Grey Highlands Public Library Digital Collections

Flesherton Advance, 9 Mar 1893, p. 3

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f ilE WITCH OK BUHVH H. Near the side el a mountain rivulet at (he north-west base ot the great liiampian chain, and not far distant from Loch Lag- gan, there i* a memorial cairn of (tones neapxi oue above the other by pedestrians at various time*. It i* i-itended to ii.*ik the restiog-plat of the lol genuine witch that ha* appeared in the Highland*. The mournful echoes of the deep valley*, the intense gloomy solitude of the place, the eiiTiial sough ot th* wind among the great turf acd bit) of fat mon-fir roae in the prim- itive chimney. The cat began to expand and grow abnormally largo. The hunter watobed the expaniiun, anil remarked to bU visitor in (iaelic. "A bad death to you, you ugly wretch. You are getting bigger sad bigger.' 1 " Ay, ay," said the cat, " it U the heat of the fire." In a twinkling the transformed herself into a woman, wrinklel <uid haggard, and aa ugly as in. The bun- pine', over which the golden eagle vn.t in j death lulls," *aid the witch, in a deep sepulchral voice, "your hour ha* come. Prepare for supreme dominion, render the spot a tilting resting place for one who played so con spicuous a part iu Highland superstition. The Wife of Laggan, a* she wts familiarly- known, aaw the birth of the present rapid- ly-expiring centnry, and when 1400 dawn- ed upon the world it U alleged that she took part in a catastrophe in Eadenoch from which important event, tven now , oor nd~mMged7o escap fVonTher ene" iT t h e T ," I " nc nc *- As to her origin mie , bv m etmorpho,ingheV,clf into the lihe- and birth, there seem* to be a. much doubt a* of that of the Scriptural Melchizrdek, hut that she was no mythical personage, no mere creation of the heated imagination of lhoa people, but now you shall have your reward. Before the muircock rouges the ecnoe* with hi. crowing, and before ihe fox ha* lefl lit lair, your aoul shall be in Ifnn (Hell). Fasten hair ! fasten hair ! ' she srreamed ; bat instead of fastening on the necks of the hound* it cut the bc-w. in twain. Tha dogs prang on the woman. She rushed to the of Denmark'* grim raven, flying away in the direction of her home in La^gan. Both d-m on returning to the bothy, and while in the act of the Highlander, is as indisputable as that i C4reMlng 7 th . lr mMU)r> fel , deid , t BJ . ,,, the rock of Craigellachie still " stand* fa*t" on it* granite base. The Wife of Laggan acemea admirably suited for tne rol she a*umed if the traditions handed down of ao badly were they wounded. The witch too, wasfaLally injured, and never recovered The following night a traveller returning from Strathdearn, when he had entered the gloomy her personal appearance etn be relied upon, : forest of Mo naJea, in Badenoch. met a woman au-1 ht* in with the qualification* contained , r unoingta*t sssli* could andinagreat.tate . .. of trepidtion- She aiked tU traveller how **yKgf&ZSA* \ ***l** the graveyard o. D.lroas.e waa. lie pnmed by the beautiful facw. I and if it were poseible she could reach it And picked out the ugly and old. before the hour of midnight. The traveller \V hen the century opened the Wife of ; inJiuated the way, and said that if the kept Laggan would seem to be at the zenith of on at the same pooe the would manage to her ootoriou* fame, and wa* fully invested reach th* churchyard by twelve o'clock. She with Satanic powers. She lived in gloomy then resumed the journey, uttering the most (olitud* i alone, on the verge of the great heartrending cries. The traveller hod not n"^ I Itr8 ' tnet m -"^rok"" lineTrom proceeded far when he met two large black Banffsh.re on the east to rort-\\ illiam on dog. which m*h*d parsed him with the the we*t. Her eaal-ip. were uch that for ipee d o f the wind, aa if they were iu hot year* after ne had passed away Badenoch pursuit of .ome object. About a mile mother* awed their children to sleep with further on the traveller met a man riding stor.es of her doing*, and even now in the oll a huge black hone, following up the dog*. long winter evening* round the peat fire* The mat aake.l the traveller if he had met a the native, draw cloer together, add th* j womanas hecamealongtbehill. He said that blood puUate* q^ Aer in tbeir vein, when he did, and afterwards twodogs. " Do you W A !*> Twe akaaarkable >: IM- rl< Urgr ad aBelllr. It was in Hondnrai, near the Caribbean :iMt, while on a government survey, that I first saw the warrior ante theee strange ineect* which n irch through UM> tropical foreeta in armies, attacking every living creature in their path. One intensely ho', day a* I sat .winging idly in a hammock under the thatched roof of uiy bamboo hat, a native came running in, and, with excited gesture*, bade me fol- low him, 1 did so wunderingly, and, going oi't into the opeu, lookivl in the direction Tie in- dicated. There on the rolling savana stretched a wide black belt extending far back into the deep shadow* of the adjacent foi**t. I., roec and fell with every tormation of the ground, and, like a huge snake, slowly crept toward the village. " Th* warrior ant., explained the na- tive in a *tran','c patoi. of Kngluh and Spaniah, which I shall not attempt to imi- tate. " They will soon be here, he con- tinned! " ynu had better nnlie your doga or the ant* will kill them. Acting upon hi* advice, I loo*eil my dogs, and, retiring to a safe distance, watched the approach of the warriors. In countlnu multitude, they swarmed lot warrior ant*, and th* tiny green leaves composing the moving mass were each car- ried by one of them. My heart tank within me a* I remember- ed the fate of the enake and th-mgiit of my helples* condition. Fascinated, I watched their preparaliont for the onslaught. The green mans stopped. The ants had j discovered th* presence of an enemy in ] their path. Messengers hurried to the rear, and toon th* main bcdy appesr t ; they marched at THE HOM[ OF BIG BEI, Fifteen MinatM in the Great Oloek Towv At Westminitar-The Btc*et OLock in-. the World- I had seen them before in a column about ..x feet wide and ten,lm Between the palace yard at Wesununtst? and the top of the clock tower which mark. compact r ~ ' *"* ' r No one prod. loosed to heart dil as far back as the eye could reach. On U,.) oame closer and cloier. * '^\ m >< mildest form whether an orphan came closer and closer Suddenly I felt a shooting pain iu my foot like the puncture of a red-hot needle, then another, and ia an install my body was covered with the ferocious insects. They penetrated my clothes and sank their pincers deep into my quivering flesh. They doublet: .'.emselve* and clung to me with a bull-dog tenacity hundred* I killed but thousand, remained to take their placet. Maddened with pain, I shrieked and screamed like a hart child. Thank heaven! Answering criee were heard, and a party of native* bunt through ihe bush. They took in the situation at aglance, and, ruthing in among the ants, picked Tie up and bore me rap.Jly away from my terrible aasailants. The next day, while lying iu my hut with over the plain, marching in compact order like a well drilled army. Betore them scurried a heterogeneous mase of luard*, - grasshoppers, frogs, beetles, and all other ; J daubed with moist clay, a young manner of insects and reptile* in a wild : native entered, holding carefully between scamper to encape to a place of safety. kii tinge lrg warrior ant. Presently the advance guard reached my I . ' vnor. you do not like these anU T" he hut, and disappeared within, then the main inquiringly asked. I confessed my lore for column appeared, and soon the roof, floor, tliem di " not t*riou*ly disturb my peace of walls, and rafters wre bUck with them. J mini1 ' But we do," he laughed, " they Like the soft rustle of dried grass stirred | cl * n ou r bonne* well, and then, too, they by a gentle breeze came the sound of their "* 1 oor woonda." I took the ant from In* , and an alien or a son of the soil and burden- ed with a large and growing family, should under any . ir umstance* attempt to climb unices accompanied by a life or accident in- .urance policy and a guide. The mere prex ence of a guide neea not be accepted a* a safeguard agunat apoplexy, particularly if the guide be Mr. J. \V. I'nin, the roaident engineer of thepalao*. for, although not *x- actly youthful in nere yean, he is ao ac- customed lo going up and down the 4:M steps that aix trip* in a day have no worse etfecl upon him than to put a razor edge on hi. appetite. The clock from which Big Ben strikes the hour* i* 111* largeet in the world. Look- ing ai the dial from the northern footway of Oreat Geo-ge street, or from tue Em- bankment, it look* a* if it* diameter might be equal to the space that a man of medium some grim incident ie her life is recited. u7ink~'the~JogV wlff over'tak'lTtho woman >he wa. the terror of a district embracing , before she can reach the churchyard?" ' They will come pretty near her,'' the rhich usher- traveller replied. The two men went each presence in the leave* 01 my thatched roof. 1 he sound increased in loudneaa as the rat*, mice, lizard*, cockroaches, centipedes, and other* of thoir ilk, who h.-.d long made the roof their home, tried viinly to eicape. Siime succeeded in getting away from the house, but unly to fall victim* to the sur- rounding horde* without. an area of over 40 mi let. On the night preceding that edinthe century a party of hunUnien, his own way7~iieforetn* traveller had p'nv headed by the BhrfV Officer of Ballacroan, j ceeded far on th* journey the man riding proceeded to (.aickforett to kill deer. Ther* ; the black steed overtook him withthewomin were five in the party. The " BUck Of- who was hurrying toward, the graveyurd ficer had himself an evil reputation, and before him across the bow of hu saddle, and was alleged by the native* to be in daily one O f the dog* fixed in her breast and an- communication with th* Devil. Strange other in her thi K h. The black rider said spectral lighls were frequently seen in ihe that he had overtakes the woman, which dead of night at his reeidence. He had turned out to be tl.e Wife of Laggan, just been connected wilh the Black Watch, and a } t , WM entering rfao churcnvard of 1>*1 on rearing waa appointed recruiting orhc*r ros.ie. she wa* flying from the evi! pirit. for the Cential Highlands, in which capa- u> whom she had 8olT her wuL Dalroosie city he proved himself unscrupulou* and chuicbyurd has for centune* been the refuge tic. A*torm*uch a* was seldom e O f witche*. Once within it* gate* the tie penenced in that part of the country broke , which bound them lo hia ScUuic Majesty out, bringing disaster and ruin in its train, hi rel-aaed. tlrtat pine trees were whisked ont of their That is tl e story of th* fate of the last gravelly beds a* if they were reed., and real Highland itch, and .von though the hundreds of .beep and deer smothered in devil got possession of her iu the end it is a the drill. The BUck Otlicer and his party better termination than roasting her at a tar when they had disappeared behiud the hill barrel, a* wa* th* caa* with .cores of her facing Ballacroan, were never afterwards predecessor* who profetsed to be adepts in **"i. ii v i"' / ^ "** rch J^* "*? ^a"" 1 ^ | the block art. It may seem incredible, but on theL'd of January ISO), and they found | t h, are score, of people who still believe the Blick Officer and his men buried under I the .lory I have imperfectly narrated. tons of snow at the foot of a hill. They ^ J had taken shelter iu a bothy from the fury Btteu Bio Bl J t I* tis. of the storm, and an avalarche of MOW came rushing down wilh the spred of lightn- ing, burying the parly, an I have stated. The gun* of th* party were twisted and I Job* Lang iv oue of the largest cattle men distorted out of all shape, and the faithful J "" the Colorado desert. He last year dis- hounds torn to pieces. It was these latter ) covered water about forty mile* south of appearances that gave the dative* the idea, Indian Well*, and he created u very large which i* (till entertained, that the ca'.aa- ; cattle ranch there. Hs had just arrived trophe was due to infernal agency, guided at Lo* Angele* Irom his isolated home, and by the unerring hard of the Wife of Lag- ' told of a find of three victims of the desert nan. It is only fair to put on record here whose identity may never be disclosed. that the writer yean ago had a convert*- j About five weeks ago he and a couple of lion with a brother of one of the men lost . hi* vaqueros were riding along the old tele- hut he was of the opinion that the cause of graph road leading from San l>iego to Yuma, when, at a short dutance from the road, he descried the wreck of a wagon. The party were in search of estrays from thei.- herd*, One large cockroach, I noticed made a llTel y ' lWlc fellow wa* stone blind, yet SBch ' plucky figTit, but, overpowered by numbers, i WM tne c** 8 : '"ey have no eyes, but th*ir ho gradually relaxed hi* edorts and was WDW of smsll i* very acute and the absence so.m dismembered, each ant carrying off a '. ' "'KJ 11 eem.i to trouble them very little. ;>. rtion of his body a* a trophy. " Ye*," I replied, handing tile insec ny injured leg in a splmt and my swollen ' tm - tfo ,, w ,.,- w , th 01Itrtr , U;B<!d innj . Thi. estimate hardly does the dial justice, for it* diameter ia twenty-three feet. From the ground the minute* on the dial look like ordinary minutes, and a* if they were close together. A* a matter of fact, they are a foot apart. The numerals ore two fU.-t longi The minute hand, with the counterbalance the heavy end that projects beyond the centre of the dial i* fifteen feet in length. Thi* hand i* *o massive that during a snow torm sometime* the clock u retarded by the weight of the flake* that slight anon it. The clock room i* an apartment fifteen feet square. Fu'.ly a third of it i* occupied bv the work*. Th* other two- third* are filled with a "tick-tick tick tick" that never hand on a twig. He wa* about half an inch long and a giosey jet- black color. Hi* hud. which wa* of enormous comparative size, wa* armed with exceedingly sharp, branch- ing forcep*, or mandible*, which be kept high in the air, now and again bringing hi jaw* together with a sudden snap. It waa bard for me to believe tha' thin back, ' I have seen them clean your house* but a* for wounds," rubbing myself rue- The nioet exciting battle wa* with * snake about tires fet long that tried to lip away unseen. The onl* quickly sur- rounded him, however, and fought with terrific ferocity. With every .witch of bis | tale the snake killed a score of his torinen- ' torn, but their place* were *oon filled by ' *> a nd 1 the black *w*rm which swept unceasingly I l "* in.-ct s pi "n. Finally the writhing* of the snake be- ! " edge* of th* flesh on either side of th* came lainter nd fainter, and at laal ceased I <* and drew them tightly togelher This entirely, and then, and not until then, did llon . the native twisted the head of the the ants relinquish their attack. " fn "" <* hudy and thowed me hi* hand. All day long they marched through the "loo tee the cut is closed," he said. home until at sundown the end of the i " The pinchers of the ant hold the flesh Tke *nfnl Fair rTkrrr M<-a * Ike Crral ulurado Krorrl column had passed and was lo*t tu view in the thickness of the fore.-t. I entered my house and prepared to aur- 'ley ruefully my larder, but my anticipa lion or sot row was premature, for there ! were all my provision* as I had lefl them untouched. There waa but one exception a poor tnrtle which, 1 had tied to a stake that morning, intending to k"ep him aiive for a few days before making bun into soup. He wo* stone dead, bat the rumpled earth about him ilntved > hat he had made a hard fight for life. 2ol a dead ant was to be stops and that bore* hol-a through people who are unaccustomed to it. The " tick" is large enough to supply about a hundred clocks at the style that stand oa the floor and are on terms of intimacy with the ceil iui{. The pendulum la too long for the room . - , and is accommodated with a hole in the I thought they made fhem m.Uad Aoofj that . , wiu a imihu ^ of healing them. I apertmenia. It doe. not look unlike th. SJS^Jll* ?*JK "!. y h n<i - .""Idrivuig rod of huge engine. When the answered. >~. T.S,n K the ant m hu, t . h ,m announce U,!t another quarier of an hand, hi held it ju.t over the nit : , hrmr ^ rte)1 tt , tn a f,^,,^ 1 , ^^^^ in th* clock rot in. A large double fan whiz- tie* oroaod a* if time were worth 100 a second, and it wanted about an hour. U Mops*, suddenly a* it begun, and then a ratchet, on which ihe spindle rum, make*) a ripping, crunching noise, lltat IB Ibe dark wouid strike terror to the heart ef a stone dog. The clock ia wound up by hand. It is wound up twice a week. The winding is dune by two men who are supposed not to have a weak spot in their frames. Each wind up occupies four hourv during which no vacation for refreshment* is permitted. The men halt while the quarters chime. No difficulty ha< ever been experienced in in- ducing them to halt. According to an in- I scriplion on the works. | made ill together it will soon heal now. This was '.he last I saw of the.* wonder- ful ineect*, which lane the place, in the tropic*, of housemaid and surgeon, for I soon afterward returned to Canada, 4 K LIO>. alsji-r amgrrvB* SH> rt. bl II riees This clock wa* Housed to emulation by the instantaneou I made in the year of our Lord, 1X54," from success of the boxing kangaroo, Lundca the design of Mr. Kdmund Beckel Denison, variety manager* have l>een bust iug Iu un- j by Menus. Dant. ecu : they had all been carried off by their earth a rival athletic novelty. The Oxford To reach the home of Big Ben fiom the comrades. 'Theatre of Varieties believe, it has at clock room it i. neueMary to climb seventy- 1 afterward learned that the warrior ant* lenjrlh filled the bill, and now expends it* two steps. The home of the great belli, refuse lo touch any foo4 that they them- | display lype on the- wrestling lion. the catastrophe waa due to purely natural cause*. The most gruesome story, and the on* which oue hears moat frequently recited round the Badenoch hear'.h about the Wife of Laggan wa. the occasion when she trans formed herself into a cat. A local huuter he decided to pas* the night in the bothy. He kindled a fire of turf, and his hound's, fatigued with the day'a journey, lay down beside him on the eartheu floor. The hun- ter wa* wearied with the days walking, and soou lay down to rest beside the fire, and save the eerie sound of the storm god moaning and howling among the great pines and the i Iccp echoing corries, silence reigned over the humble shieling. He prepared lo so they ctarteu from the trail and rod* to- ward the wagon, which waa completely broken down. The sight that met their eye* waa a sick- or sportsman in the forest of (ilenmore was , cuing one, for the skeleton* of three men overtaken by a furious storm on the hills, '. were scattered about the region, their cloth- and sought shelter in a shepherd'* bothy, ing torn into shred* by the ravenous coy- He had'a couple of deerhonnds accompany- ' ote* and vulture*. Then wa* u.na scrap oi in,- him and being far frem the abode* of paper in the pocket* by which th.y could men, with no sign* of the storm abating, | oe identified because there were no pockets left. But the box of the wagon bore stains of blood, half obliterated by the rair, showing that the unfortunate men had gathered into the box for safety until they became too exhausted to tight the ravenous jackal*, which tore them limb from limb. But the voice from the bush U never si- lenced. Even from the devrt the voice of expiring nature orie. aloud to heaven with nafamieit breath. On a card tacked to sleep, but could not slumber. Ho'listened the bed of the wagon was distinctly written to the wind for hours, he thought, then j in a hand that had grown tremulon* with limited out, and saw nothing, bat a mas* of the pang* of famine the words, ' We are indistinguishable blackness. II* had scarce- ly resumed his aeat at the fire when the selves b-.ive not caught arid slain, which ' fhe .Sporting Life describes the firm ap- accounted for my provision* remaining un , pearance of the leonine star as follow* : molested. When the curtain wan drawn up the lion 1 wo* overjoyed at the change in my house was discovered in a huge cage, making th* not a cockroach, luard or any other insect or reptile wa* loft ; they bail been oinplote- ly exterminated. My second 'jiperience with warrior ant* wa* not attended by such pleasant results, as you shall tee. I had been bunting all day in ihe vast two steps, in* Home of toe great bell is light and airy. The fljor and all support* of the lower in Big Bn' quarter* are of iron, the supports being solid, the floor of open work. Tin- space occupied by Big Ben and the four quarter* th* bells that chime i. usual parade fioin end tu end of Ins prison j square. The bell that strikes the first house peculiar to his specie*. In a brief ! quarter is, at the mouth, about the size of a speech Mr. C. K. Brighten, the courteou. coach umbrella. The hell that strike* th* manager, stated that ihe lion was bred in half i* conaidr-rably larger. The three- 'the foreal, and wa* brought to Knglaad quarters is of still larger giowth, while the , lour years ago. He has been two years foiir-qnarters. at the month, i* about rive under the oare of Amouea, who i* a W*st , feet in diameter. Whit* oue of these bells door opened suddenly, and a huge ugly cat entered. On teeing the hound* it retreated a step. The dogs sprang towauU the would ngs lost. There i* no water en the telegraph road." And this pathetic message from men whose three whittikulU lay bleaching in the stunted grasa beside the wagon waa all that came l*<.k from them to the world animal, and would (nit for the timely ! that had closed on them forever, interference of the hunter have torn " Cn of thcte men was a fat mail," said it to piece*, *o infuriated were they Mr. Lang, "and tho other two were thin. at their nocturnal visitor. The dogs slunk You can always tell tha bones of a fat man into a corner in obedience to their master ! because they contain a larger percentage of hut never taking their ga/e from the eat' , iron, which turn* reddish brown after the which stood in the doorway, looking stead- , Uc.ih is removed and th* bone* have been t.istly, with it* red, glaring eve*, on the ! exposed tu Ire air. These men were lea* .lying ember* as th* hunter stirred them to | than four miles from afahly good supply let a better view of hi* visitor. He looked of water, but they did not know it." get al :it the cowering beait at the. door, which ad dressed him thus ''lireal hunter of the hills, 1 i-lairi your protection. I am aware of your haired to my craft, but I have lost my way, and I appeal to you in the name of ihe great spirit which ride* on tlio wings of last, and who guides my actions, to save me from the fury of your dogs, and to give me shelter from the storm. " Tho hunter, astonished at the linguistic power of threat, invited ii to approach the lire. She refused, however, to .1 ept this hospitality except on the condition that he would bind the hounds by the nrcktwith a loug hair which she handed him. He agreed to this pro- pi sal, but instead of (inlting the hair round th* neck* of the dogs he threw it across a beam which ran along the length of the I he witch then, believing that she waa secure frorj the dog, stepped towards the tire. Th* hea*t threw it* red, iMdlah ye* slowly around he room. The dogs lay growling in the ,-oruer. The hunter rcpUn !,, \ the fire, and the crackling sparks fl.'u D. and the tongued Harms from ihe They had eviuenlly stai led on a prospect- ing lour from Han Diego or Vnma, it isnard to aay which, and, from the ap|>earance of the bones and partial obliteration of tho blood stains on the wagon, had been dead about five inouthn. No ox yoke* nor harness could be found anywhere near the wagon, nor were there any weapons in sight. A* people do not travel on such errands without weapon* to aid them in piocuring tood, a* well as for defence Dgauul Iiidiond, it is quite likely that the wa&on had been previously discov- ered by other }> u no that way, who robbed it of its ghaxlly fiud and kept th" discovery to themselves. i* said to bo th* largest gas-holder in the \\orld has just been completed for the gas company of Kast Greenwich, Kngland. It in .'tOO feet iu diameler, and when fully inflated i* ISO feet, hi^li. The floating veuel of the holder weighs l..'ttM> i.n, and the capacity of the arrangements i* Iv OAI cubic ft. forest with fairly good luck, but a* dusk Indian and black at ebony, with gleaming I i* chiming the section o' an ho'ir ihe clock approached I found lhat in my enthusiasm I eye*, and teeth a* white a* the driven snow. : tower it filled with a remnant, vibrating I had wandered from the trail, aud that I Standing 5 feet 1W itK-iie*. aid weighing hum that does not die with the last itroke, was practically lost. ! close on \j stone, he look* the personifica- j but fades away so gradually lhat it still Dreading the possibility of having to re- I tion of strength and courage, vjuielly ho ' seem, toting in the ears long after it ha* main all night in the forest without my entered th* lion'* cage, and at a *ign from ; been swept away by a breeze that whistles pablo (modqaito net), 1 I joked around for ' Alex, the brut* reared himself up and the ' a* it rushes in at on* entrance, whirl* a point of vnn'.age from which to survey th* pair "took hold " in the Cnmbe land fashion ' around and pail the bell*, and die. out at __~ comparison The first fall wa* givs* in favor ot with the other lour bells, looks like the hi* majesty the lion who** name, by the gigantic (ire of four promising son.. Ly way, i. Prince), who .imply, by superior ing on th* floor i* th* old clapper. It is in weight iu the upper part of his body, Dored , obioog piece of iron, two feet long, twelve his opponent down Bat on hi* back. Again , inches ie diameter, and weighs 7-V pound*. surrounding country and get my beariugi. *uly neither could clasp hand* round the another opening. Big Ben, in Selecting a tall cabbage palm tree whose body. top towered high above the others, I remov ed my heavy hunting boot* and started on uiy upward journey. The imooth surface of the tree rendered it ditKcult climbing : when about half w ty up I slipped and fell j the couple got into gripe, the lion apparent- j Had not au accident happened Big Ben his to tho ground, a distance of about thiity ' ly very unwillingly thi* time. After aliuie tone* would be even Ion '-r than they are. man<r uvring Alex attempted to twist the Before >>e wee placed in poeition some of feet. Fortunately the earth beneath me was aoftand spcngy, and 1 escaped without be ing injured internally. 1 tried to rise, but the sharp thrill of ex agony which shot through my leg king of tha besat* on Ilia back, hut failed lamentably, bo'h falling aid* by tide. Con- sequently a " dog fall" was recorded. For a while the lion retted on hit haunches un- _ til in a catch hold bout Alex threw him it impossible. 1 hvl broken tny very cleverly by a singularly well-executed I.-K. and the unpleasant fact that I wa* . twitt. The fourth and lost fall went lo helpless and must, be there all night started me in the race. My ul 11 mates rescue troubled me but lit tie, for I knew it waa but a question of a ihe sable champion, who very adroilly back-hurled the leonine hero of the wrestl- ing arena, and fell plump upon him. reetling At Alex the close of the comparatively thort time before my absence opened ike jaws of tho lion, ana, from the village would be discovered and a while holding them apart, placed hi* head search party sent out. Covering my head j in the stomach. After that Prince fired n with my canvas coat as a protection against ; pistol which was suspended from th* roof the myriad of mosquitoes which appeared soon after dark. 1 prepared to make my- self a* comfortable as wo* possible under the Misting circumstances. The long hours dragged along, an<( in pite of my precaution the mosquitoes bit me unmercifully. N.IW and then a troop of baboons would crash through the forests and make night hideous with their deep ro.irs as they jump- ed from tree to tree. Their ccie* wonld awake the rest of the slumbering animal and bird world, who wuuld ada their quota lo Ihe infernal din. and it would bo hour* before Ih* fornt would be quiet again. Finally tho sun roue, acd with the day came a strong sea brvc/.a which swept my persecutors, th* inopquitoes, far inland. Listlessly I glanced about me, and, as I did so, my tyo fell upon what seemed to be a largo green blanket that I had uot noticed before, about t'oi ty feet away . 1 lazily speculated as to what it was, when presently * tremor rn through it. and it appeared to move. On it came toward ine aero*, th* open ; slowly dragging over the uneven ground as though [>rr pelled by sonic invisible force. i leoly the tru'h flashed across; my -it wa&ihc advance guard of an army of the cage, *n<) then Alex and the lion lay down on the floor together and positively cuddled each other. Talk of tho lion Hying down with the lamb, that performance, if it ever comes olf, hasn't a look in whnt look place at tho Oxford yesterday after- noon. Before being supplied with his customary afternoon luncheon hU ma- jesty eats a couple ot snacks of beef from t):* workmen amused themselve* >lriking I him with sledge- hammert in order to make him speak. In reeponse to on* blow he re- plied in a cracked voice. In order to repair Big Ben'* voice the crack was cot away until the tone of the bell was again true, thoat.i quite a Urge piec*of metal was removed. Still, had the. accident not happened. Big Bun'* voice would be louder and perhaps more music- al, though thit may not he the opinion of the clapper that is in use. He struck I'oclock yesterday when I was looking down upon him from a height of ten feet, waiting for the explosion. The tremendous *.":n.I seemed to be made of a massive "B," a long succession of gigantic capital "R's," a bri- gade of mammoth "O's and a phalanx of leviathan "MY ' Twenty could stand under Big Ben ii: a rainstorm and escape a wetting if the rain fell in an exact perpendicular and stayed where it fell. A taut a foot from the I mouth, on the interior, is the following in enjoy the scription : " This boll weigh, l.'t tons 10 cwt. 3 <ir. 1.1 Ib. It wa* cost by Ceorge Mean of 'Vbitechapel, for the clock of the house* Alex's mouth, and seemed lo toothsome morsel*. By no means the least interesting of the twain ii Alex Amousa, who has been a lion huuter and lion trainer ' of Parliament, under tue direction of K.I vid tamer from his youth, lie wa* a vry mund Becket Denlaon, Q C.. in tl-e twenty attractive C'.mveisatMnalist, and speaks ! first yar of the reign of Qneen Victoria, modestly of himself. Statiug that he knew little of the art of wrestling, and was not particularly conversant with such clips a. the back-heel, the cross-buttock, the in- side click, or the flying mare, but, with a merry twinkle in hi. intelligent eye, he signified ibat he could tako hi* own part. \ t it not certain as to how many pounds avoirdupois Prince weight at the present moment, but he states the lion w abovn the ordinary .ii/.e and weight, and ia a little over 6 year* old, and the rnott ti ajtuble of bit species he hat met with. Alaska miner* pay tifty cents for a pota- to. and in the vear of our Lord The new light H forty-three ateps high*r than Big Bon. The old light wa< twenty- four step* higher still. The new light is of '_MOO caudle power. The view from tke top of the tower de- pends upon the weather. The latter was h.L'y when we looked out. Nothing Iwyond Lambeth Brldgecoiild bo seen Lambeth way. Only the top* of Nelson's monument, and the Duke of York's column appeared above thermit, Westminster Abbey looked lonrly and mystical. The National Liberal Club looked modestly small. On a clear d.-iy it, i* possible with a good glat* to see Kc*om

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