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Exeter Advocate, 1906-5-31, Page 6KAI WANG; • A TAE QP SOUTHERN CHINA. :Ei t# f# 9-AE4A+0+0+31f+E+30E+0+30€ FNOE+0+g +0+0 i + 0E4, CHAPTER XII. • skirts of " the great mass of floating It was with considerable interest that Larry glanced around him. . They were in the heart of the most 'densely populated portion of the city, and in one of its most picturesque, as well as remarkable, sections. Daylight would have disclosed to wondering eyes a. thousand strange features that went to make up a blended picture such as must long have haunted the memory of any one who cherished a lave for the quaint, the bizarre, the Oriental. It must be admitted, however, that at least one of the ,senses has no love for those animated scenes in eastern cities —eyes may delight in the rich group- ing of bright colors rivaling the prisma- tic hues of the rainbow, and ears even be forced to admire the wonderful bar- baric music to be heard on every hand; but no cultivated European or American nose has ever been known to sniff the abominable odors to. be detected in such marts with any other feeling than that of disgust. Still, familiarity often breeds con- tempt., and people grow accustomed to almost everything in time. Larry knew instantly that, as Lord Hackett had intimated, their chase had brought them to the regions of boats. He had them before him—boats by scores—aye, boats by hundreds—usually of the sampan order, and lashed side by side, just as coal barges may be seen un American rivers. Where, in all this vast concourse, were they to seek for Avis, even pro- viding she had been brought to this spot, which fact must still remain an open question? It was a feature of the matter that now began to assume appalling pro- portions to Larry, and somehow he be- gan to depend upon his companion for means to bridge over the abyss. Fortunately, Lord Beckett did not fail him. The big, bluff Englishman seemed to have gained complete mastery over the Chinaman to whose engineering skill they owed their presence here—in fact, he appeared -to have partly hypnotized him, and was in a position to secure whatever information the fellow pos- sessed. Fortunate it was that such a thing Should be so—indeed, it promised to prove the most valuable element in the game. At least Plympton seemed to have a !air amount of enthusiasm when he left the native and whirled upon Larry, and the very sight of his confidence aroused new hope in the breast of the other. "Then, all is not lost yet?" he de- manded, as though seeking a sign. "Well, I should say not by a great sight," returned the hearty Briton., only with considerable more emphasis than I have ventured to give; "It may look des- perate enough, God knows, but we'll change all that in double-quick order, and the time has come to make a move, so follow me and fear nothing." That was the sort of talk to revive drooping spirits and put new confidence in a man. Larry's feelings underwent a decided change, and rose from zero to summer heat. A burning desire swept over him, a mad longing to get at those who were responsible for this outrage; it was the slime savage feeling• that the hungry wolf experiences as it leaps at the throat of a buck at bay. Larry had been down in the depths, but he would not again know despon- dency while this strange adventure Iasied, thanks to the cheery way in which his companion buoyed him up. It is worth much to have such a friend in time of need. Lord 'Hackett was es good as his word. He began to advance. His course seamed to be laid out just le directly as ever a skipper could mark his upon a chart after the use of qua-, Brant and sextant. It led him nernss a tangle of boats that were huddled together like a bvy . of frightened partridges. The men from Britain stepped farm me 'lr, ano- ther without as much as by year leave, and behind him skipped Larry as blithely as his new-born hr,pes would allow. Though this was the ordinary method of crossing to the outer boats, there *Seemed to be something out of the com- mon run in the mode of Lord Rackett's advance, perhaps, not being accus- tomed to such work, he may have rolled the boats more than was entirely neces- sary, by stepping with his weighty figure upon the gunwales. At any rate in many instances the curtains that concealed the covered part of numerous sampans were angrily thrust aside, and the light from within disclosed yellow faces that expressed the utmost astonishment at sight of two foreign devils thus crossing the string of fastened boats. All this while. Lord Beckett kept one 'eye upon a light that was beyond, es though his hopes were centred to this Qua rter. Larry, leo, seemed to know that this was the object of their mad. advance across houseboats and sampans, and his enthusiasm had soared to such a lofty pitch that he would have followed Plympton anywhere in a Quixotic sense. The suspense was cruel, but there was at least a satisfaction in knowing it could not s.fet long. Whether for better or worse„ they would presently be able to decide the matter, sifir;e this rapid. progress was speedily diminishing the dist.anres between themselves and the stenrty where light beyond, Alrencly harry had determined that this must be stationed upon a funk or some other vessel seeurecl at the out - - craft. It was no time to discuss the question pro and con, to ascertain how ankh chance there could be of success falling to their share; duty lay before them, and at such a crisis the brave man pushes on, eager to reach the goal. The occupants of the various boats who had been so rudely aroused had set up a lively chorus of sharp, queru- lous cries, very natural to John China- man when angered, and tlhis was being constantly augmented by new voices as others took up the shrill refrain. On the whole, their dance across the interlocked boats was accompanied by as weird and uncanny a refrain as mor- tal ears ever harkened to. There was much anger En the chorus that rose and fell with such fierce, mon- otonous fervor, but neither of those who could count themselves the cause of the clamor appeared to lose heart because of it. Indeed, strange though it may ap- pear, they were paying little or no heed to matters around them, all attention being concentrated upon the boat toward which they so vigorously pushed their way. By this time, more or less lights have- ing been diffused around the immediate vicinity, owing to so many curtains be- ing drawn aside, they were enabled to make out that the vessel was a small junk, the matting sails of which were stewed up in the peculiar style to those boats used for general Chinese •naviga- tion and coast commerce. All this tallied with what they had learned from the man Lord Hackett had hypnotized. It was evident that the Increasing con- fusion among the houseboats and col- lected sampans had ere now attracted attention on board the junk. Signs of life wereto be seen in figures that flitted past the shining light,.and Larry also felt positive he heard loud orders given in a foreign tongue, pre- sumably Russian. The sound stirred his heart, for it an- nounced the fact of their having laid a direct course through all the beastly troubles with which they had been be- set. It was also like the clear notes of; a bugle urging the charging soldiers ori in. the face of stinging bullets and roaring bombs; only a little spurt and . they would clear the remaining distance. There was need of the utmost haste, for already the hempen ropes that held the junk to the flotilla were thrown off, and the vessel had commenced to open a gap between, urged on by the current. Lord Rackett saw this and put out• a little more energy, while behind him Larry was doing marvellous things in skipping from boat to boat with the agility of a mountain chamois. Thus they reached the last sampan— the open water yawned between; but r could not be daunted,and brave hearts with a roar Lord Hackett leaped the gulf, followed by Larry, and landed on the deck of the floating junk. CHAPTER XIII. It was a close shave. Had they been delayed just ten seconds . in their progress, it would have been utterly impossible for them to have cleared the rapidly widening. breach and gained the deck of the moving junk as they did. Which might, be considered an espe- cial piece of good luck in their favor. Although thus enabled to carry their point, it could not be said that they had won a victory indeed, the preliminary skirmish had only been fought, and the real battle was yet to come. No one realized this better than Lord Rackett, whose past life had been some- what of the tempestuous character, a checkered career in which there were many red Crosses that marked scenes of turrnoil, where a quick wit was as ne- cessary as the good English brawn to tack it up. Possibly in thus boarding the enemy's boat they may have been placing them selves in a trap from which there was no escape. At any rate, it had been done. and re- treat was now out of the question. in times of old, when the legions of Rome went against a hostile country, it was the policy of their generals to burn the bridges ler the boats behind them. This was done 'to convince the sol- diers how desperate was their venture, and that they must conquer or perish. It invariably caused them to fight with greater fierceness; even a cornered rat will give battle. and men who know they must win or die are desperate antag- onists. When Plympton gained the deck of the Chinese junk, such was the impetus of his leap that he Sell forward on his hands and knees. A dusky figure 'sprang forward and fastened like- a human leech upon his back. As a great mastiff emerging from the sea shakes the water from his hide.With a tremendous convulsion of his frame, se Lord Racicett dislodged this unwel- come burden, and the wretch, stum bling over the near -by, low bulwarks rf the vessel, plunged into the dark waters of the river. It was a remarkable beginning, end must, surely give encouragement to, any man, since a fair start means much in a race. As yet they had taken a leap in the dark in more ways than one. -.. It wits not possible to declare pest - Lively that they were even en the right track, though certairi indications proved that Conjecture. At alt events, their work was cut eat, and it was of no meals order—to .•t*e possession of 4 vessel where the crew plight ,lumber almost any nllnlber 'of evil-minded natives, ready with the knife to defend their craft, Was an undertaking that might well appall any man. But Plympton came of a race noted for its daring -he could trace his ancestry back to that hold narinor, Sir Francis Drake; and while the .same class of perils might no longer exist, occasions were bound to present themselves call- ing for just as vigorous action. Plympton, having shaken off his bur- den, 'turned to discover whether Larry had made the leap in safety, for as yet he was quite in ignorance with regard to this matter. A shrill voice close at his elbow gave hirn immediate assurance; .the little man was literally "on deck" and ready to. say "aim" to ;all that he might propose or do. Tho junk had drifted so tar from the other craft that nothing was to be feared in 'hie quarter. Their troubles would all come from a point closer at home. Even when sweeping his eyes around• in this search for his companion, Lord Hackett had discovered shadowy figures clustered near, and knew the respite they were enjoying was only temporary—that by the time they had taken a few quick breaths the storm would burst and they must be ready to face it. The Englishman had received baptism of fire in the war with Japan, and was by nature gifted with the spirit of a leader. He could grasp all details with one comprehensive glance, and throw his forces into a position to meet the emer- gency, and this is usually reckoned the finest trait of a master mind in military circles.A If vis 'were, as they had fair reason to believe, upon this boat; then she must of necessity occupy the cabin. This being the case, their interests lay wholly in that quarter; the enemy might have control of all else; but it was their bounden duty to cover this section. Lord Hackett did not lose one instant of time in drawing a weapon—desper- ate cases required like remedies, andbe expected a hot time must follow Chir boarding the junk. Even if the vessel were not what they had good reason to suspect, the crew would look upon them as pirates, and feel justified in opening hostilities. Not an atom of doubt assailed Ahem; they could hear among the clatter of Chinese tongues that rough Russian voice; it might not belong to -the Count himself, but, nevertheless, the presence of such a man aboard was prima facie evidence that they had not gone amiss in their search. "Back up this way," said Plympton, as he edged toward .the door of the cabin. Larry grasped his 'meaning; even in this exciting moment his senses were peculiarly clear and • on the alert. Long . companionship with : Dr. Jack hod taught him the ,. only, way. ,to -- talcs hold. of .a situation like this and the•.ab- solute necessity sof maintaining a .per. fectly cool demeanor, This movement on their part seemed to be _ the signal for an attack. They saw a sudden forward move- ment on the part of the hovering mass. It was like the plunge of the lightning express into the mountain defile—with a hiss and a roar the deluge was upon them. At any rate those at bay seemed dis- posed to do their part from the start. When a man finds himself attacked by a mob of ferocious "'Chinks," he is not apt to halt upon his convictions as to whether or not he is averse to the shedding of human gore; at such times necessity drives him into defending his life, and all law has long since decided that a human being is justified to any extent in thus standing up to save his existen ce. On these grounds alone they felt the right was on their side, even if Avis and her safety had not entered into the question. So they opened upon the shadowy line that had- pushed forward --opened with a vengeance and earnestness that pro- mised speedy results. The junk was not in absolute dark- ness, although no lights were 'to be seen save the one far aft, and which had doubtless been Intended to illuminate the passage of some expected person. across the crowded campans and house- boats near by. Thus it was feasible for our friends. now that th.eir•eyes were no longer blinded by this brilliant light, to par- tially distinguish the ugly yellow faces of the advancing Chinese sailors, and even see the shining wenpons they grippedso fiercely in threatening hands. Under these conditions it was possible to show their mettle and skill, and no bullet flew without finding its billet. Still the Russian stormed and raved as he urged his deluded slaves on. Neither Larry nor his comrade were linguists, and jointly ,possessed but a smattering of the Russian language. but both of them were ready to wager Butt the Cossack was laying down the law to the accompaniment of the most lusty swear words known to his tongue. The Chinese character may hardly be. looked upon as fierce and warlike; some fragments of the nation. such as .the Testers of the north and the giant mountaineers of the south, known ns tihe RlnckeMnes. have indeed alt. -the Inhere eat qualities of a warrlor people, but the main body seem fo he devoted to the arts of peace and to solv.lnd the ever- present problem of daily existence. This being the case. they were not art In ,stand un very long upon tindine themselves targets for •such sharp prac- Lo lice. rd lacked irled in vain to 'discover Ihee owner of That bass voice. )le would not only•hnve felt iustiflee. but immensely pleased could he hive sent hiscompliments in the shape of bullet through the stout lungs of the man who , tweed the hind rabble on. since sueh: o frisky stroke, by cuthng orf hie auprly of hreaih: would wind un hili noisy harangue. and the acivancine sailors. finding i.liemselves left to their awn ctevires, would of necessity have dronned out. The man who el -elided wee evidently something of an old fee, end he knew ennuab to keen his precious bony <e- clrrely hidden by amant or soinc similar prnteeiion . Lord Rockett was not the Mani to lot +++++++++++++++++++++++ About the Fara ++++++++++.++++++++++t+ CONCERNING FARM biELt. A ,growhhg demand for competent farm help prevails ail over the country, and some people marvel at this state of affairs. It is well to 'remember how- ever, that it takes brains for a hired man, even on the farm, to satisfy this employer iii, all ways, and that the one who does come up to the requisite slandard'is a.blo sooner or later, to do letter by striking out for himself. Whereupon, rather than being any long- f r a man to hire out he becomes, per haps, a man who wants to hire help. The sum and substance of the mat - ler is, the hired man is sometimes a. treasure not highly enough esteemed. Particularly is this so if he has been it d place several years, where ho has per- formed his duties faithfully, and then :s turned off simply because he asks a few extra dollars a month, which would be more than repaid in the course of the year by the difference in the work' between such a hand and an indifferent; One, it costing about the same to board, one as the other. A man, in truth, needs to- stay longer than a single sea- son to become familiar with his em -1 player's methods of work,. and the long-; er he remains the better hand,. as a rule, will he be. Hence the reason why hir- ing by the month is in some respects the most advisable. But this cannot be done will all help, as, for instance, tbat required for extra work in the 'summe'r; stilt even then it is policy to secure the; same hand, wherever practicable, tor succeeding seasons, if a reliable one can be found. The kind of man wanted is he whom the farmer is not afraid to leave in charge of things if he goes away from f ome occasionally; who makes him feel that the work will go on. in his ab- sence the same as if he were there; whom, iLanylhing gives out, knows how to repair .the breakage; -Whose judgment can .be relied upon as to how much a team should do in a day, and who will see that they do it, although at all times land and careful in handling horses, and, likewise, in caring for all other, live stock on the farm; Who will work cheerfully and heartily as long as no- thing unreasonable is asked of him, and, if any little kindnesses from time to- time are bestowed upon him, will in cne way or another show his aprecla- tion of them. The fact is the hired man should he treated as well as if one of the regu- lar members of the family. If he is not worthy of this, he is not desirable to hire at all. Indeed otherwise he will an opportunitygo by because he• could ,not, realize his highest, ambitions. With him the policy of half a loaf be- ing far better than no bread at .all ap- plied vigorously. And so he manfully kept at his task of alleviating the miseries of the wretched Chinese sailors as fast as he could put finger to trigger. It was a merry time while it lasted— at least to those who held the upper hand in the affray. Doubtless the miserable sailors could not see anything worth laughing about in the contest—but, then, they were pre- judiced, and hardly In a position to give an accurate opinion. As Larry had managed to keep pace with his companion, the music had been quite up to date, and must have proved a sore test to the nerves of those who had started to advance so sturdily. Their movements became slower; per- haps it was because those who fell formed something of a barrier at their feet, but fear must have had a deal to do with the matter. Larry saw them going down so rapid- ly that It was utterly. out of reason to believe they could have been stricken. Then he realized that the crafty na- tives were taking this method of saving their precious hides. In another thirty seconds not a figure stood erect upon the slippery deck .1 the junk, and all that remained of the late desperate assault was the lusty voice of the unseen Russian that still continued to hurl objurgations upon the. heads of the cowards for failing to ac- complish wonders. But they could not shoot a voice, and, for all they cared, • the fellow was wet come to bellow until doomsday. • For the moment, then, they owned the junk, and were given an opportunity to shape their immediate future. (To be continued(.' !t Pr Your Protection we place this Iabe1 on every package of Scott's Emulsion. The man with a fish on his back is our trade -mark; and it Is a guarantee that Scott's Emul- sion Will do all that is claimed for it. Nothing bettor tot lung, 'throat orbronchial troubles in -infant or adult. Scott's Emul- Sion is one of the greatest flesh - builders known to the medical world... VVe'lr Beed you a aa,riple fifes, SCOTT & OOWNE, oTo oate,sOats' • BECAUSE Of Its Absolute Purity and Delicious Flavor CEYLON GREEN TEA 18 RAPIDLY TAKING THE PLACE OF JAPAN. Load Packets only. 400, 5 500 and 60o per ib. At all Creoero. HIGHEST AWARD ST. LOUIS, 1904. COBALT -The World's Richest Silver Dining Camp THE COLUMBUS COBALT SILVER CO., Limited. Authorized Capital ' Stock, $450,000. Shares $i each. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: R0H, RICHARD'HARCOURT, President, Director of the Ontario Bank, and for- merly Treasurer of the Province of Ontario JAMEST'UDHOPE, Eeq,; M,P.P., Head of the arm of Tudhopo Carrige Co., Limited, Orillia: DANIEL Shnpson, Esqq., AfJL, Managing Director Cobalt Unt. JOHN Ptx'rr )Zsq., vice -President, Heat, of the firm of Nett, Lowndes do Co., Dir- JOSEPH COLUMBUS. Esq„ •Explorer, ector of Ontario Bank, Haileybury, Ont. SOLICITORS --Clark, McPherson, Campbell as farvls, Toronto. The company owns as a mining claim, free from any encumbrances, the favorably and well-known Oolumbue Mine of 40 nor.., which has a g'foot vein one foot being high-grade cobalt, with good silver value, at only four feet depth, looated in Coleman Township, near Giroux Lake, in a most favorable location nearby many of . thebig' paying mines, such as the Drummond, Jacobs and others, and only a few feet from the famous Gillies timber limit, which is so rich in silver that the Government decided to develop ib for tho benefit of the public. The. undersigned personally offers for sale at par only a limited number of shares, as .it if expected that in a short time it will greatly advance. There is now a full force of miners developing the property. Send for full particulars. Mail your order, with marked cheque or express order, to the order of • DANIEL SIMPSON, P. O. Box 129, Cobalt, Ont. TIME IS MONEY and no vehicle on the calendar equal.: the bicycle as a time saver. A prominent doctor says:— "Nothing can replace ray bicycle. It stands in the hall when not in use, and when I get a hurry call, I literally grab my hat with one hand and my bicycle with the other and I'm off. BACK TO. THE BICYCLE The vehicle of utility . and health .rind when you think of bicycles you naturally think of one of the following. bicycles as all that is best and up- to-date . CLEVELAND. SILVER RIBBON MASSEY, 0 PERFECT, I3RANTFORD. Made in Cushion Frame or Rigid Models. Up-to-date Equipment Silts Hygienic Handlebars, Morrow Coaster Brake. CANADA CYCLE AND MOTOR COMPANY, Limited "Makers of the Worlds Best Bicycles." GENERAL OFFICE AND WORKS - TORONTO JUNCTION. Write for catalogue. not be a hired man in the proper sense of the term, but merely a substitute; one who only performs his duties perfunctor- ily, shirking and slighting work wher- ever he can, and having but one object in view—to draw his pay as soon us possible. It is lamentable to relate, but this is what a large percentage of our hired help has fallen to, and to some extent the employer is to blame. Alas! too often he loses sight of his best in- terests by hiring what is called "cheap help," thereby driving the really good hands out pi the field and prompting them to seek their fortune elsewhere. KEEP SHEEP. • The sheep business is a safe invest- ment every, time. It provides the most profitable annual crop on the farm. A few years ago many farmers did not ant sheep and some said land was too vaidable to keep sheep, but now while the price of land is getting higher every year, nearly everybody wants them. They are considering everything except, perhaps, wool, ne more profitable now than they were when nobody wanted them. It appears to me that farmers do not realize what it requires to succeed with sheep. We base our claim for this as being the most profitable branch of., ani - mat industry, not wholly or the ordin- ary profit it brings the farmer, but in doing this we consider many things be- sides the mere returns that are receiv- ed for the mutton and wool. Not least among these is the sheep's ability to turn to cash so much of the farm products that would otherwise be a waste, and also their ability to consume many nox- ious weeds, thus ridding the farm of them without any expense to the own- er. We also consider the fact that except during lambing time there is less work In caring for them than any other stock, In some localities there are fields where other animals could not live, but sheep would do well. .In caring for sheep, if well bedded and kept dry as they shortid he, it is not necessary to clean the stable every day as it is for other ani- mals. For those that now contemplate go- ing' into the sheep business, I would say, do not be disappointed if you do n.ot reach the top, but 'consider your gains as compared withother stock. Sheep should have salt before them et all times. A sheep will consume more feed as compared with its weight than a cow hilt consider it is producing a crop of wool and Iambs at the same time. Sheep should have exercise every day for Some weeks before lambing. time. FEEDING SMALL FIGS. I feed mosey chopped grain the whole year to small pigs, writes Mr. John S. Naugei. I dee cork, oats and rye about equal parts, chopped together. This fa mixed in a thin slop with about one- third bran. I also use buckwheat and !mixed for chop when it is not too ex- pensive. I generally let my pigs suede until they are seven or eight weeks old. I let them have all the 'slop they want 1 y giving them a small trough on the opposite side of the fence. I have my pens for brood sows on the southeast side of a building. By keeping them warm and dry, my hogs do well any Fart of the winter. . i have had sows farrow from October to April with good success. Each pen has a yard with about eight rods. t feed in the yard the year around. The pen is tight, except the entrance, and the pigs can go out and in at will. Brood sows do well by adding some pumpkins or beefs of some sort to their feed once a day. I use a great many small apples and find the hogs like tiheln. 1 believe they keep the animals -in better trtme, when fed sparingly. LIVE STOCK NOTES. If well wintered, the horses will Le. Letter fitted for labor, or will sell fore more money. It is not economy lo, skimp any animal. There is no such thing as a really! good scrub cow, but there are lots oti poor thoroughbreds. Name does not al-' ways count.. Buy for the sake of what' the cow will do, and not because she has a high sounding name. Treat a horse the best; give hien a warm blanket in cold weather; give him a warm barn to sleep. in when it is cold, a good bed of strawato lie on; in summer, a shade to sleep under, with green grass for a bed. Nothing is too good for the horse; it has served you well. BUTTONS FROM POTATOES. A large number of "he buttons now In use, purporting to be made out of horn or hone or ivory, are in reality made out of the common potato, which when treated with certain acids. becomes almost as hard as stone. 'This quality r,f the potato adapts it to button -making and a very good grade of button is now. shade from the well-known tuber. The' potato button cannot be distinguished from others save by a careful examina- tion, and even then only by an expert, since they are colored to suit the goods on which they are to be used, and are every whit as good looking as a but. ton of bone or ivory, Mabel: "Such a joke with Mr, Gay' boy. We were out on the balcony be- tween the dances and he got the sleeve of his dross -coat alt over rod paint from oneof the posts that was just painted.', Maud : "And did you go near the post?" Mabel : "No. Why?" Maud : "Oh, no- thing; only you have red paint all over the back of your waist"