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