HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1897-8-13, Page 2THE SR,VSSELS POST.
Avr(ius-i' 13, 1897
A DEAD RECKONING.
CHAPTER ER XV, The eham parson was, known faml-
Gerald Brooke Levi relieved els eanong the "profession" which
ng his eminent talents WI:caned under the
"mate" Lams at the signal -box, andapseudonym of "Lardy_ Bill,' a title
having satisfied himself that Lis tangle oouferred upon him in the first hi -
were properly trimmed and set for the sswancl clboyhero, n h ofehy,onadndesueur-
night, sat down in his box to read•
The night duties at Cinder Pit Junction
were not ot a very onerous nature.
The last passenger train from Cum-
merhays, which also carried the mail, a considerable portion o_
passed at eight -thirty; and the last existence ate ice b dea alreasiondy bcar passed annd
train to that place till the arrival of lodging had been provided him free
the morning mail, at a few minutes of charge. His appearance was eln.in-
past ten o'clook. In the course of the ant1y in bis favour. He was u well-
night two or three trains of mixedmer- built, ruddy
-m Cd airn�Lille hath Lha
ohandise and minerals passed through sug cation of a warn who could telt ee
without stopping, and these, together gogg story and apprutate a good glass
with a train from the colleries bound of�1wine. Remade uplooked
a cloig',v ly tahome
for the South, comprised the whole of wtlemau farmer', a *laid City magnate,
the nocturnal traffic. Thus it fell out a I;oor trutesmatt stiho Lad fallen
that Gerald had plenty of spare time upon evil days.. He had always les
on his hands, and always brought a lermes dell le you at command when
the o_rasion needed them, and he could
volume with him to help to while the choles a sob in ass throiit as cleverly
long dark hours away. 'as any low comedian on the stage.
The signal -box, the entrance to which As soon as the two men were lett
was reached by a flight of eight or alone, with their, prisoner in the badk-
i eats s stood on a small space of bsit;,k'eddatoyfollowl he fashion n eve
nn gr
cleared ground by the side of Liss line, erything—and began to stroll up and
A little way back was a low embank- down the narrow clearing on which
the box was built. Slinkey was loo ner-
ment crowned by a hedge, overshadow- ecus to follow Lis compauioai's example.
ed here and there by an umbrageous "As I calkilate," be said, "we ought to
beech or elm, beyond which the open have had that signal from A'.CellLngfield
fields stretabed far and wide. hew, three minutes afore now. Can any-
thing have happened?"
places could be more solitary and de-, Pooh, man—what is likely Lo have
serted; not a house, :not a habita- happened?" said the other cooly. 'These
tion of any kind was within ken; but beggarly branch trains are nearly al -
by day a haze ot smoke in the waRysalf a late'
minute later they heard the
distance told of lite end labor not far welcome ting -ting announcing that tea
away.rain had just passed Mellrngtield.
The last train from Cummerhays bad' "She'll be twelve minutes or more
passed more than an hour ago, the Yet
the again ascended the steps and en-
next
d. n
next one would be the train going the tared the box.
reverse way. Gerald sat reading, but Presently Tardy BLIT tossed away the
with his ear on the alert for the ting end of his cigarette, and crossing to
his prisoner, examined his bonds and
of the belegra,ph bell which should tell satisfied hunsel( that they were still
him when the coming train had passed intact. On going back to the box he
Mellingfield, the nearest station south; was rejoined. by Sliakey, who now pro-
fiveoeeded. to go down on one knee and rest
miles away. All at once he was I his ear on Lha rail "She's coming; I
startled by the sound of someone cough- can hear her quite plain," he said after
few moments. "Another five minutes
ed Spo�cket-handkerchiefs. He was one
of fbs most clever aria unscrupulous
rogues of whicL, the great Babylon
could boast; but it is pleasant to be able
to record that despite les elevernees.
ing, evidently just outside his box. It
was a sound so unexpected and sur-
prising in that lonely spot and, at that
hour of the night that he sprang to
his feet, while his nerves began to Clut-
ter strangely. Next moment there
came a loud rapping at the door, as
it might be with the handle of a walk-
ing -stick. Gerald aliened the door at
once, and then he sew a portly mid-
dle-aged man, dressed in black, with
a white cravat and spectaoles—to all ap-
i'sarance a clergyman—standing at
the foot of the steps and gazing bland-
ly up at him.
1 "My good man," said the stranger,
in unctuous but well-bred. accents, "I
am e. stranger in tbese parts, andi am
sorry to say that I have lost my way.
I want to get to a friend's house at
Overbarrow; no doubt you can put
me in the right road for doing so?"
"You must Dross the line--" began
Gerald..
"My good man," interrupted the
stranger, "I am somewhat deaf, and
cannot bear what you say. I wish
you would the goon enough to come
a little nearer. With my defective eye-
sight, I dare not trust myself up these
eters of yours."
Gerald stepped down without hesiia• men to overhear their conversation,and
tion. You must cross the line," he by that means discover what had be -
began again in a somewhatlouder key, come of her .husband. No sooner was
and about twenty yards farther on the thought formulated in her mind,
you will find a gap Ln the hedge." than she began to put it into, practice.
"Yes, yes—,a gap in the hedge, I Still keeping in the shelter ot the
understand," responded the other wig- hedge that ran parallel with the line,
erly. she spud as fast as her feet. Could parry
"And after that you will find a foot- her to a point some forty or fifty
path which will, bring you to the high- yards farther down the line, far
road. Then--" enough, as she judged, to be out of
Not a word more spoke Gerald. A the range of vision of any one who
soft heavy cloth of some kind was, sud- might be on the lookout at the box.
denly thrown over his head, while at Here, after drawing her shawl over her
the same instant his arms were pin- heart—she had discarded her bonnet
ioned firmly from behind, and a oord some time before— she broke through
with a running noose was drawn tight- the hedge, was across the line in three
ly round his legs. .The attack was so seconds; and then, atter pushing
sudden that he was powerless to make through the hedge on the opposite side,
the least resistanoe, and in less than she turned back in the direction of the
half -a -dozen seoonds he found himself signal -box, she and it being both now
as helpless as a babe. Then a corner on the same side of the line. Creeping
of the cloth that enveloped his bead was forward foot by foot and yard by yard,
raised, end the sham parson said in she presently foundherself a littleway
his most oily tones: "My friend, if behind the box, and within a dozen
you have any regard for life you will yards of her husband, had she only been
/either ory out nor attempt to make aware of it.
the least disturbance. Be obedient and While this was happening, one or the
good, and 110 harm shall befall you." men had ora off to join the others
h Form
Clara cerin through
knuckle with the interstices of the hedge, could see
the chilly barrel of a pistol., Them the two remaining men walking and
with a man on each sidel ofc him hold- talking together,, but was too far
inghim by en arm, he was conducted away to distinguish what they said.
to the background; and having been Not long had she watched and waited
planted with his beck to a tree, be when she hoard the ting -Long of the
was bound firmly to it with several telegraph holt. She knew that it was
folds of thin cord. The cloth which a signal of some kind, but nut whet
still enveloped his head was fasteeed its precise meaning might be. Then
loosely round his throat, so as not boos 0ahr title otiee rg itr wasibhe once,
greatly to impede his breathing; but she could now make out, who was dress -
his voice wound have been smothered ed like a clergyman— turned, and
in it had he even been In a position seemed. as if he were marketing direct -
to call for help. ly towards her. Terror stricken, sbe
I,,He had no means r•rasoertaining the dropped completely out 01 sigbt behind
timber of his assailant°, but as the hedge bank, expecting every me-
ter as he could judge there went to feel a hand laid upon bar
must have been three or four *boulder. But nothing coming', ebe
of them. Ide was lost in a mem of the breatheed again; then her head went up
wildest conjectures as to what the ob- till her eyes were on a level with the
ject of the attack could possibly be. top of the back; then, to her surprise,
,Apparently none of the gang bad re- she saw• that the man seemed to be
cognized him as Gerald Brooke, the man carefully examining the trunk of a
for whose capture so targe a reward tree some little distance away. She
was still unclaimed. Yet why, then, strained her eyes in the endeavor to
had they made him a prisoner 1 What see whet he could possibly be about, and
abject was to be gamed. by Las cap- then suddenly her heart gave a great
tune? Never in his life had he felt so bound., The trunk of tba tree was de -
utterly perplexed. Ile could bear an fined like a faint silhouette against a
eager conversation going on a little back -aground of star -Lit April sky, but
distance away; but all sounds now it eves a silhouette which In one me -
cams dull, and muffled to his ears. tion of its outline bore a startling re -
As already stated, the gang had pre- semblanco.to a human figure. As by a
viously separated into two parties. flash of divination,Clara knew that
Three or the men, at the bead of whom it was her husbanshe was gazing
was Crofton, had made their way down upon. Her breath fluttered on her
the brant to a point °lose to where, lips like a bird trying to escape, end
as nearly as they could judge, the she set her teeth hard in the
driver of lbs train would be able to flesh of her arm, to stifle the
pull up as soon as he found himself, on cry that rose thvoluntarily from her
the wrong line of rails. The other three heart,
men, with the sham parson as their After a few seconds the man went
abief, bad been detailed for the cap- buck; and ether saying a few words to
tore of Lha signalman, the result of his confederate, he appavently Look
wbioh wo have sem. Atter a little talk leave of him, and starting down the
together. one of the three now start- branch, was quiokly lest to view;
ed off down the branch to carry the then the other at once went back
news to Crofton and the others, into Ibe box. Now was Clare's oppor-
Siinkey at once took possession of the. Lenity.
box, and peoceieded to test the work- Reit a minute Taber she :vas by hoz
ing of the various levers, in order that liusDaa s. sins, Laber s a hand yn her
there Leight be no hitch when the on his aret`, she said. in e. low voice:
critical
it calram`iiwrev Moment
shonnt Mateo.
.thorough-,H"Gerald, ns 1 --Clara." Some smotb-
and she ought to be here,"
"Then Pal burry off to the others,"
said Lardy. 1 shall be wanted there
when the shindy comes off, and you'll
manage here by yourself all right,"
"Right you are," reepouded the other,
"As soon as ever the train's past, 1`
shall cut the wires, and then make a
bolt of ot, cud wait for you, fellows at
the cottage."
Nothing more was said, Lardy Bill
started at a quick pace down the
branch, while Sankey re-entered the
box.
Neither of them bed the slightest sus-
picion that for the last ten minutes or
more all their notions had been watch-
ed by au unseen witness; but such twos
the ease. When Clara Brooke, to her
intense dismay, discovered that nother
husband, but a stranger, was the oc-
cupant of the box, she felt for a little
while as if her heart must die within
her. Then she became aware of two
dusky figures standing a little distance
away, whom she rightly concluded to
be the other members of the gang; but
still her husband was nowhere to be
seen. She had arrived on the spot al-
most Immediately after Gerald had
been bound to the tree; but the night
was too dark to admit of her seeing
him from that distance. She felt at
once that she must get around to
where the signal -box stood, on the op-
posite side or the linin, act, it it were
possible, approach near enough to the
then elle discovered what the darkness
bad hitherto hidden, that bee husband's
betel. and fare were closely muffled.
Her trembling but ekitiul fingersquiok-
ly untied the krauts and removed the
covering. liriald gave a great gasp
of relief, its no drew a deep inspire -
bion of tue cult night, air, Then, he
whispered iuu wt11 find a knife in
my outside pwseL," In a minute tram
that time he was a tree man,
Slinkey, wailing alone in the signal
box, nod tried the lever again and agate
weene e
even out uroulu turn th1 welch the e trains on to
tea braueh, awl mad satisiled himself
that everything wits in working order.
limn the (leated.) and the bolus signal -
lumps ahow'eu elle units light, so that
tun train would speed en unsuspeoting-
ly wan wain:aimed (.ace. blinkey at
Lila best Ui LIMOS was a nervous timid
ureature—a man who walked ever in
trembling dread of the hand which he
knew would *Jute day ue laid sudden-
ly on his shouiuer—uuL now that be
was left alone, now that he had no long-
er.Lardy lithe audecnousbullelog cour-
age to help to antntate his uwu,. his
craven ln;art sans lower and lower, and
be wuuld,hays given a year of his life
to be welt out at the adventure into
which he had eltowed'l,iuiself to be se-
duced.
The low deep hum of the oncoming
train grew palpaley un the ear. Instinc-
tively, Sankey's hand cloaca on lever
No. 3, while hes heart begun to beat
a sort of devil's tattoo alter u fashion
tbat was ter from comfortable. Sud-
denly, he gave a grout start,
and for a moment or twO the
tattoo @ime to a dead stop. He
had heard a sound that he remem-
bered Lull well: 1t was the noise caused
by the explosion of a fog -signal. At
the same, instant the enc'cs. vegan to
wildstla its shrillest. Then Caine the
explosion of a second signal, and then
the whistle ceased as suddenly as it
began. And now be could faintly hear
the soft rhythmical pulsing of the en-
gine, as it might be that of some, ante-
diluvian monster which has been rac-
ing till it was scant of breath; andSiin-
key know that the train had slackened
speed and was feeling its way forward
slowly and cautiously. What could be
the matter 1 What could have happen-
edl By whom and with what intent
had fog -signals bean placed on the line
on a night so clear and beautiful?
Such were a few of the queries that
flitted through Shnkey's puzzled brain.
And now not even the faintest pulsing
of the engine could be heard. Could
it be possible that treachery was at
work, and that the driver had been
Warned and the train brought to a
sinnd? Slinley ran tightly down the
steps and, kueeling, laid an ear once
more to the rails. Not a sound came
to hire; the train and those in charge
of it might have vanished into space,
so unbroken was the silence. He got
on his feet again, his tongue and throat
as dry sod constricted as those of a
man who had been athirst for days.
Instinctively his eyes turned to the
tree to which the captured signalman
bad been bound; but he was boo fax
away to be able to discern whether the
man was still there. With a heart that
misgave hem, he 'hurried rap to the tree,
dndb'ti gated that the prisoner had es-
caped. The cords were there, but the
man was gone. Evidently, treachery
was at work somewhere. Would not
the wisestt hung he could do be bode -
the wisest thing be could do be to de-
camp while be had a chance of doing
so? Be was asking hiwselt this ques-
tion but bad not answered it, when up
came Crofton, Lardy Bill, and one of
the other men at double-quick time,
They, too, bad heard the fog -signals,
and had been as much. at a loss to ac-
Count
o-
count for them as Slinkey haul. been.
But when the latter told them that by
some mysterious means their prisoner
had contrived to escape, it was evident
both to Crofton and Lardy that their
carefully planned scheme bad metwith
some dire mishap. They had been be -
rayed, but by whom? A traitor had
been at work, but who was be/ Each
of them stared suspacfously et his fel-
lows.
If I only knew .who it was that had
sold us," said Lardy Bill with a fierce
imprecation, "1'd scatter his brainswitb
a bullet,t hough .1 had to swing for
ut after I"
"That's all very, well," said. Croft-
on; "but tbe. question is, what are we
to do now?"
"Do 1" exclaimed Lardy, whom dan-
ger always made reckless. "Why, do
wda.b we intended tram the first. The
train's waiting there, ain't. it, not live
hundred yards away? instead of its
cowing to us, we must go to it—that's
all. Is there any one here," he de-
maincled, fiercely, "who would rather
not got"
Sankey would fain have answered
that he for one would very muoh pre-
fer to keep in the back ground, only
tlbat Lardy Bill was a man of whom
hes stood i.n mortal fear.
"Now, mates, come along," added I�i11.
"We are only tooling away our tune
standing hese. Ono bold stroke and
the prize is ours."
Scarcely had the last words passed
his lips, when some half-dozen dark -
coated figures burst suddenly through
the hedge and made a dash into the
midst of the gang.
7 s if to add emphasis to the warning, down the l n , peering ug
Gerald was lightly rapped on the
ith what he could feel bo be
SOME SILVER STANDARDS,
HOW IT EFFECTS TIIE CREDIT GF A
NATION.
t'ountrles \there lee Bald* or 155 Cnrreney
Is 511rer and They Nave dome tLlget
Debi* 10 I'ny,
Mexico is a silver standard country.
She has a large national debt. The in-
terest of £20,087,000 is payable in Lon-
don, It a not even payable in Mexico.
The London indebtedness is greater
than the Mexican indebtedness.
Guatemala is a silver standard coun-
try. Of her debt, £887,700 is owed
abroad.
Honduras is a silver standard. coun-
try. Practically the wbots of her debt
is owed abroad, and not a cent of in-
terest bas Honduras been able to pay
since 1872.
Nicaragua is a silver country. She
owes £285,000 in London, on which she
las been obliged. ,o default payment
of the interest,
Salvador is a silver country. She
owes £254,000 in London.
Paraguay is a silver country. She de-
clared herself bankrupt to her foreign
creditors in 1885 and issued new bonds
in exchange for old ones at just
about 50 coats on the dollar. Paraguay
has just defaulted the interest on the
half of hes debt which she bad not pre-
viously repudiated. She owes now in
Europe £880,550, with defaulted inter-
est amounting to over £70,500.
ly Understood what ' he was now about, erect sounds rams beck be her, and
"We aro sold!" screamed Crofton with
an oath. "Every man for himself;' and
with that he fired his revolver at the
nearest of his assailants and then turn-
ed .to flee. But he was too late, He
was ripped up, seized and handcuffed
all in a breath as it seemed. A like
fate. befell Slinkey and the other wan ;
but Leidy Bill, slippery as an eel, after
felling two of his assailants, vanished
in the darkness. The remaining two
men, who diad been left behind when
Crofton and the others hurried to the
signal -box, also contrived to escape.
Crofton s shot had taken effect. The
man be, fired at staggered forward a
pace or two and then fell on one knee.
Now that the soriimatage was ovet',bis
companions baud time to attend to him
They bellied him to his feet; he wets
evidently suffering great pain, but was
perfectly cool and collected. As the light
et the bull's eye which one of the men
produced tell upon 'has face, Crofton,
who was close at hand, staggered back
with a cry of amazement. Next mom-
ent be had recovered 'hknuself, "I de-
nounce this man as Gerald Brooke,"he
exclaimied,"the murderer of Baron von
Rosenberg, for 'whose capture a re-
ward of time hundred pounds is off-
ered,"
(To be Colntlnued.l
PERU -BOLIVIA -CHINA.
Peru is a silver country. She earl a
foreign debt of £81,579,080, with ar-
rears of interest amounting to 4,098.-
651.
,908;051. Being utterly unable to pay, the
European bondholders had deeded to
them in exchange all the states' rail-
ways, guano deposits, mines and lands
for a period of sixty-six years.
Bolivia is a silver country. Her "ex-
ternal" debt to foreign corporations
is 2,000,000 bolivianos. The debt owed at
home is 4,423,705 bolivlanos. Forty per
cent of the customs dues at Arica are
by law seized by Lha foreign bond-
holder. .
China is a silver country. It is a
matter i.n the memory of every citizen
that the money to pay China's war In-
demnity was raised by a loan in Eu-
rope. The Japanese commission has
just gone to London to collect it. Her
February loan of 1895. was £3,000,000
payable in gold, and her customs rev-
enue is to-aa.y mortgaged in terms to
foreign syndicates. The United Stales
pays in gold and borrows at 3 per
cent. China's foreign loan of Decem-
ber, 1894, of: $8,000,000, payable in sil-
ver, cost 7 per cent. 10 interest.
JAPAN -INDIA -RUSSIA.
Japan, the most prosperous of the
silver countries, is paying et the rate
of 7 per cent for a foreign indebted-
ness of 2,110,112 yen. The bulk of her
debt loaned her in silver by her own
citizens cost her 5 1-2 per cent. per
annum. Japan's financiers favour the
adoption of a gold basis.
India is on a silver basis. Of a total
debt funded and unfunded, of 227,354,-
398 rupees, 108,113,792 is foreign, debt
owed to England. Sixteen mullion
pound sterling a year must be paid
in England. This is paid in gold, while
the taxes raised in India are silver. Is
it extraordinary that India has stop-
ped the coinage of silver in order to
get upon a gold basis and relieve her -
elf or a heavy yoke that was yearly
growing ro •' heavier.
Russia is on a silver basis, but she
has been forced into an indebtedness
of gold rubles of 1,998.307,490. Russia,
Was forced to ask permission of foreign
bankers before abs went to war. Russia
is about to adapt the gold basis.
HEALTH OF THE YUKON,
TOY SOLDIERS.
The majority of the tin soldiers sold
in this country aro manufactured at
Wurl.ernbcrg, where some of the best
artists are employed in their designing.
The 'minting of the figures is done by
women at their own homes.
Children have wide ears and long
tongues, but;, neither do as much harm
as their vivid imaginations.
expressed in faeces of a royalty of
10, 15 or 20 per cont. on all the gold
taken away from the Canadian'
streams in the Yukon country, the
Government would doubtless be large-
ly guided by it. At all events, an
expicession 01 public opinion would as-
sist the Government in reaching a
conclusion, and the feeling at Ottawa
is than some action shold be. taken to
elms for next seseiou.
ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE.
Dr. W. 11. Dalt one of thecurators
of the Washington National Museum,
is familiar with the region of country
tai whisih the Iflrondy'ks gold fields
are located, through having been on•
several geological expeditions to, the
region in Alaska adjoining the geld
district, and says that in his opinion,
the reports from there probably are
not exaggerated. "When 1 wasthere1
did scot 'find gold, but knew of its be-
ing
eing taken out in profitable quanta.-
ties
uanta.ties for fifteen years or more. It bras
first discovered blrsre in 1880, In 1880,
whoa 1 was up in that country, my
lust trip having been made two years
ago, the first party of i,rrospeetorswho'
make the mining a protit started out.
The gold is Lound on the various triibu-
tarces of the Yukon, andlhave been
within a compaxatively short distance
of the Klondyke fields. 1 made one
trip to Circle City, just over the
boundary of Canada.
'Tate yellow metal is not found in
paying quantities in the main river,
but in the small streams which cut
bbxough the mountains on either side.
These practically }vasa oat the gold.
The. mud and mineral matter is car-
ried into the, main river, while the
gold is left an tate rough bottoms of
these side streams. In most cases the
gold lies at the bottom of thiok gravel
deposits. The gold is covered by frozen
gravel ,n the winter. During thesum-
msr, until the snow is all melted, the
surface is covered by muddy torrents.
When the snow is all melted., and the
springs begin to freeze, the streams
dry up. At the approach of winter in
order to get at the gold, themi,ners
find it necessary to dig sato the gravel
formation.
"It is a country in which it is very
hard to find food as there is prnc-
lically no game. Before the whites
went into the region, there were not
more than 300 natives. They have
hard. work to support themselves, on
account ot the scarcity of game."
TEE POPE'S COURT.
The court of Pope Leo YT1I. com-
prises 1,000 persons. There are 20 val-
ets, 120 house prelates, 170 privy cham-
berlains, 0 chamberlains, 800 extra -hon-
orary chamberlains, 130 supernumerary
chamberlains, 30 officers of the noble
guard, and 00 guardsmen, 14 officers
of the Swiss Guard and palace guard, 7
honorary chaplains, 20 private secre-
taries, 10 stewards and masters of the
horse and 00 doorkeepers.
SOMETHING SHOULD .BE DONE TO
PROTECT CANADIANS.
The reports from the Yukon coun-
try of the enormous richness of the
placer gold deposits in the dlondyke
district have moved the Government to
consider what steps should be taken
to protect the interests of Canada,
Whatever dispute there may be as to
the exact boundary line between Can-
ada and Alaska, there is no question
at all about the rich IUomdyke gold
fields being altogether and clearly in
Canada. This being the case, the ques-
tion arises whether Americans end
other foreigners should be allowed to
come in there and take away a million
dollars without Leavieg anything in the
country or contributing anything to the
public revenue, In many of the States
110 one but a citizen el the United
States, can hold a mining license, but
here the Canadian Government issue
licenses to anybody on payment of a
paltry fee. A short while ago a Swiss
whose earning capaoity was a dollar
a day, went into that country and re-
turned, with $50,000 dug out of the
banks of the river. Hs took his
fortune to Switzerland and left $5 for
his license in Canada. Unlike quartz
mining, no towns spring up. There
is no settlement. The placer miner is
not a pioneer of frontier towns. A
PICK AND SHOVEL
s,nd w11021 p011 constitute his equipment,
and these may bring him $100,000 in
a summer without elerring from the
banks ot a few' emacs streams, tribu-
taries of the, Yukon. He then leaves
the country. Whether under the pres-
eut regime or retaliation audreprisal
mining licenses should be confined to
British subjects is a question which
may be. considered, but there seems
hardly army doubt that in any event
astelae Ian tell royalty should be exacted
by the Government upon all the gold
taken Pram the sail, a,..,. the public
revenue time benefit from the public
wealth. The great difficulty theGov-
ernauene labours under ie lack of defin-
ite intormatiaii. It takes a year to
get a man into that country and back
mania, Many adventurers have lett
their bones on bile rioli sands they went
to exploit. Same died of starvation.
Food. is difficult to obtain. Some died
Cram eotposune,. If public. ()proton wins
The British soldier receives dally as
rations 20 oancos of biscuit, 14 ounces
of meaty 7 ottimee of peas or beans,
ounces of sugar anct 1 outlet) of cocoa.
DESPERATE FIGHTING,
THE THIRD ATTACK MADE ON FORT
CHAKDORA.
The Sod h•es Are Driven Rack but tier Valhi.
tical 0111 bream is Rapidly Spreading-
liatrd Fighting in the Garrison al Night
and Harassed by l)st.
The situation in India Le undoubted-
ly serious, and will assuredly is any
case utterly cripple the finances of the
British Administration and take the
revenues that could be realized for
many years to come.
Bae total British loss is the two
days' fighting is thirteen killed and
forty-three wounded. Sergt. Byrne of
the Madras Sappers was among the
killed and the wounded include Lieut.
Ford of the 31st Punjaub infantry,
who is severely hurt; Lieut. Swintry,
of the 3711 Dogra*; Lieut. MQeLean,
Corps of Guides, and Lieut. Costello,
22nd Punjaub Infantry, slightly.
The Mulakand garrison is short of
ammunition and every effort is being
made to hurry on the reinforcements.
First came the disastrous famine,
whose effects are still visible; then
the plague, next the cholera, and after-
wards the earthquakes. Teen native
disaffection, and finally near in two
different places on the extremely in-
acuessible frontier.
As regards the epidemics, they have
already cost many European lives,
apart from the thousands of the 'na-
tives who perished. The famine has
left its indelible murk upon entire dis-
triets, and sedition bas been spread
broadcast through terr,torbes inhabited
by the .Bengal and the Htndoo. lLlec-
where the disaffection bas matte tittle
progress. The tikes aim. their kindred
races aetest the efCenttnate andcow-
urdly Hindoos with a contempt which
is almost loathing. While they have
not the brains they are the fighting
men of the Last ,and if the British
withdrew they would seen sweep over
India.
SAT UNCLE SAM Ig At
ITEMS 01? INTEREST ABOUT 'l15
BUSY YANKEE.
Neighborly interest la ilia. Doings—Matters,
of Moment end. liietb Gathered. from. ills'
Daily Rowed.
Within a short period a Mount Zioa,
Ind., hen bas laid three eggs each eight
ouches in eircumferenee.
AL ,Tleppner, Ore., there is a band
composed entirely of women which fur-'
nishea, music at celebrations in nearby
pl'nnas
English epaeraws in droves, not to say
houdes, have peaked all the grains from,
Lha wheat sbalks im a field outside of
Wabasbp Ind.
Heart trouble brought on by the ex-
citement of going for a physician at 2
a.m. for bus wife, killed, a sexagenariaai
orf Beeman, Mo,
Ia Summer county, Kan., which gave
a load of wheat for the Itndia famine
sufferers, a main died of starvation be-
fore the wheat reached the Indians.
Facborlas at Padregab, Maxim, a sub-
urb of Mexico City, are putting in Am-
erican machinery and have planned a
feast for the operatives when the plants
are in working order,
iWhen Mrs. Henry Roars was etr.udk
and drilled by lightning in her home
near Auburn, Neb., her baby was
thrown from her donee to a spot under
a table, but was nob hurt.
In one Kansas town a citizen is cam-
paigning against Sunday evening
ehuroh services an the ground tbat the
beat end bugs will damn :mare souls
than the religious exeroises will save.
Residents of Lovina, near Ottumwa,
Ie,„'rave formed an organization for the
extermination of rats, and the manila-
the
devote one day a week to
Lane work ot ridding• the neighborhood
ofers tine vermin.
One .hundred and eight french Cana -
diens, in. twentyrtwo families have Left
Michigan for the Lake ut St. John re-
gion of Canada, leers the Coloniza-
tion Departments gives 100 acres of land
to oath family.
Near Alachua, B'la„ a mea who had
just put some tools into a dhest at ap-
peared,. of a storm ens struck by light-
ning. and killed as he stood under an
calk tree, which was photographed per -
hotly miles body by the fluid.
Mrs .E:eziah Hubbard of Palmy ra fete.,
at 80 does a good deal of embroidery
and pabehwor c in a year. Among her
recent work were an outlined spread
and a pair of pillow ehauis, a tasseled
quilt, and a half dozen Irazy quilts. '
Pkneapple gardens planted two years.
ago at St. Petersburg, Fla., have proved
so successful that the acreage given to
them has been increased largely by dif-
ferent investors. Varieties of the pines.
have been imported from the Azores
for mature there.
Jacob H, Tuthill of Oregon, Loug.
Island, who is eighty-three, jumped in-
to the air and kicked his heals together
twice before touching the ground the
other day, just to demonstrate to the
people gathered at a family reunione
Law young be still felt himself to be.
A Mississippi paper says that a ne-
gro living near Newton, who heard his
dogs barking one night, found that they)
had drilled a remarkable animal. It bad
a beadlike a bull -dog, ears like a mule,
legs like a duck, and a tail like en els-
plant, and it was long' -bodied like a
weasel.
A lineman fell from the roof of e
three-storey building in Mexico City,
leaded om the roof of a street oar and
rolled off to the ground, where he re-
ceived a cut an the head and a sprained
wrist. The car was full, and one pas-
senger, weep the mean fell on the roof,
promptly jumped through a window
leaving his silk hat and umbrella be-
hind.
D, F. Cadenhead, of Carthage, Miss„
had some squash vines and sunflowers
and are distinctly marked by sunflower
seeds. The neighbors say that they
are the result at a cross betw•eea the
sunflower and the squash,
For a month of dry weather extend-
ing over a part of 'June and the first
of this month, a dozen parties of hay-
makers worked in the free fields of the
coast country about Alvin, lirazoria,
county Tex., and shipped thousands of
tons of hay. 8duwdreds of thousands of
sores covered with this grass are free
to anybody, yet enough goes to waste
every year there, it is said, to feed all
the stank of northern Texas, The pro-
portion saved eadh year, however, is
Decanting larger now.
Oae of the times when afaotious
church choir met its match was es a.
recent Sunday evening at Eiktare, Ind.
The choir refused to sing without its
leader, and, waren the minister an-
nounced a hymn, kept perfectly still.
The congregation began to sing, bub
still the choir was silent. lYhen the
hymn was ended the clergyman gave
out another, saying'. that it was to be
begun at the seroma stanza. Turning
to tete place, the people found that the
first liar was; "Let those refuse to sing
who ,Hover drnew our Lord,” The
choir silently acknowledged unacqu-
ai'ntance.
ANOTHER' FORCE SURPRISED.
A few days ago some bhousand fana-
tics surprised another force in Chitral,
amu aga,n caused a severe loan In tate
ears and men, while the following de-
spatehes receiver, on friday chruntcle
more fighting in the same region. Tete-
graphei communication with ivlalakand
hus been reopened. After severe fight-
ing the north Malalcand camp has been
abandoned, and the troops ere concen-
mraenteclced onoon teaJuly Mor27al. at 8.3lighutingp,m. recom-
On
that day the enemy, made a determined
attack on our position, and did not re-
tire until daybreak. Throughout July
28 desultory eiglrtfng in the vicinity of
the camp, continued, the enemy driving
i,a the pickets 0C tits t Punjab Into -
wounded.
last 1231skilted and 1.0
wounded. At onetime during tee fight -
lag the 451.11 Sikhs were hard pressed,
lasing one killed and fifteen wounded,
The 24th Punish Infantry, led by Lieut.
Climo drove back large bodies of the
enemy, who lost about 90 killed, As
the enemy are, Lcwever,, still collecting
in large numbers, further hard fighting
is anticipated. Dargat bus been rein-
forced by 50 rifles.
Tl`he Dotal Br uish loss in the two days'
fighting ns 13 killer. and 43 wounded.
Sergeant Byrne, of the Madras Sap-
pers was among the killed and elle
wounded, include aLicutenant Ford, of
the 31st Punjab Infantry, who is se-
verely hurt; iLieutenantSwinbry, of the
87111 Dagras;, i+ieubena:nt' :M.nsLesn,
Corps of Guides; and ,Lieutenant: Cos-
tello, 22nd Punjab Infantry, slightly
injured. 'The Malnkand garrison is
short al ammunition, and every effete:
is being rade to hurry on the reie-
torcemen s ,
I
FREAKS OP RAZORS.
The finest grades of razors arc se
delicate that even the famous Damas-
cus sword blades cannot equal there
in texture, It is not generally known
that the grain of a Swedish razor Ls
so eeasibive that its general direction
is elranged after a short service. Where
you buy afine razor the grains run
from the upper end of the outer point
in a diagonal direetion toward the
handle. Constant strapping will twish
the steel until the grain appears to he
straight up and down. Subsequentuso
will drag the grain oat'ward froni the
edge, so that atter -steady use forsev-
eral mouths the fibre of the steel oc,-
enpios a position exactly the reverse
of: Iliac which it did on the day of pur-
olieso, le you leave the razor alonefor
a month or two, and take it up, you
will find that the greed has assumed
Its tarsi position, The operation pan
be repeated until the steel Ls wore
through tc the bark.
i