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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1892-8-26, Page 22 THE STORY OF' LAURA SECOR On the 17th October, 1808, a the pretty 'village of Chippewa, ivhere she haa for fifty years as trite and widow, died, at the age of ninety.three, "one of the most patriotio and courageous women of any age Ur country," Born in 1775, in Maesachusetts, the very foretnost of the revolting colonies, Laura Secord, nee Ingersoll, came to the • then unopened west of Canada, the infant IA leer father's family. Thomas Ingeraoll was a wealthy man, of •good social poriition in lfiassachusette, and his wife Was Sarah, daughter of General Jelin Whiting, of Great Barrington, Co. .Berks, Mass., therefore Laura Ingersoll was limn to affluence and station. But the in gersoll blood was loyal, and could not brook the forswearing of oaths of allegi- ance and. the compulsory terms of the new doctrines of a new liberty. Therefore, on • the invitation of his old friend, John Graves Simcoo, who, as "Commander of the Queen's Rangers, a Royalist corps whioh had been raised in the revolted colonies, and had there done loyal service for the • Crown," Mr. Ingersoll sought Canada, the lame of the United Empire Loyalist.% and, in accordance with Simeoe'a views of the inter° of the country, nought to make his -domicile, together with eighty or ninety families who came with hint, in what is now Oxford County, on the banks 'of the Thames, Certain drastic measures on the part of a subsequent Government seriously interfered with the welfare of the little set. Cement, and Mr. Ingersoll himself removed to the newly set off County of York eventu- ally settling in the Township of Etobicoke. • In the meantime the infant daughter wa s TE, BRUSSELS POST, vaziasemeasimeaseeamitmessteamioneeneee D a Not moth mos the vadey nor 04020 the rod " The heroine lived until the yeat in 1812, when Imana teamed essityed her en I deeps now in that old een etery whole of the valley wile a black swainp BY ERNEST CREIRS0A,IN.R. traversed by innumerable creeks, foil of wild creatures, and arose whieli no path led. The road Wee t4 quagmire, and, more- over, was not open to peecolul travel. To have primed a direct, route to Fitzgibbon at DeClowai would have been a trying and toil. some journey indeed, but the delicate wess min, the mother of four little childeen, was forbidden even that, The enemy's pickets were out on all the road ; she would have to travel through the swamp, climb the heights a irwelve•Mile Creek, push ber way through the beech woods, and reach DeCetv's from tho bath. The distance involved was the smallest item of the terrible joorney. The thickets of the swamp, tvith its underbrush, the larking.places of the wolf, the wildmate the bear, and the rattlesnake ; the pathless wilderness with its oozy bottom, its solitude, its terror, these were the real hardships. Even the mountain, sts steep sides, its brawling stream, its dark mantle of virgin forest, was not so terrible, for, once upon it, she might meet a British picket ; she did not count on Indians, a sufficient terror in them. selves if come upon unawares, Bub clay had to be done, and Laura Se. cord did it. Leaving her home, her sick husband and young children—not without mealy a scalding tear, we may be sure, though all signs of agitation had to be eon. eaaled—the brave woman set forward on her jonrney, eal unprepared for it indeed, for she did not dare alter her usual early 'naming attire by one iota, and had to air. cumvent three American seetriea before she reached St. David's, one at her own gate, whore the pretence of a strayed cow suffice ed, the Other by the trae story of a slok brother at St. David's. 1 journey of patriotiern and mercy, The Dremmundville whore lie en many of nor brave soldiers, There is no Desoration DaY' in Canada; but if thrive were, threly this 50011100 15 entitled go the laurel wreath, And in writing, on a matter less directly dealing with the story of woman'a heroism, Mrs. Herberb says; "It gave Gen. Her- bert and myself the greatest pleathre awl interest, last week, to visit Niagara and its ever-memornble surroundings, especially the field of Lundyat Lecce. 1 trust the spot whore Laura Secord meta will be marked by a monument worthy ot the breve and noble spirit we all mat honor." As singe Charles Sangster:— " The hero deed eon not expire. The dead still play their part. Raise Mali the monumental stonel .A, national halts, is theirs, Ana we Itre the rejoieing heirs, The honored Rona 01 eiree whosecaree We take linen Ile unawarert As freely ee 000 0050.' whose military record is as remarkable for "hairbreadth 'teepee" as Inc heroic action, aPPlied Inc and received it grant of " single lot in the township of No. 1 (Niagara), in the distelet of Nassau," end later another grant of six bemired acres near the present Village of St, David's, which probably re - wield ins name from hint, During the war of 1812 lie lost all he had by the pillaging of the American soldiery at Queenston, in width loss others of his family and his neighbors sufrered, and by the binning of St, David's, Where mills, houses, cattle, bones, and securities for loans, all perished in the coeflagration. To these were added other losses at Toronto and other places duringthe course id the war. During the war of 1812, the Swords, a numerous family., wore active defenders of their country. The present writer has seen on various regimental rolls in the Aehives at Ottawa the names of Major David Seward, Lieutenant Courtlaucl Senior& Quarter - Master Daniel Secord, Capt. Elijah Seeord, Lieutenant John Seeord, Sergeant James Secord (this was undoubt- edly Laura Secant's husband. Under date of 29th June, 1812, he is enrolled as Serge- ant in Capt. Geo. .Lew's Company, of Lincoln Militia). To these may be added others of the family, viz. : Abraham &mord Edwin Secord, John Secord (age given of the company roll, 19), Joseph Secord, Solo- mon Seeorcl, Stephen Seeord—alist of loyal and pats totie men in one family it would be hard to match. Nor was the Ingersoll family, su soon to be united by a mum iage with the Secords, less dietingnithed for military ardor, In Vol. 15, M. G. Damircion Archives may be wowing ay, aharicghnrrlsbipn oiwhich the sound the entry, dated 5111 September, present generation mow nothing, laboritig 1804,, 'el heinat Ingersoll, Captain of the with her hands in concert with her mother Militia ef Oxford, London District.'"This and sisters for the comfort of the father militia consisted of one captain (Thos. .and brothers whose lives had to be spent Ingersoll), one ensign, three sergeante, battling with nature, and in laying the three corporale, and twenty-five rank and foundational, deep and wide, of that civil file, 441, anne, lents ; Mit in Held the nom. end religious liberty we now, perhaps too osition of said militia is steted as 4 one complacently eejoy. In those days the merles of education Were small. 'Mothers and fathers whose learning and polish had been received at Harvard, William and Mary, and the numerous seminaries founded by the English Government, and the liberal tastes of wealthy colonists, saw with pain their own advantages denied to their ail. dren ; but like brave men and true, they made the best of things, while imparting to their children such knowledge as they were able in the midst of stern- er labors, never omitted to avail for them of every opportunity that came in their way, whether it were the occasional visit of some university graduate on the Dearth for a site of refuge, soma civil offi- cer whose duties placed him among them Inc a brief period, some clergyman whose -widespread patish called. him to periodical -Melts of Christian consolation and religi- ous office, or some school, reached at a great expense of means time and labor, set on foot at an important centre, as at York, Kingston, or Newark. Of such intermit- headquarters of their general, who, tent, though, it may truly be said, thor- ough education, the herome of the future partook a share; mules she developed into youth and beauty, she was fain to shine a,t the official functions and entertainments of her father's red and faithful friend, Major- General Simcoe, who was fittingly chosen, on the setting off, in 1791, of the western region of Canada into a separate province, as first Lieutenant•Governor of Upper ieutenant, one ensign, three corporals, one drummer, and ferty-five rank and file. Heneaferwarded, so far as available records go, the history of both the Sammie and ingersolls is absorbed in the history of the Wa^ id 1812. Nat lone; was it to remain so I The strife that preyed to the full the patience and heroism of Canadian men, brought to the surface the devotion and courage of Canadian woffien. Loyalty is a principle, 000 50 epithet. The first year of the war was past, and the invaders had gained nothing. Irritated by the want of success of their arms, the American people, always exeeptiug the saving few, rated the Government, and the Goverument replied by throwing into the fields all the money and forces it could raise. ily land and water the struggle was continued, and during the first portion of the campaign of 1813 the Americans scored eeveral important successes. In June they held Fort George, and it had become the ed at finding he had picked up a shell with nothing in 50, inflicted on the inhabitants within Ids limits, which covered Queenston and reached on towards Burlington, many unnecessary restrictions. Every male from the ageof the boy to that of the oetogenerian was put on parole, and forbidden to leave Isis immediate home on any pretence what- ever. General Vincent had retreated before the Canada, invading force no Barlington Heights, end At that period oue of the most important the situation looked very unpromising, families settled in theNiagara district were mainly owing to the absence of necessary the Secords. United Empire Loyalists reinforcements, when a brave man, Col. of the strictest type, they had. espous. Harvey turned the scale of erents in some ed the King's cause with might and main, measure by a successful ni rht sortie upcie and, as a consequence, the live brothers, •with their families had to fly early in the struggle, leaving their estates, elatefly lo- op:Led in Rochelle, Westchester County, the enemy, an the fith of Lute, at Stoney Creek. Seeing that the Loyalists, though cest down, were by no means destroyed, Dearborn thought to cresh them in another New York, and reaching Kingston and 2 quarter, and in some measure retrieve the lllagaraby way of New Brunswick as best prestige lost at Stoney Creek; and it seem - they mild. It is mud that James Secord -who married Laura Ingersoll, thus giving her the name Laura Secord, by Ithich she ed a very easy thing to do. Ab the cross- roads at 33eaver Dams, by which only could Vincent receive supplies or reinforcements, is best known and will ever be cornmemor. I was posted, in Deuan s (or DeCew s) stone ated, when only a child three years old had : house, Lieatenant Fitzgibbon with a picked • accompanied his mother in her flight 'company of thirty men, volunteers from the 1 through the wilderness, with four other 49th—Brock s old regiment—in charge of homeless women and many children, to es. certain stores. To take this post was to scape the iury of a bend of ruffians who open up the whole peninsula, and fur this called themselves the "Sons of Liberty.' errand Col. Boerstler, a gallant officer who After enduring frightful hardships for near. had already distinguished himself, was ly a month, they finally arrived at Fort ordered to prepare himself. He was in Niagara almost naked and stameing, command of the 14th United Slates Infe.0 try • Such terrible experiences Meere by no one twelve and one six -pounder field gum, , means uncommon. In numerous well -au. with eminunition, wagons, etc., a few thentieated cases, the men of the Loyal eavalry, and volunteers ; in all, six hundred families had to fly for their lives, leaving and seventy-three men—a mountain to their wives and children, goods and chat. crush a mouse 1 Bitt so confident wore the Oslo. estates and money, the latter in all Americans of their ultimate success in inetances a forfeit to the new Government, annexing Canada, "the people" iudeed re. Ole former to enter an unknown wilder. garding it for some time as a mere walk - mess, themselves and their little 011eS over, that they were heedless of certain pre - alike unprotected and unsupported, eave cautions in an enemy's country, and talked by that deep faith in God and love —among themselves, to lo sure; but the to King and country which, with their old proverb that says "stone walls have personal devotion to their husbands, merle ears" Wee exemplified on this no - of them heroinea whose story of unparallel. casion ; for hints of tee intended night sue. ed, devotion, hardships patiently borne, prise fell from the lips of certain of the motherhood honorably sustained, industry American eoldiers in the house of jams and thrift perseveriegly followed, enter. Secord, where, by the right of might, the prise successfully prosecuted, principle sm. invaders were wont to make themselves freg, waveringly upheld, and tenderness never of anoli comforts as it afforded, surpassed, has yet to be written, and whose James &cord had been desperately Aare in the making of this nation to be wouncledatthe Battle of Queeneton Heights, equally honored with that of the men who and was at home under parole. But Lieu. bled and foughtfor its liberties. tenant Fitzgibbon must be warned ; his Of enterprising temperaments and of chance against the force that was to surprise large experience in the commerce of the him was nil. Moreover, the country must time, the Seeords set on foot lumber and be saved, And who could do it? The ail - grist mills together with the accompanying emma was soon settled ; the loyal heart of Ueda atNewark,Queensten, audSt.David's, the devoted wife was touched to the core at and were soon eminted among ethe successful the. peril of the time, and Laura Seeord, men of the province. But they were mole; eiriing to the occasion, essayed a task from *they were Loyalists, and as Imola placed which strong men might jusbly shrink. thereselvea upon the militia roll as defend- Whoevernowshould travel from Queensbon eresef,Canaia. As aoldiers, each generation to Beaver Dams would find %fine stone road left a noble reeord to their children, and to traverse all the way, Skirting the love - established a claim upon the gratitude of IY and fertile vale of St David's, he would their country. be filled with admiration, not more of the That the Seeords were settlers in the natural scenery than of the fine agricultural • true sense of the term, and not merely free- district dotted with substantial homes that booting adventurere, as has been most un- would greet his eye on every hand, On the justly maid of the men of Butler's Rangers, north.west, as he advanced, another fertile is eliown by the fact that immediately on valley of great extent would come into the close of the Revolutionary struggle vieve. At three points within the valley two brothers, Peter and James Seeord, the epires and tall chimneys of menufactur. applied to Governor Ilaklimand, through ing villagea would meet hie vision, while on Col, Baler, for the ironwork and stones the shores of the blue waters af Labe On. neeeseary to the furnishing of a saw and tario, stretching away in the distance two riot mill, to be built close to the considerable port twills would be chain - ameba at Niagara. These furnishings guishable. At the bask of the valley the they intended to buy in Lower Canada, travelleee eye would rest upon high bluffs, • but vere informed that "the mill could riehly wooded., curving south-westerly, and • net be run es a private property, losing themselves in the high plateau on • bot that the materials would be sent up, nhich he WAS arivieneing, Ile would also •and the Secorda allowed a fair profit for observe with much admiration the stupon. Managingit." cloue piece of engineering that crosses the "It is almost certain," Bays Capt. CruW valley from the high land ab his feet to tho • *hank, " that this Wefi the first mill in the lake shore, the Looks of the Welkin' Conal; • Province of Upper Cauaelg, and it was be. and travelling a little further, attl the stolid quatiOn the firet built in the Niagara canal iteelf OPOESIOS his path, 310 would be disttiet." Moreover, these wane brothere stopped by a magnifleat oriailever bridge, appeariti the list of farmers to whom wheat Xurilleg to the loft Of the bridge, about for Sowing was to be supplied by the Gov. BUY yarde from the elver bank, he would .arntrient, ' Early in 1780 • Major DaVid &Jeer& At St. David 0 she entered the swamp, through which she guided herself by those slims of the points of the compass kernels to most settlers in those thnea But she lost herself more than orme, rod the moon was rising as she reached the further end. All that long, hot summer's day, from daybreak to moonlight, on the 28rd of June, she had traversed the haunted depths of an Le. penetrable swamp, alone, hungry, faint, and for the most part of the way, raped and shoeless. Even to -day we can jnage how long it would take to destroy every article of attire in a thicket full of thorns and briers, of branches and fallen trees, of water aud bog. Wild creatures alarmed her, fel the rattle snake often strikes as he springs his alarum, and the wild -oat drops from the high branch without warning, or pursues his prey perseveringly until he is sure of his aim. Once only she faltered, • and it was at the dread cry of wolves ; but bis y passed her by, and elle went on trust- ing more than ever to the hand that guides the world. Crossing by means of a fallen tree the Twelve -Mile Creek, then a ewollen and con. siderable stream, for rains had been heavy for days previous, the heroine climbed slow- ly and painfally the steep aides of "the mountain," and ou the ridge encountered O British sentry. 0, joyful sight 1 A friend once moral By him she is directed to Fitz. gibbon still however some miles distant. Her heart is lighter'for she is within British lines, But oh, how heavy are her feet I She enters at length upon a little clearing,the trees have been felled, aud their twigs and branches strew the ground: they crackle beneath her tread. Suddenly she is surrounded by ambushed Indians, and the chief throws up his tomahawk to strike, regarding the intruder as a spy. Only by her courage in springing to his arm is the woman saved, and an opportunity snatched to assure him of her loyalty. Moved by pity and admiration, the chief gives her a guide, and at length she reaches Fitzgibbon, della. era and verifies her message, and *Mts. It is a wonderful story. To -day, when we are lost in admiration of the pluck of a Stanley, a jephson, and a. Stairs, with their betide of men divini into the heart of Afri. ca, we may reasonably. ask ourselves which wee the greater, theirs or Laura See- ord's. The distinction is only a difference of climatic conditions; the end was the one, the uniby and glory of the British Einpire, and the heroism is surely equal. Fitzgibbon's prompt aetion, his success, and his promotion feria, are matters of hie. tory. To Mrs. Secord he was ever grateful, and never failed to show it on occasion. Promotion came to him but there was no reward for Laura Secord, whose self -deny. lug devotion to her king and country led to it. Nor did she look for reward, seve that Achieved by the success of her errand. Butte -day, when we are gradually awaken- ing to a better appreciation of the heroes who gave us by preserving to no, our liber- ties, we know that Laura Secord ought to find. a place among them 1Ve have been less susceptible to greatness than the an- cients, in whose Pantheon the deities were not all gods, Nevertheless, we have not' been wholly unmindful ; but we have con. templated doing the memory of Laura Se. cord scene honor ; we have approached our Provincial Legislature for a grant to be ex - purled on marking her last rosting,place, 111 Drummondville Cemetery with a memori. al stone somewhat worthy of her anti of us. We are ready to open a subscription list on the part of the men and women of Ontario, if so it should be desirable to supplement =oh gran) as we may obtain, in order to carry out to the full our sense of the hero- ine's deserts. Within the last decade a great awakening of interest in the details of our history has been remarked in our literature, and it is not to be wondered at that the romantic story of Laura Secord's heroism has toughed the imagination of our poets. Moir, Mao. her, Jetkeway, aud others, have sung of her in harmonioue strains, while many a green leaf has been laid on her lowly tomb by others. Mrs. Chamberlain, of Ottawa, whose first husband Was Col. Fitzgibbon, writes: "I had heard sio often from Col. Fitzgibbon all about Mrs. Seeord. In my oyes she was more a a heroine than is gen. erally known, for, like the Lady Godiva, her journey was performed, not exactly withent any clothing) but next to :nothing, being only a. flannel petbicoati, and whabold- fashioned people call a bed.gown ; hs feet a short night -drew worn over the petticoat. I am not positive about thia last, but I think she had neither etaltines; nor shag on, If fully and properly dressed elle never 'could have passed the sentries, and really appear. et!, aa she likelydid everymorningin Bearish of her cow," But Mrs- Harriet) Smith, the third child of Laura Seoul, and who is still living, said to tbe writer; "I remember geeing my mother leave the home on that facia morning, but neither I nor my sisters knew exactly on what errand she wits boa. She had on limo dippers and a flowered vent gown; I think It wao brown, with omega flower's; at lonst a yellow tint is emineeted in my mind with that parbioular morning," Mrs. Edgar, whose flee book, "Ten Years, of Peace and War," forms so Yalu. able an addition to our histovierd record's, In Wittig Mr's. Secord1s story, ear. "As to Laura. Somindei reward, it lute ame to 8" a fine slleitortal stone tO th0 mOillorY 01 her m the fame that rests on her name the kibIosi at 130aeer Darns, WheneVer the story 01 1816 le told, EVOLUTION OP THE RACE -NORM The Develounten t of the Thoroughbred Is -Entirely tlie Work or al an. In so far as 0 creature endowed with life eau owe its existence to human hands, the race -horse may be saisi to be man-made. Homes were an important factor in early nomadic life, and were cherished by their owners, and the progress of civilization, so far from breaking thie bond, has apparently strengthened it. The animal it not now so essential to human welfare and convenience; science has furnialied other means of trans- portation, and is in a fair way to take all the heavy loads from leis back ; but in the degree that he ceases to be a mere beast el leueden lie is transformed into a source of entertainment and pleasure. From a rough and hardy oreatere, subsisting on such re- tinue as chance and convenience might pro. vide, and suffering the hardships and hazards of toil and adventure, he has gradually evolved into a combination of nerves, intelligenee aud trained muscle that has but a family likeness to his early pro- genitors. It (lidera from them in the same measure that the Ameriean Beauty or the La Franco rose differs from the little five -petaled pink flower that blooms by the roadside. Like those floral triumphs he is 0 prodeet of scientific cultare, It is not chance that has given him that particular build, that slenderness and lightness that to the expert means speed. His masters have wanted these developments, and they have studied sire and dam and the pedigree of each until they could mime in advance the qualities of the offspring. And having secured a horse that has within him the possibilities of outdoing his ancestors they treat him as a precious belonging, as, indeed he is. .A. groom always in attendance he is brushed and combed until his coat is like satin; he is fed and houried and exer- cised with as mush care for his comfort as for a chili's; royalty itself is not looked after with more solicitude. The attention that ancient Greeks used to give to their own bodily training is given by modern men to the racehorse, and., as a result, he is O marvel of physical perfeetion. And after all this? Why, when he has been tested and his paces tried he is put upon the racetrack, where his beauty and grace and swiftness 'lease the sight and thrill the pulses of the watching thousand as no other spectacle devised for publia pleasure could ever do. Poisoning by Misadventure. The British Medical Journal notices three shnultaneous cases of poisoning by misad- venture under circumstances which sug- gest an obvious comment. The first case is that of a ahoernalter living at St. Breock Downs, in Cornwall, who drank slime oxalic acid in mistake for brandy. The brandy and tbe poison were in bottles of similar shape, placed side by side on the dreseer, and in the dark he drank outof the wrong bottle. The second is a case in which two women were poisoned in the East -End of Londun by drinking freely front a bottle of carbolic acid, which had been procured for disinfecting the drains from the parish authorities. The bottle which contained the poison was labelled "Old Tom," and the contents were drank under the belief that it was rem. The third 0000 is one in which some carbolic acid, used for disinfecting purposes, was swallowed by a little boy in mistake for giuger-beer. It is, perhaps, idle to expect much result from protests against the care- lessness which allows poisons to be left about in bottles of all shapes and sizes such as Ordinarily contain customary bevereges, but at least some provision might be made by which stich bottles should be labelled poison. Persons can now go to (Alaimo, and, no matter what vessels they take, the poisons placed in them are not labelled poi- son. If this person went to a chemist than the bottle would have to be labelled poison. While grocers and oilshops are allowed to sell poisons they oughbeerbainly to be place ed under similar restrictions as to labelling. How the Lucifer Match Was Invented. 1010 not generally known that 10 15 to Mr. Isaac Holden, Al, P., that lye owe the invention of the Moiler matola The discov- ery was, he has told us himself, bhe result of a happy thought. "In the morning I used to getup at 4 o'cileek in order to pursue my andies, and I ueed at that time the flint Rad steel, in the use of which I found very great inconvenience, Of course I knew, RS other chemists did, the explosive material that was necessary in order to produce in- stantaneous light ; but it was very difficule to obtain a light on wood by the explosive material, and the idea occurred to 045 00 put sulphur under the explosive mixture. 181! that and allowed it in my nexb lecture on chemistry, a course a whicla was delivering at a large academy. "There was," said Mr. Midrib, "it young man in the room whose father was a chemist in London, aud he immediately wrote to hie father rthoub it, etiel shortly after lager matches were issued to the world. I be- lieve that was the first °wagon thitt we had the Nailer math. I was urged to go and take out a patent immediately, but I thought it wee eo small u.snatter, and it oat me so little labor, that I did nob think it proper to go and get a patent, otherwiee I have no doubt it would have been very profitable."—Pall Mall Gazette. Asi itdallible elutraterietie of meannese is cruelty, —{Johnson, Mre. Iliegicy—" Hay is youe daughtee getting, along with her now magi teacher?" Mee, Pinkerly—" Splendidly, tehe has only known him three weeks' and he has already proposed three Ones." 'St love you," said the smitten youth to %Summer girl. "Shall wo 'consider our - solves engaged?" "Yes, From throo this afternoeithall nine next Saturday, That's the only Sine .1 have oval no late in, the eetteen.4 HAWAII'S DEMON TREE. The Strange Story of a Wonderful Min Eating Vegetable. GMth'rliti 11110.1(8 08 TUG 1010311 01' 1150. MAN ROSES fillt111.0V1i1) nT In the latter part of the year 1807, see'e E.Ellsworth Carey, in tho Honolulu Adver- tiser, I wee commissioned by the Belgian Government be, find it mirth in rare wander- ing plane that was believed to grow on the ligher slopes of Mauna %ea, 0 large extinct volcano mthated on the northern part of I had a station built on one of the wooded slopes of the moentain, far away from any other habitation. My only corn- paniou WAS a native who had lived all hie life on this part of the island. Aboub twice a mouth he would visit the seacoast to ob. tain needful supplies for our camp. This native, who mid that hie ancestors were " big chiefs," whose bones lay secretly buried in eaves on the mountain side, was very old, although he could climb canyons mud scale lava -cliffs with wonder- ful agility. During ono of my botanizing excursions I passed by the mouth of a narrow canyon o gorge, and !asked PM, the old native, if he had ever explored the same. Pili suddenly became interested in Ms pipe, and didn't know anything about the meld and did not understand whet 1 raid. TIIIS NVIL3 rather strange in Pill, for natives generally know every rook and tree in the section were they live, and I Icnew Pili was lying %ellen he sued he did not understand me. So,naturally,1 determined to examine into the mysterious ravine. Some time after this, I was walking with Pfii down a gentle slope, when I saw a number of bones, Pill stopped. He walked back a few rods and ean down on a stump. Not a word would he say. I began esamining the bones and foe two hours or more puzzled my brain over a problem as I had never done before. What 1 found was this A circular area of About 100 yards in diameter thiekly cover- ed with the bleached remains of birds, ani- mals and human beings. Tbese ghastly relies were scattered among the shrubs and grass. The larger bones were near the centre ; 50 fact, I found that the bones be- came gradually smeller as I approached the periphery of this circular bone.yard. In the centre of the circle was a well -like opening in the ground, front which emanamd a sickening odor. No vegetation grew with- in fifty feet of this cavity. 'How came this hole with its horrible atench? How A.V(It'ST 10, 1802, A Ella 003�PA7iY OF GIRLS. Vomit <I tor Ilto polorIlos or nolloway Collogo, ItSitiatitt. 01/0 of the most hit:cresting things nbout th II el I oway Col lege I or Wein 911, hou StlITSY, Is the fire erigatie of gad students, who are trained to protect the magnitleen S 88,000,- 0510 building from the pnesibility of defame - thin by fire, From a !urge water tower the hydraut supply is distributed by teeter mains all over the vat building, end lad ()atelier the lire brigade was regillarly organ- ized, with Miss Bishop, the prinuipal, as The "Holloway Volunteer Brigade' form - cid in three sections of ton students oath, these repi'esenting the occupants of different floors. They were drawn rp in line at "right turn5 guide marchlposition1" Then each section went quite through with two full drilla. A fire in sitting-eoom No, 10 was suppon. ed. At command, "Get to world" the en- gine was run down to the doorway, a "chain" of recruits was formed to the near. eel: source of water supply, and the buekete were handed in line that the engine might be kept in fall play. The pump was vigor- ously applied by twe girls, while another worked the small hand hole quickly aucl in. geniously, as that the engine Wes at full sneed in less than a minute. When the (hell wits concluded with the orders "Knook offl" and "Make upl" everything had been put ha its own place. Then came the " hydrant drill," which was conducted at the hydrant neareet the point of a, supposed outbrealc of fire. In this six students front each notion took part, Directly the alarm was given 100 feet of canvas hoee was run out and an ad- ditional length (regulated, of mune, by the distance) \VMS joined to it. At the words " Turn on I" by the officer known ns" branch hosernart," the hose was directed eo that, had there been water in it, it inust have streamed on to the supposed fire. This drill was also accomplished 10 only a minute, and at the commands " Ienock off 1" and "Make up 1" the hose pipers were promptly disconnected, the pipe that is always kept attached to the bydrant was "slacked down" and an extra 100 feet " coiled 03" on the bight with astonishing rapidity. MINING AT KAMLOOPS. Mountains or sliver—n;(1 Gold. Great Es: elteustent. Flocks orProule Arriving. .4 despatch from Kamloops, B. 0., StlyS:— ;Much has leeen said of late as to the pros- peots of Kamloops as a mining centre, but. never lave the prospects of thendand capitiel eall13 these bones here? How came they to looked so bright as at the present, and it is be arranged about the central openIng ? evident that the expectations of the most These questions continually presented them. selves, but they remained unanswerable. A deep mystery seeined to bang over the spot. It was growing dark. I hear! Pill calling and hurried to him. Ile pointed in terror to the centre of the bone -covered area, A shadow was thrown on ihe scene by a rising bank of clouds. But I declare that I saw rising from the pit a visible vapor, a column of visible fog or smoke or gas that was uminons. Spell bound, I gazed at the spectral column. Near the ground it had the appearanee of no phosphorescent flame and gradeaBy became fainter as it ascended Your imagination will have to picture the unearthly phenomenon. Pili pulled at my arm and in silence we left the spot, aud we did not loiter by the wayside. As I NVEU3 looking for a :Ample plant, and not bloodmerdling manifestations, I was in. dined to break cainp end leave. But by morning my nerves were in heater order and 1 went back to the scene of the evening adventure. I could find no due to the mystery, and the matter gradually went out of mind as I prosecuted my labors. But I had occasion after a time to visit a post near where I had seen the canyon about which Pili was SO apparently ignor- ant. One evening I made known my in. tention to Pull to return to the place and to explore the gorge. " When ?" said Pili. "In the morning," I replied. 'se Without a word the old native arm from his mat on the floor and departed. He was gone all night, He returned by sunrise, bearing en his shoulders a bundle. When wo reached the canyon lie stopped and un- packed his load. I saw a stone idol, mile. 000 10 shape ; he placed it on the ground, and then took a small pig from his bundle. Making a fire, he sprinkled something in the flames, muttered strange sounds and made symbols in the air with his fingers. The animal offering was pieced before the (doh After hecompleted his strange rites he said that I might never come beak, but he had done what he could to preserve my life. He would wait until the going down of the sun, and then, if I did noe come back, he would wail for me as did his fathers long, long ago, when o son fell in battle. Then he sat down, covered up his head and wits silent. All this mime me feel uncomfortable, The natives of the Hawaiian Islands are supposed to be Christianized, but in time of danger or trouble many often then to the discarded gods of their fethers. I knew Pili believed that great danger awaited any one who &scowled the rmone. But I went. I heal gone about it mile, when ever the topa of tree ferns I sew a waving mass of sea green foliage undulating in the wind. The object looked like a large belleh of thick. leaved seaweed, and the peculiar motion of the same attracted my attention. I was over three hundred feet away from the curious object, and hurried to obtain a closer view, A wail of fern -covered lava about ten feet high stopped my course. Climbing up sothat I could jab see over the edge, saw an object each as the eyes of civilized man never before beheld. Imagine O hunch of seaweed about twelve feethigh ; the edge of each piece lined with fine streamers which radiated in all directions and trembled like fine wire spirals ; the whole object moving like the fringes of sea anemone. I Was wearing a heavy felt hat with a wide brim, and I pushed it balk from my forehead to get a better views As I moved my arm the strange object mailed quivering, and every vibrating antenna oe streamer pointed directly at me. Ju t then my foeb slipped from a petting rock on whith I eves standing and I fell, and knew no more for a tiine. I regained consmousness after in short time, and ley iu itpatial gasper. The wall n bove me was atripped of ite verdure, and I SEM er long sinewy, 'make -like objea writhing, twiating and curling on the tacks. It had missed its prey, and &low angry bum filled, the air. X t is the wise young man who purehtteee his stunmer alit before buying pools on his favorite horse, Memory is not so brillinalt as hole°, ba it is more been tiful, and a thousand times move true, —[George D, Prentice. Merchant (buying bill of geode of Chicago dvineuner)—"Whet is your ustud thee, thirty days ?" Chicago drummer (absent. mintledly).—"Yes or St 0, I always pay the finesa.oh, or-- I bog pardon, Yes ; thirty daya, or two per eent) off for Oath," sanguine will be more than realized. Prospeotors have been busy for the last two or three weeks and, as 0 result, a rich dis- covery which assaye $188 per ten, silver and copper, has been made on Copper Creek, 14 miles weet of Kamloops, while at Grand Prairie, 55 miles from here, a discovery of what might properly be termed a mountain of silver au! gold has been made, one ledge being 25 feet wide aad traceable over a mile, many other equally as good locations having also been made. There is great excitement iu the locality, end miners are flocking to the district, three wagonloads having ar- rived from Vernon last evening. Mr. D. L. Lockerby and party, includ- ing two mining expert., are here, and leave for Grand Prairie, on Monday, where Mr. Lockerby has already acquired some inter- ests. After visiting Grand Prairie, Mr. Lookerby and party will spend some time in the district, visiting other points of in- terest. Sin Lockerby expresses himself aS much pleased with whab he has seen, so far, and considers the district very rich in min- erals. George McDonald has also struck a rich lead of galena within two miles of the town, while yet another rich lead has been discovered by Mr. Walker, at Adams Lake, within& few miles of the city. Major Vaug- han, who has been here for some time in- vestigating the coal fields of the North Thompson, left for Vancouver tcanight. Capt. Tatlow, of Vancouver, arrived on the Atlantic express, this morning, Books With Rumen Skins. Extravagance in binding ha$ frequently furnished an opening for display of fantas- tic tricks and fads, declares The St, Louis Republican OurimSeeker. In a bookseller's oata]Og at hand as I write is an advertise- ment of a Latin copy of Apulein's Golden Asa" hound in the skin of a Jerusalem ass, the leather being still unhaired, .A. book by Jeffrey Hudson, the noted dwarf, was Sound in the silk waistcoat of Charles I., the dwarf's patron saint. A de luxe edition of Fox's historical works, specially fitted up for Edwards, the philosopher, was bound throughout in fax skins, 47 pelts of these little animals being required to complete the job. O'Connell, who so delighted in the possession of a first edition of Bacon's works -had tho entire set rebound in pig skin, and always referred to them as his "Bacon riud" books. During the French Revolution, "when death stalked through the land and murder lurked in every dark corner," some of the philosophers who had become hardened with their nightly revels, " where sculls were used as doeskin ceps,' carried their love of the gruesome and the horrible an far as to rebind whole libraries iu human skin. The writer ot this " note" once had the pleasure of handling o copy .of O murderer's cenfesaion sOhlols NVeS bound in the tanned skin of the murderer him- self. h. Medical Student's Love Affair. The Daily Telegraph'sParie correspondent writes :—Just outside the gates of tlae little garden of the Oluny Museum in the Latin quarter, there has occurred one of those tragedies which aro sometimes °fleeted be- tween students and the up-to.date types of the grisette. An elegantly.dresised young woman was seen to stop suddenly last night, on the Boulevard Saint•Germain, dote to the Museum, and to aim a revolver at a passing pedestrian. Immediately two shots, were heard in quids eaceseion, but Orange to say it was the damsel wbo fired them that fell to the ground, and not her human target. Nobody was injored. The damsel had fallen. in a violent fit of hysterics, and was on the ground wildly waving her hands and kicking the air, She was broughb round by degrees though the Joinb action of a policeinan and a ohermert, and theit stated to the former that she had intended to ehoob yoting medical student Salm had given her up. The student, who is the son of 0Patel- amentary magnate, was aftertvards referred to, but a he manifested an unwillingneee to proeemate, the young wen= tpas dis- charged from custody. An estimable lent unhealthy /ads, who ie taking the water at Seratoga wail describing tho symptions eo a friend, and wishing to oicplain that dm first visited the bath and afterwards took her glass of mineral water at the wing, the said ; "My cleat, the treatmeet is very iffinple, You take your bath first and drink the W".isiZr afterWard."