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CRUISE OF THE CALIFORNIA.
XSynopsls of rr<Tf-<l,nK chapters: Binnie has
been carried off, a captive, by the chief of
the Skull Hunters. Kemona, the Austra
lian "bashman," who was one of the crew
of the yacht California, is following Bin
nie, at a safe distance, hoping to rescue
him. At the same time the California, hav
ing on board a native enemy of the chief
- of the Skull Hunters as a guide. Is on the
•way to carry war into the country of the
Skull Hunters, which lies along the banks
. of the Marwise River and in the Skull
- Mountains.]
CHAPTER XII.
"Faster," said the chief of the Skull
Hunters.
At the v.-ord his black followers
quickened their pace into a dog trot,
•dragging their captive with them.
31nnie was fastened by a stout thong
(to a native chief, who had been treach
erously made a prisoner by Grhoor
■Ghee-Tee. Th<--«.- two were at the head
of a long line of prisoners who were
tied together tun by two. Slaves of
Ghoor-Ghee-Tee beat them with rods
to hasten their steps.
All night they had marched through
a dease forest, wading thr>'Ugh streams,
climbing over the trunks of fallen
and o-ver bouldt-rs, falling often in the
darkness, but ever urged on by the
voice of Ghoor-Ghee-Tee and by the
Mows dealt by the slaves. Tmringit all
not a cry was uttered by any of the
eavage captives. PJinnie was as brave
and stoical as they and gained the
favor of the native chi^f, to whom he
"was tied, by helping him to rise when
he had fallen and one of his feet was
fast between r<-<'ks. For this Binnie
Teceived several blows because he
stopped, but he bore them without
flinching.
Often, as they crossed streams, they
■wakened crocodiles that were Bleeping
in the mud. once a crocodile snapped
Its Jaws close to Binnie, but the spear
of a slave was thrust into the monster's
throat with the speed of a flash. Pois
onous Berpents were surprised in the
forest and crawler] away hissing. Still
•the march was kept on. Now the Skull
Hunters and the prisoners reached the
Fummit of a hill and the slaves beat,
the prisoners until they ran at the top
of their speed. The night was almost
gone. Ahead was an open, rolling
plain. Ghoor-Ghee-Tee wished to cross
this and enter the forest that lay be
yond before day, for he feared that the
■white men might be pursuing and see
his party in the open.
There was no white man near. But
as Ghoor-Ghee-Tee came into the open
a blaok man nimbly climbed a tall tree
that stood beside the newly made trail
and. screened by the branches, looked
■with keen eyes, in silence, across the
plain. Kemona was counting the sav
ages. There were between fifty and
sixty, including the savage prisoners
and Binnie. The captors and captives
•were about evenly divided.
"Good." said Kemona, "it will not be
a desperate chance to rescue Binnie if
the other prisoners will fight. Let me
Bee how my arsenal gets along."
He drew to view a big war club,
■with which, on the cruise of the Cali
fornia, he had amused himself, hollow
ing It out in places and neatly fitting
hack the outside, so- that the club seem
od to be solid. From the secret places
he drew forth four revolvers, which he
carefully examined.
"They are all ricrht," he said, "and
so is the ammunition. Two pistols for
Binnie and two for Kemona and plenty
of cartridges for that party. But how
is my knife?" Kemona gave another
BOYS` AND GIRLS` PAGE
proof of his Ingenuity by unscrewing
the small end of the club and pulling
out a long knife that had a blade like
a razor's edge.
"It Is all right," said Kemona, "the
knife will cut the ropes and may come
handy for other use. We are not as
helpless as we seem, although there are
only two of us. Now, I will just take a
little nap in this tree and not show my-
S'-lf." i^i saying, the Australian fas
tened his precious club to a "branch,
picked out two limbs to lie upon and
slept until the sun was far toward the
close of the day.
\\'h*-n Kemona again started to fol
low the trail he ran across the open
plain like a deer. Plunging into the
f<-r< st on the other side, he still made
rapid headway. No Mohawk Indian
could have traced his game more cer
tainly, when chasing bears or wolves,
than Kemona now showed. He was
never at a loss. Mile after mile he ran,
and he looked pleased, for he knew that
while (;hnor-i;hee-Tee might run all
one night and the next day, he must
stop that nieht somewhere.
"So to-night." he said. "I will save
Binnie or all will be lost."
Just at dark Kemrma came to a
broad, swift stream, which Ghoor-Ghee-
T"e and his slaves and captives had
crossed.
"This ptrpnm," said Kemona, "flows
to the ICarwise. I will take my chance
floating down with it."
With his sharp knife he vigorously
attacked a log- which lay near the edge
nf thr> Btream and soon hollowed out
the middle (ft it so that It would se
curely h<ild his war dub and its con
tents. Then he Found some bet'i lei
and ground nuts, which he ate eager
ly, fur he was very hungry. He finish
ed his meal with a drink of water from
the stream and then lay down and
waited until darkness came. He th^n
pushed his log- out from the bank and
drifted down with the stream.
Faster and faster ran the water Rnd
Kemona thouerht that he was ap
proaching rapids. Another stream
joined with the one on which he was
floating and the two made quite a
river. The roar of rushing water? came
to Kemona's ears.
"Not rapids, but a waterfall," he
muttered to himself.
"With great difficulty he managed to
reach one bank of the river, where the
stream sharply turned. At once he
hauled his log up on the bank and be
iran to look about. The dull sound of
the falling water told him that the
waterfall was high. He could feel the
earth trembl<- under his feet.
"Through the forest then," he paid.
He found out that the foresi could
not be penetrated. Thorn bushes of
great size, armed with spikes as dan
gerous as bayonets, stood close to
gether up and down th« river banks
for miles and made a barrier through
which nothing but a snake could pass.
To leap an unknown waterfall in the
dark! Possibly to be torn to pieces on
sharp jagged stones, amid the rushing
Und strangling waters! Perhaps, after
all, to be able to safely pass over the
waterfall and the dizzy whirlpool be
low, only to be disabled in sight if the
camp where Binnie was, and so unable
to rescue him after all! Be it to the
credit of Kemona that this thought
troubled him more than the danger.
('limbing a tree close to the edge of
the river Kemona saw that which de
cided him to go on, whatever the peril
might be.
THE BUMPKINS RIDING TO A HOT FINISH ON THE BACKS OF THE PARK DONKEYS.
THE SAN FBAJNCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, J A .XT' ART 16, 1899.
Far below gleamed the light of a
camp fire. Around it were dancing
dusky savages, waving clubs and a<t-
Ing ferociously. Had Ghoor-Ghee-Tee
brought his captives here to kill them
and take possession of their skulls":
Was Blnnie In immediate danger? Be
low was the roaring river, breaking
•white and threatening on the bowlders
in its course. Above the sound of the
river was the booming of the waterfall,
rising like the noise of a great battle
( f artillery. Hut not one instant more
Kemona hesitated.
The river waves raced by Kemona
like white-maned war horses as he
once more plunged in with his log. The
dusky forest trees on the river banks
looked like huge, black giants and
seemed to rush madly by as the water
bore him on faster and faster. The
log struck v with terrific force against
bowlders, whirled dizzily around and
around, and then swept on again like
a doomed ship going into the breakers.
Such shocks nearly stunned the Aus
tralian, but he held on. Other logs
i by him. grazing his feet and
hands and threatening to strike him off
ititn the water; the bowlders tore his
lirsh. Faithful through all he held on
and disdained to try to swim ashore
and save himself. He -would get to
; Binnie or die.
The thundor of the waterfall grew
deafening. The log glided ov<
stretch of smooth, glistening water
and th^n gave a fearful, sickening
leap down, down, down, surrounded
by flying, blindine foam, down — seem
ingly to the middle of the earth. A
black Bpot ir the whirlpool below th*>
mierhty fall darted here and there, was
raised on hi- ' waves and sank below
them. Finally, throutrh a channel
strewn with rocks, the black spot was
floated Into smooth water below. It
drifted rapidly down past the camp
of the savages. It was the lop with
Kemona, weak and half drowned,
clinging desperately to it.
An hour's rest on shore and Kemo
na was himself again. Taking in hand
his war club he walked carefully to
ward the camp
"Now to rescue Binnie," he said to
himself. It must be done to-night.
c cannot be more dan
gerous than th^ waterfall. D. H. \V.
(To be Continued.)
SURPRISED
BY A BABY.
Jehnnie Is a dear little boy who has
\ t'.ir rf his four short years of
life out on a big ranch with his father
and mother. There has always been a
Chinese servant in the kitchen to help
his mother, and one or two men about
to help h:s father, but there have never
been any neighbors to come in and be
sociable evenings, and Johnnie has bad
no little boys and girls to play with
at all. When he was three years old
one of the men who worked for his
father before, came back, and brought
With him a pretty puppy with black,
curly hair and big bro-wn eyes, and
gave him to the lonely littl" boy, and
from that moment Johnnie and Star —
for that was the name that he gave
his pct — became almost inseparable.
Star grew much faster than his small
master did, and was soon so- large that
lUld not manage him at all except
by coaxing (which is really the best
way to manage anyone when you come
to think of it), but the two were the
very best of friends, and were together
almost every moment of the time that
Johnnie was awake. Indeed, when, in
the long, hot summer days the little
boy, tired with play and with running
about, would fall asleep in the shade
of the porch, he was pretty sun- to
have Star's shaggy side for a pillow,
and Star's eyes would come open with
a snap, and he would growl most sav
agely, if anyone came near to disturb
their mutual slumbers.
The big dog had been Johnnies con
stant companion and playmate and
faithful friend for a whole long twelve
month when some news came from the
Fast that made the grown people of
the family very happy indeed. John
nies aunt, Annie, wrote to them say
ing that her husband and she had de
cided to come to California and take
up a near-by claim which Johnnies
father had written them about. John
EDITED BY
DAVID H. WALKER
nies mamma was so pleased when she
read the letter that she cried, but
there was something in it that she ,ij,i
not understand, for her sister said that
she was going to bring a "surprise"
«l<>ng with her which she was sure
would delight them all; and what that
surprise was to be kept them busy
guessing, until the time actually came
for Johnnies father to take the big
ranch wagon and go down to the near
est town after the new-comers.
It took him a whole day to po and
another to come back. and. because of
the load that he broupht, the coming-
KEMONA, TO SAVE BINNIE'S LIFE, MAKES A FEARFUL PLUNGE OVER A WATERFALL
UPON A LOG.
back day was a very long one indeed,
so long that although Johnnie tried his
bent to keep awake, ha fell asleep and
never knew a thing about his visitors
until the next morning. Then, when
he came in from his usual morning run
with Star, the door of the Fitting-room,
which had been turned into a bedroom
for the time being* was open and a
strange young man and woman called
him inside and kissed him and praised
Star until Johnnie thought that an
uncle and aunt were very nice things
to have indeed.
Presently his mother and father came
In, too, and then as Johnnie sat in his
aunt's lap it occurred to him to ask
about that wonderful something about
which he had been puzzling his curly
head for weeks.
Everybody laughed when he asked
the timid question, but his aunt put
him down and went over to the bed.
She took a bundle out of it and came
and sat down again and began to un
wrap it, while Star and Johnnie stood
and watched her with silent curiosity.
And such a queer thing as it was which
she uncovered! Johnnie was a pretty
brave little boy for his size, but he had
never in his life seen anything which
looked to him quite so mysteriously
dreadful.
It was a queer, shapeless, alive thing,
with a lumpy body and bits of short
arms, and a long white skirt which
apparently covered long, limp legs
which reached clear to the floor. It
had a big, white, bald head and flaring
ears, and black eyes, and no neck at
all, and instead of teeth it had a terri
fying show of empty red gums. It was
a "surprise" in truth, for poor Johnnie
had never seen anything of the kind in
all his lifp, and he had not the slight
est idea that it was a baby — and a very
nice little baby, too — which his aunt
was showing him.
He was so frightened that he Just
stood and stared until the strange
creature suddenly wrinkled up its face,
shut its eyes tight and turning a deep
crimson opened its empty mnuth wide
and began to scream with all its might.
And then what do you suppose John
nit- and Star did? Star growled and
put his tall between his legs, and then
he and Johnnie, who was too alarmed
to think of anything but hiding, went
under the bed together and stayed
there, too. until the baby stopped cry
ing and Johnnies mamma made him
understand that it was a dear fittle
ctmsin that his aunt had brought him,
and that everybody looked like that
when they were tiny babies.
BERKELEY BOYS A'GYPSYING.
Over In Berkeley are three or four
small boys, the oldest of whom is 10,
who have actually built a house and
are attempting to cook their own
meals, or some of them. Their menu
takes in steaks, mushes, rice and per
haps other articles of food. These
they prepare in good style, at a brick
furnace, just outside of their house,
and their meals are eaten in the house
with genuine relish.
The house is provided with only one
room. It has a window and a door.
The roof is rain-proof. Many a person
has less comfortable rooms than these
little boys have made for their own
THE LITTLE SAN DIEGO MAID.
A little San Diego maid whose years were scarcely four
Played where the nectared flowers, In vases fine, held honeyed store.
Sweet as a linnet's summer song was the dear maiden's voice
As to bird, bee and drowsy air she sang of childish joys,
"Dear bee," she sang, "I wish that I could live in flowers like you;
And have for friend the mignonette and sip the scented dew.
You have a bagpipe, too, to play. You are a lucky bee.
To feast and sing all day is sweet. Could Ido that— ah, me!** f
While sang the maid, a honey bee, like to a Corsair bold
Assailing all the floral crew, bespoiled them of their gold.
Then, cruising zigzag, steered his course to where the pinks in shoala
Of garden bloom — a roseate reef of coral raised their bolls.
Then went my little maid and said: "Oh, bee, you are my friend,
So let us play together now; you be a child — pretend."
She seized the bee! His rapier thrust was followed by a cry —
"You naughty, cruel little thing! I be a bee? Oh— h— h, my!"
use. Younger builders and cooks are
not In all California.
TALE OF THREE BROTHERS.
Robert, Richard and Ray were three
brothers. One day they found them
selves in a great garden, passing
through a gateway of flowers, with
laughter such as belongs only to youth*
to reach the garden. Just within the
shadow of the gateway they met a
lady, who said that her name was Des
tiny, and that she had come to direct
them upon their paths through the gar
den.
"Only a little way on," said the lady,
"you will find the gifts that I have
placed there for you. Take them and
go upon your ways as bravely as you
can."
*he lady then told the brothers to
stand side by side, Ray in the middle
and Robert and Richard on either side.
"March!" she said.
The three brothers found that their
paths led farther and farther apart.
They called aloud, from time to time,
words of brotherly love and good cheer
until their voices were lost by distance.
Then, separately, they went their ways
in silence.
Robert found his prize first — an ap
ple of solid gold. He plucked it gladly.
Richard next found his prize — a scar
let plume, to lead him to fame. With
this Richard marched on with swelling
pride. Ray's pathway soon grew poor
and mean. The trees shriveled up, the
flowers dried and sparkling springs of
water ceased to flow. He came to a
wretched little house. In it was a
package upon which was his name and
the inscription. "The Solace of Want."
He opened the package and found in
it only a poor, ragged coat. Ray put
on the coat with a sigh and moved on.
Robert's path soon led him into a !
great and wealthy city. There he was \
welcomed. There, after a time, he en
tered into a rich mansion, which con
tained many pictures, which was car
peted with satin and in which were
dishes and vessels of pure gold. Here
Robert lived many years, and he mar
ried the daughter of a great prince, j
who brought him much money. But
he was never happy, for the apple of
gold always urged him on, and naught
of peace or rest had he.
A CLOCK PUZZLE.
The clock struck one! A mouse ana a rat
Were playing under an old straw hat.
They heard the machinery clucking: and wheezing:,
And the dust from the clock case set both of them sneezing.
In the clock they ran, aid the old clock door
Shut with a slam that Joggled the floor.
Then the springs, cogs and hammers, as if In mad spite.
Hit the rat and the mouse from the left and the right.
Little boy, little girl, now please guess — Just for fun —
Ifvthe crazy old clock then struck two, or struck one!
Richard placed his plume in his hat.
His pathway led up a steep mountain,
above which eagles screamed, as they
wheeled in dizzy circles. On the sum
mit of the mounatin Richard looked
around. He saw sunny valleys below
him. in which were growing crops, vil
lages and cities, schoolhouses and
churches, and the people in the valleys
all seemed to be friendly and happy.
Richard paused not, but placed a
trumpet to his lips and blew a long,
resounding blast. The sound was heard
in the valleys and the effect was magi
cal. People dropped their rakes and
pruning knives in the fields and or
chards. Those in the cities gathered
into armies and soon, upon a wide
plain, a glittering host was assembled.
Bands of music were there; squadrons
of horsemen, with shining swords in
their hands: hundreds of cannons and
thousands of men with guns in their
hands.
Over the multitude waved flags. The
soldiers cheered as Richard, riding a
black horse and wearing a gay uniform,
came among them. He was known al
ready as the great general who had
called the soldiers together and at his
command great battles were to be
fought and won, that he might gain
fame.
At the head of his army Richard
drove in a whirlwind of dust, through
towns and cities which had been set
on fire by the torches of his soldiery;
and he heard, on all sides, the shrieks
and curses of those who had been
brought to woe and ruin by him.
In his greatest battle there rode up
toward Richard, from the ranks of the
enemy, a gray-haired horseman, who
looked so like Richard that the soldiers
murmured as they saw him. RoTTert
and the gray-haired horseman fought.
At last Richard struck down his an
tagonist, who rolled in the dust and
was trampled under the iron hoofs of
his own horse.
Then and there, in sight of his
own soldiers, while cheers were in the
air and artillery thundered, Richard
broke his sword in two and rode from
the field of battle, with bowed head,
and sobbing, for the gray-haired
horseman whom he had struck down
was his father.
Ray wandered along ways that were
strewn with thorns. Rich men and
rich women and even the children of
the rich laughed at the ragged coat
and at the wearer, but Ray would not
take It off. Poor men and ■women and
poor children heard with joy of his
coming. He found gold, only to scat
ter it, with generous hands, among the
needy. He sat by the bedside of the
sick. He spoke gentle words of com
fort to those in sorrow.
Every day he prized his rapped coat.
He had found a writing in one of the
pockets and so had learned the secret
of it. Every day he grew braver, more
patient and more loving. "While he was
very sorry for all who were in trouble,
he was still happy, for destiny had
given him the coat of love to wear as
a garment.
He envied no one. And, as for fight
ing any one for the sake of fame, that
was impossible for him.
After very many days the three
brothers met once more. Robert and
Richard had anxious looks and often
sighed. Only Ray could smile as joy
ously as they had all smiled when
they began their journey together.
Robert still clung to his apple of gold
and Richard valued his plume. But
Ray tore his coat Into three pieces,
gave each of his brothers one, saving
the poorest piece for himself. He had
grown into the habit of loving so that
he could spare a part of the coat.
Of course this is a fable. The gar
den is the world. They who journey
through it loving their fellows can
smile in poverty, while the envious
and the ambitious are never satisfied,
even when they have much.
An old beggar, who used to frequent
the doors of one of the principal
churches of Rome, died lately. He was
found to be possessed of £37,000. which
he had left by a properly drawn-up
will to his three children, who were
completely ignorant of their father's
wealth-
