (Except Suuday.) « 4) P M Itv 7.1 P M I V 7:2 P M Ar Port laud St. Joseph McMinnville Ar 6 2 A M S A M Lv 1 Lv 1 :0 AM Through Tickets to »ft points ill Eastern States, Canada aiui Europe can be obtained at lowest rates from G. A U ilcox. Agent, M.-Mtun- vftle. E. P. KOGERS, Asst S. F..IP A., Portland, Or. K. KOEHLER, Manager. LOCAL DIRECTORY CHURCHES B aphst —Service« Sunday 11 a. in. and 7 .3o p. in . Sunday school 9 50 a m . tbe young people’s society 6:15 p tn Prayer uieetMig Thursday 7 .30 p. ui. Covenant meeting first Sat each month 2:00 p. m. M ethodist E piscopai —Services every Sabbath 11.00 a. ui. and 7 30 p. m. Sunday school 9 30 a m. Prayer meeting 7 00 p m. Thursday. S E. M zmixoeb . Pastor. C vmh . P resbyterian —Services every Sab bath 11 00 a in and 7:30 p. in. Sunday school 9 30 a. m. Y. P. C. E . Sunday 6 .30 p. m. Prayer meeting Thursday, 7 :30 p m. IV. H. J ones , Pastor C hristian —Bervices every Sabbath 11.00 n rn and 7:30 p. m. Sunday school 10 a. m. Young people s meeting at 6:30 p. m. H. A. D enton , Pastor. S t . J ames C athoiic —First st , between G and H. Sunday school 2:30 p. m. Vts- pers 7:80. Service« one* a month. W. R. H ogan , Pastor. i | . \ i ' I SECRET ORDERS. K sow les C hapter No, 12. O. E. 6.—Meets a Masonic ball the first and tbirrl Monday evening in each mouth. Visiting members cordlaltv in 1 vited. MRS. O. O HODSON. Bee. MRS. II L. HEATH. W. M CreTita P ost N o . »—Meets the second and fourth Saturday of each mouth in Union hall at 7:3(> p. m on second Saturday and at 10:30 a tn. on 4th Saturday. All members of the order are cordially invited to attend our meetings. B F. C lcbine , Commander. J. A. P ickham , Adjt. W. C T. U.—Meets on every Fri day, in Wright's hall at 3 o’clock p m. L. T. L. st 3 p. m. M rs . A. J. W hitmore , Pres C lara G. E bson , Sec'y. from th* Andes to the Atlantic, a space of 1,200 leagues, h-ve hardly been de- scribed except by some poetical dream- cis, who have drawn upon their imagi- nation for the greau-r part of their facts. Tbo real virgin forest seen from the Amazon produces on tho traveler tho exact effect of a green wall. To pen*- trate it would seem to be as easy as to bury oneself iu the perpendicular side of a granite mountain. The ax, in spito of what bus been said to tho contrary, is practically powerless to clear a path through the greenwood. There is a plan indeed by which a road may be made, and that is by fire, bat this is a very dan gerous plan, even when practicable. If, under tho guidance of an Indian, you can penetrate one of tho forest paths, the sight presented to your' eye is in the highest degree sublime. You look upon enormous trees, tropical bind weed closely interwoven, unltnoTvn flow- ers, sweet smelling shrubs, grass eight feet high, thickets of bramble and im mense cactuses. Iu the midst of all this you p.rceive that there exists a world of strange creatures, for every plant whose stalk is moving, every climber that is being bent down, every leaf that stirs, every crac kling sound that makes itself heard—in a word, every movement is produced by some living being, charming or hideous, inoffensivo or deadly, whether it be rep tile, saurian, overgrown toad, bird, quadruped or all the intermediate spe cies, th* mere sight of which is ofteu enough to make on* shudder. But this epecta _lc, grand and seductive as it is. can only be found ou the borders of the virgin forest after walking for an hour at most along th* moce chiefly frequent ed paths, for if necessity of chance 1 ads you ILither -n ull this is changed. Tho brunch s become so thick that you . onnGt pa them without having both face and hands terribly torn by the btarubl es, i. iiich grow to an incredible -iz«. It is I rue, you are still iu a path, but it is one along which oulj- a tiger could crawl. The trunks of trees are continually piled up across the track to a considerable height, and between each trunk grows a good sized bush. By degrees the thickness of the wood assumes a terrible aspect. The “impen- etrabilis horror” of Viigil becomes an absolute truth. It is no longer the in terlacing of climbing plants and of .shrubs clinging or thorny. It has be come a web of incredible density, of m Ligli giant trees form th* woof. Life in thinterior of ^lL* forest has become a suit of low and incessant growl. To the right, to the left, before you, under your feet, above your head, everything is moving, leaping, singing, hissing, roaring. Myriads of birds of every size and every hue perch on the branches and cry out to each other. There ar* cardinal birds, screaming par rots and a thousand others, while a whole army of apes has taken possession of five or six cocoanut trees—that is, all except one whom a jaguar has just stretched dead with a stroke of his paw. All along th* trees, like living para sitical plants, glide in silence reptile) of every possible size, aud a ray of the sun has found its way through the fo liage to the ground, which glitters strangely beneath it. In fact, it is not the ground which is so brilliant. It is water, running water, for beneath this scaffolding of trees, living, upright, twisted, dead, on* can see that a stream is ever flowing and all the more plain ly perhaps because of the enormous jaws of a crocodile which ha.; just come to the surface. It is needless to say that Alfonso, as soon as he was thoroughly awake, took in all the horrors of th* situation. II* had at least 10 leagues to make under these conditions, aud ho could uot count on doing them under foqr days at least, for in order to advance safely through this wall he was obliged to examine carefully every object on which lie was going to place his foot, and he could not pass a tree without having first as sured himself that there was no enemy lurking behind him, to say nothing of the Indians, who had not yot lost their taste for human flesh. And he must cat, too—what? Fruits? They were not eas ily met with, and he might possibly make a mistake and eat some poisonous ones. Fortunately for him, he found somo birds’ nests and ate the egg3 in them. On his hammock of bindweed he found a dozen parrots’ nests. He made quite a feast and washed it down with two or three mouthfuls of brandy, for he had brought his gourd with him. Still he was uot altogether rested from his fatigue, and understanding that if he wished really to effect his' escape he must have more strength than he possessed at present he determined to pass the night upon his bed of flowers. He had a good restiug place there, plen ty of eggs, aud he was far enough from Salem to have no cause for fear. His notion, then, was one that even a phi losopher cxmld find no fault with, lie employed the rest of the day in exam ining his surroundings, and ho found that iu case he should be suddenly oblig ed to take flight there was a passage by which, with some extra climbing, ho could make a quarter of a league in half an hour. The next morning Alfonso was awak ened by the discharge of a gun. Ho jumped up, scarcely knowing what ho was about, but reflection comes very quickly to a man whose life is in peril. With infinite care, and without causing the slightest oscillation in his bindweed hammock, he endeavored to turn round so as to see whence the sound came. A savago could uot have made this movement better. It was done in a min ute. Then, keeping himself well out of sight, slowly, gently, with a thousand precautions, he separated two or three of the stems and saw, some 20 feet be low him, the half caste looking round attentively on all sides aud lending his ear to the slightest sound, whilo the smoke of his gun mounted lazily up iu the air. Alfonso did not move. Then the Ar gentine carefully examined the ground of the track aud seemed to reflect for a moment. Ho looked ou the side where the bindweed was, but guessed nothing. It was not difficult to understand what had taken plaoe. Tho lieutenant governor of Salem was wrong in think ing that Bacas was beyond reach of cap ture, and that ho might safely have of fered a reward of 100,000 douros. When he named 20 douros. the eyes of the half caste assumed a look of cruel greed, and he said to himrelf, “They shall bo mine tomorrow!” No doubt ho felt that he was acting a part, for he only asked f r four men to accompany him, averring that ho would not return without tho prisoner. Don Luis Vagaert was on the point of refusing his request, but ho did not wish to appear to hinder the du? action of justice, and, moreover, he still had the hope that Bacas would be beyond tho reach of capture. So he granted the four men to his sergeant and went eft’ himself with the rest of the troop in another direction. The half caste, for his part, Eet cut to explore the paths which led to the east of the forest, knowing well by experience that an in telligent man must think of flying to ward the river. After an hour’s research ho found traces freshly made, the grass trodden down, small branches broken and hero and there a bush tho foliage of which had been displaced. This was e nough for him. Indeed it was more than enough for this man, who had the in stinct of a bloodhound. He led his four soldiers along the road that Alfonso had taken, but fortunately night set in. aud they were obliged to make their camp. Before sunrise the half caste set off alone in tho direction indicated by the traces, which became mor* aud mor* visible, teeing that as the forest became mor« <V Aih uso, in order to make a passage b r himself, hail been obliged to break more shrtl« :m«l to beat down more of the high gross. Carried away by his ardor, the sergeant was far in advance of his m::t and reached the spot where Alfonso had stopped. Ah, if he had cnly known tl at the prey he was seeking was lying asleep 20 feet over his head! But the fugitive, in order to reach his hammock, had made a circuit of bi) to 100 yards over the trunks of fallen trees, on the bark of which he naturally left no trac s, so that the half casta W03 st pped like a dog who has lost the scent, smelling, listening, look ing, feeling sure that he whom he was seeking must be crouched somewhere near. Too well used to the virgin forest aud to the stratagems of the hunters to give himself the trouble to look for Al fonso’s retreat, which might bo any where, the sergeant thought his best plan would lie to lire in tho air, saying to himself that Bacas, even if he were a couple of hundred puces away, would fancy the gun was fired close to him on account of the extraordinary echo which exists in the woods. His reasoning was ix/rfectly good, es pecially as tho fugitive, still asleep, woke up with a st ait and might, iu the first momeut of fright, have com mitted the imprudence of showing him self. But Bacas had understood the artful scheme of his wily pursuer and remained motionloss. Still he must do something. Tho half caste could hardly be alone, and if his troop w ere to follow him it would not be two, bur. 10, per haps 20, enemies that ho would havo to fight, for Alfouso did not know but that the whole garrison of Salem wero upon his track. He turned all this over in his mind while he was watching the Argentine, who seemed to have given up all hope of finding him, for ho was leaning against the trunk of a troo aud seemed on the point of loading liis guu again. This was like a ray of light to the fugi tive. He, too, had u charge iu tho gun with which bo had mounted guard a minute before his escape and the half caste, if be lost any time, would never be able to hit him. Taking, then, every precaution, placing his gun in his shoul der belt, Alfonso hung ou to a strong branch, the leaves of which overshad owed liis bed, and then, with the agili ty of a monkey, he swung himself from bough to bough till ho reached the pas sage which lie had explored the evening before. W* may be sure that all this was not accomplished without the silence of the woods being broken, even though it was ever so little. Tho ear of tho half caste detected a slight sound among tbe fo liage, so he looked up before loading his guu ami glanced eagerly at tho sido whence the sound had come. lie thero distinctly saw Alfonso pars from one tree to the other and theu disappear be hind a sort of palisade formed by enor mous bushes with gigantic thorns. CHAPTER IV. AT BAY. Forward rushed the half caste in pur suit of tho fugitive, and tho better to cornu up with him, crafty savage that he was, ho climbed up to the natural ham mock of bindweed in order to follow tho samo route Bacas had taken rather than hurt himself against the impene trable bushes which rose between him and his prey. However, he was agile enough, and in a moment, with a sure footedness which Alfonso did not pos sess, he had guessed at, found out and gone through the passage which Alfon so had prepared. But here again ho lest all trace of the fugitive. Only from time to time he heard on his right some crackling sounds, which indicated the presence of Alfonso. It was evident that he was trying to reach the river, that ho might escape by swimming. The half casto then quickly formed his resolution, which was to pursue fft.icas along the upper level of tho for est, since the lower ono was impracti cable. In fact, nothing could be easier than reaching a given point by pass ing from cue branch to another. He first mounted an ebony tree and from that to the summit of a gigantic oak, and following the condemned man, whom he could not see, but whose flight he could hear, this desperate fellow, sure of ultimate success, came to the conclusion that tho capture was now only a question of time. Alfonso, on his part, becoming equal- ly sharp, glided like a serpent from tree to tree, passing along only the thickest branches. In ono hand he hold his gun, ready for use against this tiger in hu man form who was hunting him. All at once Bacas, who was thus fak ing flight, along tho upper part of the forest, could, not refrain from uttering j :i cry of despair. He found himself in front of a clearing, not very wide, it is true, but it made a break in the couti- , tiuity of the trees. The only thing pos- tiblo was to make a circuit. He turned to the loft and v. as hastening on when ho found himself face to face with the half caste, who was standing 20 paces off on the trunk of an cnormons tree. At the eight of tho escaped prisoner, whose head first showed itself among the leaves, the Argentine broko out into a peal of laughter, which sounded like the howl of some wild beast But this ferocious joy did not last very long, for on seeing Alfonso armed with a gun, which he had not suspected, the rascal, ' whose mind had all tho baseness of a hired assassin, turned pale and began to tremble. In his liaste to pursue Alfonso he had neglected, as we have seen, to reload his gun, aud the fugitive stood up, right ou the broad branch of a tree, leaning against the trunk and covering the half caste with his musket. The latter mado a hasty retreat and hid himself behind the tree. Alfonso felt a sudden impulse of generosity. “Gregorio,” he cried out to him, “give up this pursuit of me; let me es cape, and I will give you j our life. But if you will no: at once pledge me your word of honor and swear that you will return to Salem, iu one minute I will climb to the top of this oak, and from there I will shoot you down like a par rot the moment you leave yoar retreat ” T here was a short paUM«. Tl»e half caste was refleoiing. “Will you swear?” cried Alfonso in a trembling voice, “I will,” replied Gregorio. “On your honor?” “Yes, on my honor. ” “It is well; go your way,” replied Alfonso. The Argentine then came out of his hiding place and showed himsalf in the t i'i' g". —• afiVV-; •. w ' ■ W i will shoot yon down like a parrot the moment you leave your retreat." open before Alfonso, in whoso word he knew that he could have perfect confi dence. These two men looked at each other curiously without saying a word, and indeed at any other time they could scarcely have recognized each other. With their faces and hands torn by the brambles, their clothes in shreds, their eyes burning with fierce fever, they were simply hideous. Alfonso found his legs almost nal d. His breast was cov ered with small drops of bloodlike beads in every place where a thorn had pierc ed him. Horrible yellow and red mos quitoes as long as jour finger buzzed round him and fastened on »the open wounds, which they made 10 times more painful. His skin swelled terribly un der their stings, and they only quitted tlie face of the wretched man to fasten on his hands or aching legs. His feet, almost bare, were absolutely covered with insects and showed little else than blood stained swellings. The half caste was nearly as bad, only having been more accustomed to the great woods lie did not show so many wounds. “Now, off with you,” repeated Al fonso, “off at once!” and at the same time he raised his gun again to his shoulder. Gregorio at length made up his mind. “I was only carrying out the orders of the lieutenant governor,” ho said, “but now I haveswom, you may be per fectly satisfied. I’m off. ” And he be gan lo move away. “Whatever you do, doh’t hide your self.’’Bacas called out after him. “I want to seo you as far as I possibly can. ’ ’ The half caste obeyed. He commenced his retreat, constantly showing himself and turning round from time to time in order to cast on Alfonso the look of a panther. At last he disappeared in the depth of tho wood. Up to now poor Alfonso, excited by fear and by the unspeakable emotion of this hunt in which he was the game, had not felt so much of the horrible suf fering caused by the wounds and stings of the mosquitoes, but when he- found himself alone—when, bathed in blood and sweat, he sank down upon the im mense branch from which he had threatened Gregorio—hunger, thirst, insurmountable weariness and a ter rible smarting which pervaded liis whole body caused him such fearful suffering that he almost repented that he had not followed the half caste to go and die at Salem and was tempted to call him back that he might deliver himself up. Added to this, it was now 11 o’clock in the day. The insupportable heat of the climate was on this particular day —Sept. 17—hotter than ever. Bacas felt the puffs of wind that reached him as hot as if they had passed through an actual furnace. He thought he was go ing to die. A last mouthful of brandy remained in his gourd. He put it eager ly to his lips. This revived him for a moment, aud then he thought of eating, but under this heat his wounds became every moment more excruciatingly pain ful. He looked round to see if he could discover a citrou tree. Ho fancied ho saw one at the foot of the oak on which ho was, and so came down; but, alas, it was only a delusion! For a circle of more than a hundred yards the wretched man was forced to search the wood on all sides without finding this tree, gen erally so common in those parts. At length, at the foot of a mahogany tree, a thicket of orange and citron trees attracted him by tho scent of the flow ers and the brightness of tho fruit. He ato one orange at a mouthful, then a second, then a third, then enough to quench liis thirst This was his most pressing need. Then only did he squeeze out tho juice of a citron over his chest, hands, feet and face. It was as good as a bath to him. He felt that he was re turning to life again. Some eggs taken from tho parrots’ nests as on the pre ceding evening furnished him with a breakfact, and he was preparing to deep for awhile under the urango trees when ho heard a crackling over bis head. CHAPTER V. ON FIRE. Whence came the sound? It was the half caste who was returning surrepti tiously. The intention of this monster, when he promised to return to Salem, was to gain the necessary time for re loading his musket. This done, he set out again in pursuit of Alfonso. It is quite impossible to express the rage which the Brazilian felt at the sight of Gregorio. He picked up his gun, glided quietly through tho shrubs without losing sight of his enemy ana began to climb a cedar, so as to find himself for this the last time ill face of the half caste. It was necessary to put an end to this. Still the heat became every instant mor* terrible and more intense. Thick black clouds rested on the tops of the high trees and «larkeued th* forest to such a degree that you might have sup posed that night had come suddenly on. Then the sun appeared again a moment afterward more burning than ever. On rhe heads of these two men the heavy atmosphere weighed like so much lead. Alfouso, perspiring at every pore, reach ed tho top of his cedar without having been seen by tbe half caste, who cast his eyes over all the neighboring treos. “Gregorio, ” he then cried out to him, “you need not look any farther. I am here. You are a perjurer aud a coward. One of ns two must die. ” Hearing this voice, the sergeant be gan to take all prmlcut precaution. They were only 10 pae*s from each oth er, protected by the trunk of a tree, aud each waiting lor an imprudenoe on th* part of his enemy to lire ou him. Then Alfouso took his straw hat, put it on the cud of th* barrel of his gun, and trying to imitate th* movement of a lnad cautiously put forward lie gently pushed it out of a mass of foliage, tak ing good care to remain himself in th* background. Gregorio was taken in. He quickly shouldered his rifle and fired. Th* hat, pierced by the ball, fell to the ground. A cry of triumph came from the throat of the pursuer, aud lie emerged into the open. At tlie same in stant Alfonso discovered himself and cried out: “This time you shall die. On your knees!” A clap of thunder of iuipr*cedcntc«l violence suddenly broke, over their heads and shook the whole forest. The clouds gathered in less time than it takes to write it, mid the storm broke out with inconceivable force. Tho forest became as dark as night. Alfonso understood that the first tiling was to fly, mid not caring to have another death on bis con science ho 1« ft the half caste to himself and rushed as quickly as he could to the great river, which could not be very far oft. Gregorio, for his part, believing that Alfouso was only waiting for a flash of lightuiug to shoot him down, took ad vantage of the obscurity aud fled in th* opposite direction. Ten minutes later, although the clouds were thicker mid blacker, the two enemies might have continued their duel, for the electric discharges succeeded each other with such rapidity that their lurid and con tinuous flashes actually supplied the place of sunlight • Our European storms are but very poor displays by the side of equatorial hurricanes. It sounds as if there was a continual roll of artillery, accompanied by flashes of lightning, which cross and recross, gathering force at every fresh discharge and tenfold intensity every second. It is all the more dangerous be cause all tho clouds pass rapidly over the trees without breaking, mid the lightning strikes their tops 10 times a minute Gregorio, swift as a tiger, fled with all the speed he was capable of. His ex perience of such storms told him that at any moment the forest might lie in flames. He knew, too—and this it was that kept up his courage—that tempests as furious as that which raged over his head were not of long duration. Still one flash of lightning succeeded another with more fury than ever. Oil* moment he heard a clap of thunder, the noise of which deafened him, then another still more fearful, then anotlu r, ami so ou continuously. On all sides formidable sparks of electric light fell like a show er on this sea of foliage, accompanied with the crash of the sky. It seemed as if the heavens themselves were being broken up under the pre- -sure of this tremendous force. Round the fugitive wild beasts rushed anil serpents writhed along, seeking safety in flight. Gregorio began to lose courage. A squirrel, struck with lightning, fell down dead two paces from him. Still not a drop of rain. By degrees, howev er. the claps of thunder became less vi olent The sky became less black aud tbe flashes of lightning less frequent. The half caste began to breathe again. A cloud commenced to break over th* forest. A sheet of water fell lik* a del uge. But this only lasted a few mo ments, and then the sun appeared again. It was now about 3 o’clock in the after noon. For ouc moment th* savage Gre gorio debated with himself whether he should take up again the pursuit of Al fonso. Eut this time lie felt it would ba impossible, as during the storm they had separated so far from one another. So lie gave up the idea and set out to return to Salem. But he had scarcely walked for 10 min utes when lie heard a great noise behind him. It was that of two jaguars, who were seeking safety in flight, uttering plaintive howls. Gregorio did not pay much attention to them, bn akiug his way through brambles and dinging shrubs, pulling down the flexible branch es so as to clear a way for himself. Ho was quite in his element ami knew the way perfectly. How ever, a bund of tiger cats, leaping from tree to tree, fell like ui avalanche at his ft • t. 11* gave him- telf up for loit, but the creatures utter ed tciriblc ciics and howled with fear. Along tbo soil of tbe forest tho tall grass aud stunted shrubs begun to shake ia a restless manner. All around there was a frightful .-tir. Gigantic boa con strictors showed for a moment their shining and glutinous heads and then disappeared toward the cast; enormous lizards took flight iu the same direc tion; clouds of birds paused above the forest. Everything, even down to th* big ants of those parts, took the same road. Ono might have thought that all these monsters were going to some witches’ hicetiug. Gregorio began to be uneasy. The ti ger cats uttering piercing erics, passed quickly over his head, either without seeing lnm or without deigning to take any notice of him. It was very strange. On tho other hand, the migration of tor Infants and Children HfRTY observation of Castona with «hej»atrons.un of millions of persona, permit M to speak of it withont cuessing. It is nnqnestionably the best remedy for Infants and Children the world lias ever known. gives them health. It is harnite.». Children like it. It It will »ava their lives. In it Mothers have scmethiuE which is absolutely safe niMi^r»ojjg£UjL_p«-r »set u. a child’s medicine. Castorio destrgys_Worms. Castorin aUnyt) Fovcrishne»«. Castorio prevents vomiting Sonr Card. Castorio eure« Diarrhiea and Wind Calio. Casto ria relieves Teething Troubles. (’astoria cures Constipation and Flatulency. C<t«toiÍH _i entro liaos tho effects of carbonic ncid ff** or poisonous air. Castoria does not contain morphine, opium, or other narcotic property. Cantoria assimilates the food, regulates the stomach and bowels, i.uu? liruhbr ai..l natural «leer. Castoria is put up in nne-siz« bottl®» only It is uot «old in bulk. Don’t allow any ono to soli yon nnythiiq; else on the plea or promise See that youget C*A~S -T-O- R -I - A._ Í-. on < vnry wrapper. The fno-simile signature of Children Cry for Pitcher’s Castorio tliu reptiles and of every other living creature became more close and com pact. The gTass bent down under the weight of such a crowd, and ono might distin guish a troop of serpents gliding toward the .stream, hissing as they went, whilo formidable toads, disturbed in their philosophical apathy, hastened in their sluggish fashion along the same road. Then came stags, wild boars, tapirs— an interminable caravan of animals. Certainly something had happened, for a dull, dead sound began to make itself heard from tho north. A croco- dilo in wild haste made a passage through the branches of a thorny shrub and passed quickly on. It could not then bo an inundation Gregorio mount ed to t lie top of a tree, not daring yet to say to himself, “It must be a fire!” There was no need to climb to th« highest branches in order to distinguish an immense light which spread to the north and west. The whole forest was in flames. Tho lightning, falling per haps some 500 times, bad set fire to the dry branches and resinous trees; it very soon spread, and now there was a burn ing circle which was gradually contract ing so as to hem in and destroy all with in it. Gregorio at onco made up his mind what to do. He followed the tigers, the birds, the reptiles, and rushed toward the va; I, not lo) a moment quitting the direction taken by the denizens of the forest, for he knew very well that their unerring imtinct would lead them to ward the Amazon river. Nor could lie go too quickly. The fir* before bi ..king out and wrapping th« large trees in its embrace advanced rap idly along tlii- ground of the forest, where th« dead leaves and inflammable sliru'ns caught as if by magic, so that before running the risk of being burned alive there was danger of suffocation, for the smoko was already spreading uu dor the sergeant’s very feet and mount ed in a thick column toward the vault of wood overhead. Gregorio, mad with fear, bounded from branch to branch without giving u thought to what hi: had to teai- his way through, although at every step lie left a shred either of his clothes or his skin. A band of apes, wild with fear, passed near him, uttering cries of terror and making the moot frightful grimaces. For more than a quarter of an hour he rivaled these creatures m agility and made as much way as they did. What a day it was! It needed a man with a constitution of iron to have strength for flight after al) that he had undergone during the last 12 hours. At length he felt a little freshness in the air. The river could not be very far off Nothing can be conceived more hid eous than the aspect of this man at this momeut, covered from head to foot with blood and mosquitoes. It would have been difficult for the most clever natu ralist to have decided at a glance wheth er he was a man or an ape, and yot he overcame all obstacles as if he did not know what fatigue meant. His arms and legs were as pliant as if, instead of muscles, he had springs of steel. At length tho last oak of the forest stood before him, and he perceived the immense river, the strong current of which was already carrying down a thousand animals, who were seeking the opposite bank in their flight. At his feet was a sandy beach about 20 yards broad and extending a very consider able distance from one end to the other. But upon this lieach, brought together as if for a new Noah’s ark, wero all tho animals of those parts, wild with fear, leaping up, tearing each other to pieces, howling in a pitiable fashion, scratch ing up the soil with their claws and lifting their noses to the wind so as to catch the first scent of the coming con flagration. It was a fearful and grew- some sight. To have gone down there in order to leap into the stream would have been simple madness. Between the paws of the jaguars, the apes and of ull these creatures devoted to death might be seen an innumerable multitude of rep tiles crawling along, from the serpent as thin as a willow roil up to the enor mous boa constrictor. All this crowd of creatures were seething, writhing, hiss ing, killing, and at intervals, urged for ward by the instinct of self preservation, they threw themselves headlong into tho stream, where they became an easy prey to the alligators. CHAPTER VI. A BURNING, FIERY FURNACE Gregorio trembled iu every liinb. All ___ around him the tree tops were peopled with apes, scorpions, serpents and birds. These last, rend, rod furious by the smell of smoke,which had now reached them, were making a magnificent slaughter among the reptiles And all around a cloud of mosquitoes, thickening every momeut, tln\ atoned to intercept tho light of th* suu. All at once the howling redoubled, the hissings become mor* shrill, a com-' motion took place in th* whole of this mass; the squirrels leaped out into the empty space, th* serpents bounded from une side to th* other, the birds flew away, and the mosquitoes moved to the middlo of the stream. The place was cleared. There was nothing left ou the beach but the corpses ot the victims of this witches’ meeting. Iu an instant lb* Amazon aoc colei. >1 Willi llH), UlM) different animals, swimming, drowning, still tearing each other to pie.. s. Gregorio believed Lim it sa-.. n. but the foot of the oak where ho now as» caught file, ami up to tbc edge of the river, where th* w: i -r, reddened by the orgies of the alligators was submerg ing th* beach, all the brambles and dead leaves w«ie burning. The half caste, mad with ilis-pair and blind« d by tli. smoke, endeavored for a moment to hold out against lhe stifling air, and short as that moment was it was long enough tor the animals to clear away from the Lank Then, oVercum« by the heat, he let himself fall into tho flames aud rushed to the river, into which he threw himself, not caring tor anything else. Any kind of death seem ed to him preferable to that which ho was escaping from. Iu plunging into this fresh water the unhappy man, whose every pir* was an open wound, felt a marvi Ions st usatiou ot cuobnss aud was conscious ot return-, ing strength. He swam like a shark, aud with wonderful dexterity knew how to avoid th* most dangerous com panions of his flight. For fear of th* al ligators he mad* for the middle of th* stream, th* curreut of which, th* strongest in tbe world, would carry him in some hours either to Para or to some island. He did uot inteud to swim to the opposite bank for several reasons. At this point the Amazon is four wiles broad, aud he would have had to strug gle during a great part of the night against this iuvincible curreut Ou th* other hand, lie had every reason to be lieve that the animals iu their flight would reach the other side, which would not in that case be a desirable place for passing the uiglit. So he let himself go with the current. Some hundred yards dowu he felt him self seized by the hair, aud somo shaggy creature clung to his shoulders. It was a poor little monkey, very pretty, which was just ou the point of being drowned, mid so laid hold of anything it could. Gregorio tried to pull it off and throw it back into the water. But the animal dug its claws mid teeth into the flesh of the half caste, and so he was forced to support and save this parasite. He could still count upon three hours of daylight, aud so he set to work to swim with all his might, still keeping his burden, which did not bite him any more, bnt held tightly on to his matted hair. The river suddenly widened, anil the Argentine perceived the fortifica tions of Para. Alas it was too far off I H [TO BE CONTINUED.] I * 20 PER CENT 20 PER CENT Ì ? We cuill offer oar Entire Stock of Spring and Summer Clothing at Tcaenty per eent Discount for Cash. GOOD ALL WOOL SUITS AT $8.00. KA Y & TODD. I