Sweden has the greatest railway j
mileage per capita in Europe. There
ire twelve and one-half miles of rnill
tor every 10,000 of population.
Says the Kansas City. Star: Arbor !
ilay is the antidote to the flood dis- j
isters in the Ohio and Mississippi
valleys. It will take many decades to
make good the havoc of the wood- j
man's ax, but persevere, and even
tually equilibrium of nature may be J
restored and the devastations of the i
flood withheld.
The only Boston man who signed
the petition to repeal the theater high i
hat ordinance frankly admits that he j
never goes to the theater. This is on i
a par with the action of a judge who
once signed a petition addressed to
himself that he himself might be
hanged instead of the man just con
victed.
The little town of Backnang, in J
Wurtemberg, has a grievance against !
the Postoflice Department. The name !
of the town has an Oriental sound to 1
the officials of the department, and for
that reason many letters addressed to
citizens living in it are started on the
way to different countries in Africa
and Asia.
The London Statist thus tells the
story of the standing of the nations:
"Of twenty-eight nations whose bonds
are quoted in London, only one—
Great Britain—stands higher than the
United States, in the estimation
which the world places on its credit,
and only two—Brazil and Uruguay.—
are lower than Spain."
Our Navy needs torpedo boats more
than anything else, * and Secretary
Long is about to make a contract with
Herreshofl', the blind shipbuilder ol
Bristol, K. 1., for ten that can sail
thirty-two knots an hour, at a cost of
$300,000 each, to be completed and
delivered within ninety days. These
boats will surpass anything of the
kind afloat.
They who write on abstruse subjects
must be content with a small circle of
admirers. Herbert Spencer once re
marked: "I think it probable that if
you were to ask ninety-nine people
out of a hundred whether they would
rather take a spoonful of cod-liver oil
daily or read a chapter of my book
daily, they would prefer the cod-liver j
oil." Such is the fame of him who
multiplies words that are not found '
in the ordinary vocabularies of hu- 1
manity.
Perhaps one reason why the Alsace- !
Lorraine problem is an "ever-burn- j
ing" one, as Mr. Theodore Stanton l
declares in his interesting communi- .
cation from Paris, may be because of
the instruction on the subject given
in the public schools of France. An
American who visited a village school
in Picardy, a few years since, saw
fastened on the inner side of the |
schoolhouse door, where every bov
could read it as he left the building, a <
card on which the schoolmaster had 1
printed, in bold letters: "Boys of
France! Never forget 1S70! Never
forget Metz and Strasburg!" The ]
large map of France, which hung on 1
the wall also, taught its lesson of un- '
forgetfulness, having a heavy black
line painted around the lost territory
of "Alsace-Lorraine." Public opinion
is easily moulded in public schools. 1
There is hardly a country on the J
globe which does not patronize our in- |
dustrial establishments, declares the ;
Atlanta Constitution. So rapidly
have we developed within the past 1
few years industrially that the de- i ]
mand for our manufactured products ]
has become well nigh universal. !
This is evident from glancing over
the record of some of our recent ex
ports. Without going too much into
details, we select the following list:
Six 1000 horse-power stationary en
gines from Erie, Penn., to Marseilles, |
France; 4000 tons of iron pipe from |
Birmingham, Ala., to Genoa, Italy; j
fourteen locomotives from Philadel
phia to Russia; seven complete paper j
mills from New York to Japan; one j
$50,000 bicycle plant from New York j
to Berlin; two locomotives from
Philadelphia to Mexico; six locomo
tives from Philadelphia to Colombia;
one complete sugar refinery from
Toledo, Ohio, to Honolulu; one steam
lathe from Dexter, Me., to Paris;
thirty mi!es of steel rails from Pitts
burg to Japan; one complete electric
railway plant from Boston to Buenos
Ayres; forty chilled rolls from Apollo,
Penn., to England; two paper mills
from Wilmington, Del., to Sweden;
1500 tons of armor plate frum Beth
lehem, Penn., to Russia; one under
ground system of electric railway for
London, England. Of course the
foregoing list is necessarily incom
plete, but it suffices to show the world- .
wide character of the demand for e"jt ]
Industrial products.
ANSWERINC TO ROLL CALL
This one fought with Jackson and faced
the fight with Leo;
That one followed Sherman as he galloped
to the sea;
But they're tnarchln' on together just as
friendly as can be.
And they'll answer to the roll call in the
mornin'l
They'll rally to the fight.
In the stormy day and night,
In bonds that no cruel fate shall sever;
While the storm-winds waft on high
Their ringing battle crv:
"Our country—our country foreverl"
| THE EMPEROR'S ABSENCE. j
trass
had oft been |
told of his resem- j
hlance in face and
p. voice to the Em- I
! peror, and had, in
| MP deed, found it a
\ method of amuse-
V-tyF ment for his friends
Is 1 and himself, but bo
' -F aever dreamed that
there might be any danger from the
mimicry. Even when some of the
men laughed, aud then suddenly pal
ing, cried "Hush!" as a sound of
footsteps drew near, he had not
thought that this resemblauce, for
which he was not to blame, could
cause him any trouble.
And the last thing he feared would
have been that the story could have
reached the palace.
Even Colonel Carolet, grave and me
thodical, was surprised from his usual
composure at a summons from the
Emperor; and when he presented him
self a conversation took place which
will not be found mentioned in the
State annals or even hinted at on the
pages of history.
The Emperor was seated at a table,
and merely glanced at the white
haired soldier as he entered.
"lam going to honor you with my
confidence in a certain manner," he
began, abruptly, "and as my first com
mand, I require absolute obedience."
As the older man bowed, -placing
his hand on his heart, the Emperor
continued:
"I have heard of a young man in
your regiment who is said to resemble
me somewhat, but whose voice is pe
culiarly like mino."
Colouel Carolet gasped. Was it
possible that the Emporor could hold
him responsible for such a thing?
Stories of Buret's indiscreet mimicry
recurred to him, and he feared he
would be found lacking in discipline.
He could only stammer incoherently:
"Why, your Majesty, I—he "
"Enough, enough!" said the Em
peror, impatiently, waving his hand.
"You need not answer, as I know
that it is the truth. For certain rea
sons, with which you have nothing to
do, I require some one to impersonate
me in an adventure in which there may
be some danger. I have heard of this
young man, and I saw him yesterday
for the purpose of judging as to his
fitness for the service that I need. If
you can assure mo that he is
brave "
"As a lion, sire."
"And loyal "
"As death, sire."
"And can be silent "
"As the grave, sire."
"He will do. Nothing farther must
be known of the affair. Nothing more
must be investigated. If he or any
one makes hut the slightest move in
that direction he will sign his death
warrant,"
"Might I ask, sire "
"Not one wordj" broke in the Em
peror haughtily. "I have given you
your orders. Y'on can give mo 'Yes'
or 'No'to a question. Can you answer
for his willingness to serve me in this
matter?"
"With his life, sire. But "
_ ''That will do," said the Emperor, i
rising. "You will bring him yourself i
this evening to the little wicket at the
end of the garden. No other soul in 1
the world will know of this, remember,
hut myself—the young man—and you. 1
I bid you good day, Colonel."
If the Colouel pondered over the
matter on the way to his quarters, 1
there was uothiug to indicate even a i
touch of surprise in jiis manuer when '
he delivered the message to the young i
soldier, and the latter would have <
died rather than question him further. (
With military promptness they i
reached the palace that night and the
heavy gate in the western wall swung 1
softly open the instant of their ap- i
proach. I
The Colonel delivered the young 1
man over to the charge of an unseen
watcher on the other side and depart- i
el. And Baret heard the gate again 1
closed and locked; then, in the heavy
darkness, his hand was grasped by 1
another, and ho felt that he was gently
hut firmly drawn forward, though not I
a word was spoken by his unknown
guide.
Closely skirting the courtyard they
reached a couple of stofie steps, over
which Baret nearly stumbled, and
would have fallen but for the firm
grasp of the stranger's hand. A mas
sive unguarded door swung softly in
ward, giving entrance to a stone pass
age, narrow and damp, where a tiny
lantern on the floor only made the
surrounding darkness more visible.
A narrow stair led to a small hall,
and. pressing a spring to the left, his
guide drew him into a brilliantly
lighted room. The sadden glare so
dazzled the young soldier that he did
not at first perceive his companion,
who, putting aside his cloak, had
seated himself in a deeply cushioned
chair near the fire.
"Sire!" he stammered. "Your
pardon. I—l did not know I—the
honor "
"There, there, my friend," said the
The brave old flag above them is rippling
down its red—
Each crimson stripe the emblem of the
blood by heroes shed;
It shall wave for them victorious or droop
above them—dead.
For they'll answer to tho roil call in the
mornin'l
They'll rally to the fight
In the stormy day and night,
T n bonds that no cruel fate shall sever;
While their far-famed battle cry
Shall go ringing to the sky:
"Our country—our country forever!"
—Frank L. Stanton
I Emperor kindly. "You are to do me
| the honor to-night. I can depend on'
your fidelity, your obedience and
silence?"
"To the last drop of my blood,
sire."
"That will do," said the Emperor,
smiling. "They may all bo needed.
In an hour I shall leave this room to
be gone for two hours or more. I had
thought of sending you in my place,
but prefer to go myself. Y'ou will re
main here till I return."
Baret waited.
After a few moments' silence:
"Is that all, sire?" he asked blankly.
"That is all, except that on ab
solute obedience to my orders will
bang your life aud my happiness. For
the first hour or two there may be in
terruptions. Some one may knock or
ask admittance. To all alike you are
to refuse an entrance, using such words
as I shall tell you. After 12 or 1 you
are not likely to be disturbed, and you
may even sleep on my bed in the room
yonder, if you wish."
He smiled at the soldier's look of
dismay at the idea of sleeping on the
bed of his monarch.
"Your voice in answering all in
quiries," he continued, "must be ab
solutely calm and undisturbed. Not
a tone, not a syllable must betray agi
tation. lam never agitated."
"I understand, sire. lam to per
sonate "
"Y'ou understand nothing, sir, but
what I say to you," said the Emperor,
rising, and his eyes flashed angrily.
Baret bowed in silence, and the Em
peror, whose anger cooled as suddenly
as it had risen, gave him his hand to
kiss before he entered his bedroom.
When he reappeared his. dress was
so changed that Baret stared at the
disguise in amazement; aud in turn
the Emperor gazed at him piercingly,
searehingly. Apparently satisfied at
last, he motioned to Baret to enter the
bedroom before he rang the bell.
When the servant came he was back
in the inner room, and called to the
man from there.
"I am not to be disturbed again to
night for anything, Laurent. You
understand? For anything! Give
orders to that effect instantly. And
stay. Y'ou may return first with a
light supper; I may need it before I
sleep."
The door closed softly behind the
servant, and the Emperor turned to
the young soldier, who stood near him
in respectful silence.
"The supper is for you, Baret," he
whispered. "And before I go, I wish
you to speak to Laurent, that I may
determine your coolness. When he
brings the dishes, sny from within
this room: 'That will do for to-night,
Laurent.'"
The young man hoped his voice did
not sound so oddly in the ears of the
Emperor as is did# in his own when he
repeated the words, with an almost
involuntary imitation of the slight
drawl sometimes heard in the tones of
the ruler of the Empire.
The servant's steps echoed on the
marble floor and died away into silence
before the Emperor fastened the door
behind him. Then, taking a soft hat
and drawing his cloak about him, he
said:
"I shall bo at home at three—per
haps."
And, placing his finger to his lips,
he disappeared through the secret
panel.
To be an Emperor, even for a few
hours, was not such a bad thing,
thought Baret, as he looked about him.
The'many luxuries—massive hangings,
richly embroidered with the imperial
emblem, the curious tapestries ou
every side, the furniture and fine cabi
nets—all deeply impressed him.
"By my faith, I have a better night
before ihe than the Emperor, I am
sure. There is small chance of a sin
gle sound reaching to this room be
fore morning."
So thinking, he stretched his long
nrms about his head and walked slow
ly round the room.
The voice of Laurent was suddenly
heard.
"Y'our pardon, sire. I had forgot
ten to restore the fire."
With only a second's pause, Baret
replied slowly, calmly:
"Good, Laurent; but it will last yet
awhile, and 1 shall retire soon."
Again silence; and with a peculiar
sense of still having the eagle eye of
the Emperor upon him, Baret paced
the floor.
Suddenly remembering the supper
that had been ordered for him, he sat
down to the repast. He had heard
that the Sovereign fared on plainer
food than any other man in tho coun
try; and, although that was an exag
geration, he found himself wishing
that his meal had not been quite so
simple.
Hark! Twelve booming strokes
sounded from tne Cathedral tower. So
loudly they fell on the heavy silence
that Beret's heart stood still for one
instant b'jfure he realized the nature
of the peculiar crooning whirr preced
ing the stroke.
[ There was a noise at the outer door
i of the ante-room where Laurent slept. I
It was repeated again and again.
| "Suppose some one should insist on
admittance? Suppose the Empress, '
whom no one would dare deny, should
demand an audience? *
Baret stood near the door as he heard
Laurent, at last aroused from sleep,
talking to the newcomer.
"A thousand pardons, my lord. To
see the Emperor to-night, since he has
ordered me to admit no one, you would
have to walk over my body."
"Tut-tut! What nonsense!" said
the other, with vexation in his tones.
"I had vowed to see him before he
slept, but have it your own way how.
I shall not fail to report your inso
lence to the Einperor. I shall be here
at daybreak. I' see liiin before
he rises."
"Unhappy monarch! If he hid
been here, my lord would have roused
him from a lioavy sleep—to hear
what?"
The soldier lowered the lights and
walked softly about the room, forget
ting that the thick carpet and tapes
tries dulled every sound and would
hot betray his footsteps.
One! sounded from the tower, and
Bnret's eyes were so heavy that he
would willingly have settled himself
in the deep chair beside the dying
tire, had not a thought suddenly
aroused him.
What if a snore should disturb
Laurent, sleeping in the outer room!
"What could he do to banish sleep?
Had the hows of night ever been so
long? He tried to read a book of old
romances, but they bade fair to serve
as a sleeping potion."
Apaiu he paced back and forward,
longing for the time of his release.
Where had the Emperor gone? What
urgent duty required his presence
away from the palace at this time of
night and which would only *llow of
liis return—perhaps at the end of two
or three hours?
What case required such secrecy as
this?
A sudden quiver of his nerves
arrested him. Halt, Baret! The
Emperor asked thy service, not thy
speculations.
One! two! as he walked, and
three was near its stroke, when a
voice was heard in the distance. The
challenges of the sentinels rang back
and forth. Heavy footsteps and the
clanging of sabres sounded from the
courtyard, coming nearer—nearer.
Again the calls, and a large door
swung open, letting in a tumult of
voices that echoed along the high cor
ridor.
Had anything happened to the Em
peror? Heaven forbid! But if this
were so!
The big drops of fear stood on the
forehead of the man who had faced
death a score of times unmoved.
He crept to and listened breath
lessly at the door leading to the room
where the faithful Laurent slept.
Laurent's sleep had evidently again
been disturbed, as he heard the ser
vant's voice and that of another.
"I cannot wake the Emperor, my
lord. He gave particular orders that
he was not to be disturbed before
morning. He has had some bad
nights lately, and is now sleeping
quietly."
"But, my man," insisted the other,
"you do not understand! We must
see him; or, at any rate, find out if he
is in bed and safe. When did you see
him?"
"At 11 o'clock, my lord."
The newcomer walked about impa
tiently. In a few minutes he re
treated to the lower hall, apparently
to consult with his companions. Hast
ily returning, he said, quickly and
firmly:
">ly good Laurent, wo will hold
you safe from all blame, but we must
know if the Emperor is asleep in his
bed or not. To tell you the entire
truth, a report has been sent to the
minister that a wounded man, who
bore a marked resemblance to the Em
peror, was seen about half an hour
ago in the outskirts of the city."
Laurent's voice trembled, and it
was with an nppnreut effort that he
pe&ted sturdily:
"But the Emperor said—besides,
my lord, no one has passed here since
lie gave me the order. But if you
think it at all possible "
It is the time of waiting that the
soldier fears. The hour for action
steadies the nerves even of the cow
ard, and the brave Baret felt muscles
and nerves grow firm as steel, and his
brain clear and vigilant.
Thoughts of the possible fate of the
Emperor, and the only too sure fate of
himself if the report was true, darted
through his mind with wonderful
quickness. He did not hear the
voices for a few moments, and as the
dread of a tone of agitation in his
voice made him long to try it, he re
treated further into the room, until a
hand was laid upon the latch of the
outer door.
Quickly passing through the cur
tained recess, he threw himself upon
the bed, as, finding the door fastened,
a low knock was heard. Twice, thrice,
he allowed it to be repeated before he
called out, in a drowsy tone of annoy
ance:
"What is tha trouble? I said I was
not to be disturbed,"
"Thank heaven! You heard him,
my lord? He was very tired."
Laurent's voice was trembling still
with the relief from a terrible fear.
"I ask your pardon, sire,"he called
again. "There has been—we feared
something had happened "
"Disturb me again at your peril,
Laurent," said the drowsy tone of the
mock Emperor, interrupting him.
Then, raising his eyes, Baret saw
the true Emperor standing in the door
way just as he had seen him last with
liis finger to his lips.
Baret sprang to his feet, but a ges
ture cautioned silence,and both waited
in patience till tUey heard the steps
die away in the distance, and Laurent
again closed the outer door.
Then the Emperor motioned the
young man into the large room, and
said in a low tone, as he removed his
cloak.
"I hope you have some knowledge of
snrgery, BareJ, I have met with an ac
cident." His eyes twinkled. "There
was a moment when I feared I could
not keep my appointment with you."
When the wounded arm was band
aged the Emperor himself conducted
the. soldier to the wicket, and Baret
found the faint gleams of dawn casting
a dim light through the streets.
He had been well rewarded. The
heavy purse of gold in his coat forbade
the belief that it was all a dream. Yet
not for ten times the amount would he
be willing to pass another such night
—no, not even the last half hour,when
he had awaited in silence and suspense
the result of the dispute outside the
door of the Emperor's room.
Perhaps it was as well that he never
knew how the Emperor had spent hi
leave of absence. That at midnight,
in an unoccupied house in the isolated
part of the city, two men had fought
a duel to the death, with only the
light of two poor candles to guide
their aim.
The poorly dressed man. who was
the only one„ to leave the house, en
tered the wicket gate of the palace two
hours later, having made a long detour
to avoid the patrol. For once hi's
vanity had almost received a check.
Two days after the incident narrated
above Colonel Carolet received a papci
appointing Baret a Captain of the Im
perial Chasseurs iu Africa. Colonel
Carolet thought he knew why, but
Baret knew more. In fact, he knew
too much to be kept so near the
throne.—lllustrated Bits.
JuclßC CreiUts Isrll>e on the Fine.
A few lawyers were sitting in one ol
the city restaurants a few days ago
eating lunch and discussing different
subjects, when one of them told the
following story:
This occurred some years ago in the
office of a former justice of the peace.
An attorney, who has since left Sioux
City, had been engaged to defend a
man for the crime of petty larceny.
The lawyer knew that the case against
his client was a pretty strong one, and
he decided to beard the. lion in his
den. As he entered the room he told
the justice of the case, the name of
his client, and added he did not think
there was any evidence to convict. At
the same time he slipped a §2O gold
piece in the hand of the justice, and gave
him a knowing wink. The court said
nothing, but, pulling open the cash
drawer, slipped the money in. The
case went to trial, and after the evi
dence had all been introduced there
appeared to be no question of the guilt
of the defendant. But his counsel
was confident, thinking the gold piece
had done the work. The court then
summed up the case, and, to the aston
ishment of the defendant's counsel,
said:
"The court finds the defendant
guilty as charged in the information,
aftd fines him §IOO, of which amount
§2O has been paid. The defendant
will be committed to the county jail
until the remainder is paid into this
court."
Nothing more wns said, and the jus
tice settled back in his chair, satisfied
that the laws of the State had been
upheld and a dishonest attorney had
been left in the lurch.—Sioux City
Journal.
The- Oiu'Ht of Fortune.
"The longer I live the more firmly
I nm convinced," said Mr. Gozzle
tou, "that a man who wants a fortune
has got to do something besides wish
for it. Fortunes, lnrge and small, are
shy, very shy. In one form and an
other they are passing by all the time,
but they jrou't stop for the mere ask
ing, however polite and graceful and
earnest the invitation may be. We
might sit out on the veranda from now
till doomsday and rise and bow and
scrape at every one of 'em that came
along and ask 'em all in, but never
one of 'em would stop. They might
want to come in, but nothing short of
actual collaring would bring 'em in.
The fact is that if we want a fortune
we've got to work for it.
"Men have made fortunes, to be
sure, without working. Oil may spout
up out the ground one owns and cover
him with riches. Another man may
find iron ore in his laud, and so on.
But such cases are so few in number
that they don't count, the chances of
our getting rich in that way are really |
not worth considering. If we would
be rich we must work for it. And
work early and late; all the time.
Plug at it, and keep plugging at it.
There is practically no other wav.
"The man who idles away his time,
or fnils to make the best possible use
of it, stays poor; the man that works
for all he knows how and keeps for
ever at it is bound to get ahead."—
New Y'ork Sun.
Petroleum Fuel.
There is growing interest in the use
of petroleum as fuel, and many ad
vantages are claimed for it. The lim
ited storage space required, the fact
that it is almost entirely consumed,
there being but very little waste, and
the ease with which it is handled, are
strong points in its favor. It pro
duces no ashes, and contains twice as
much heating power as coal, ton for
ton. It is cleanly, and, when proper
ly managed, practically odorless.
There is room for improvement in the
appliances for using this sort of fuel,
but such rapid progress is being made
in this direction that the general
adoption of petroleum as a fuel for
certain lines*! work is an assured fact.
EartJt'* Soklin Power.
Tlie steam power of the world may
be reckoned an equivalent to the
strength of 1.000,000,000 meu, which
is more than twice the number of work
men existing.;
A KANGAROO ROUND-UP.
STIRRING SPORT THAT NO LAND
1 BUT AUSTRALIA AFFORDS.
There Is Money In It, Too, For Scalps Are
. Worth H Hollar Apiece aiul Tildes Have
Value—Scores ol Hunters Surround the
Game—Lively Scenes at the Finish.
I Mr. E. von Lendenfeld, who has
| been traveling in Australia, has re
cently given an account in his Austra
lische Reise of the novel sport of kan
garoo driving, which brings both diver
sion and profit to many Nimrods on
that continent. The Government of
New South Wales pays a bounty of SI
for every "giant" kangaroo killed. .The
purpose is, if not to exterminate them,
at least to drive them into the wilder
ness away from the ranges where the
millions of sheep graze, for the enor
mous quantity of grass the kangaroos
cat is needed for the sheep, especially
in dry seasons, when there is scant
fodder for the flocks. So the Govern
ment pays a bounty, and, as the kan
garoo's hide is valuable, it pays to take
part in kangaroo drives.
The result of this warfare is that the
animal lias entirely disappeared from
the well-settled districts and is numer
ous only further inland. The kan
garoo likes flat or slightly hilly lands,
is not found among the mountains,
and it is among the undulating, thick
ly wooded districts of New South
Wales that the kangaroo drive is most
successful. Mr. von Lendenfeld says
that the kangaroo we see in the menag
eries is only a caricature of the animal
as he exists in the freedom of his na
tive forests.
The drive is a great round-up in
which many men take part, and from
forty to 200 animals are killed. Here
is the writer's description of the drive
in which he participated:
"There were fifty-six mounted hun
ters, and on the morning of the hunt
we were stationed at intervals on the
circumference of a circle whose diame
ter was about twenty miles. We were
all [to move toward Johns Fall, a flat,
treeless valley in' the centre of this
circle, in the middle of which is a lake
surrounded by bushes. We were to
drive the kangaroos toward this cen
tre. which was about ten miles distant
from the starting point of all the hun
ters, and we were to be gathered
around the valley at 4 p. m. There
were two men and a guide with me,
and all the parties had dogs to help
them drive the kangaroos forward.
"Our party advanced for about two
hours, when we discovered some kan
garoos on a hill. The animals stood
erect like humnu beings, on their hind
legs. They often bent their heads to
the ground, resting on their little fore
legs, and then lifted their heads, with
mouths full of grass, so as to chew it
more comfortably. As soon as the
guide saw the kangaroos he gave a
call which the dogs understood, and
they came instantly and remained
with us. The call did not attract the
attention of the kangaroos, and they
continued to eat grass. My guide
rode back with the dogs to get around
the kangaroos and chase them forward.
They did not have fee slightest sus
picion of our presence, but played,
rubbed one another's backs, and kept
on feeding. Suddenly the wild dogs,
or dingoes, in the neighborhood set
up a howl which sent the game scam
pering in the direction we wished them
to go.
"By dinner time we came to a pool
of water only four or five miles from
the-rendezvous, and here we took a
rest for an hour and a half. The
horses were unsaddled and we pre
pared tea and dined. While lying in
the shade enjoying our rest we sud
denly saw some kangaroos running
toward us from the direction of Johns
Fall. They were scared and evidently
running away from some other hun
ters. We sprang to our feet, shouted
and waved our hats in order to
frighten the animals back, but they
paid no attention to us, came on like
the wind, and it was evident that
many of them would escape past us.
They leaped through the air, and no
sooner had they come to the ground
with a thud than their powerful hind
legs gave them another mighty pro
pulsion forward, their heavy tails|help
ing them to steer clear of the trees and
other obstructions.
"About 3p. m. we came in sight of
the thicket, which was the principal
point of the round-np, and fell in with
another party coming from the left.
We now numbered six. and we ranged
in line, with about 300 feet space be
tween the men, and rode on. The
shooting all around the narrowing cir
cle was growing fast and furious. I
gave my horse to a guide, who took it
away, and continued my journey on
foot, for I could not shoot very well
on horseback. Some others also
walked the last part of the way, bnt
many remained in the saddle and fired
from that position. The kangaroos,
many of which by this time were pass
ing us, ran singly, for the most part,
and with such speed through the thick
copse that it was hard to hit them,
especially as the men had to be care
ful not to shoot the hunters.
"We regulated our march so that
we arrived at the rendezvous at 4 p.
m. sharp. Here we suddenly obtained
auopen view. Before us lay a space
about three-fifths of a mile wide, oval
and treeless, and at the lower part of
it there was a small lake bordered by a
thicket. Everywhere olouds of smoke
rose in the bordering woods. Shots
cracked continually. In the middle of
the space were numerous kangaroos,
and scattered among them were the
dead. The wounded animals crawled
back to the thicket. As we reached
the border of the forest some of the
animals tried again to break through,
but not one succeeded; we had a good
position now and each kangaroo that
approached the line was dropped by a
bullet. In the excitement everybody
was shooting at every animal he saw
and from every distance. The bullets
whistled by and stuck in the trees.
The waste of ammunition was ex
traordinary. The dogs were kept out
side the circle.
"Then there was a lull for a halt
hour until all the men had taken tlieii
, positions. v The leader of the hunt
, rode along the line and made some
• changes in order to fill up gaps be
tween the shooters. Upon hearing a
trumpet signal the wholo band moved
toward the thicket. The order was
perfect. There was a distance of some
300 feet between the shooters, which
diminished continually. The kanga
roos which had been wounded were
finished as we advanced. When we
came within about 700 feet ol
the thicket the distance between
the hunters was reduced to from 70 to
90 feet. There we made a halt. All
sat down, and about 100 dogs were
sent into the thicket. The loud
barking of the dogs and the crackling
of the branches broken by the fleeing
kangaroos drowned the shouts of the
hunters. The kangaroos came from
all directions, looking in vain for an
open space in the shooting line, and
then disappeared again in the thicket.
No one fired. This, however, did
not last long. The kangaroos, follow
ed eagerly by the dogs, had to leave
their shelter, broke from all sides of
the thicket, and precipitated them
selves with frantic haste upon the
shooting line. Then began the crack
ling of rifles again, and soon the
firing was general along the whole
line. Some of the kangaroos suc
ceeded in breaking through, but most
remained there. I fired sixteen times
in five minutes. The shooting was
diminishing, and then there were
pauses between volleys, while some
of the men went into the thicket to
kill the wounded animals and drag
out tho dead. We shot a few more,
but the hunt was at an end.
"On the plain, which was the scene
of the lost act of this interestinghunt,
bonfires were kindled, around which
groups of bearded hunters were
seated. Kangaroo tail soup was boil
ing in great kettles, and glasses were
frequently emptied. Songs broke the
stillness of the night, while the howl
ing of the dingoes that were feasting
on the carcasses was heard in the dis
tance. Finally everything was still,
one after another stretched himself
on the ground, and the clear, starry
sky was the only cover of tho tired
sleepers.
"The following morning search was
made for dead animals. One hun
dred and sixty-six scalps were brought
in, which gave some three kangaroos
to each of the fifty-six tiunters. As
many of the hunters refused to accept
the reward, the others made quite a
handsome sum from the scalp bounty
and the hides."
Horse Torturers.
The idea of putting spectacles on a
horse to make him lift his feet liigher
than he otherwise would, because the
glasses make him think he is nearer
the ground than he is, may be quite
agreeable to those who think that the
Creator made a mi3tako in giving the
horse a tail; but every person who
possesses the humanity, without
which no one should be allowed to
deal with animals, and who has the
common sense to see what is right,
Will regard the proposition with dis
gust.
If the man wants only a "high
stepper," let him buy the coach horse,
which is bred for the purpose, and not
try to mnke a coacher out of a cart
horse. Similarly, if he wants a horse
that carries his head high, let him buy
one of* the breed that does so by
nature, instead of one that has to be
strapped up till his neck aches. But
as to the tail, we believe that the law
now recognizes the use of that appen
dage as the horse's only defense
against the torture of flies, mosquitoes
and gnats, and makes "docking" a
penal offense hereafter, as it ought to
be.—Brooklyn Citizen.
After a Chinese We(l<linff.
On the day following a Chinese
wedding, at least in certain provinces,
the bride's youngest brother goes to
inquire after her and to take a present
from her mother of a bottle of hair oil.
This is a oustom so ancient that none
knows the origin thereof. No further
communications take place between
the byide and her family for three
months, when the mother sends a
sedan chair and an invitation to visit
her. If there has been neither a birth
nor a death in her husband's or in her
mother's house for 100 days she goes
and makes a short stay at her old
home. This visit over, she cannot see
her mother again until after her first
child is born, and not then should the
child be a girl. Even then if there
has been a death in either family tho
visit cannot be made, and there have
been many instances where a mother
and daughter living very near each
other have not met for years.—Boston
Poet,
Recovering French Treasure.
For many years a local legend in
Frankfort-on-the-Main had it that a
big treasure of gold lay buried in the
Main River, just beneath the big, old
bridge. On moonlight nights, it was
said, one could see the gold glisten in
the water. Recently the faot became
patent that there must be a founda
tion for this old tradition, for skip
pers steadily fished up gold pieces
from the river bed in the vicinity
named. At last the Prussian Govern
ment made a thorough investigation,
and within a week one treasure, at
least, was brought to light—about
1500 French gold coins of the times
from Louis XIV. to Louis XVIII., as
well as of the first republic. This is
evidently part of a treas
ure lost or buried there during the
troublesome Napoleonic period. Search
is being continued now, as it is prub
able that more of this Weasnre may hi
brought to light.