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DUKE UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 The Glenn Negley Collection 
 of Utopian Literature 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 in 2010 witii funding from 
 Duke University Libraries 
 
 littp://www.archive.org/details/inoudemonreminisOOdray 
 
IN OUDEMON 
 
 REMINISCENCES OF AN 
 UNKNOWN PEOPLE BY AN 
 OCCASIONAL TRAVELER 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 HENRY S. DRAYTON 
 
 AUTHOR OF " LIGHT IN DARK PLACES," 
 " HUMAN MAGNETISM," ETC., ETC. 
 
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 THE GRAF VON PRESS 
 PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK 
 
Copyright, 1900, 
 
 BY 
 
 Henry S. Drayton. 
 
:xj1(o^t 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. My Chance Acquaintance 7 
 
 11. The Message in Cipher ^y 
 
 III, On the Journey 53 
 
 IV. Amid the Unknown 72 
 
 V. An Unofficial Body 85 
 
 VI. An Excursion with the Young Folks. 102 
 
 VII. A Charming Acquaintance 108 
 
 VIII. A Practical Example of Domestic 
 
 Medicine 114 
 
 IX. An Embarrassing Emergency 120 
 
 X. On School Matters 138 
 
 XI. A Pleasant Surprise 154 
 
 XII. The Mining Regions — Gold and Sil- 
 ver 160 
 
 XIII. Trade and Literature 165 
 
 XIV. Religion Made Mutual 172 
 
 XV. A Weapon of Destruction 180 
 
 XVI. The Mausoleum 191 
 
 XVII. An Unlooked-for Adventure 205 
 
 XVIII. How I Was Rescued 222 
 
 XIX. A Law Unto Themselves 233 
 
 XX. A Discreet Step 259 
 
CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXI. From Home and Olive 268 
 
 XXII. In a Laboratory with Its Master. . . . 276 
 
 XXIII. Air Swimming and Science 297 
 
 XXIV. Banana Gardens and a Mission 312 
 
 XXV. In the Ancient Mine Again 321 
 
 XXVI. A Grave Communication 340 
 
 XXVII. Returning Home 348 
 
 XXVIII. At Home 365 
 
INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 
 
 An urgent summons by messenger to the house 
 of a venerable friend, Mr. Malcolm Browne, long 
 retired from active business, but ever cognizant of 
 and participant in the better interests of the com- 
 munity. Immediately responding to the call, I 
 arrived at 213 Bower Place only to find myself 
 too late; the aged heart had ceased to beat, yet 
 over the calm features there lingered the genial, 
 winning expression that all who were favored by 
 his acquaintance loved to gaze upon. Tenderly 
 and reverently we performed the last, sad rites, 
 and on the following day Mrs. Browne handed me 
 a large packet, carefully wrapped and sealed. 
 
 "Ah, the manuscript he used to speak about?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the old lady, most fitting com- 
 panion to our dear departed friend; "you will keep 
 it safely until I too have gone beyond " 
 
 The lovely woman has left us. Surely it must 
 be that she has rejoined the husband she lamented 
 so deeply. Now I would perform the trust under- 
 taken at my friend's request, the publication of the 
 
 5 
 
manuscript committed to my charge. We knew 
 that in his earlier Hfe he had been something of a 
 traveler, and had visited regions quite apart from 
 the routes taken by the occasional tourist, for often 
 would he entertain guests with recitals of ex- 
 perience and observation concerning countries and 
 peoples of which we knew little, albeit of the land 
 and people that form the subject of the following 
 narrative he had been silent. Whether or not it 
 would have been wiser to continue that silence I 
 must leave to your good judgment, my reader. If 
 I have erred in this matter kindly attribute it to an 
 earnest sense of duty as the literary executor of a 
 much beloved friend, and to the feeling that what 
 he had learned among the inhabitants of that "un- 
 discovered country" might be of interest and 
 profitable in both the material and moral sense to 
 some of his fellow countrymen. 
 
 The Editor. 
 
IN OUDEMON. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MY CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE. 
 
 A ROUND of duties had brought my hours as 
 Secretary to the well-known Corporation of Per- 
 sonal Liabilities (Limited) to their close for the 
 day, and after making up a summary for the Super- 
 intendent I departed, taking the course that led 
 into the park that spread its cooling shades within 
 half a mile of our building. There a vacant seat 
 under the close branches of an old wax maple in- 
 vited a moment's repose. A fair afternoon in 
 early June, there were in that well-kept area of 
 leaf and flower many loungers whose dress and 
 manner offered a constantly varying pantomime. 
 Despite my metropolitan training the "passing 
 show" of human nature wherever it might be met 
 was interesting, and in this familiar environment 
 
 7 
 
it had attractions for my inquisitive senses. They 
 came and went in endless chain, man, woman, 
 youth and child, each with his expression of tem- 
 perament, race and individuality, while leaning 
 back in easy pose and semi-drowse, or like a Scotch 
 terrier with one eye asleep and the other awake, I 
 passively took note of what appeared peculiar or 
 novel. Perhaps I had been thus occupied, or un- 
 occupied, as you, good reader, may designate my 
 condition, for ten minutes when there approached, 
 walking leisurely enough in the train of passers, a 
 man whose face aroused so much of my attention 
 that I sat upright that I might the better see and 
 study him. He passed on apparently in a brown 
 study, and I, for a cause that I could not well ex- 
 plain, arose from my seat and followed him, keep- 
 ing some eight or ten paces behind. He led me 
 thus on the main promenade of the park a hun- 
 dred yards or so, then struck into a side path. 
 Mingling with the few who pursued the same course 
 I continued to follow the stranger. A short dis- 
 tance from the main thoroughfare this side path or 
 alley expanded into a circular space of fifty feet 
 diameter, at the center of which splashed a small 
 fountain in its granite basin, on whose circumfer- 
 ence were set a half dozen benches. At this circle 
 my unknown leader stopped and took possession 
 of an unoccupied bench. Glancing around I saw 
 a vacant seat nearly opposite and made my way to 
 it. No sooner was the stranger fairly seated than 
 
 8 
 
he took out a leather-bound book and commenced 
 writing in it. His apparent absorption in this gave 
 me opportunity to observe him at my ease. He 
 seemed about fifty years old, as men average; was 
 tall, large of limb and well proportioned in body. 
 A head of good size, with hair moderately long 
 and brown in color was covered with a cap of dark 
 gray cloth; the vizor well projecting to shade the 
 eyes, but now pushed back, revealed enough of fore- 
 head to show that it was full and high. A beard, 
 slightly gray at the sides, neatly trimmed, some- 
 what pointed a la Van Dyke, imparted dignity to 
 the face. The eyes were large and from the dis- 
 tance of my seat, looked mildly and reflectively out 
 from their recesses under the thick overhanging 
 brows. 
 
 There was that in the bearing of the man that 
 intimated serenity and poise of an unusual order, 
 and as he continued his pencillings in the notebook 
 my study became more absorbing; indeed, I found 
 myself soon laboring hard to devise a plan or pre- 
 text for accosting him. An incident helped me in 
 this direction very unexpectedly. A troop of boys 
 suddenly broke into our quiet retreat. They were 
 accompanied by a fine St. Bernard dog, evidently 
 young, and so full of mischievous pranks that he 
 was the chief object of their gamesome excitement. 
 It was "Here, Rupert!" "Here, Rupert!" "Good 
 dog!" shouted by one and another in great glee, 
 and Rupert gamboled from one to the other, jump- 
 
 9 
 
ing upon and almost overwhelming the recipients of 
 his attention. The boys made the fountain circle 
 the theatre of their sport and ran around and 
 around, the dog pursuing and rollicking with them. 
 The unknown paid little attention to the melee at 
 first; then closing his notebook, he laid it on the 
 bench beside him and looked with an amused face 
 upon the merry scene. This, however, for a few 
 minutes only, for in one of his rounds the St. Ber- 
 nard stopped and turned toward the stranger and, 
 slowly walking to him, put a huge paw upon his 
 knee, and looked up into his face, as if soliciting 
 notice. The man patted him upon the head, the 
 dog wagging his tail as if greatly pleased. Then, 
 as if a sudden humor had seized him, the cunning 
 brute snatched the notebook and dashed off with it, 
 running perhaps forty feet and then turning around 
 as if to see the effect of this last prank. The man 
 rose from his seat, but did not follow or say a word. 
 The boys, however, who, for the most part, had 
 been watching the dog's conduct with the stranger, 
 now ran for the rogue, crying out, "Drop it, Rupert ; 
 drop it, drop it." But Rupert was bent on having 
 his fun, and had no disposition to drop the prize 
 just then. He would permit two or three of them 
 to come almost within catching distance, and then 
 jump away, carrying the book securely between his 
 solid white teeth. Around the fountain the boys 
 drove him. In making a circuit the dog took a 
 direction toward my bench, and, watching my op- 
 
 lO 
 
portmiity as he passed, I tapped his nose smartly 
 with the palm of my hand. The notebook dropped 
 upon the concrete, and almost before the dog knew 
 he had lost it I had picked it up and was back in my 
 seat. "Thank you, mister," cried the boy who was 
 the dog's master, and with a "Beg your pardon, sir," 
 he called Rupert, and the whole party ran down 
 the walk out of view. 
 
 The stranger walked over to my side of the foun- 
 tain, his face wearing a smile inexpressibly win- 
 ning. I rose to meet him and, extending my hand 
 with the notebook, said, *T am glad to restore this 
 to you." 
 
 "Obliged to you, young friend; it was neatly 
 done. Sometimes a dog will resent an interfer- 
 ence in his play." 
 
 "Oh, I had no fear ; dogs of that breed are usually 
 good natured." 
 
 "Yes, it appears so, sir ; but I am not familiar with 
 dogs — scarcely know one kind from another." 
 
 "Indeed, sir, that is strange. You certainly ap- 
 pear a man of much experience." 
 
 "You are kind in opinion, but let me sit by you. 
 In our country there are no dogs." 
 
 "What, my good sir! a country without dogs!" 
 
 "We have no use for them, so do not keep them." 
 
 "What kind of people may yours be?" was my 
 more than surprised inquiry. 
 
 He smiled in that winning way, but did not an- 
 swer. 
 
 II 
 
"Well," I went on, "we have many kinds of dogs 
 among us ; not a few of them running about on two 
 feet, and even less useful essentially than the genuine 
 canine. Excuse my curiosity — you are a stranger 
 in the city?" 
 
 "Not long since arrived, as you have perceived, 
 and cannot own to knowing anyone as a friend in 
 all your population?" 
 
 "Can I be of any use to you ?" burst from my lips, 
 perhaps too eagerly, for my new acquaintance 
 smiled again with a certain twinkle of his deep-set 
 eyes that suggested a humorous vein. He replied, 
 slowly : 
 
 "Perhaps, young sir, you can be; just now I have 
 little need of help, however. Later, if it does not 
 prove inconvenient, I may ask some kindly office." 
 
 "I am not so deep in business, sir, that I cannot do 
 a gentleman a little service. You will find others, 
 many, in our city, who will readily meet any wish 
 that you may express." 
 
 "Thank you for the assurance. But may I ask 
 the name of my new-found friend?" 
 
 I handed him one of my business cards. He 
 examined it for a moment, and said, "Malcolm 
 Browne.' 'Tis a right honest-sounding name. Of 
 Scottish origin — a sturdy, sensible race. I will 
 give you my name." He took out a pencil, and, de- 
 taching a leaf from the notebook wrote upon it and 
 handed it to me. "My name and present address. 
 Should you find an hour's leisure to-morrow even- 
 
 12 
 
ing after 7 — your time — I shall be rarely pleased to 
 have you call at my room." Rising as he said this, 
 he bade me "A happy meeting, friend," and de- 
 parted. 
 
 Glancing at the bit of paper, I read, Archbold 
 Restling, of Oudemon, 78 Church Terrace. 
 
 DEEPLY IMPRESSED. 
 
 Of course I arranged my affairs so that the visit 
 at the rooms of the stranger could be made. The 
 short colloquy had but deepened my interest in him ; 
 even the name and address had peculiarities, to me 
 at least, for reinforcing curiosity. I had never be- 
 fore met with the name of Restling, and as for 
 Oudemon, surely there was nothing in the gazetteers 
 of this country or England that furnished a line of 
 satisfactory information concerning such a town 
 or country. It must be owned that the word Oude- 
 mon proved a cause of some irritation to my in- 
 quisitive spirit, and the result of such examination as 
 I could make regarding the whereabouts of a place 
 so designated, of importance adequate to that I con- 
 sidered worthy of mention on the newcomer's card, 
 was practically nothing. Inferentially, from the 
 silence of their records, Oudemon was a town, vil- 
 lage or resident site so insignificant that the statis- 
 ticians did not esteem it worthy their notice. How- 
 beit, that this man, of bearing and qualities that 
 would give him preferment anywhere, should desig- 
 
 13 
 
nate the place of his residence in this formal style 
 could not but intimate on any rational grounds that 
 this Oudemon had good claim to consideration, as 
 one among human settlements. That the gazet- 
 teers of commerce and politics had slighted it might 
 be attributed to those possibilities of mistake and 
 error that are associated by scientific men with the 
 workings of the human mind in all departments of 
 activity. 
 
 Mr. Restling affected me in ways that differed 
 much from the impressions obtained from others. 
 His dress and mien had peculiarities. Not that 
 there was anything in them to offend a delicate taste, 
 but there were variations from the form and vogue 
 affected by men of good social standing that struck 
 the deliberate observer. His clothing was be- 
 coming, fitted well, and there was a sort of natural- 
 ness and ease in the fit not seen usually among 
 those of townsmen who were considered good dress- 
 ers. A neat collar, open at the button, of low cut 
 and of a pink-white fabric, evidently undyed, offered 
 no restraint to head movement; a scarf of fine, 
 glossy texture, of an olive tone, with a delicate 
 tracery of leaves and buds in orange, was folded 
 neatly about the collar and tied in a loose knot with 
 short ends. His coat was of a pattern approaching 
 an army officer's blouse, of a soft gray, and but- 
 toned well up in front. Trousers and cap were of 
 the same fine material, but darker in tone; and the 
 shoes he wore were of gray canvas or some such 
 
 14 
 
cloth, easy in breadth and secured to the feet by- 
 small buckles or snap-catches of bronze-colored 
 metal. 
 
 His voice was gentle and winning, clear in ar- 
 ticulation, without the nervous emphasis common 
 to men of like temperament in our city, and his lan- 
 guage, well chosen and definite, had in its expres- 
 sion the characteristics of a well-educated and ex- 
 perienced man; yet no one, I am sure, could listen 
 to him for two minutes without conceiving the idea 
 that Mr. Restling was of a type and class of people 
 rarely met. While his English was unexception- 
 able, a singular accent or timbre prevailed in it that 
 piqued curiosity. One might have given him a 
 birthplace in Massachusetts, a school life say in 
 Baltimore, and later a career that imposed periods 
 of residence in several foreign countries ; but as for 
 the country and people of his allegiance your much- 
 traveled man would be at a loss to name it with any 
 confidence. He, however, appeared quite at ease in 
 strange surroundings, his conduct being always sim- 
 ple and unaffected ; yet you were conscious of a re- 
 served dignity that won upon your attention and 
 respect, inviting your confidence — never repellent. 
 
 Church Terrace, by the way, is a little side street 
 in a suburban quarter, most appropriate for the resi- 
 dence of those who affect retirement quite apart 
 from the fast-pulsing movements of either social 
 or commercial life. A very quiet, self-contained 
 neighborhood, people who live there, I suspect, are 
 
 15 
 
much like the burghers of Bruck, jealously sus- 
 picious of most strangers who invade their retreat. 
 This thought at any rate was suggested by the in- 
 quiring look of the little German maid who an- 
 swered my pull upon the small white knob. 
 
 "Does Mr. Restling live here?" 
 
 "Yes," was the answer; "you know him?" 
 
 "Yes." I produced the slip on which he had 
 written. 
 
 The girl looked at it sharply and said : 
 
 "Oh, you der man Mister Res'ling like to see?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Vel den, come in; upstairs you find him in der 
 room front by der hall." 
 
 "Thank you." Up the stairs I climbed and, turn- 
 ing frontward, had no difficulty in striking the right 
 room, for on the door was pinned a slip, evidently 
 from the same source as the one I held, with simply 
 "Restling" upon it, in bold letters. Scarcely had 
 my fingers ceased their light tap when the door was 
 opened by my new acquaintance himself. 
 
 "Come in, come in. You are welcome. Give 
 me your hat; there's a chair." 
 
 I settled comfortably into the indicated piece of 
 furniture, responded warmly to his salutation, and 
 glanced about me. It was a cheerful room and 
 neatly furnished, the gas jets softened by pearl 
 shadelets throwing a pleasant radiance upon the 
 equipment and making the occupant in his neglige 
 coat and slippers appear more interesting than ever. 
 
 i6 
 
He had been reading. There were books and 
 pamphlets upon a side table, some of them open. 
 The notebook that had been the means of our in- 
 troduction to each other lay with them. He in- 
 terpreted my glance at the table and said : 
 
 "Yes, I am usually employed one way or another. 
 Then one picks up an item occasionally that may be 
 of use, you know. I am fond of gleaning." 
 
 "Your notebook wasn't injured by the dog's 
 teeth?" 
 
 "No, not at all; look at it, if you care to," he said 
 handing the article to me. I examined the binding 
 and turned over the leaves for a minute, then re- 
 turned it to the owner. 
 
 "No, I can't see that the slightest harm was done 
 it. But it is an exceedingly well made book for the 
 purpose — very strong, yet so light and flexible; the 
 paper seems to be of a peculiar sort. I am not 
 familiar with it." 
 
 "Perhaps not up here — the fibre is obtained from 
 a low plant, something like your meadow rush in 
 appearance. As for the quality of the binding, 
 that is the way everything is done in Oudemon." 
 
 "'Tis a comfort, sir," I rejoined, "to live in a 
 community — it must be, indeed — where you can 
 trust your neighbor to do just what you would 
 expect of him." 
 
 "With you, I suppose" — there was a trace of sar- 
 casm in the voice — "intentions go far toward making 
 life acceptable, and you generously make amends 
 
 17 
 
for and put up with a deal of inconvenience and 
 neglect ; and possibly think it a virtue in you. With 
 us it is quite different, I assure you. Intentions 
 and promises are carried into effect as a matter of 
 course. What one of us expects, he gets, and no 
 one would think of doing otherwise." 
 
 "My dear sir, you increase my curiosity, already 
 overmuch excited. Will you tell me where this 
 town or country of Oudemon is?" 
 
 He smiled and drew his chair — one not unlike 
 those used on ocean steamers by voyageurs who 
 appreciate comfort — closer to mine. "So, you 
 would like to know where Oudemon is?" 
 
 "Most certainly, a place with such a satisfactory 
 class of people ought to be known and read of all 
 civilization. If things be as you have intimated 
 among the Oudemonians they can give points on 
 matters of the highest importance to us and others 
 who boast an advanced enlightenment. Why, your 
 countrymen are the salt of the earth, or ought to 
 be, but packed in some obscure recess of the uni- 
 verse, as they seem to be, their seasoning has little 
 effect upon their degenerate fellow mortals." 
 
 He smiled at my attempt to be facetious, and re- 
 joined : "I do not know regarding their saline prop- 
 erties, but as for their correspondence with the 
 world outside their own territory, it is extremely 
 limited. It is doubtful whether you would find 
 any record of our people on the books of one of 
 your great commercial houses; and probably none 
 
 iS 
 
of your keen-sighted economists has ever caught a 
 glimpse of our commonwealth, however much he 
 may have traveled. I have read in many of their 
 books, but never espied a line that suggested a jot 
 of information concerning the way Oudemon folk 
 live, and what of moral or civil superiority they 
 possess over the European and North American 
 systems of government and social usage." 
 
 "You deal in surprises, it seems to me, alto- 
 gether," I exclaimed. "And is Oudemon only a 
 fiction after all?" 
 
 "My young friend, assume that it is a solid 
 reality," was somewhat emphatically replied, "and 
 somewhere in the southern continent of America, 
 claiming a definite location." 
 
 "South America!" 
 
 "Yes; not many degrees of longitude from Rio 
 Janeiro, westward, and within a thousand miles of 
 the Pacific coast by air line." 
 
 "Is it an old city or community?" 
 
 "It boasts no ancient monuments besides the re- 
 mains, interesting enough certainly, of a race long 
 extinct. Thither a century or more ago an enthu- 
 siast with a scheme of colonization led a party of 
 four hundred converts. A settlement was estab- 
 lished, to which other converts came until a thou- 
 sand or more souls were numbered. Thirty-five 
 years later — but this in confidence" — he spoke 
 gravely; I bowed in wide-eyed sincerity, my hands 
 nervously clasping a knee, as if I were listening to 
 
 10 
 
a prophet of the old Syrian time — "I feel that you 
 will be true; not that there is any fear of exposure 
 — but I would not have you subjected to the sneers 
 and ridicule of skeptics. As I was about to say, 
 thirty-five years, nearly, after the colony had been 
 started, and it had grown wonderfully in that time, 
 a terrible cataclysm occurred on the western fron- 
 tier of our territory — a great mountain upheaval, 
 resulting in the complete closing up of the only route 
 or trail to our settlement. This was ascertained by 
 subsequent explorations undertaken by Oudemon 
 engineers. A great, rocky ridge now occupies the 
 site of the former mountain slopes, with precipitous 
 sides thousands of feet in height ; so steep and sharp, 
 indeed, that not even a chamios could scale them," 
 
 "But you, sir, are here," I murmured, scarcely 
 above my breath. 
 
 "Yes, and others of our people might be here, too, 
 if they chose; for while the geology of our border 
 is so forbidding to the outside world, it offers no 
 hindrance to us, if it be desirable to visit the out- 
 side world." 
 
 "You certainly enjoy privileges, then, that are 
 unknown to us, good sir. But pardon me, if I 
 inquire more of your national affairs. I am not an 
 official here, but have been long interested in mat- 
 ters of civil policy — on the side of reform meas- 
 ures." 
 
 He smiled at this and rejoined : "I cannot give 
 you many points of use in your study, because — 
 
 20 
 
so far as our home relations go — we do not pur- 
 sue a course at all like yours " 
 
 My expression of uncertainty as to his meaning 
 was readily caught, for he added: "We have no 
 government in the sense which is common with 
 you." 
 
 "No government? Then how do you adminis- 
 ter public affairs?" 
 
 "Everything of public interest and public benefit 
 is a matter of common concern with us all, old and 
 young," he answered quietly. 
 
 "So it ought to be," I emphasized ; "yet with us 
 it is a matter of party or faction appropriation or 
 control. But how do you manage about the expen- 
 ditures, or cost of public improvements, and things 
 of general utility — who pays the expenses ? Surely, 
 you cannot get along without a Board of Finance !" 
 
 His eyes twinkled with amusement. "We get 
 along very comfortably without such an institu- 
 tion. In fact, we have no official class, and no sys- 
 tem of taxation for their maintenance." 
 
 "Pray, my dear Mr. Restling, enlighten me a 
 little on this subject; although something of an 
 idealist regarding the possibilities of human nature, 
 your declaration amazes me." 
 
 "Willingly, my young friend. We have, indeed, a 
 company — or board, if you please — of our older 
 men and women, whom we call councillors ; not ap- 
 pointed or elected, but rather generally recognized 
 as worthy of respect because of their experience and 
 
 21 
 
matured judgment — natural ministers and guides 
 in affairs affecting the general welfare of our com- 
 munity." 
 
 "I think I understand you, sir. We have in our 
 smaller communities, villages or boroughs, bodies of 
 men who hold office without pay; and they repre- 
 sent the best class of the residents. It is certainly 
 true that public affairs in those places are more 
 faithfully and satisfactorily administered than in 
 most of the towns that have boards of well-paid 
 men to give all their time to public duty. When 
 I was a boy we lived in a town then quite small — 
 say 7,500 people; it has now over 100,000. My 
 father was one of the 'Town Committee,' and al- 
 though a very enterprising business man, occupied 
 from seven in the morning until eight at night in 
 his store, he gave one evening a week to town 
 affairs, and was content with the honor attached to 
 the position. He took pleasure in speaking of the 
 simple method then adopted for 'running' the town, 
 and the economy practiced in expenditure; often 
 contrasting them with the policy of later days, when 
 there had grown up a large and complex system of 
 municipal government, with a great array of high- 
 salaried functionaries. There was party opposition 
 in that early time, but no 'boss rule' — which you 
 may not need to have explained" — Restling laughed 
 quietly and nodded for me to continue — "and no 
 partisan jobbery. To be sure, there were no great 
 spoils of ofifice then to stimulate the greed and ani- 
 
 22 
 
mosities of men, and no chiseling of bids and con- 
 tract frauds as now. A few men transacted all 
 the business deemed necessary, without thought of 
 pay or commissions, and that without the aid of 
 deputies, secretaries and supernumeraries, such as 
 now apparently exist only to make drafts upon the 
 public treasury and to increase the burden of taxa- 
 tion and vexation upon the industrious and thrifty 
 few. In our city here, we are not worse off than 
 the citizens of other places, but political movements 
 are to us of private station a series of almost con- 
 stant surprises. We never can tell what the party 
 in power will do next, although quite sure that its 
 leaders will do their best to keep possession of the 
 places of authority and emolument by any and all 
 means, however corrupt and unscrupulous." 
 
 "It seems strange, especially to me," the stranger 
 rejoined in a vein of reflection, "that civilized com- 
 munities hold so tenaciously to old methods affect- 
 ing their general and domestic life in spite of knowl- 
 edge, especially as those old methods have been 
 demonstrated unworthy of an intelligence such as 
 modern people claim. Your large towns and cities, 
 friend Malcolm" — I could not help a look of grati- 
 tude for this familiar address — "with their dispari- 
 ties of birth, education and circumstances of living 
 among the people, are unhappy aggregations. We 
 believe that such centralization of population in it- 
 self is a cause of much of the evil from which you 
 suffer. In a smaller community high moral principle 
 
 23 
 
has a chance of recognition. There may be few 
 good men in it, but they become known and their 
 influence is felt. In the large city, with its mass 
 of people variant in type and race and sympathy, 
 dependent for the wages of subsistence upon daily 
 labor, which may be offered or withheld almost at 
 the pleasure of a privileged, money-arrogant class, 
 the moral temperature is low; honor, truth and 
 duty are not the ruling virtues commanding gen- 
 eral respect ; indeed, the very struggle for the neces- 
 saries of life in which the masses are engaged ren- 
 ders their sense of moral integrity dull. Centrali- 
 zation of population and of power is not an eco- 
 nomical advantage to men, and does not promote 
 their best interests-T-the welfare of body and soul. 
 Does not all history from ancient time till now 
 prove it?" 
 
 "You have no city or metropolitan center, then, 
 my dear sir?" 
 
 "No; only our district sections for social con- 
 venience and mutual cooperation. But now, my 
 young friend, that clock" — which was then striking 
 nine — "warns me — may I send you away? I have 
 certain things to do before seeking yonder bed, and 
 our time for 'turning in,' as you sailors say, is be- 
 tween nine and ten of your hours. If you please, 
 and it is no interference with your engagements, 
 let us meet at five of the evening to-morrow at that 
 little fountain where the roguish dog made us ac- 
 quainted." 
 
 24 
 
Rising from the chair as he concluded, he offered 
 a hand which I seized without a word. 
 
 "Good-by; I shall be there," he added, opening 
 the door into the passage. 
 
 "Good-by, sir," I responded. "I shall be there, 
 too, you may be sure." 
 
 On my way to my lodgings I was quite lost in 
 meditation on the singular character of this inter- 
 view. Thoughts of uncertainty, doubt, mistrust 
 and wonder mingled in the current. What did it 
 mean? Who was this man? Could there be any 
 such country as Oudemon? What sort of a story 
 was that of its being cut off from the world by a 
 great upheaval of nature? Was I dreaming? Was 
 I the dupe of a smart knave, or under the spell of 
 a paranoiac as the doctors have it, with "a sys- 
 tematized delusion." Certainly there was nothing 
 sinister in the appearance or language of the man; 
 indeed, all his manner was penetrated by a frank 
 simplicity, A knave would not have attempted to 
 gain my trust by retailing a story whose patent im- 
 probability would be likely to awaken suspicion. 
 
 Whatever he might be I determined to see more 
 of him, and, if possible, elicit something of his pur- 
 pose, if he had a purpose in sojourning among us. 
 
 AT THE FOUNTAIN AGAIN. 
 
 At five of the next day I was seen turning into the 
 alley that led to the fountain circle, and making 
 
my way to the bench where the stranger had tarried 
 on the (to me) memorable occasion of our first 
 meeting. I found it unoccupied, and had scarcely 
 sat down when the voice of Restling hailed me : 
 
 "I was right behind you, my friend, as you 
 walked here. Don't you ever have impressions?" 
 
 Looking up quickly I replied : 
 
 "I wasn't aware of your nearness, it must be con- 
 fessed, Mr. Restling. I know people who pretend 
 to certain sensations or anticipations regarding the 
 approach of others. Do you have 'impressions,' as 
 you call them ?" 
 
 He seated himself by my side, and in his pleasant 
 manner said : 
 
 "Yes, it is a common experience with certain of 
 us at home to have impressions. You could not 
 very well go to visit one of them without giving 
 him an intimation of your coming ; that is, he would 
 receive a thought or idea clearly enough to inform 
 him that some one — he might sense the real person 
 — would be at his house within a certain time; and 
 so he would be ready to meet you. Very con- 
 venient, eh?" 
 
 "I must own very convenient. Of course, I am 
 not quite ignorant of this sort of thing, but most 
 instances are to be placed to the account of coinci- 
 dence; is it not so?" 
 
 "If you, Malcolm, of the good Browne stock, 
 lived with us of Oudemon a few months you would 
 place them to the account of mental development or 
 
 26 
 
psychic acuteness. Now in the way of communica- 
 tion at a distance you probably think your improved 
 telegraphic methods a very remarkable instrument- 
 ality, but in our country we have people who can 
 talk with each other although separated by miles 
 of distance, and need no elaborate apparatus of bat- 
 teries, magnets, diaphragms, wires, etc., to assist 
 them." 
 
 "Strange visitant from another sphere as you 
 appear to be," I rejoined, "my wonder has been ex- 
 panding from the first moment you were seen in 
 this vicinity; and now my astonishment can only 
 ask, in all humility, how is this done?" 
 
 He laughed audibly, and gently clapped a hand 
 upon my shoulder. 
 
 "Well, young sir, our people have learned cer- 
 tain facts regarding the constitution of the air 
 and the forces of nature, and made them useful in 
 our everyday life. We have found, through ex- 
 periment and study, that there are points of contact 
 or assimilation between the human mind and these 
 forces, and by a nice adjustment of motive, will, 
 effort, ideas and feelings may be projected beyond 
 self and transported to certain places as may be 
 desired." 
 
 "How very convenient! What a triumph of 
 mind over nature!" I burst out. "And that an 
 isolated people should accomplish it ! How I should 
 like to visit them! Are foreigners permitted to 
 enter your territory, sir?" 
 
 27 
 
"Yes, if they can get in?" 
 
 "Oh, I recall what you told me last evening-, of 
 that great cosmic change on your western frontier." 
 
 "On certain conditions a stranger might enter 
 Oudemon. So little is known of us, however, that 
 there is on record but one or two outsiders who 
 have shown inclination to enter our domain, and 
 they, we believe, were adventurous persons who 
 found the peculiar geology of our border a subject 
 of interest. I doubt that they even imagined that a 
 community of industrious and comfortable people 
 lived beyond those frowning ridges. It is common 
 enough for mining prospectors to come up from 
 the Pacific and survey the neighboring region, be- 
 cause at some points along the river there are known 
 to be deposits of silver and gold, and legends are 
 common to the effect that hundreds or thousands 
 of years ago gold, silver, copper, tin and precious 
 stones, as they are called, were mined in great quan- 
 tities by the ancient race or races that inhabited the 
 hills and upper plains. We have old mines that 
 were worked ages back, and still supply in ample 
 measure metals highly esteemed by your civiliza- 
 tion." 
 
 "And your people, of a different and better civil- 
 ization," I rejoined, with some irony that could 
 scarcely be suppressed, "don't care for the so-called 
 'precious metals,' the substantial basis of business 
 operations and commercial credit the world over; 
 they have no necessities, I infer, that gold and silver 
 
 28 
 
would subserve. Fortunate, happy folks the Oude- 
 monians must be; and I am impelled to repeat that 
 I should, indeed, like to visit them, and learn, if 
 my poor intelligence were adequate to the task, such 
 lessons as would be invaluable to me and my kind. 
 Perhaps I could then be an humble means of doing 
 some real good for this great outer world of mine." 
 
 Restling's calm eyes looked into mine as I spoke, 
 and the half smile that poised upon his lips exhibited 
 his amusement at my warmth, and his understand- 
 ing of my meaning. A pause ensued, each look- 
 ing steadily at the other. He broke silence. 
 
 "My young friend, you are evidently sincere. 
 The way may be found for your entrance into our 
 country. But there will be need of patience on your 
 part and effort that will declare itself. Pardon 
 me, if I do not enter into details ; they will be offered 
 for your consideration later. Once in our country 
 you will not find yourself in very strange company, 
 although you may see and hear things that will 
 contrast strikingly with the methods and opinions 
 that obtain there." 
 
 "If the way can be opened for my visit I am 
 certainly in the mood, Mr. Restling, to attempt it. 
 Being a bachelor, and having no compulsory respon- 
 sibilities just at present to meet, I can leave the city 
 within a month for north or south ; and my interest 
 in human nature is such that any opportunity to 
 study life in peculiar or novel states has a very 
 strong attraction for me." 
 
 29 
 
"Now, this is well, Malcolm," returned he. 
 "This morning I received an impression that signi- 
 fies an early departure for the South, possibly to- 
 morrow, if further advised. Will you, at any rate, 
 go up to Church Terrace to-morrow evening?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Then I will say good-by to you. In our country 
 we leave each other with 'A happy meeting soon.' " 
 
 I was surprised by this announcement — so soon 
 parted ! He saw in my face the shade of disappoint- 
 ment and said: 
 
 "You are surprised?" 
 
 "Yes, and more, very sorry," I answered, "for 
 I have been nursing the thought that for some time 
 I should enjoy opportunities of meeting and talk- 
 ing with you. Many suggestions have occurred to 
 me that I should be glad to have your views upon. 
 Will you return to the city?" 
 
 "If I go southward probably not, especially if I 
 return to Oudemon, which is not my immediate pur- 
 pose. But you may visit us; and then we should 
 have frequent talks, and I or others wiser might 
 discuss your queries and suggestions. There" — 
 suddenly pausing as if something had arrested his 
 attention, he remained quiet and abstracted for at 
 least three minutes, then resumed — "a communica- 
 tion that calls me again." 
 
 Pressing my hand warmly he rose and walked 
 away with long strides. 
 
 I gazed at the man until he had disappeared from 
 30 
 
view. A wonder, indeed, he had become to me. 
 A traveler from some distant star, the dark com- 
 panion of Sirius, for instance, could not have ab- 
 sorbed or fascinated me more. Nothing unnatural 
 or unearthly about him, for all that — no, man like 
 myself, yet exhibiting elements markedly uncom- 
 mon, at least in their expression; a man developed 
 in certain degrees of faculty and spirit beyond the 
 experience of the people among whom I mingled 
 daily. It was not his knowledge of the world, its 
 history, science, politics, that compelled my respect, 
 for he did not affect great learning or pretend to 
 eminent ability — no, it was rather the evidences of 
 higher or deeper manhood, of the essentials of a 
 broader humanity than appeared in my neighbors 
 and friends. He was simple in statement, as ap- 
 pears in the conversation I have reported, and this 
 plainly enough was his common manner. But there 
 was a serenity of expression, a cast of feature most 
 unusual, a habit of pose and movement that could 
 not be otherwise than striking to any one who ob- 
 served him for a little time. I could not conceive 
 a recluse of the Caucasus, or a mystic of the Altai, 
 in whom the evidences of self-mastery and breadth 
 of soul were more decided and impressive. While 
 near him his influence seemed of a nature so unlike 
 that of my everyday associates that it imparted a 
 buoyancy of feeling and faculty that was most agree- 
 able. My manhood seemed to expand in the light 
 of his quiet, kindly eyes. Often I exclaimed in 
 
thought: "Happy Oudemon, if there are many Hke 
 this man among thy people!" 
 
 so SOON DEPARTED. 
 
 "A fool at forty is a fool indeed," says a time- 
 tried adage. 
 
 I was a little past thirty-six then, and had seen 
 something of the world, and, without egotism, re- 
 garded myself much removed from the imputation 
 of folly. True, I had not climbed many rungs of 
 the ladder of success, as my fellows, for the most 
 part, regard success, but had sought in my leisure 
 to acquire information concerning matters apart 
 from the business calling that I had pursued since 
 the attainment of my majority. I had studied lan- 
 guages and music; I had traveled in foreign lands 
 for business and mental profit; and, as opportunity 
 might offer, attended meetings and congresses of 
 scientific and literary folk, besides studying the 
 politics and social movements of my own and Euro- 
 pean Governments. Among my friends I passed 
 for a man of more than average capacity, some in- 
 sisting that I needed ambition only to take good 
 rank among the leaders of society. Perhaps these 
 were right ; nevertheless, I had long treasured, deep 
 in my soul, the thought that sometime the "wave" 
 would come which I should take "at the flood" and 
 so "roll on to fortune." In the main, however, my 
 aspirations were modest, and if given to study and 
 
 32 
 
travel, in some respects it was because such lines of 
 mental avocation were pleasant and I gained thereby 
 what seemed to me more worthy of respect by much 
 than the physical emoluments that are estimated 
 by the dollar standard. 
 
 When the demure German maid responded to my 
 ring at 78 Church Terrace she looked at me gravely 
 and said : 
 
 "He not dere ; he gone — to-day." 
 
 "Is there no message? Did he not leave any 
 word for me — Mr. Browne?" 
 
 "Oh, may be; you wait, blease." She darted up- 
 stairs, but soon returned, holding a small packet in 
 her hand. 
 
 "Dis for you? Your name, 'Browne' on it." 
 
 I took it. "And this is all ?" 
 
 "Dat's all. Mister Res'ling say if you come to 
 look on der table, and dell you he vas gone." 
 
 "Thank you. Good evening." 
 
 "Goot-by, Mister Browne," and the door closed, 
 while I turned and left the house. Noting that the 
 packet was sealed and tied with double thread I 
 placed it in my breast pocket, and made my way 
 home by the most direct route. 
 
 In the quiet of my room I drew out the little 
 souvenir, for such I expected to find it of a brief yet 
 pleasant companionship, and opened it. A folded 
 sheet of paper and a two-leaved card were its con- 
 tents. On the paper was written the following: 
 
 33 
 
"My Dear Young Friend: Regretting the 
 necessity for sudden departure — there is no choice 
 in the matter by the terms of our Royal Law — I 
 frankly admit that in our few meetings I had grown 
 to like you. It is impossible to venture a thought 
 in regard to another visit on my part here. You 
 have said that you would like to visit Oudemon. 
 Such a visit is a possibility to one of a tactful and 
 
 venturesome nature, provided , You have won 
 
 my confidence. If you should make the attempt to 
 travel far southward and find our country your 
 quest might not prove vain. If you are sincere in 
 the desire, and I believe that you are, the inclosed 
 card may be of service. Keep it safely for one 
 month. If at the end of that time your mind is not 
 made up with respect to the undertaking, destroy 
 the card, keeping no memorandum of any part of 
 it. By so doing you will make an end of what is 
 intended only for your eyes and use, and at the same 
 time oblige the writer of this message. We may 
 meet again; the Good One may will it. So a 
 happy meeting soon! A. R." 
 
 I read this farewell slowly and meditatively, and 
 then examined the card. The exposed sides were 
 blank; opening it one side revealed a number of 
 lines and marks which are here reproduced : 
 
 The other side contained what appeared to be a 
 series of notes in a peculiar character not unlike the 
 stenographic outlines of the old Pitman system. 
 
 34 
 
When I had the stranger's notebook in my hand and 
 was commenting on the excellent workmanship of its 
 maker, I caught glimpses of leaves containing char- 
 acters which I then supposed to be a kind of short- 
 
 /tj \ or 
 
 hand. Now those on the card recalled the marks 
 in the notebook. Here was a problem evidently 
 devised for my solution, and upon my success in 
 solving it would depend my ability to find and 
 scale the frowning outposts of that mysterious 
 Oudemon, 
 
 35 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 THE MESSAGE IN CIPHER. 
 
 Every normal man has his confidential friends. 
 I had; and although unmarried at the mature age 
 of thirty-six it is not to be supposed that there was 
 no woman in whose society I did not find pleasure 
 and comfort. By natural inclination I was social, 
 and entertained a high esteem for women. The 
 only son of three children, my mother had always 
 shown great fondness for me, and after my tenth 
 year she had treated me as a companion more than 
 as a boy or subordinate. She took much pride in 
 my maturing powers of mind and body, and after 
 the death of father, although I was barely twenty 
 she looked to me for the performance of those duties 
 that belong to the man as guardian of the family. 
 My sisters were both older than myself, had mar- 
 ried before they were twenty-five, and for several 
 years after the younger one had gone with her 
 husband to set up their own household, mother and 
 I lived in the old home, with the pleasant environ- 
 ment of friends and acquaintances that had grown 
 with its continuance. 
 
 A year before the meeting with Restling my 
 mother had gone to live with her elder daughter, 
 
 36 
 
who filially enough had insisted upon the step, plead- 
 ing that she needed a mother's counsel and compan- 
 ionship more than a big old bachelor of a son did, 
 who ought to have a wife and home of his own, and 
 not expect to monopolize the time and affection of 
 his mother when she had other children whose rights 
 in her were as good as his, if not better. I had in- 
 deed met with young women who were in every way 
 desirable for wives, but when one at thirty has a 
 good mother and a very comfortable home he does 
 not feel the impulse toward matrimony that the 
 young, homeless and motherless bachelor does — 
 especially in the presence of good opportunities. I 
 will own that there was just then a young woman 
 for whose good opinion I entertained some solici- 
 tude, and whose company I frequently sought. We 
 had been friends for a long time, and had become 
 intimate enough to feel a certain satisfaction in con- 
 ferring with each other regarding matters that ap- 
 peared of more than average importance in life's 
 routine. No expression of love had passed between 
 us, yet, for my own part, had occasion led to a fancy 
 for any other woman, my conscience or chivalric 
 spirit would probably have compelled me to think 
 that Olive Helane had claims for consideration that 
 should not be lightly ignored. Olive was a teacher 
 in a well-known institute, receiving a respectable 
 salary for her services as instructor in Latin and 
 rhetoric. This fact made her independent so far 
 as support was concerned, of father and family, and 
 
 2>7 
 
being thirty years old she was mature enough to act 
 for herself in social and other affairs. 
 
 Of course, I told Olive about the stranger from 
 Oudemon, and we speculated gravely on his purpose 
 in visiting our city, and exchanged guesses as to 
 the whereabouts of his mysterious country and the 
 character of his people. I desired greatly to show 
 his letter to her, but the terms of confidence in which 
 it was penned were so definite I felt myself under 
 bonds to keep silence, even regarding the fact of a 
 message from him. 
 
 At once I grappled with the problem set by the 
 stranger friend. The sketch on one leaf of the card 
 has been already exhibited, and to that I refer 
 the reader for a moment; for after some reflection 
 I concluded that this sketch was probably an outline 
 of certain features of the country near or adjoining 
 Oudemon. The study of a large map of South 
 America strengthened the conclusion. The letters 
 C. A. T. I thought represented settlements more or 
 less important, which I shall leave to the guessing 
 faculty of the readers to make out, especially as I 
 have given them a clue or two that I was compelled 
 to divine for myself. The figures 14-20, 65-25 gave 
 me no little trouble, and for some days no satisfac- 
 factory headway was made with them, until their 
 obscurity was cleared up in a way as simple as it 
 was unexpected. While scanning the Bolivian fron- 
 tier and estimating the distance of different points 
 thereon from Rio de Janeiro the query sprang into 
 
 38 
 
my mind, May not these numbers have something to 
 do with latitude and longitude? Employing them 
 in this sense, and comparing the locality of the pecu- 
 liar cross mark in the sketch with the map I was 
 persuaded that I had found a point of important 
 service. Later the discovery was confirmed, as will 
 be seen. 
 
 Turning now to the peculiar marks or writing on 
 the other leaf of the card I scrutinized them one by 
 one, and made a list of them, placing in groups those 
 of similar outline. Several hours were devoted to 
 this task, with the final inference that I was dealing 
 certainly with a species of stenography, the charac- 
 ters of which, in letter and word outline, were 
 simpler than those of Graham or Reed. Every day 
 I gave time to this study when leisure permitted re- 
 tirement to some place where I could be free from 
 interruption. At the beginning I presumed too 
 much upon my knowledge of shorthand as it had 
 been learned in youth ; for, try as I would, the out- 
 lines of Restling's memorandum, by comparison 
 with the characters familiar to my experience fur- 
 nished no consistent result, and the conclusion 
 forced itself upon the mind that I had to deal with 
 are entirely different system of writing from that in 
 vogue with the stenographers and reporters of our 
 city. 
 
 There were thirty-nine separate outlines which I 
 accepted as representing so many distinct words. 
 Analysis of these words showed them composed of 
 
 39 
 
one hundred and seventy-two distinct characters. 
 Classified, these showed three letters standing alone, 
 eight words of two letters, seven of three letters, 
 nine of four letters, six of five letters, seven of six 
 letters, one of seven letters, three of nine letters. In 
 these I found the following repetitions, which, ac- 
 cording to the rule of probabilities, I assumed to be 
 those of characters representing vowels or their com- 
 pound sounds : One was repeated eighteen times, 
 another sixteen times, another sixteen times also, 
 another fifteen times, another eleven times. The 
 two occurring most frequently I supposed to be a 
 and e; that is, a or e was one of those occurring 
 sixteen times, and I was equally sure that the con- 
 sonant t was to be regarded as occurring frequently, 
 but subordinately of course to the common vowels 
 a and e. 
 
 My attempts to spell out words, however, proved 
 lamentable failures, and despite all experimentation 
 three weeks passed without a result that could be 
 accepted as positive. Then a half holiday was de- 
 voted to the puzzle. I sat at the window of my 
 room in a fine light with the card in my hand, my 
 eyes bent upon those mystical outlines, scanning 
 them in a listless manner, for my confidence in my 
 power to translate them into intelligent language 
 was beginning to weaken, when I detected a faint 
 sign or character in one corner of the card which 
 the better light than usual brought out. I now ex- 
 amined the other corners and found that in each of 
 
 40 
 
them was also a delicately traced outline. Seizing 
 a magnifying glass I made out clearly four charac- 
 ters corresponding with four I had isolated on my 
 list. Trembling with excitement I asked, half 
 aloud: "May these not be the key to the puzzle? 
 Are they not representative of the alphabet I am 
 searching for ?" One of these characters was similar 
 to that of which I counted the eighteen repetitions, 
 and another similar to one of the sixteen repetitions. 
 Ah, one of these must be a and the other e; then, to 
 my delight, I discovered that two of the key out- 
 lines corresponded to two of the three characters 
 that stood alone in the stranger's notes. I now felt 
 a thrill of encouragement to persist. The memo- 
 randum was not written with an ordinary lead pencil, 
 but with some kind of a metallic point that permitted 
 very delicate tracing on such paper as had been used. 
 Employing the magnifier, I examined the outlines 
 throughout closely and found little marks like half 
 circles under certain parts of many word outlines, 
 and these I compared with the key marks in the cor- 
 ners, until I was sure that one of the oft repeated 
 words was and, while another probably read acts. 
 I now experienced a buoyancy of heart that 
 augured well for success, and I continued the study 
 of the cipher text with new vigor. With half a 
 dozen symbols for as many letters of the alphabet 
 which appeared to meet every test, I thenceforth 
 made substantial progress in translating the Oude- 
 mon message, good guesses or a favoring Provi- 
 
 41 
 
dence aiding so happily that when the dinner bell 
 rang I had solved the meaning of more than half 
 the word outlines; and believed that my work was 
 nearly accomplished. After dinner, a meal that 
 engaged little of my usual zest, I hurried back to 
 my room and resumed the labor of translating the 
 message. Fortunately no interruption occurred 
 that night to break the current of endeavor, and by 
 midnight I had fairly completed my task; at least, 
 the total result had so rational an expression, that 
 I sought my bed with as much satisfaction as an in- 
 ventor might be supposed to feel who believes that 
 he has finished the design of an invention long 
 worked upon. This is my rendering of the strange 
 visitor's message : 
 
 From C west — the cataracts before you, at bending of great 
 river, southward follow. 
 
 Beware, the mountains, left — 
 
 Till rivers three, and T — depart by || east till sun decide. 
 
 X 
 
 Tarry alone and upward look; 
 Guard well — fear not. 
 
 A CONSULTATION. 
 
 In this, as I firmly believed, I had a few hints for 
 my guidance to that isolated country. Making a 
 copy in the shorthand with which I was familiar, 
 I deposited the original memorandum in my little 
 safe and for days thereafter reflected upon a plan of 
 
 42 
 
action. To Olive I announced the possibility of a 
 voyage to South America. A little before this Don 
 Pedro had communicated ofificially with our Govern- 
 ment in reference to certain plans for colony enter- 
 prise in Brazil, and public attention had been di- 
 rected to the enormous country over which he was 
 the liberal and kind ruler. Glowing accounts had 
 filled many newspaper columns regarding the possi- 
 bilities of development there in every line of in- 
 dustry and trade, and many Americans were heard 
 declaring that they would prefer the chances of suc- 
 cess offered by so new a country to further effort 
 at home, where sharp competition in all lines of ac- 
 tivity discouraged men of average capacity and 
 means. For myself I considered the United States 
 large enough as a field of action for all honest men, 
 whatever the difference in capacity, and that it was 
 therefore big enough for me, but a trip to Brazil to 
 make a tour of the country for the purpose of seeing 
 what it was like would be only another of my occa- 
 sional escapades from business routine. 
 
 "Why, there isn't much to be seen in Brazil but 
 Indians, half-breeds, some Portuguese, vast forests, 
 rubber camps, great rivers and swamps and a few 
 coast cities of importance," remarked Olive, fixing 
 her large eyes gravely on my face. "It would be 
 pleasant, no doubt, for a water fowl like you to sail 
 along that great extent of coast, but you would soon 
 tire of the wildness of the country, Malcolm Browne, 
 and of its many inconveniences of travel, if you 
 
 43 
 
attempted to leave the more civilized coast and go 
 into the interior. Why, from my reading of those 
 who have ventured much into that country, it must 
 be a good deal like Africa, so far as our knowledge 
 of it is concerned. There are immense stretches of 
 plain and mountain ranges of which little com- 
 paratively is known. Then, too, I have read," the 
 girl continued, in a tone of dread, "that there are 
 wild people in some of the deeper parts who are real 
 cannibals. Oh, you won't venture there?" 
 
 "No, believe me, my solicitous maid, I shall 
 not expose my precious carcass unnecessarily to such 
 hungry anthropophagists — I believe that's what your 
 scientific gentlemen delicately term them," I re- 
 turned, with a laugh. 
 
 "Well, we don't realize what a land that is be- 
 neath the sun, Malcolm. Think of it, a tremendous 
 country nearly as big as all Europe. Have you ever 
 heard of anybody traveling entirely through it from 
 east to west, say from Rio de Janeiro or Pernambuco 
 to Bolivia?" 
 
 "No, I must admit, Olive, that I do not remember 
 any instance of such adventurous temerity. I have 
 read of the Amazon country to some extent ; of its 
 wondrous vegetation, its peculiar races, its rubber 
 seekers ; yet that part of Brazil has been far from ex- 
 plored, and probably less is positively known of the 
 great southern and western districts where, we are 
 told, are wide expanses of high tableland and bor- 
 dering mountain peaks, with an abundant variety of 
 
 44 
 
water scenery — wherein, as a water fowl, I should 
 be quite at home, you know." 
 
 "How long would you be gone ?" the girl quietly 
 asked, apparently without notice of my response to 
 her playful hit at my known penchant for water 
 travel. 
 
 *'I can scarcely say, for I think that there will be 
 so much of novelty in a tour of this kind that I shall 
 not feel disposed to hurry." 
 
 "I wonder, Malcolm, if this strange man you 
 have told me about is not the real cause of your new 
 fancy. You intimated that he was from South 
 America somewhere. I hope, my dear boy, you 
 don't entertain some sudden " 
 
 "Don't worry on my account, little girl. I shall 
 not risk much aside from my precious carcass." 
 
 "Oh, I know that you set much store by that — 
 w^ell, no doubt it is pleasant to see things that are 
 not commonly known. You don't find many guide 
 books to Brazil or the Argentines on the market, I 
 guess." 
 
 "No, I can obtain only the most general informa- 
 tion about the parts I have in view." 
 
 "But this going always alone, Malcolm; haven't 
 you had enough of it?" 
 
 "Seriously, Olive, I will say yes. You know 
 what I told you of certain inconvenient experiences 
 when on my last trip abroad — what happened in the 
 Nile country, quite alone among the fellaheen. 
 Then I vowed it would be the last time I should go 
 
 45 
 
any great distance and among strange people with- 
 out company of some sort. When a chap gets sick 
 and hasn't a friend within two thousand miles he is 
 apt to feel blue." 
 
 "But Malcolm has a way of recovering his true 
 color, it seems, and forgetting vows, and then your 
 mother " 
 
 "Yes, mother is tired of my vagabondizing and 
 wants me settled in life. I suspect she's right. But 
 when a man's seen thirty-six summers " 
 
 "Or winters," interpolated Olive, smiling. 
 
 "Yes, you're right about the winters; the thirty- 
 sixth summer isn't quite gone yet — it's full time 
 that he was cultivating his own fireside. When I 
 get back I am going to take the matter into serious 
 consideration — I am, now." 
 
 "Did you never think seriously about it?" asked 
 the girl in a tone that led me to gaze fixedly at her 
 for a moment or two. She sat, with her eyes 
 averted, as if studying a Japanese screen that was 
 spread in all its brilliant hues on the hearthstone. 
 I had given her that screen for her last birthday. 
 
 "Yes, Olive, there have been lucid intervals 
 when some reflections have occupied my mind with 
 respect to my lonesome bachelorhood. But the fact 
 that, odd old fossil as I may be, there are some ex- 
 cellent people to whom I can go when I please and 
 find comfort " 
 
 "But changes come — friends depart, and there 
 
 46 
 
are the transitory and hollow conditions of board- 
 ing-house life — and " 
 
 "Permit me to carry on the thought, my solici- 
 tous mentor. There are the friends who tolerate 
 you for what use you may be to them, and in spite 
 of your good qualities consider you a crank because 
 you don't marry, and be contented as a reasonable 
 man should " 
 
 "Oh, I didn't mean that," she broke in ; "you are 
 very good. I don't see anything of the crank in 
 you " 
 
 It seemed to me that there was the suspicion of 
 a tear in her eye, and I must own that my own feel- 
 ings were strongly aroused by the marked serious- 
 ness of her manner. However, I affected a degree 
 of gayety and said. 
 
 "Who knows that I may not meet some dark-eyed 
 senorita down beneath the equator who will make 
 captive my vagabond heart — what an unexpected 
 home-bringing that would be!" 
 
 "And so romantic !" added Olive. "But you are 
 long past twenty, and have seen many dark-eyed 
 and light-eyed senoritas. They say, though, those 
 semi-Spanish maidens in South America are very 
 fascinating. Yet you are not going to give your 
 faith, I know, to even a mighty hidalgo's daughter 
 without due reflection." 
 
 I rose to go and said, in parting, with her hand 
 in mine : "You know, Olive, that I esteem your opin- 
 ion and good sense too highly to think of taking any 
 
 47 
 
serious step without having your views upon it. 
 Good-night." 
 
 She laughed in a way that intimated her pleasure 
 and looked up at me, the rich blood tinging cheek 
 and forehead. "Good-night, Malcolm; the little 
 wisdom I may have is always at your service." 
 
 With this parting assurance of the excellent 
 young woman floating in my sensorium, I walked 
 down the avenue. Yes, I was well on toward mid- 
 dle life, and as fully equipped mentally and physi- 
 cally as I should ever be for marriage and a settled 
 life. The little tcte-a-tete just ended had fairly de- 
 termined the voyage to South America, and a search 
 for Oudemon. Successful or not in finding the 
 object of the trip, I should not lose by it; for many 
 things would be learned of the nations and people 
 below the Equator; and when I returned I should 
 look around for a wife. Somehow as I thought 
 upon the marriage topic a feeling of calm invested 
 my spirit. Was it because of Olive? Let the 
 reader speculate in regard to that! 
 
 , A VISION OF THE NIGHT. 
 
 "A good conscience makes a soft pillow," one 
 of the characters in an old play remarks. Whether 
 or not I can claim a conscience more free of burdens 
 than the average man, it is certain that my sleep 
 comes easily, as a rule, and is not much disturbed 
 or seasoned by conscious dreaming. Naturally 
 
 48 
 
one would expect his visions of the night to par- 
 take of the nature of experiences met in the day. 
 Abercrombie and later psychologists interpret our 
 dreams according to impressions received for the 
 most part in active life. Your light sleeper is the 
 best dreamer. A touch, a sound, a change of posi- 
 tion in bed, may start a dream, harmonious or 
 grotesque, according to the mental sensation pro- 
 duced. Often the strangeness of a dream is due 
 mainly to the irregular or incomplete fancies that 
 faculties but partly awake supply. The philosophy 
 of sleep has not been perfectly formulated yet, nor 
 has its physiology been quite definitely settled, so 
 that there is considerable latitude for indulging our 
 taste in speculations, be they rational or colored by 
 notions of mystery and supernatural ism. 
 
 I had been asleep for two hours that night of the 
 talk with Olive when I awoke, or believed myself 
 to be awake. Opening my eyes, I saw in the dim 
 sheen that filtered through the well-drawn shades 
 from the street lamp the form of Archbold Restling. 
 He was attired in a costume evidently worn for 
 sleep — a loose-fitting robe dropping to the ankles 
 and a cap of some lustrous stuff. His face had that 
 peacefully genial expression that would have sufficed 
 for its identification in any circumstances. No time 
 ■was given me to feel surprise or to ask, under my 
 breath, what he was doing here, for it seemed that 
 I had no sooner discovered his presence than I heard 
 his voice : "You have read the message. I am pleased 
 
 49 
 
that you have decided to come to Oiidemon, We 
 shall expect you. If difficulties occur on the way 
 do not hesitate to go on. Keep close to the river 
 until the great stone mountains appear to block the 
 way. Remember, then, to proceed without fear." 
 As he finished the brief sentence he pointed toward 
 the corner where stood my secretary and disap- 
 peared. Certainly my eyes were wide open, and 
 noted the sudden effacement, but, as with the be- 
 ginning of the vision, I felt no surprise, and merely 
 turned over and fell asleep again. Was this only a 
 freak of the imagination consequent upon the ear- 
 nest and almost constant thought that had been given 
 to the stranger during the past four weeks ; or was 
 it an "impression" transmitted in the manner of 
 the Oudemon sages? Never had I considered my- 
 self capable of being the medium or object of psychic 
 communication ; indeed, the accounts read and heard 
 of mental impressions, "telepathic" and otherwise 
 designated, obtained but scant respect from me ; and 
 if now conviction of their truth was to be demon- 
 strated in my own consciousness ! 
 
 While dressing next morning my thoughts were 
 absorbed by queries of this kind, and no relief to 
 the uncertainty was found in any explanation that 
 I attempted on rational principles — such as I had 
 previously accepted. A glimpse of my secretary re- 
 minded me of the spook's departing gesture. My 
 pocket notebook lay upon the writing tablet. I was 
 prompted to pick it up and open it, and then to thumb 
 
 50 
 
the leaves until the last entry of the day before was 
 reached. But there was something more, an addi- 
 tion to my brief memorandum that caused a tremor 
 to float through my entire body. In strongly de- 
 fined strokes, almost covering the page, appeared 
 
 this cabalistic design, jT and under it the single 
 
 word "Remember/' boldly written. For a minute or 
 two I stood there, with the book in my hand, look- 
 ing fixedly at the figure and the admonition. Was I 
 bewitched, "possessed" or what? How many times 
 in the course of that day did I take out the notebook 
 and turn to the leaf whereon the figure appeared in 
 all its sharp outline, for doubt regarding the nor- 
 mality of my senses kept intruding itself upon my 
 thought. Finally, to put an end to the worry I was 
 beginning to experience, I asked a clerk in the office 
 what he thought of the appropriateness of a design 
 such as that for a medal, showing him the figure on 
 the leaf of my notebook. "Oh, that's too simple," 
 said he. "If I were going to get up anything I 
 should borrow from the antique, say the Alex- 
 andrian." 
 
 "Well, tastes differ," I replied; "the simpler, the 
 better, according to my idea." 
 
 So it was to be concluded that I had been the 
 recipient of a vivid ocular impression, with a mate- 
 rial demonstration evident enough to the eyes of 
 others; and I sought to make peace with my intel- 
 lectual judgment by supposing that in my sleep I 
 
 51 
 
had drawn the figure and written the word of coun- 
 sel. But what manner of people were these Oude- 
 monites that they could communicate at will with 
 others so far from the confines of their own land. 
 Verily, they must be of a type unusual, and worthy 
 the study of anthropologist and psychologist, to say 
 nothing of the economist, and he who seeks 
 novelty and entertainment. 
 
 52 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 ON THE JOURNEY. 
 
 Two weeks later I sailed for the Southern Hemi- 
 sphere, by one of the Pacific mail steamers. Let 
 me pass over the incidents of the voyage to Panama, 
 the crossing of that narrow band of rock and earth 
 separating two great oceans, and the trip down to 
 Callao, the C of Restling's message, it may be as- 
 sumed, fully spelled out. A few days were spent in 
 that Peruvian seaport, to complete what preparations 
 were necessary for my expedition into the interior. 
 Believing myself now fairly entered upon a course, 
 the denouement of which was not far off, and likely 
 to be replete with extraordinary incidents, my feel- 
 ings were in that state of tense excitement that per- 
 mits of little attention to things not connected with 
 the purpose in view. If Oudemon were a real place 
 I must see it ere many days. If I had been lured all 
 the way to this sub-equatorial sky by an evil genius, 
 or to be made the dupe of a heinous joke, I was 
 equally anxious to know it. Yet in the midst of 
 this intense and anxious consciousness a singular 
 calm possessed my soul, an unusual confidence that 
 I had not traveled so far in vain. 
 
 Taking the railway I rode to its east- 
 
 53 
 
ern terminus, at a straggling mining settlement 
 in the Andes. Securing there a horse and a 
 mounted native for companion and guide, I con- 
 tinued the eastward course. Possibly the reader 
 would be entertained by a description of the widely 
 diversified country through which we penetrated, 
 were there space for it. Now rough and precipi- 
 tous mountain trails, then broad valleys, luxuriant 
 with semi-tropical growth; again long reaches of 
 plain, almost desert in their lack of plant and animal 
 life. Some days the route was so encompassed 
 with difficulties that night found us worn with 
 fatigue, horse and man, and but a few miles added 
 to the march. Fortunately my guide was in- 
 formed regarding the country for a considerable 
 distance along the Bolivian and Brazilian border.* 
 To my inquiries he gave answers that satisfied me 
 that the falls mentioned in Restling's plan of the 
 course were those of the Madeira, and the G re- 
 ferred to w'as most likely the Guapore. It was 
 clear enough that I need not go up to the falls, so I 
 requested my guide to use his best judgment in 
 pursuing our way, that we might reach the Guapore 
 Valley as soon as possible. As Callao is situated 
 longitudinally, the point toward which my steps were 
 directed was, according to the data I had for cal- 
 culation, not far from eleven hundred miles, and it 
 seemed best to trust to my companion's discretion to 
 pick out the way over the ranges as obliquely as 
 * A region far from explored as yet. 
 
 54 
 
might be consistent with the difficulties of the march. 
 Having provided myself with a pocket compass, and 
 a small quadrant, the use of which I had learned 
 from a naval officer, I took daily observations, and 
 so kept close account of our progress. When fairly 
 in Bolivia our way became comparatively easy, and 
 there were days that found us at twilight a good 
 fifty miles from the point of departure in the morn- 
 ing. 
 
 We had been out from Callao twenty-two days 
 when a great stretch of low meadow and swampy 
 land was reached. "I believe, sefior, we be in the 
 Guapore," said my guide. In the distance a thin, 
 cloudy line announced a mountain range. 
 
 "What hills are those?" I asked. 
 
 "Me know not ; no cross big river here anyway," 
 he said. In reply to guarded questions with refer- 
 ence to the country beyond the visible range, the 
 man appeared to have no definite knowledge. Be- 
 sides vague ideas of settlements here and there of 
 people who mined or kept stock or cultivated the 
 soil for certain products, he knew little of the coun- 
 try south or east of where we now were, insisting 
 that for many hundred miles the region was so 
 marshy and rough that it was almost impossible to 
 travel eastward to any considerable distance, and 
 what few people lived "over riber" were Indians or 
 half-breeds who were not to be trusted. He inti- 
 mated, in fact, that if it were my intention to go 
 much farther south he should ask to be released, as 
 
 55 
 
he had already accompanied me a greater distance 
 than he expected, and had decided to go to Trinidad 
 on his way back. 
 
 We had covered seventy miles more, perhaps, 
 when we stopped at a small plantation or hacienda 
 of half a dozen houses for the night. The head man 
 of the place, Senor Miquel, invited me to stop a 
 while with him. He had a sheep ranch, and culti- 
 vated tobacco, which employed most of the little 
 colony. Strangers were rare in IMiquel's camp, and 
 a North American was so unusually seen in that 
 quarter of the world that the ranchers welcomed me 
 rather fervidly, I thought. He knew a little Eng- 
 lish and I had picked up some Spanish on the way, 
 so that we could talk together in a fashion, and I 
 soon learned that he was a West Indian by birth, 
 but, having been expatriated on account of political 
 opinions, had gone to that remote region with a few 
 family dependents, and built up the little colony. 
 The second morning after our arrival at this point 
 my guide took his leave, advising, as he departed, 
 that it would be well for me to be on my guard, for 
 it was not good to be too free with any of "dose 
 peeble." 
 
 Yielding to Miquel's urgent and really hearty 
 kindliness, I remained in his rough house three 
 days. During this time every opportunity was 
 sought to obtain information that had any bearing 
 upon my journey's object. Very little of satisfy- 
 ing nature was to be had ; and that concerned only 
 
 56 
 
the character of the country a hundred miles or so 
 south of the ranch. If I intended to go east it was 
 impossible because a few miles beyond the river the 
 trail came to an end ; and the country was wild and 
 the very few people to be met were Indians and 
 hunters, or bandits, for the most part. I told Mi- 
 quel that I was desirous of prospecting in that re- 
 gion, and should not go farther south, it was likely, 
 than sixty or seventy miles, and might be glad to re- 
 turn to his settlement after a few days. He offered 
 to accompany me beyond the river, and placed at 
 my service a young horse, taking mine in exchange. 
 As his proffer of companionship was evidently well 
 meant, I accepted it promptly. 
 
 THE CABALISTIC GUIDE. 
 
 While arranging my pack for the start in the 
 little room that had been allotted me by the 
 ranchero I glanced casually through one of the 
 small, paneless windows, when my attention was 
 at once riveted to a man who stood perhaps 
 thirty feet from the house, leaning against a tree. 
 The dress and stature of the man were similar, 
 it seemed at first, to those of Restling. As I 
 gazed at him he slowly stood erect, and on the 
 lapel of his coat there glittered in the early sun- 
 light a metallic fac-simile of the figure drawn in 
 my notebook that night of the dream or vision. 
 Yielding to impulse, I dashed out of the room 
 
 S7 
 
and through the two others to the main door- 
 way of the house, which opened on the side toward 
 the tree. But no sooner out of the building than I 
 saw that the man was gone, and a hasty search of 
 the neighborhood failed to reveal him. Meeting 
 my host, he asked: "What was come? You look 
 much sorry." I explained as best I could that I 
 had seen a mysterious stranger a few minutes be- 
 fore, and could not find him ; then described his ap- 
 pearance. "Oh, him," he said. "I see — two, tree 
 times. He mus' live up dere," pointing southward. 
 "He mine, me t'ink." Whether the senor under- 
 stood what I had told him, or not, this incident both 
 puzzled and encouraged me. If only another hallu- 
 cination, assuming that the vision of the night at 
 home was of that nature, it was to be taken as a 
 good omen. 
 
 Miquel rode with me a good forty miles, and we 
 spent the night together in a wreck of a cabin found 
 in a clump of brush on the river bank — some herd- 
 er's work, probably. It afforded protection against 
 the heavy dew and possibly served as a defence 
 against attack by some hungry beast. Three or 
 four miles farther we came to a point where the 
 stream widened and its bed was very shallow, little 
 islets appearing above its rippling surface here and 
 there. A crossing was effected successfully ; only in 
 mid-channel was it necessary for our horses to 
 swim, and that for a short distance. Having seen 
 me safely on the east bank, the seiior now bade me 
 
 58 
 
adieu and recrossed. The point was well chosen, 
 for the ground here proved excellent for travel, a 
 narrow plateau stretching southward as far as the 
 eye could reach. To the east at a distance, as I es- 
 timated, of fifteen miles, the mountains reared their 
 broken and uninviting summits, and as I proceeded 
 their giant masses appeared to become more pre- 
 cipitous and forbidding. A warm, hazy day, the 
 few trees or clumps of brush that were met with were 
 welcomed for the temporary shade they afforded. 
 Twelve miles or so from the crossing point I en- 
 countered a large patch of brush and scrub oak, and 
 made my way through it leisurely enough, because 
 of the thick undergrowth. On emerging what 
 should I see, directly in my course and not fifty feet 
 distant, but the same man I had noticed at the ranch 
 the previous morning. The badge was glittering in 
 the sunlight, as then. This time, however, there was 
 no disappearance, but an approach on his part, as I 
 rode toward him. 
 
 "Are you? " escaped my lips almost involun- 
 tarily. 
 
 "Yes," he replied smilingly, extending his hand. 
 I sprang from my pony and grasped it. 
 
 "It was you I saw yesterday?" 
 
 "Yes, Malcolm, we knew of your coming from 
 the time you left Callao." 
 
 "Indeed, and how could you know that?" I ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 "Their impressions satisfied our councillors and I 
 59 
 
came down to meet you. The conditions were well 
 fulfilled. We have but eleven miles now to go, Mal- 
 colm, and then we ascend into Oudemon." 
 
 "But I am told by everybody that I cannot get 
 across those cliffs to the east, my dear sir." 
 
 "In the way these people cross hills, no. Our way 
 is different. The sun is high; have you eaten?" 
 
 "Not since breakfast with Sefior Miquel." 
 
 "Then it will be well to stop here and have a 
 meal, for our course now lies that way," pointing to 
 the mountains, "as you expect, and the footing is 
 not easy. But the Sefior gave you a good little 
 horse, I see, Malcolm." 
 
 This messenger was provided with many things 
 that a traveler would not expect to find in that lonely 
 region. Where he had stored them I knew not. It 
 seemed like the magic of Hermann when he pro- 
 duced some delicious oranges, and bananas, most 
 appetizing biscuits, a bottle, or rather conical box, 
 filled with cocoa juice so cool that one would think 
 it had come from the ice. The coarse, hard biscuit, 
 cheese and lime juice that I had brought in my pack 
 were wretchedly poor fare in comparison. My new 
 guide distributed his excellent menu, and we ate, 
 talking meanwhile of my experiences. 
 
 A DIFFICULT COURSE. 
 
 The sun had declined twenty degrees from the 
 zenith ere we rose from a prandial exercise that had 
 
 60 
 
been the most agreeable and satisfying to my appe- 
 tite since leaving the coast, and began the final 
 course in my long journey. Passing up out of the 
 river plain a few miles, we found ourselves in a 
 much rougher section. There was no road or path, 
 no trail marks were visible, at least to my eyes, and 
 with our upward advance the surface became more 
 broken and difficult, until it was evident that we 
 were ascending a series of terrace-like elevations, on 
 which a scraggy growth of tree and bush, inter- 
 spersed with rock, gravel, fissures, mounds, and an 
 occasional very erratic water course in a deep-cut 
 channel, offered obstacles that w'ould have intimi- 
 dated even a Stanley with so small an escort in a 
 country entirely unknown. Had I not been "per- 
 sonally conducted," under auspices of so peculiar a 
 nature that my utmost confidence was challenged, I 
 should never have taken that direction, since it was 
 leading me nowhere, if not directly to those impos- 
 sible cliffs that seemed at every step to rear their 
 gray summits to loftier heights. At times our way 
 became so precipitous and dangerous that only the 
 intelligence, skill and strength of my conductor ren- 
 dered it possible for us to proceed. Now and then 
 our united force was necessary to enable my pony, 
 true blood mountaineer as she proved herself, to 
 get up to our level. I had been in the Swiss Alps 
 and knew the skill of the guides there, but had never 
 seen courage and adroitness displayed to the degree 
 that this Oudemonite showed. Three times I pro- 
 
 6i 
 
tested against trying to bring up the horse, insist- 
 ing that it was unnecessary, if not impossible, to 
 accomplish it. But he mildly said : "It would not 
 be kind, Malcolm, to leave the poor pony there; he 
 would starve or perhaps break his neck." So the 
 impossible was done in a way that kept me wonder- 
 ing at his ingenuity and strength. 
 
 Finally we reached a plateau of comparatively 
 smooth surface and some acres in extent. Judging 
 by the sun, we had consumed three hours in our la- 
 borious march upward, and now some patches of soft 
 grass and a group of low trees suggested rest. I 
 was fatigued enough and threw myself down upon 
 the ground, while our jaded animal companion be- 
 took himself to a little stream and lapped the tepid 
 water with evident satisfaction. 
 
 "We will stay here for a while," said my guide. 
 
 "Yes," was my thankful rejoinder. "I am thor- 
 oughly tired. This is the hardest road I ever 
 struck." 
 
 "We have not much farther to go," he replied, 
 with a low laugh. "You are expected to supper with 
 Archbold and other friends, Malcolm, and after 
 some rest we will ascend." 
 
 "What, we are near the journey's end?" 
 
 He smiled, and laughed again. Westward there 
 was spread out a glorious prospect, the declining sun 
 lighting up the diversity of detail with an enchant- 
 ing distinctness. Far below, the river I had crossed 
 in the morning wound in and out, a silver ribbon 
 
 62 
 
amid the emerald and brown of the valley. Not a 
 village or settlement of any kind was visible to the 
 unassisted eye — only a few straggling groups of 
 horses or cattle, as made out with the small field 
 glass I carried in my pocket. What possibilities of 
 industry to the hardy pioneer who yearned for the 
 quiet and isolation of a virgin wilderness were sug- 
 gested by that vast expanse of unbroken soil ! On 
 the reverse, eastward, what? I had not yet realized 
 it. Now I saw only a precipitous w'all, stretching to 
 north and south, and inclosing us in an upright con- 
 cavity. A sensation of awe crept through my frame. 
 Certainly everything conspired to produce a most 
 profound impression upon an average man. At 
 length I looked at my companion; he was standing 
 at a little distance gazing upward, as if expecting a 
 signal from the cliff top. After a moment or tw'O I 
 said: 
 
 "Well, my friend, this is a strange and wonderful 
 place. I have come many miles expecting strange 
 things and at present am realizing in a very unusual 
 fashion that the world is far from known to me. 
 You have brought me to the most remarkable place 
 that I have ever seen ; and many of the world's most 
 famous landscapes have received my attention ; yet — - 
 is this but preparatory?" 
 
 He replied, intermitting his upward look for a^ 
 moment only: "You will see and hear things not 
 common in your country, stranger friend. You may 
 not think us remarkable for business and enterprise, 
 
 63 
 
as such things are accounted among your people, and 
 many objects you are fond of we do not highly es- 
 teem. Our habits as friends and in the family may 
 be different from what you call proper. Let me 
 ask you now to be kind in your judgment of what 
 you may see, and let your opinion take form from 
 the general effect of our customs upon the commu- 
 nity." 
 
 "Be sure," was returned warmly, "I shall try to 
 remember that I am your guest and certainly it 
 would be a breach of courtesy did I not endeavor to 
 adapt myself to your practices and manners, espe- 
 cially when the samples of the Oudemon folk with 
 whom I have consorted so far, compel my respect 
 and admiration." 
 
 He smiled in a pleased way and said : "We can- 
 not ask more from you, Malcolm, and shall not." 
 
 AN ELEVATING COSTUME. 
 
 'A soft rustle as of wings here caused me to look 
 up, and I saw two large birds of the crow species 
 descending, apparently from the cliffs. In a few 
 seconds they had alighted at the feet of my guide. 
 Attached to each was a light package or roll of fine 
 silky-looking cloth. This he untied, when the birds 
 flew away, but not in the direction whence they had 
 come. 
 
 "We have now the means for our ascent," re- 
 marked my companion as he unrolled the fabric and 
 
 64 
 
displayed a broad, baggy-looking contrivance, nar- 
 rowed or pleated in the center with bits of ribbon or 
 tape set at points along one margin. "We will put 
 on these." There w^ere openings, into which, with 
 his assistance, I inserted my arms; then he tied the 
 apparatus to my neck and body by means of the 
 tapes, the elasticity of the tissue rendering the con- 
 tact close. Without help from me, Julius, as I 
 learned shortly afterward was his name, fitted him- 
 self with the apparatus while I looked on curiously. 
 
 "Now we will go to the source and inflate." 
 
 I followed him to a little, cave-like excavation in 
 the rocky wall just large enough to screen three or 
 four persons from sight. From a projection in the 
 roof he took down a metal tube of small diameter 
 and about four feet in length. "I will treat myself 
 to some gas," he playfully remarked, "and then you 
 can take your turn." 
 
 "We are going to emulate the angels !" I rejoined. 
 
 "In a sort of human fashion," said he. 
 
 "Am I then to infer that you excellent people have 
 solved the problem of aerostation ?" 
 
 "In part, and sufficiently for our necessary pur- 
 poses. We do not quite fly, but we can rise and 
 move to any point it is desirable to reach; and this 
 simple arrangement is one of our methods. This 
 fabric, as you see, is very light and fine, yet strong, 
 elastic, and perfectly gas proof. It will endure a 
 great amount of rough usage before breaking." 
 
 At one side of the cave Julius disclosed a bronze 
 65 
 
pipe projecting a few inches above the rock. The 
 tubing taken from the wall was inserted into the 
 bronze pipe by one end and the other into a valvular 
 opening provided in the singular garment we had 
 adjusted to our bodies. Pressure upon a small knob 
 near the mouth of the pipe was followed by a hiss- 
 ing sound, and in a short time Julius had swollen to 
 over three feet broad from hip to shoulder, the lar- 
 ger fulness being above. His appearance to eyes un- 
 accustomed to the spectacle was little short of gro- 
 tesque ; I could not repress a laugh. 
 
 "Well, Malcolm, it is your turn; let me have my 
 fun with you," said he, disconnecting the tube from 
 his bloated figure. 
 
 "No doubt I shall be a burlesque of you, my good 
 boy. But tell me what is this gas you obtain from 
 the earth?" 
 
 "It is a natural product which we found some 
 years ago oozing from the ground — mostly hydro- 
 gen with by-products, one or two of which are even 
 lighter. Our wise men believe that if human beings 
 are to fly, without some great change in their physi- 
 cal constitution, they must use some fluid that will 
 enable them to float in the air. This simple mechan- 
 ism we find to be quite safe for the common purpose 
 of scaling difficult heights. When you are blown up 
 you will find it impossible almost to fall." 
 
 In a few minutes I was transformed in the man- 
 ner of Julius, and on attempting to walk was 
 amazed by the lightness of my limbs. They seemed 
 
 66 
 
to move and rise in simple obedience to my will; 
 the muscular effort was so slight that at first it ap- 
 peared quite lacking. Only in putting the feet down 
 upon terra iirma was there a decided sensation of 
 effort. I rolled or skimmed about, rather than 
 walked. 
 
 "I believe that I could go up hill much easier than 
 down in this toggery," I said, after venturing a few 
 steps. 
 
 *'Yes, but after a little practice you will find it 
 very easy to go anywhere." Saying this my com- 
 panion leaped up and rose fully to the height of 
 thirty feet, then descended at so moderate a speed 
 that any fears I had entertained on the score of fall- 
 ing while we should be scaling that great wall were 
 quite dissipated. 
 
 "You have given me great confidence in my power 
 of self-elevation," I said, laughing, "but don't ask 
 me to try a jump yet, for I might land somewhere 
 off there by the river," 
 
 A peculiar tone sounded in the air like a soft note 
 of the bassoon. "They are waiting, and have low- 
 ered the cord. Let us go up." 
 
 "But my horse !" 
 
 "She will do well enough here, be assured, Mal- 
 colm, and I will attach your luggage to the rope." 
 
 Going then to the base of the cliff, we found the 
 loose end of a thin line hanging within reach, and 
 at a signal given by Julius this was lowered until 
 it touched the ground. At distances of four feet or 
 
 ^7 
 
so there were loops in the line, a convenience de- 
 cidedly gratifying to a novice like myself at this 
 kind of travel. My companion grasped the cord and 
 sprang up several feet. 
 
 "A little confidence and you will get on well. 
 Just look up and follow close to me." 
 
 Of course I would not attempt to start like that, so 
 taking hold of one of the loops, I began to pull on 
 it. I say began, for it was only a beginning when I 
 found myself leaving the ground with a sensation 
 not unlike that of a man who tries the "express" ele- 
 vator in a tall building for the first time. The in- 
 flated dress nearly compensated my weight in that 
 clear air, and it seemed, after the start, that I had 
 only to make the hand over hand movements of the 
 sailor in ascending the shrouds to go up as rapidly 
 as I pleased. The line, however, was necessary to 
 me, I soon realized, for so buoyant was the costume 
 that had I let go its guidance for a moment the light 
 breeze playing near the wall would probably have 
 carried me to some distance from it. 
 
 When a boy I had been not a little given to gym- 
 nastic exercises, and the training had served me to 
 good purpose during my life. Here it enabled me 
 to climb in so novel a fashion with much less awk- 
 wardness than would have been inevitable to mus- 
 cles that had received no training. It must not be 
 supposed that my conductor neglected me. By no 
 means ; now and then he floated at my level and gave 
 some hints regarding the use of hands or feet, and 
 
 68 
 
had words of very pleasant approval of the progress 
 I was making. At times a strange feeling would 
 invade my nerves, a giddiness prompted, it is likely, 
 by the thought of being participant in a most 
 extraordinary excursion, and of its possible conse- 
 quences to my precious skull should the delicate- 
 looking tissue that contained the gas spring a leak, 
 but the higher I ascended the less such feeling 
 affected me, and in its place came a sense of confi- 
 dence in my guide and myself. 
 
 "We are nearing the top," said Julius. "A few 
 hundred feet more and we shall be on the verge of 
 our country." 
 
 And soon we were at the summit of the awe-in- 
 spiring ridge, there to be assisted, on my part at 
 least, by the welcoming hands and cordial greeting 
 of two men who also had on the aerial dress. 
 A moment's inspection showed that we were stand- 
 ing on a narrow platform of rock, the eastern side of 
 which, like that I had just mounted., was almost 
 vertical in elevation, but not to the depth of the west- 
 ern. The sun was setting now in the far horizon, 
 yet in the clear twilight sky of the eastern prospect I 
 could see many houses and tower-like structures 
 whose windows reflected the orange and blue tints, 
 while the varied green of meadow, woodland and 
 garden lent its coloring to heighten the picture that, 
 for a time, fastened my gaze. 
 
 There were no buildings towering in preposterous 
 altitude and ugly hugeness against the sky — only 
 
 69 
 
here and there a gHmpse of a symmetrical structure 
 was caught that rose above the neighboring trees 
 and offered its soft brown in picturesque contrast to 
 the green of tree and meadow, and its loftier height 
 as a pleasant feature in the wide landscape. 
 
 Turning from the scene of beauty I remarked: 
 "We have come up to go down, friends?" 
 
 "Yes, Malcolm, unless you would prefer to pass 
 the night up here and commune with the stars," re- 
 plied one, a mirthful twinkle dancing in his eye. 
 
 "No doubt it would be glorious, but I would pre- 
 fer an astronomical study a little later. With your 
 permission I should like a closer acquaintance with 
 that beautiful landscape," pointing downward. 
 "Have I been introduced in this unique fashion to 
 the 'Happy Valley' of Rasselas?" 
 
 "We hope that you will not be disappointed in 
 what you find here, Malcolm." 
 
 Thus it was "Malcolm," "Malcolm," "Mal- 
 colm." Had my name become so familiar among 
 these people already? 
 
 The line was now drawn up with my luggage at- 
 tached, not an easy pull, considering the height of 
 the crest, and then lowered on the other side. There 
 were people below whose voices came faintly to the 
 ear, and who signaled when the burdened line 
 reached down to them. Then we descended, a depth 
 of eighteen hundred feet, they said — but so easy and 
 effortless it seemed that had it been five times as 
 
great I should have enjoyed the motion downward 
 highly. With one hand loosely encircling the cord 
 I gently sank until, amid the happy exclamations of 
 a hundred or more expectant people, I found my 
 feet upon the solid ground of their secluded country. 
 
 71 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AMID THE UNKNOWN. 
 
 Mr. Archbold Restling, or simple Archbold, 
 as I should call him in the Oudemon mode, was 
 among those first to greet me at the foot of the wall. 
 A warm pressure of his hand, and the remark, "Mal- 
 colm, my young friend, we are not disappointed in 
 you," prepared my general introduction to the com- 
 pany of men and women, boys and girls, who sur- 
 rounded him. Then saying : "Our associate Jasper 
 has set apart a room for your use," the said Jasper, 
 whose surname was Bruce, stepped forward, took 
 my hand and led me, followed by most of the folk, 
 to a low, three-wheeled carriage, that stood at a lit- 
 tle distance from the cliff. Bidding me step in and 
 seat myself, he entered the vehicle and placed him- 
 self by my side. "A happy meeting soon, dear 
 friends all," he said, and I echoed the parting salu- 
 tation. A touch upon some lever or button, and our 
 wagon sped away in an easterly direction over a 
 roadbed so smooth that scarcely a jolt Or jerk was 
 perceptible. Fairly at my ease now, I realized, with 
 almost a start, that there was no horse attached to 
 the conveyance. The sun down, night was closing 
 in fast, but roadside lamps burst into flame along the 
 
 72 
 
way, lighting up the road with as clear but a softer 
 radiance than that of our best gas lights at home. 
 Jasper and I exchanged remarks now and then, but 
 for the greater part of the hour that the ride contin- 
 ued I felt little disposition to converse; my mind 
 was too busy with the remarkable series of ex- 
 periences of the day ; and Bruce recognizing my pre- 
 occupation, delicately accorded it free course. 
 
 An excellent supper awaited us. I was hungry 
 and never appreciated a meal more than that first one 
 in the country that I had sought with so much con- 
 cern and entered with such peculiar facilities. The 
 food was novel, in most respects vegetarian, yet 
 delightfully satisfying. I could not forbear asking 
 questions about it that were smilingly answered by 
 the host and the noble, motherly woman who had 
 been presented as "Milline Bruce, my wife, Mal- 
 colm." After supper I was shown to the large room 
 on the second floor that was to be my lodgement dur- 
 ing my stay in Oudemon, and left to prepare for the 
 inviting bed at my leisure. A small stand, similar to 
 those used for gas with us, gave so bright a light 
 from its insignificant little jet that I inspected it 
 closely. It had a flattened base about four inches in 
 diameter, containing not more than two or three 
 ounces of fluid or whatever it was that produced the 
 light. I learned later that it was liquefied gas, the 
 same basicly as that employed to inflate the "aero- 
 lat" or garment for floatation in the air. This lique- 
 fied gas was mixed with chemical substances to pro- 
 
 n 
 
duce variations of intensity for illumination, and 
 also for use in the domestic routine of a family and 
 for a great variety of industrial purposes, some of 
 which may be mentioned later. 
 
 Before breakfast the next morning I rose early 
 enough for a little saunter out of doors. The build- 
 ing, now my "hotel," so to speak, was an oblong 
 square, say sixty feet by seventy, two stories in 
 height, with an oval tower at one corner rising up- 
 ward of forty feet. The ample dimensions provided 
 for an inner court twenty-five by thirty-five feet, laid 
 out in garden with two small buildings. In one of 
 these was a deep cistern filled with clear, sparkling 
 water. By its side, set upon a bronze platform, was 
 a small machine pump with its system of pipes, 
 showing that the house was served in this conven- 
 ient way. As there were no indications of furnace 
 or boiler, I inferred that the pumping engine was 
 run by gas; the method of its operation was ex- 
 plained later and seemed remarkably ingenious, al- 
 though the principle was simple enough; viz., that 
 of the motive force obtained by the compression of 
 gas. The house rooms of the first story had each a 
 doorway to the court. Over the court a light frame- 
 work of metal gracefully arched. This furnished 
 support for a canvas covering that could be let down 
 from the center on rainy days or when the midday 
 sun of summer proved too severe. Surrounding the 
 house at distances convenient for air and light were 
 many trees and bushes, both ornamental and fruit- 
 
 74 
 
bearing. Here and there a patch of flowering plants 
 contrasted with the emerald of the thick sod. In the 
 rear of the house, bordered by palm and laurel, was 
 the vegetable garden, with its variety of comestible 
 well known to my taste, and several plants of leaf 
 and flower quite unknown to my experience. Be- 
 yond was the fruit garden, where tree, bush and 
 vine offered a tempting display, associating products 
 of the temperate North with the delicate growths of 
 a tropical clime. Conveniently near were the build- 
 ings in which were kept the implements and ma- 
 chinery used for tilth and culture. Naturally, I 
 looked for a stable or barn, with its inseparable bed 
 or heap of stall refuse. There was none, for they 
 have no horses in Oudemon. This surprised me, al- 
 though the ride from the frontier in the self-pro- 
 pelling wagon might have prepared me for this 
 modification of civilized usage. 
 
 Accustomed to the prospect offered by the rear 
 courts of dwellings and the back lots of farm houses 
 of my home civilization, my eyes were somewhat 
 unprepared for the striking contrast presented by 
 this "back yard" of the Bruce home. There were 
 no heaps or patches of refuse, with here and there 
 stray bits of discarded tinware or ineligible crock- 
 ery; no scraps of exhausted news or book paper, no 
 remnants of dress stuff or vestiges of long-neglected 
 foot covering; no miscellaneous collection of worn 
 and wasted articles from kitchen, dining room, or 
 parlor; nothing, in fine, suggestive of slops and 
 
 75 
 
troublesome waste. The same tidy, pleasant order 
 ruled in the back grounds as in the front; and this 
 was early found to be a general fashion with the 
 folk I had dropped among, and not a special char- 
 acteristic of the Bruce family. 
 
 Surrounding the house and its group of smaller 
 erections was a park-like area of ground, great trees 
 here and there lifting their tufted and spreading tops 
 one hundred and fifty or more feet in air, and clus- 
 tering shrubbery in the wide spaces modestly court- 
 ing the friendship of the grasses. Through the open- 
 ings I caught glimpses of other houses, apparently 
 constructed on a similar plan to this of the Bruce 
 family. There were no fences or hedgerows closely 
 limiting or bounding the spaces, nothing to indicate 
 division of property or specialty of ownership in 
 land. Going out a little distance on what seemed to 
 be the highway, I found it but twenty-five feet in 
 width, a hard, smooth roadbed of gravel and schist, 
 bordered with low growing plants and grass 
 smoothly cut. Houses and buildings w^ere com- 
 monly constructed of a cement or fine concrete that 
 hardened with age and showed little wear after 
 many years of exposure. A tower that I often vis- 
 ited had an elevation of three hundred feet, and was 
 over fifty years old, yet showed not a crack or 
 break in its massive wall, 
 
 I was still "looking around" when a low, gurgling 
 sound drew my attention, and turning toward the 
 quarter whence the sound proceeded I saw a one- 
 
 76 
 
seat carriage, of four wheels, somewhat hke our 
 phaeton, rolHng in my direction. 
 
 Two men were in it, and soon in one of them I 
 recognized my friend the traveler. Stopping at my 
 side, he sprang upon the ground. 
 
 "Well, Malcolm, out prospecting already? How 
 does the land strike you?" 
 
 "Most delightfully, dear Mr. Restling. Its many 
 surprises have made me feel as if I were in a won- 
 derland." 
 
 "While among us, my good boy, will you not 
 adopt our custom of address ? Call me Archbold, as 
 we shall call you Malcolm. I am much older than 
 you, yet old and young are brothers and sisters. 
 Our friend here is Irving of the Scott house, a few 
 miles yonder. He is one of our councillors." 
 
 Offering my hand, I said : "Am pleased to know 
 you, Irving, with so worthy a Scottish patronymic." 
 
 Laughing softly and giving me a lengthened 
 grasp, he replied : 
 
 "Malcolm, there's something of the bonny Scot in 
 you, too, if there's anything in the name. I have 
 ridden over with Archbold to welcome you and to 
 say that our Committee will meet for its weekly ses- 
 sion to-morrow at mid-forenoon — not much to do, 
 Archbold, as you know. All are desirous to see our 
 visitor." 
 
 "I shall come, of course, ]\Ir. Irving." 
 
 At this juncture I felt a slight pull on my coat 
 skirt, and looking down saw a monkey, perhaps two 
 
 77 
 
feet and a half high, grinning at me and pointing 
 toward the house. 
 
 "One of our much-used house attendants," said 
 Resthng. "He's a howler; you have heard of the 
 species? Among us they are trained to do many 
 little services. He announces that breakfast is 
 ready. We will go in with you." 
 
 On our turning toward the house the monkey 
 gave a small, squeaky cry, and ran away. Whether 
 or not Archbold and Irving were expected to sit at 
 table with us, they made part of the company that 
 partook of the toothsome and abundant meal, only 
 remarking as they entered the room where the Bruce 
 family were waiting: "A happy meeting, dear 
 friends," which was responded to in the same cor- 
 dial spirit Milline pointing them to two places that 
 had been made ready at the ample table. 
 
 Besides mine host and hostess this Bruce fam- 
 ily included a grown-up son, Willis, a daughter 
 Stella, about midway in her teens, a younger brother 
 of Jasper, as yet unmarried, and a young woman 
 from a neighboring district who assisted in the du- 
 ties of the house. There were chairs for all at the 
 table, no kitchen maid or waiter succeeding us for a 
 second meal. I soon learned that perfect equality 
 subsisted among these people, no distinction being 
 made in the domestic regime or in social relations. 
 The idea of class subordination, of one being in- 
 ferior to another, seemed to have been lost from 
 their economics. Two monkeys also belonged to the 
 
 78 
 
house equipment — lively, amusing little fellows, but 
 well behaved for monkeys, and showing themselves 
 useful and trustworthy servants in many respects; 
 some I met with in my visits at other homes were 
 so well trained and intelligent that it seemed they 
 needed ability to speak only to complete their ac- 
 complishmens. 
 
 Jasper placed one of his at my disposal, and after 
 a short interval for becoming acquainted with each 
 other I found Jabber, as he was named, a very amia- 
 ble and helpful valet, running on errands, carrying 
 messages, and even helping to dress. Besides, on 
 my rambles into the country, when I took him along, 
 he amused me by his mischievous yet always good- 
 natured antics 
 
 MY FIRST OUTING. 
 
 After breakfast Restling carried me away in his 
 autolat, as the people termed their self-running 
 wagons — many also styled it a "goalone," espe- 
 cially the young folks. The power to run the wheels 
 was furnished by a little engine actuated by the gas 
 of which mention has been made. No fire was re- 
 quired, only the energy of compression, the gas be- 
 ing stored in small cylinders of metal sheets remark- 
 ably thin, yet of great strength. These cylinders, as 
 applied in the propulsion of ordinary light wagons, 
 were but three inches in diameter and ten inches in 
 length, and held safely gas whose volume when free 
 
 79 
 
would exceed 2,500 cubic feet. Yet the tremendous 
 force thus stored up in the cylinder was so nicely 
 adjusted by a valve that a child could operate the 
 machinery after a few lessons. I had taken but a 
 few rides when I found myself a fair "driver." It 
 was not customary to run at high speed, except in 
 emergent cases — rare enough in Oudemon, yet I 
 am sure that I could have obtained a rate of fifty 
 miles an hour with the vehicle put at my disposal. 
 The merest turn of the graduated key set me off, and 
 five degrees of variation developed a speed of ten 
 miles. The general character of the country being 
 level naturally or made so by the improving hands 
 of this industrious little nation, the use of the auto- 
 lat rendered it easy to compass long distances in the 
 course of a day. 
 
 In Archbold's company a considerable tour was 
 made that first morning, and my eyes and ears ab- 
 sorbed much of detail relating to landscape and peo- 
 ple. From him I learned that the settlements cov- 
 ered about nine thousand square miles which for the 
 most part had been transformed into a great park 
 and garden. One's view in every direction took in 
 trees, shrubbery, houses, gardens and meadow open- 
 ings. Did he ascend to the roof of one of the tow- 
 ers that stood in every district, and which rise to a 
 height of two hundred feet and more, he obtained 
 a good view, or glimpse, on a fair day, of mountain 
 ridges that eastward, northward and southward 
 as well as westward, hem in Oudemon. An early 
 
 80 
 
morning prospect from one of these towers was 
 grandly beautiful, challenging description. The 
 play of slanting sunbeams over and through the 
 rich vegetation with its remarkable variety of large 
 and small growths — products of care and culture 
 seen in no other land to such perfection in leaf, 
 flower and fruit, was enchanting beyond expres- 
 sion to an esthetic nature. Here and there bright, 
 silvery gems of lake and river heightened the effect 
 of the foliage greens and browns, and cropping up 
 at intervals amid their leafy environment the roofs 
 and upper stories of houses in gray, white, brown 
 and blue, added man's neat and graceful handiwork 
 to the charming creations of the Divine IMaster 
 Builder. 
 
 I had read of the Brazil country, its soft climatic 
 conditions and profuse vegetation, but was not pre- 
 pared for the delightful effects that commanded my 
 notice on this first outing with Restling. The sea- 
 son in that sub-equatorial region was advanced 
 spring; vegetation was in the fullness of leaf and 
 flower, the air was balmy, yet exhilarating in its 
 freshness and purity; the sky almost cloudless, such 
 gossamer masses as were visible intensifying the 
 deep blue. Commenting on the order and beauty of 
 garden, field and W'Ood, as the rare physiognomy of 
 the roadside presented itself to my eyes, I could not 
 but express much surprise at the degree of perfec- 
 tion that had been attained. My companion re- 
 marked : 
 
 8i 
 
"Remembering that our people have been in this 
 region over a hundred years, it is not so wonderful 
 that their industry has made changes in the ap- 
 pearance of the landscape. You will see, ere long, 
 that we have certain methods or habits in regard to 
 matters agricultural that tend to maintain the neat- 
 ness and order you so appreciate. In a sense, so 
 far as interest in farm and garden is concerned, we 
 are all farmers, everybody old enough doing some- 
 thing for the growth — trees, plants or what not — 
 according to their taste and leisure." 
 
 "May I ask, Archbold, the extent of your popu- 
 lation?" 
 
 "Certainly, Malcolm. According to our lastest 
 registration there are 482,674 of us. Last evening 
 our statistician, Boyle Kingsley, whom I met on the 
 way to the western ridge, informed me that a boy 
 had been born in the thirty-fourth district, about 
 seventy-five miles from here, which adds one more 
 to the number." 
 
 "You do not increase rapidly, then ?" 
 
 "No, not as your economists may reckon growth 
 in numbers ; yet our increase has been steady the past 
 forty years. This has proved a very healthful cli- 
 mate, especially for our children. When you visit 
 our mausoleum, you will see that very few children 
 of tender age are inscribed upon the tablets. As 
 soon as our people became acclimated — no, I should 
 scarcely say that — ^but that as soon as they learned 
 to live wisely here they found that health was the 
 
 82 
 
rule, and many things in the BraziHan climate that 
 settlers in other parts of this continent consider per- 
 nicious were really not so, or could be modified so 
 much as not to affect us unfavorably. We have liv- 
 ing among us a few of the early settlers, men and 
 women, who came in before the great upheaval. 
 These must be a hundred years old, some older ; yet, 
 with but one or two exceptions, they are able to be of 
 use to themselves and others." 
 
 I visited several of these ancients, as opportunity 
 offered, and found them very interesting folk. With 
 memory fairly good, they could recite many inci- 
 dents in the early history of the colony, and empha- 
 sized by their own participation in it the remarkable 
 development of the country and people. As Rest- 
 ling had said, the man chiefly instrumental in or- 
 ganizing the original colony was a Scotchman with 
 "peculiar" views, social and religious. A mixed 
 class of persons joined him, mainly from the rural 
 districts, among them a good proportion of New 
 Englanders, fairly educated, whose influence became 
 predominant in the new country. The Scotchman 
 lived long enough to see his ideas engrafted firmly 
 on the life of the growing community. Among peo- 
 ple of fairly rational minds it was to be expected 
 that a system of modus vivendi that promoted gen- 
 eral improvement and individual happiness would be 
 accepted. Albeit a Nordau might interpose the ob- 
 jection that "the natural perversity" or "tendency to 
 degeneration" of human nature would be likely to 
 
 83 
 
neutralize the endeavor of a few exceptionally con- 
 stituted souls to better the lot of all. Oudemon, 
 however, illustrated the happy normal side of things 
 human, and demonstrated the effect of a good be- 
 ginning, and the influence of manners and habits of 
 a healthful type upon people of average mental con- 
 stitution. 
 
 84 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 AN UNOFFICIAL BODY. 
 
 My host, Bruce, accompanied me to the meeting- of 
 the council, and on the way described some of the 
 methods in practice for managing such public affairs 
 as required the attention of persons of intelHgence 
 and judgment above the average, who exercised 
 their functions by the title of respect accorded to 
 their wisdom rather than by any special appoint- 
 ment. The simplicity of detail that characterized 
 affairs usually termed civil would have confounded 
 a Boston or Chicago politician, while the perfection 
 of result would have delighted a disciple of Henry 
 George. 
 
 "The council is composed of our older men and a 
 few women," said Bruce, "who serve voluntarily, or 
 rather because of their love for the community. 
 Every matter of interest, if there is any controversy, 
 comes to them for adjustment, and their decision or 
 opinion is final. Sometimes a vote or tally of voices 
 is called, for the sake of a definite expression, but 
 that is rarely done." 
 
 "Rarely done, Jasper? Why, then, your proceed- 
 ings are not quite parliamentary !" I exclaimed. 
 
 "Perhaps not, in your sense, Malcolm, yet our 
 85 
 
council deliberates ^vith much earnestness some- 
 times, for it does occur when a grave matter de- 
 mands careful consideration. Even the application 
 of our Royal Law may not be perfectly clear, and 
 a vote will be expedient. Usually the proper course 
 becomes obvious enough and opinion is unanimous." 
 
 "Who is your president or governor, Jasper?" I 
 asked, somewhat perversely, it should be confessed. 
 
 "We have no such officer, or civil head such as 
 your civilization or economics recognizes." 
 
 "No — well, how, then, is your government car- 
 ried on?" 
 
 "We have no system at all analogous to what you 
 are accustomed to, Malcolm. Our council is the only 
 body that possesses anything like a recognized au- 
 thority or power of decision. Perhaps it might be 
 termed by your statesmen a mere board of reference, 
 existing by the courtesy of the populace." 
 
 "Well, this is the most extraordinary feature — 
 Mr. Br-r — my good sir, most unprecedented in all 
 my observation. Archbold intimated something of 
 the kind when I met him in my own city ; but, then, 
 in my incredulity, I was inclined to think that he 
 was chaffing me, as we say. No real system of gov- 
 ernment! A mere semblance of authority! Why, 
 you must be pure Communists or Anarchists, or 
 something approximate !" 
 
 "As you please, my young friend of possible po- 
 litical aspirations," he returned, in great good hu- 
 mor. 
 
 86 
 
"No, I have none," I cried. "As affairs are con- 
 ducted at home there is httle charm in pohtics for 
 me. But tell me, please, how, in the name of order 
 and justice, do you manage? What you have al- 
 ready said does not clear my vision quite." 
 
 Bruce smiled at my astonishment and insistence. 
 "We have something in the way of law or precept 
 or standard of action, certainly, if we lack a fixed 
 government according to your idea. Our Royal 
 Law is early stamped in the head and heart of every 
 child born among us, and its meaning is taught and 
 illustrated with the primary training of home and 
 school." 
 
 "And what is this marvelous Royal Law that 
 operates so effectually on morals and manners? I 
 would learn it myself." 
 
 "Simple enough, Malcolm ; to the willing learner 
 very simple. You will probably see occasions for its 
 application while here, and by illustration compre- 
 hend its nature more thoroughly than it were possi- 
 ble by mere definitions or formulas." 
 
 At the council meeting there were present but 
 fourteen of the thirty-nine members, or district rep- 
 resentatives, five of them women. Rarely have I 
 seen a company of as noble-appearing people. All 
 were tall and well proportioned and exhibiting every 
 sign of robust health. The women were attired in 
 garments of inconspicuous yet graceful pattern, well 
 fitting, yet modestly cut, and short enough in the 
 skirt to permit easy, unhampered movement. There 
 
 87 
 
was no affectation of show or ornamentation, only a 
 contrast of color in trimming to relieve what might 
 otherwise appear extremely plain, and a ribbon in 
 the abundant hair or at the waist. I have said "ex- 
 tremely plain," when it should be said that the ma- 
 terial of which their garments were fashioned was 
 of a texture and quality that in each case, although 
 neutral, rather, in dye, would have invited the ad- 
 miration of a connoisseur in dress goods, because of 
 its fineness and adaptation to the service required. 
 On our arrival the unanimous outburst of "Happy 
 meetings" was somewhat embarrassing from per- 
 sons whose first acquaintance impressed me so 
 strongly, yet after a few minutes I felt quite at ease, 
 although my respect for them increased with fa- 
 miliarity. 
 
 UNDER INSPECTION A NOVEL TEST. 
 
 "Perhaps our friend from the North will not ob- 
 ject to our Temperament test," remarked one of the 
 women, 
 
 "Why, no, if It is not a thing that bites," I re- 
 plied. 
 
 A low ripple of laughter went around, and the old- 
 est man, in appearance, of the assembly, to whom 
 much deference was shown, said : "Let it be tried ; 
 we do not chance upon a foreign example often, 
 friends, and our Malcolm, I think, will prove a prom- 
 ising case. Caroline, for your trial." 
 
 88 
 
Caroline produced from a closet several sheets of 
 a glossy, translucent tissue and a bottle. Coming, 
 then, to me she offered one of the sheets, saying: 
 "Malcolm, may I ask you to breathe two or three 
 times upon this?" 
 
 Taking the sheet and holding it closely to my 
 lips, I breathed upon it three times. Quickly seiz- 
 ing the sheet, the lady councillor poured a few drops 
 from the bottle upon it, and holding it horizontally 
 waited for results, all the others meanwhile being 
 as attentive. Gradually there appeared a light blue 
 tinge over the surface, with radial streaks of yellow 
 and brown that deepened toward the edges. 
 
 "It is well," said Marcus, the senior of the gath- 
 ering. "Our impression is confirmed. Jasper, will 
 you make a trial, too, that Malcolm may see the 
 effect in your case ?" 
 
 My host at once took a sheet and breathed upon 
 it, Caroline applying the solution. A rich gold color 
 was evolved, in which a few faint lines of green 
 were visible. 
 
 "Jasper has gained, brothers, think you so, since 
 the last trial ?" 
 
 A cordial response of "Yes," "Very evident," "As 
 we might expect," broke from the company, Xvhile a 
 smile of great sweetness rested upon the features of 
 Bruce. Of course my face betrayed my curiosity re- 
 garding this strange procedure, and I had not long 
 to wait for an explanation. 
 
 "That you may know what this test means, Mai- 
 89 
 
colm," the elder now added, "I should advise you 
 that our students of nature, especially human nature, 
 of whom our Caroline is a most zealous one, have 
 determined a relationship between chemistry and the 
 vital excretions, which affords an estimate of the 
 average mental state of an individual. The changes 
 wrought by this peculiar solution when in contact 
 with the products of expiration show the dominant 
 traits or feeling in the character, whether good or 
 ill. Thus we have brought out whether an excitable, 
 angry, envious disposition, or a kind, generous, 
 broad, cheerful, hopeful nature rules in the thought 
 and conduct. Your sheet there shows that your feel- 
 ing toward the world is in the main a calm and rea- 
 sonable one, based upon not a little experience. The 
 general blue shading indicates that you are cool and 
 even-tempered, not inclined to make trouble or en- 
 gage in quarrel; a man of peace in most circum- 
 stances; yet, if we must believe the brown tints, you 
 have inherited elements of temper that, under great 
 provocation, may exhibit an energy that will over- 
 come almost any obstacle — an earnest warmth of 
 feeling that it would not be well for a foe to chal- 
 lenge. The yellow lines show that your view of 
 matters is cheerful, as a rule; you do not worry 
 much over failure or mischances. Toward those who 
 show an interest in you, and are affectionate and ten- 
 der, you respond to a degree, but are not often 
 known to take the initiative in expressing emotion 
 of an ardent character, unless occasion of an unusual 
 
 90 
 
sort awakens the undercurrent of temper to which I 
 referred a moment ago. Thus the breath leaf — 
 Caroline our skilled inspector may point out further 
 characteristics, if you wish, Malcolm." 
 
 "Quite enough for the present, worthy sir and 
 friend," I answered. "A very kind portrait and, as 
 I see myself, quite true to my virtues. With so pro- 
 nounced a chemical basis the method equals that of 
 most of the professional character readers I have 
 met." 
 
 "Yes, Malcolm," said Caroline, "this is a scientific 
 procedure that offers to your own examination its 
 clear evidence. You may obtain the reaction in any 
 case, and study its markings at your leisure as you 
 would a photographic negative, according to a formu- 
 lary taught in our treatises on psychological chem- 
 istry. Consider the leaf of our brother, Bruce. You 
 notice the rich tone of the color ; that shows a warm, 
 loving nature dominant in him : always generous 
 and hopeful, and unselfish to a marked degree " 
 
 "But the green lines, Caroline?" interrupted my 
 host. 
 
 "The green lines are weakening; quite less con- 
 spicuous than in the last, I am sure. Jasper is not 
 so personal in his aims; the old family peculiarity of 
 ambition that led its members to desire special re- 
 spect and preference among men — in a word, pride 
 of race and a jealousy toward others who might ob- 
 tain more notice — has lost most of its strength in 
 his disposition." 
 
 91 
 
"Admirable chemistry, friends, indeed; a moral 
 monitor! I infer that you are in the habit of mak- 
 ing this test to learn whether or not there are 
 changes in one's nature." 
 
 "Yes, especially in the cases of our children and 
 young people ; it supplies a trusty criterion for their 
 training and guidance. In our educational houses 
 we follow a regular course in employing it; the 
 sheets are numbered and filed for reference, and 
 serve as records of mental growth and character 
 formation." 
 
 "My associates of the council," added Marcus, 
 "will agree with me that nothing else that has been 
 introduced into our practical life, within the genera- 
 tion, has done so much toward the moral improve- 
 ment of our people as this comparatively simple de- 
 vice of our chemists. The fact that the breath will 
 show almost what a person is thinking of has ac- 
 tually been the impelling cause to the reform of some 
 of us who appeared to be falling back into the old, 
 perverse habits of our ancestors. Let us now to 
 duty." 
 
 Then ensued the consideration of several matters 
 that had been registered in a special book by one of 
 the number, who acted as a secretary would at one 
 of our meetings. There were questions regarding 
 the roads, the management of a certain school, the 
 improvement of a water course, the excavation of a 
 mining tunnel, the propriety of certain experiments 
 with chemicals that were dangerous to their manip- 
 
 92 
 
ulators, the care of an aged man who was W'idowed 
 and had no children or relatives, and finally the se- 
 lection of some one to perform service of a respon- 
 sible nature in a distant section of Oudemon. Re- 
 garding the old man, wdio had become too infirm to 
 labor for his own maintenance, it became the duty 
 of the council to name the family that should pro- 
 vide a home for him, a dozen places in his district 
 having been offered. The only item of gravity was 
 the last. As reported by the secretary, certain signs 
 had been received from thirty-four, reflecting un- 
 happily on the recent conduct of one who occupied 
 a quasi-public relation to the people of his district. 
 
 "Caroline will show us the last sheet taken from 
 the brother," said the elder councillor. 
 
 The lady associate opened a portfolio that had 
 been lying on the table, and drew out one of the 
 character tests. It was numbered 786-34 in one cor- 
 ner. On holding it up to the light there w^as re- 
 vealed a hazy yellow field, with strong purplish lines 
 running in irregular curves. An expression of seri- 
 ous concern marked the faces of all present. 
 
 "Show us the previous number, sister." 
 
 She drew out another sheet, numbered 785-34 
 and held it up by the side of the first. There was a 
 similar yellow field, but the dark lines were less dis- 
 tinct. 
 
 93 
 
MILD DISCIPLINE. 
 
 "Foster is a sick man, we regret to see. His mal- 
 ady is growing upon him. Brothers of the council, 
 what think you should be done?" 
 
 All were silent; then Restling spoke: "We are 
 sorry, dear friends, for this brother, but shall we go 
 to the extent of asking him to withdraw from work 
 he has undertaken? He is able and skilful, and a 
 while since the district was entirely content. Would 
 it not be wise for us to send one to him who will 
 apprise him of our sorrow at the change that has 
 come upon him ? Will not he recognize the power of 
 the Royal Law and yield to its admonition? I 
 think he will." 
 
 "Well spoken," said Marcus. "Have any others 
 of our company a word to say?" 
 
 Several spoke to the effect that the suggestion of 
 Archbold was appropriate, and they knew no better 
 course. 
 
 "Well, then, Walter, as you live in the neighbor- 
 ing district, will you see Foster? Convey our lov- 
 ing regard to him, and assure him of our confidence 
 in his ability to overcome the weakness that has af- 
 fected his spirit. You know well how to express the 
 mind of the Great Master, and I little doubt that the 
 word in season will set him right." 
 
 "Certainly, my dear elder," replied the one ad- 
 dressed, "I shall be pleased to undertake this mis- 
 sion." 
 
 94 
 
Hereupon the meeting ended, and after a general 
 handshaking and exchanges of parting wishes the 
 councillors separated in the open space before the 
 entrance of the assembly hall. Those who lived at 
 a distance rode away on their goalones, while a few 
 departed on foot. 
 
 Returning with Bruce, I asked many questions 
 that were suggested by the proceedings to which I 
 had listened. Finally I ventured : 
 
 "What is the nature of the trouble in the case of 
 Foster? I could not gather it from the remarks 
 made in the meeting." 
 
 "These things, Malcolm, are not freely discussed 
 by us, in detail. It is sufficient to know their bear- 
 ing and effect, especially upon the person himself. 
 Our rule is to say as little as possible of things that 
 are discreditable in the conduct of one." 
 
 "To his faults a little blind, eh, Jasper?" 
 
 "Yes, that's it, in a good measure. So, too, we 
 do not wait until one is dead before we speak well of 
 him or her. But some explanation of Foster's case 
 is due to you. He has been showing a disposition to 
 misrepresent in certain of his dealings. His plate 
 disclosed a spirit having a tendency to covetousness 
 and over-selfishness, I regret to say, and in the ex- 
 changes of his department there have been instances 
 of personal unfairness that have caused protest on 
 the part of people concerned, but to which he has 
 given little regard." 
 
 "Marcus termed it a sort of sickness, did he not?" 
 95 
 
"Yes, a mental sickness, that may become worse if 
 not treated promptly." 
 
 "You Oudemonites seem to look upon that chem- 
 ical breath test as quite infallible, Jasper?" 
 
 "And with reason, my dear skeptic, of Northern 
 notions, for it has been in use with us for many 
 years, and its truth demonstrated in every case with 
 an accurate solution. It holds the mirror up to na- 
 ture. You may travel all through our country and 
 not find a single grown-up man or woman who 
 doubts its virtue. Of course I except the few peo- 
 ple of unsound mind among us." 
 
 "You have, then, some crazy ones ?" 
 
 "Yes, a very few such unfortunates. The man 
 who seriously discredits the breath test we consider 
 mentally unsound, or dishonest, which is much the 
 same in effect." 
 
 "By that standard, Jasper, I fear that your coun- 
 cil board would adjudge most of us Northerners in 
 the category of the daft. But what do you with 
 your insane?" 
 
 "The very few we have are cared for by their dis- 
 trict. We have no fixed place, no asylum, such as 
 yours. Usually their relatives maintain them or 
 families in succession take turns in keeping them, so 
 that the burden is distributed. It is a voluntary 
 service, however, and not regarded as a hardship to 
 provide for the unfortunate victim of mind loss." 
 
 "Then your dements cannot be violent.' 
 
 "No, our habits are such that the so-called stron- 
 96 
 
ger, or passional faculties, are not aroused to that 
 stage which becomes excitement and turbulence on 
 occasion. It must be expected that some of our very- 
 old folk will show feebleness of sense as well as 
 weakness of muscle; but it will surprise you to see 
 men and women among us bordering upon a hun- 
 dred years who are not yet altogether unable to be 
 of service in some respect. Our elderly people are 
 our pride." 
 
 "Then you do admit, Jasper, one of the senti- 
 ments that 'pufifeth up,' according to the Episcopal 
 liturgy," I interposed, laughingly. 
 
 "Such a man, for instance, as our Councillor 
 Marcus." 
 
 "Oh, I confess that your pride in him is laudable; 
 but how old is he, pray?" 
 
 "Marcus was born in the year 1765 at Great 
 Barrington, Mass." 
 
 "Not possible, Jasper. I should not take him to 
 be over seventy-five at the most. There is not the 
 slightest intimation of decline in his mental fiber. 
 Certainly a rare mind. I must see others of your 
 patriarchs after this Nestor." 
 
 COMMUNISM OF LABOR. 
 
 On our road we passed a group of boys and girls 
 engaged with rakes, hoes and other implements in 
 improving the condition of the pavement and side 
 paths. They were evidently enjoying the work, and 
 
 97 
 
doing it with so much zest that I asked Bruce to 
 stop and permit me to have a Httle chat with them. 
 Going on, he said: "Our children, old and young, 
 but strong enough, have an active share, you see, in 
 our community. That is a detail from one of the 
 schools of this district. Every day, at a certain 
 hour, so many are designated for this service — to 
 do light duty on the roads. There is a sort of road 
 commission in every district that attends to the 
 general matter of road making and the heavier 
 Vk^ork ; but after a road has been constructed by men, 
 the children have little trouble to keep it in fair 
 order. Our wagons are not heavy, and we have 
 no horses to stamp holes in them, and even in our 
 rainy season there does not come often so severe a 
 downpour as to wash them out. Over there you 
 can see, Malcolm, one of our veterans trimming a 
 hedge of laurel. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "He is one of our oldest, yet an excellent gardener 
 and able to perform a morning's work." 
 
 The aged man was whistling cheerily as he plied 
 the shears; and when we passed near enough to 
 attract his attention he waved a hand in salutation. 
 
 "Your community or country, Jasper," I said, in 
 continuance of the conversation, "has about four 
 hundred and fifty or four hundred and sixty thou- 
 sand, the development of little over a century, as I 
 am informed. Such a growth seems remarkable 
 from so small a beginning as yours was. Your 
 
 98 
 
families must average a larger number of children 
 than ours for such a result." 
 
 "Like all new colonies, my young economist, our 
 families were larger in the early years of the settle- 
 ment, but now the average does not exceed three 
 children. But we are a marrying people, believing 
 earnestly in wedlock and domestic life as funda- 
 mental to a well-ordered social polity, and contribu- 
 ting to the best individual and community welfare. 
 When our young folks attain full maturity of body 
 and mind, we do not hurry their development as 
 your social practices do — they expect to form alli- 
 ances for life, and do so, with few exceptions. On 
 this topic of our domestic relations, I should prefer, 
 Malcolm, that you would confer with some of our 
 women. They will be glad, I know, to tender you 
 all the information you would ask. They do not 
 affect prudishness, and have no finical notions of 
 shame-facedness that interfere with duty and hu- 
 manity. From childhood they are instructed in 
 every propriety and need of their organisms ; and so 
 are the boys in regard to themselves. Little dif- 
 ference is made in the general education of our boys 
 and girls. We believe with the philosopher, Emer- 
 son, that 'the virtues are natural to us and not a 
 painful acquisition;' and by the early inculcation of 
 proper habits, and the influence of healthful example 
 our children, as a rule, grow up in love of truth, 
 order and purity. You will see among them an un- 
 conscious innocence of evil thought, and yet, because 
 
 99 
 
of careful instruction by parent and teacher, they are 
 wise about things your people keep from their young 
 children lest they should be corrupted by adopt- 
 ing vicious habits. Our teachers believe that the 
 way to make good men and women is to establish 
 good habits in children as early as may be, and that 
 it is more in agreement with human nature for chil- 
 dren to obey normal, healthful instincts than do 
 what is harmful and improper. If they have no 
 corrupt teaching, no bad examples set them by asso- 
 ciates, they are likely to act spontaneously in accord- 
 ance with what is right and pure. Their motives 
 will be innocent of moral perversion, at any rate, 
 and their conduct need only the guidance of the ex- 
 perienced parent or teacher to become habitually 
 impressed with good intentions." 
 
 I had listened closely to this discourse which the 
 excellent man set forth with an earnestness of man- 
 ner that compelled respect, but here interrupted him : 
 
 "All this, Jasper, is exceedingly interesting to 
 me, and I am not inclined to express any personal 
 objection ; but some of our doctrinarians in psychol- 
 ogy would try to indicate certain fallacies in your 
 statement, on the score of parental impression, or 
 what is termed the persistence of acquired habit. 
 They are not all agreed, however, on this point, by 
 any means. From my own observations, not very 
 extensive, it must be admitted, I am inclined to 
 think that your views are well founded. Nature 
 with us Northerners does not have a fair chance in 
 
 ICO 
 
the development of children ; they are hedged in, es- 
 pecially as regards our city life, with too many arti- 
 ficial limitations; I cannot help rejoicing in the 
 happy successes of your methods." 
 
 We were now entering the grounds of my host ; 
 Stella was upon the broad veranda and ran out to 
 us, giving one hand to her father and the other to 
 me as we alighted. 
 
 "Dinner is all ready, father Bruce and cousin Mal- 
 colm," she cried ; "come right in." 
 
 So it would appear that I had been already adopt- 
 ed into relationship with the Oudemonites. We fol- 
 lowed the girl in, and sat down to the inviting re- 
 past. 
 
 lOI 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AN EXCURSION WITH THE YOUNG FOLKS. 
 
 My four-pawed valet brought me a slip of paper 
 on which was written: "Perhaps our friend Mal- 
 colm would like to go with a party of us young folks 
 up to Lake Dorad this afternoon, at two of his time, 
 fourteen of ours. If so, will he be at the great tulip 
 tree then? Willis is going, and mother. Stella." 
 
 Fourteen hours (o'clock) found me at the tree des- 
 ignated, in the midst of a company of lively young 
 people. I was armed, like most of the others, with 
 a light, steel-pointed rod about three feet long; at 
 least, the metal looked like steel well polished. Some 
 had covered kettles of bright metal, also. We set 
 off on foot, pursuing a northeasterly direction, and 
 after a tramp of nearly four miles, most agreeably 
 varied by the merry talk and song of the girls and 
 boys, we arrived at the beautiful sheet of water, the 
 bottom of which shone with a yellowish sand and 
 suggested its name. There were small boats lying 
 inshore, and I assumed that the pointed rods we car- 
 ried were for fishing purposes. But no; plunging 
 Into a belt of forest, their use became very soon man- 
 ifest. One of the boys beckoned to me and cried : 
 "Malcolm, I will show you how." I followed him 
 
 1 02 
 
to a tall tree with a thick, soft-looking bark and 
 broad, fleshy leaves of great length. Scratching the 
 bark cross-wise with the point, a milk-like sap soon 
 began to ooze out. Taking my rod he drove it into 
 the stem a little above the scratches and then hung 
 his kettle so that it would catch the falling sap. In 
 a few minutes the exudation had increased to a little 
 stream. 
 
 "Tree milk, Malcolm; it is becoming best now. 
 Later it is thicker, but makes good jelly and gum. 
 Try it, if you please," handing me a spoon. The 
 taste was pleasant, much like goat's milk but thicker 
 in consistency, would bear thinning with water to 
 double the quantity, and be an excellent accompani- 
 ment for bread and cakes; its nutritive value ap- 
 peared to be higher than our cow's milk. Leaving 
 "my tree," I joined others in the quest of the maca- 
 ruba, as they called it; and when all the pails were 
 in place we took to the boats and paddled on the 
 transparent water. In the golden depths many fishes 
 were visible, darting to and fro or lazily suspended 
 in mid-element. They did not appear to be timid or 
 disturbed by our presence, but moved about in evi- 
 dent unconcern, displaying their graceful forms to 
 advantage in the sunshine. The lake was a favorite 
 resort for the people of the neighboring districts. 
 In the woodland surrounding it there were numer- 
 ous pavilions and benches, and the ground surface, 
 clear of underbrush, was carpeted with a thick, low- 
 growing sod. Here and there, along the margin of 
 
 103 
 
the water, graceful palms swept low, and laurels 
 and crotons lent their variety to beautify the scene. 
 Hundreds of birds sprang about in the branches, 
 twittering and singing in every key. They, too, 
 like the fishes, betrayed no fear of us, and gave 
 abundant opportunity to study their plumage and 
 form. Allured by the beauty of the grove, I strolled 
 off by myself, culling here and there a flower, study- 
 ing for a little a tree or plant new and strange, or 
 listening to the notes of a bird in a neighboring 
 bush. 
 
 The innocent naturalness of these young folks 
 had an unexpected illustration here ; for while saun- 
 tering about I chanced upon a little maid of ten or 
 eleven years readjusting her hose, which had slipped 
 from its attachment. My appearance did not even 
 startle her. Looking up smilingly, she continued 
 pulling at the disorderly stocking, with her light 
 skirt drawn high up about her waist, and the white, 
 rounded limb in full exposure. Of course, I smiled, 
 in response to her, and passed on, the incident sug- 
 gesting some reflections upon the beautiful confi- 
 dence shown by a pure young heart in a stranger; 
 and yet in the light of what Bruce had told me of 
 their mode of training and habits the girl's conduct 
 was only what was to be expected. She had with- 
 drawn from her young associates to correct the dis- 
 orderly part of her dress, a proper act and prompted 
 by her judgment. Toward me, who had chanced 
 upon her retreat in the midst of "putting herself to 
 
 104 
 
rights," she doubtless felt for the moment as if in 
 the presence of her father. 
 
 IN nature's walks. 
 
 Outside the circle of woodland I noted cultivated 
 tracts extending radially, not arranged in the for- 
 mal geometric manner of our fruit and grain fields, 
 but broken with groups of trees and parterres of 
 flowering plants and trellises of vine. There were 
 numerous brooks running to and from the lake, with 
 light bridges of the rustic sort, in many cases so en- 
 meshed with vines that the framework was shroud- 
 ed from view. Here were fruit palms, fig trees, 
 banana circles, laurel pears, the custard apple, cher- 
 ries, guava nut, vanilla and cinnamon shrubs, with 
 their variety of foliage, besides myrtle, cactus and 
 water plants laden with bloom, and breathing around 
 rich perfume. Several patches of magueys enlisted 
 close attention, so large were they ; the great, flower- 
 ing stems promising a later maturity of remarkable 
 richness. This Dorado park seemed to me an ideal 
 realized of what a small park should be, beautiful in 
 its arrangement and useful in many ways far be- 
 yond any public ground or garden I had seen in my 
 own or foreign countries. Every section or district 
 in Oudemon had such a park, which served not only 
 as a place of semi-wild recreation for the people, but 
 as a field for horticultural and arboreal experiment. 
 
 Stella, Willis and mother Bruce, or Milline, as I 
 should say, gave me not a little data regarding the 
 
 105 
 
trees, plants and vines, being highly pleased by my 
 enthusiastic interest. One crescentic bed of a shrub- 
 by growth that reminded me of the coffee plants I 
 had seen on my route through Peru, they told me, 
 produced the berry of which their common breakfast 
 drink was prepared. It was an improved species of 
 coffee, not unlike the coffee of our Northern tables 
 in appearance ; but it had no narcotic element, was a 
 pleasant, exhilarating beverage with a delightful aro- 
 matic flavor. In combination with the wheat bis- 
 cuit, corn muffins, bread fruit, guava or fig sauce 
 usually on the table this made the morning repast all 
 that I desired. The variety of vegetable, nut and 
 fruit products, as spread in these experimental beds, 
 seemed unlimited. 
 
 "I do not wonder that you Oudemonians are not 
 given to flesh eating," was my remark as my eyes 
 glanced over these prolific fields. "You are so 
 richly supplied with the most nutritive of food ma- 
 terial that animal stuff must seem not only unneces- 
 sary but poor in comparison." 
 
 "Yes," said Milline, "very few of us have a dis- 
 position to touch animal food. There are some who 
 still harbor the old hunting spirit of their Scottish 
 or Canadian ancestors; they indulge it by catching 
 fish occasionally and eating them. Some of us, too, 
 have a fancy for fowls, mainly for their eggs. But 
 I believe that in another generation there will 
 scarcely be found one in our country whose practice 
 will not be essentially that of the vegetarian." 
 
 1 06 
 
"If I should live with you, Milline, be sure that 
 my carnivorous instinct would shrivel up in a month 
 or two, and I should become one of your most de- 
 voted plant eaters." 
 
 I was permitted, nay encouraged, to pluck such 
 flow^ers as struck my fancy, and I made up a con- 
 siderable bunch of orange and shell flow^ers, min- 
 gling them for color with two or three species of 
 pink, blue and crimson geraniums that I had never 
 before seen, 'My example was imitated by many of 
 the young people, and the care and taste they ex- 
 hibited in taking the blossoms from the plants elicit- 
 ed my open approval. There was no reckless tramp- 
 ling upon the neatly raked beds, or rough tearing 
 from the stem the specimens desired. My compli- 
 mentary reference to their discretion, however, 
 seemed lost upon them. 
 
 One of the party blew a soft, flute-like note three 
 or four times — evidently a signal — and Willis said : 
 
 "Mother Milline, it is time to set about return- 
 ing. I was just thinking that it must be nearly sev- 
 enteen hours. You see the sun is dropping on the 
 ridge." 
 
 We w^ent to our macarubas and found the pails 
 nearly full. After taking dow^n the scratchers a lit- 
 tle pressure wuth their smooth butts against the soft 
 bark quite closed the cuts and stopped the flowing 
 juice. So, laden with the spoil of our outing, we 
 returned a merry, jocund group, to our different 
 homes. 
 
 107 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A CHARMING ACQUAINTANCE. 
 
 While dressing next morning I heard voices in 
 the court below, and glancing through a window 
 saw a tall and graceful young woman in lively chat 
 with Stella and Willis. The latter looked up and 
 caught me still at my window, and called : "Come 
 down, Malcolm, soon ; I think you will like to know 
 our Ellice, She is waiting to see you." Quickly 
 looking up, the visitor saw me there tying my neck 
 scarf, and smiled. The window was wide open, and 
 being low my deshabille of trousers and neglige shirt 
 was visible in part. I had, in fact, adopted for the 
 most the dress of the men around me, as best suited 
 to the mellow climate, and comfort and vanity 
 aside, I was quite convinced, after a little trial and 
 the approval of Stella, that my personal appearance 
 suffered no deterioration by the comfortable change. 
 Finishing my dressing in a few minutes, I went 
 down into the court. 
 
 "I am right glad to meet you, Malcolm," said the 
 newcomer, and I responded : "Thanking you. Mile. 
 Ellice, I heartily say 'A happy meeting.' " 
 
 At the breakfast table Bruce remarked : 
 
 "I learn from our folks, Malcolm, that you are 
 fond of flowers, plants, and so on ?" 
 
 io8 
 
"Certainly I am, mine host much respected, al- 
 though there has been little time at home for their 
 cultivation. To have a conservatory at some time 
 has been one of my ambitions. But since I have seen 
 what you have of garden and park my hopes have 
 sunk, for anything like the enchanting specimens 
 here would be the despair of our florists." 
 
 "Very complimentary to those of Oudemon; yet 
 with our climate and soil we should do well. I was 
 going to say that our Ellice is quite a scholar in the 
 botany of the country ; she has explored a good part 
 of it herself, and prepared a large herbarium which 
 it would please you to see." 
 
 The young woman thus mentioned added : "If 
 you will come to our house this afternoon, Malcolm, 
 I will show you my preparations. In the morning 
 I am at the school." 
 
 I bowed my acknowledgments with "Certainly, 
 I should be delighted." 
 
 "Ellice teaches the nature and uses of plants and 
 vegetables to the children," said mother Bruce. 
 
 "I infer that you include their food values, and 
 also their applications in a medicinal sense. Madam 
 Bruce. By the way, I suppose you have lady doc- 
 tors as well as ourselves?" 
 
 Milline looked at me almost benevolently. "Well, 
 ]\IaIcolm, we have not much use for doctors, as you 
 know them. Our people live so naturally " 
 
 "And intelligently," I interrupted with a depre- 
 cating gesture. 
 
 109 
 
" As you please, my good boy — that we do 
 
 not require the attention of one highly skilled in 
 so called medical remedies often. Our families 
 generally know the virtues of those plants consid- 
 ered valuable in sickness, and such little ailments as 
 may afifect us are easily managed. But we have 
 chemists and earnest students who are well informed 
 on many points of the physician's business, and in 
 accidents of a serious nature, or emergencies, when 
 they occur, we apply to them." 
 
 "Then accidents are rare among you ? Your sim- 
 ple, regular ways, your entire lack of the rush and 
 whirl of advanced civilization, no railways gridiron- 
 ing your fields and roads, no runaway horses or 
 surly dogs, no uncertain-tempered men with oppor- 
 tunities to become frenzied with poisonous drinks, 
 no steam pipes in your walls to burst and mangle 
 your bodies, no electric maze of wire to threaten 
 you with sudden death or life-long paralysis. What 
 a blessed absence of risk to life and limb! But ac- 
 cidents occur in the best-regulated society, after all ; 
 what then, let me insist, dear hostess?" 
 
 "Yes, it was about two years ago, was it not, hus- 
 band Jasper, that Leslie Scott was injured by the 
 falling of a stone when they were building the tower 
 in district eighteen?" 
 
 "Yes ; an oversight on his part in leveling. The 
 stone fell from the wall and fractured his knee. He 
 has carried a stiff joint ever since. Accidents, how- 
 ever, as our Milline tells you, Malcolm, are rare, and 
 
 no 
 
by reason of our uncomplicated life and deliberate 
 habits. I suppose that you would be disposed to 
 nudge our would-be doctors and surgeons on the 
 score of lacking practice, but they study your treat- 
 ises and try to be ready for the unexpected." 
 
 "And I've no doubt they are as successful in their 
 treatment of the unexpected as our doctors are." 
 
 Turning to my newest acquaintance, I said : 
 
 "Mile. Preceptor, I shall be at your house this 
 afternoon at the fourteenth, fifteenth or sixteenth 
 hour, as you may name." 
 
 "Let me call for you as I pass. Monsieur Mal- 
 colm?" 
 
 Nearly three delightful hours were spent with the 
 young botanist. Claiming no skill in such a line, I 
 knew enough regarding flowers to appreciate her 
 sprightly description of the many species in her col- 
 lection, and in answer to questions regarding plants 
 like the rose, gladiolus, caladium, begonia, chrysan- 
 themum, as grown in the North, found myself able 
 to give her points she desired to obtain. At the end 
 I took supper with the Denton family. It was a 
 goodly tableful — ten persons, old and young, and 
 all related. Ellice was the third in order of five chil- 
 dren, four of whom were yet at home ; a brother two 
 years older, married but a few years, was living in 
 the family of his father-in-law, as was the common 
 practice, until circumstances favored the establish- 
 ment of an independent abode. Percy Denton, 
 younger by tliree years than Ellice, interested me 
 
 III 
 
with some account of the family relations of the dis- 
 trict and the social usages. In a gentle, bantering 
 vein he referred to his sister's spinsterhood as a con- 
 dition not so much of her own particular choice as 
 ''one of uncertainty, after the manner of classic 
 Penelope." We all laughed merrily, Ellice joining, 
 with a cheek flushing slightly. Taking up the broth- 
 er's allusion, I ventured: 
 
 "May not the young lady's dilemma be that of 
 the filial Antigone, rather than that of the perplexed 
 semi-widow of the Trojan warrior?" and was re- 
 warded by a sweet smile from the girl. 
 
 "Daughter is old enough, if I remember her age," 
 observed Denton senior, "but I'm half disposed to 
 think there's some fairy prince in the woods she 
 meets when out on her supposed collecting excur- 
 sions." 
 
 "Yes, dear father mine," returned the girl, in the 
 same humor, "don't be at all surprised when I bring 
 him home some day." Looking at me as she said 
 this, her lively features aglow with the frank ex- 
 pression of hearty, complete womanhood, I could 
 not but confess to a thrill of pleasure quite unusual. 
 Symmetrical and full in development, clear and 
 fresh in complexion, with large brown eyes under a 
 fringe of rich brown lashes, a wealth of soft wavy 
 hair in which there was just enough of auburn to 
 imprint a glow, and full red lips that suggested a 
 readiness of response to tenderness and affection, 
 Ellice was indeed a charming type of the perfect 
 
 112 
 
Avoman, every way desirable for the wife and com- 
 panion of a noble, cultured man. Such reflections 
 coursed unbidden in my mind, and were probably 
 expressed in the prolonged gaze that I could not 
 help, for a smile parted her lips, revealing the per- 
 fect teeth, and her eyes dropped as if to consider the 
 marmalade and biscuit upon the plate before her. 
 
 "3 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 
 
 The good fellowship existing among the children 
 of Oudemon was not lost w4th their growth into 
 maturity. Encouraged to believe in equality of 
 right and privilege in tender years, both sexes ad- 
 vanced toward manhood and womanhood wath feel- 
 ing and convictions of mutual sincerity and respect. 
 The women were robust and vigorous in body, as 
 similar opportunity was given for their education 
 and culture physically, and their natural readiness 
 made them very nearly the peers of the men intel- 
 lectually. 
 
 The father of a family was recognized as its nat- 
 ural head, yet so much deference was given the 
 mother that it was difficult for me to decide whose 
 opinion was really paramount. There was no bald 
 exhibition of authority or mastership in administer- 
 ing home affairs; sympathy, affection, forbearance 
 seemed the ever-present influences and character- 
 ized the policy or usage generally observed in the 
 affairs of the community at large. Indeed, it ap- 
 peared to me that the aggregate population ex- 
 pressed, with an emphasis, the prevailing sentiment 
 of the family. At first I took it for granted that 
 
 114 
 
these people in my presence were "on their good be- 
 havior," and things were too nice to last, but it soon 
 became apparent that their conduct was the natural 
 outcome of established habit, the unaffected obedi- 
 ence to normal sentiments that were ingrown with 
 their development. I was witness to discussions 
 where opinions differed and warmth of manner was 
 displayed; yet the majesty of their "Royal Law" 
 overruled the exhibition of temper. In the council, 
 as Bruce had said, a vote upon any matter or "show 
 of hands" was rare, but if it were taken the minority 
 at once consented to the result, as the wiser course. 
 
 "We try to do the best with what light we have," 
 ventured Marcus to me at the close of a meeting 
 when more than usual feeling had been manifested 
 by one or two members, "but human nature in its 
 best estate is human, you know, Malcolm, and mis- 
 takes are made." 
 
 "What, then, my venerable friend?" 
 
 "We set about correcting them as far as possible. 
 Just as the operation of a bad law will instruct your 
 legislators in regard to what is required, so we can 
 learn from our mistakes what could scarcely be ob- 
 tained in any other way." 
 
 The hearty, generous naturalness of these people 
 was illustrated at times in a way that proved a little 
 embarrassing to a man with Northern notions of 
 etiquette. Although possessing a good constitution, 
 I had a rather sensitive stomach, which sometimes 
 gave me not a little pain. The change of diet ex- 
 
 115 
 
perienced on entering Oudemon and embracing its 
 life, despite the excellence of the food, brought on 
 occasional attacks of a colicky nature during the first 
 two or three weeks. The fruits served at table and 
 for lunch when out on excursions were too tempt- 
 ing, and I did not exercise sufficient discretion in 
 eating things that were new to my palate. The dis- 
 turbances came on at night, usually, and made sleep 
 for the time impossible. I had brought some reme- 
 dies for such troubles in my valise, and managed to 
 treat myself with a degree of success. At home 
 two or three severe experiences had suggested possi- 
 ble trouble in that superfluous part of the human in- 
 testinal economy called the appendix, and I had for a 
 year meditated consulting a surgeon. One night 
 following a long excursion with the Bruces, father 
 and son, I had scarcely fallen asleep when I was 
 seized with so keen a pain that in my half- waking 
 state I must have groaned unconsciously aloud. The 
 next minute a light tapping was heard at the door- 
 way of my room. 
 
 "Yes," I said. 
 
 "May I come in?" It was Willis who pushed aside 
 the light hangings, and came to the bed, where I sat 
 up, rubbing the painful side. 
 
 "You are suffering, Malcolm. I will send moth- 
 er to you." Before I could interpose an objection 
 he was out of the room, and soon returned with Mil- 
 line, clothed in a loose garment of dainty fashion, 
 evidently her bed costume, following him. 
 
 ii6 
 
"Oh, I am sorry," exclaimed I, with some vehe- 
 mence, "that you have got up, Mrs. — MilHne. I can 
 manage it. Only a colic. Too many nuts and tam- 
 arinds! — and I overate at supper; I was very hun- 
 gry." 
 
 "But, Malcolm, you are in great pain. I know it 
 by your breathing and posture," replied the excellent 
 woman. "Lie down now, and let me see wliat is 
 the matter." This so soothingly and gently that I 
 stretched myself upon the bed — perhaps a little re- 
 gardless of appearances, for the pain was intense. 
 
 "In my satchel you will find two or three bottles ; 
 please to bring them to me," I muttered between 
 gasps. 
 
 Seating herself by the bed, this dear woman com- 
 menced to rub my abdomen with great tenderness, 
 saying: "Willis, you know the herb bags in the 
 dark pantry ; bring me No. 6 and some hot water as 
 soon as you can, and the elastic syringe. This might 
 prove serious, if permitted to go on. My grand- 
 father had similar spells. Now let me do what I 
 can for you, my boy." 
 
 My bowels seemed tied up in a knot, and quiv- 
 ered as the agonizing twinges swept through them. 
 IMilline kept at work with her gentle hands, sweep- 
 ing along the corded lines, meanwhile talking to me 
 like a fond mother to a son. Willis came in seven 
 or eight minutes with the articles required, and at 
 Milline's direction placed a large handful of leaves 
 from the bag in a soft towel, folded it and steeped 
 
 "7 
 
the cushion-like mass in the hot water. Now came 
 the especially embarrassing part to me. Milline had 
 been manipulating my abdomen over my night wrap ; 
 but taking the steaming cushion from Willis she 
 deftly uncovered my right side and laid it snugly 
 upon the painful part, and over the compress ad- 
 justed a dry napkin. Then, covering me with the 
 bed spread, she said : 
 
 "Now, Malcolm, boy, I think you will feel bet- 
 ter in a little while. If not, please speak, won't 
 you ? and we will try something more. You are our 
 friend and we must do all we can to make you well. 
 When you get up to-morrow morning use the 
 syringe. The water in the pitcher will do. You 
 know how ?" 
 
 "Yes, my dear Milline thank you." I had suf- 
 fered so much that in the reaction that followed the 
 almost instant relief of the fomentation some tears 
 would force themselves to my cheek. Milline saw 
 them, for, with a most tender expression on her face, 
 she touched her lips to my forehead and then left 
 the room. 
 
 Soothed by this most unlooked-for treatment, the 
 sweet aroma of the damp leaves pervading the room, 
 I fell into a deep sleep, and on awaking in the broad 
 light of morning found Willis and Stella at my bed- 
 side. 
 
 "You are better, Malcolm," both exclaimed as I 
 opened my eyes. 
 
 ii8 
 
"Yes, quite restored, cousins, thanks to your angel 
 mother." 
 
 "Oh, mother knows how to manage such things, 
 I can tell you," quoth Willis. "Now you will take 
 the other treatment she advised, of course" — the 
 young fellow detected an expression of dissent in my 
 face — "you must complete the treatment. You can 
 give me the towels to take down. If you want I 
 will rub you." 
 
 "Very kind of you, my dear boy, but I feel quite 
 myself; that compress was magical. Mother Mil- 
 line must give me some of the leaves or tell me 
 where to find them." 
 
 "Certainly, cousin Malcolm, we know where they 
 grow, for Stella and I collect them." 
 
 "Well, now, I will use the syringe, and dress, and 
 be down with you soon." 
 
 "Don't hurry yourself, Malcolm, it isn't late," 
 and Stella danced out of the room, Willis follow- 
 ing. The charming confidence of these young peo- 
 ple in the wisdom of their mother, evidenced by their 
 insistence upon my following her suggestion, sim- 
 ple enough in itself, affected me deeply. 
 
 119 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 AN EMBARRASSING EMERGENCY, 
 
 Another instance that tested my Northern 
 squeamishness even more occurred on an excursion 
 with Ellice. Presuming that the male reader, like 
 myself, is of old British stock, he will appreciate 
 the difference in the circumstances between a mother 
 of well-grown children and a charming young wom- 
 an yet unmarried. Ellice and I had taken a run on 
 my goalone, about fifteen miles, into a lower district 
 abounding with streams. The flower-richness of 
 the region seemed even greater than I had noted in 
 other districts, and wild plants were more common. 
 ElHce was attired in her tramping costume, resem- 
 bling in pattern the tourist dress of our athletic la- 
 dies; for instance, a loose waist of soft yellow, 
 trimmed with olive ribbon, a short skirt of silvery 
 gray, semi-Turkish leggings of darker gray clasp- 
 ing the ankles in graceful folds and shoes of yellow 
 canvas, in the moccasin style, well fitting her strong 
 yet by no means large feet. 
 
 The tout ensemble was very becoming and per- 
 fectly suitable for the purpose in view. I should say 
 that the men of Oudemon were old-fashioned, in 
 that they generally wore short trousers belted or 
 
 1 20 
 
buckled under the knee, with long stockings and 
 moccasins, and while in the country I preferred the 
 costume myself, wearing an outfit given me by Wil- 
 lis soon after my arrival. The trousers and blouse 
 were of mixed pattern, in which gray and blue were 
 the dominant colors, with slight splashes of maroon. 
 The moccasins were a dark tan, with straps that se- 
 cured them firmly to the feet by means of "bronze" 
 buckles ; that is, the bronze made by the metal work- 
 ers of the country. Being of good height and fairly 
 proportioned, I did not consider myself an ill-look- 
 ing fellow in the new garments. Made by an Oude- 
 mon tailoress, the fit was admirable. The fabric, 
 strong and light in weight, possessed a singular elas- 
 ticity that rendered every movement perfectly free ; 
 bending or stooping there was no feeling of the 
 slightest restraint. 
 
 Leaving our vehicle by a clump of laurel, we 
 pushed into a meadow thick with grasses and flow- 
 ers, seeking a plant of which Ellice desired further 
 specimens. Coming to a brook about fifteen feet 
 wide, my companion saw on the farther side what 
 seemed to be an example of the species. 
 
 "Malcolm, there it is, I believe — and in the bud, 
 as I want it. We'll cross." 
 
 "There is no bridge hereabouts that I can see, 
 Ellice, and the water is quite deep." 
 
 "Perhaps we can get over easily a little above," 
 the girl rejoined, and directed her steps upstream. 
 I followed. Going some forty yards, we came to a 
 
 121 
 
point where the brook widened and ran over a shal- 
 low, gravelly bed. Here it was not more than a foot 
 deep, seemingly, anywhere. 
 
 "We can cross now, Malcolm, without any trou- 
 ble." Dropping the reed basket she carried, the girl 
 began to remove her shoes. Of course I followed 
 the example, although sensitive about showing my 
 feet to a lady. However, it was mere reciprocity. 
 The shoes off, the stockings followed, and then the 
 leggings were tucked up close to the knee, display- 
 ing, to my sidelong look, a pair of ankles that would 
 be the pride of most of our city belles. I will con- 
 fess that my movements were slower than hers ; yet 
 I was soon by her side, with my knickers pushed 
 above the knee. Springing into the rippling water, 
 she led the way, and we were soon at the spot where 
 the plant was growing. After examining it with 
 some comment it was gathered, and the vicinity 
 scanned for other specimens, but none of this par- 
 ticular sort were to be found. Recrossing, I took 
 the lead, and was about to step upon the bank when 
 an exclamation of surprise or pain caused me to 
 turn quickly. 
 
 Leaping upon the bank by my side, she pointed to 
 her right leg. "Something has bitten me there, 
 Malcolm." A few inches above the ankle, where the 
 limb expands with its muscular fulness, was a leech- 
 like creature. Stooping down, I snapped it off with 
 my thumb. 
 
 "I wonder if it is poisonous, Malcolm. I have 
 
 122 
 
heard that there were such things — ones that could 
 do harm," 
 
 Crushing the animal into the dry gravel with the 
 rod I carried, I said : 
 
 "Ellice, girl, what shall I do? Can it really be 
 serious ?'* 
 
 She w^as pale and made no answer. Evidently 
 there was something serious in this affair. Taking 
 her by the hand, we walked to a cluster of low 
 palms, where there was a little hillock in their 
 shade, and she sat down. 
 
 "Let me examine the wound, Ellice. I have read 
 of such things." 
 
 She stretched out the foot. "Look and see if 
 there is a livid ring circling the bite." 
 
 I knelt down and looked closely and saw, amid 
 the pink surrounding, a blue circle with a small 
 black dot in the centre. 
 
 "There is." 
 
 "Then it must be the poison viper. Let us get 
 
 back as soon as we can, for " The words failed 
 
 her, yet as I gazed, trembling myself, at her, she 
 smiled sweetly as if her words were half in jest. 
 
 "Is there not something I can do at once — some 
 herb or leaf I can apply. Surely, dear Ellice, you 
 are so skilful in these things." 
 
 She was evidently growing faint, for her answer 
 came in a very low tone. "It is so long since any 
 one was stung. I never knew any one who was. 
 We thought the mongosta had destroyed all these 
 
 123 
 
poisonous things long ago. I am feeling weak, 
 Malcolm." 
 
 "I am so sorry. Oh, what can I do?" I really- 
 felt quite unmanned. All my usual coolness seemed 
 to have left me. But here was a most desperate 
 strait. I would pick her up and carry her to the go- 
 alone. But it would be more than a good hour's 
 ride to her home. Then it occurred to me that life 
 had been saved by sucking the poison of a snake 
 bite, and in as cheerful a tone as could be assumed 
 I cried : "I know what to do, Ellice. Be hopeful, 
 for my sake." 
 
 Taking a cup from her basket, I rushed to the 
 brook, cleansed my mouth, filled the cup and re- 
 turned to the girl, knelt down and applied my lips 
 to the small wound. The touch to her warm flesh 
 caused a tremor that I felt, but she said nothing. 
 That there was something of great power in the 
 venom of that viper, or whatever it was, appeared 
 clearly enough from the pungent taste that I imme- 
 diately perceived. Repeatedly I rinsed my mouth 
 with the brook water and continued the effort to 
 extract the poison until the hot, acrid taste had dis- 
 appeared and the livid areola gave way to a more 
 natural hue. 
 
 One of the more valued presents of my mother 
 w^as a small silver flask, which I usually carried in a 
 side pocket, stocked with Jamaica rum, as a provi- 
 sion against recurrences of my stomach disorder. 
 There had been no trouble of the kind since the time 
 
 124 
 
when Mother Bruce ministered to my need, yet it 
 was deemed prudent to be provided against an at- 
 tack, especially when I was at a distance from home 
 and friends. With my handkerchief moistened 
 freely I bathed the site of the wound with the alco- 
 holic fluid, and bound the pocket convenience around 
 the leg. Now picking up her stockings, I turned to 
 Ellice. She lay back upon the hillock, with her eyes 
 closed, her lips parted in a smile of evident enjoy- 
 ment. I had been so absorbed in my extemporized 
 surgery that scarcely a glance was given to her face 
 until now. 
 
 "Ellice, may I help you to put on your stockings ? 
 And are you not feeling better?" 
 
 Starting into a sitting posture, her face coloring 
 richly, she said: "Oh, Malcolm, yes indeed, I am 
 much better. I was really frightened, but you have 
 saved me. We could scarcely have gotten home in 
 time." 
 
 Her hands trembled as she reached for the stock- 
 ings, and I saw that she was by no means the 
 strong, self-helpful woman of a little while before; 
 so, kneeling down again by those dainty feet, I as- 
 sisted her to resume stockings and moccasins. 
 
 "This is not the first time you have helped a wom- 
 an in this way, I am sure, Malcolm?" 
 
 "No, I have often done as much for mother when 
 dressing." 
 
 "Then you Americans do much as we do — and 
 
 125 
 
why not ? Does not the Royal Law command all to 
 help each other?" 
 
 "I don't know exactly what your Royal Law 
 commands, Ellice, but according to my ideas o£ 
 charity and common humanity men and women 
 should do all that is possible for each other in a sit- 
 uation of necessity." 
 
 "Most certainly, my dear friend; but we believe 
 not only in cases of necessity, but in all cases where 
 it is proper and acceptable we should help each 
 other." 
 
 "Then here is my arm, brave little woman, to help 
 you to the wagon," I responded, with a light laugh. 
 
 Leaning on me, she walked to our ready convey- 
 ance, and soon, with more speed than customary in 
 my trips, we were pushing over the road homeward. 
 On the way Ellice said little, and my own mind and 
 heart were full of reflections — thoughts at once ten- 
 der, apprehensive, solicitous, mingled with wonder- 
 ing as to the final outcome of this fairly tragic oc- 
 currence and its efifect upon my position in Oude- 
 mon. So I said but little myself. It was dawning 
 upon my conviction that this charming woman had 
 already taken a place in the inner recesses of my 
 soul, and while there was a feeling of deep pleasure 
 in such conviction, the gravity of this unexpected 
 and peculiar relation to her and her country offered 
 many suggestions that were both puzzling and vex- 
 atious to a sensitive man who had always prided 
 himself on living above suspicion. 
 
 126 
 
Percy Denton was trimming the shrubbery in 
 front of the house as we rode in. Jumping- to the 
 ground and offering my hand to Ellice, I said rather 
 peremptorily : 
 
 "Percy, where shall I find one of your doctors?" 
 
 He looked at me sharply. "Why, Malcolm?" 
 
 "Ellice was bitten by a' dangerous animal down 
 in the field, and should have the attention of a skil- 
 ful man at once." 
 
 "Sister, stay in the goalone," said the young man. 
 She had not alighted, but stood up with her hand in 
 mine. Now she sat down again upon the low cush- 
 ion, and Percy, handing the pruning knife to me, 
 added: "Perhaps you would like to try your hand 
 on these bushes, Malcolm," and stepped into the ve- 
 hicle and was off. 
 
 This seemed rather abrupt, but the young man's 
 concern for his sister warranted informal action; 
 and then, too, he might know more about such 
 things as bites and stings than myself. I was using 
 the pruner somewhat listlessly when Father Denton 
 came out, followed by his wife. Turning toward 
 them I waited, scarcely knowing what to say until 
 they were close to me. 
 
 "You have been unfortunate, Malcolm." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "My Helen was informed by Stella an hour or 
 more ago — she had received a thought from 
 Ellice; the girl can send — that she was hurt and 
 that you were doing all in your power for her, and 
 
 127 
 
later that she was feeling better. We knew that you 
 would return as soon as you could." 
 
 " 'Twas as you say, sir." I then gave an account 
 of the matter, and was still in converse with the 
 elderly pair when the brother and sister returned. In 
 answer to their earnest inquiry Ellice answered : 
 
 "Dear parents, I am much better, yet must own 
 to some remaining weakness. Our studious friend 
 Lewis applied the extract used in poisons, but we 
 think that Malcolm did so well for me that it cannot 
 be long before I shall be quite myself." 
 
 "Lewis thinks that the creature is one of those 
 things our early settlers found so deadly," added 
 Percy, "and which we supposed had been quite ex- 
 terminated. But father, mother, let us sit down. 
 Malcolm, I am sure, is weary enough." 
 
 Ellice had dropped upon a circular bench built 
 around the stem of a sweeping tulip, and we all took 
 seats on the same. 
 
 Breaking silence first, I said : "Your people must 
 have had very dangerous things here at one time, as 
 they have them still in the Amazon country — snakes, 
 insects, vermin of one kind or other; but the mode 
 of culture and improvements you have made every- 
 where have, of course, cleared the land of the pests." 
 
 I was apprehensive that there would be some fur- 
 ther reference to my part in the recent matter, and 
 sought by this remark to anticipate what might be 
 said. As there was no immediate rejoinder, I went 
 on: 
 
 128 
 
"With us, when one is bitten, or stung, or poi- 
 soned, it is the practice to use antiseptic remedies. 
 They are swallowed, or, what is considered better, 
 injected into the skin. We have antitoxics of vari- 
 ous names used as antidotes in the diseases and fev- 
 ers regarded malignant, and for affections of the 
 skin, and so on. These antitoxics are, for the most 
 part, extracts of the poisons or germs that cause the 
 diseases. It is claimed that by their use in certain 
 solutions or attenuations parasites that are hostile 
 to human health can be destroyed or so weakened 
 that men have a better chance to recover from sick- 
 ness and to keep well." 
 
 "We have heard of your methods," said father 
 Denton, "and some of our chemists have experi- 
 mented with what are called 'cultures.' The old 
 practice of inoculation, familiar enough to you, is 
 of an analogous nature. Our people early got the 
 idea that living simply and ordering things about 
 them in a decent fashion was the best way to avoid 
 sickness, and when sick to get well; and on this 
 line they have practiced, for the most part." 
 
 "And with most excellent results, friend Denton, 
 as I have already seen. You need no antitoxic, for 
 with your hygiene there seems to be no medium, as 
 the doctors term it, for poisonous germs to thrive 
 in. I have yet to see any low, marshy land or stag- 
 nant water in your country." 
 
 "No, Malcolm, our system of drainage and soil 
 improvement has effected a great change in the sur- 
 
 129 
 
face of the land. Our family groups are separated 
 enough — so that all have plenty of air to breathe and 
 room to think and work in." 
 
 "Taking the whole area into account," interposed 
 Percy, "we have but twenty-eight persons to the 
 square mile — is that not so, father?" 
 
 "About right, son." 
 
 NATURAL RESULTS OF PRUDENCE. 
 
 "But you don't mean to say, brother Denton," I 
 asked, "that your people are never sick ?" 
 
 "No, certainly," the elder replied, with a laugh. 
 "Some are not as strong as others, and then we 
 make mistakes, or are careless, and must suffer the 
 consequences; but serious illness is quite rare. The 
 more you know of our ways of life, the better you 
 will understand why our people keep in health and 
 live to a good age." 
 
 It came out clearly enough, as Denton predicted, 
 as the result of observation, that the Oudemonites 
 were sagacious in putting into practice maxims and 
 principles that civilized nations have for centuries 
 recognized as true, yet for the most part have not 
 adopted into their manners and customs. Here was 
 a people that lived "close to Nature's heart," it might 
 be said, supplied with a great variety of the prod- 
 ucts of garden, field and forest, yet their food was 
 prepared in simple form, the elaborate arts of the 
 Northern cook being quite ignored. The fries, 
 
 130 
 
sautes, ragouts and mixtures, with their inflamma- 
 tory additions of condiment and spice, were seen on 
 none of their tables. Cake and pastried confections, 
 heavy with fat or oil and smothered in sugar, they 
 were not familiar with. For their drink there was 
 the clear, fresh water that ran in deep courses 
 through every home plot, besides fruit juices and the 
 succulent sap of various trees and shrubs. Grapes 
 of different species hung on trellises in the garden 
 plots, ripening in succession almost the year round; 
 but nowhere did I find them using wine. The near- 
 est approach to anything that could be called stimu- 
 lating was the kind of coffee they prepared for the 
 table, and that, as I have already remarked, was un- 
 like ours in its absence of the narcotic or excite- 
 mental principle. 
 
 In their manner of working they were moderate, 
 whatever the vocation pursued, so that there was no 
 strain or irritation, and for sleep the common allow- 
 ance of eight hours supplied what was necessary to 
 recruit nerve and muscle. Then there was the mu- 
 tual good-fellowship of the people, the sympathy and 
 kind-heartedness exhibited by all, to prompt that 
 ready inter-relation of physical function so essential 
 to robust vitality. A people so heartily cooperative 
 as these Oudemonites must act and react upon each 
 other most happily for health and comfortable feel- 
 ing. Thus it was that they were uniformly well, 
 and if through any cause one became ill his consti- 
 tutional disposition to health and the happy social 
 
 131 
 
atmosphere that surrounded him contributed power- 
 fully to offset a serious consequence. While our 
 pathologists seem inclined to think that an organ- 
 ism, by vaccination or the absorption of certain poi- 
 sonous substances, may be rendered immune to dan- 
 gerous maladies, I am satisfied that these simple folk 
 demonstrated in their living that a sound and vigor- 
 ous constitution supplies the best immunity. With . 
 them it was the contagion of health. 
 
 THE WOMANLY RELATION". 
 
 In a few days Ellice had entirely recovered her 
 wonted vivacity. I was a trifle disappointed that 
 but slight reference to the affair was made by any 
 one to me. The district Bulletins mentioned it in a 
 merely casual way, one suggesting the expediency of 
 a thorough exploration of the region for other speci- 
 mens of the reptile that might be lurking there, and 
 thus prevent further ''accidents" of the kind. El- 
 lice being much beloved in her district and else- 
 where, friends and relatives expressed to her their 
 great pleasure at her escape from a possibly grave 
 termination of the incident, while to me, if any allu- 
 sion were made regarding my part in it, they inti- 
 mated little more than satisfaction that I had not 
 been wanting in resource. My am our pro pre was 
 a little touched ; but, then, every man in Oudemon 
 would be expected to do his best in a moment of 
 peril, and, as a matter of course, when that was con- 
 
 132 
 
sidered, the common estimate of my conduct was in 
 accordance merely with the received standard of 
 manhood. Knowing as I did of the non-use of alco- 
 holics here, I was a little puzzled that no one offered 
 any comment on my having in possession a sample 
 of so strong a liquor as Jamaica rum. 
 
 One outcome of this incident, however, and that 
 which caused me much gratification, was a closer 
 association with Ellice. The girl exhibited a confi- 
 dence and openness toward me now that was quite 
 sisterly. We saw each other frequently ; in fact, she 
 became my chief guide and companion in rides and 
 walks. There was no remark or question concern- 
 ing this intimacy, and ruminating about it I was led 
 one day, when in conversation with Marcus, the el- 
 der, to remark: 
 
 "Your women, my friend, enjoy a freedom that 
 goes much beyond ours. Latterly, there has grown 
 up with us a spirit of independence that was quite 
 unknown fifty years ago. Women now go into busi- 
 ness, compete with men, have their own societies, 
 clubs, etc., yet in their social life women of our best 
 class do not exhibit quite the freedom that yours do." 
 
 "It may be as you say, Malcolm; but we are not 
 aware of any special independence being shown by 
 our women, beyond what should be of natural right. 
 When full grown and mature in mind they take 
 equal place with men among us, a matter of mere 
 justice. In some respects, you must know, the fe- 
 male is of greater importance than the male to so- 
 
 ^33 
 
ciety; our perpetuation, the home and its domestic 
 economics, and other things depend more upon wom- 
 an than man. Perhaps it may be said that we have 
 come to appreciate the character and capacity of 
 women at near their true value, and what you see 
 of moral elevation among us is due, in a great meas- 
 ure, to their active participation in our affairs gen- 
 erally." 
 
 "I have no objection, venerable councillor, to 
 make to the economics of your social arrangement. 
 With us of the North, however, there is a prevalent 
 habit, tacitly held or expressed, of considering 
 woman as lacking in strength of mind, too volatile 
 or fluctuating in opinion, too emotional and suscep- 
 tible in feeling to be trusted in matters of grave con- 
 cern." 
 
 "Well, my young friend," he rejoined, in a tone 
 suggestive of pity, "we have no fear on that score, 
 believing that woman's place is by the side of man 
 in all things. Here, at any rate, her interests are 
 the same as ours, and we find that with the same 
 privileges of education and experience she can ren- 
 der efficient service in all things that concern di- 
 rectly our true welfare." 
 
 "But she cannot go everywhere, work in your 
 mines and machine shops, attempt severe and labor- 
 ious things, which are not suited to her nature," I 
 rejoined, a little warmly. 
 
 "You mistake, Malcolm, because you have not 
 had time to become well acquainted with us," said 
 
 134 
 
the old man, quietly. "We have very few enter- 
 prises that women can not take some part in. Our 
 mining and other work is conducted in ways that are 
 not severe, especially. We do not believe in com- 
 pelling either men or women to do things that are 
 dangerous to life or limb. Coercion, indeed, does 
 not find place in our unwritten law, because there is 
 no subjection in the sense of your economists recog- 
 nized by any man or woman among us to any other 
 man or woman. The theory that the few are born 
 to rule and the masses to serve we consider unjust 
 and inhuman, and is advocated by sophists who 
 favor the perpetuation of a class having privileges 
 and advantages over the majority of their fellow 
 men. You will see as you become further acquaint- 
 ed with our life that care is taken always to prevent 
 mishaps. Our chemists and engineers are cautious 
 by habit, and in developing their plans make haste 
 slowly, run no risks themselves and guard against 
 damage to others. We have secured control of 
 agents most powerful and even terribly destructive, 
 but by processes that have involved comparatively 
 little peril; and those who employ these agents are 
 thoroughly skilled in their handling. Indeed, we 
 value life too much. Our people are too dear to us 
 to be exposed unnecessarily to danger. There are 
 some adventurous spirits among us, to be sure, who 
 are allowed a little rein, but our system of education 
 enables the young to become self -restraining and to 
 curb a disposition toward recklessness and over- 
 
 135 
 
daring. Women, being naturally cautious and cir- 
 cumspect, exert a happy influence when some discov- 
 ery or new development would tempt the aspiring to 
 expose themselves to unknown risk and danger. 
 
 "You refer me to the competition of women in 
 spheres hitherto occupied by men only, and I can 
 well perceive by the tone of your remarks, IMal- 
 colm, that 3^ou are apprehensive of unfortunate com- 
 plications as the result of it. As your society and 
 business relations are, there must be some very un- 
 happy effects of such a movement on the part of 
 your women, a disturbance of the old order that has 
 its points of objection. But you must confess that 
 your women have been forced to invade their broth- 
 ers' fields of action in the struggle for very exist- 
 ence that your social policy has evolved. Our women 
 incline to those things that are in keeping with their 
 nature and taste. Home and the things that make 
 for home, comfort and happiness, are their chief 
 concern, whatever else they may do. Feeling no 
 compulsion, no restriction as regards their liberty 
 of action, they appear to respond the more cheer- 
 fully to the natural bias of woman nature." 
 
 I had listened very attentively to this long speech 
 of the councillor, but now broke out : 
 
 "Verily you have sounded a great truth, Marcus ; 
 in the freedom of your social system there is shown 
 man's obedience to the law of being. Only they 
 who have the truth and live it are free." 
 
 136 
 
The councillor smiled at my earnestness and held 
 out his hand. 
 
 "I have a little errand to neighbor Hancefoot 
 yonder, my young enthusiast. A happy meeting 
 soon." 
 
 "A happy meeting soon, my dear modern Lycur- 
 gus," I replied, and we parted. 
 
 137 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 ON SCHOOL MATTERS. 
 
 "Malcolm must go to school with me to-day; 
 won't you, cousin ?" asked Stella. 
 
 "Certainly, my dear Stelline," I answered, pois- 
 ing a section of roasted breadfruit that I had just 
 dipped in guava sauce upon my fork. In passing it 
 might be interlined here that the table furnishings 
 of the people among whom I was living were of a 
 metalHc composition at once light, lustrous and 
 strong. Plates, cups, cutlery, etc., were of this gen- 
 erally. Into the composition entered silver, alumi- 
 num, a kind of hematite and one or two other met- 
 als obtained from the aluminum beds. In preparing 
 the flux the smiths varied the proportions according 
 to the purpose in view, obtaining a hard and bright 
 or a soft and dull combination. Very little glass 
 was seen anywhere, what they had being used main- 
 ly for optical and scientific purposes, A very fine 
 variety of mica, procured in large slabs from the 
 aluminum beds, furnished their windows and outer 
 doors with perfectly transparent and durable plates. 
 Lead, zinc and other cheap ores were abundant and 
 used in the Oudemon industries and arts. A feature 
 of the house furnishing that at first struck me oddly 
 
 138 
 
was the absence of fastenings on their doors, and 
 these were commonly hung on double-acting hinges. 
 The houses, however, that had been built in the last 
 twenty years had no interior doors — curtains, or 
 what we call portieres, of soft, graceful fabric 
 merely dividing one room from another. Re- 
 turning to the colloquy interrupted by this digres- 
 sion: 
 
 "Certainly it would be a treat to see how your 
 schools are run, Stelline," I said, at the same time 
 placing the succulent morsel that had been hovering 
 near my face while speaking, in my mouth. 
 
 *T didn't know but that you would be away on 
 some already planned tramp with Ellice," the girl 
 rejoined in a light, mischievous tone; "for since that 
 affair in the shallows the Dentons appear to have a 
 sort of monopoly of a certain gentleman from the 
 far North, you know." 
 
 "That reminds me," observed father Bruce, 
 "that Caroline Newton was looking for specimens 
 up that way a day or two ago, with a party of young 
 folks from district eleven, and they found the re- 
 mains of the creature supposed to have bitten El- 
 lice. It is over in the chemical laboratory, in charge 
 of Pentersoe, if you care to see it, folks." 
 
 "No, thank you, Jasper. I had enough of it, for 
 one. Let the good Pentersoe make an analysis of 
 the virus." 
 
 "I think that is his intention," remarked Willis. 
 "Two or three of our fellows who are pretty well 
 
 139 
 
up in zoology say that it is, or was, one of the most 
 poisonous things known, and wonder whether any 
 more of the kind exist. At any rate, a careful in- 
 spection of the neighborhood is now on foot, and a 
 mongosta or two will be set to hunting for them." 
 
 "That's the animal, Willis, which was mentioned 
 by Ellice. You keep them for such a purpose, I 
 judge." 
 
 "The mongosta, yes — a few now. In the early 
 days the country abounded in venomous snakes, liz- 
 ards, spiders, beetles, and so on. Some mongostas 
 were brought in and set to work, and it was not long 
 before they had quite cleared out or destroyed the 
 dangerous crowd. There were colonies of preda- 
 cious birds here then — flesh eaters ; great eagles, vul- 
 tures, owls, cranes, and so on ; but with the clearing 
 of the land and the disappearance of reptiles and 
 insects they are quite gone, too. Our monkey serv- 
 ants are great helps in keeping our trees and vines 
 free of the larger worms and vermin that the birds 
 do not dispose of." 
 
 "Yes, I have seen one now and then scampering 
 about in the branches, and watched him picking up 
 dried and rolled-up leaves and peering at them in 
 his droll way." 
 
 "Funny enough, Malcolm, isn't it?" laughed 
 Stella. "Ellice says they are natural entomologists; 
 they learn to know an injurious bug or worm so 
 quickly you would be surprised, and some of them 
 they eat with a cordial relish." 
 
 140 
 
"Oh, a perverted appetite, surely; why do you 
 permit such carnivorous expression?" I asked, jok- 
 ingly. "But, then, I ask you, friends, not to at- 
 tempt an apology for the weakness of an inferior 
 race. I would not wound Jabber's feelings; he is 
 too good a valet, and his comical ways are a tonic 
 daily." 
 
 A merry laugh went round the table ; then Milline 
 said: "Evidently the little rogue likes you very 
 much, for whenever you go out and don't whistle he 
 is restless and disconsolate for a while." 
 
 "Yes, mother Milline, we are excellent friends, 
 and I have become quite learned in his manage- 
 ment." 
 
 "]\Ialcolm acted a little funny at first when Jab- 
 ber was given him, didn't he, mother?" said Stella, 
 archly. "I guess they do not have many monkeys 
 where he lives." 
 
 "No, my little cousin, so acutely observant," I 
 replied; "we see them mainly in the animal shows, 
 and do not know, as you do, how useful they can 
 be. But don't forget that I am going to school with 
 you, and tell the teachers to be very amiable and not 
 ask me many hard questions, because I haven't had 
 time to study the lessons, and no one is home to write 
 an excuse, so the teacher will let me off." 
 
 The young folks looked at me quizzically as I said 
 this, and there came a grave expression on the faces 
 of father and mother Bruce, as if they were uncer- 
 tain as to the moral significance of the remark. I 
 added : 
 
 141 
 
"Up our way when our children do not know their 
 lessons or are late going to school, we write ex- 
 cuses for them so that no bad marks shall be put to 
 their account." 
 
 "That means you have a system of marking chil- 
 dren good or bad, j\Ialcolm," inquired Jasper. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "How peculiar !" said Willis, reflectively. 
 
 "Why, have you not a system of merits and de- 
 merits in your schools ?" 
 
 "We do not know anything of the kind," father 
 Bruce replied. "Our children are expected to at- 
 tend their schools and to learn the lessons given 
 them. If they are not there, or if unable to answer 
 questions in their studies, what they may say in ex- 
 planation is accepted." 
 
 "But, father Bruce, everybody comes who can," 
 cried Stella, earnestly. "We all love our teachers 
 and lessons, and wouldn't stay away — no, indeed, 
 on any account. I don't know a — yes, Neil Brink 
 was absent one day — oh, a long time ago, because 
 the day before we all went up into the woods, and 
 he ate too much custard apple and had cramps, and 
 his mother kept him in bed next day until he got 
 over them. Poor boy, he was so sorry that he said 
 he'd never eat any more custard apple. But cus- 
 tard apple can't really hurt me, mother?" 
 
 "You may eat too much of any good thing, little 
 daughter. That was a very warm day, and I think 
 the boy became overheated. He is a very active, 
 
 T42 
 
nervous boy, and you said, if I remember, that he 
 ran about and climbed trees until he was clear tired 
 out." 
 
 "Oh, yes, mother Bruce, that was so. And we 
 were all sorry poor Neil had to Stay home." 
 
 "And I well remember having too much of a 
 good thing one day not very long ago," was my in- 
 tervention, "and how nicely a kind mother fixed me, 
 and as I have been very well ever since I am going 
 to give my best respects to her delicious toasted 
 breadfruit and honey every time she dare put it on 
 this table." 
 
 "Now, my dear boy," insisted the excellent wom- 
 an, with a tenderness that mellowed the smile of 
 pleasure on her face, "don't say anything more about 
 that, and you shall have the dish every time you ask 
 for it." 
 
 "Thank your graciousness, Milline Bruce, for its 
 consideration of my appetite, but, really, whenever I 
 sit here the zest of what is before me excludes 
 thought of other things ; so I shall leave the matter 
 of ordering the bill of fare to the maitrcssc de la 
 cuisine, who shows so much skill in catering to our 
 caprices of taste and appetite." 
 
 "And at the same time feeds us so well," added 
 the elder Bruce, laughing with the others at this at- 
 tempt at badinage and compliment. 
 
 These folk are slow feeders, and being naturally 
 disposed that way myself, I took on their habit in 
 an exaggerated degree, and usually, with the cur- 
 
 143 
 
rent of talk that always accompanied meals, at the 
 Bruces especially, was slow in finishing my cup of 
 native coffee, or tree milk, or whatever else might 
 be the liquid accompaniment. Stella's sympathetic 
 reference to the unhappy experience of Neil, and 
 my expression of affection for her mother's dain- 
 ties, at the risk of any gastric displeasure that might 
 threaten, were followed by our general rise from the 
 table and the conclusion of the breakfast. 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF THE SYSTEM. 
 
 An Oudemon schoolhouse does not differ much 
 in form from the average dwelling. Two stories in 
 height, with four large rooms on each floor, and a 
 square inner court planted with trees and shrubs, it 
 is a pleasant rendezvous for pedagogue and pupil. 
 As in the North, women predominate for teachers^ 
 the men giving attention chiefly to special branches, 
 like language, chemistry, certain industrial studies 
 and physical training. For the first half dozen years 
 the fundamentals of education are taught, attention 
 being carefully given to the order of nature in de- 
 veloping the faculties. After this preparatory course 
 there is a differentiation in the training of individ- 
 uals, according to their aptitude or intellectual bias. 
 From the school of the district to the general college, 
 with its seven or eight departments, the pupil is 
 transferred when competent for the advanced and 
 special lines of study. Stella was in her last year, 
 
 144 
 
and expected to enter upon a collegiate course the 
 following autumn, to study certain branches of phy- 
 sics and natural history, and then to teach for a 
 time. It was the common opinion that a season of 
 teaching in the preparatory school was good training 
 for the grown-up girl, and made her all the better 
 fitted for the duties of life, in the home and out of 
 it. At the same time married women were not de- 
 barred from the post of teacher, if unusual capacity 
 and inclination were shown for its functions; but 
 were expected to devote only a part of their time to 
 the schoolroom. 
 
 The several classes were small, limited to twenty, 
 and, so far as possible, the pupils were assorted in 
 such a manner as to have together those of nearly 
 similar mental abilities. At recess, in the play- 
 ground, all ages and grades were together, no dis- 
 tinction of scholarly rank being considered there. 
 With the duller, backward pupils pains were spe- 
 cially taken, teachers being given them of superior 
 judgment and skill, but no method was employed 
 for forcing their faculties into action. There were 
 no set times for examinations or promotions, the 
 children passing from one study to another by their 
 own intellectual inertia, or in obedience to the nat- 
 ural prompting of development. The classification 
 of pupils according to their natural capacity and 
 temperamental type was a great factor in the train- 
 ing process, contributing, as it manifestly did, to 
 thoroughness in the acquirement of such studies as 
 
 145 
 
were pursued by this or that one. I had learned 
 much from ElHce concerning the organization of 
 their schools, and being prepared therefore for this 
 visit with Stella was all the more interested in what 
 I saw. 
 
 On the way my young companion said: "You 
 are so fond of our dear little ones, Malcolm cousin, 
 I shall take you first into the primary and leave you 
 there for the hour until recess, unless you object." 
 
 "No, ma petite" — Stella liked this French famil- 
 iarity, and it was used often when talking with her — 
 "I shall not object. Ellice has assured me that the 
 primary in this district is particularly nice." 
 
 "Ellice, always Ellice ; you're quoting her a great 
 deal, cousin Malcolm," exclaimed the girl, with a 
 little pout on her lip. "Well, she knows, and I ex- 
 pect to try my hand before many years there, too, 
 and I don't know how I shall get along with the lit- 
 tle witches." 
 
 "Excellently, I am positive, ma petite. You have 
 what we call the knack of interesting them and the 
 discretion of a little mother." 
 
 "Oh, you great man !" the girl looked up in my 
 face, highly pleased, at the same time mischievously 
 pinching my arm. "Father often says," she added, 
 demurely, "that the happiness and greatness of our 
 people, and all peoples, must depend upon the early 
 training of the young children." 
 
 "As the twig is bent the tree's inclined, Stella." 
 ' "That's in Pope, isn't it ? We have lately read his 
 
 146 
 
'Essay on Man' in the rhetoric class There 
 
 she comes now, really." 
 
 We were passing the Denton house, and Ellice 
 had just emerged from the door. We waited until 
 she joined us. 
 
 "You are not going to have him this morning, El- 
 lice, dear," she exclaimed, in affected triumph. El- 
 lice glanced at me amusedly, and said : 
 
 "I do not want him this morning, dear child. He 
 can be yours all now." 
 
 For my own part I felt a trifle uneasy over this 
 train of remark, and broke in : 
 
 "Yes, Ellice, she is taking me to school. I need 
 some freshening up. It is so long since I left the 
 seminary up there that I am rusty in many of the 
 common branches. In fact, Stella is going to 
 place me in the primary for an hour — quite wise on 
 her part, is it not?" 
 
 "Very good," laughed Ellice. "Yes, I think Mal- 
 colm will learn a great deal there. Father Jasper 
 says he has a big head, with plenty of room in it." 
 
 "Wow, my young lady comrades, but he hit me 
 right then, I verily believe !" I exclaimed. The tone 
 in which these words were said evidently startled 
 the girls, for each seized a hand and looked up so 
 gravely that I could not repress a laugh. Stella 
 asked : 
 
 "What is it, dear cousin?" and Ellice added: 
 
 "I hope that I did not say anything disagreeable, 
 Malcolm." 
 
 147 
 
"Well, no; you could not, fair daughters of Eve; 
 but I will be frank enough to advise you that up our 
 way we have a saying very like that of father 
 Bruce, which is sometimes applied to a person who 
 is not particularly bright." 
 
 "You mean wanting in good sense," said Ellice, 
 solicitously, still holding my hand. 
 
 "Yes, that is more to the point," 
 
 "Oh, dear Malcolm," cried the lively young wom- 
 an, "father Bruce never thought anything of the 
 kind. He meant, and I understood him, that you 
 were very clever in seeing things, and could gather 
 in a great deal of information. I saw his breath test 
 a few days ago; Caroline showed it to me, Stella. 
 The color indicates a great readiness of observation 
 that can come only from a natural largeness of fac- 
 ulty and a wide experience in the use of memory." 
 
 The frank manner of this remark and the steady 
 gaze into my face of two pairs of wide dewy eyes 
 was convincing enough. 
 
 "Spare me, good girls," I said, laughing heartily. 
 "I only wish that your very kind opinion may be 
 confirmed." Then in a graver manner: "You 
 must remember, though, I am a foreigner, and 
 likely to seem peculiar in my talk and manner. It 
 would be no easy task, be assured, to live up to the 
 standard of you excellent folk." 
 
 "We do not forget that you are a dear friend 
 from a distant land," said Ellice, in a like vein; 
 "but we prefer Malcolm as he is, don't we, Stella?" 
 
 148 
 
"Yes, indeed, and I would not have him change a 
 bit," replied the young girl, emphatically. 
 
 "Then with so large a majority of the meeting in 
 favor of the status quo, as our lawyers say, I shall 
 endeavor to act my natural self on all future occa- 
 sions, my dear ladies." 
 
 By this time we had arrived at the school build- 
 ing, where Ellice took leave of us, and Stella and 
 I went in. 
 
 AMONG THE CHILDREN. 
 
 The primary department proved interesting at 
 first sight. On the broad walls hung charts and pic- 
 tures descriptive of such things as belong to every- 
 day life: plants, birds, animals, the topography of 
 the country, scenes in social life, designs of houses, 
 garden and field views, illustrations of food prod- 
 ucts, fruits, nuts, grains; minerals, also, of many 
 sorts that were used in the furnishings of home and 
 for machinery and tools and other conveniences. A 
 few neatly painted maxims of order and conduct 
 added variety to the collection. These, however, 
 were not in the style of letter and spelling with 
 which an American child is familiar, but in the 
 character peculiar to Oudemon. The notebook of 
 Restling illustrated the style of writing and print- 
 ing in this country — a brief method of representing 
 words that was easily learned by the young, and con- 
 venient in a high degree for all purposes of record 
 
 149 
 
and communication. In a few weeks I had acquired 
 a fair knowledge of it, and was able to read the news 
 bulletins of the community and such books as my 
 much-occupied time permitted me to examine. 
 
 The instruction given was but a series of object 
 lessons relating to the useful and necessary, the first 
 aim being to impress the child with true ideas con- 
 cerning its nature, its relations to others, and its 
 having a part, as a member of the human family, in 
 the world of activity and usefulness. I had been 
 struck by the deference shown by the young folks 
 to their elders, and by their frank sincerity on all oc- 
 casions, evasion, dissimulation, cunning or mis- 
 chievous trickery to obtain ends that child caprice 
 might desire being apparently unknown in their con- 
 duct. I saw at this school how it was that such ex- 
 cellent habits were established ; the example and ad- 
 monition of parents with regard to the proprieties 
 of thought and action were well supplemented by 
 the systematic teaching of this schoolroom. There 
 were textbooks carefully prepared on the level of the 
 child mind, inculcating the principles of moral habit. 
 These books not only contained precepts and les- 
 sons on behavior and conduct, but illustrated their 
 meaning in simple, attractive terms with stories and 
 incidents from the life surrounding the child. Thus 
 to be true, sincere, good-natured, kind and helpful 
 were taught as principles essential in personal edu- 
 cation, and of more importance than the physical and 
 intellectual training that formed part of the curric- 
 
 150 
 
ulum. It was not duty that was impressed upon the 
 young mind as a major reason for good manners and 
 proper habits, so much as it was the rightness and 
 privilege of good behavior and moral integrity and 
 their necessary relation to love and respect. Then, 
 too, the happiness that attended upright conduct had 
 its examples on all sides and gave a natural stimulus 
 to the disposition to become worthy of the respect 
 and affection of friends and companions. Moral 
 truth w^as seen to be fundamental to intellectual 
 truth ; consistency in the character but complemental 
 to exactness in the secular activities. 
 
 It seemed to me that what I had read of that old 
 pedagogue philosopher, Herbart, had obtained a 
 certain realization in the family and school manage- 
 ment of Oudemon. The insistence upon habit as 
 the seat of good conduct in the individual and in the 
 w'ider community life which marks the teachings of 
 Herbart certainly had here an apt illustration, with 
 results that would have warmed the heart of that 
 earnest sage to a high degree of exultation. It must 
 be noted, however, that it was not the impression of 
 maxims and precepts so much as it was the showing 
 the child in the general life surrounding him the 
 right way to act that had such thorough effect in 
 his evolution. 
 
 After some exercise in singing, the interpretation 
 of sentences written on a blackboard, the analysis 
 of a few flowers that had been brought in by one of 
 the pupils, a recess was given, when the little ones 
 
 151 
 
immediately surrounded me. I encouraged them to 
 ask questions, and told them some incidents from 
 my boy life in the distant city from which I came. 
 All listened eagerly, and some made remarks on 
 what I said that intimated surprising good sense. 
 Relating some of the differences between our homes 
 and theirs, how whole blocks hundreds of feet in 
 length stood on both sides of a narrow street, with 
 no trees or gardens about them, one little girl said : 
 "Oh, good stranger, how can you breathe when so 
 shut in from the beautiful sun? I would think that 
 all your people would be very sad. We could not 
 live without our trees and gardens and lakes and 
 brooks, could we, dear children?" 
 
 "Oh, no," they burst out, and looked at me quite 
 pityingly, as deprived of certain great means of 
 happiness. 
 
 "When you go back, dear Malcolm," said an- 
 other, "will you not tell the people to take away a 
 great many of the houses and lay out gardens with 
 pretty walks, so that they can have nice homes, as 
 we have ?" 
 
 Of course I said that I wished our people had as 
 lovely a country and such pleasant homes as my 
 dear little friends here had, because I knew it would 
 be better for our children and everybody. 
 
 After the recess came music, two scholars from a 
 higher department playing, one upon a violin and 
 the other upon a harp. To the measure simple gym- 
 nastics were gone through, with practice in attitude 
 
 152 
 
and walk. It was not marching that was taught, 
 but stepping in an easy rhythmic fashion. Running 
 exercises also were given in the court, for the pur- 
 pose of promoting development of muscle and an 
 easy carriage of the body. I did not wonder now 
 at the upright form and free movement that were 
 characteristic of the Oudemonites. It was only a 
 natural sequence of the early training received by 
 them as children. 
 
 It was customary to have the pupils eat their mid- 
 day meal at the school, teachers and scholars asso- 
 ciating in the pleasant function. All were supplied 
 with boxes or small baskets containing the day's 
 supply of provender. Stella had brought a double 
 ration. We all went into the court and sat around 
 the tinkling fountain, and there discussed the meal, 
 every one making the contents of his or her 
 napkin common stock. It was a delightful com- 
 pany of young folks, indeed, all sparkling with 
 mirth and prankishness, yet with never a disposition 
 to tease or do anything to annoy. For the time I 
 became a boy again, trying to emulate the example 
 of the teachers who mingled with their pupils as 
 one of them in sympathy, cheer and tenderness. 
 
 153 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 A PLEASANT SURPRISE. 
 
 The clock in the court had struck fifteen hours 
 when I returned to Bruce's. Jabber whisked out 
 and prancing up to me, grinned so fiercely that I 
 could not but imagine that something unusual had 
 happened. He seized the skirt of my coat and drew 
 me toward the outbuilding where the implements 
 for gardening, and the vehicles used by the family 
 were stored. Chattering volubly he ran inside, I 
 following. Then he pointed to a new three-wheeled 
 autolat upon the seat of which lay a folded paper 
 addressed to "Our Dear Friend Malcolm." In the 
 style of Oudemon I read, after some study — "Will 
 Malcolm accept for his use hereafter while in our 
 country — and may he stay a long time with us? — 
 this little carriage? Stiles Morgan.''^ 
 
 "Of course I will. Jabber," I exclaimed to my 
 four-pawed servitor, that had been earnestly watch- 
 ing as I read the note, and now capered around in 
 great glee Avhile I examined the elegant gift. Stiles 
 Morgan I had met two or three times. He was a 
 master mechanic in a shop where goalones were 
 made. I had visited the shop with Restling and 
 studied the mechanism of the graceful and useful 
 
 154 
 
vehicles that were in all stages of construction 
 there. Stiles showed me a small one-seat affair 
 which he was building for himself. The frame and 
 running parts were of the metallic flux I have al- 
 ready mentioned, but so blended as to look like 
 oxidized copper. The seat about a yard wide was 
 of dark wood highly polished and cushioned in 
 deer skin, or what resembled that kind of leather. 
 I learned afterward that it was a composition of 
 fibrous bark compressed and worked to the degree 
 of softness and flexibility that distinguishes fine 
 deer skin, and that no animal leather was manu- 
 factured in the country. Under the seat was the 
 cylinder for the gas, the light metal of which it was 
 made having been tested with a pressure of two 
 hundred and thirty-six pounds. This container 
 when charged would be sufficient for a ride of one 
 hundred and fifty miles. The two back wheels 
 were thirty-two inches in diameter, the front and 
 guiding wheel but twenty-two inches. 
 
 The brief inspection then made satisfied me that 
 Stiles had sent me the wagon he had made for his 
 own use, and I could not resist a trial of it, as the 
 gauge indicated an abundant supply of the motive 
 power. So turning over the ring in the guiding 
 handle I drew the goalone out upon the roadway, 
 got in, and glanced at Jabber,who with great de- 
 light sprang up beside me. Opening the valve 
 slightly there was an immediate response of the 
 nicely adjusted gearing and almost noiselessly we 
 
 155 
 
ran down to the common road, and in a few mo- 
 ments were going rapidly eastward. No horse- 
 man was ever more dehghted with the action of a 
 new trotter upon a macadamized turnpike than I was 
 with the smooth, harmonious movement of my auto- 
 lat. Its prompt answer to every experimental trial, 
 and the evident possibilities of high speed, merely 
 dependent upon extent of pressure, made it appear 
 to me the very acme of carriage design. 
 
 Almost unconsciously I turned in the direction 
 of district 14, and coursed to the factory where 
 Morgan was employed. Reining up, so to speak, 
 at the entrance, I alighted and pushed into the build- 
 ing. There was no office through which a visitor 
 must pass, and no signs in prominent view with 
 the intimidating challenge, "No admittance except 
 on business." Going directly into the machine 
 room I saw Stiles operating a lathe at one side. He 
 turned as I entered and seeing me, nodded smilingly. 
 Offering my hand I said, "Stiles, you have done 
 me great pleasure. I scarcely know how to thank 
 you. Your own carriage, too. I shall take the best 
 care I know of it." 
 
 "Well, Malcolm, if you are pleased, and I was 
 sure that you would be — that is all I ask. Yet you 
 know that any one here would gladly let you use 
 his goalone." 
 
 "Yes, Stiles, I know it well. But I could not help 
 coming to you at once to give you my thanks. It 
 runs as smooth as oil, most beautifully. I am proud 
 
 156 
 
of it. What fittings you turn out ! You must use 
 it whenever you care to; I insist upon that as part 
 of the contract." 
 
 "Well, Malcolm, as you please; but remember 
 when you need a fresh cylinder you can get it here, 
 or I will give you the pump for recharging if you 
 would like to do that yourself at Jasper's." 
 
 "Thank you, Stiles. I should like to do that. I 
 am fond of dabbling with machinery." 
 
 "You would make a good Oudemonite, Mal- 
 colm," returned Morgan, laughing, "and you may 
 decide to remain with us yet." 
 
 Leaving the busy mechanic at his lathe I stepped 
 into the new carriage, and with Jabber alongside, 
 sitting on his tail and grinning with such a stretch 
 of mouth that his face seemed to have no other fea- 
 ture, I rolled back to Bruce's and stalled my new 
 possession in a back angle of the garden house. 
 
 Early the next morning before I had risen I heard 
 voices in merry talk under my window. Looking 
 down there was Stella mounted on the new goalone 
 and operating it with the interest of one who has 
 found a thing in the line of his particular fancy. 
 Willis was there, Ellice, and two or three young 
 people of the neighborhood, a group much engaged 
 in discussing the points of the vehicle. Jabber sat 
 up in the fork of a young mahogany tree apparently 
 watchful of the doings. At first I felt a little in- 
 dignant at the liberty taken with my property, but 
 that feeling soon passed away — for the skill of the 
 
 157. 
 
girl in managing the machine and the charming 
 ease of its performance enlisted my admiration, and 
 prompted a hasty finish of toilette that I might go 
 down and join them. When I appeared upon the 
 scene it was the occasion for a salvo of exclamations 
 regarding the perfection of the goalone, and soon 
 I became engaged in a lively discussion of the points 
 new and old of goalones in general and of this one 
 under inspection in particular. 
 
 "There is only one thing about it, dear friends," 
 I said, "that seems to me objectionable." 
 
 "What can that be, Malcolm?" asked Willis with 
 a shade of reproach in his voice. 
 
 "That there is only scant room for two to ride, 
 for I should like to take you all on a little ante- 
 prandial round this delightful morning." 
 
 "Oh, that would be pleasant! The will for the 
 deed, Malcolm," rejoined young neighbor Searl. 
 
 "We are all fully satisfied that the wagon will 
 run admirably," commented Willis. "Stella's prov- 
 ing is quite enough. She saw you come in with it 
 last evening and thought she would give it a trial. 
 Then, too, you may know, Malcolm, that when 
 Stiles Morgan turns out a new three-wheeler every- 
 body expects it to have the latest improvements, 
 and be one of the finest types of vehicle that Oude- 
 mon can produce. My little mischief of a sister, 
 too, must let all the neighborhood know about it. 
 Girls will be girls." 
 
 "I am glad to have her make the trial," was my 
 158 
 
response, looking smilingly at Stella and noting the 
 fine color her brother's playful speech had called to 
 her cheek. "She is such a good driver I must have 
 her company to-day for a run up the country. I 
 need a little more coaching to manage so fine a 
 machine." 
 
 "Oh, dear," said Ellice with an air of comic dis- 
 pleasure, "see how I am slighted." 
 
 "Don't grieve, fair maid," I ventured in the same 
 light vein. "You shall have your turn to-morrow 
 or when you please." 
 
 159 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE MINING REGIONS GOLD AND SILVER. 
 
 "But my little "cousin" was doomed to wait, for 
 at the breakfast table I found a note from Archbold 
 asking my presence at his house that morning, A 
 trip into the mining district had been projected; a 
 small party made up and the hour of nine set for 
 the start. A large two-seated goalone conveyed the 
 four persons in the company, and covered the forty 
 miles of distance in two hours and a quarter. On 
 the way I was informed that the "works" we would 
 view consisted of old and new cuttings, the old 
 having been opened centuries before by a race that 
 had quite disappeared. The people knew nothing 
 of these mines until after the great upturn, when 
 they were found and their product turned to ac- 
 count. The region reminded me of canyons on a 
 small scale of the Rocky Mountains, especially Col- 
 orado, while the richness of deposit exceeded any- 
 thing I had before taken note of. 
 
 Into the crypts and galleries of the old leads we 
 crept by a low narrow fissure in the rock wall, where 
 after lighting lamps we found ourselves in the midst 
 of suggestions of wealth and magnificence that 
 would have fascinated an Aladdin. The rough walls 
 
 1 60 
 
gleamed with deposits of gold, silver, galena and 
 pyrites. With a small hammer one could knock 
 out fragments of quartzite containing the valuable 
 metal in varied quantity. Great crystals of amber 
 tint and pure white jutted out, the multifold radi- 
 ance of which was dazzling, while the sharp angles 
 of the bright galena added to the striking novelty 
 of the scene. 
 
 In the new workings, that led off from the old by 
 a long natural passage open to the sky, were broad 
 veins of iron mainly of the chromate order, besides 
 great deposits of manganese and other oxides of 
 value in the industries of civilization. Here were 
 men engaged in taking out the ores and reducing 
 the masses to convenient state for transportation and 
 reduction. I noted very soon that the method of 
 working was simple and easy. No low levels de- 
 manded shafts or hoisting apparatus. They had 
 merely to break out the ore and load the wagons 
 and run them down an inclined way that had been 
 graded smoothly to the mill and furnaces. The 
 plant for crushing and smelting seemed in every 
 respect complete. Here were produced the com- 
 binations or alloys of iron, silver, gold, lead, 
 aluminum, manganese, etc., that were deemed con- 
 venient and suitable for the different purposes of 
 the people. Conveniently near to the furnaces were 
 shops with admirable equipment of tools and ma- 
 chinery for working the bars of metal into various 
 articles of larger form, like farm and garden imple- 
 
 i6i 
 
ments, road-making tools, and other heavy neces- 
 saries. 
 
 This morning's round through the mines, and the 
 shops in which the metals were converted, an- 
 swered the question often at my tongue's end, why 
 the tables of my new friends were so well furnished 
 with the essentials and conveniences of refined liv- 
 ing. I learned then that the yellow and white lines 
 and markings that imparted so much of variety and 
 beauty to their dishes, cups, cutlery and the hundred 
 other accessories of housekeeping were of gold and 
 silver. These metals were to Oudemon eyes not 
 matters of ornament so much as use, because of their 
 ready adaptation to so many purposes, and their 
 freedom from corrosion and change. Obtained in 
 such quantity from the ancient deposits they had evi- 
 dently lost the value in the esteem of these people, 
 if they ever had it, which the outer world sets upon 
 them. The artist and mechanic found their pleas- 
 ure and vocation in working them into hundreds of 
 forms responding to the needs and convenience of 
 the people. 
 
 What, on my first acquaintance I had thought to 
 be a composition similar to our brass or bronze, so 
 generally was it found in dress and home equip- 
 ments, proved to be gold or silver in various states 
 of purity. If the pins, buckles, hooks or what not 
 in a woman's dress were of gold they were not 
 affectations for the sake of decoration, because ever)' 
 woman or girl wore them. The men by common 
 
 162 
 
consent used silver or compositions of that metal 
 with aluminum, gold or copper for buttons, buckles, 
 catches, etc. In the matter of design preference or 
 taste was left to the individual. I had worn on my 
 journey southward a pair of sleeve-buttons in gold 
 of oriental design set with small sapphires. These 
 I gave to Stella, because she admired the design — 
 a novelty of course to her. She used them to 
 secure her trouserettes at the ankle. One morning 
 I found on the table of my room a pair of silver 
 clasps set with stones that looked like rubies so 
 much that I was led to wonder if they could be 
 real stones. After my return north Chiffany & 
 Storr informed me that they were true rubies of 
 high value. These clasps I used to secure my knee 
 pants to my stockings and was complimented by 
 Ellice, when she saw them for the first time, upon 
 my "good judgment" in the way I had attached 
 them. Stella had picked these stones up when out 
 on a round with Caroline and Ellice, for the study 
 of minerals, and I learned in my own rambles on 
 the slopes of the ridges and into the mines that 
 there were places where gems of many kinds 
 abounded. 
 
 An accident of which I shall speak in a later 
 chapter revealed in a startling fashion the wondrous 
 richness of that country in the "precious things" of 
 ordinary civilization. Of the wealth of the ledges 
 its fine crystals were deemed of better value than its 
 garnets, turquoises, opals, agate, diamonds and fine 
 
 163 
 
rubies, because of their uses for the lenses of eye- 
 glasses, microscopes, telescopes, cameras, etc. Col- 
 lections of minerals were to be found in the schools,, 
 and in many houses, being made by the young folks 
 for pleasure or study. In the museum of natural 
 history the department of geology contained a dis- 
 play of stones which according to the rating of a 
 New York jeweler would be of stupendous value in 
 American dollars. 
 
 164 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 TRADE AND LITERATURE. 
 
 It is a propos in this place to mention that such a 
 thing as money did not exist among these people. 
 They made no purchases or sales, as we practice 
 them, in their business relations. There were ex- 
 changes constantly of such commodities or prod- 
 ucts as were needed — or desired by one or another, 
 but no payments in a representative currency or 
 even promises. Once a week a sort of market fes- 
 tival was held in each district, and to this the people 
 resorted. All sorts of articles for family, house, 
 farm, school and other purposes were taken thither 
 by representatives of the families, and "trades" or 
 exchanges were made, it seemed to me, ad libitum. 
 It was a charming demonstration of an open recipro- 
 cal communism, the affair being more like a social 
 festival, it appeared to me, where any one was free 
 to help himself, than a concourse for business trans- 
 actions. Yet I found that a system of fairness 
 and mutual understanding was generally observed 
 by all who took part in the market doings. 
 
 Once in three months a general fair was held 
 in which the entire community participated. Then 
 the representatives of the districts brought for ex- 
 
 165 
 
hibition their best consummations. Meetings were 
 held in which affairs that interested a part or the 
 whole were discussed by both men and women. 
 Here was the field in which propositions from any 
 source were announced and their utility or ex- 
 pediency examined. The suggestions obtained in 
 these mutual exchanges of view and experience 
 were preserved by the district councillors and ex- 
 ploited in their home centers according to occasion. 
 In a country provided as this was with easy routes 
 of communication between the districts nothing of 
 importance could happen without its being bul- 
 letined speedily, and thus carried to the knowledge 
 of every house; yet at these assemblies improve- 
 ments in industrial methods, new inventions, prod- 
 ucts of domestic skill, novel preparations of food, 
 charts and drawings for educational purposes, pic- 
 tures in oil, water color, ink, etc., and new books 
 that had been written or finished in the interval 
 since the last fair had a freshness of interest to all 
 who attended. 
 
 LITERATURE AND AUTHORSHIP. 
 
 The Oudemonians were not prolific as writers, 
 and there was no great demand for the novel. At 
 the one fair of the sort I attended I saw only three 
 books, one in manuscript and two in print, of a 
 professed fiction character. Glancing over the 
 leaves I was soon convinced that their authors 
 
 1 66 
 
would not obtain much notice in my own country, 
 because of the regard given to the ethical spirit of 
 their plot and incidents, "Too finical and tame" 
 would be the criticism of our reviewers, or "Better 
 fitted for the Sunday school than the general public." 
 I had scanned some of the story books on the tables > 
 of certain houses, and certainly failed to find much 
 of the "dramatic" element. There was no want 
 of tenderness and passion — love-making, etc., but 
 the irregularities, infelicities, stratagems and in- 
 fidelities that constitute so much of the charm of 
 great authors among us were evidently out of vogue 
 here. The little by-plays of mischief were so inno- 
 cent, the mistakes of a lover in his infatuation were 
 so natural, the conversation so open and sincere and 
 at the same time so refined by a delicate taste, that 
 I was inclined to think my time almost wasted in 
 their perusal. Yet, I was convinced that such books 
 could lie about and be open to the curious inspec- 
 tion of girl or boy and they would read in them 
 nothing of a nature to stimulate a vicious thought 
 or feed a prurient fancy. Love was treated by the 
 novelist as a natural instinct of the human organ- 
 ism, and its development in the relations of man 
 and woman traced according to the differential as- 
 pects of individual character, as one would analyze 
 the growth of a flower. At the same time the 
 writer imparted something of romanticism to his 
 incidents, and from the sources of his habitual in- 
 tegrity gave a moral coloring to the conduct and 
 
 167 
 
expression of his personages that inspired thought 
 of a pure and sweet tenor. 
 
 The philosophical and essay department of their 
 literature was fairly sustained, as might be expected 
 from the high ethical tone of the people. The 
 reasoning and speculation of the writers were cheer- 
 ful and hopeful. Nowhere found I anything 
 morbid or depressing. The rueful, forbidding pred- 
 ications of a Schopenhauer, or Saltus had no place 
 in the library of Oudemon, for their December 
 dreariness would have been totally inconsistent with 
 the June-like warmth and cheer of a people whose 
 convictions moral and religious were so strongly 
 knit to a Providence that I thought well character- 
 ized for them in the ninety-first Psalm of David. 
 
 I did not hear of any censorship over literature 
 or press, but was satisfied that authors here as else- 
 where were voluntarily or unconsciously subject 
 to the influence of public sentiment, as much as 
 influenced by their own moral convictions. 
 
 It need not be supposed that the circumscribed 
 geography of these writers tended to render their 
 work similar and repetitive. Such was by no 
 means the case. Each book that I saw had its 
 identity, and was striking in point of character ex- 
 pression; each member in the plot having sharply 
 distinguished features of action. I could not avoid 
 the impression that the author was drawing from 
 living models, and saw that he exhibited a mastery 
 of the interoperation of faculty that was far from 
 
 1 68 
 
common among the writers of my nation and of 
 Europe. Yet such capacity of representation was 
 accounted for clearly enough. First, these people 
 lived and acted naturally; hypocrisy and evasion 
 appeared unknown to them. Second, with their 
 methods of education was incorporated the study 
 of mind and character, assisted by that remarkable 
 scientific proving, the breath plate. They were 
 therefore practiced physiogomists, and read 
 their "confirmations strong," for inferences drawn 
 from eye, nose and lip, in the chemical reactions of 
 the "phaenie solution," as it w^as called. Third, 
 these writers were very deliberate in setting their 
 thoughts on paper. From the dates on the title 
 pages I concluded that the most fertile of them did 
 not give a book to the Oudemon public at shorter in- 
 tervals than five years. I did not wonder therefore 
 that their works had a lasting quality; were never 
 dismissed with a single hasty perusal. 
 
 Each of the districts had its library, situated 
 near the school center. Opportunity to examine 
 several of the collections showed a common plan 
 of arrangement, and surprised me by the number 
 of paraphrases or translations of authors reputable 
 in the world without. History, science, art, ethics, 
 mechanics, social economics were well represented. 
 But few of the novelists we admire had place on 
 the shelves. The poets, however, mainly English, 
 German and Italian were there, but for the most 
 part in abridged editions profusely annotated by 
 
 169 
 
home editors. The labor, intelHgence and good 
 judgment shown in these appeared to me quite re- 
 markable at first, and yet when I learned that 
 wTiters here were estimated by the thoroughness, 
 truth and utility of their writing, and not according 
 to the fertility of their conceptions and the rapidity 
 of production I was inclined to regard them as but 
 the consistent outcomes of the thought and time 
 given them. The most of the story or romance 
 titles were of a nature relating to the early history 
 of the country, and I could well believe that the 
 incidents dressed in picturesque language were en- 
 tirely true of the men and women who constituted 
 the first two or three colony groups. 
 
 To my inquiry it was answered that there was 
 no special literary class, no "blue stockings" in 
 Oudemon; any one could write who felt the draw- 
 ing of the muse, and they who exhibited talent in 
 the use of language as writers or speakers were 
 encouraged to practice and develop their powers. 
 The district bulletins were the media of publica- 
 tion of sketches, poems, articles, etc., of the younger 
 authors, while at the social gatherings the mature 
 and experienced read or exploited in address their 
 later thought, and discussed the literary topics that 
 obtained common attention. 
 
 A LITERARY DEFECT (?) 
 
 I noted one seeming defect in the library col- 
 170 
 
lections, that there were no theological treatises, 
 or Bible commentaries, while of books essentially 
 religious in tone there were many. Expressing 
 my surprise to one of the older men he told me 
 that the founder of the colony brought no books 
 of the kind into the country, and was of the opin- 
 ion that they inspired too much controversy, and 
 thus contributed to dissension and strife among 
 people who should be united in so important a mat- 
 ter as belief and trust in the infinite God and Father 
 of Men. "The discussion of credal propositions," 
 this elder went on to say, "had split Christendom 
 into a thousand sects or phases of religious opinion, 
 and had any good come out of it? The conten- 
 tions and quarrels of people who professed to be 
 followers of the INIaster of truth and life were un- 
 ending, and embittered class against class, com- 
 munity against community. From religion men 
 thought to obtain peace, sympathy and happiness; 
 instead, they drew enmity, rancor and malice. Cer- 
 tainly Christ, as exemplifying God's purpose and 
 dealing toward men, never intended that belief in 
 Him should divide mankind, but unite them in a 
 common brotherhood. The teaching of His gospel 
 emphasizes this, and its terms are so clear as to 
 require no ponderous volumes for their interpre- 
 tation." 
 
 171 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 RELIGION MADE MUTUAL. 
 
 In my talks with the older men and women it 
 was evident that they were not bound by any dog- 
 matic rule or opinion on points of religious prac- 
 tice, but their common agreement seemed to me 
 remarkable in accepting one great Overruler and 
 Guide in the universe. The New Testament was 
 their Compendium of Faith, deference being given 
 especially to the teaching and life of Christ as the 
 model for their following. There was no priest 
 or clerical class among them, the older men and 
 women being given precedence at their meetings 
 for Scripture reading and exercises of devotion. 
 No set discourse or sermon was delivered; instead 
 a serious conversation occupying an hour or so 
 engaged attention. The question or topic for this 
 conversation was suggested at the meeting before 
 it was taken up, and also announced early in the dis- 
 trict bulletin. In the home group or hacienda talks 
 on religious matters were of almost daily occur- 
 rence, and at table meals were prefaced by an in- 
 vocation of divine blessing, the members of the 
 household even to the children taking turn in the 
 brief appeal. 
 
 172 
 
Further, a practice had grown up with them in 
 later years that seemed to be especially beautiful, 
 although it might remind of Oriental formalism. 
 Every day at five o'clock or rather seventeen hours. 
 a low toned bell was sounded from every district 
 tower, and the people, wherever they might be at 
 once bowed with uncovered head, and slowly recited 
 aloud the prayer given by Jesus to his disciples. 
 The mechanic laid down his tool, the gardener 
 stopped in the row, the student or writer put aside 
 his book or pen, the housewife ceased to sew or 
 knit, the man on the road stopped his wagon, the 
 children turned from their play, and scarcely had 
 the mellow clang of the thrice-struck bell died away 
 ere all were in reverent attitude, and the grand 
 words of the grandest of petitions in harmonious 
 intonation rolled through the quiet air. 
 
 IN A RELIGIOUS GATHERING. 
 
 At home I was connected with old St. George's, 
 often attending in company with my mother, the 
 services presided over by the Reverend Doctor Syl- 
 vanus Fichet, a representative of the broadest cult 
 of that much phased division of the Protestant body. 
 The well intoned responses and excellently rendered 
 music were, I think, appreciated, if not the brief 
 discourse and formal pronouncement of the prayers 
 always ; yet like Jim Bludso 'T didn't go much on 
 religion" as it was commonly observed in my circle 
 of acquaintance. Among these people, however, 
 
 ^7Z 
 
I found myself taking part in their devotional prac- 
 tices almost unconsciously. In spite of the evolu- 
 tionary sophists man has a spiritual side by natural 
 endowment and when appealed to normally there is 
 a response of religious feeling, that can scarcely be 
 repressed by any materialistic notions that one may 
 have imbibed. When a guest of the Romans one 
 might be expected to do after their manner, whether 
 or not a custom accorded with one's conviction. 
 Here in Oudemon the earnest, open sincerity of 
 religious and moral life struck home at once, and 
 challenged imitation of the habits and practices of 
 the people so forcibly that I did not spend much 
 time in reflection on their necessity or reasonable- 
 ness. They were so consistent with the preva- 
 lent spirit that I was soon persuaded of their pro- 
 priety and excellence, and sacrificed no personal 
 belief or scruple in their observance. 
 
 The first day of the week was the customary 
 time for gathering in the halls for the religious con- 
 ference. I say halls, but a large court would be 
 more accurate, as the assembly was in the open, 
 unless the weather were rainy or windy. Each 
 district had its place of meeting and the assembly 
 being always large it was divided into sections, after 
 a general opening in which the people sang, and 
 such announcements were made as were of com- 
 mon interest. At this general opening people 
 greeted each other in cordial, fraternal style and 
 exchanged remarks concerning family afifairs, and 
 
 174 
 
inquired about the absent. At one of the confer- 
 ences a brother, whom I had not met before, said : 
 
 "Perhaps our friend from the far North would 
 like to ask a question." As he spoke he turned 
 and looked toward me. The people, however, in- 
 stead of following his motion as by a common 
 impulse and craning their necks to obtain a view 
 of me, continued looking at him. The speaker's 
 kind manner encouraged me to find voice in a query 
 that had been running in my mind that morning as 
 I rode toward the unroofed temple of worship. 
 Thanking the worthy speaker for his attention, I 
 remarked that I should ask a question in the hope 
 that it would not be out of place there, and that my 
 candor must be my excuse for what might seem 
 to many the utterance of a very simple matter, and 
 which, nevertheless, involved much of concern to 
 me, whose spiritual associations had been from 
 childhood of a very different character from theirs. 
 As I spoke every eye now turned toward me. Over 
 at the right leaning against a small tulip tree stood 
 Ellice; glancing that way I noticed that the girl 
 was regarding me with face half averted, yet the 
 flush on her cheek and the parted lips were indica- 
 tive of her close attention to what I was saying. 
 
 "Down here in this charming reserve of nature," 
 I continued, "you, my friends, have made progress 
 in things both material and spiritual. With a be- 
 ginning of singular auspices you have been wise and 
 fortunate in putting away many influences of a de- 
 
 175 
 
pressing and injurious nature that are tolerated or 
 even cultivated in the great North. You have pro- 
 tected the simple and pure, and have grown into a 
 condition of mental harmony and strength, of ro- 
 bust and elastic vitality, of psychic and spiritual 
 susceptibility and expansion that would rejoice the 
 heart of every one in the great outer world who 
 believes earnestly in the upward trend of human 
 nature, when the environment intimates that the 
 community truly desires to grow into a higher 
 sphere of being. I believe from what I see that your 
 development has been due greatly to the ingrafting 
 of religious truth and practice in your every-day 
 habits." 
 
 There was a general nodding of heads at this 
 statement, many of the elders saying: "Yes, you 
 are right, brother Malcolm." I went on : 
 
 "One could scarcely fail in the inference who 
 knows aught of the effect of a sincere religious 
 emotion upon character. Well, am I to infer that 
 you owe your present uplift to any special revela- 
 tion of the Divine will, or simply to a powerful 
 leadership whose influence still remains as an abid- 
 ing element in your souls, and is working out its 
 holy and wonderful evolution in your common 
 life?" 
 
 These remarks were followed by a profound si- 
 lence that lasted fully three minutes, when a deep, 
 penetrating voice at some distance from where I 
 stood broke upon the ear. Turning in its direction 
 
 176 
 
I saw that the speaker was, hke the other, quite un- 
 known, but, from his white hair, one of the Nestors 
 of the State. 
 
 "I may be permitted, dear friends and children," 
 he said, "to answer our stranger friend, for you 
 know I was one of the early-born after the 
 settlement made here by our fathers and mothers. 
 We have had no special revelation, aside from the 
 beautiful and lovely results of our effort to follow 
 the teaching of this lamp of life" (taking from his 
 pocket an old, worn copy of the Bible that I was 
 sure had never been printed in Oudemon). "We 
 have had no great leader aside from the divine one, 
 who came so many generations ago to disclose the 
 will of God to a whole world. If the outcome in 
 the order of our community and people from an 
 effort to worship the Creator and Father of the 
 Universe in all simiplicity and sincerity, and to join 
 an earnest obedience to his benevolent law in our 
 active life, in our relations to each other, be what 
 our young brother terms an evolution, let it be so. 
 Yet what is our condition to-day, children, but that 
 which this manual of righteousness and hope de- 
 clares shall and must be as the necessary result of 
 obedience to the will of our Father, Infinite and Gra- 
 cious. 
 
 "I remember how the excellent man, John Roser, 
 who was, you all know, in tlie first company that 
 crossed the broad river, and ascended to this smil- 
 ing level, was accustomed in his last years to ad- 
 
 177 
 
dress us in the words of St. John : 'Little children, 
 love one another,' and it was little by little that the 
 spirit of his admonition took possession of our 
 hearts. Especially after that great and strange con- 
 vulsion that isolated us from the world — and I was 
 a mere youth then — did the truth and force of this 
 counsel become clear and drew us closer. We 
 studied together the lessons and example of the 
 Master and found them full of this principle, and its 
 trial in our every-day conduct realized the promises 
 He has made of blessing. Could a foundation for 
 happy and contented living be broader than that in 
 which the appreciative practice of brotherhood 
 among men is hinged upon a strong belief in the 
 fatherhood of our God? This is the warm atmos- 
 phere in which we have come to live, with its sweet 
 influence to warm our hearts to the habitual ex- 
 pression of kind words, generous feelings and warm 
 welcomes for each other. Ah, we are not schooled 
 in doctrinal distinctions; nor do we wish to be; it 
 is union, agreement, mutual support that are dear 
 to us, and we are content to rest upon the great 
 truth of the one Almighty Father of our spirits 
 and His regard for His trusting children. Have 
 we not prospered, dear friends, in everything de- 
 sirable by adopting this?" A loud burst of approval 
 answered the elder's question. "And are there many 
 among us who would exchange the life of mutual 
 sympathy and interest here, the calm and happy cur- 
 rent of industry and affectionate companionship, for 
 
 178 
 
the uncertain, hasty and irregular ways of the world 
 beyond those ridges?" 
 
 "No, no, no," came in prolonged and emphatic 
 repetition from the attentive throng, while eyes 
 filled with tenderness and hands grasped hands in 
 earnest clasp. My own eyes became thick with 
 moisture as I listened to the sage, and emotions were 
 stirred that no other assembly had before awakened. 
 I could not refrain from exclaiming: "I am an- 
 swered, venerable father and Christian apostle; 
 you have given me a complete demonstration." The 
 next moment two warm hands clasped mine, and 
 Ellice spoke : "Dear ]\Ialcolm, you know now what 
 we are like, don't you?" There was a tone of yearn- 
 ing in that voice that went to my heart's depth, and 
 I longed to return the sweet pressure, but in that 
 atmosphere my conscience was quickened to a strong 
 expression of honesty. I could not do that which 
 I believed to be unreasonably if not clearly wrong, 
 I could not encourage feelings, however delightful, 
 that would not find realization. Only sincerity and 
 frankness should mark my conduct thereafter in 
 Oudemon. Was I not there on honor ? Looking in 
 the face of the beautiful young woman whose breast 
 undulated with the fervor of her emotion, I re- 
 plied : 
 
 "Yes, Ellice, if all here are like you what a 
 heaven it must be into which I have fallen." Then, 
 with a gentle pressure I released my hands and 
 turned to others who were near and who had al- 
 ready greeted me. 
 
 1/9 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION. 
 
 While reading in my room after breakfast, a 
 few days later, I heard confused cries and the rustle 
 of wings as of many birds in great excitement. 
 Looking toward a window, I saw a dozen or more 
 flit by, and was about to throw aside the book and 
 go to the window, when Stella burst in. 
 
 ''Cousin Malcolm, a great, monstrous bird has 
 entered our district and is flying this way. Come 
 right down, will you not?" 
 
 Going down, I found most of the family on the 
 grounds in the rear of the house. To my look of 
 inquiry Jasper replied : "We have just heard that 
 an oura has entered the country, coming down from 
 the southeast. Once in a while a visit of the kind 
 occurs. It is a very large, powerful and rapacious 
 creature, and might do much damage, especially by 
 killing hundreds of our birds, if not driven away 
 or destroyed soon. You see how they are flying in 
 this direction; that shows that the unwelcome vis- 
 itor is heading toward us." 
 
 The bird tumult seemed to increase. I never saw 
 before or since such a panic ; it was a veritable hur- 
 ricane of flying feathers. Orioles, toucans, finches, 
 
 i8o 
 
ravens, humming birds, parrots, swallows, tana- 
 gers, francolins, or pheasants, and others I could not 
 name mingling their brilliant colors in a flashing 
 mesh and uttering their peculiar notes of alarm and 
 warning. ]\'lultitudes had already settled in the 
 trees and shrubbery of the grounds, evidently ex- 
 pecting safety in nearness to their human friends. 
 
 "You think, then, Jasper, that it will come near 
 us?" I asked, while studying the bird panorama. 
 "In all probability. This visitor is very bold. 
 Although several have been killed, they do not seem 
 to learn much from experience, for two or three 
 times a year one ventures down. They fly well in 
 the air, swooping down to strike their prey, and it 
 does not seem to matter if there are men near by. 
 One has been known to attempt to strike a child, and 
 when intent upon its quarry will fight a dozen men. 
 We value our birds highly, as you know, and so en- 
 deavor to protect them from their enemies, but 
 such a creature as this is dangerous in other re- 
 spects and must be treated as a public enemy." 
 "What are you going to do, Jasper?" 
 "I think we shall leave that to Willis." 
 Turning to the young man, I saw now that he 
 held in one hand what appeared to be a rod of pol- 
 ished metal a yard or so long, about an inch in diam- 
 eter, but on examination I found it to be a tube with 
 one end expanded and flattened, but closed, and so 
 molded as to fit the shoulder. Near the middle of 
 the tube was a button-like projection, and near this 
 
 i8i 
 
an adjustable or sliding handle. On the whole, it 
 was an odd looking article, a sort of gun, I suspect- 
 ed, but quite without the menacing look of our civ- 
 ilized rifles and fowling pieces. 
 
 "Do you expect to do anything with that little af- 
 fair, Willis?" I asked. "You ought to have one of 
 our revolving or magazine guns." 
 
 He laughed : "Well, Malcolm, I shall do the best 
 I can with this little affair." 
 
 "Is it loaded?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Taking from his pocket a cartridge-like cylin- 
 der about four inches long, he continued : "This 
 will stop the fellow, probably, in his bold career, if 
 the one in the tube — we call it 'impeller' — misses." 
 
 Examining the cartridge for a moment, it ap- 
 peared to be of thin metal filled with a light sub- 
 stance, as the whole could not have weighed more 
 than two ounces. One end was rounded, the other 
 flat, with a small aperture in the center. I was ex- 
 amining this cartridge, when Jasper said quietly: 
 "There!" raising his hand in a southerly direction. 
 Handing the cartridge to Willis, I turned and saw 
 through the openings of the trees what to my eyes 
 was a great bird indeed. Apparently he was at an 
 elevation of two hundred feet, so that the taller 
 trees of the region were for the most part cleared 
 as he came on, moving easily, the even sweeps of 
 the great wings impelling him with astonishing 
 speed. The blue-brown and gray feathers of his 
 
 182 
 
head shone in the sunhght as he sailed majestically 
 on, the serpent-like head turning now this side and 
 then that, as if on the alert for a quarry. It was 
 not more than two minutes from my first view when 
 he had swooped overhead, shooting downward as 
 if he had marked his prey a little beyond our sta- 
 tion. Willis at the exclamation of father Bruce 
 had raised the tube to his shoulder and aimed it at 
 the bird, following its movement, sportsmanlike, as 
 he could over the trees. Suddenly a low snap, an 
 instant later an explosion, with a burst of flame and 
 white smoke that seemed to envelop the bird and 
 quickly cleared away. A faint scream of rage and 
 pain followed, a scuffling of wings and feathers and 
 a heavy fall upon the graveled roadside. 
 
 "No need of a second, my son," broke in the fath- 
 er, as we all hastened to see the result of the shot. 
 There lay the ruins of a great bird of the condor 
 species that must have been the match for an un- 
 armed man in a fight. His feathers were almost de- 
 stroyed, the skin at parts burnt to a cinder; head, 
 neck and limbs torn and twisted into a mesh of flesh 
 and bone. 
 
 "You made short work of the intruder, Willis," 
 I ventured in my first surprise. "A battle howitzer- 
 firing shrapnel could not have been more thorough. 
 It must be a very destructive explosive that is se- 
 creted in the cartridge you use." 
 
 "Yes, something like the composition used in the 
 mine blasts, cousin ; but quicker in action. In fact, 
 
 183 
 
I made a little mistake about distance. You see this 
 sliding pin?" — showing me the fresh cartridge — 
 "by adjusting this we set the moment of explosion. 
 You notice the cross lines along the track the pin 
 travels? Each one means the one-hundredth of a 
 second, and as the average flight of a cartridge like 
 this with the pressure given in the tube is three 
 thousand feet in a second, for three and a half sec- 
 onds I can set the time for the explosion in ac- 
 cordance with the distance of the object. I set the 
 cartridge this time at eight, intending to fire when 
 the bird was about 250 feet distant. He must have 
 been 265. Yet, as the explosive matter of the bolt 
 usually fills a space of thirty feet in diameter, its 
 effect was sufficient to kill him in a second or two." 
 
 Taking the tube in my hands, I said : "This is 
 somewhat on the principle of an air gun, I suspect." 
 
 "Yes, Malcolm, as you think; only the earth gas 
 is used, because it expands with much greater force, 
 besides developing heat enough to ignite the matter 
 in the cartridge which sets off the explosive compo- 
 sition." 
 
 "Is that anj^thing like d3^namite?" 
 
 "Analogous, but a mixture of salts and inflam- 
 mable liquid much less dangerous to handle, and 
 really, I think, more powerful when exploded." 
 
 "It is indeed, cousin Willis, the most destructive 
 thing I ever saw, and yet the cartridge is innocent 
 looking enough. What an acquisition the knowl- 
 edge of its properties would be to our Government 
 
 184 
 
at home, both on the score of economy and as a 
 means of defence or offence in war! Have your 
 people ever had any trouble with your neighbors?" 
 
 DIFFERENCES OF POLICY^ PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, 
 
 Willis looked at me in a curious fashion. We 
 were alone there by the roadside, the others of the 
 party having returned to the house, taking the dead 
 bird away with them. At length he said : 
 
 "I don't remember, or know, of any trouble with 
 our neighbors, Malcolm. When our forefathers 
 and foremothers came here they had already ob- 
 tained a grant of territory from the Portuguese, and 
 besides, they purchased from the native Indians all 
 the land and more now under our control. Before 
 the great upheaval of the ridges, our historians say, 
 our difficulties were mostly with the wild beasts and 
 the primitive rudeness of the land." 
 
 "Well, I must insist that with such a weapon as 
 that in the hands of active, skilful men like you, 
 Willis, no enemy could stand before you. A knowl- 
 edge of its construction and of the manufacture of 
 such cartridges as it throws with so much velocity 
 and to distances so accurately measured " 
 
 "Ten thousand yards and more " 
 
 "Would be worth millions to any man in my 
 country." 
 
 "Would you care to know about these things, 
 Malcolm, with such an idea of using them?" in- 
 
 185 
 
quired the young fellow, a deeply serious look com- 
 ing upon his face. 
 
 I laughed : "No, Willis ; no, indeed. I would not 
 carry such a horrible secret home — horrible, you 
 know, I mean in the sense of its employment to de- 
 stroy my fellow men — however much it might be 
 valued by our Government. I am not a friend to 
 war or militarism. There are many statesmen 
 among us, however, who profess to think that big 
 armies and great guns preserve the world's peace." 
 
 "It must be strange argument, Malcolm, that 
 supports such a view, and only the argument of force 
 and oppression. I have heard that in your country, 
 where much claim is made to popular freedom, and 
 in Europe also, there are many practices that serve 
 to make the most precious thing to man — life — ■ 
 cheap and inconsequent. Think of your political 
 contests, sectional quarrels, social and individual 
 habits, diseases, customs and general opinions that 
 increase so amazingly your mortality. We can 
 scarcely believe the reports that come to us, or com- 
 prehend the intelligence of your people with respect 
 to life, so easily on occasion does murder, suicide 
 and death seem to occur. I hope, dear cousin, it is 
 far from true what I have heard in this line." 
 
 The earnestness of the young man, several years 
 my junior, impressed me strongly. 
 
 "I regret to say, Willis, that you do not overstate 
 the facts. In our country an amazing anomaly 
 stands prominently in view. On the one hand, so- 
 
 i86 
 
ciety is seen going to great lengths in caring for 
 the young and old, charitably and officially main- 
 taining a great system of public education, provid- 
 ing hospitals and numerous institutions for the sick 
 and poor and homeless, doing everything suggested 
 by science and philanthropy to promote the health 
 and growth of the young and the comfort of the 
 old, no matter what the expense and trouble; and 
 on the other hand permitting and in divers ways 
 fostering many abuses and malign influences that 
 prey upon health and morals, and directly or in- 
 directly degrade and kill vast numbers." 
 
 "I have heard Archbold talk of his experiences 
 abroad, Malcolm, and it has astonished us that your 
 wise and great men — you have many of them, cer- 
 tainly — do not join to suppress the evils your peo- 
 ple suffer. Archbold noted that your best people 
 appeared to admire greatly men whose chief dis- 
 tinction was war and to manage expeditions that 
 were intended to carry death and destruction into 
 countries and among people that were much weaker 
 than yours. I have heard that your science and in- 
 vention that concerned weapons for the wholesale 
 killing of human beings received more consideration 
 and reward than any other kind of mental work and 
 industry. How strange this is ! How very remark- 
 able, when you have the same Master who came to 
 teach man how to live, and who emphasized the 
 value of life in many ways for usefulness, growth 
 of the soul and happiness." 
 
 187 
 
Wondering if this young fellow were but a sam- 
 ple of the junior population of the country, I re- 
 marked absently : 
 
 "You have obtained your information, then, in 
 that way, Willis ?" 
 
 "Yes, cousin ; our Archbold is one of the few who 
 care to go out of Oudemon, and he does so to study 
 foreign countries and find what may be of use to 
 us." 
 
 "I am thinking that you do not get much " 
 
 "Oh, yes, some things are reported that we find 
 really valuable. The composition of dynamite, for 
 instance, was learned not long ago, and our chem- 
 ists have improved upon it and obtained the sub- 
 stances we use for mining and other purposes. Then 
 we have gotten ideas in education, in agriculture, in 
 our manufactures of cloth, and so on." 
 
 "But, Willis, while you acknowledge indebted- 
 ness to us for one thing or another, you have made 
 great advances for yourselves, and I think really 
 outdo us in most of those things that we take pride 
 in." 
 
 "Archbold says that your people, cousin Malcolm, 
 have grand ideas and purposes in various lines, but 
 do not carry them all out, especially the best of them 
 that have relation to the advancement of the com- 
 munity in moral conduct and right views of life. 
 Ideas and propositions having reference to science, 
 business, trade, political expansion, gain and indi- 
 vidual importance absorb attention, and great efforts 
 
 i88 
 
are made to put them in practice. Thus, some of 
 your people accumulate immense stores of what you 
 call wealth, and control great tracts of land, while 
 the masses are kept poor and their morals degraded 
 or neglected. Oh, if they would only introduce the 
 Royal Law and the practices that naturally flow 
 from it, how soon there would come a change, and 
 the injustice, vice and misery, so widespread, would 
 soon begin to disappear." 
 
 "Your Royal Law may operate wonderfully down 
 here, my dear Willis, but among us no idealistic 
 theories could have effect. Our legislators and 
 economists would sneer at any attempt to introduce 
 a system of ethics like yours." 
 
 "Why, Malcolm," returned the young man, his 
 fine eyes sparkling, "are not our people of the same 
 race-stock as yours? And our grandfathers were 
 idealists, but practical, solid willed men," 
 
 "And very happily caught on a principle that in 
 its application has turned out most successfully. I 
 should like to know, Willis, more about the work- 
 ing of your declaration of rights or this Royal Law. 
 Well, Jabber, what now?" 
 
 My four-armed servant had been jerking at my 
 coat just then, and, turning to him, found that he 
 had a folded paper in one paw, which he held up, 
 the usual preposterous grin illuminating his wrin- 
 kled features. 
 
 Opening the missive, I read aloud : 
 
 189 
 
"A few days since our brother Malcolm intimat- 
 ed a wish to visit the House of Hope; if he will 
 meet me at the twin bay tree, near the council hall 
 of district seventeen, at ten hours, I will pilot him 
 to that resting place of our happy ones, who await 
 the final restoration, as I have occasion to visit 
 friends in the adjoining district twenty-one. 
 
 "Archbold/^ 
 
 "It is time you were on the way, cousin. Let me 
 fetch up your goalone while you get ready." 
 
 "Thank you, my dear boy. I'll fix up a little and 
 be down in a minute," and off I rushed to do the 
 necessary for the journey. 
 
 190 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE MAUSOLEUM. 
 
 On a natural mound stood this House of Hope, a 
 great building for Oudemon, 125 feet in diameter 
 and 85 feet in height to the deep frieze that im- 
 parted a Doric effect to the massive wall of concrete 
 blocks. At the height of ten feet this wall was 
 pierced by a row of circular windows three feet in 
 diameter, set at a distance of about fifteen feet apart. 
 Forty feet up, or nearly midway, was another series 
 of windows, diamond in shape and three feet in cen- 
 tral breadth. Another series of openings a few feet 
 below the frieze ran around the structure; these 
 were oval in form, the short or horizontal breadth 
 being five feet. Two porticoes reared on the east 
 and west sides, with Doric columns supporting roofs 
 thirty feet high over platforms twenty-five feet in 
 breadth and forty feet long, gave dignity to the 
 wide archways that formed the entrances. There 
 were no doors. 
 
 Passing in, I found a spacious room centrally 
 situated, the coolness of which in contrast to the 
 warm outside air was marked. Chairs and benches 
 of tulip wood and mahogany stood about. On one 
 side a low table, massively built and finely carved, 
 
 191 
 
intimated some form of ceremonial. The shape of 
 this room was oval, the long diameter at right angles 
 to the line of entrance. Numerous openings gave 
 admission to broad passages that radiated in as 
 many directions toward the outer wall. These 
 passages were open to tlie roof, which was con- 
 structed of a series of diaphragms, one above the 
 other, until a wide central disk surmounted them 
 all. The lower margin of each diaphragm extend- 
 ed over its next neighbor below, a space being left 
 between of several feet, thus affording light and 
 ventilation in addition to the windows. As one 
 stood in a passage and looked upward he saw three 
 windows of different form break the line of wall, 
 and overhead he saw the central diaphragm in full 
 view, its polished metal glistening in the light and 
 being pierced by a large stellar opening glazed with 
 immense sheets of blue-white mica. The effect was 
 decidedly impressive. 
 
 On each side of a passage built of composite metal 
 in heavy open or grill work was a line of stall or 
 cell-like spaces two feet or more wade and seven 
 feet long and perhaps two feet high. Tier after tier 
 of these rose to the roof, all being accessible by 
 galleries of open framework set at convenient ele- 
 vations. An aromatic odor pervaded the building. 
 This was the mausoleum of Oudemon, where the 
 dead were placed for final rest. 
 
 I had entered the silent building alone, for Rest- 
 ling had dropped me at the entrance, saying : 
 
 192 
 
"I leave you, Malcolm, to make your own inspec- 
 tion and form your own conclusions. You will 
 probably find the warden ere long. Expect me back 
 in the course of tw'O hours." 
 
 I did not find the warden, and it was half an hour, 
 perhaps, ere he appeared, so that the great House 
 of Hope was my possession during that time, and I 
 wandered through the passages, curiously studying 
 the arrangements and fittings that on every hand 
 evinced the interest and good sense of this people in 
 caring for the bodies of their departed friends. At 
 first the thought of cremation was suggested when 
 I encountered the spicy odor, but a glimpse of cer- 
 tain stalls proved to me that a different plan of dis- 
 posal was followed here. The w^arden explained it. 
 
 The body of the departed was wrapped in a lire- 
 resisting cloth that had been soaked previously in 
 a composition of disinfectants and fragrant gums, 
 and after the usual ceremonial \vas deposited upon 
 the grating in a special stall at one end of the main 
 hall. Under the body was laid billets of odorous 
 wood that burned slowdy and with little flame. The 
 heat and vapor gradually dried the tissues of the 
 dead without destroying their relations and with- 
 out the production of offensive gases. It was a 
 method of dessication that did not cause the ordi- 
 nary effects of dessication as known to us. After 
 this process the body was laid in its chosen crypt. 
 
 The warden drew from one of the stalls the 
 mummy-like fold of a body that had Iain there five 
 
 193 
 
years. It was that of a relative, a cousin of his 
 mother. Carefully loosening the cloth enfolding 
 the head, a face was disclosed that startled me by 
 its naturalness. The complexion had darkened, but 
 the skin under the drying treatment had shrivelled 
 little and had tightened over the bones so as to pre- 
 serve much of the old contour and expression. It 
 reminded me of leaves I had seen in the forest that 
 had dried up, after falling, without turning yellow 
 or losing much of their glossy smoothness. In some 
 instances, the old custodian said, an examination of 
 bodies that had been there twenty years revealed a 
 state of almost equal preservation. At the head of 
 each stall containing an inmate was a tablet giving 
 name, age and some lines or a verse descriptive of 
 his or her character and relation in life. In a niche 
 of the building was filed a record of the events and 
 design relating to its construction, and also a reg- 
 ister of its peaceful residents from the time of the 
 first deposit. 
 
 I should mention that on the wall inclosing the 
 central room or place of ceremonial there were a 
 great many metal tablets, with inscriptions deeply 
 engraved or carved in relief. These were either 
 memorials of men and women specially beloved by 
 the people, or quotations from the wisdom of the 
 ages, bearing upon life in its relations to God and 
 man, the sentiment of hope and cheer being every- 
 where marked. Among these I noted the follow- 
 ing : 
 
 194 
 
Praise the Lord, my soul, 
 
 and all that is within me 
 
 Praise His holy Name! 
 
 Rejoice in the Lord always; 
 and again I say Rejoice! 
 
 Children, continue the good 
 reputation of the dead with surviving Glory. 
 
 The voice of Joy and Health 
 is in the dwellings of the righteous. 
 
 When men are Friends 
 there is no need of Justice. 
 
 Sing, ye Heaven, be joyful, O earth ! 
 
 He who does wrong, 
 does wrong against Himself. 
 
 One tablet in a conspicuous place, being set in 
 the center of the broad wall and composed of let- 
 ters of great size, evidently beaten out of gold, and 
 so well polished as to be read easily from the most 
 distant part of the chamber, was this : 
 
 What doth the Lord 
 
 require of Thee 
 
 but to do Justly, and to love Mercy, 
 
 And to v;alk Humbly 
 
 with thy God? 
 
 195 
 
A LOW BILL OF MORTALITY. 
 
 A later visit for the purpose enabled me to make 
 notes of such features that were interesting to a 
 mere curiosity hunter, and which, I am sure, would 
 be useful to the statistician. I learned then from 
 the warden that the mausoleum was built forty-six 
 years after the first settlement of Oudemon, and 
 contained 10,605 bodies. There had been a remark- 
 able decline in the death rate of the people during 
 the past fifty years, although the showing of the 
 early decades was a much smaller percentage than 
 that of my own city, the management of whose san- 
 itary affairs was in charge of a much applauded and 
 certainly quite officious Board, supposed to be "non- 
 partisan" in politics because its members received 
 no salary. As nearly as I could estimate the death 
 rate for the ten years just past had not exceeded 
 three per cent, for the whole period, and this was 
 made up almost entirely of persons over eighty years 
 of age. There were two years when the percentage 
 in certain districts was greater, for a reason men- 
 tioned later. The number of children on the list 
 was so amazingly small that I asked the warden 
 where the children were buried or entombed. 
 He replied : "Why, here, my young friend." 
 "But they are not all registered, then, I suppose?" 
 "Yes, certainly, Malcolm; but, as you see, the 
 proportion is quite small. Our children as a rule 
 live and grow up. We have no sicknesses or epi- 
 
 196 
 
demies to kill them in infancy, as was much the 
 case before the settlement and before our people 
 had improved the country and become established 
 in the habits that we now practice. Our younger 
 married people are so well and so systematic in their 
 domestic affairs that we expect their children to be 
 well born and to grow like the fledgelings of our 
 birds into robust maturity." 
 
 "Your families, kind warden, are certainly not 
 remarkable for size, as a rule, yet if all the children 
 live your population constantly increases." 
 
 "Yes, probably fast enough, all things consid- 
 ered, Malcolm. But have you noticed that any of 
 our people appear to be discontented as mothers or 
 fathers?" 
 
 "No ; far from it. On the contrary, I have never 
 seen families where so much enjoyment was taken 
 in themselves. On that account I have wondered 
 that you do not have more little ones toddling 
 about." 
 
 "Well, my dear friend from the North, we prob- 
 ably look at the subject of parentage from a different 
 point of view than your people do. We do love and 
 treasure our children, and that very fact leads us 
 to consider motherhood in a light that imparts a 
 high responsibility to the relation. Our women, in- 
 deed, have more to say about marriage than our 
 men. We think that only fair to them as prospective 
 mothers. So, when one marries, it is commonly un- 
 derstood that she is perfectly satisfied with the man 
 
 197 
 
of her choice; and then, as regards having a child, 
 it is for her to decide when it shall be. The many 
 considerations that enter into so important a mat- 
 ter are seriously looked at by both husband and 
 wife." 
 
 "Ah, warden, we conduct things of this kind in a 
 very different fashion. Our men still think them- 
 selves the paramount authority." 
 
 "So I have been told, Malcolm, and that parent- 
 age is often a so-called 'accident' in your well-bred 
 society. With us there are no accidents, you know," 
 the old man went on, a suspicious twinkle of cyni- 
 cism in his eye. "Well, a child is wanted, and the 
 expectant parents desire that it shall be a strong, 
 active product of their best life, a joy and credit to 
 them in early years, a companion and help in its 
 full growth, and a survivor to perpetuate the fam- 
 ily stock with even a better quality of capacity and 
 endurance. Children born and grown in this way 
 are not likely to be numerous, my young friend." 
 
 "No, the lion has but few cubs, warden, but 
 they are lions. So it is analogously with you Oude- 
 monites. Few children, yet beautiful and strong 
 and joy-giving, and endowed \vith so much buoy- 
 ant life as to awaken little thought of their passing 
 away ere the springtime had set the bud for the 
 blossom." 
 
 "I remember well an incident," musingly went on 
 my elderly companion, "that occurred when I was 
 quite a youngster — not over twenty — I am eighty- 
 
 19S 
 
seven now. I was a delicate boy for an Oudemonite 
 even then ; my mother was a weakly woman always, 
 yet lived to be seventy-eight ; and I was born a year 
 or two after my father came down here from your 
 State. Mother, I believe, picked up considerably 
 in strength after getting settled in the new home, 
 but I had weak lungs, supposed to be inherited from 
 mother. Her father and two brothers died of what 
 they called consumption, and mother was so weak 
 at the time she left the old house near Albany to 
 travel so far that father was called very cruel to 
 pack her off just to die. Yet, you see, the change 
 proved good for her; she lived nearly forty years 
 after that. 
 
 "Well, my boy, as I was going to tell you when 
 I began, I was about twenty when a child was still- 
 born in the Tolly house, not far from ours. This 
 caused a deal of excitement among the people " 
 
 "Indeed, my excellent warden ! — a very common 
 occurrence where I live. How did it happen?" 
 
 "Mother Tolly never could get used to the mon- 
 keys. She did not like them from the first. To be 
 sure, we did not understand them as well then as 
 we do now, and could not prevent them from doing 
 some mischief in one way or another. Now they 
 are so well trained as to be of use in many ways, 
 you know." 
 
 "You have seen my faithful Jabber, perhaps, 
 warden?" 
 
 "No, but I can vouch for him. Like most of 
 199 
 
them, he was bred, I suppose, in the family where 
 you live. Educated stock, you see ! But, going on 
 with my story, if you're not tired of it, boy?" 
 "No, no, good sir — go on." 
 
 "Well, as I was saying, we were only beginning 
 then to learn the value of the lively little chaps, 
 and there were not half a dozen families in our dis- 
 trict who kept them. Now, to come to tHe point: 
 mother Tolly was expecting another child. She 
 was feeling very well and had gone into the garden 
 to look around. That spring had not been as wet 
 as usual, and we had done a little irrigation. While 
 she was there a neighbor's monkey slily crept up 
 behind mother Tolly and sprang upon her arm. 
 Surprise and fright caused a premature birth, and 
 the good woman was a long time getting over it. 
 Since that, over sixty years, you see, I don't believe 
 more than two such deaths have happened in all the 
 country." 
 
 "Impossible! What was done with the rascally 
 monkey ?" 
 
 "We made him a public example that some folks 
 thought too severe, but I believe it had a good ef- 
 fect." 
 
 "What was it, warden? I should like to know 
 what kind of discipline would be of any use to the 
 frisky tribe." 
 
 "Well, at first, my boy, the people in our district 
 
 and others almost decided to expel the M^hole race 
 
 from the country — corral them, so to speak, and 
 200 
 
put them over the ridge; but my father advised a 
 different course. He beheved that the monkey could 
 be made very useful by training, and quite well- 
 behaved, also, in time. So he suggested that all 
 the monkeys for miles around should be brought to 
 a certain place on a set day, soon after the accident 
 to mother Tolly. At that time he had Yep, the 
 mischievous offender, brought into the center of the 
 assembly, and bound him by the four legs to two 
 youngsters. All the other monkeys were roped to 
 other trees in full sight of Yep. Then neighbor 
 Ambrose Glind, a man who had a very stern sense 
 of justice, whipped the beast severely with a strap 
 until he howled terribly. It was a pitiful sight. All 
 the other monkeys howled in chorus and strained on 
 their fastenings, and got on their knees to their mas- 
 ters, as if fearful they should be treated the same 
 way. After the whipping Ambrose talked to Yep 
 about what he had been whipped for, and ordered 
 him never to leave the home grounds without per- 
 mission ; if he did, he would be whipped and thrown 
 out of the country. The owners of the other mon- 
 keys spoke to their poor animals in the same strain. 
 
 "Well, I don't know how it was," said the old 
 man with a laugh, "but Yep never went out of the 
 home bounds after that, and his owner declared no 
 child could be more submissive. Besides, the punish- 
 ment had a good effect upon the monkeys generally 
 in making them tractable." 
 
 20I 
 
In a wide recess I had noted a large silver plate 
 set in the wall, with the inscription : 
 
 "Through His Chastening. 
 
 Praised be His Name!" 
 
 On both sides of this were rows of stalls, with the 
 customary tablets, giving names and the dates of 
 decease. There were groups of these tablets bearing 
 the same date and district. My curiosity was aroused 
 by this peculiar arrangement and by the large me- 
 morial plate, and I had determined to inquire into 
 the meaning of such a distribution, so at this point 
 of our conversation I remarked : 
 
 "My dear venerable, over there in the southeast 
 there is a sort of mortuary chapel, by itself, with an 
 inscription that I would like you to explain for me." 
 
 "Ah, my good boy," replied he, gravely, the tears 
 starting in his eyes, "that is our constant reminder 
 that we are subject to the unexpected woful, like all 
 the rest of humankind. Now and then In some part 
 of our land there comes a sudden visitation — a tor- 
 nado, or waterburst — that is terribly destructive to 
 houses, fields and life. All our science is pov>^er]ess 
 against it, although in some cases warning has been 
 given a little time in advance by our sky observers. 
 Coming from above, this storm swoops down, tears 
 into fragments everything it strikes. You know the 
 effect of those terrible, revolting winds?" 
 
 202 
 
"Yes, indeed, warden, I have seen their effects in 
 the Antilles." 
 
 "The worst of their havoc is, of course, upon life 
 and limb. Three years ago a cyclone and rain- 
 storm fell in district nineteen one most beautiful 
 spring day — oh, with such awful suddenness; and 
 in two minutes or less dashed into splinters four 
 houses and all the outlying buildings, and wasted 
 gardens and groves for miles. Fourteen persons 
 were killed outright and eleven wounded and 
 maimed." 
 
 "Yes; I noticed the group of tablets with that 
 number of deaths inscribed." 
 
 "So, you must see, Malcolm, life with us is not 
 altogether a bed of roses. He disciplines us in His 
 own blessed way, lest we shall become too vain and 
 self-satisfied, and perhaps fall into habits that might 
 gradually weaken and destroy us." 
 
 Not many days afterward I visited district nine- 
 teen in company with Irving, and rode through the 
 scene of this terrible calamity. Although the houses 
 had been rebuilt by the survivors of the families 
 that possessed them, and the gardens and orchards 
 looked fresh and beautiful, yet there were traces 
 still to remind one of the awful might of the visi- 
 tation. 
 
 The deeply reverent reflections of the aged custo- 
 dian of the great resting-place of the departed I 
 could not gainsay, and as he was silent for a while 
 after his last remark I did not interrupt his medi- 
 
 203 
 
tation, but quietly awaited his pleasure for further 
 talk. At length, looking toward the entrance, he 
 said cheerily : 
 
 "Here comes my little factotum, now — my Chin- 
 ny. What have you there, boy?" 
 
 I was thus introduced to the old man's four- 
 pawed assistant, who had run in on three legs, hold- 
 ing in one paw a small basket which he dropped at 
 the feet of the warden, who continued : 
 
 "Jubuti; and fine ones, too, you rogue. Well, 
 Malcolm, let us have a little refreshment together. 
 Good boy, Chinny." He stroked the grinning little 
 servant's head affectionately, "An old chap, well 
 along, and yet he can go up the tall palms and bring 
 down the nuts as well as the youngest. These fel- 
 lows, you know, do a good part of our fruit gather- 
 ing — they like it. Look how the rascal picks out the 
 best for you." 
 
 The monkey had even done this, and I rewarded 
 him with "A good boy, Chinny; you know where 
 the good things are!" and patted him on the back. 
 Finishing the delicious refreshment with a cup of 
 tree milk that the guardian of the place brought 
 from a stone pot set in a cool corner, I thanked him 
 for his hospitality and rolled away in my nimble 
 little wagon. 
 
 204 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 AN UNLOOKED-FOR ADVENTURE. 
 
 Two months had passed, with enough of varied 
 activity to enable me to become fairly accustomed to 
 the life surrounding me. I was certainly acclimat- 
 ed and in excellent state physically. Restling in- 
 sisted that there had been a marked improvement in 
 my appearance. A clearer complexion and less an- 
 gularity of feature were evident whenever I made 
 my simple toilet, and if the Bruces, in their frank 
 manner, referred to this improvement I hastened to 
 answer that it was but a reflection of neighboring 
 conditions, and that one could not live for weeks 
 and months amid such influences and not grow bet- 
 ter. I had become well known to a large section of 
 the Oudemon people. My goalone had carried me 
 on long excursions in various directions, and the 
 universal kindness made me the guest of every 
 house I might stop at. My name was frequently in 
 the bulletins, and invitations to all sorts of "events" 
 were constant. At the same time, there was a prev- 
 alent sentiment of laissez-faire that gave me a de- 
 lightful sense of independence. 
 
 Alone or with company I explored this and that 
 region and made notes of my findings for present 
 
 205 
 
or future use. My adventurous vein found oppor- 
 , tunity for ample play. There were large areas on 
 the v^estern border of the country quite covered 
 with old forest and extensive bench or terrace for- 
 mations rising toward the upper ridge offering rich 
 returns to the mining prospector. An ordinary ex- 
 cursion into those quarters usually covered an entire 
 day, as the distance from my "hotel" was at least 
 fifty miles to points where it was necessary to leave 
 my wagon and depend upon my legs for further 
 transportation. 
 
 From one of these trips I had brought back speci- 
 mens of iron, corundum and zinc that were pro- 
 nounced by an engineer expert to be of an unusual 
 character; the corundum especially was considered 
 a very important find, the quality being of extraor- 
 dinary fineness. If I would definitely locate the 
 point where I had picked up the specimen, said 
 Champlin, the engineer, he would be glad to inves- 
 tigate the matter, because a deposit of that grade of 
 aluminum would be of high value in certain mechan- 
 ical operations. A week or so later I left Bruces' 
 quite early in the morning, my wagon supplied with 
 hammer, chisel and pick, and a good box of lunch 
 stuff, expecting to spend some hours on the ledges. 
 Pursuing the same course that had been made on 
 my last visit, a run of three hours brought me to 
 the locality, and after thirty or forty minutes of in- 
 spection it was my good fortune to strike the place 
 where I had found the corundum. Using my tools, 
 
 206 
 
I turned out fragments of the oxide that seemed to 
 be fully equal to the grade of the specimen taken 
 home and submitted to the engineer. Marking the 
 spot and noting down the relations of the place to 
 certain trees and surface indications, I proceeded 
 further up the ledge, examining the ground closely. 
 Coming to a cliff-like projection, the approach to 
 which was rather steep, my curiosity led me to at- 
 tempt to scale it. With the pick I easily made foot- 
 holds in the friable rock, and in twenty minutes had 
 worked my way up the forty or fifty feet to the 
 summit of the cliff. There I found a nearly level 
 bench or platform extending about two hundred feet 
 north and south, and sloping gradually toward the 
 western crest. A giant cactus, the solitary inhabi- 
 tant of the platform, invited me to rest in its irreg- 
 ular shade and to unsling the lunch box. The sun, 
 high in mid-heaven, suggested noontime. I had be- 
 come heated enough in my climb to accept the op- 
 portunity for at least a half hour's rest, and the re- 
 freshment provided by the excellent dietetic taste of 
 mother Bruce. 
 
 A SUDDEN INTRODUCTION TO AN ANCIENT MINE. 
 
 While leisurely discussing the toothsome variety 
 of fruit, biscuit and nut cream I studied the ground 
 in the immediate neighborhood. Forty feet north 
 from me a small part of the surface appeared to be 
 depressed and saucer-shaped. Besides, the space, 
 
 207 
 
instead of being composed of rock and crumble, like 
 the remainder of the bench, was covered with a 
 coarse vegetation of vine and mosses. This awak- 
 ened my curiosity, and I determined to examine the 
 peculiarity at close range. So, after dispatching my 
 stock of provender, I got upon my feet, and, with 
 pick in hand, walked to the vegetable circle. At a 
 little distance from the margin several flowers of a 
 brilliant purple caught my eyes. Their form was 
 entirely new to my experience, and, thinking to se- 
 cure a novelty for Ellice's herbarium, I strode upon 
 the leafy bed. To my surprise the apparently firm 
 surface yielded to my weight, and before there was 
 time to make a step backward I found myself going 
 downward with the mass of vine and moss. Had it 
 not been for the tough fibrous strands which I in- 
 stinctively clutched as I descended, my fall would 
 have been disastrous, probably. As it was, I made 
 a sheer drop of fully twenty feet ere the vines parted, 
 and then landed upon a very narrow shelf, from 
 which I rolled down a steep, funnel-like wall for a 
 considerable distance, spasmodically digging the 
 pick into the shaley rock, as I descended, to reduce 
 the impetus, until brought to a halt at the bottom. 
 
 Although bruised and shaken, I was not seriously 
 hurt, and got upon my legs as quickly as possible to 
 ascertain the sort of "scrape" I had fallen into. 
 The opening made in the roof as I burst through, 
 with its almost noontide light, clearly exposed the 
 situation. I was in a funnel-like excavation which 
 
 208 
 
at the bottom measured six paces, while at the top 
 the diameter of the shaft, as I assumed it to be, was 
 much greater — at least thirty feet. An opening 
 W'hich I assumed to be the entrance to a passage 
 communicating with old mines of some kind, not 
 more than four feet high, and so narrow that a 
 man of my proportions would have to squeeze 
 through it, led off toward the north, according to 
 my pocket compass. It was utterly dark inside and 
 discouraged attempt to enter. 
 
 The walls of the hole that held me prisoner ex- 
 hibited evidences of tool work ; they were rough, but 
 here and there were crystals and stones of varied 
 color glistening in their crusty bed. Disengaging 
 a dark wine-hued specimen from the schistose, I ob- 
 tained what I believed to be a ruby of unusual size. 
 Verily, if the other brilliant objects around me were 
 what their color suggested — amethysts, hyacinths, 
 lazuli, garnets, topazes, sapphires — I was a later 
 Monte Cristo, in a mountain trap, wath riches in 
 sight that would have made Dumas' hero envious. 
 It seemed to me that a pocketful of these stones 
 gleaming down from their ancient matrix would be 
 enough in my home city to enable me to take front 
 rank with the plutocrats of stocks and bonds. But 
 what, after all, was this lavish display of wealth un- 
 estimated to a man alone in a deep hole many miles 
 away from friends and with extremely limited 
 means of self-rescue? 
 
 Recovering at length from the surprise of this 
 209 
 
sudden fall into the bowels of the earth and its 
 dream of riches and splendor, I now began to cast 
 about for some way of escape, if that were possible. 
 No, the sides of the excavation, though sloping, ap- 
 peared everywhere quite too smooth for ascent; no 
 projections had been left by the ancient miners 
 large enough for safe foothold. Besides, little hope 
 was offered of my being able with so slender a tool 
 to cut footholds, and so mount upward, a slow and 
 wearisome task at the best. Even if able to do this, 
 supposing my pick would stand the wear, fully sixty 
 feet lay between me and the upper atmosphere. 
 That meant hours of perilous labor and strain. 
 
 Then the opening in the wall — perhaps it would 
 afford an outlet and escape from my trouble; I de- 
 cided to look into that a little. In a side pocket I 
 carried a small lamp, containing a supply of con- 
 densed gas sufficient for the ordinary contingencies 
 of an excursion. I had only to touch a little slide 
 covering a minute opening, when the gas, flowing 
 out and coming into contact with the air, burst into 
 flame of a penetrating character. With lamp alight, 
 I squeezed into the passage and soon found myself 
 able to stand erect with ample space on each side. 
 Twenty steps within two small scintillating spots, 
 forward, about an inch apart, caught my gaze ; they 
 disappeared, and a slight rustling indicated the 
 withdrawal of some animal, probably a serpent or 
 lizard, into the deeper recesses of the passage. How- 
 ever, trusting to the security given by the lamp, I 
 
 2IO 
 
walked slowly on, and soon entered a small cham- 
 ber or the beginning of a much broader passage, the 
 floor of which perceptibly inclined downward. I 
 noted then that the small, tapering flame that guided 
 my steps was drawn slightly inward, as if affected 
 by a current of air. The walls of the tunnel here 
 Avere quite smooth and sparkled with many-colored 
 reflections of the light, suggesting more of the 
 valuable mineral deposits that lined the shaft. Es- 
 timating that my supply of gas would last nearly 
 two hours, I determined to explore this channel as 
 far as my light would permit. 
 
 Making my way more rapidly now, but with 
 eyes and ears alert, I soon became aware of the fact 
 that the chief or sole inhabitants of this subterra- 
 nean relic of an ancient industry were snakes. They 
 seemed to become more evident as I proceeded, one 
 glaring at me from a point on the wall, another from 
 a niche or corner on the floor, and all hastening with 
 low hisses to escape from the sudden light. To be 
 sure, the situation was not cheerful, yet, with the 
 lamp in one hand and the pick in the other, I felt 
 safe, for the reptiles fled rapidly as I advanced, 
 scarcely affording an opportunity to obtain an idea 
 of their size or character. 
 
 Perhaps I had advanced 250 feet, when the pas- 
 sage suddenly divided into two branches, like the 
 upper arms of the letter V. To guard against error 
 I detached a large crystal from its bed in the wall 
 near by and placed it on the floor of the main pas- 
 
 211 
 
sage at a distance of six feet from the forking, and 
 then proceeded to inspect the right branch, which 
 was a trifle narrower than the main channel, but in 
 other respects of the same character. Seventy paces 
 or so in this brought me to another division into 
 passages quite narrow, and lower in the roof, and 
 here, as soon as the gleam of my lamp shone upon 
 the gray walls, the rustling and hisses were so 
 marked that I concluded I must have trespassed on 
 the sanctuary of the reptile tribe, and it might be 
 foolhardy to venture further that way. So I re- 
 turned and entered the left passage. Fifty feet 
 within this I found the walls retreating from each 
 other and the roof rising, until I came to stand in 
 a sort of vaulted chamber ten paces in diameter, 
 with three openings into passages that were smaller 
 than any of the others. Here I carefully examined 
 all parts, but no signs of communication with the 
 outer world could be discovered, although the air 
 seemed to have a peculiar freshness that could be 
 ascribed only to a source of ventilation not very 
 distant. 
 
 I was debating with myself on the expediency of 
 continuing the quest, when suddenly my light fiared 
 out, leaving me in darkness ; no, not darkness quite, 
 although that was the first effect of the lamp's ex- 
 haustion, for, strangely enough, there came into evi- 
 dence an iridescent mist that changed what would 
 have been a pitchy blackness otherwise to a gray, 
 and through this gray a crystal of special brilliancy 
 
 212 
 
here and there gleamed coldly. Like a man in a 
 dense fog I stumbled along, grazing the wall with 
 my pick to note the course and avoid collisions with 
 the rock in its windings. At length a pale bluish 
 gleam shone near my feet; stooping down, I found 
 the stone that I had placed near the fork of the 
 first passage, and at the same time a cold, slimy 
 touch on the side of my hand warned me of the 
 proximity of a snake. They were evidently coming 
 out again from their retreats. With some haste and 
 the instinct of direction, I now made my way along, 
 and soon a broad spot of yellowish light ahead as- 
 sured me that the more comfortable scene of my 
 fall was near at hand. 
 
 A STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 
 
 More than an hour had been spent in the under- 
 ground ways, as the sun had passed so much toward 
 the west as to make a marked difference in the illu- 
 mination of the shaft, as afforded by the opening I 
 had torn in the cap of vegetation. Studying that, I 
 saw how the vines and mosses had their roots in soil 
 formed by the crumbling rock and drift on the mar- 
 gin, and that in my fall several long ropes of vine 
 had been brought down, their loose extremities 
 hanging within reach if I could only surmount the 
 sharp incline between the shelf and the bottom. Two 
 or three hours more and the light would fade where 
 I stood. Picking at several points in the wall, I 
 
 213 
 
found on one side a layer of comparatively soft 
 rock extending well above my head. So I began 
 the toilsome effort of making niches in the stone, for 
 the attempt to climb the forty feet or so of wall be- 
 tween the bottom and the dependent ropes of vine. 
 My little tool proved more effective than was ex- 
 pected. In about twenty minutes by guess I had 
 made four pairs of holes large enough to hold, 
 which gave me a rise of eight feet, but I found that 
 the brittle mineral had a disagreeable tendency to 
 crumble under my weight enough to suggest the 
 much more disagreeable possibility of a sudden fall 
 at almost any stage of my slow progress upward. 
 
 It may be assumed easily by the reader that while 
 thus occupied as to my hands and feet my mind was 
 anxiously and intensely absorbed in thoughts re- 
 garding things of much personal concern. What 
 would failure to escape from this unlucky hole mean 
 to my mother, sisters, to Olive and other friends? 
 Was not this coming to Oudemon a foolhardy, ab- 
 surd thing, after all? Had I not involved myself 
 here in relations trying to my conscience? Was I 
 not a fool, anyhow, to be going here and there? 
 What real benefit would result to me or others with 
 all this affectation of experience in a country shut 
 away from the world supposing that I escaped with 
 a whole skin from my uncheerful predicament? 
 Could I survive a night in this well-like excavation? 
 Might I not be the prey of poisonous and voracious 
 serpents and other savage beasts that not unlikely 
 
 214 
 
had their dens in the bowels of the mountain and 
 at night saUied into this pit for what they might 
 find? 
 
 Four more pairs of holes carried me up eight 
 feet more, yet the vines seemed scarcely nearer, and 
 the stone appeared to be harder to work, and there 
 was a marked increase of shadow in my surround- 
 ings. Once, too, my left hand almost lost its clutch, 
 and that meant nearly a tumble from the perch I had 
 made. The perseverance of King Alfred and of 
 Timour w^ere rivaled by my efforts to triumph over 
 the mischance that had befallen me, as up and down 
 that rough steep I climbed at intervals to rest, as 
 hands, feet and head became fatigued with their un- 
 wonted exertion. Of course I reflected earnestly on 
 what my new friends might do in default of my 
 return, and was inclined to feel censorious because 
 none had given an intimation regarding this moun- 
 tainside trap. Since I had become possessor of the 
 autolat, on returning from a ramble one or more of 
 these friends usually met me on the way. Willis or 
 Stella or Ellice had run out and accompanied me 
 back. Father Bruce seemed to enjoy the talks we 
 briskly kept up while riding in our self-propelled 
 carriages, side by side, homeward ; and Restling had 
 found time to wheel my way more than once w'hen 
 he knew the place and time of my operations for a 
 certain day. 
 
 Getting down from the hacking of the twenty- 
 third hole, my right hand felt numb from the shock 
 
 215 
 
of striking the stone. My good little pick, too, 
 showed the effects of its extraordinary use. Then 
 the impracticability of further work of the kind 
 forced itself upon my reluctant conviction. Not 
 more than half of the way up to the shelf! Oh, for 
 the aerial dress ! If I had only that ! But not hav- 
 ing it, the prospect of passing the night in the pit 
 sent a chill through my spinal column. 
 
 That morning I had left the Bruces' with but a 
 slight intimation of my purpose beyond that of 
 prospecting a while along the mountain slope and 
 then going over to the iron mills. No questions 
 were asked, and if they had been I should not have 
 given a clearer notion of my excursion. Over in 
 district twenty-two, twenty-five miles from the 
 mills, the young folks were to have a musical even- 
 ing, and I had partly promised, i.e., if not otherwise 
 occupied, to join them for supper at eighteen hours, 
 and aid the amateur performance with my horn, 
 which I had brought in my goalone. My non- 
 appearance at this event might cause inquiry? There 
 was a chance for help there. But how would they 
 find me? — how reach this den of unspeakable prob- 
 abilities? 
 
 THE HAPPY ESCAPE. 
 
 The shadows were deepening — the sun must be 
 
 on the western ridge now, or very near It. Oh, for 
 
 that horn. I could make some noise with it, and 
 
 216 
 
possibly a traveler or miner passing not far away 
 would catch the sound and turn in search of its pro- 
 ducer. But I could make some noise anyway, which 
 were better than crouching inert there in the gloam- 
 ing dullness. I whistled through my fingers, hal- 
 looed at the top of my voice. At the depth of the 
 shaft all sounds appeared to be half stifled by the 
 harsh and hollow echoes. Once a dull roar and 
 light jar followed a heroic attempt at shouting. It 
 was probably a blast in a mine not far to the south- 
 east, the closing act of the workmen for that day. 
 I whistled and shouted at intervals, trying my voice 
 in different pitches and naming one after another 
 friends living in the nearer sections. 
 
 Meanwhile time wore on ; the sunlight had gone, 
 and I looked from my gloomy den up through the 
 break in the leafy roof, watching the hues of orange, 
 green and blue as they faded in the deepening twi- 
 light. The sky space in view was limited, indeed, 
 yet it had a great fascination, and never before had 
 I seen so much of beauty in the penciling of the sun- 
 set upon that canvas of ether. Finally a peculiar 
 yellow haze settled down, penetrating even into my 
 prison and lighting up faintly the gray walls. But 
 soon it was gone, and the stars leaped into being 
 with a sudden intensity that was striking. It was 
 now night indeed. Still I kept up my periodic call, 
 listening meanwhile with senses astrain for some 
 response, hoping almost against hope. 
 
 The nearest family dwelling, so far as I knew, 
 217 
 
was more than twelve miles away, and the few min- 
 ers or shopmen who might be returning to their 
 homes or out on the road at this hour were not 
 likely to pass within eight or ten miles of my mis- 
 adventure. How late it had become I could not tell, 
 for I had not carried my watch (a good American) 
 while in Oudemon, because it was unnecessary. At 
 numerous points there were clocks, run by a gravity 
 method, and very accurate, striking the half and 
 quarter-hours. Of course, in my pit their pleasant 
 chimes could not be heard. There was one, I re- 
 membered, near the spot where I had found the 
 corundum ; quite out of the way, seemingly, yet the 
 skilled artisan who constructed it had a benevolent 
 purpose in view, to admonish the venturous spirit, 
 who, like myself, might be wandering in a region 
 infrequently visited of the lapse of time. A guess 
 put it not far from eight o'clock, or twenty hours. 
 
 My throat had become dry with its vocal efforts, 
 and my nervous system was weary enough to sink 
 into sleep. Looking toward the side of the pit where 
 the entrance to the passage was, I saw with a start, 
 yet without surprise, what seemed at first gleaming 
 points moving up and down and sidewise in graceful 
 rhythm. The serpents were there — coming in! 
 Perhaps charmed by my voice. They were quiet 
 an)rway. Again and again my call arose, and a 
 long, shrill whistle — the easier effort — which ap- 
 peared to have a marked effect upon the reptiles, 
 their eyes, or rather heads, bobbing up and down 
 
 2lS 
 
rapidly while it lasted, and then coming to a brief 
 pause. 
 
 The gleaming eyes were increasing, too. 
 :ic * * * * * 
 
 Suddenly there came to my eager ears a sound — 
 distant, low. It was repeated — twice, three times — 
 and then I imagined a vague reflection of my name 
 glanced down the wall. With all my force I an- 
 swered. At intervals of a few seconds the sounds 
 came again, higher and clearer. Surely now my 
 name and a searching party. A little later, more 
 calls — among them a rich, clarion-like voice rang 
 out its contralto. I knew it most joyfully. It was 
 Ellice. Shouting in response, I cried : "Beware of 
 the pit!" "Look out for the vines! I have fallen 
 through!" Now the voice came nearer, and I re- 
 peated my warning. 
 
 "He is here!" It was Restling who spoke, and 
 close to the excavation. 
 
 "Yes, Archbold!" I cried. "I am down in this 
 wretched hole, and awfully glad you have found 
 me!" 
 
 "Thank God, we are in time!" It was father 
 Bruce who now spoke. 
 
 "Oh, I am so glad, dear Malcolm! Are you 
 well?" 
 
 "Yes, good Ellice; only a little tired and perhaps 
 impatient." 
 
 "Look out for this, boy !" 
 
 Down came a lamp box, tied to a rope, which fell 
 219 
 
near enough to be quickly found in the darkness. 
 Opening the slide, a bright ray filled the pit, and 
 my happy eyes beheld with fresh astonishment a 
 squirming maze — hundreds of snakes, large and 
 small, apparently as surprised as myself, hissing and 
 hustling for their dark lair — the passage. 
 
 "Malcolm, what have you there, making that 
 hideous noise?" asked Ellice in a tone of anxiety. 
 
 "Only my companions of the night, dear girl. 
 They are going home now, since better company has 
 come," I replied with voice a-tremble with nervous 
 reaction. I had been surrounded by those squirm- 
 ing creatures, and did not know it. 
 
 "Are you strong enough to hold the rope while 
 we draw you up?" 
 
 "I will try, dear fellows," was my answer. Tying 
 the rope around my waist, I coiled it on my right 
 arm and then signaled "Ready!" In a few mo- 
 ments they had drawn me to the surface, and there 
 half a dozen strong hands caught me and made 
 sure of my deliverance from that uncanny prison. 
 Looking around the little group there in the misty 
 light of a waning moon just above the horizon, I 
 saw tears on the cheeks of those trusty friends. 
 Archbold and Ellice held my hands until assured 
 that I had sustained little physical injury. Indeed, 
 the joy of rescue made me almost forget the weari- 
 ness of those hours of hard work and desperate 
 watching. Bruce handed me a flask containing 
 orange juice of mother Milline's own expression, 
 
 220 
 
and also a box of sandwiches spread thickly with 
 choice butterfly honey. Joy ministers to appetite. 
 I was hungry, and the delicious refreshment met 
 the need of my body admirably. Thanking Bruce 
 for his thoughtfulness, he rejoined, smilingly: 
 "We knew very well, Malcolm, that you must need 
 food, for you did not take much of a ration for 
 your nooning." 
 
 Now we addressed ourselves to the task of de- 
 scending from the shelf-like level. Bross Champ- 
 lin, chemist and mining engineer, one of the party, 
 had brought a heavy pick. He had detected the 
 footholds I made in the cliff side, and quickly en- 
 larged them so that both ascent and descent were 
 much facilitated. Near the foot of the cliff stood 
 the wagons of my rescuers, the Morgan flier among 
 them. 
 
 221 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 HOW I WAS RESCUED. 
 
 "Who will be my conductor, dear people?" I 
 asked. "The country hereabouts at night looks a 
 little strange, and my goalone might run away with 
 me, and both tumble into another hole." 
 
 Restling stepped forward laughing. "Allow me 
 to drive for you, Malcolm. Champlin will take the 
 lead. Our four wagons were soon speeding toward 
 the southeast. We had not gone more than a mile 
 or two when I heard the distant peal of bells one 
 after another, six of different tone. 
 
 "Those are tower bells, Archbold. What are 
 they ringing for at this hour of the night?" 
 
 "Oh, I doubt not that some of our people have 
 heard that the lost is found." There must have 
 been that roguish twinkle in his eyes I knew so 
 well, if there were any significance in the tone of his 
 voice. So my misadventure had become widely 
 known in the country, and it could not have been 
 through any means other than the brain or mind 
 telegraphy in practice here. I wished to know more 
 of it, and here was an opportunity. 
 
 "Archbold, I have become so used to your ways 
 
 222 
 
that nothing astonishes' me; but I am very curious 
 to know how you came so quickly to my rescue. 
 Now that I review the circumstances it seems 
 strange enough even if some one in passing near 
 the cHff heard my repeated calls." 
 
 "Your calls were heard, my boy, but by no one 
 who chanced to be anywhere in that neighborhood." 
 
 "Can it be that my voice carried so far?" 
 
 "Yes, in a certain way." 
 
 "Oh, you had an impression. Do you mean 
 that some idea of my predicament came to you in 
 that way?" 
 
 "Yes, Malcolm. I had been down in district 
 twenty, was detained, and on my way homeward I 
 distinctly heard a repetition of my name, and in your 
 manner but with an unusual emphasis " 
 
 "What ! district twenty must be forty miles from 
 the ridge at that point." 
 
 "Yes, forty-three." 
 
 "My dear friend, do you mean to say that you 
 gathered a notion of my plight and the locality 
 then?" 
 
 "Yes, my young inquisitor." 
 
 "But how did the others know about it? I con- 
 fess, despite what I have heard while here, I have 
 been incredulous regarding the matter of mental 
 telepathy, because our men of science have said so 
 much to discount it — at least as a procedure having 
 any positive and definite feature available for prac- 
 tical uses. Your people when they speak of com- 
 
 223 
 
municating with each other do so in a very quiet 
 fashion and for that reason I have not been led to 
 give the subject the attention I originally intended." 
 
 "Set it down to account of our gentle weak- 
 nesses, Malcolm." 
 
 "No, certainly, my dear friend, trust me. But 
 now I am a debtor to you very seriously, and you 
 will have an earnest, believing listener to whatever 
 you may tell me. Excuse my insistence." 
 
 "There is no secret about it, my dear boy, only 
 the operation of psychic principles that are as old 
 as the universe. Your people in the North have 
 sent messages by electric or etheric currents without 
 the agency of wire connection between transmitter 
 and receiver. Even lately an American by the 
 name of Loomis has demonstrated this fact by ex- 
 periments in one of the Southern States. We only 
 go a step or so farther, using our brain or mind to 
 originate and propagate the message, and also to 
 receive and interpret it. It is mental or nerve force 
 operating in conjunction with etheric waves instead 
 of electrical energy. 
 
 "While you were in that unpleasant, trap-like 
 hole, the situation of which was not generally 
 known — if known at all among our people, I sup- 
 pose — though in a survey made forty years ago 
 I would find some account of it as an archaeological 
 feature, but owing to its comparative isolation little 
 further regard has been given to it, and probably 
 no one has attempted an investigation of its recesses, 
 
 224 
 
leaving that to the northern Hotspurs whose ardent 
 spirits prompt to deeds of audacious " 
 
 "Spare me, Archbold, and I will own to all the 
 temerity of a California mining prospector in the 
 early fifties," I cried, squeezing his arms. "But 
 tell me how you received the impression of my un- 
 lucky plight." 
 
 "While you were in those depths and the hours 
 passed slowly, doubtless your mind became more 
 and more absorbed in the problem of how to get 
 out, and especially after those repeated trials to 
 climb the wall your feelings became rather intense." 
 
 "You may believe it, after I saw the blinking eyes 
 of the snakes peering at me in the gloom." 
 
 "There were many of them?" 
 
 "Hundreds, it seemed to my distraught fancy!" 
 
 "That must be looked into — and there may be 
 other animals of an objectionable character pent 
 in the old workings. Albeit, then, your thought of 
 escape must have been absorbing, and its evident 
 uncertainty forced into conscious recognition a hun- 
 dred things of much concern to heart and soul." 
 
 "Yes, Archbold, you may be sure of that — 
 thoughts of home, friends, my life past and present, 
 of those here I so much value — of you, and the 
 Bruces and Dentons in particular, and I will admit 
 that the idea of being able possibly to make an im- 
 pression entered my mind, and was dwelt upon 
 while I continued my calls and whistling." 
 
 "So, you sent out a current of nerve energy that 
 
 2.2^ 
 
must have been much stronger than the ordinary — 
 carrying the appeal for help. I was in the area 
 through which this current radiated and my mind, 
 like a telegraphic receiver, was affected, and giving 
 my whole attention for the time to the matter in- 
 terpreted clearly enough for action the message you 
 were trying to communicate. There were others 
 probably who were affected also, but the line of 
 clear connection depends upon the psychic relation- 
 ship of parties. You and I know each other well." 
 
 "From the first, Archbold, I was drawn strangely 
 toward you." 
 
 "Yes, my boy. Now these mental currents are 
 selective, besides being given direction by the will 
 of the sender, and the degree of vibratory response 
 depends upon the harmony or attunement of the 
 parties. Then, too, as you may know, sensitiveness 
 or capacity for mental transference is not universal, 
 but a matter of endowment, temperament, so to 
 speak, and for practical use requires the develop- 
 ment of culture. AMiile our people are as well 
 adapted for the exercise of this property as any 
 living, but few comparatively have cultivated it. 
 In fine, it has become a sort of vocation on the part 
 of some in each district to whom others go in case 
 they wish to communicate directly with acquaint- 
 ances at a distance, just as your people go to a tele- 
 graph station and employ the operator there to dis- 
 patch a message. Stella Bruce has shown a special 
 readiness in impression, and made not a little prog- 
 
 226 
 
ress for a young girl in interpreting and transmit- 
 ting. So when I heard from you I spoke to her, 
 inquiring if you were home. It was several min- 
 utes before I received an answer. She was doubt- 
 less asleep. Meanwhile further impressions came 
 from you, and I had about decided their course. It 
 was then past twenty hours. 
 
 "When I heard from Stella, she replied no, but 
 that you had gone that morning on a collecting ex- 
 pedition to the west ridge, and it was supposed that 
 you might have stopped for the night w'ith a miner 
 or some one in the neighborhood. Then I was 
 quite sure that you had met with an accident, and 
 needed help. I requested her to ask father Bruce 
 to join me as soon as possible at the great maguey 
 west of district twenty-two." 
 
 *'How acurate you were, Archbold! on my direct 
 course as I ran to the terrace." 
 
 "Then I sought Champlin; found him, and at 
 twenty-two hours and the half we were at the 
 maguey. After waiting but fifteen minutes, Jasper, 
 Willis and the girl El lice — she must be much in- 
 terested in you, Malcolm" — this uttered in a tone 
 of grave inquiry, with a vein of admonition in it — 
 "arrived." 
 
 "How they must have driven. But Willis has 
 a speedy goalone. And Ellice, dear girl, that she 
 should come all the way." 
 
 "She insisted on coming. Stella ran over and 
 told her." 
 
 "I am unworthy of such kind friends." 
 227 
 
Without comment on this remark the worthy 
 councillor went on : 
 
 "We found your wagon, and then your calls 
 guided us straight enough, until we stood on that 
 sheet of rock with its ancient opening to cuttings of 
 which you know more than any of us. It was 
 Ellice's quick ear that caught the sound of your 
 whistle first, even before we found the goalone, and 
 of course confirmed my chosen direction. We an- 
 swered frequently, but being down so low in the 
 rocky layers it was difficult for our shouts to reach 
 you, and we must have been well up the cliff before 
 you heard us distinctly." 
 
 "I believe that I heard your calls, Archbold, fully 
 fifteen minutes before you were at the shaft. I was 
 very apprehensive that one of you might fall into 
 the hole as I had — and so repeated my warnings." 
 
 "That was well, Malcolm. We had given the 
 lead to Champlin, who had his lamp, and the moon 
 was coming up, so that we could examine the 
 ground conveniently. As soon as he saw the vines 
 he recognized your mishap. There is another ex- 
 cavation of a like nature known to the miners in 
 the northern benches, he says, and overgrown also." 
 
 "To me the one just left has certain wonderful 
 characteristics, of which I shall wish to speak later. 
 Indeed, Archbold, although I am inexpressibly glad 
 to have gotten out of the scrape so soon, with help 
 brought so providentially — it seems a providence, 
 dear friend, to me that you were gifted to sense my 
 
 228 
 
imminent peril — yet I should like to inspect those 
 crypts and passages that I discovered. If my lamp 
 
 had not failed " 
 
 "I don't know, young sir, whether we can permit 
 you to attempt more of such venturous investiga- 
 tions." He said this with a light laugh. 
 
 A PHILOSOPHICAL EXPOSITION. 
 
 "Be sure, kind councillor, I shall go better pre- 
 pared than on this occasion. Let us talk a bit more 
 of this system of mental telegraphy, if you don't 
 object. Some of our philosophers, as I have read, 
 compare the brain with a storage battery, only with 
 the addition of the life principle, and the forces of 
 mind faculty. Can it be that this living battery 
 generates a peculiar electricity all-penetrative and 
 capable under subtile management of transmitting 
 the behests of our will ? Is it because we do not un- 
 derstand the matter that so little attention is given 
 to these latent forces of nature by our educated 
 people?" 
 
 "That is to a large extent the reason, Alalcolm, 
 and there are other subjects of as high importance 
 to the world that your savants regard askance be- 
 cause the psychic powers of our organization have 
 most to do with their expression and results. Few 
 indeed of any people realize the extent of the opera- 
 tion of soul on matter and form, and the possibilties 
 of accomplishment through psychic agencies in- 
 
 229 
 
telligently employed in our affairs. The brain may 
 be considered a living machine, battery, dynamo, 
 of great power, with the property of growing into 
 conditions of wider capability. As to the etheric 
 transference of thought — let me cite a common 
 illustration. You know how two musical instru- 
 ments tuned in harmony will respond to each 
 other? You strike one, the other sounds in the 
 same key and its octaves. So, my boy, musical in- 
 struments react upon each other — simple mechanism ; 
 and brain will act upon brain, but the latter are 
 living instruments infinitely superior, more delicate 
 in susceptibility, more powerful in energy. Two 
 mirrors placed at a considerable distance from each 
 other will reflect flashes of light as transmitted from 
 one or the other through vibratory currents exist- 
 ing in the atmosphere. So light comes to our 
 seeing organs from immeasurable distances carried 
 by etheric currents that must pervade the vast spaces 
 of the universe. The eye sense but differs from 
 the ear sense or the touch sense in kind ; all are 
 matters of impression; all furnished with sensitive 
 diaphragms, as it were, for the reception and trans- 
 mission of impulses whether of a mental or physical 
 origin. Thus with our knowledge of the subtile 
 forces abounding in earth and sky, it is required 
 only to adjust two brains and minds to each other 
 in a harmonious connection or rapport, in order to 
 obtain complete results in the exchange of thought. 
 Your own psychological h'terature is more exten- 
 
sive than you think, and if you will take time for 
 research in it you will find the records of many suc- 
 cessful instances of mind communication at great 
 distances, experimentally made or for a set purpose. 
 Our science years ago solved the seeming mystery 
 of mind transference, and formulated the principles 
 and prepared the method governing its practice. 
 There is nothing supernatural in it, but merely an 
 extension of our ordinary sense faculties and nerve 
 force in a comparatively new field as the world 
 goes." 
 
 "I should be inclined to think, Archbold, that 
 this practice requires an extraordinary sensitiveness 
 and elasticity of faculty — even an additional or new 
 sense." 
 
 ''No, Malcolm, it seems clear enough to me that 
 we have a sufficient number of senses and faculties 
 by original endowment, and that our advance in 
 any psychologic respect requires only a better use, a 
 higher extension of these old mind powers 'in their 
 relation to the cosmic forces.' " 
 
 When we rolled into the back court of the Bruce 
 home it was past two o'clock, a most unusual hour 
 for Oudemonites to be stirring. Mother Bruce and 
 Stella were at the door. 
 
 "A happy meeting," both greeted me warmly. I 
 took their offered hands, and pressed them without 
 answer. 
 
 "That was a horrible, horrible place, cousin," said 
 the girl. "I really saw you standing there gazing 
 
 231 
 
upward in hope almost forlorn, yet you saw the 
 stars, and were courageous." 
 
 "My sweet little seeress, don't say anything 
 more; you must know all, J\Iany things I thought 
 of, that I should not care to tell my best friends, 
 even were they so far away that they could not get 
 at me." 
 
 "Now, my dears, let the boy go straight to bed. 
 See how haggard he looks! To-morrow he will 
 tell us all about this strange adventure." 
 
 .We obeyed Milline's admonition. 
 
 232 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A LAW UNTO THEMSELVES. 
 
 Restling^s intimations as given me in those few 
 interviews that were had in my native city were 
 more than realized as concerns the social atmos- 
 phere of Oudemon. What I was inclined at the 
 time to consider little more than playful sallies re- 
 flecting on our manners and customs I found to be 
 but true references to practices common enough 
 in the life of his people. Accustomed to meet the 
 belted policeman wherever I had traveled hitherto 
 I could scarcely persuade myself that he did not 
 exist also here. It seemed to me for a long time 
 that some such guardian of public order must be 
 lurking near, like a Pinkerton detective at a summer 
 resort of the better class at home, and on occasion 
 would thrust his officious presence upon my notice 
 and display his badge of authority. But no occa- 
 sion introduced him; the streets, groves and gar- 
 dens, the assemblies and entertainments were free 
 of him. The children sang and frolicked, ran over 
 the grassy meadows and lawns, plucked flowers 
 and fruits, played games of ball and tag with no 
 fear of a gruff voice bidding them, "Stop that, 
 now!" or "Clear out!" 
 
A social concourse drew me into a central district 
 where I met three councillors and several of the 
 older men. In the exchange of remarks a discus- 
 sion arose on the subject of government. Daniel 
 Norris, a veteran of notable sagacity, in the esteem 
 of all, asked me several questions regarding methods 
 of administering the laws up North, and I answered 
 him as well as my memory would serve. Finally 
 I said : "Friend Daniel, I have been studying your 
 ways somewhat while down here, and have at- 
 tempted to form a conclusion as to the fundamental 
 basis of your success. Of course I recognize the 
 high level of moral character among you, and know 
 that it has a great deal to do with the peace and 
 order of your community. But what are the main 
 elements of your civil state? What policy, in- 
 deed, has helped most toward this high line of uni- 
 versal practice?" 
 
 The venerable man replied : "In a word, Malcolm, 
 it is the operation of the Royal Law that is mainly 
 the reason for our happy solution of some of the 
 most difficult problems affecting the relations of 
 life. You look as if I spoke in riddles. A refer- 
 ence to the Royal Law is not new to you, certainly." 
 
 "No, Daniel; yet I cannot conceive that your 
 Royal Law as a working formulary may be any 
 better than the cardinal principles upon which our 
 moral standards are founded." 
 
 "We cannot claim more, young brother; or to 
 have anything wiser than you have in this respect; 
 
 234 
 
for all that we know concerning life in its higher 
 and spiritual phases is but the teaching of men v/ho 
 stand as much in the relation of apostles and sages 
 to you as they do to us." 
 
 "Now that is quite likely, venerable sir," was 
 my sanguine rejoinder, "yet does not satisfy me, 
 when I find so different a state of things ethical 
 and civil here; that you have, indeed, in the course 
 of a hundred or so years reached a point that has 
 been the dream of philosophers and idealists for 
 ages? 
 
 "Your philosophers and idealists, your Platos 
 and Solons, your Johnsons and Rousseaus, your 
 Franklins, Fourriers, and Georges have overshot 
 the mark," the sage insisted; "in the earnestness of 
 their endeavors to take in all the issues of public 
 and private life they have presented views too com- 
 plex for the masses. Instead of solving the prob- 
 lem they have added to its intricacy. In the start 
 our fathers, as simple men looking toward a com- 
 mon object, sought to be simple in their ideas and 
 methods, to propound rules, or rather ways of con- 
 duct, that all could understand without appealing 
 to a master of logic and synthesis for explanation. 
 Take people as they average up there in your coun- 
 try, there will not be found much difference as to 
 the proper course of action in respect to a given 
 question. You can trust their conscience — or moral 
 instinct — to give the right answer, if they will be 
 sincere in voicing its prompting. But you have 
 
 235 
 
so many prejudicial and disturbing suggestions 
 floating in the air that the sincerity and frankness 
 of their nature appear to suffer a kind of suppression 
 or subversion and do not exert their normal sway 
 in general conduct. 
 
 "Our fathers and mothers strove to make us single 
 in action and true to ourselves in this matter of 
 sincerity. They believed in interchange and co- 
 operation, in the necessity of a mutual equality and 
 interdependence, if harmony were to be promoted 
 and fraternity of spirit established. Those found- 
 ers of our nation — if I may so name it — were demo- 
 cratic, as you might say; they did not believe in 
 classes, and so introduced no system or custom 
 in our social or economic relations that might tend 
 to the production of individual or class distinc- 
 tions." 
 
 "One great agency in this respect, as we believe, 
 is money — the so-called 'circulating medium' of 
 your people. Probably when first introduced ages 
 ago money was regarded as a mere convenience 
 in trade; but it was not long before it became a 
 symbol of wealth, fortune and power, and thus a 
 special object of acquisition for itself. To accumu- 
 late a large amount of money is the chief purpose, 
 apparently, of your civilization to-day. The wealth 
 of individuals in your community is a criterion of 
 superiority. Look at its distribution, however! 
 How few among you are rich or well-to-do; how 
 many are poor and dependent! If we are to be- 
 
 236 
 
lieve what many of your writers say, your com- 
 munities live in a state of dangerous agitation on 
 that account. Besides there are questions of so- 
 cialism, questions of labor, questions of political 
 and civil right and privilege, questions of education, 
 questions of religion and so on which are topics of 
 vehement and even violent disputation. The rich 
 are haughty and severe toward the masses; the 
 masses jealous and vindictive toward the rich, with 
 even a section of the so-called working class by no 
 means small awaiting opportunity to hurl them from 
 their places of self-assumed privilege and power." 
 
 'T must admit, Daniel, true son of the historic 
 Seth, that you are right to a greater extent than is 
 complimentary, in this statement. W^e have been 
 threatened at home with serious disturbances of 
 civil order and even social revolutions, so strong is 
 the feeling of discontent among our working classes. 
 But do you deny that he who is industrious and 
 energetic should reap the benefit of his labor and 
 thrift in fortune and reputation? Because of the 
 almost inevitable results of his energy, skill and 
 tact such a man becomes an object of envy and 
 malice to people who are for the most part negligent 
 and improvident in their habits and practices." 
 
 "I should be far from denying the rewards of 
 merit to any, my young master of logic," returned 
 the sage, kindly, "but if I understand the nature of 
 your trading and industrial life, as I have read and 
 heard about it, there is in the spirit of the success- 
 
 237 
 
ful, in their attitude toward the unsuccessful work- 
 ers, that which is largely responsible for the bitter- 
 ness of the laboring majority toward the rich few. 
 This sentiment, to be sure, is an inheritance of the 
 ages, no mere sprout of recent growth as you know. 
 In the old time there was a similar state of unhappy 
 contrasts — the lordly pretension and domination of 
 the nobility, and the servile humility of the peas- 
 antry. The rich and the poor in your civilization 
 but perpetuate the difference of past generations. 
 "Starting with no privileged class, none pretend- 
 ing to be better than others, and none who made 
 it their object to subject or control their fellows 
 for the purpose of self-aggrandizement, it was found 
 practicable to get along by a plan of exchanges 
 that required no symbol of value. Every family 
 took for use as much land as seemed necessary for 
 maintenance. There was no ownership recognized 
 but that of occupation and use, and in time we 
 learned the acreage suitable to the average family 
 and have apportioned our districts accordingly." 
 
 INDIVIDUALITY IN SOCIALISM. 
 
 "All this sounds well, Daniel, but I am a little 
 puzzled about this matter of individual ownership 
 of houses, etc., among you, and how you have 
 managed to bring about the separateness of family 
 interests and yet practice a substantially successful 
 communism in vour general relations. Our social- 
 
 238 
 
ists at home appear to be aiming at a result that 
 would merge the individual into the community, 
 and deprive him for the most part of his several 
 personality. The one is to be sacrificed for the 
 many according to their policy — a proposition that 
 seems to me adverse to the law of human right." 
 
 Smilingly the veteran took up the thread, con- 
 tinuing : *T am quite in accord with you, young phi- 
 losopher. To deprive a human being of his sepa- 
 rate personality, his right to think and act for him- 
 self, is to ignore a most important principle in the 
 constitution of human nature, which lies at the 
 basis of a man's activity, affects intimately moral 
 integrity and its co-factor, the sentiment of respon- 
 sibility. His selfness is lost; he is converted into 
 an automaton for the most part. We recognize 
 the right of men and women to be married and to 
 organize their own homes. If any care to asso- 
 ciate together in a sort of community or home-club 
 there is no objection; but we are generally agreed as 
 concerns marriage itself in preserving the mono- 
 gamic relation. The family status is preferred by 
 our women, and they as you may know largely con- 
 trol in our domestic arrangements." 
 
 *T have no objection to make regarding the do- 
 mestic conditions, for your home settlements are 
 delightful. But, dear Daniel, I don't get the thing 
 quite into my head yet — this property clause of the 
 contract." 
 
 The old man shook his head at the word contract, 
 239 
 
and the two or three other men who had been stand- 
 ing near listening quietly while the colloquy was in 
 progress looked at me as if wondering at my persist- 
 ence. 
 
 "Indulge me for a little further." 
 
 "Certainly, Malcolm, we should like to clear up 
 all your doubt," was the genial answer. 
 
 PROGRESS ON SPIRITUAL MOTIVES. 
 
 "Then, most kind mentor, you know that the 
 faculty of acquisitiveness or the desire to possess, 
 is an instinct recognized by the metaphysicians, and 
 its exercise as demonstrated by the experience of 
 the world is fundamental to human progress. In 
 fact there is no incentive more powerful to human 
 action. How in your economy have you succeeded 
 in overcoming its material influence upon the con- 
 duct of your people?" 
 
 "It seems to me, Malcolm," the sage returned, 
 "that when our founders decided to dispense with 
 money or anything representing unitary value 
 merely, they eliminated the chief object of acqixisi- 
 tion in the old order, and thus by one direct meas- 
 ure the force of the instinct in one phase of its ex- 
 pression that had become habitually excessive was 
 overcome. You may urge, however, that the 
 faculty or property still remained in the organism 
 of mind, and would have its effect on motive and 
 purpose. Yes, but in time with the greatly changed 
 
 240 
 
conditions of life here the objective aims of the 
 faculty became much altered. A psychical character 
 was imparted to it; a moral tone took the place 
 of the old materialistic expression, and we grew to 
 desire the possession of things more spiritual and 
 sentimental. We wanted more information re- 
 garding the country in which we lived, and so be- 
 gan to study its topography, climate and products, 
 and sought to discover the best methods of convert- 
 ing field, forest and hill to use. Man's first and 
 last and happiest occupation, it seems to me, and 
 most of us believe it, is to till the ground and sub- 
 due it. Further our selfhood came into more prom- 
 inent observation; its instincts craved a better rec- 
 ognition, and we desired to be in possession of the 
 secrets of our own mental and physical constitu- 
 tion ; to know ourselves as to the sources of character 
 and being ; and with such advancement as was made 
 in this line we were prompted to discover and in- 
 vent methods by which we could adapt ourselves 
 better to the conditions of our environment. Then, 
 with our new learning of these things, we became 
 more zealous to learn how to live with each other, 
 and to make our relations physical and social con- 
 ducive to mutual improvement and happiness." 
 
 The old man's face glowed with enthusiasm, his 
 voice took on a stronger tone. Ah, the topic was 
 one to call out his earnestness, and give expression 
 to his best convictions. I stood close to him; per- 
 haps my face reflected his own feeling, for he gazed 
 
 241 
 
at me with the tenderness of a loving father — and 
 smiHngly went on : 
 
 "In proportion as we learned, my dear son, of 
 the constitution of our body we became more com- 
 petent to manage its functions to our benefit, and to 
 make the conditions of health a matter of systematic 
 control. One by one things that were dangerous 
 in any way were destroyed or expelled from near 
 contact, and our dwelling place assumed a totally 
 different appearance from its old, primitive state. 
 Far from being now all that we W'Ould have it, you 
 can perhaps judge of what has been done from your 
 knowledge of the country beyond the ridges." 
 
 "A most rem.arkable difference, I will confess." 
 
 "Yes, my son, and yet the Bolivian and Chilian 
 countries are better than was the most of our ter- 
 ritory when we came first to live here, aside from its 
 resources of water. We have found abundant work 
 to our hand, and nature has responded in loving 
 promptness to our united and cheerful efforts to 
 clear the wilderness and make it a fit abode for those 
 who would try to live up toward the level of the 
 thought that inspired the first settlers. 
 
 "Bear with an old man's garrulity, young scion 
 of the bustling North " 
 
 "Oh, my dear prophet of the higher wisdom, I 
 am far from tiring as I listen to you," was my ex- 
 clamation, and I took and pressed the seamed but 
 yet unwasted hand. Continuing, I said: 
 
 "Yours appears to be a peculiar socialism wherein 
 24.2 
 
the welfare of the individual is a natural incident 
 of the system. Then, too. I do not find any evi- 
 dence of a force or power that impels or restricts 
 a man's action with respect to the objective point 
 of social or several benefit; yet you must be subject 
 to an undercurrent, so to speak, of sentiment aside 
 from the monitions of habit practice or good con- 
 duct motive. Our people have good intentions and 
 high motives, but are not saved from wholesale 
 practices of a very harmful nature. Take for in- 
 stance the habit of alcoholism or drunkenness so 
 prevalent among us — even in our best circles. 
 Something deeper and stronger than good inten- 
 tions and high motives merely is required to over- 
 come a chronic passion, and your people certainly 
 must have it, for the bad demon in human nature 
 seems to have been exorcised or driven out of your 
 psychic combination." 
 
 "It may be as you seem disposed to argue, my 
 young brother," rejoined Norris; "perhaps, though, 
 that Frenchman named Laccassagne fitly strikes 
 the point when he remarks, 'the social environment 
 is the cultivation medium of criminality,' with a 
 further inference that 'every society has the crim- 
 inals that it deserves.' So your people at home 
 must rather lightly entertain their good intentions 
 and high motives more as a sentimental idealism 
 than as a deep, earnest, determined purpose. If the 
 'bad demon,' which I interpret as the impulse of un- 
 disciplined propensity and passion — have been 'ex- 
 
 243 
 
orcised' in us to a degree, it is because of the habits 
 and practices that have grown chronic with us for 
 the exercise of the faculties and powers at once 
 natural and becoming to human beings. We be- 
 lieve that the instinctive yearnings of our organiza- 
 tion should be met, but in a way that promotes well 
 being." 
 
 "What, my worthy mentor, are these instinctive 
 yearnings in your category of indulgence?" I here 
 demanded, thinking to elicit some eccentricity of psy- 
 chological view. 
 
 The sage gazed at me fixedly for a moment and 
 then replied in terms that surprised me : 
 
 "Certainly, my young inquisitor, you must know 
 that man is endowed with certain essential aims and 
 yearnings, among the most insistent of which are the 
 want of the Infinite, which embraces his spiritual and 
 religious life; the want of food, which means the 
 supplies required for the nurture and growth of the 
 body; and the want of sex, which means the rela- 
 tionships of home and society, and the perpetuation 
 of his kind. An appreciative understanding of these 
 basic wants, and reasonable activity for their ac- 
 quirement, means happiness and a realization of the 
 purpose of life; while a course that is subservient to 
 the impulses of caprice and passion means failure to 
 realize a satisfaction of soul or body." 
 
 "Surely in this category you have comprehended 
 the chief needs of our nature," I exclaimed, "and I 
 can fairly see how a well ordered course of living 
 
 244 
 
may realize a satisfying degree of each ; but the mu- 
 tual, unselfish, fraternal cooperation of the men and 
 women of a society is indispensable to reach the high 
 object." 
 
 "Yes, brother Malcolm, to avoid the effects of 
 selfishness it is necessary to exclude those things in 
 current life that inspire a selfish activity of the lower 
 feelings. The motive of your laws and government 
 springs mostly from the purpose to repress or punish 
 the consequences of selfishness; and yet the attain- 
 ments that your people appear to regard as best ex- 
 emplifying your civilization are only products of a 
 grand selfishness, that is masked under certain more 
 acceptable names. Were your civilization a real 
 progress in what ennobles and purifies the human, 
 you would require fewer laws and fewer judges and 
 juries to take account of their violation." 
 
 "Ah, me, I fear that many generations will have 
 passed and several revolutions, social and political, 
 ere my people shall be able to show the character 
 that indicates an organic homogeneity and harmony 
 anywhere approaching the moral order prevailing 
 here. You people are law-abiding without laws to 
 observe. Each man, and woman, among you seems 
 to think and act from an instinctive sense of the 
 fitness of things, with a spontaneity of regard for 
 fairness and kindness that really places common 
 statute law bearing on conduct and prescribing 
 what is proper or improper quite at fault." 
 
 245 
 
My companions all smiled at this, as if my mean- 
 ing were parabolic. 
 
 "Certainly, dear Malcolm, your view of us is kind 
 enough ; yet we know and realize that there remains 
 much room for improvement, and I feel, as many 
 others do also, that it is best to keep ever in view 
 the possibilities of a better condition. But," added 
 this remarkable prophet of the higher wisdom, 
 "I shall not ask you, son, to give much more of 
 your attention, for I have been, I fear, a little self- 
 ish in talking so much on what is a favorite theme, 
 you know, dear friends." 
 
 "No, no, brother Daniel, you cannot be selfish; 
 we are always glad to hear you." 
 
 "Well, well, brothers, a few more words only. I 
 would say, Malcolm, that the possessions we value 
 most are the respect and affection of the people with 
 whom we live, and although as individuals there is 
 a natural difference between one and another in ca- 
 pacity for the appreciation of the spiritual as well 
 as for understanding natural and physical things, 
 yet sympathy and kindness and affection are the rul- 
 ing features of our every-day life. But, Malcolm, 
 among your own people there are not wanting illus- 
 trations of the effect of kindness and mutuality in 
 modifying the common selfish nature. Some of 
 your rich manufacturers have tried the experiment 
 of 'Christian socialism,' as you call it, with results 
 of great improvement to their industrial community 
 and of money profit to themselves. You may recall 
 
 246 
 
the 'Familistere' of Godin, the Frenchman; and in 
 the United States, I have heard, there are industrial 
 and agricultural societies that are models of har- 
 mony, cooperation and contentment. Ah, my dear 
 boy, when the strong man becomes unselfish and 
 tender toward his poor brother, and endeavors to 
 elevate him intellectually and morally ; when he real- 
 izes the similarity of soul as well as the kinship of 
 blood in those whom fortune has compelled to be 
 hewers of wood and drawers of water in his order of 
 civilization, improvement is sure to follow and the 
 community will take on a brighter, happier condi- 
 tion." 
 
 AN INTERNATIONAL QUERY. 
 
 "I can see nov*-, venerable father, how a people 
 quite apart from the great mass of the world could 
 advance toward perfection through eschewing in 
 their early career those practices and usages, too 
 common with us, that tend to develop the selfishness 
 of human nature and to lower the moral tone. Yet, 
 how is it that you have been isolated so long? Sure- 
 ly your existence here could not be totally unknown 
 to neighboring peoples. Before the great geologic 
 convulsion there must have been some exchanges of 
 civility at least between yourselves and bordering 
 races. You bought the land from its former occu- 
 pants, and they would, of course, circulate the fact 
 of your dwelling here. A small people, prospering, 
 
 247 
 
peaceful, with material resources of extraordinary 
 richness, how is it that you have not been invaded, 
 your improvements destroyed, your social establish- 
 ment ruined, your mines and factories, such as they 
 are, seized and your people, as a country, 'annexed,' 
 or made a mere appanage and tributary to the 
 stronger and military nation, 'for civilization's sake,' 
 as a European diplomat might say?" 
 
 All of our little party smiled broadly at this ques- 
 tion, and the venerable Norris, regarding me with 
 a kind expression, in which a vein of uncertainty as 
 to my object lingered, nodded to one of the council- 
 lors, who took up the conversation : 
 
 "Ah, Malcolm, Providence has been on our side. 
 Perhaps eighty years ago we were too insignificant. 
 Now we are walled in by nature. It is easier to get 
 out than in. One can fall down from the ridge top, 
 you know, and roll more or less over the western 
 terraces toward the river." He said this with a 
 twinkle of irony. "But we are indeed peaceful, hat- 
 ing all animosities and differences that might lead 
 to strife and division. Like the Swiss, in their 
 rough mountains, we are bound closely together by 
 a common affection; by a common tie of interest. 
 Year by year we come closer together, as we the 
 better understand our fortunate relationships, and 
 know the better how to be happy ; and, although our 
 family distinctions are well marked and our people 
 are well distributed, for the better occupation and 
 improvement of our territory, we are all brothers 
 
 248 
 
and sisters in cordial feeling, seeing in the conduct 
 and happiness of others our own happiness reflect- 
 ed." 
 
 "Then I shall infer, my friends, that one source 
 of your extraordinary success is the .mutual altru- 
 ism, as our philanthropists term it, of your people. 
 You have arrived at that degree of moral perfection 
 that the ordinary selfish feelings of the world have 
 been subdued, and, instead of each looking upon his 
 own things for his own advantage and profit, he 
 looks upon those of others, and wills their better- 
 ment rather than his own, which means, of course, 
 the general welfare of your community. But don't 
 you need a system of government, a kind of police 
 or official oversight, to prevent your sympathy and 
 altruism from going too far, and thus becoming a 
 real source of weakness? Why, as it is, you have 
 attained a true anarchism, a most remarkable success 
 in the experiment of doing without an organized 
 system of official control. In our boasted civiliza- 
 tion the people rejoice in authority. Our statesmen 
 and politicians will assure you that it means power, 
 energy, the control of the rude and disturbing ele- 
 ments of society, and with its reinforcement of po- 
 lice and military makes the average order-loving 
 citizen among us feel secure in domestic and business 
 affairs." 
 
 "Ah, Malcolm," returned the councillor, "gov- 
 ernment involves authority; to what end? The en- 
 forcement of certain propositions called laws. Thus 
 
 249 
 
you would compel people to adjust their conduct to 
 certain standards of practice, imperfect and indefi- 
 nite enough in their ethical predications. The laws 
 we think sufficient are written in no ordinary book of 
 statutes, but in our soul's conscience. You remem- 
 ber the early Israelites, of whom it is said, 'And He 
 gave them a king in His anger' ? Do the serious- 
 minded who follow the commandment of the great 
 King of the Universe need to be governed by some 
 tax-collecting, ordinance-imposing man or set of 
 men? Look abroad — history and experience teach 
 us. Look at Iceland, for generations a peaceful,' 
 happy country " 
 
 "Yes, councillor, I remember reading the de- 
 lightful account of Madam Pfeiffer. It is more like 
 a romance than a recital of truth. But conditions 
 geological are almost the reverse here. Iceland is 
 a land of frowning scenery, rough mountains, ice 
 peaks, and long winters; the people are drawn to- 
 gether by common necessities and the rigors of the 
 location. With 3^ou the situation is the very oppo- 
 site. I have heard that the Icelanders have one po- 
 liceman, who is maintained not so much because of 
 any use for him as because he represents or sym- 
 bolizes authority." 
 
 "Very likely such an officer, emblem of an effete 
 system, gives pleasure to some of those good folk," 
 returned the councillor, smiling, "but should not the 
 favors of the God of nature stimulate affection and 
 gratitude in the hearts of men? Are we not told 
 
 250 
 
that love is above the law? It is not law or any 
 cold, prescriptive course of conduct that we think of, 
 but an affectionate regard for each other, which ex- 
 perience has strengthened and reason has tutored in 
 its expression. If selfishness be at the root of the 
 world's misery for the most part, as you have in- 
 timated, Malcolm, here where one is as good as an- 
 other, and can have as much as another, is there any- 
 thing to stimulate selfishness?" 
 
 "No, it certainly does not appear so to me. Our 
 merchants, brokers, politicians, etc., would pro- 
 nounce your ways as tame and unstimulating. Your 
 current literature, your bulletins and exchanges 
 would be far from satisfactory to our people. There's 
 nothing of excitement in them ; nothing sensational ; 
 nothing of the police court or the trial term, with 
 their crass detail of crime and licentiousness ; noth- 
 ing of the racetrack and the sporting field ; nothing 
 of intrigues and cabals of political factions ; nothing 
 of railway and steamer accidents, with their gory 
 list of injury and death; nothing of state feuds and 
 brutal district rivalries; of war and terrific battles 
 and their unspeakable horrors; of labor strikes, etc., 
 etc. — nothing, in fine, of those startling, disgusting, 
 exasperating things that make up the major part of 
 our newspapers, and pander to the morbid appetites 
 of people." 
 
 "Most thankful are we, Malcolm, that our eyes 
 do not encounter such print. Only familiarity, dear 
 boy, could enable you to speak of such unhappy 
 
 2^1 
 
things so fluently. Think of the effect of reading 
 them upon the mind, especially of the young — how 
 weakening and pernicious in suggestiveness and 
 teaching! Do you realize — your thinking men and 
 women of the North — the extent of the harm done 
 to old and young by such literature as that you have 
 described ?" 
 
 'T think that I do, dear sir, at least to a degree, 
 and I fear that until a great change is brought about 
 in the moral status of the masses the management of 
 our press will not show a marked improvement in 
 sentiment and conduct. Really, I consider your bul- 
 letin sheets interesting, giving, as they do, full ac- 
 counts of the life in the districts, the scientific, in- 
 dustrial and social events. I read the correspond- 
 ence on questions of a civil nature, the sketches of 
 individual experience in different lines, with pleas- 
 ure, and always glean a deal of instruction and heart 
 comfort from every number I take up. There is a 
 healthful glow in the cells of my brain after such 
 reading." 
 
 "Happily expressed, my young friend. That is 
 the feeling that reading should produce, and our 
 writers aim to circulate information and views on 
 current topics in such phrase and style as will im- 
 part an agreeable uplifting stimulus to mind and 
 nerves. Some have experimented on themselves with 
 the breath plate soon after writing, to ascertain the 
 effect upon the excreting centers. If the plate field 
 show the high-light tone and delicate line distribu- 
 
 252 
 
tion, of which you must know the meaning-, they in- 
 fer that the impression of their statements cannot 
 be otherwise than happy. If they find shaded cross- 
 hnes or a hazy duhiess in the plate that compare ill 
 w^ith previous trials, they know that the effect of 
 their written thought will not be of the quality they 
 would have it, and so they will revise their composi- 
 tion or produce fresh pieces." 
 
 AN UNLIKELY CONTINGENCY. 
 
 "Ah, dear councillor, if our newspaper writers 
 only had some test of the kind 1" was my quick 
 exclamation. "Yet I am far from sure that they 
 would try it. But, going back to the old topic, sup- 
 pose an outbreak in one of your districts of a party 
 who had become disaffected toward the state of af- 
 fairs " All in the company shrugged their 
 
 shoulders at this, and drew slightly away, as if there 
 were sedition in the words. I hesitated. 
 
 "Go on, ]\Ialcolm, with your hypothesis," gravely 
 interposed Norris. 
 
 "In such a case, where would be your protection ; 
 where your remedy to restore harmony, since you 
 have no resource in the way of an organized force 
 to meet and suppress such a movement. Your coun- 
 cil board is only advisory, and has no backing of 
 club or gun." 
 
 "Such a thing is scarcely possible now," said the 
 councillor, with strong emphasis. "You can imag- 
 
 253 
 
ine our anxiety in this respect, dear friend, in the 
 earher years, when, if any man showed a sign of 
 disquiet he was carefully and kindly consulted about 
 its cause, and as the principles of brotherhood and 
 equality were respected always in such consultations, 
 and no man or company of men assumed to com- 
 mand or lead by virtue of authority, the threatening 
 cloud soon disappeared. What could a fellow-resi- 
 dent among us want ? Food ? A little effort and the 
 soil yielded an abundant variety. Friendship, broth- 
 erly interest, affection ? He had but to ask for them 
 in cordial frankness to receive. Was he jealous of 
 others, or envious, because of their higher gift of 
 intellect or natural capacity? We showed him the 
 unwisdom of that, for no higher privileges fell to 
 them on that account, but rather a greater responsi- 
 bility to their weaker brothers. We thought it right 
 to admire capacity, genius, if you will, in such of 
 our members who showed those qualities. We 
 thanked our Divine Father for giving us men and 
 women of exceptional talent, and at the same time 
 we expected them to do more than the average for 
 our general welfare, and as a rule they have shown 
 the spirit of earnestness in doing dutiful service for 
 the community." 
 
 "Your discrimination or lack of discrimination 
 among people has bothered me not a little, gentle- 
 men," I here interposed, breaking upon the quiet 
 flow of the veteran teacher's discourse, "but now I 
 begin to see the true inwardness of your relations as 
 
 254 
 
man to man. Of course, you must appreciate the 
 differences that exist among your people as fully as 
 we North may. To succeed as you have in recon- 
 ciling or adjusting these differences so as to form a 
 homogeneous community is a very remarkable at- 
 tainment, no matter what principles, moral or 
 spiritual, have guided your intercourse with each 
 other." 
 
 "Yes, my young brother, it would be difficult to 
 explain how we have reached our present condition 
 of unity. We have not all the diversities of type 
 you have, with your great foreign-fed population, 
 5'et you must note the persistence of race form and 
 characteristic in our families, showing that a good 
 variety of mental and physical constitution still ex- 
 ists among us, with an attendant variety of capacity 
 and power. Then, too, you have not failed to see 
 the color benign thrown upon conduct and expres- 
 sion by established moral and spiritual habits. Al- 
 though fraternal and mutual by an assimilation that 
 is almost natural, yet we have not lost our individ- 
 ualities, and purpose not to lose them, for these per- 
 sonal distinctions contribute to the interest and en- 
 joyment of our life." 
 
 "Yes, these very differences of character which 
 among us tend to division and inharmony, you ap- 
 pear to have converted to your solidification and 
 unity — quite paradoxical indeed, I am bound to 
 admit. Somewhere in my readings of the eminent 
 evolutionist, Herbert Spencer, of whom you have 
 
 255 
 
doubtless heard, my elder brothers" — all m the 
 group nodded complacently — "he discusses the ten- 
 dencies of diversity and their effect upon social con- 
 ditions, and speaks of a 'heterogeneous homogeneity' 
 as consistent with good order and progress. Did he 
 know of your community he would doubtless refer 
 to it as a striking evidence of the soundness of his 
 reasoning." 
 
 *'\Ve are not quite ready to accept all the views 
 of that eminent writer," said Willis Hay, another 
 of the company, "for it seems to me that he deals 
 much in reasoning of the hypothetical class and ven- 
 tures premises that are wanting the just proportion 
 of probability; but of variety and diversity in the 
 constituents of our socialism there is indeed much 
 remaining, notwithstanding our long seclusion from 
 the great world of nations. When you realize, Mal- 
 colm, that races like the English, Scotch, French, 
 Dutch, Scandinavian, Irish, Spanish, and even In- 
 dians, are represented in our families, you can per- 
 ceive that there are root elements that resist assimi- 
 lation, and that we are far from having reached a 
 composite form in either body or mind. Nature is 
 slow to change her primary forms, and is constantly 
 reminding us that it is best not to strive for their 
 modification, but rather to adopt and adapt them in- 
 telligently." 
 
 "I believe in the principle, most worthy friend, 
 and that the very happiness of man depends to a 
 good degree upon variety of organization with its 
 
 256 
 
correspondent diversity of expression," was my 
 hasty attempt at corroboration of the wise assertion. 
 The councillor resumed : 
 
 "We are not dull in the perception of the differ- 
 ences our people show, and their departures from 
 the line of consistency and self-mastership, but from 
 the fairly understood point of view of their differen- 
 tial constitution we have learned to be tolerant and 
 forbearing, and mutually helpful in the most im- 
 portant respect of self-control. Racial peculiarities 
 continue to impart their interesting- color to conduct 
 expression, but the habits of sincerity, truth and use- 
 ful activity, inculcated in childhood, have been found 
 competent to outgrow and subdue vicious and un- 
 healthful elements that might have been inherited 
 from the parental stock. Your social or commu- 
 nistic undertakings have failed for the most part on 
 the line of cooperation ; some individuals were will- 
 ing to serve and labor, while others took their ease 
 and were content to live on the willing workers. 
 The selfish gainful elements were not entirely laid 
 aside, and there would be outcroppings now and 
 then of assumed authority, leadership or personal 
 privilege unpleasant to the majority. Further, in 
 most of the experiments there was exhibited too 
 much of a lingering fondness for the 'fleshpots' of 
 the old sensuous life, in itself a vexatious hindrance 
 to carrying into full effect the purpose of the under- 
 taking. No; those people, earnest as they might 
 have appeared in the outset, did not 'burn their old 
 
 257 
 
bridges' and resolve to work mightily, heart and 
 hand together and for each other. We soon found 
 that the less of self meant the more for all — the prac- 
 tical consequence of individual respect for our Royal 
 Law." 
 
 The worthy speaker ceased, and his impressive 
 words were followed by silence for a time, when 
 the venerable Daniel closed the discussion by a ref- 
 erence to the past : 
 
 "If you think, young brother from the outer 
 world, that the lack of a visible government among 
 us is so remarkable, what say you to that reminis- 
 cence of Roman history as told by Gibbon, when, 
 following the death of an Emperor, there was a pe- 
 riod of eight months when no real government ex- 
 isted, and that eight months was distinguished for 
 its pacific and happy nature. If the great miscel- 
 laneous population of Rome could thus hold itself in 
 check and live harmoniously, what would you ex- 
 pect reasonably of a community of people who for 
 generations have cultivated the arts of peace and 
 self-regulation?" 
 
 "I can only reply," was my answer, "that the 
 comparison is overwhelmingly in your favor." 
 
 258 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A DISCREET STEP 
 
 The naturalness of these people was exhibited by 
 the universal fondness for agriculture in some form. 
 Living so near to "nature's heart," they found in 
 the soil an ever fresh inspiration for the simple, nor- 
 mal life which gave them enough of duty and en- 
 joyment for the exercise of all their faculties. As 
 every family had its field and garden, so every one 
 devoted some time almost daily to their culture. 
 When out riding or walking, I would pass old men 
 busy in the vegetable patch, or the housewife zeal- 
 ously watering or training her plants in the house 
 court, or the grown boy pruning the hedge row, or 
 the man scrutinizing his trees and bushes for pre- 
 dacious worms and insects, and occasionally a de- 
 tail of school children merrily grubbing out the fast- 
 growing weeds that invaded roadway and path. 
 Seeing the cheerful and intelligent tillage applied to 
 their land, one could not entertain surprise that in 
 the course of several generations the inhabited sec- 
 tions had assumed the appearance of a great park 
 set with comfortable houses and their attendant 
 buildings in picturesque distribution. I could not 
 tire of rambling amid such beautiful scenery. 
 
 259 
 
When the sun had decHned well toward the west- 
 ern ridges it was the custom of the people generally 
 to come into the open for pastime. If there were 
 any system recognized in their industry it was that 
 seven hours of labor were sufficient, and yet this re- 
 striction was not looked at as rigid, for any one 
 could do as he liked; yet whatever was toilsome, 
 that made much demand upon the strength of mus- 
 cle or nerve, should not, it was commonly believed, 
 be pursued beyond that interval in a single day by 
 any person. On the warm summer days it was not 
 expected — and that term expected had the effect in 
 the unwritten code of the country of a social ordi- 
 nance — that any of the people work under exposure 
 to the meridian sun, and that physical effort during 
 the heated term indoors or out-of-doors would be 
 moderate. In the late afternoon, however, it was 
 assumed that everybody would give attention for 
 some space at least to outdoor exercise, for recrea- 
 tion and neighborly amenity. So the roads and 
 alleys and lanes between sixteen and seventeen hours 
 of the roadside chronometers resounded with the 
 shouts of happy children, and their elders were seen 
 joining in the games or walking in groups in vari- 
 ous directions. To me a ramble at this time by the 
 waterside was especially agreeable. In the cool shade 
 of trees there was refreshment more delicious than in 
 a Delmonico sherbet, and the lively chat of a 3'-outh- 
 ful companion added to the enjoyment of the hour. 
 Of the young women, Ellice and Stella most often 
 
 260 
 
walked with me. Latterly Ellice was the more fre- 
 quent companion. Indeed, her young friend made 
 some show of withdrawing whenever the teacher 
 offered her society, and to a more or less delicate re- 
 monstrance would answer in a tone of pique that 
 caused me a little uncertainty whether she were act- 
 ing a part or not in favor of Ellice. 
 
 The manner of the people led me to be more de- 
 monstrative in my feelings than was my wont, it 
 must be said, and if my responses to the affectionate 
 address of a girl bred in that frank atmosphere be- 
 came similar in kind, there was no prurient fancy in 
 their expression. My admiration for Ellice was 
 such that I felt no little satisfaction in her considera- 
 tion for me; and if I had entertained any thought of 
 the existence of a special sentiment in her breast for 
 me, the affair of the old mine-pit forced the convic- 
 tion that such thought was not far out of the way. 
 I then determined to make, at the earliest opportu- 
 nity, such a declaration of my attitude toward the 
 delicate subject of marriage that might prevent a 
 possible complication that later could be embarrass- 
 ing to both, and perhaps very awkward for me. 
 
 "Where are you going now, Malcolm?" 
 
 "A little way, Ellice, if you care, down the Vera, 
 and over to the island to listen to the troupials for 
 a little while." 
 
 Ten minutes brought us to the bank of this sup- 
 posed tributary to the upper waters of the Para- 
 guay, and, crossing on the liglit and graceful steel 
 
 261 
 
bridge, we were soon upon the mossy turf of the 
 fairy-like island that seemed to float upon the crystal 
 surface of the stream that at this point had widened 
 to three times it breadth, as if to furnish a special 
 lodgement for its islet ward. This little morsel of 
 soil and vegetation was a natural aviary; it was 
 given up to the birds. Any time of the day its trees 
 and bushes were teeming with feathered creatures of 
 varied hues, and their songs and cries filled the warm 
 and fragrant air. Here I found a deal of pleasure 
 in listening to these airy vocalists and watching their 
 movements. An old citron tree on the brink of the 
 stream had in its early growth been bent near the 
 ground at almost a right angle, and later, when 
 cleared of its upper growth for three or four feet, 
 made a rustic bench on which two persons could sit 
 comfortably. This was my lounging place when- 
 ever I crossed the Vera to the island, and Ellice and 
 I had sat there together more than once. Now, on 
 reaching the tree, the girl and I took possession of 
 the convenient resting place. 
 
 But little had been said during our walk thither. 
 Perhaps what I had been meditating constrained my 
 talk, and if there seemed to be a shade upon Ellice's 
 brow it was but the reflection of my own gravity. 
 The troupials were numerous — more so than usual — 
 and their outbursts of song were incessant, w^hile 
 the black and 3^ellow-coated fellows obtruded their 
 presence in impertinent glee almost within hand's 
 reach. One saucy chap hopped upon a twig so near 
 
 262 
 
to Ellice that she touched his tail ere he sprang away 
 with a whistle of defiance. 
 
 "A bold rascal !" I exclaimed. *'You might have 
 caught him, Ellice." 
 
 'Terhaps — I did not try." 
 
 "I don't wonder that the birds are fond of you; 
 they are sagacious enough to know their special 
 friends." 
 
 "These birds, I think, Malcolm, are particularly 
 intelligent. There is one that comes and sits on my 
 window ledge, and I talk to him, and he twitters 
 and whistles as if understanding me. But did you 
 not sigh just now, dear friend?" 
 
 "Did I, Ellice? Well, I have been thinking." 
 
 "Thinking! Does thinking make you sigh now?" 
 
 "Sometimics when the thought is of things not 
 over-pleasant." 
 
 "May I ask, my dear Malcolm, what that is which 
 is not over-pleasant to you ?" 
 
 "Certainly, my girl ; everything here is so beauti- 
 ful and charming that I cannot help comparing it 
 with home; and then comes the fateful suggestion 
 that soon — too soon — I must recross that soaring 
 ridge to return to my old place, perhaps never again 
 to see, and rarely ever to hear from, this paradise of 
 earth." 
 
 My face was partly averted as I spoke, yet with a 
 side glimpse of the girl's face. Her eyes were bent 
 upon the water flowing gently by. I saw the color 
 in her cheek fade suddenly and her bosom heave 
 
 263 
 
tremulously. Then she turned those lustrous, frank 
 eyes upon me. 
 
 "And must you go so soon?" 
 
 The voice was steady, but so low that had I not 
 been close to her I could not have caught the words. 
 
 "Not immediately, to be sure, Ellice; yet, when 
 one's duty and work come into mind, and the season 
 of activity for those in my line of business is open- 
 ing, I cannot help giving heed to the prompting." 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm, have you thought " 
 
 The voice was still low, and toned with a rich, 
 deep earnestness that thrilled me as never Lucia in 
 her most passionate outburst had moved my appre- 
 ciative feeling. I waited for the completion of the 
 sentence, but she turned away those liquid eyes si- 
 lently and sat like a statue, gazing in the distance. 
 
 "Perhaps, dear friend, I feel your meaning. I 
 have thought " 
 
 "Oh, " and those deep eyes rested on mine for 
 
 an instant, and again were gazing away. It was 
 well, for, with that gaze on my face, it were doubt- 
 ful whether my courage would have sustained my 
 purpose. As it was, after a moment's pause I went 
 on: 
 
 "Yes, many a time have I thought of what might 
 be possible between us — you and me, Ellice. I 
 should be a hypocrite not to own it, and yet, when 
 the fact obtruded itself that you, in form and being, 
 soul and body, were of a type so much above " 
 
 "No, " the girl sprang up; "Malcolm, no; 
 
 264 
 
say not so. You wrong yourself. If I have in- 
 dulged feelings as a woman that I never quite felt 
 before, it has been of my own heart's prompting. 
 But what am I saying?" 
 
 She had faced me as she started to her feet, with 
 one hand clasping the exquisitely molded neck and 
 the other extended in the pose of entreaty, while the 
 warm blood flushed deeply in cheek and chin. I 
 could not resist the impulse to start from my seat 
 and take her extended hand. 
 
 "Dear Ellice, to you I owe my best enjoyments 
 here where my every hour has been filled with happy 
 experiences, and most surely will my soul treasure 
 the kindness and affection so frankly given, and, 
 may I say — can I say, how much will be the regret 
 of leaving you?" 
 
 Gently withdrawing her hand, she placed her 
 finger-tips upon my lips, while her dark eyes filled 
 with tears. There we stood, face to face, for a few 
 seconds in silence. No line of reproach marked her 
 sweet face, made sweeter now by the tears that 
 dropped from the open lids and trickled down over 
 the soft cheek. My own flowed, too, and dimmed 
 my vision. Finally she spoke first : 
 
 "We knew that you could not stay, Malcolm, but 
 was it wrong to indulge even a hope? Perhaps you 
 can return to us — but now 'tis for us a parting in- 
 deed, dear friend — yes, dear friend ever in mem- 
 ory — though in my heart I will keep repeating 'a 
 happy meeting soon.' " 
 
 265 
 
She was so near, her parted lips so full and rich 
 with the fervid current of life, that I bent over and 
 touched them with my own. 
 
 "Let this seal our friendship, dear girl." With- 
 out moving she received this tribute of regard, the 
 color going and returning in the clear skin. Then, 
 throwing up her hands, she grasped my face be- 
 tween them and stood for a little gazing into my eyes 
 as if to read my inmost soul. What deep eyes were 
 hers? Their brown irises seemed to expand to the 
 full width of the open lids and glow with a brilliancy 
 beyond the human! What strength, too, in those 
 small hands! For the moment I felt weak under 
 that gaze and pressure. What man of any pretense 
 to delicacy and tenderness would not have felt as 
 I did, so close to and so caressed by so beautiful and 
 true a woman. But the precious moments sped, too 
 sweet to last. With a deep sigh she closed those 
 marvelous eyes, and then pressed her lips to mine — a 
 long kiss, the only one I ever had from her. Gently 
 removing her hands from my face. Ell ice turned 
 silently away. Then came the sweet, low peal of 
 the evening Angelus. The sun had dropped upon 
 the ridge. In whispered accents we repeated the 
 beautiful formula of prayer — for her, for me, an 
 opportune message of grace and consolation. "Fa- 
 ther Divine," she added, "be with our friend wher- 
 ever he may go ; keep him safely when absent from 
 us." 
 
 "Amen !" I murmured, and continued : "Keep 
 266 
 
safely, Lord of all grace, this dear girl, and let her 
 joy be full to the overflowing." 
 
 Returning to Bruces' we were met at the doorway 
 by Stella, who cried : 
 
 "How you two people have lagged along! Here 
 we are all at the table ! You must have been much 
 entertained by each other." 
 
 The girl's sally drew no return fire, as customary, 
 for I was in no mood for badinage, and Ellice's face, 
 though cheerful, wore an expression of deep pen- 
 siveness. Noting this, the lively girl added : 
 
 "Well, now, have you seen more snakes on the 
 island — or something worse ? I thought of sending 
 Jabber in pursuit of you, but, you know, he's so 
 funny about crossing running water." 
 
 "We have seen no snakes, my Stella," ventured 
 Ellice, placing an arm around her, "but I have seen 
 what seems of much greater concern than anything 
 reptilian — a vision of the inevitable." 
 
 In answer to this remark the girl looked wonder- 
 ingly at Ellice and then at me, evidently quite at 
 loss to understand her teacher friend's remark, but 
 as the expression of gravity on her face did not 
 change, she exclaimed : 
 
 "You poor, darlingest darling, come in and have 
 supper with us, and dream of your great-great- 
 grandfather to-night, if you will." 
 
 The thoughtful expression melted into a smile at 
 this outburst of grotesque tenderness, and the two, 
 embracing, followed me into the house. 
 
 267 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FROM HOME AND OLIVE. 
 
 The "raven mail" had brought me letters from 
 home, which I found on my table on going up after 
 supper. The reader will remember the ravens that 
 carried down from the ridge certain conveniences 
 just before the ascent of that natural barrier and my 
 entrance into Oudemon. Those ravens and others 
 trained for the purpose were a sort of special mes- 
 sengers and mail-carriers. The letter sent by the 
 very few agents of the country who might be trav- 
 eling somewhere in the "outer sphere" were directed 
 to the small plantation settlement called Vadera by 
 its proprietor, at which I saw my guide, Julius. It 
 was assumed by the Bolivian official, who united in 
 one person collector of customs and postman for 
 that thinly occupied region on the Brazilian fron- 
 tier, that the small packages addressed "Guapore 
 Ridges, via Vadera" he at rather long intervals car- 
 ried to the hacienda, were for a party of miners or 
 herdsmen, whose eccentricity was shown by their 
 training a raven to carry messages. "Wise as a 
 raven" was often heard in the talk of my new 
 friends, a curious substitute that had not to me the 
 euphemism of the more familiar "Wise as an owl ;" 
 
 268 
 
yet a few weeks of Oudemon life satisfied me that 
 there was good reason for the substitution of raven 
 for owl. They had found a use for "the bird of ill- 
 omen," and he had shown a precocity and fidelity in 
 response to their care and training that have never, 
 to my knowledge, been exhibited by any specimen 
 of the wide-eyed night marauders. 
 
 In many families the raven was fully domesti- 
 cated as a messenger for the women, much as the 
 nimble monkey was employed by the men. Nat- 
 urally, when this feature of their practice became 
 known to my observation, I inquired why they did 
 not use pigeons, and learned that there were no 
 pigeons in the country. A little experience satisfied 
 me that the raven was the better bird for their pur- 
 poses; although slower of flight than our carrier 
 he was much stronger on the wing and a surer serv- 
 ant, not fearing any of the larger birds of the plain 
 and mountain. 
 
 One of the letters was from Olive: 
 
 "My Dear Malcolm : I was rejoiced when your 
 letter came. Two entire months since your depart- 
 ure, and the only word directly to the girl you were 
 wont to call *my confidante.' Being so little of the 
 traveler and unused to the peculiar and often ab- 
 sorbing things that are met in strange countries, I 
 cannot appreciate their effect upon one's attention; 
 but I know your disposition to study whatever 
 proves interesting, especially in human life, and try 
 
 269 
 
to extenuate the seeming neglect of friends at home. 
 From your description of the countries and peo- 
 ples through which you passed on the way south- 
 ward, you must have had incident enough to fill 
 your time and thought. Everything so novel, and 
 so unexpected, and then your constant march, could 
 have scarcely allowed you time to draw a deep 
 breath, much less to write letters. There was no 
 elaborately furnished club to drop into by the way, 
 with desk and stationery in sight to invite easy use. 
 
 "You were a good boy, though, to remember your 
 mother as you have when opportunity has offered, 
 and your lines, though brief, have given her no lit- 
 tle solace. The last message, dated 'On the Gua- 
 pore,' and sent by your guide on his return west- 
 ward, had much of mystery in it; but the assurance 
 that you would soon be among friends, and 'do not 
 entertain any anxiety if you do not hear from me 
 but seldom until I start on the homeward course,' 
 led her to say: 'Well, I suppose it will be as it was 
 when he went to Egypt and got among so many 
 attractive things; he will forget us, until he wakes 
 up some fine morning and finds so little money in 
 his belt that he does not know whether he can pay 
 expenses until he gets among people who speak 
 English.' 
 
 "You tell me that the folks into whose arms you 
 have fallen don't use money. I wonder how they 
 can get along. At any rate, you will save yours 
 while there. It seems to me it must be a very prim- 
 
 270 
 
itive country compared with ours — everything so 
 fresh, and simple, and true. I don't wonder at your 
 admiration; but to my inexperienced intelHgence 
 there is a vein of romance in your description of 
 the customs and character of the men and women 
 you meet. To find a community of that sort in the 
 heart of a continent we have been accustomed to re- 
 gard as but half-civiHzed at best — are you not 'johy- 
 ing' us? Then those girls you give us a 'snap shot' 
 of — certainly they must be charming. You must 
 fetch home some photos of them, or, better, a real 
 life specimen for us to see and admire. That would 
 make quite a sensation here — our inveterate bachel- 
 or, Malcolm, bringing home a (you do not tell us of 
 the race or consanguinity, and our imagination can- 
 not supply the lacking term) bride from the wilds of 
 Brazil, or Paraguay, or Argentine, or whatever 
 the country you have strayed into. 
 
 "Many have been the inquiries about you. The 
 Sealings were in yesterday. Madeline was quite 
 earnest in her demands as to when you were expect- 
 ed home, and two or three others in our set have in- 
 timated their opinion that you must find those In- 
 dians or mestizo girls very charming to stay so long 
 among them. There is a deal of quite amusing 
 curiosity entertained by everybody regarding your 
 wanderings; so, when you do return, expect to be 
 bombarded with questions. 
 
 "At any rate, come back to us with all your old 
 self unimpaired, and you may be sure you will find 
 
 271 
 
no change in the regard of your friends, some of 
 whom feel your absence perhaps more than you 
 think. 
 
 "There are rumors of trouble and revolution in 
 Colombia. You will not, dear Malcolm, venture in 
 that direction or expose yourself to any dangers un- 
 necessarily on the return trip. You know the char- 
 acter of those uncertain people. The petit mere is 
 quite well, and also the sisters. George grumbles 
 about what you can find to do or see 'down there,' 
 and affects to believe that you are 'spinning too much 
 yarn' in your account of the sagacity of Jabber. . . 
 
 "I am sure that you have a good work in hand 
 and will come to us ere long much profited by your 
 travel and experiences; and your friends, too, will 
 be gainers by what you have learned in that strange 
 country. Ever most sincerely. Olive." 
 
 The dear girl ! Her kind message had come at a 
 time most opportune. Aly feelings had never been 
 so wrought up before as by the interview with El- 
 lice. Her distress had shown too clearly the depth 
 of her regard for me, and, while in the rare nobility 
 and generosity of her nature and habit she absolved 
 me from any dishonorable or unmanly thought or 
 purpose in my relations to her, I could not avoid 
 some self-reproach. Had I maintained a cooler and 
 less responsive attitude, there would not have grown 
 so strong a sentiment. Yet, considering all the cir- 
 cumstances, the ways of the people, the independence 
 
 272 
 
of the women in affairs of the heart, their unusual 
 intelHgence and fairness in matters of social com- 
 munication, the unwitting indiscretion of a stranger 
 would doubtless find many apologists if the matter 
 should become known. In reading Olive's letter 
 there settled upon my spirit a refreshing calmness. 
 She had never written in such terms to me before; 
 i.e., never had given so clear a view of her own 
 heart; for, back of the affected badinage, I was sure 
 that I read the true story of an earnest affection for 
 me. 
 
 Pensively I sat for some time, the open letter in 
 one hand, and drifted into a comparison of the two 
 girls, with surprise noting a marked similarity in 
 many qualities. Ellice w^as the more liberally en- 
 dowed wath charms of form and feature, and more 
 advanced in those lines of esthetic culture that 
 strongly attract a man of taste; but Olive's large 
 gray-browii eyes softly beamed with as much frank- 
 ness and her well-balanced expression evinced a 
 similar habit of considerate reflection. She was on 
 occasion generous and self-sacrificing to a fault, yet 
 exemplary in foresight and prudence, and in emer- 
 gencies exhibited uncommon self-control and ex- 
 ecutive capacity. Strong in will, she was neverthe- 
 less modest and delicate in demeanor, impressing 
 most persons who did not know her w^ith the idea 
 that she w'as diffident and yielding. She was sensi- 
 tive, craved kindness and attention from others, 
 and toward her friends always manifested a stanch 
 
 273 
 
loyalty. Honest and pure in every motive and 
 thought, she expected others in expression and con- 
 duct to be honest and pure, and her respect was col- 
 ored by the tone of character she saw in others. 
 
 I suspected that there had been something of a 
 disappointment in her early maidenhood regarding 
 a certain young man of handsome physique and bril- 
 liant mind, whose life as known to his male inti- 
 mates was darkened by habits or indiscretions of a 
 vicious nature too common among our bright young 
 men. Once possessed of a knowledge of his moral 
 irregularity, Olive's white soul could not but recoil 
 from further contact with him, however it might 
 strain the cords of her heart. This experience, or 
 whatever else the trial might have been, imparted a 
 tender phase to her character and softened certain 
 forceful elements that previously tended to show 
 their color when her feelings were strongly aroused. 
 Now, at full maturity of mind and body, we who 
 knew her truly, deemed her worthy of any sta- 
 tion in social life; and I am not reluctant to admit 
 that her acquaintance exerted not a small influence 
 upon my bachelor course. 
 
 Again I read the letter slowly, its tender lines 
 suggesting other reflections, and at the end I uttered 
 half aloud : "Noble, charming girl, how precious 
 your sympathy and cheer is to me! What a friend 
 I have in you! May we not be even more than 
 friends in the near future?" 
 
 A tap at the doorway. I said "Enter, friend," 
 274 
 
and Stella tripped in. Stopping short and eyeing 
 me closely, the girl burst out : 
 
 "I am glad you feel better, big cousin ; something 
 in that letter (I still held Olive's missive in my 
 hand) that helps? You were so pitiful-looking at 
 supper that I wanted to try to do something for you. 
 If it was about Ellice — yes — oh, I am so sorry, but 
 I know you meant well. Excuse me, dear cousin ; I 
 am only a little girl to you, but I love you as one of 
 my dear friends, you know." 
 
 She had caught up my hand and gazed, while 
 speaking, into my face, her pure eyes dilating with 
 interest. Pressing the small brown fingers caress- 
 ingly, I answered : 
 
 "You are a little sister of mercy and consolation, 
 my dear Stella. Thank you for such full sym- 
 pathy, and I shall take you into my confidence" — 
 holding up the letter — "but not just now. Perhaps 
 to-morrow we will talk. I need a little time yet for 
 reflection." 
 
 "To-morrow 'twill be better, cousin Malcolm, for 
 Stiles Morgan is here and wants to look over your 
 goalone. He has another improvement to put on 
 it, and then we'll try it, won't we ?" 
 
 "Certainly, ma petite. We'll go right down to 
 see the good fellow." 
 
 275 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 IN A LABORATORY WITH ITS MASTER. 
 
 Shortly before my leaving home for this visit 
 to Oudemon our newspapers had given more or 
 less exciting accounts of a strange insect of the 
 beetle variety that had become the terror of com- 
 munities in Georgia and the Carolinas. Its bite or 
 sting was said to be fatal in nearly every case. The 
 mortality among children, due to its malignancy, was 
 most alarming. The virus of its bite acted so rap- 
 idly that very few of the victims could receive treat- 
 ment in season to have effect, if any, in counter- 
 action. Then, too, the ignorance of the medical 
 profession with regard to the nature of the insect 
 put the practitioner at so great a disadvantage that 
 no treatment offered much hope of benefit. The an- 
 tidotes or antiseptics used in rattlesnake, cobra, 
 adder, tarantula and other like poisoning were with- 
 out efificacy; so that resort was had to the prophy- 
 laxis of exterminating the offensive creature, organ- 
 ized efforts being set on foot to find and destroy it. 
 
 The confident way in which Percy had consulted 
 Lewis Pentersoe in behalf of ElHce led me to that 
 learned gentleman, or rather, according to the vogue, 
 "studious brother," thinking that he might advise 
 
 276 
 
a method of treatment of some efficacy. Stopping 
 at Pentersoe's house while on a round with my go- 
 alone, I was conducted by his mother to the labora- 
 tory, finding him there deeply engaged upon an 
 analysis of water from a recently discovered spring. 
 Praying him to continue his work, as I was not hur- 
 ried, I sat down and chatted with the old lady until 
 the chemist had reached a stage that made it con- 
 venient to suspend his procedure. Meanwhile my 
 eyes had been roving over the equipment of the 
 large room and were surprised by the number and 
 variety of the instruments and the quantity of ma- 
 terials assembled there. From my recollection of 
 Northern laboratories, it seemed to me that this 
 workshop of an unpretending Oudemon chemist and 
 botanist exceeded them all for convenience and com- 
 pleteness. 
 
 There was even a rack in a side alcove with an 
 array of tubes, glasses and microscopes. In many 
 of the tubes there were syrupy-looking masses and 
 cotton-like stoppers, which were recalled years after- 
 ward by the culture apparatus for bacteria employed 
 by our biologists. Upon the walls hung bookshelves 
 with many volumes whose titles in the common style 
 to which I was accustomed indicated that they had 
 come from the outside world. There were treatises 
 on chemistry, physiology, histology, anatomy, etc., 
 with authors' names that had been met with in my 
 reading. Verily, the science and learning of our 
 
 ^77 
 
civilization were respected here and applied with 
 evident intelligence. 
 
 A singular combination of glass and polished 
 metal tubing, with cylindrical vessels and alembic- 
 like expansions on appropriate stands, held my at- 
 tention for a while. Its beauty and intricacy evi- 
 denced a procedure of unusual delicacy, and prompt- 
 ed inquiry as to its nature when opportunity might 
 offer. 
 
 Mother Pentersoe and I were still chatting when 
 Lewis remarked: 
 
 "Am gratified, friend Malcolm, to observe your 
 interest in our surroundings here." 
 
 "Ah, my dear Lewis, I have a curious disposition 
 for novelty, as you have detected, although your 
 surroundings appear to combine both things that 
 have been met with North and others quite new to 
 me. You have a finely equipped workroom, I must 
 say." 
 
 "So you think it compares favorably with those 
 in your country?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed. I am sure many an institution 
 among our universities would be considered fortu- 
 nate with such a plant for research as you, a simple 
 Oudemonite, if you will pardon the phrase, possess. 
 When the expense of furnishing this room is con- 
 sidered " 
 
 "Expense — how ?" 
 
 "Oh, I had forgotten that you dear folks make 
 no account of cost. As students of nature's secrets 
 
 278 
 
you have a sort of carte blanche for whatever of ap- 
 pHance or material you may need." 
 
 "Well, Malcolm," he returned, laughing, "it may 
 be so. But do you mean to say that your men of 
 science, performing work of value to the commu- 
 nity on economic and moral lines, are not amply 
 sustained by the community?" 
 
 "Few, indeed, I regret to say, are compensated or 
 encouraged to apply their talent and learning as they 
 would most gladly." 
 
 "This is strange enough, considering what talent 
 and learning your people have," pointing as he 
 spoke to his bookshelves. "Here with us, my work, 
 like the work of anyone else, is made a common 
 cause, all helping in some respect to sustain me and 
 other chemists ; my success in a given course of ex- 
 periment or analysis becomes the success of Oude- 
 mon." 
 
 "Verily, an ideal scientific association. How 
 many of our devoted naturalists, chemists, biolo- 
 gists, would rejoice to know your freedom ! But, to 
 be a little more pertinent, Lewis, may I ask what is 
 this apparatus?" pointing at the complex system of 
 tubes and vessels which I lately mentioned. 
 
 "That, Malcolm, is a later form, perhaps im- 
 proved, of apparatus for the preparation of the best 
 solution used on our breath plates. Here is some of 
 its product." Taking from a redwood cabinet a 
 small crystal flask, he exhibited a fluid of blue color 
 that seemed to flash in the light. "This is much 
 
 279 
 
more sensitive to actinic effects than the solution 
 heretofore in use, while fresh; but for the purpose 
 of its preparation improves with age if kept well 
 corked and in the dark," he said, replacing it in the 
 cabinet after my brief inspection. 
 
 Mother Pentersoe here arose, saying : "Now, my 
 dear young friend, "you have launched my Lewis 
 on a favorite theme; will you excuse me? And, 
 my son, do not tire your visitor by too much dis- 
 course on that topic." 
 
 "I shall try not to do that, dear mother." 
 
 *'Ah, dear madam," I added to the filial assur- 
 ance, "do not be concerned for me. I am at home 
 as a listener to the theories of these zealous students 
 of nature, and never tire of hearing them, especially 
 when their investigations affect human nature." 
 
 "You see, mother, our good friend gives me 
 abundant latitude, and you shall have another turn, 
 for he will take noon refreshment with us." 
 
 "Certainly, it must not be otherwise," returned 
 the mother, pleasantly, as she retired from the lab- 
 oratory. I resumed the talk with : 
 
 "The little while I have been here, professor — 
 that's the title we should give you up our way " 
 
 "I cannot doubt your sincerity, Malcolm," he in- 
 terrupted quickly but gently. 
 
 "I was not thinking of compliments, my friend 
 of tubes and filters, but of the merit and value of 
 such ability as yours to the scientific world; and I 
 was about to say that mv inquisitive eyes have seen 
 
 280 
 
so many unusual things in this laboratory that I am 
 almost prompted to ask you many questions aside 
 from the main purpose of my visit." 
 
 "Ask what you please, Malcolm, it will be a pleas- 
 ure to answer, if in my power." 
 
 "Ah, Lewis, the savant of Oudemon, is none the 
 less an Oudemonite for being a savant. Well, I 
 came, as you doubtless surmise, intending to inquire 
 about the remedy you used in Ellice Denton's case, 
 when she was poisoned by the viper." 
 
 "You are right, Malcolm. It is a species of viper, 
 an echisoid of peculiar venom, exceeding the IMedi- 
 terranean species. I obtained the specimen and made 
 an analysis of its secretion, and also a culture, which 
 you may see in the tube yonder — Number 6 — a very 
 rare spirillum, identical with that shown by my be- 
 loved teacher, Fortil, who lies in yonder Silence," 
 extending a hand reverently in the direction of the 
 House of Hope. "Have you any reptiles like that 
 North? There are your adder and copperhead, to 
 be sure." 
 
 "And our famous rattlesnake, and certain spiders 
 and insects that are much feared," I added. "Of 
 such derivatives as you have there in the glass I 
 know very little, but think that the remedy you 
 employ to antidote a bite may be of use to us." 
 
 "Very likely, Malcolm, and it is probable that 
 your botanists know a plant cognate to that, the re- 
 duced sap of which would be efficacious. It is the 
 ecchofis. The best part for the purpose is the fresh 
 
 2S1 
 
root. We apply the remedy to the wound, and also 
 give it, much diluted, in small doses internally. 
 Allow me to prepare a phial of the extract for you ?" 
 "Should be much obligated, Lewis." 
 With a shake of the large head and its profusion 
 of light brown hair, he went on : "In the Tube 7, 
 which you may compare with 6," taking up the two 
 tubes and holding them in the light, "I have a cul- 
 ture of the echisoid neutralized by ecchofis. You no- 
 tice in this the intensely deep blue nidus and lines of 
 patchy growth radiating upward through the banana 
 syrup. In this other you see that the nucleus is but 
 a transparent film and the patches are scarcely dis- 
 cernible — the excellent action of the ecchofis done in 
 a few hours upon a growth like this of 6." 
 
 "Admirable, my dear Pentersoe; and these other 
 tubes — do you experiment, for instance, with tu- 
 bercle, or the germs of anthrax or yellow fever — 
 great topics of discussion in our bureaus of public 
 sanitation at home?" 
 
 "No, my brother in pursuit of useful knowledge, 
 I have no opportunity in that way. Archbold, in- 
 deed, brought me on his late return a crystal of sup- 
 posed yellow fever infection, but I could make little 
 of it ; could not obtain a distinct and altogether sat- 
 isfactory resultant." 
 
 "Did you test them on animals for effect ?" 
 
 "No; certainly not," he answered in an indignant 
 vein, "we cannot subject our animal creatures to 
 any cruelty under pretext of experiment for the good 
 
of humanity. And yet/' he continued, smiHng-, "we 
 have no apology for it, because a case of infective or 
 malignant disease is practically unknown among us 
 nowadays. A howler recently imported died over in 
 district eleven, and I made an examination to learn 
 the cause. The liver showed a state of gross break- 
 down, the tissues being generally marked with deep 
 ulceration. Under the microscope there appeared 
 features similar in many respects to the substance in 
 the tube that Archbold had given me. I tried the 
 ecchofis on both the imported and my liver prepara- 
 tion. The specimens are here," taking two tubes 
 from the rack. "Do you perceive much difference 
 in the reactions?" 
 
 I examined them carefully with a magnifier. A 
 similar distribution of pearl-gray patches appeared 
 in the glary fluid of each. 
 
 "No; I can see no difference." 
 
 "There is very little seen except with a high 
 power." 
 
 INSANITY IN THE TEST TUBE. 
 
 "But these other tubes placed by themselves" — I 
 pointed to a group at one end of the rack. 
 
 "Those, Malcolm, are tests of disturbed mental 
 states, obtained from the few cases of insanity we 
 have." 
 
 "Possible ! that you find germs of a specific nature 
 in insanity ! And have you the antitoxic or antidote 
 for them?" 
 
 283 
 
Pentersoe smiled, and, with a light laugh, replied : 
 "We have no antitoxic in the sense you probably- 
 mean, my brother. These are abstracts from 
 breath plates, treated as cultures, for the purpose of 
 obtaining distinct results that will indicate the char- 
 acter of the mind impairment, and enable us to at- 
 tempt its restoration. Our insane cases are so few 
 because of the hygiene of prevention operative in 
 our general life; and these are as a rule harmless, 
 and, with but a single exception — a very aged wom- 
 an — of some use where they live. You notice, Mal- 
 colm, the different colors. Certain dominating ele- 
 ments in the manifestation of faculty are corre- 
 spondent with them. Here, for instance, is a per- 
 son whose mind is affected by delusions of pride, 
 greatness and authority. You see blotches of deep 
 violet. This tube is from the sweat glands, and con- 
 firms the breath plate, taken at the same time, and 
 has its reaction in the tube set next to it. This 
 tube," showing another, "is from the blood; the 
 color is stronger, but means the same thing." 
 "Then 'blood will tell,' as we say, Lewis?" 
 "Without a doubt, when analyzed in the proper 
 manner, dear brother. Among your medical men 
 there are some who appear to believe that analyses 
 of the blood will show conditions of health and dis- 
 ease, and help to decide the nature of one's sickness. 
 In my opinion, they are right, and before many 
 years it will probably be a common thing for the 
 physician to examine his patient's blood, just as he 
 
 284 
 
now looks at temperature and pulse. This glass 
 illustrates what your doctors call chronic melan- 
 cholia." 
 
 "What, my profound expert in tempers! You 
 don't mean that you have such an unfortunate 
 among your people 1" 
 
 "Ah, Malcolm, you are a good discerner of spir- 
 its," he said, smilingly, and continued : "Bross 
 Champlin — you may know him " 
 
 "Engineer and statistician? Yes " 
 
 "The same. He was at Trinidad not long ago, 
 and saw the poor man, and obtained some tears, 
 which he brought me as a matter of curious in- 
 quiry. You will note their reactions — the dark 
 green lines of suspicion and distrust, and a low, 
 habitual cunning that might be unsafe to those 
 around him. An interesting contrast is this one, 
 from our own small supply of specimens — a case of 
 excessive generosity." 
 
 "Which I can readily accept, Lewis. How in- 
 tense the yellow ! Looks as if there were gold in it. 
 But your people's prodigality does not scatter the 
 yellow metal about as our over-liberal son of For- 
 tuna would ; they give themselves to others. It is 
 a wonder that in the way your people live that you 
 don't have a sort of epidemic or craze of generosity 
 most of the time." 
 
 "I know, my dear IMalcolm, that you can under- 
 stand how the universal interchanges and mutual 
 nature of our life operate as a corrective of tenden- 
 
 285 
 
cies to excess in any direction. The idea of duty 
 has its relation to the habits of our people and ex- 
 ercises a good degree of restraint. Our children 
 grow up with the principle ingrained in their con- 
 duct that they can expect from others what they are 
 expected to give; that is, in other terms, reciprocity 
 of kindness, sympathy and service is the moral, or 
 better, the spiritual rule governing everybody's in- 
 tercourse with everybody else. Resultantly excess 
 of service for another's benefit carries no credit or 
 approval. Superfluity is unreasonable. Yes, I ap- 
 preciate what you would suggest. We have some 
 admiration for zeal and enthusiasm in directions 
 that affect the general good, but the teaching our 
 children get regarding their conduct toward each 
 other and the normal action of moral sentiment 
 renders them quite early self-governing and tem- 
 perate to a good degree in the expression of interest 
 and feeling. Do you find people disposed to annoy 
 or overcrowd you with attentions, Malcolm?" 
 
 "Now you have asked the question, excellent and 
 studious brother, I will confess that my opinion has 
 changed from what was my first impression. When 
 I entered the country two months or so ago I felt as 
 if overwhelmed with kindnesses, but now I find 
 myself no longer *the lion' — as we term a man 
 among us who is the recipient of special and con- 
 stant attentions from nearly everybody — but the 
 subject of little more than the consideration that one 
 Oudemonite gives to another as a matter of course. 
 . 286 
 
I can assure you that to be treated on the common 
 ground of equahty is quite gratifying. It makes 
 me feel at home. What have you in those phials?" 
 pointing to another group, the contents of which 
 gleamed in the light. 
 
 "Those are recent products, Malcolm; effects ob- 
 tained in the treatment of blood." 
 
 "Human blood?" 
 
 Pentersoe inclined his head. 
 
 HOW BLOOD WILL TELL. 
 
 "Now, excuse my curiosity — always active, you 
 see, Lewis. May I inquire their significance ?" 
 
 "I am not able to answer fully, Malcolm, as the 
 observations are new. Two or three of us are work- 
 ing in this line, and with encouragement. Briefly, 
 we think that, just as the breath plate shows condi- 
 tions of mind, the general trend of sentiment, etc., so 
 the blood elements may exhibit the physiologic basis 
 of the mental state. We cannot say that there is a 
 positive standard of blood perfection, for scarcely 
 two specimens are precisely alike in color and form ; 
 indeed, we are satisfied that there are many types 
 of normal blood, each fundamental to a normal type 
 of mental constitution." 
 
 "Just as people normally organized show a great 
 variety of intellectual and moral capacity," I in- 
 terposed. 
 
 "Yes, brother. Now it is best to illustrate while I 
 287 
 
talk. Here is one tube. You notice how bright the 
 flashing. Let us see what the microscope will do 
 with it." Removing the stopper, a drop of the 
 ruddy fluid was carefully transferred to a slide, and 
 that placed under the lens. A few turns of the 
 screw brought the object into focus. "Now study 
 this for a moment, before it changes in the air." 
 
 I put my best eye to the instrument, and saw a 
 beautiful spectacle — blood disks swimming in a clear 
 fluid, apparently about the diameter of a marrow- 
 fat pea. Their edges were distinct and regular, 
 with ray-like filaments fringing the entire circum- 
 ference. The body of the disks was plump and 
 translucent, exhibiting two or three nuclear ele- 
 ments of varied form ; while over the surface of the 
 disk a symmetrical net-like membrane appeared to 
 be spread, the meshes of which I could almost count. 
 The uniformity of the structure and clear golden 
 color won upon my gaze, but alas ! too soon the 
 chemistry of the atmosphere began its destructive 
 work, and the charming picture lost color and form, 
 the markings disappearing in a blurred mass. 
 
 "Beautiful !" I exclaimed. "The most remarkable 
 view of blood elements that I have ever seen !" 
 
 "Try another, and see the difference." He placed 
 a second slide under the glass — or rather crystal, for 
 the compound lens of Pentersoe's microscope was 
 of white topaz — and what a change! The corpus- 
 cles were large, but much less bright in color, the 
 fringed edges v.'ere irregular, at parts twisted and 
 
 288 
 
broken. Dark spots appeared on the body of the 
 disks, their network lacked the symmetry of the 
 first specimen, and the nuclear contents seemed of 
 rough outline. 
 
 ''Here is one more," said this master of tech- 
 nique. "Compare it with the two you have seen." 
 
 This slide at first glance looked like the first exam- 
 ined ; later I noted differences. Here and there were 
 disks quite perfect in constitution and beautiful in 
 tint; others showed departures from symmetry and 
 completeness of border and content, and some were 
 much like those of the second slide. The general ef- 
 fect, however, was pleasing, and offered a study 
 upon which I could have dwelt for half an hour, 
 but in three minutes the field was but a semi-evapo- 
 rated splash of granular indistinctness. Looking up 
 from the instrument with traces of vexation doubt- 
 less on my face, Lewis said, deprecatingly : 
 
 "We must make our observation quickly, brother 
 Malcolm, for as yet we cannot fix the specimens, 
 and then, any treatment, I think, would impair 
 them. The first slide is blood of a good average 
 quality, such as you will find in the veins of most of 
 our grown-up people. The second is from the arm 
 of a man who not long ago was unfortunate in per- 
 mitting certain elements in his nature to become too 
 active, to the disadvantage of his conduct toward 
 others. In fine, he became disagreeable and selfish 
 in the discharge of certain duties that he had under- 
 taken for his district. It was feared that this brother 
 
 289 
 
would become so disturbed mentally as to be unbal- 
 anced. Good advice had its effect, and, being will- 
 ing, he received our experimental treatment, also — 
 only experimental. One of your neighbors, whose 
 blood is of high quality, offered a sample of it for 
 our use." 
 
 " 'Twas Ellice, I dare affirm — a most harmonious 
 nature — and I remember a remark of hers that this 
 explains." 
 
 The chemist smiled at my outbreak : "Would you 
 like to see the tube in which her blood — the few 
 drops left — is kept?" 
 
 "Most certainly. I am feeling quite bloodthirsty 
 to-day, you see, brother Lewis." 
 
 "With my connivance, Malcolm, you must al- 
 low." 
 
 Taking a minute flask from a recess in the cab- 
 inet which contained the ecchofis, he showed me 
 what was indeed a small sample of our vital current, 
 yet still limpid and cherry-red. 
 
 "You may judge from its character," he re- 
 marked, "from what you saw in the tube yonder; 
 only it has a higher gleam, and the disks are even 
 fuller, more concave in outline, and longer cilia, 
 showing a great vital sympathy." 
 
 "Yes, the whole Denton family is remarkable for 
 freshness and capacity in a vital sense, my dear mas- 
 ter of blood mixtures ; such symmetry of form and 
 balance of action are far from common, even among 
 your people." 
 
 290 
 
"Some must be different from others, my dear 
 boy; it were better for the others." 
 
 "The order of a beneficent economy — and she 
 gave her blood for the regeneration, so to speak, of 
 that erring brother?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "It was injected by syringe?" 
 
 "A vein in the arm was opened and a half dozen 
 drops introduced at a time, until in the course of a 
 month there were five injections. The Tube 3, 
 shown you, Malcolm, is his blood after the fourth 
 injection — a great change." 
 
 "Remarkable! You people are more sanguinary 
 than I supposed, after all." 
 
 "And his character-expression has altered much 
 for the better," continued this novel biologist, with- 
 out regard to my interjection, aside from a slight 
 lifting of the brows." 
 
 "I have heard as much, my dear blood reformer; 
 and he has quite won the confidence of the people in 
 his district again? Dear me, I wish that about a 
 pint of that precious stuff were injected into my sys- 
 tem !" 
 
 Lewis laughed, and said banteringly : 
 
 "Would it not be well, Malcolm, to try a mixture 
 of several types for a general, all-round effect?" 
 
 "Why not? A good suggestion for complete 
 manhood surely. But I am not quite clear on the 
 rationale of this character-amending process, Lewis. 
 I can understand how some improvement in the 
 
 291 
 
physical condition might result from your injection. 
 Accepting that the blood contains minute forms — 
 bacilli, cocci, or what not, do you mean to say that 
 among them are elementary bodies that have a casual 
 function in the play of mental faculty, giving to 
 character normal or abnormal coloring?" 
 
 SPIRIT AND MATTER IN SERUS COMBINATION. 
 
 "We are of opinion, my young metaphysical in- 
 quisitor, that the life fluids contains elements, both 
 psychic and physical, and that it is just as rational 
 to introduce substance for the correction of a vice or 
 weakness of the mental nature into the circulation as 
 to inject a solution — a serum, as your savants term 
 it — to counteract a process of disease, a poison or 
 a fever. With a microscope of higher power than 
 that I can show you some of the minute forms in 
 blood, which, I am convinced, have a decided rela- 
 tion to our moral states, such is their behavior in 
 certain mental affections. Your physiologists, if I 
 have heard correctly, have among them some who 
 declare that the micro-organisms that enter into our 
 structures are not without special properties, even 
 peculiar instinctive aptitudes. Nay, more; some as- 
 sert that these infinitely small entities show powers 
 of a psychic order and are endowed with instinct or 
 intelligence beyond that of exhibiting only degrees 
 of cellular irritability. I could quote from authors 
 on that shelf to show that these minute creatures 
 
 292 
 
manifest phases of conduct that can be explained 
 by their possessing acute sensibiHty. They show 
 choice in their diet and associate relations, and 
 the phenomena of defence or self-protection. One 
 of those writers, in speaking of the wonderful process 
 of generation, says that the sperm cell is animated 
 by the same sexual instincts that direct the parent 
 organism toward the male. If this sperm cell did 
 not possess a psychic life, how could a father trans- 
 mit his form, features, disposition, etc., to his child? 
 asks another student of biology, and so he naturally 
 infers that all the attributes in man — form, feature, 
 every faculty — exist as latent potentials in the orig- 
 inal germ." 
 
 "Then may come the application of the principle 
 involved in this theory, which you, my dear friend, 
 have just mooted. If we find by a study of the in- 
 dividual germ its peculiar habits and tendencies, 
 may we not also discover why it has qualities that 
 may contribute to the unhappiness and evil of the 
 person to whom it belongs ; and, having learned this, 
 may we not learn also how to treat it, to train and 
 modify its nature so that from being a means di- 
 rectly or relatively of evil and unhappiness, it may 
 be potent for the harmony and good of its owner? 
 Introducing, then, the blood of a person known for 
 exceptional harmony and beauty of life and moral 
 integrity into the circulation of another whose hab- 
 its and tendencies have peculiarities that are uncer- 
 tain and irregular, the germal source of that otlier's 
 
character-weakness is reached, and a psychic change 
 is brought about to the advantage of the individual. 
 Is the idea illogical, my young brother?" 
 
 "Wonderful, indeed, noble wielder of the syr- 
 inge," I replied to his enthusiastic address, "and 
 yet quite logical because it is but a higher extension 
 of the principle of grafting, applying what every- 
 body accepts as important in fruit culture, to human 
 culture. And why not ? I most heartily wish that 
 that such a method of treating inveterate dishonesty, 
 vice and crime were known among my people. 
 Some of our zealous scientists have urged what 
 seems to me an extreme and most dangerous method 
 — yet our surgeons, as you may know, are capable 
 of doing things now with success that but a few 
 years ago would have been denounced as revolting 
 butchery and necessarily fatal. They appear to be- 
 lieve that it is quite possible to operate upon a man's 
 nervous system, and by removing certain parts or 
 'centers' effect a radical change in the disposition — 
 indeed, transform one of a fractious and wicked 
 nature to amicability and goodness." 
 
 "We have heard of that, Malcolm, and do not 
 approve it because such an operation would deprive 
 a person of a part of his essential organism, and so 
 impair his functional integrity." 
 
 "I think that I understand you ; that a man needs 
 all his nerve matter for the perfect expression of 
 himself. Your method is certainly better, and has 
 no dangerous features. As our people are politically 
 
 294 
 
and socially constituted it would be a long time be- 
 fore its systematic application would be permitted, 
 however great were the advantages." 
 
 "I must confess, Malcolm, that I consider this 
 method largely experimental as yet, and only to be 
 employed when other means, more humane and 
 admirable, fail. Thus far the instances of its use 
 have been too few, and it is very likely that in the 
 course of a generation our national advance in 
 spiritual energy will be beyond any pretext for such 
 quasi surgery of the mind." 
 
 "Most scrupulous experimenter. There is noth- 
 ing like good blood for both body and soul, and 
 this proposition certainly has an admirable example 
 in our young friend, Ellice Denton. Changing the 
 tenor of our conversation somewhat, it seems re- 
 markable to one with my Northern impressions 
 that the domestic future of that excellent girl had 
 not been settled long before this. She must have 
 admirers among the young men." 
 
 "She has, Malcolm, and more than one quite 
 suitable, I think, to her. Percy and I are close 
 friends — hence the affairs in that charming home 
 are somewhat known to me. There's young Lomas 
 Dexter, a fine fellow, who would give his life for 
 her, if necessary; but so far as I can tell Ellice is 
 not ready to surrender her maidenhood, and her 
 parents do not urge it." 
 
 "This Lomas I do not remember having seen, al- 
 though Stella Bruce has mentioned him." 
 
 "Dexter lives in an eastside district, thirty- four; 
 
is of a studious, reserved nature; something of an 
 archseologist, and knows a deal about trees; but a 
 fine fellow indeed. Ellice really likes him, Willis 
 says, yet I am thinking the young man does not 
 push matters, for he is as sensitive as a girl in this 
 regard. As for Ellice I am sure that the lucky 
 fellow who secures her will have a willing partner 
 of his joys and sorrows." 
 
 "Presto, Lewis, do you venture to hint at a shady 
 side in your Oudemon life? Are you going to sug- 
 gest at this late hour in my happy experience of its 
 course anything savoring of disenchantment or de- 
 lusion?" 
 
 "Ah, my ironical brother, to all things human, 
 whatever the estate, there come occasions of sadness 
 and regret. We are not free from them, yet such 
 is the prevailing cheer and sympathy and love 
 among us, in the sorrows that must come there is 
 a flavor of joy." 
 
 "Which makes them sweeter to the uplifted soul 
 than even its unalloyed joys;" I felt impelled to 
 add, and rising : "I have occupied you, my excellent 
 Lewis, far too long, and should " 
 
 "No, Malcolm ; do not, I pray you, think that you 
 have intruded upon me — now you are not going, 
 for it was understood that we were to have you for 
 dinner " 
 
 "Of course," said mother Pentersoe, entering the 
 laboratory, "our young friend joins our little table 
 company — we cannot permit him to run away now, 
 when everything is quite ready." 
 
 296 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 AIR SWIMMING AND SCIENCE. 
 
 The hot prelude to the rainy season had come, 
 and there was little comfort in traveling when the 
 sun was high, so that I was abroad either in the 
 early or late hours of the day. Ellice had gone to 
 visit friends in a distant quarter, and also to attend 
 a conference of teachers, and would be absent sev- 
 eral days. I was not averse to this, of course, for 
 in my state of mind it was better not to have much 
 to do with her. If Stella had astonished me by her 
 accurate insight the evening after my interview with 
 her beloved friend and teacher, she still more sur- 
 prised me by the gentleness of her treatment later. 
 Not yet mature in years, nevertheless in this affair 
 of the heart I found her an excellent counselor, and 
 was convinced that no better go-between could be 
 found to establish what diplomats term a modus 
 vivendi between Ellice and myself, if a mutual 
 friend were at all needed. The young girl archly 
 said : "Indeed, cousin Malcolm, I thought you two 
 were made for each other, and it would be a good 
 thing to have you marry and stay among us, and 
 you must forgive me if I have done or said anything 
 that helped to make you think more of each other 
 
 297 
 
than was just right, considering that you had only 
 come here to visit us." Unconsciously the girl had 
 been playing in a small way the part of a match- 
 maker, and with the best intentions for all con- 
 cerned. As for Ellice, could I think reasonably 
 that with her age and experience she had been over 
 influenced by her effusive pupil? 
 
 "To-morrow as early as convenient, dear folks, 
 will take place our quarterly ascension for the pur- 
 pose of high observations," remarked Bruce the 
 elder. We were at the supper table. Looking with 
 inquiry in my eye, while I balanced a nut biscuit on 
 my forefinger, to the amusement of Stella, I re- 
 sponded : 
 
 "Eh, father Bruce; seems that I noticed a para- 
 graph in your Bulletin to some such effect — what 
 is it?" 
 
 **We have, Malcolm, a periodical ascension, at 
 different stations, for purposes of science and ex- 
 pediency. If you will go, I think you wall be in- 
 terested. As the station this time is in district 
 thirteen, adjoining ours, several of our men take 
 part. The tower is only an hour's easy ride. Usu- 
 ally a dozen or so go up ; experts in using the aerolat. 
 The height to wdiich they attain and the evolutions 
 are quite exciting — while there is really less danger 
 to the participants than some of your Northern 
 games, if we may believe reports." 
 
 "You can, friend Jasper; for in the intensity of 
 their excitement our athletes go to extremes of ex- 
 
 298 
 
ertion and contest that not unfrequently result in 
 fatal injury." 
 
 "Oh, it is such fun, cousin, to see them race in 
 the air," exclaimed Stella. "Last year I went with 
 father and Willis to district sixteen, and two of 
 the men had a flying match, and one made a miss 
 stroke and tumbled heels overhead in the air. 
 'Twas the funniest thing— such a sprawling about 
 before he could get going again." The girl laughed 
 in such glee that we all joined her. 
 
 "I can well imagine, ma petite, how the man buz- 
 zard looked struggling to recover right side up and 
 nothing to stand upon. Of course I shall go. But 
 how about flying in the air myself? May I not put 
 on the dress and climb to the tower platform, and 
 prospect the country with one of your excellent 
 glasses ?" 
 
 "Certainly, Malcolm, you may do as much as 
 that, while it would not be wise to imitate the evolu- 
 tions of Julius, who will be one of the observers, I 
 presume." 
 
 "Julius, the good fellow? I shall be very glad 
 to see him, and you may rest easy, my dear Bruce. 
 I shall take no risks. No more falls for me. That 
 one in the mine pit suffices for the year." 
 
 "You can use my aerolat, dear Malcolm," offered 
 Willis. 
 
 "No, good son, the boy has the freedom of mine, 
 you know," rejoined his father. "Try your hand 
 at the paddle to-day if you care." 
 
 299 
 
"Thank you, ever kind father mine. I shall see 
 you safely to the tower top, Malcolm." 
 
 "By the way, good folks, don't the ladies of your 
 realm sport the aerostatic costume?" 
 
 "There, my father Bruce," broke in Stella, "I 
 do wish you would let me try it some time." 
 
 "Yes, my daughter, you may. Very few of our 
 women, Malcolm, seem inclined to practice the art 
 of air navigation, although in most of our games, 
 as you have doubtless seen, they take part " 
 
 "With even more zest than their brothers, you 
 might say, father," added Willis with a light laugh. 
 
 "Well, I can swim almost as good as you, brother 
 mine — now, can I not?" 
 
 "Yes, little sister, I admit it. You would make 
 a first-class mermaid." 
 
 "At about five we shall start, just after sunrise, 
 my Milline," said Jasper. 
 
 "That means an early breakfast, my good boy. 
 You must be down promptly, for these dear men 
 will live and work by the sun to-morrow." 
 
 "Then I will sleep by the moon to-night, so as 
 to be ahead of his sunship," was my rather opaque 
 return, as we rose from the table. 
 
 Just as the daygod peeped over the eastern hills 
 next morning three goalones left the Bruce home- 
 stead and proceeded rapidly northward. Stella 
 rode with me, guiding my vehicle with her expert 
 hand. The improvement added by Morgan, an 
 accelerating disk with sprocket teeth adjusted to the 
 
 300 
 
gear, delighted the girl, because of the ease with 
 which we could run by the goalone of Willis, in the 
 little brushes of speed that were now and then 
 tried to spice our trip. When we arrived at the 
 tower station we found upward of one hundred and 
 fifty people already assembled, and most of the 
 aeronauts for the occasion had donned the float- 
 ing dress. I noticed that some of these had more 
 voluminous upper sleeves than others, and inferred 
 that they intended to rise to higher points. They 
 carried instruments slung to belt or shoulder-strap, 
 and a double-bladed paddle of very light wood 
 about five feet long and ten inches wide at the 
 tapering ends. Their costume had been inflated 
 to the degree that enabled them to skim along the 
 ground easily. Each man thus prepared, tried his 
 wings, so to speak, by deploying the paddle as a 
 skilful boatman would to maneuver a boat accord- 
 ing to his wishes. It was a thrilling sight. These 
 men propelled themselves with such ease and cer- 
 tainty up and down, side-wise and backward, now 
 darting forward bird-like, and then pausing in mid- 
 air suddenly to shoot downward thirty or forty feet. 
 Julius, my conductor on the confines of Oudemon, 
 was among them and most admired for his expert- 
 ness. Meanwhile Willis and I assumed our aero- 
 lats for the minor purposes we entertained, and 
 after the observing party had ascended to their high 
 stations we amateurs scaled the wall of the tower 
 and settled upon its airy platform. There I could 
 
 301 
 
watch the operations of the observers with easy 
 convenience. They made their observations at dif- 
 ferent heights as intimated, the lowest according 
 to his barometeric record being up seven hundred 
 and fifty-eight feet, the highest two thousand two 
 hundred and sixty-three feet. Note was taken of 
 temperature, humidity, gaseous condition of the air, 
 electric conduction, current movements, and cer- 
 tain states of what they termed the "vitality of the 
 atmosphere." As instrument after instrument was 
 used it was lowered to the ground by a thread. 
 These being self -registering, assistants below care- 
 fully noted the readings in books kept for the pur- 
 pose. The series of investigations occupied an hour 
 and a quarter. 
 
 The tower Willis and I had ascended was one of 
 the tallest known, being two hundred and fifty feet 
 in elevation, affording an excellent point of view for 
 a wide area. In the early morning the scene offered 
 to my gaze was surpassingly beautiful. I could 
 not refrain from exclaiming as my eyes swept over 
 the landscape : "Oh, Willis, how much you have 
 to be grateful for in this glorious country all your 
 own !" 
 
 The young man, deeply affected, responded 
 warmly : 
 
 "Yes, my brother, it is indeed glorious. You 
 can no longer wonder that we love our home, and 
 care not to leave it." 
 
 "No, surely ; were my best friends, mother, sisters 
 302 
 
— all here, I could stay in it too, most contentedly, 
 for the remainder of my days." 
 
 This ecstasy of emotion over I addressed my- 
 self to the maneuvers of the air students, and at in- 
 tervals examining the country so much in view on 
 all sides through the excellent field glass loaned me 
 for the occasion. Object after object in that clear 
 morning appeared in charming detail to my de- 
 lighted eyes, and familiar as I had become with 
 the general character of the scenery the play of color 
 in the early sunlight imparted a variety of charm 
 that seemed quite new. That was a wonderful 
 little glass which aided my vision in this semi-scien- 
 tific pastime, made by a local optician from crystal 
 so clear that no imported lens I had seen at home 
 could match it for transparency and definition. 
 
 AN ARCTIC VISITANT. 
 
 "They are coming down, Malcolm," said Willis, 
 who had been experimenting in evolutions most of 
 the time; "let us join them below." 
 
 I had just caught sight of a strange object in the 
 far northeast and was straining my eyes to make it 
 out. Apparently just above the trees, like a flattened 
 bag or pillow in shape, at once brightly reflecting the 
 sunbeams, then dull and dark, it seemed to sway 
 and float in and out of sight. The thing, what- 
 ever it was, piqued my curiosity, and after a long, 
 earnest look, and trying to fix the direction in mind, 
 I replied to Willis: "I am ready; let us drop." 
 
 303 
 
Opening the valve of my aerolat he permitted a part 
 of the gas to escape and then did the same to his 
 own equipment. In two minutes we had sunk down 
 to the ground. 
 
 One of the air navigators, yet in his floating 
 costume, who stood near the spot where I had 
 settled, remarked banteringly: "Did you find any- 
 thing worth looking at, stranger friend, from that 
 little height?" 
 
 "Your query, my good fellow, is quite oppor- 
 tune," I answered. "Yes, I saw many things worth 
 dwelling on; could remain up there all day." 
 
 "If you should try it, oh venturous youth," he 
 rejoined in the same light vein, "I fear that we 
 should find only a trace of you in a few oil-soaked 
 rags at night, for the temperature at fourteen to- 
 day on that stone coping will probably reach 146 
 Fahrenheit." 
 
 "Then, my dear son of the ether, as I do not 
 care to be sublimed to a spot of hydro-carbon so 
 early in my career, I shall not go up again just now. 
 But I saw something a little before I tumbled down 
 that looked very queer; could not at all make it 
 out. Have you time — a minute or so, to see if I 
 have blundered — glimpsed a commonplace thing 
 and magnified it in imagination to an object of im- 
 portance?" 
 
 "Where? I do not mind trying to clear up your 
 little mystery," he replied, laughing. 
 
 Handing him my glass, I said : "Use this and you 
 304 
 
may find my puzzle. Yours might not catch It. 
 Look in that direction when you get up to the height 
 of the tower" — indicating the point of the horizon 
 by my hand. 
 
 While we were talking a little group had gathered 
 around us, and looked on good-naturedly while 
 my sky-scaling friend examined his equipment, 
 took up his paddle, and began a second ascent. 
 Arriving at the summit of the tower he steadied 
 himself with one hand and had scarcely begun to 
 scan the northward horizon w^hen an exclamation 
 escaped his lips, faintly heard by us who were 
 watching below. A further examination with the 
 glass followed — then letting go his hold of the 
 tower wall, a few sweeps of the paddle brought him 
 to the ground by us. 
 
 "You are right enough, Malcolm. The thing 
 is evidently much nearer and lower; is of great 
 size — like a balloon partly collapsed. Some more, 
 gas, friends. Let me try to secure it." 
 
 A few gallons of gas added greatly to his buoy- 
 ancy, and in another minute he was up and away, 
 the long, even strokes of the paddle sending him 
 swiftly onward. 
 
 "Carefully, good Royton," was shouted after 
 him by Willis, who turned to me and said : "There 
 must be high enjoyment in such perfect manage- 
 ment, Malcolm — almost a bird!" 
 
 "Yes, cousin, I have often admired our trained 
 acrobats at home, leaping from flying trapezes over 
 
 305 
 
wide spaces with great certainty of eye and hand; 
 but Royton's mid-air act now in performance is 
 far ahead. With what ease he cleaves his way, 
 every stroke placing him twenty feet farther on." 
 
 The movement of the air-swimmer, or rather 
 boatman, was indeed a pretty sight, so graceful 
 and smooth in every respect. There was the buoy- 
 ancy of the cork upon water, but no sudden or un- 
 certain jerks and wobblings, for intelligence and 
 skill and self-confidence controlled every maneuver. 
 Higher and farther he swept until the tall trees in- 
 terposed, and we could no longer see him. Fifteen 
 minutes had passed since the disappearance of the 
 aeronaut, and I had begun to entertain some doubt 
 as to the wisdom of my part in this venture of the 
 young fellow, when a shrill whistle was faintly 
 heard by the group waiting in the shade of the 
 tower. This signal was followed by a prolonged 
 horn-like call. Several of the men answered in a 
 similar manner, and taking goalones we all set out 
 in the direction from which the signals had come. 
 
 "Evidently he has found something, and it is too 
 much for him to manage alone," cried one of the 
 company. 
 
 "I hope that the brave fellow has met no mishap," 
 I ventured. 
 
 "No fear of that, Malcolm ; his signals mean suc- 
 cess, whatever he has discovered." 
 
 As we went on the exchange of calls was kept up, 
 until we came to an opening in a bit of forest fully 
 
 306 
 
three miles from the tower, where Royton was 
 espied standing by a formless mass of something 
 that lay stretched upon the grass and low bushes. 
 He had removed his aerolat, and was awaiting our 
 approach. 
 
 "Malcolm is right," he said ; "it is a great balloon ; 
 we have never seen anything like it." 
 
 Falling to work we spread to its full extent the 
 mass of varnished cloth, and estimated that it cov- 
 ered the immense area of fully 25,000 square feet. 
 Torn in several places and evidencing a severe and 
 prolonged exposure to the elements, its construc- 
 tion being by compartments had served neverthe- 
 less to maintain its buoyancy in the air. No part 
 of the car or basket remained, only a few shreds 
 of cordage clinging to the much twisted and broken 
 network that still enveloped most of the great bag. 
 Later, in a fold of the cloth a fine aneroid barometer 
 of Paris make was discovered and, tied up with it, 
 strips of water-proof paper, on which were notes in a 
 language unknown to the Oudemonians. The bar- 
 ometrical reading indicated that the airship had 
 attained an extreme altitude of 11.7 kilos. The 
 records on the paper were in pencil written in a 
 cramped han-d. A brief glance at these when on 
 the ground where the balloon lay suggested that 
 the language was Swedish, of which I had a light ■ 
 smattering, having in my youth obtained some 
 knowledge of it from a Scandinavian servant who 
 lived in our house several years. By common con- 
 
 307 
 
sent the barometer and notes were handed to me as 
 by right of first discovery, but I said : "No, my 
 kind friends, the barometer should belong to you or 
 to the Institute of Science. Permit me to take 
 the notes, and try to make something out of them, 
 if ever so little." 
 
 A later inspection of the find disclosed marks 
 upon the fabric that proved it to have been made in 
 Christiania, while the cloth bore the trademark of a 
 Holland company. 
 
 With some expressions of compassion for the 
 unlucky adventurer who had proudly sailed into the 
 ocean of air on his scientific mission my compan- 
 ions rolled up the vast tissue and stowed it con- 
 veniently for future transportation to the Institute. 
 Royton observed : "How many bright and noble fel- 
 lows have rushed to death almost madly in their 
 seeming devotion to science. Yet I can understand 
 their motives." 
 
 "Yes, Royton, you of all of us," rejoined Willis, 
 "can appreciate their spirit, for you have so much 
 zeal for the discovery of things new and strange. 
 If it were not for the deep, strong bonds of family 
 love and race sympathy, that you acknowledge and 
 respect as much as any of us, you would, it is likely, 
 have broken away long ago and flown beyond our 
 borders." 
 
 "You are right, my dear Bruce; when I was 
 younger there came now and then enticing visions 
 of life and scenes bevond our boundaries that were 
 
 308 
 
almost overpowering, but as I grew older reason 
 and judgment showed me the illimitable right here, 
 and I believe, should I live a thousand years, I 
 would not accomplish half the delightful work that 
 lies close at hand." 
 
 "We may suppose, though, good Roy ton," I in- 
 truded, "that if you were to undertake to reach the 
 North pole, or its antipode as mysterious, you would 
 do it. Really, no irony is meant, friends ; you have 
 mechanical facilities that are not known to the ad- 
 vanced learning of the great outer world." 
 
 "Ah, Royton," said Julius, who had accompanied 
 us to the scene of our finding, "others here would 
 not hesitate to scale the highest mountain peak 
 known to geography, if there were any good to 
 come out of it for our fellow men." 
 
 "I know, Julius, that you would be a ready volun- 
 teer on such an excursion," said Royton, smiling, 
 "if only to see what new evolutions you might at- 
 tempt in the upper sky fields. As for the North 
 pole or the South, let me venture in reply to our 
 quick-eyed visitor that I might make the journey 
 into those icy regions even to show how it could or 
 ought to be done. The balloon idea is not a bad 
 one, but balloons as made up North are perilous 
 carriages. Our floatation apparatus is vastly bet- 
 ter, and then there is a safety about it when you 
 understand the method of propulsion. With a fa- 
 vorable wind we can cover five hundred miles easily 
 in fifteen hours." 
 
 309 
 
"Then you could certainly reach the pole, you 
 air swimmers," was my comment, "for our Arctic 
 explorers have approached within two hundred 
 miles of it by their laborious and slow mode of 
 travel. It would not be necessary for you to spend 
 weeks and months in overland and ice journeys. 
 Having reached a convenient station, by ship, say, 
 you could make air flights and go and return at 
 will. Before I leave your delightful country will 
 you not instruct me in the composition of the gas 
 you employ for so many purposes. There may 
 be stores of the basic elements in chambers under- 
 ground in the country where I live." 
 
 "Certainly we shall be glad, Malcolm, to fur- 
 nish all the information we have," replied Royton 
 with hearty emphasis. "If there is a volcanic belt 
 in any section of your country, — indeed I know 
 that there is in the great regions of your Missouri 
 river — you will probably find by prospecting or 
 borings a source of it. In our country we have 
 no eruptions or severe ground shocks now, and 
 think that it is because of the vent given to the 
 natural gas magazines by our numerous excava- 
 tions." 
 
 In the quiet of my room I puzzled over the notes 
 of the unfortunate explorer. Here and there I 
 made out a word, which translated into English con- 
 veyed the intimation of certain unhappy experiences 
 in the Arctic circle. The cramped writing seemed 
 that of frozen fingers or of nerves benumbed by ex- 
 
 310 
 
haustion. Finally giving up the attempt to inter- 
 pret the scrawls with anything like fullness, I handed 
 them over to Pentersoe, as secretary to the Institute 
 of Oudemon Science, with this disjointed transla- 
 tion: 
 
 Latitude 86.7 — hazy — sun gone — weeks. 48 
 (probably temperature below freezing point. Cen- 
 tigrade). Earth touched — drop (ballast?) great 
 land. — 
 
 Ericssen, no — supplies — life. 
 
 Wonderful electrical — currents south — broken 
 
 Lat 87 — ice — ship abandoned. 
 
 Hope — balloon return — 
 
 Grinnell land? 
 
 Discovery — never — And Tr — 
 
 Thus it appeared that another poor fellow had 
 heroically struggled to add to the sum of knowl- 
 edge concerning the far north, nearly reached the 
 object of his ambition, and failed, leaving his costly 
 air carriage to drift and drift in the wide spaces of 
 ether until, a mere wreck of its early magnificence, 
 it fell thousands of miles away from the point of 
 departure, and among a people its unfortunate pilot 
 had never dreamed of. 
 
 311 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 BANANA GARDENS AND A MISSION. 
 
 "I THINK of rolling over to district thirty-four 
 to-morrow, Ellice, to see the famous banana gardens 
 they have." 
 
 "Then, cousin Malcolm," — since our interview 
 on the birds' island I had become a new relation 
 to the girl — "you will, of course, visit the Lomas 
 
 home, for their bananas are among the best " 
 
 "And see Dexter," I rejoined, looking straight 
 at her. The color warmed in her face. 
 
 "Yes, you will like him, I know. He is so 
 gentle, and then he is well acquainted wuth our 
 trees, and has studied the geology of the country 
 with great care." 
 
 "What shall I carry to him from you, my dear 
 cousin? I want a special message for the good 
 fellow." 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm, some one has been telling you — 
 Percy, now," exclaimed the ingenuous girl. 
 
 "No, Percy has had nothing to say; but never 
 mind. I won't ask you to explain. I shall only 
 consider myself the bearer of your kindest re- 
 gards, eh?" 
 
 To this Ellice made no return, only the pink 
 deepened on her cheek and her eyes sank. Whether 
 
 312 
 
it was my audacious manner that affected her or 
 a reviving tenderness toward the young naturaHst 
 I did not venture to determine, although the main 
 purpose of the visit in district thirty-four was to 
 see Dexter and have a talk with him in re Ellice. 
 
 An invitation had been given me some weeks 
 before by Gilbert Lomas, the father of Dexter, 
 to look over his plantation and spend a little time 
 with his family, which was reported to have char- 
 acteristics of special interest in its makeup. Abun- 
 dant reason, therefore, existed for the excursion to 
 district thirty- four ; but as one's reasons were rarely 
 asked in Oudemon for any purposed action, my 
 announcement to Ellice was received without any 
 direct question. I hinted somewhat delicately that 
 her company would be agreeable on the fifty-five 
 mile run. She, however, made no reply, other 
 than the wish that the ride and visit would be 
 enjoyed every way, and that I should report on my 
 return what I had seen. 
 
 On some other page it may have been noted that 
 the people of a district had grown into the habit 
 of cultivating some fruit or vegetable as a specialty, 
 either after finding that the soil was peculiarly 
 adapted to its production naturally, or because of a 
 selective method of tillage. Hence it was that the 
 tables of Oudemon households were furnished with 
 garden and field products the perfection of which in 
 color, form and quality was new to my experience. 
 Familiar enough with the best examples of West 
 
 313 
 
Indian bananas, the specimens that tempted my 
 palate here apeared to be of a rare type. In Lomas' 
 garden both banana and plaintain trees were to be 
 seen rising upward of forty feet in height, their 
 great leaves arching gracefully in a radius of eight 
 or more feet. 
 
 On the same tree were flowers and fruit in all 
 stages of development — great spikes of purple 
 blossom and tuber clusters in rich yellow or brown, 
 the latter of such size that I hesitated to stand 
 near the tree lest a sudden fall might overwhelm 
 me with a mass of fragrant pulp. One variety of 
 the plantain was cultivated by Lomas on account 
 of the fine fibre obtained from its leaf. After 
 dressing this fibre had much of the delicacy of 
 French silk, but was longer and woven into fabrics 
 highly esteemed by the women for outside wear. 
 The undyed tissue was light and very tough and 
 of a soft yellow sheen that had the property of 
 reflecting the warmer rays of the sun, thus fitting 
 it for summer dress. The quantity of fibre ob- 
 tained from one leaf was so considerable that at 
 least three skirts of the size worn by our Northern 
 ladies could be made from the finished cloth. Held 
 up to the light this fabric appeared quite translu- 
 cent, yet water would not escape through its mesh, 
 and it was as complete covering as a garment. 
 Mother Bruce presented me with a shirt fashioned 
 from this cloth by her expert fingers, and I was de- 
 cidedly proud of it and enjoyed the comfort it 
 afforded on my outings in the summer sun. 
 
 314 
 
It was a large and lively company that sur- 
 rounded me in the Lomas house. I remember a 
 certain family residing in the suburbs of New York 
 city that required a table ample enough to seat 
 twenty persons. The head of that house was a 
 notable banker, who did not wish any of his chil- 
 dren to leave him, and after the marriage of a 
 son or daughter insisted upon their living in the 
 old mansion, or an annex of it, and eating at his 
 table. A happier man than he when seated over 
 the roast and distributing liberal cuts to the many 
 members of his household and the guests who 
 might be present could scarcely be found. So with 
 Lomas. Three married sons and two married 
 daughters, with their children, a son unmarried, 
 Dexter, and other relations, besides the assistants, 
 male and female, of house and farm, twenty-four in 
 all made up the goodly company met in the large 
 saloon that served for the general uses of the fam- 
 ily. Lomas himself was a sort of Creole. His 
 mother, English by descent, had married a reputed 
 Spaniard in the early days of the colony. But a 
 few years of wifehood, then the husband died, 
 leaving her with one child only, who grew to vig- 
 orous and splendid manhood, and now, at nearly 
 eighty years of age, was one of the handsomest 
 men I had ever seen. His complexion retained 
 the rich olive tint that was probably an inheritance' 
 from his father, while a mass of deep auburn hair 
 
in which a few silver threads gHstened here and 
 there curled closely over a broad expanse of brow. 
 
 Most of the children had received a liberal por- 
 tion of the father's good looks, the men having the 
 dark or black hair of mother Lomas, and the 
 women a rich, velvety complexion and hair of a 
 deep gold or dark maroon tint, which could be 
 easily regarded as a legacy from their English 
 grandmother. The nine children of these sons and 
 daughters would have received marked notice in 
 any city of my native land, so charming were they 
 in form and face, so sprightly and graceful in 
 movement. The eldest was but ten years old, the 
 youngest a crowing infant. Father Lomas had 
 not married until well in his thirties, thus account- 
 ing for the tender years of his grandchildren. 
 
 Here I witnessed again the happy result of judi- 
 cious nurture and training, for w4th all their ex- 
 uberance of spirit and response to impression, 
 these children were obedient and deferential toward 
 their elders, yet but repeating the beautiful cour- 
 tesy of the sons and daughters of Lomas to their 
 widowed father. The older ones took a subordi- 
 nate part in the general talk, and both stimulated 
 it and amused by their intelligent questions and 
 naive exclamations. 
 
 The opportunity for the interview with Dexter 
 was brought about in this way. Li the course of 
 talk at table I remarked in a casual vein, "I have 
 been told that there is a notable group of bow trees 
 
 316 
 
a few miles north of here on the border of a lake 
 which I have not had the privilege of seeing yet. 
 Perhaps you, Dexter, may be at leisure to accom- 
 pany me thus far and show me the wonders. I 
 will promise not to detain you long." 
 
 "It will give me pleasure, indeed, Malcolm, to 
 go with you," replied the young man. 
 
 "Dexter, my son, is well versed in trees," added 
 the father with an accent of pride in his voice, 
 "and can point out other features of the neighbor- 
 hood that our young friend from abroad will enjoy 
 knowing, I think." 
 
 TACTICS FOR LOVe's SAKE. 
 
 An hour later I made my adieux to this most 
 entertaining family and turned the wheels of my 
 little chariot, by Dexter's direction, northward. 
 The young man proved an intelligent arborist. He 
 loved trees and entered warmly into the discus- 
 sion of such as I named. The great bows were 
 reached and found to be magnificent specimens, 
 indeed, of their noble class, and after lingering 
 half an hour on the margin of the lake we set out 
 to return. Then I broached the subject that lay 
 upon my mind. 
 
 "Dexter, my friend, you seem to be nearly my 
 own age, and this short association has drawn me 
 near enough to you to enable me to know some- 
 thing of your worth No, do not protest ; I have 
 
 a word to say that is of importance, and shall not 
 
 317. 
 
occupy time with a useless preface. You Oude- 
 monites do not waste words by unnecessary pre- 
 liminaries. It is about Ellice." 
 
 The young man started, changed color, but did 
 not speak. I checked the pace of my wagon and 
 continued : "I lately gathered from a remark by 
 one of your friends the impression that you enter- 
 tain for that most charming girl a sentiment that 
 is warmer than the common feeling of a brother. 
 If so, it is creditable enough." 
 
 "You certainly recognize her great worth, Mal- 
 colm," the young man interposed, with deep em- 
 phasis. 
 
 "Indeed, my dear fellow, according to my capac- 
 ity of appreciation I do recognize her admirable 
 traits of character and intellect, and if you sin- 
 cerely harbor the wish to have her for your 
 wife " 
 
 "Oh, dear Malcolm, could I win her my highest 
 object in life would be gained," broke from his 
 lips. 
 
 "Well, I consider you worthy of her. Dexter, 
 and would have you take courage in the thought 
 that you may win her. It has been my happy for- 
 tune, you might know, to be much in the society 
 of ElHce while here, and she has shown me a world 
 of kindness and courtesy. I shall carry to my dis- 
 tant home many delightful recollections in which 
 she is the chief figure as companion and instructor. 
 If I were of your people, Dexter, it Is most likelv 
 
 318 
 
that I should be in the list as a suitor. You folks, 
 however, do not encourage rivalry or competition 
 in love any more than you do in your other rela- 
 tions." 
 
 "Ah, Malcolm, that would not be following the 
 teaching of the Royal Law — and then the senti- 
 ment of the woman." 
 
 "Yes, my good boy, I have great respect for 
 your views on this delicate subject. But tell me 
 confidentially, if you will — has the lady in question 
 really declined your attentions?" 
 
 "No, bless her; she treats me very kindly, but 
 as yet I cannot see in her conduct much encourage- 
 ment, and lately, your being here, perhaps I have 
 foolishly misconstrued — and some have thought — 
 excuse me, Malcolm, I am not clear, I know." 
 
 "Perhaps I can grasp the situation better. Dex- 
 ter, because of my Northern education in social 
 affairs. Ellice, however, is too much of an Oude- 
 monite to have an excessive regard for a stranger 
 even though he be the guest of her people, and 
 therefore entitled to her respect and confidence; 
 and I believe your chances are excellent for secur- 
 ing her favor." 
 
 "Thank you, good Malcolm; your words are 
 most welcome to me." The young man in his ex- 
 citement clasped my hand. 
 
 "But don't understand me as deliberately aiming 
 to inspire a false hope. I can well believe that you 
 have kept your feeling for her too much in reserve, 
 
your natural delicacy and want of self-assurance 
 preventing that show of regard which would invite 
 return in a woman who craves attention, yet is 
 also indisposed by natural delicacy to manifest a 
 warm feeling unless she is quite confident of its 
 appreciation. Your women are not unlike ours, 
 notwithstanding your many differences in the mat- 
 ter of social liberty; they are women after all, and 
 like to be sought and wooed and won. 
 
 "Another matter, Dexter, before I drop you" — 
 we were nearing the Lomas home — "I hope in a 
 few days to explore an ancient mine up in the west 
 ridge that I stumbled into not very long ago. I 
 need not go into particulars with one so intimate 
 with the Dentons, I see. Now will you be of the 
 party? I believe that your geological knowledge 
 will be of service to us." The deeply earnest ex- 
 pression that had occupied his face yielded to a smile 
 as I referred to my adventure, and there appeared 
 in the voice a vein of playfulness as he answered : 
 
 "I should be happy to go with you, Malcolm. 
 You must have marked the stations well." 
 
 "Then it's agreed, my dear fellow. I shall notify 
 you of the date. Here we are. I shall not carry 
 you any farther. A happy meeting soon." 
 
 With a warm handclasp and an earnest return 
 of the parting words Dexter sprang from the 
 goalone, not waiting for It to stop ; his whole man- 
 ner was expressive of a degree of exhilaration that 
 prompted not a little self-complaisance as I rode 
 southward In the soft afternoon haze. 
 
 320 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 IN THE ANCIENT MINE AGAIN. 
 
 In accordance with my wishes a party was soon 
 formed to visit the mine that had been the scene of 
 my accidental adventures. No premature graying 
 of hair was a sequence of the trials of that never- 
 to-be-forgotten pit, yet some disquiet of stomach 
 annoyed me for several days as a resultant of the 
 unusual nerve tension. Besides those friends who 
 had participated in the rescue, Pentersoe and Dex- 
 ter Lomas joined the expedition, which proved 
 to be the last important event undertaken by me 
 before leaving Oudemon to return North. The 
 company, together with the apparatus considered 
 necessary for such investigations as might be made, 
 occupied five goalones. Ellice rode with me, while 
 my faithful Jabber, to whose entreaties I had 
 yielded, took a perch upon the box behind us. 
 
 As we rolled on I remarked to the girl : "I have 
 invited Dexter partly because of his interest in 
 archaeology. Some talk that I had with him the 
 other day, when I went banana hunting, you know, 
 convinced me that he is not meanly informed re- 
 garding the ancient history of your country." 
 
 "Indeed, he knows a great deal about it, Cousin 
 321 
 
Malcolm," replied Ellice. "I do not know any one 
 who has studied the subject more carefully. It is 
 a pleasure to hear Dexter talk on it." 
 
 "And yet, Ellice, I believe that he may be very 
 reticent on another subject, although he has prob- 
 ably given the most earnest thought to it." 
 
 The girl looked at me as if uncertain of my 
 meaning, and I meeting her gaze with a quizzical 
 smile, she flushed slightly. 
 
 "He is a noble fellow," I went on, "and one can- 
 not help liking him in the start; but there is one 
 fault or weakness in him quite marked." 
 
 "Why, Malcolm," what have you found in him 
 to condemn?" she said with an eagerness in the 
 voice that pleased me, while she raised a hand to 
 emphasize the question. Pausing a few moments, 
 I gazed into her face as if wondering at her in- 
 sistence. 
 
 "Ah, my dear cousin, there are men who are too 
 diffident and self-conscious to trust themselves in 
 matters that may concern their best hopes." 
 
 "How trust themselves, Malcolm — do I under- 
 stand you?" Her face had deepened in color. 
 
 "Yes, I suspect that you do understand me, 
 Ellice; for I think if Dexter were brave enough 
 to speak his mind you and he would be on better 
 terms in a certain way. Well, it's a personal affair 
 and I should not obtrude myself in it. Yet I can- 
 not help feeling a deep interest in my new cousin's 
 welfare." 
 
 ^22 
 
She was silent for a time and then rejoined 
 slowly : 
 
 "A while ago, Malcolm, before you came, I did 
 feel strongly toward Dexter, and was convinced 
 that he had much regard for me, but he would not 
 speak, only look at me with those dark gray eyes 
 so pathetically, that I almost lost patience with 
 him. Perhaps a little later he might have taken 
 courage, but meanwhile you came " 
 
 "And the novelty from the North claimed your 
 attention to the neglect of the staple goods of your 
 own country — eh, cousin? Well, the novelty must 
 suffer by comparison," I laughed, and Ellice smiled 
 at the levity of my humor, but responded some- 
 what gravely: 
 
 "No, no, Malcolm, stranger friend never-to-be- 
 forgotten; but we must bow to circumstances, es- 
 pecially when you men so obstinately determine 
 them." 
 
 "If for the better, why not bow in happy sub- 
 mission, thou bright hope of the Denton house? 
 Ah, you women of Oudemon, on you rests the 
 happiness of the masculine world hereabouts, and 
 you know it. I may not be as wise as your broth- 
 ers of this free nation, Ellice, yet I think that your 
 future is related to that of Dexter Lomas." 
 
 She made no answer, but sat with her eyes look- 
 ing away over the landscape as we passed along. 
 I did not press the subject further, but turned the 
 
 323 
 
current of talk on other matters in which the girl 
 joined almost mechanically. 
 
 At the great maguey Dexter and Pentersoe were 
 in waiting, the former saluting Ellice with a smil- 
 ing confidence of manner that gratified me, espe- 
 cially as I noted on Ellice's frank countenance an 
 expression of pleased surprise. On arriving at the 
 point of ascent to the elevated terrace I found that 
 a rope had been stretched from the lower to the 
 upper level, so that the party made its way easily 
 upward; and at the shaft, which was soon reached, 
 a boom with rigging had been set that facilitated 
 the descent to the bottom and robbed it of all dan- 
 ger. Seeing these preparations for our quest I 
 turned to Restling inquiringly. 
 
 "You may thank Bross Champlin for all this, 
 my boy. He has been as anxious as yourself to 
 explore the secrets of yon passage, yet has not 
 entered it, yielding precedence to its modern dis- 
 coverer." 
 
 Lamps were lighted as soon as we touched the 
 pit's bottom, and then in Indian file we entered the 
 narrow gateway, Ellice preceding me and Dexter 
 following her. We had larger lamps now, very 
 powerful in illuminating capacity, clearing up the 
 passage for fifty feet or more in advance and bring- 
 ing into distinct view small objects on the floor or 
 walls. The engineer led the way, bearing a lamp. 
 I was next, carrying a strong, steel-pointed staff. 
 The brilliancy of the lights was reflected by a thou- 
 
 324 
 
sand radiant points on wall and floor. Crystals 
 of every hue gleamed and sparkled, many almost 
 dazzling by their intensity, and calling out ex- 
 clamations of surprise and pleasure now and then 
 from some of the party. Accustomed though they 
 were to the wonders of their country, the richness 
 of this new field of mineral deposits and gems ap- 
 peared remarkable. For myself I yielded quite 
 freely to my emotions of delight, and often burst , 
 out with strong expressions of admiration and 
 amazement, evidently to the great amusement of 
 my companions. 
 
 "Dexter, how like Vega," cried Ellice, pointing 
 to a brilliant spot in the wall forward which glowed 
 with blue and red. The young man darted by me 
 and Champlin and in a trice had detached a large 
 crystal from its native bed, and then returning, 
 handed it to Ellice. "It is a sapphire, I think," he 
 said, "and of unusual size, as you may see." 
 
 "Beautiful, indeed, Dexter; how it would polish! 
 Cousin Malcolm, will you have it? Perhaps take 
 it home for Olive?" she added in a lower tone. 
 
 "If Dexter does not protest, I will, gladly." At 
 the same time I took the stone from her hand. 
 
 "No, certainly not. If you care I will examine 
 and compare it with other sapphires in my collec- 
 tion and tell you about it soon. The corundum, 
 layers are heavy here and I have no doubt we can 
 find some fine ruby and lazuli masses. Perhaps 
 
 325 
 
Olive's complexion would be better suited to the 
 ruby." 
 
 "Well, I must say that somebody has been giv- 
 ing me away — that little witch of a Stella. Thank 
 you, my excellent Dexter, she is much on the order 
 of our Ellice — a trifle darker, maybe. But I will 
 keep the sapphire and you may send her a ruby." 
 
 "There, Dexter," cried Ellice, laughing, "see 
 how accommodating our Northern cousin is — we 
 must provide him with a good, large ruby, or per- 
 haps a beryl ; you know I admire the beryl because 
 of its Bible significance — and I remember, eh, you 
 once expressed a liking for beryls because of their 
 deep, seagreen tints." 
 
 "Just as you like, young folks," said I ; "let it be 
 a beryl — the variety or oddity of the stone will be 
 a point in its favor, for Olive likes rare things." 
 
 "I shall be on the alert for a good specimen, 
 Ellice, you may be sure," the young man said, a 
 marked accent of pleasure warming his voice. 
 
 Our party made a rapid march along the irregu- 
 lar passages, taking the direction I had pursued. 
 I looked in vain for signs of reptile inhabitants, 
 and wondered that none appeared, until Archbold 
 remarked, as if he had received an impression of 
 my thought: "We set two mongosta to work here 
 a few days after your visit, Malcolm, and they 
 have apparently made these recesses more agreea- 
 ble for those who might care to stay in them over 
 night.'* 
 
 326 
 
"But I believe, brother, that one of our mongosta 
 failed to return, and we are at a loss to know why," 
 said the engineer. 
 
 "Perhaps the good beast found escape through 
 an opening somewhere in the ridge," I ventured. 
 
 "Not likely, Malcolm; we shall probably find 
 another shaft like the one back. The ancient Aztec 
 miners made their excavations in the mountains 
 between two deep pits, as a rule, and I think this 
 series of tunnels will finally terminate in a shaft 
 as large or larger than the one by which we have 
 entered." 
 
 A RELIC OF THE MIOCENE. 
 
 We had by this time extended our subterranean 
 journey beyond the point where my lamp had failed 
 and entered a second chamber-like expansion hav- 
 ing a voluted roof twenty feet or more in height. 
 Here was a convenient place for stopping and con- 
 ference regarding further proceedings. The floor 
 was covered with debris from the old cuttings, 
 several small heaps of it forming tolerable seats. 
 The air here had a freshness quite remarkable, yet 
 no mark of an opening in roof or sides to the outer 
 world was discernible in the light of our lamps. 
 We concluded to address ourselves to the lunch 
 baskets that were a good part of our luggage, and 
 discussed ways and means for continuing our in- 
 vestigations while munching the palatable food 
 found in plentiful supply in the fragrant napkins. 
 
 0^7 
 
Attracted by a peculiar scintellation in an angle 
 of the wall near which we, i.e., Ellice, Dexter and 
 I, were sitting, Dexter examined the spot and found 
 it to be caused by a formation of quartzose, of 
 which he struck off a large fragment. On closer 
 inspection he pronounced it gold bearing, and was 
 confirmed in opinion by the engineer, who said 
 that he had little doubt that this large space had 
 been excavated on account of its richness in depos- 
 its of gold and gems, and that it was most likely 
 that the supply of useful metal was far from ex- 
 hausted. Picking up some of the bits of stone 
 from the floor, he pointed to grayish brown specks 
 in the crystalline structure which indicated the pres- 
 ence of gold. "I am of opinion," remarked Cham- 
 plin, "that the old miners found the rock so well 
 stored with seamy gold that they considered the 
 small stuff lying here of little account. I think 
 that if we pass higher up through yonder gallery 
 we shall find the walls largely composed of aurifer- 
 ous rock." 
 
 This remark suggested the continuance of our 
 exploration. There were two passages leading 
 from this chamber, both elevated above the floor, 
 one at the height of about four feet, the other fully 
 seven, the orginal workers having provided rough 
 steps in the brittle stone for access to them. The 
 lower passage was the wider, and from it a very 
 decided current of air flowed into the chamber. 
 
 328 
 
accounting for the freshness that was perceived 
 when we first entered it. We decided to seek for 
 the source of this current, and so made our way 
 into the lower channel, Willis taking the lead, lamp 
 in hand. A hundred feet within this passage brought 
 us to an abrupt turn, the walls presenting a very- 
 rough surface, with fissures and crypts and rude 
 projections that compelled more care in our march 
 than we had hitherto observed, for the blaze of 
 crystal and metallic deposit was now so intense 
 as to be fairly dazzling, at least to my eyes, and 
 collision of arm or leg with a sharp angle was far 
 from agreeable. 
 
 Willis preceded us around the turn by perhaps 
 fifteen feet, going forward with the buoyancy of 
 sanguine youth, while the remainder of the party 
 hesitated a little, in view of the suddenness of the 
 change in direction. Then an exclamation of sur- 
 prise was heard, followed by the speedy return of 
 the young fellow. 
 
 "My dear friends," said he, in a tone of excite- 
 ment, "the passage a little around the bend here 
 falls off, I should think, twenty feet, all at once, 
 and is much wider. I had almost stepped off, and 
 there below I saw, I am quite sure, a large animal — 
 a very strange-looking animal, with a snake-like 
 head and neck and a large, smooth, shining body. 
 Dexter can tell us what it is, no doubt." 
 
 "Perhaps I can," replied young Lomas, mod- 
 estly, and started forward, the engineer and Willis 
 
 329 
 
with him. In a few minutes they returned, and 
 to our eager looks Champlin answered: 
 
 "Our young Bruce might have stumbled into 
 a worse trap than ]\Ialcolm, for right at the foot 
 of the break in the level, twenty feet down, cer- 
 tainly lies an enormous beast. Dexter thinks it is 
 a constrictor or saurian of a rare variety — a survival 
 of a very old species. When Willis reflected a 
 beam from his lamp upon it the beast partly uncoiled 
 and reared its beak-like jaw in the air — it seemed 
 the girth of an oil-cask or even larger. Such an 
 animal could easily ascend to our level." 
 
 He spoke wth a coolness, even a lightness, that 
 sounded out of harmony with the place we were in 
 — a narrow space, rock-bound, in the bowels of 
 the mountain, and far from the point of ingress. 
 I looked from face to face of my companions. 
 They were calm and assured; even Ellice smiled 
 as she returned my glance. But it was very differ- 
 ent with my four-pawed attendant. All along he 
 had shown the greatest exhilaration — gamboling 
 about, peering here and there at niche and corner, 
 and amusing us by his antics, meanwhile carrying 
 the lunch basket. Now he crouched at my feet, 
 whining and trembling, as if in great alarm. 
 
 "Well," said the elder Bruce, "the disappear- 
 ance of the mongosta seems to clear up." 
 
 "You think, then, Jasper, that this beast has 
 despatched him?" I asked. 
 
 "Very little doubt of it, Malcolm." 
 330 
 
"I suppose our exploration is at an end." My 
 feeling of disappointment must have been apparent 
 in the tone, for Restling answered decidedly : 
 
 "By no means, my boy. We are provided against 
 interferences, and I am quite sure that Bross and 
 Dexter are burning to get into that lower cutting 
 and will not tolerate defeat from such a source." 
 
 "Archbold reflects my wish," added the engi- 
 neer, "for certainly I am in no humor for turning 
 about just here. From the quality of the air we 
 must be quite near an outlet or opening of some 
 sort." Opening the satchel carried over a shoulder 
 as he spoke he took out a small cylinder that ap- 
 peared in the lamplight much like the cartridges 
 used in the mines, and a spool of dull, metallic 
 thread. 
 
 "I should like to preserve as much of the animal 
 as possible for our museum," remarked Dexter. 
 "Are you going to blow him up?" I asked. 
 
 "I don't know any other way to placate the beast, 
 good Malcolm, and he is right in our path, and it 
 is likely that he will not feel much of the shock. 
 This is one of our mining combinations and quite 
 effective, as you may know, in open firing." 
 
 We quietly looked on for the brief space occu- 
 pied by the engineer in preparing the explosive. 
 Having attached the loose end of the thread to a 
 small ring in the side of the cartridge. Dexter took 
 the latter, with a few coils of thread in hand, and 
 quietly walked around the projecting wall into the 
 
unexplored passage, the engineer unwinding the 
 spool as was required. Meanwhile the remainder 
 of the party withdrew twenty feet or more back- 
 ward. In another minute Dexter had returned 
 to us. "None too soon," he said hastily; "the 
 reptile is partly up the wall." 
 
 Champlin carefully drew upon the thread until 
 the slack was taken up; then a forcible jerk was 
 followed almost instantly by a dull roar and the 
 crackle and crash of bursting rock, with a rush of 
 dust and wind that dulled the brilliancy of our 
 lamps and suspended breathing for a little. 
 
 "I'm thinking that Antonio must have mixed the 
 tubes. This one was fully two degrees more pow- 
 erful than we needed and has overdone the matter," 
 commented Champlin. "I fear, my excellent geolo- 
 gist, you must now be content with broken bones." 
 
 "Perhaps Ellice wall help me to articulate them. 
 If so, Bross, I shall be quite content," replied the 
 young naturalist in a playful vein, yet with an ac- 
 cent of confidence that must have been new to the 
 girl, for she glanced at him wuth a surprised ges- 
 ture and then added : 
 
 "If you think, Dexter, I can be of help that way, 
 I shall, gladly. But see how the sunlight comes in 
 there. You men have broken down the roof." 
 
 We hastened to the scene of destruction, Cham- 
 plin leading, Dexter walking close by Ellice and 
 speaking in a low voice to her. The shot had been 
 most effective; it had torn away the friable wall 
 
on both sides for ten feet and made an opening 
 overhead of three feet in diameter where the rock 
 was evidently quite thin, so much, indeed, of the 
 stone and crumble being thrown down as to fill 
 the deep passage half way up toward our level. 
 
 AN ANCIENT TREASURY. 
 
 What proved most interesting to me was the ex- 
 posure of a chamber on the left of this passage, 
 the light from the break above being sufficient for 
 its thorough examination. It was a large cistern 
 or well-like space, the wall on the undisturbed 
 sides arching to an elliptical ceiling not more than 
 six feet long, while at the floor the diameter was 
 fully twenty feet. On the sides were three shelf - 
 like projections on which were set in close rows 
 blocks of a dark bronze-colored substance. We en- 
 tered this chamber and looked about us. Dexter, 
 however, had jumped down upon the rocky ruin in 
 the lower gallery to ascertain the fate of the strange 
 beast. Climbing a little, aided by the roughness of 
 the wall I was able to reach one of the shelves 
 and threw down two of the blocks. They were 
 heavy enough — fifty pounds apiece at least. Champ- 
 lin picked up one, struck it with his hammer pick, 
 and remarked : "This is a crude quality of gold." 
 
 "What, do you mean that all the stuff piled 
 upon these shelves is gold?" I cried in amazement. 
 
 "Most likely, Malcolm, if this is a sample," he 
 333 
 
returned, laughing at my earnestness. "The in- 
 dications are that the ancient miners had a furnace 
 near by and smelted the rough masses of ore which, 
 for the greater part, they may have taken out of 
 this chamber and the one farther back. Then 
 somewhat later this was used for storing the pro- 
 duct, I think." 
 
 . 'Tf all this is gold, Archbold, w^hy, think of 
 its enormous value," I persisted. 
 
 "It is yours, all of it, my dear boy, by right of 
 discovery," said my friend, smiling, that favorite 
 twinkle sparkling richly also in his eye. "When 
 will you take it home?" 
 
 The manner of the dear councillor and his ques- 
 tion awakened me from the state of forgetfulness 
 of my immediate social environment into which 
 this sudden exhibition of untold wealth had precipi- 
 tated me. How potent is the spell of gold upon 
 the soul bred amid the scenes where money and 
 riches constitute the chief feature of interest and 
 admiration! Conscious now as to where I was 
 and with a face that must have reddened deeply, 
 for the hot blood flashed through its vessels, I con- 
 fessed : 
 
 "Oh, I had for the moment forgotten where I 
 am — here among 3^ou, dear people. If mine by 
 right of discovery, although I might question that 
 on grounds recognized in the law of my own coun- 
 try, I tender it freely to you, as I know you can 
 make the better use of it." 
 
 334 
 
The engineer picked up the heavy ingot again, 
 struck it sharply several times with his hammer 
 until it broke into two pieces, revealing a glistening, 
 crystalloid surface of a deep cherry color. 
 
 "You see how the metal has set, in the course of 
 centuries assuming this beautiful coral-like charac- 
 ter — an unusual occurrence, I am sure." 
 
 "Very remarkable, Bross," add Pentersoe. 
 
 Taking up the smaller piece, I said : "This is cer- 
 tainly most beautiful and curious. I should like 
 to keep it as a specimen of the work of the primitive 
 gold hunters, but it would be a rather burdensome 
 sample." I let it fall to the floor, and Jabber, as 
 if divining my meaning, seized the metal and with 
 seeming ease hopped gleefully about as if delighted 
 to be its bearer. 
 
 "Well, Jabber has assumed the duty of transport- 
 ing the prize," said the elder Bruce, laughing, and 
 you have only to slip it into your basket and he will 
 carry it." 
 
 A moment later Dexter joined us in the treasure 
 vault, with the report that he could only find a 
 joint or two of the tail of the beast, the remainder 
 being covered by the fallen rock. "We have hap- 
 pened upon a very interesting field, it seems to me, 
 dear friends. To be sure the blast has served the 
 animal badly. Look at this bit of tail, how tough 
 and bony and peculiar! I have never seen any- 
 thing like it in any of the treatises; suggests a 
 mixed variety, something of the old dinosaur and 
 
 335 
 
something of the boa. We must come up soon 
 again, Lewis, and get the fellow out. There are 
 other features, too. The south wall of the tunnel 
 has given way partly, near the bottom ; it is a built- 
 up wall. I saw projecting from it a large human 
 bone — a femur, I'm sure — part of a skeleton of 
 great size; a very giant he must have been in life. 
 It seems to point to the existence of a vault or 
 crypt containing remains of men, some of whom, 
 perhaps, delved in these mines." 
 
 "Why, my good Dexter," said Archbold, "this 
 is a discovery indeed. We have never before found 
 any remains of the ancient inhabitants themselves, 
 although the vestiges of their customs and indus- 
 trial activities are abundant enough. I hope that 
 you will obtain a complete skeleton, studious broth- 
 ers, and learn much from their skulls of that life 
 history which the old Eastern poem says is writ- 
 ten upon one's head." 
 
 "I am greatly pleased that we have accomplished 
 so much to-day, my dear friends," I interposed, 
 "and am content now to think of returning." 
 
 "The suggestion is a proper one," said Jasper, 
 "for the day must be wearing away." 
 
 "About sixteen hours, comrades," added the en- 
 gineer, "Perhaps we can emerge into daylight 
 through the rift up there and be able to make a 
 quick run home." 
 
 Getting upon the shoulders of the stalwart 
 Champlin, Dexter could just reach the break, and 
 
 336 
 
by a nimble feat of gymnastics pulled himself 
 through it and a moment afterward peered down 
 upon us with the announcement that he was upon 
 a shelving bank, and although the ground was 
 rather steep and broken, we could make the descent 
 with a little care. A few feet of rope soon landed 
 the remainder of us outside the treasure vault, 
 where the engineer after a brief survey of the 
 country, said : 
 
 "We are, I think, about two miles from our 
 starting point above. That clump of jupati I 
 know," pointing to a group of the beautiful trees, 
 whose plume-like leaves trailing forty or more feet 
 downward indicated unmistakably their character, 
 although as much as a mile and a half distant. "A 
 little beyond is a vein of iron we think of opening. 
 We shall save time by getting down to the level 
 from this point." 
 
 We made the descent without difficulty, aside 
 from a little incident in which Jabber figured con- 
 spicuously. Owing to the weight of the basket and 
 his irrepressible disposition to frolic, the monkey 
 took two headers on the loose shaly incline, but 
 recovered his balance and good nature, accompany- 
 ing the gyrations with the most ludicrous chatter- 
 ing and grimaces. Dexter gave much attention 
 to Ellice, affording me a very agreeable study of 
 gallant courtesy — the old Spanish cavalierism sol- 
 vent in the blood of his father exploited itself in 
 really charming fashion. He was no longer the 
 
 337 
 
shy, hesitating swain, but appeared in an entirely 
 new role of conduct, offering the girl of his heart 
 all the offices of a refined and delicate escort in a 
 calm, assured, yet most earnest manner. And 
 Ellice — well, she received the attentions of the fine 
 fellow with such a demeanor of satisfaction that 
 I could not help feeling a pang of regret or envy 
 despite the fact that all this pretty by-play was 
 largely of my own making, and thus I had figured 
 as a matchmaker, a character for whom I had al- 
 ways entertained a species of contempt. But in 
 Oudemon affairs of the heart were different, and 
 then to bring about a union of two such persons as 
 these young people could not be otherwise than a 
 creditable bit of strategy, and I should not lose by 
 it, for gratitude in that republic of love was a real 
 and lasting sentiment — not a mere expression of 
 transitory feeling such as in other lands is voiced 
 by the conventional — *'Oh, I thank you very much." 
 
 It was nearly seventeen hours when we reached 
 the great maguey, where half our party struck off 
 in their homeward directions, leaving us of District 
 fourteen to proceed in ours. Dexter wrung my 
 hand. A bright light gleaming in his eyes betrayed 
 his inward joy as I remarked : "Well done, good boy ; 
 you have but to go on and win the pearl of our 
 district." 
 
 Ellice was in exuberant spirits, and chatted mer- 
 rily, insisting, with girlish caprice, upon taking 
 the guide bar of the goalone, while I must look 
 
 338 
 
after the motor. An hour later the sun dropped 
 over the ridge, and the multi-hued twiHght of the 
 region, with its thousand reflections from peak and 
 glistening leafage, settled upon us, and soon the 
 moon, nearly full, illuminated a cloudless sky. 
 When finally our fleet carriages entered the court 
 of my "hotel" and mother Bruce and Stella wel- 
 comed our return, the time measurer hanging in 
 the family room had but a little space before 
 sounded twenty hours; not, let it be said, by the 
 slow process common to Northern clocks, but in a 
 fashion analogous to that of the stenographic print 
 and caligraphy of Oudemon — for instance, two 
 strokes upon the silvery gong, a long pause being 
 made between them. 
 
 339 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A GRAVE COMMUNICATION. 
 
 "Why^ Malcolm, cousin, so sober? Are you not 
 well?" 
 
 "Ah, ma petite, are you a witch? If so, cer- 
 tainly the most charming one I've met." 
 
 "Dear, you must not talk that way, cousin; you 
 do not know how it affects my heart," the girl an- 
 swered, with a grimace and affectation of sentiment 
 most amusing. "There's that sweet girl up North 
 — are you thinking of her? If so, why carry around 
 such a woebegone face ? You have not spoken more 
 than a dozen words to us all this morning, Mal- 
 colm, really." The last half of the remark had a 
 note of seriousness. 
 
 "Well, my dear little seeress, if I must, I v/ill de- 
 clare to you the heaviness of my soul. I am out 
 of sorts this morning, if you can catch the meaning 
 of a common phrase with us, this morning; not 
 physically, but oppressed by a singular feeling, as 
 if things were not altogether right at home. 'Tis 
 a vague impression that I have been trying to guess, 
 but really have no way to solve it." 
 
 "Perhaps I can help you, cousin." 
 
 "I shouldn't wonder if you could, you wonderful 
 340 
 
sister of the Macbeth mystics. I had about con- 
 ckided to go over to Archbold and ask his help." 
 
 "Try me, Malcolm; do try me. You know I 
 am studying these things very earnestly and am 
 learning " 
 
 "Yes, Stella, the good councillor says that you 
 can receive a message very well. And there's that 
 affair of the old mine ; it put to flight nearly all my 
 doubts, you know." 
 
 "1 do believe you have the gift yourself, cousin. 
 Now is it not likely that you have an impression 
 that might be made out?" 
 
 "I shall not be contumacious, little one ; but what 
 may I do to put you in the mood of interpretation ?" 
 
 "Oh, let me sit by you and hold your hand for 
 a little, and perhaps I will get the vibration, if 
 friends are thinking much of you and would com- 
 municate with you." 
 
 "Here is a letter I received from Olive some 
 weeks ago, and here is the portrait of mother" — 
 drawing them from my pocket. The thought of 
 how certain clairvoyants I had met conducted their 
 seances recurred to mind — "Perhaps they may as- 
 sist." 
 
 "Yes, they might," replied the girl, taking letter 
 and photograph in one hand and pressing them 
 against her upper forehead, while with the other 
 hand she clasped mine. Closing her eyes she re- 
 mained silent for five or six minutes, while I sat 
 
 341 
 
beside her, expectantly curious. Suddenly she ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 "There, it comes! The light is opening!" Her 
 voice was strangely different from its usual tone. 
 
 "Oh, how peculiar! how many houses! the 
 crowded street ! what noises ! Ah, I am in a room ; 
 how pretty everything is! so neat, so graceful! 
 There, a bed of high corners, of dark wood; such 
 a sweet pink and white spread, and such a sweet- 
 looking lady with wavy gray hair, lying still in it." 
 
 "Can it be my dear mother, Stella? Is she 
 alive?" was my anxious inquiry, for the bedstead 
 and covering were such as mother used. 
 
 "Yes; still, Malcolm!" the girl ordered impera- 
 tively. "It comes slowly. Now she speaks. Can 
 I hear? Do not move!" 
 
 Over the young face crept an expression so in- 
 tense that it gave a maturity of age that amazed 
 me. 
 
 "Now, yes, I hear — 'The doctor says I am much 
 better, Olive dear. I am glad for Malcolm' — there 
 are tears in her eyes — *yet, poor boy, when he 
 knows ' " 
 
 "Knows what — oh, Stella, dear, good girl, can 
 you not hear what it may be?" 
 
 "Still — still, or I cannot catch it, so low — A 
 young woman with such a kind face, such lovely 
 eyes — listen, she speaks — 'we are so glad that you 
 are better, dearest madam ' " 
 
 "'Tis Olive," I could not forbear exclaiming, for 
 342 
 
that was the fashion in which she often addressed 
 my mother. 
 
 "Still — 'and Malcolm will not think so much 
 about his business afifairs when he returns to find 
 you have recovered from this illness. We will 
 cheer him up, won't we?' What a sweet manner! 
 What a lovely voice! Now again she is about to 
 speak — the dear sick one — listen — 'I am sorry, 
 though, for my dear son; he had every confidence 
 in Langer ' " 
 
 "What, has Langer gone wrong?" I cried anx- 
 iously. "Oh, get more, to clear this mystery." 
 
 Stella shook her head reprovingly while her 
 small fingers tightened about mine. 
 
 "Listen — she says so slowly — 'But perhaps 
 Langer was so much involved in his speculations 
 that he thought to retrieve himself by using Mal- 
 colm's trust.' Now Olive takes her hand gently 
 and speaks : 'Never mind, dearest madam. I am sure 
 when Malcolm comes home he will make it all right' 
 — and you will, I know, cousin — 'Don't worry about 
 it. Now go to sleep and you will feel so much 
 stronger.' There, see how gently she smooths the 
 sick woman's hair and arranges the bed coverings. 
 I like you, Olive, very much. We should all love 
 you were you with us." 
 
 The girl opened her eyes, and looked at me for a 
 few seconds like one awakening from a deep sleep. 
 
 "What have I said, cousin Malcolm? I feel as 
 if I had been somewhere — a long way." 
 
 343 
 
"My little seeress, if what ycu have just said is 
 true, and some of it I know to be, you have been a 
 great way in mind or spirit ; and while I must thank 
 you for doing me an important service I cannot 
 but regret that it is of a nature to hurry me away 
 from here and all the dear people I have grown to 
 like so much." 
 
 "Oh, dear cousin, I am so sorry that I have said 
 anything to worry you, and make you feel that you 
 must hurry away from us." The tears flashed into 
 her eyes, and with both hands she grasped mine 
 pleadingly. 
 
 "Dear little cousin, it is for the best, I'm sure. 
 Through your wonderful gift I may be saved, and 
 others, from what would be a very serious misfor- 
 tune; and then you have told me that my mother 
 is improving after — very grave illness. I shouldn't 
 wonder if my affairs had been the cause of her 
 breakdown, thinking, no doubt, that I must be so 
 far from home that the worst could happen without 
 any interference on my part." 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm," cried Stella with sudden thought, 
 "let us run and find our friend Archbold " 
 
 "But Stella, your school, and it is now 
 time " 
 
 "It will not matter for to-day, cousin dear. Oh. 
 I should like to know if Archbold has anything like 
 what I have seen, and you can tell me all I said 
 w^hile asleep, for I was asleep. You must have 
 power that way, Malcolm." 
 
 344 
 
"You mean what we call magnetic or hypnotic 
 power. I never knew it before." 
 
 "I suppose so. We call it — Archbold has said 
 it is a spiritual communicating influence or sym- 
 pathy." 
 
 "Certainly well named — put on your sun hat and 
 I shall soon have the goalone ready." 
 
 We had not been .fifteen minutes on the way 
 when Stella exclaimed: "There comes Archbold 
 now." Sure enough the councillor was just turn- 
 ing a corner in our direction and coursing rapidly. 
 The next minute our vehicles were stopped side by 
 side. I noted an unusual expression on his face, 
 which yielded only in part as he saluted us. 
 
 "We were just on our way to see you, dear coun- 
 cillor," said Stella. "I did not go to school, you 
 see. 
 
 "As I supposed, little friend. Have you, Mal- 
 colm, any intimation of trouble at home?" 
 
 "Yes, my excellent; within the hour I have re- 
 ceived intimations through our Stella here, both 
 pleasant and unpleasant," and I went on to relate 
 the particulars of the seance, Archbold lending the 
 closest attention, and when I paused he remarked : 
 
 "My good girl, you have made great progress." 
 
 "Under Malcolm's influence, Archbold. I think 
 he must have special power." 
 
 "There is little doubt of it — a neglected gift and 
 only needs the proper development to be of high 
 value. Well, ]\Ialcolm, my son. I obtained a strong 
 
 345 
 
impression last night which is now confirmed by 
 your account of Stella's communication. I had 
 been asleep — when I awoke — possibly there had 
 been some dreaming, but my first conscious thought 
 was related to you and your aflfairs North. Then 
 I heard what seemed to be a low, moaning sound, as 
 of one in distress. With all my strength I pro- 
 jected my spirit to your city, and held my hearing 
 faculties in extreme suspension. At length came 
 low, but clear, in broken tones : 'If Malcolm, my 
 boy were here ! Oh, can he not be reached — can he 
 not come soon ? Those men ! If he were only here !' 
 Repetitions of this occurred and similar language 
 addressed to friends or attendants whose replies I 
 could not collect." 
 
 "It was my mother, Archbold. She was in one 
 of those attacks of painful heart trouble, from which 
 she has suffered now and then during the past three 
 years. I feel quite sure of it." 
 
 "Very likely, and aggravated by some disaster 
 affecting your interests. I have not come to say 
 what you should do, my boy," he added with ten- 
 derness. 
 
 "Your advice would be most grateful, dear coun- 
 cillor. But I have already determined to leave 
 Oudemon, if I may, at the earliest — to-morrow 
 morning, at sunrise." 
 
 "As a dutiful son and faithful friend would do. 
 All our people will regret the sudden going — but 
 we cannot say a word to modify your decision, my 
 
 346 
 
dear boy. No, we shall help to speed you on the 
 way." 
 
 "Oh, dear cousin, I am so sorry," exclaimed 
 Stella, bursting into tears, and throwing her arm 
 around me, as we sat in the goalone. 
 
 "Ah, }}ia petite, the best of friends must part," I 
 returned with an assumption of vivacity I was far 
 from feeling. At the same time I touched her pure 
 forehead with my lips, then added : "Now you will 
 have time to run over to school, and Archbold and 
 I can ride home together." 
 
 "No, I cannot go to the school to-day, dear cousin. 
 You will allow me to help you all I can to get ready, 
 will you not?" the weeping girl said in a voice of 
 entreaty. 
 
 "Most gladly, dear child." 
 
 347 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 RETURNING HOME. 
 
 I NEED not recite the incidents of my parting with 
 a people who had become endeared to me as no 
 strangers met elsewhere in the world had ever be- 
 come. It may only be said that if these Oudemon 
 people had been of my blood and near kindred of 
 my heart the company of two hundred or more that 
 accompanied me in the early dawn to the ridge 
 could not have shown more affection and solicitude. 
 They bid me God-speed with many an embrace and 
 hand pressure, and watched with tearful attention 
 my every movement. Ellice and her brother Percy, 
 Stella, father and mother Bruce, and the ever calm 
 Archbold wept freely ; the girls kissed me repeatedly 
 and each at the last minute forced a small package 
 in sealed paper into my coat pocket. 
 
 Having ascended to the summit of the great wall 
 in the aerolat I waved my hand and cried : Good- 
 by, ever dearest friends," to those so far below, and 
 then with spirit greatly dejected gave the necessary 
 attention to the descent on the other side. Julius 
 was by my side, as when months before I had scaled 
 that awe-inspiring barrier — nearly four months so 
 quickly, so happily sped, and so full of strange ex- 
 
 348 
 
periences. The air, perfectly transparent at that 
 early hour revealed objects at a great distance. 
 
 "Look there," said Julius, pointing toward the 
 northwest, "can you see a faint column of smoke?" 
 I saw it. "That is the hacienda of Sefior Miquel." 
 
 But I had little heart for the prospect, wonder- 
 fully beautiful as it appeared in the searching rays 
 of an opposite sun. At the foot of the ridge were 
 Champlin and Dexter Lomas. 
 
 "My dear fellows, you here? I am very glad to 
 see you, for you were not among the friends on the 
 other side." 
 
 "No, we came over to look a little to arrange- 
 ments for the journey," returned Dexter. 
 
 "Are you going down with me?" I asked joy- 
 fully. 
 
 "We are, dear Malcolm," said the engineer, 
 "Julius and I, to the coast, if you wall permit ; and 
 Dexter is going to Trinidad, so that we shall have 
 his company for thirty miles or so." 
 
 There was my horse, too, looking well ; better, in 
 fact, than when we had left him. Evidently he had 
 been cared for while staying on the lofty platform. 
 My pack, somewhat larger than when it had entered 
 Oudemon, was secured to his back, and we began the 
 scramble down hill. Remembering the struggle 
 and trials encountered in getting up I expected a 
 toilsome and perilous going down, but the aerial 
 dress and the reinforcement of two additional com- 
 panions seemed to divest the broken and difficult 
 
 349 
 
route of most of its dangers, and ere the sun had 
 fairly dispelled the shadows of the ridge we were 
 on the plain and nearing the river. That was 
 crossed at a point fourteen miles lower down than 
 where I had forded it. 
 
 When we reached the stream I noted that while it 
 was comparatively narrow there, it was evidently 
 deeper, and fell to speculating as to how we should 
 get over. Julius, however, relieved me of uncer- 
 tainty by running out a neat skiff, built like those 
 on the lakes and streams of Oudemon, of thin metal 
 ribs and a tough canvas, from a cover of rushes and 
 low salix. In this we embarked. My pony, after 
 being relieved of the pack, was coaxed into the 
 water, and Julius sat at the stern towing him by a 
 strap buckled to his bridle; the other two men 
 swung the paddle, making good pace. Thus we 
 crossed in less than half the time that was occupied 
 by the ranchero and me at the upper point. 
 
 Having placed the boat in a safe mooring on the 
 west bank we made our way directly west until a 
 little after noon we stopped in the shade of a clump 
 of dwarf oak, where we ate our luncheon. Dexter 
 here left us, thanking me warmly for my interest in 
 his personal behalf, and hoping it would be his 
 pleasure to see me again. "Only let us know that 
 you will come," he said, "and I shall gladly meet 
 you anywhere between the ridge and the coast." 
 
 The passage of the river so much lower down 
 shortened the return march by several miles, so that 
 
 350 
 
we jogged over the uneven plain leisurely, reaching 
 the stockade of the hospitable ranchero that same 
 evening not long after the sun had set. The same 
 welcome and the same courteous entertainment were 
 immediately proffered by Sehor Miquel, whose in- 
 quiries concerning our success in the gulches were 
 shrewdly answered by the engineer. Referring to 
 the statement that I had made when in his company 
 previously, to the effect that my trip was one chiefly 
 of observation, the sehor's curiosity as to my success 
 appeared to be fairly satisfied by my saying that I 
 had seen a really excellent outcrop of gold bearing 
 rock, but at a station that would demand an expen- 
 sive equipment of tools and machinery for working 
 to advantage. 
 
 *Tf I could organize a company, senor, and send 
 men and machinery there — a pretty hard and costly 
 undertaking, you know — I belive a handsome profit 
 might be made." 
 
 Oh, the senor knew "there was plenty gold in the 
 mountain," and hoped that I would succeed in mak- 
 ing the company, and come back. 
 
 On the following morning we started early on 
 fresh horses, the ranchero making another exchange 
 for my pony and providing me with a quick-footed 
 mustang, while Champlin and Julius bought their 
 mounts with Bolivian silver, the planter agreeing to 
 allow a fair price for the animals if brought back 
 within a month or two. Excellent progress was 
 made now, the better traveling witnessing to the 
 
 351 
 
fact that my companions knew their route, a quite 
 different one from that I had followed when going 
 eastward : a very direct course that occasionally led 
 us through rough pieces of bush or low forest that 
 on approach appeared intimidating, but which 
 proved penetrable without much effort. 
 
 A RENCONTRE THAT MIGHT HAVE PROVED SERIOUS. 
 
 On the sixth day out from Vadera we encoun- 
 tered a broad stretch of light wood and brush which 
 occupied fully three hours in the passage, part of 
 which time, however, was spent over the noon ration. 
 On emerging from the thicket we saw at no great 
 distance a group of horsemen riding leisurely toward 
 us. There were five of them. Bringing my glass 
 to bear, the one I used when prospecting from the 
 tower on observation day, I noted that they were 
 armed, two carrying rifles strung from their saddles, 
 the others having a good supply of pistols. Men- 
 tioning this to Champlin he said : "Rough fellows, 
 no doubt, like most of those who spend their time 
 cruising on the plains." 
 
 They were not long in sighting us, which was 
 indicated by a general halt and apparent confer- 
 ence, the distance, probably of two miles and a half, 
 enabling us to watch them carefully. The confer- 
 ence was of brief duration, then each man looked 
 to his accoutrement, the riflemen unslinging their 
 
 352 
 
pieces and all resuming- the forward movement 
 in closer order, upon their nimble mustangs. 
 
 "'What do you really think of them, Julius?" 
 I asked. "Their appearance to me is not assur- 
 ing of gentleness." 
 
 "They are mounted, friend Malcolm, like cer- 
 tain of the reckless fellows one meets down be- 
 low Trinidad. You may know that there are many 
 parties of desperate vagabonds prowling in the plains 
 and mountains of Bolivia, Buenos Ayres and Peru — 
 a desperate, irresponsible class of men created by 
 the political conditions of most of the South Amer- 
 ican States. Born and reared as most of the people 
 on this coast are, it is not strange that so many are 
 but half developed morally, and circumstances do the 
 rest toward converting a large proportion of the 
 remainder into rough, careless freebooters." 
 
 "Such men are dangerous then," I remarked, still 
 using my glass. 
 
 "They are so considered by the quiet planters and 
 herdsmen of the country. But after all there is more 
 good in the unfortunate fellows than may appear 
 on the surface to most of us." 
 
 "Well, you are a true Oudemonite, Julius, in that 
 view; but for my part I should consider myself 
 warranted in taking such precautions as were avail- 
 able against the manifest evil of them, for the good 
 might be rather tardy in exhibiting itself." 
 
 "It is the part of wisdom," here remarked the 
 engineer, who had not been indifferent to the ap- 
 
 353 
 
proaching party, "to prepare for surprises; but at 
 the same time, my dear boy, let us not anticipate 
 evil in this case.'* 
 
 "No, surely, good master workman," I returned, 
 laughing, "but as for preparation against surprises 
 my old shooting iron is in my valise, where it has 
 been the past three months; since, indeed, a certain 
 day when I was made acquainted with the vast supe- 
 riority of Oudemon gunnery." 
 
 We were now within a mile of the strange horse- 
 men, and each party could easily note the action of 
 the other in that clear level. I observed that the 
 strangers rode weapon in hand. Without further 
 remark, Chanplin, who was in the lead, turned his 
 horse slightly toward the left, and at the same time 
 felt in one of the pockets of his blouse as if to 
 make sure of something being there. Our change 
 of direction, trifling as it was, did not escape atten- 
 tion, for the approaching party also shifted their 
 course so as to make meeting certain, and they 
 quickened their pace also. I hinted this in a low 
 tone, to which Julius nodded, and said : 
 
 "Brothers, why not a little experiment now — be- 
 fore we get almost too close to them?" 
 
 "As you please, Julius," replied the engineer. The 
 former then drew from his pocket a heavy looking 
 cylinder of metal about seven inches in length 
 which reminded me at once of Willis' gun, on a small 
 scale. I smiled and said : 
 
 354 
 
"I am fond of experiments, but what new freak 
 have you for us, good boy?" 
 
 "Do not be in a grievous hurry, Malcolm," said 
 he lightly, "but just study that young laurel yon- 
 der." At the same time he aimed the tube carefully 
 at the tree, which was perhaps two hundred and 
 fifty feet off, a little to the right, and so nearly be- 
 tween the approaching horsemen and ourselves. 
 
 The low snap of the released gas was followed 
 by a heavy, tearing detonation, with a burst of flame 
 and bluish smoke that enveloped the tree com- 
 pletely, then cleared away rapidly, leaving a sorry 
 enough relict of the thrifty young growth of a few 
 seconds before. Nearly every leaf and fresh shoot 
 had been stripped off, the bright greenness of bough 
 and twig was gone, and scarcely more than a dis- 
 torted skeleton stood there. Of course, I knew the 
 thorough work of those terrible little shells, and 
 the reader has been given an example or two of 
 their power in the course of this narrative, and so 
 may not be surprised by what happened to the 
 tree; but with the desperadoes of the pampas, the 
 case proved quite different. They were not pre- 
 pared for Julius' experiment evidently, for immedi- 
 ately after the explosion they halted as if to watch 
 the volume of smoke, and then, as if impressed by 
 the wrecked appearance of the tree, drew closer 
 together and stood as if in consultation over the 
 occurrence. We continued our course, and ap- 
 proached within fifty or sixty yards of the men 
 
 355 
 
while they were yet talking among themselves: 
 then the engineer hailed them in the rude Spanish 
 of the country, and asked if they were amigos. To 
 the hail there was a general answer in rough tones : 
 "Si, Senor; si. si." 
 
 "Very likely they are now," said Julius dryly, 
 who still held his shooting tube in the free hand. 
 
 "A band of mischief makers, I am convinced," re- 
 marked the engineer in a low tone. "That fellow 
 with the bright yellow stripes in his jacket I have 
 seen before ; he is one of the worst of the marauders 
 known on the plains." 
 
 Shouting again, Champlin said : "If friends, have 
 the goodness to put up your weapons, and we will 
 come up to you." 
 
 At this order the robber gang started, three of 
 them partly raised their pieces, the one with the 
 fancy jacket carrying his rifle quite to the shoulder. 
 Then, as if moved by a second thought, he slung 
 the weapon in its place, and the others of the party 
 followed suit, the pistols being rammed into their 
 leathern loups. We drew rein within forty feet of 
 the renegades, and Champlin entered into a little 
 talk with them, making inquiry about certain routes 
 and settlements, and affairs political. One of them, 
 as I inferred from his pointing to the tree, was 
 very curious to know how the shot had been fired 
 that had done so much havoc, and the engineer, 
 with a light laugh, drew out of his pocket a tube 
 similar to that of Julius', and merely waved it play- 
 
 356 
 
fully toward the robber group. At which they all 
 involuntarily started and made as if to interpose 
 their faithful ponies between them and harm. 
 
 "A wonderful gun that of yours, Sefior," said 
 he of the yellow stripes, with a malicious grin. 
 
 "Yes," said the engineer; "one shot would kill 
 you all easily; even the poor ponies could not 
 escape. Your rifles and revolvers there are only toy 
 pepper boxes." 
 
 "It must be a new invention," rejoined the rough 
 fellow, gazing at the weapon eagerly. "May I ask 
 where it can be obtained?" 
 
 "Not on the general market, friend, as yet; al- 
 though our fellows have them. I'm not much of 
 a shot myself, but my comrade here is an adept; 
 think he could destroy a wolf at a thousand yards." 
 Julius laughed, and held up the bit of brown metal 
 with which he had riddled the tree. 
 
 The demeanor of the rascally gang became even 
 more respectful at this exhibition. Knowing their 
 lives forfeited by the law of the country, men 
 who held in their hands weapons of such wholesale 
 power of destruction could not but command their 
 respect, if not their fear; and I noted certain fur- 
 tive glances that intimated that they were not en- 
 tirely sure we would not suddenly overwhelm them 
 with the short, swift penalty that their crimes de- 
 served. 
 
 THE QUALITY OF MERCY. 
 
 Little more was said; then we rode on, accom- 
 panied with numerous exclamations of "adios" 
 
 357 
 
from the discomfited wretches. Looking back five 
 minutes later we saw them assembled near the un- 
 fortunate tree, evidently studying its condition and 
 venturing guesses as to the character of the firearm 
 that had done so much execution at a distance. 
 
 "It was too pretty a tree to be treated that way, 
 Julius," I remarked in an affected tone of regret. 
 "The plains are not over furnished with such speci- 
 mens." 
 
 "I am sorry almost that I shot at it, Malcolm. 
 Yet I was sure that we must anticipate the purpose 
 of those men and save a collision." 
 
 "Not knowing just how it might end for us or 
 them," added Champlin. 
 
 "Well, my dear comrades, let me own that it was 
 a pretty solution of a problem that I first believed 
 to be serious. Really, I thought you were going to 
 parley with the cutthroats, and felt that they would 
 use their guns and parley afterward among them- 
 selves over the contents of my pack and your 
 satchels." 
 
 The engineer smiled, and Julius looked whimsi- 
 cally at me. Catching the meaning of their silent 
 expression, I added : 
 
 "Perhaps it was I who was too 'fresh,' as we 
 say North, and was for the moment outdoing you 
 Oudemonians in my notion of what might be a 
 practical application of Oudemon principle." 
 
 "We had to deal with a different class of men 
 there," rejoined Julius, bending his head slightly 
 
 358 
 
backward, "and for the safety of all concerned tried 
 the experiment." 
 
 "I have not a word of further protest to offer, 
 dear boys — a very judicious maneuver, and so 
 positive in effect. After that shot those freebooters 
 must have been forcibly convinced that we, or 
 rather you, were most dangerous beings and not to 
 be trifled with. Have you ever found yourselves 
 in the situation where it was necessary to apply the 
 argumentum ad homincm in that manner more di- 
 rectly?" 
 
 "No, I rejoice to say, Malcolm," answered the 
 engineer. "That would be indeed most horrible, 
 such a perversion of the Royal Law." 
 
 "Do you mean then, my good Bross, that even 
 in extreme danger, when attacked by these treacher- 
 ous ruffians of the wild, you would not defend 
 yourself with the means for protection that Provi- 
 dence has committed to your hands?" 
 
 "Malcolm, think well of the terrible effect of 
 these explosives; so innocent looking superficially, 
 and yet so thoroughly destructive," said the engi- 
 neer with deep gravity. "No, I believe, and most 
 of us who have anything to do with outside people 
 believe also, that it is possible in the most trying 
 circumstances to influence those who seem bent 
 upon your injury." 
 
 "Yes, most likely, at the right moment you may 
 defeat the wicked purposes of pirates and bandits 
 through surprises that appeal to their wonder sense 
 
 359 
 
and their fear, and being provided, as you are, with 
 such an effective weapon for defence, as well as of- 
 fence, you can surely appeal to their most active 
 faculties." 
 
 "But if we w^ere not so provided, brother," re- 
 joined Julius, "would we not find an application of 
 the Royal Law effective? The w^orst of men have 
 still a bit of human in them; their soul is not all 
 dead to the touch of kindness and sincerity. You 
 remember the early missionaries and travelers who 
 have gone among the most savage races alone, and 
 lived W'ith them unharmed — Park, Le Caron, Jud- 
 son, Livingstone, Moffat, Vambery? Prudence 
 and kindness were their chief w^eapons. Some of 
 your medical folks, I am told, treat their sick with 
 very weak medicines on the principle that 'mild 
 influences subdue the strong.' Is it not best to 
 treat people generally on that line?" 
 
 "Well, good Julius, I will not contest the point 
 with you. I guess you have the stronger side from 
 the ethical and metaphysical points of view any- 
 way; yet there's nothing like having your meta- 
 physics backed up by undeniably potent auxiliaries 
 of a material consistency, eh? Just suppose that 
 those fellows ambush you on your return " 
 
 "Pardon, Malcolm, if we remind you again that 
 we are not given to anticipate evil." 
 
 "I accept the reproof as opportune, dear Bross. 
 The old habits of civilization — ours up North — 
 must be my apology. Ah. your life back there in 
 
 360 
 
that land of Beulah is so cheerful, generous and re- 
 ciprocal that one has never occasion to think of any- 
 thing saving of 'envy, hatred and malice' in his re- 
 lations with neighbors." 
 
 "Really, dear brother," remarked the engineer 
 affectionately, "you know the great world of men 
 better than we do, and your counsel shall be heeded. 
 Julius and I will be vigilant, you may be assured, 
 for, as you have intimated, the object lesson we 
 have given them may stimulate their avaricious 
 cunning to plan most skilfully to entrap us." 
 
 FROM CALLAO WITH CONFIRMATIONS. 
 
 No further incident of a striking nature occurred 
 in our journey, and its very direct course brought 
 us to the railway terminus in ten days less time than 
 my trip eastward had occupied. Facilitated in this 
 material respect the distance from Oudemon to 
 Callao seemed to have been greatly abridged, so 
 that when we rolled into that city the New Year 
 festivities were still on, and the diversity and novel- 
 ty of their celebration offered so much attraction 
 that the days passed rapidly w^hile waiting for the 
 date of sailing. My tw^o friends roomed at the 
 same hotel and were constantly with me until the 
 hour I walked up the gang plank of the steamer. 
 How loth I was to part with them ! Yet, on the in- 
 stant of departure weakly enough did I repeat my 
 regret and grief at bidding farewell to persons who 
 had become inexpressibly dear to me. 
 
 .^6 1 
 
"Ah, Malcolm, you may return and stay with 
 us," tenderly returned Bross, "but would it be best 
 after all? You acted with fine judgment in your 
 association with Ellice Denton, and loyally recog- 
 nized the claim of your own folk upon you. When 
 again among the old friends settle yourself to the 
 life and conditions to which you have been accus- 
 tomed, and I trust that you will not find it hard to 
 apply some of our ways, that you approve, to the 
 course of things up there. You should marry, my 
 dear boy." 
 
 "Bross, my dear friend, if I could realize but a 
 tithe of the domestic peace and comfort of yonder 
 community, how ready I should be to marry." 
 
 "You can, brother; for it must be remembered 
 that the happiness of home depends upon one's self 
 for the most part; upon living seriously, and yet 
 cheerfully in accordance with the Royal Law. Be- 
 ginning with the wife and family, respect, and com- 
 pliance with the spirit of that wonderful code ex- 
 tended beyond and made part of our conduct in the 
 general relations of society, we shall not fail of 
 realizing the gracious promises of Him who formu- 
 lated that Law. You will marry, I doubt not, the 
 worthy young woman you have told us much of, 
 and you and she, I am sure, can help each other 
 to be content and happy. Perhaps we may hear 
 of each other. If you have not acquired sufficient 
 knowledge of the method by impression there is 
 the raven mail, you know, for an occasional mes- 
 
 362 
 
sage from the distant brother. You can interpret 
 our writing and an answer to such tidings as we 
 might send would be expected from you." 
 
 "Most gladly, Bross and Julius, shall I receive 
 any message, and most heartily reply. Could I 
 ever forget you all? Impossible. And in the world 
 to come, of whose existence you have taught me to 
 hold a stronger belief, I shall expect to meet you." 
 
 The disturbances in the Colombian territory 
 hinted at in Olive's letter must have been adjusted, 
 as I heard little about them and experienced no in- 
 terruption on my journey across the isthmus. 
 
 At Aspinwall I obtained letters that had but then 
 arrived and which apprised me of the illness of 
 mother and of the failure of the company that had 
 been carrying the larger half of my investments, 
 and also of the bankruptcy of an intimate friend, 
 the Langer of Stella's singular communication. 
 Olive wrote in clear yet cheerful terms of what she 
 knew regarding the affairs that affected my financial 
 relations : 
 
 "You will have leisure, dear Malcolm, on your 
 trip homeward, should you read the letters lately 
 sent you, to review the matter ; and perhaps because 
 so arbitrarily separated from direct contact with 
 the persons who are responsible for the present un- 
 happy condition, you will be the better prepared 
 to meet it, and, knowing you not to be wanting in 
 resources, I may expect — may I not? — that you 
 
will show yourself capable of dealing wisely witH 
 those who have been unfaithful or careless ; and of 
 saving from further disaster what may remain to 
 your credit on the books of the M. C. Company. 
 But fortunate or unfortunate as the final outcome 
 may be, you know that my trust in you will be 
 ever unshaken, and the little aid, material or other- 
 wise, I can give will be wholly at your service." 
 
 Thus the noble young woman offered her sym- 
 pathy and personal help — quite contrasting with 
 certain lines of peevish remarks charging me with 
 contributing to "the pitiful state of my affairs by 
 unnecessary absence and a wild goose chase," which 
 occurred in a brief letter from my elder sister. 
 
 364 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 AT HOME. 
 
 Two weeks later I stepped upon the dock, and in 
 half an hour was set down with my luggage at my 
 old quarters. An immediate visit to my mother 
 followed. She was sitting up, but still very weak. 
 Rejoiced to see her only boy again, the color lighted 
 up her pale cheeks, and seemed an augury of re- 
 turning strength and health. A long, long talk 
 with Olive, and then I addressed myself to those 
 business interests deemed so full of embarrassment 
 and peril to what of fortune and credit I had been 
 supposed to possess. 
 
 Very soon I learned that the situation was grave 
 enough. To save himself from threatened ruin 
 and disgrace, Cecil Langer, a man who had for 
 years possessed the esteem and confidence of the 
 social and business community, had negotiated 
 valuable funds of mine and others, deposited as a 
 trust in his banking house. He had struggled to 
 prevent their final sale on his account, and finding 
 that a depressed state of the stock market would pre- 
 vent any realization at all helpful to his complica- 
 tions, had left the city for Canada. When I ar- 
 rived the brokers were on the point of throwing 
 
 365 
 
these funds upon the public. Hastening to them I 
 obtained two days' delay by pledging the savings of 
 Olive, the warm-hearted girl forcing the deposit 
 upon me. Indeed, she had herself previously called 
 at the bankers and offered the same, assuring them 
 that on my return I would immediately make the 
 best efforts possible to adjust my part in the 
 financial embarrassment. To their credit be it said 
 that they declined the sacrifice, which it would have 
 inevitably proved without further advances. 
 
 Then there were the gold and the few souvenir 
 stones collected during my visit in that South 
 American country! Would the reader believe that 
 absorption in my business embarrassments had 
 caused me to forget for the time those possessions? 
 Was it due in part also to a lingering doubt as to 
 their real value? I had not yet entirely unpacked 
 my valise or examined all my luggage since my re- 
 turn. There was an acquaintance, privileged of 
 course by length of association, who remarked 
 rather acrimoniously that I must have spent a good 
 bit on my long cruise, and what could I show for 
 it? Somewhat irritated, I replied with an assump- 
 tion of confidence not usual : "You will see, Little- 
 bon, that I have something to show for it when 
 necessary." Then I hastened to my lodgings to 
 look over the gifts of Oudemon. 
 
 Willis and Stella had assisted in making up the 
 well-strapped pack that had gone through many 
 
 366 
 
hands unfastened until deposited in my home room. 
 On the voyage all articles needed for use daily were 
 carried in a "grip," so there was no occasion to 
 open the larger piece of luggage. Now, on turning 
 out the effects it contained, there was the heavy 
 mineral specimen with its brilliant crystalline sur- 
 face safely ensconced in its wrappings, and in the 
 pocket of the light coat I had worn a la maniere 
 Oudemon were the small packages Ellice and Stella 
 had placed there the day of my departure, Stella re- 
 marking, "Keep that, cousin, until you are home 
 again." Opening them several bright stones ap- 
 peared — blue, green, yellow and red crystals of evi- 
 dently fine form. Two of these I knew I had seen 
 and admired in the collection of Dexter, and a clear 
 green one, of the size of a walnut, was most likely 
 the beryl suggested by Ellice. Then there were the 
 specimens I had picked up myself on the first and 
 second excursions into those mine recesses of my 
 accidental discovery, one of them of large dimen- 
 sions, said to be a ruby, and a second, the sapphire 
 that guided my steps in the dark passage. 
 
 Selecting three of the stones, and taking with 
 them the broken ingot, I called at the famous 
 jewelers and collectors of bric-a-brac, Chiffony 
 & Storr, and having been shown into the private 
 office of the manager, exhibited my treasure. With 
 the block of metal he was greatly impressed, pro- 
 nouncing it the most remarkable example of crystal 
 gold he had ever seen, and very valuable as a 
 
 367 
 
scientific exhibit, aside from the mere weight. The 
 stones he declared to be not only of rare size and 
 symmetry of form and structure, but also of ex- 
 cellent color; the smallest, an emerald, he estimated 
 would carry a value of at least fifteen hundred 
 dollars, while the other two, a sapphire and ruby, 
 he declared to be so unusual in size and apparent 
 quality that he would not venture to assess their 
 worth. On proposing to accept a loan upon the lot 
 for a year, at six per cent, interest, Mr. Storr offered 
 $10,500, which I accepted joyfully at once. 
 
 With a certified check for this amount in my 
 pocket I repaired to the bankers and confidently 
 entered into a negotiation with them. The outcome 
 of this w^as that in the course of a few weeks two- 
 thirds of my securities were returned, and it be- 
 coming known on the "street" that I had adjusted 
 the claims of the bankers, other and minor involve- 
 ments were easily arranged, and my innocence estab- 
 lished, so far as any participation in the operations 
 of Langer was concerned. The reader might as- 
 sume that there were not wanting some persons to 
 insinuate more or less cautiously that my peculiar 
 absence was not unrelated to the Langer defalca- 
 tion. May day came with its return of the swallow 
 and buttercup and found me in possession of fully 
 three-fourths of the personals, my own and moth- 
 er's, which three months before were thought by 
 most of my friends to have been lost entirely. 
 
 368 
 
SETTLING DOWN. 
 
 Having vindicated my reputation before the busi- 
 ness world, a matter of chief concern to a man who 
 would walk serenely in the community of which 
 he is a member, I re-entered upon the duties of my 
 old position in the corporation of Personal Liabil- 
 ities (Limited), and a little later was offered the 
 place of treasurer to that important house. This I 
 declined, preferring the old relationship which I 
 had filled satisfactorily in all respects. The Presi- 
 dent, however, insisted that I should at least ac- 
 cept a chair in the Board of Managers. To this I 
 acceded, believing that such a practical recognition 
 of business competence, while it increased my in- 
 come but twenty per cent., would serve me just as 
 well on 'Change, and socially, as the Treasurership, 
 and add little to my work and responsibility. Be- 
 sides, I entertained a high estimate of the integrity 
 and capabilities of the present Treasurer. He had 
 been with the company twenty-five years; was yet 
 alert and strong, and devoted to the interests of the 
 house, and as a Director I could help to offset a 
 further attempt to supplant him by a clique of the 
 younger men, who had much to say of old fogyism 
 and inappreciation of modern methods of finance. 
 
 Settled now in my affairs and pursuing their rou- 
 tine, my thoughts, like "the young man's fancy in 
 springtime," turned to love. Not "lightly," how- 
 ever. I should please my mother by wedding, and 
 
 369 
 
could I better please myself? So one morning in 
 early July Olive and I joined hands in the quiet 
 room of that feeble mother, whose tears of happy 
 content imparted a deeper sacredness to the bene- 
 diction of the minister that sealed the bond, deciding 
 my social estate for life. 
 
 I had not heard from my far Southern home, as 
 I loved to call Oudemon, since leaving it, although 
 two or three times there came to me strong impres- 
 sions, or low whisperings as it seemed, to which 
 I gave such attention as circumstances permitted. 
 One incident may be worth a brief relation : It oc- 
 curred a fortnight after our marriage. Olive had 
 come to walk home with me in the early eventide 
 from the office, and on the way we turned into the 
 alley of the fountain circle. The bench now in- 
 vested with a special interest was unoccupied, and 
 quite unconsciously we took seats upon it. The 
 day had been sultry and few people were out. In 
 this little park recess there were but two or three 
 solitary loungers. Mechanically looking at my 
 watch the thought flashed upon my mind that, al- 
 lowing for the difference of time, my Oudemon 
 friends were then enjoying their evening recrea- 
 tion, and it must be near the hour of the Angelus. 
 I said : 
 
 "Olive, dear, do you know this is the time the 
 good folks down in that summer land are at their 
 evening diversions?" 
 
 370 
 
"Why, my husband, I was just now thinking of 
 the same thing." 
 
 Pressing her hand I returned gaily: 
 
 " 'Two souls with but a single thought' it seems, 
 my dearest." Then a slight thrill appeared to vi- 
 brate in my brain, and I heard as it were a low 
 whisper : "We are thinking of you, Malcolm, hop- 
 ing all is well — be happy with Olive — write soon." 
 The effect was so marked that involuntarily I turned 
 my head and peered around to see if any person 
 were near our bench. 
 
 "What is it, dear?" inquired Olive. 
 
 "I thought that some one was certainly whisper- 
 ing to me, little girl," and went on to tell her the 
 words that had come to me. 
 
 "Well, my husband, why may you not have heard 
 them," she said assuringly, "after all you know 
 of such things, and then, too, their peculiar fitness 
 and power for psychic communication." 
 
 Two nights later I had a dream ; at least it seemed 
 a dream, for, unlike the vision of Restling after I 
 had deciphered the secret message, I had no con- 
 sciousness of the waking state in this case. In this 
 dream I saw Stella; she was lying on the couch in 
 her room, with one fair arm bare to the shoulder 
 thrown back upon the pillow. Her eyes were open, 
 but there was the vacant expression, or rather fixed 
 stare in them that I well remembered. Without 
 the least movement she spoke : 
 
 "We knew of your troubles, and have given you 
 371 
 
our sympathy. We are glad you have taken to 
 your heart the sweet woman by your side. We 
 shall never forget you. Do not forget us. You 
 know we all loved you very much. Write soon, 
 and expect letters from us before long." Then the 
 expression changed, the stare was lost, a beautiful 
 smile crept over the face and the eyes closed as if 
 to normal sleep. 
 
 On relating this "dream" to Olive while dress- 
 ing next morning, she remarked : 
 
 "I can believe, Malcolm dear, that this was a 
 real transmission of thought. That girl has spiritual 
 powers which I should like to possess." 
 
 *'The Oudemonites say that persons are gifted, or 
 endowed, specially with faculties for that sort of 
 business, and who knows that my little girl may not 
 be gifted that way, too." 
 
 *'I don't know, surely, about myself, dear boy, 
 but I believe it just as much as I believe that some 
 are gifted with a genius for poetry or music, or art 
 or anything else. Why not? Doesn't the teach- 
 ing of Christianity refer to the differences people 
 show in mental and spiritual power, and speak of 
 particular gifts?" 
 
 I nodded in answer to this, for could I gainsay 
 anything that the dear girl might assert on the line 
 of Christian doctrine? She was better read in the 
 verba of Scripture than myself, and I felt gratified 
 enough in thinking that my far-off friends con- 
 tinued to hold me in such excellent appreciation. 
 
 Z7^ 
 
' In obedience to the advice of the dream I wrote 
 a long letter adressed to Archbold in particular, and 
 to friends of that distant country in general, detail- 
 ing occurrences since my return to the old rela- 
 tions. Especially was note made of the involve- 
 ments found in my affairs, and the signal help that 
 yellow stuff to which they were so indifferent had 
 been in restoring the status quo. Yet I felt bound 
 to admit that this last experience in the financial 
 methods of "civilization" had quite demonstrated 
 the fact that in their circumstances and with their 
 practices they were happier without a coinage of 
 the glittering stuff. My marriage was dwelt upon, 
 of course, and the great improvement that had fol- 
 lowed in my domestic situation, and the deep re- 
 gret entertained — the only cloud in the resplendent 
 blue of my happiness — that Olive and I could not 
 extend our wedding journey to Oudemon. If she 
 could have seen my friends and their wonderful 
 country, and realized thus personally that there 
 was on earth a large community of men and women 
 who had advanced so far in the preferential use of 
 their faculties, in habits and practices essentially 
 altruistic in all things contributing to mutual sym- 
 pathy and harmony, my satisfaction would have 
 been perfect. 
 
 A MESSAGE SUBSTANTIAL. 
 
 This letter I addressed to the care of Sefior 
 Miquel, in accordance with suggestions given by 
 
 273 
 
Champlin. Two weeks later a packet came into 
 my hands bearing Bolivian and Peruvian postmarks. 
 It contained letters from half a dozen of those dear 
 folks — Archbold, Willis, Stella, Percy, Dexter and 
 the aged Daniel Norris. How delightful for Olive 
 and myself to read these, Olive, of course, following 
 the strange word outlines curiously as I translated 
 them ! The frankness and fulness of heart in which 
 their statements were couched most earnestly ap- 
 pealed to our interested sensibilities. They told of 
 the current of life in their different homes and what 
 incidents of public importance had demanded at- 
 tention. Dexter and Ellice were betrothed, and the 
 happiest expectations were entertained by all re- 
 garding the marriage that would be celebrated in 
 the early part of the coming Oudemon summer. 
 Both Archbold and Stella wrote that they antici- 
 pated in part the "news" I should write, for they 
 had obtained impressions now and then of my do- 
 ings, and were glad that so much success had at- 
 tended my efforts to unravel the tangle in my busi- 
 ness affairs, and to make the name of Browne as 
 clean as it was before. 
 
 Dexter wrote of the further exploration of the 
 ancient galleries in the mountain, the uncovering 
 of several rich veins of gold and silver, and a very 
 valuable bed of mica, from which slabs of purest 
 transparency had been detached three to five feet in 
 length. He had secured the body of the strange 
 animal quite entire and began preparing it for the 
 
 374 
 
museum. Careful examination had determined it 
 to be a type of dinosaur that had survived the ages 
 and was probably the last seen alive in the world. 
 They had also unearthed, in an excavation com- 
 municating with the storage chamber, several skele- 
 tons, all of gigantic size, with crania showing an 
 unusual development of the intellectual and moral 
 faculties. 
 
 Willis stated that the engineer on his way home- 
 ward from Callao fell in with a considerable party 
 of freebooters, among whom were three of the rene- 
 gades we had encountered, and while they offered 
 no violence, they followed the engineer a long dis- 
 tance in the hope of obtaining information regard- 
 ing the rich deposits of gold they were sure he 
 knew of in the hills beyond the river. One of 
 Miquel's hands, who caught a few words of our 
 desultory talk with the ranchero, had magnified 
 its vague statements about certain gulches where 
 the precious metal lay in its virgin bed, and fired 
 the avarice of those half-savage rovers to an un- 
 appeasable heat. At the chapparal, where we had 
 sighted them, Julius met Champlin, who had made 
 a detour in a southerly direction, and after that the 
 gold-thirsty wretches preserved a respectful de- 
 meanor until the stockade of Miquel came in view, 
 when, for some reason, they fell back and were lost 
 sight of. 
 
 From the correspondence I also learned that my 
 findings of iron and corundum had been investi- 
 
 375 
 
gated, and shown to be of greater importance than 
 was supposed when the specimens were first ex- 
 amined. Stiles Morgan declared that a higher grade 
 of tool steel was obtainable from the ore, and noth- 
 ing would please him more than to build and equip 
 a new goalone for me with motor parts from the 
 new metal. Thus it appeared that my visit had not 
 been without certain useful effects upon Oudemon 
 science and industry, and it was quite gratifying 
 to think that my indebtedness to those most worthy 
 people for entertainment and friendly service, how- 
 ever free in the offering, was not altogether lack- 
 ing in some counterbalance of a substantial nature. 
 It would have been most delightful to have had 
 the promise of a visit on the part of any of the 
 members of that intimate circle by whom I had been 
 surrounded when in the beloved country; but while 
 the letters contained the warmest expression of re- 
 membrance and affection, they were remarkably 
 reticent concerning a renewal of personal inter- 
 course. Even Archbold and Stella — I could pardon 
 Ellice for the omission, because of her expected 
 marital consummation — did not breathe a word 
 respecting the possibility of our meeting again, and 
 I own that this omission piqued my self-consequence, 
 inspiring the thought, gratuitous enough it should 
 be admitted, that a visitor of my quality from the 
 outer civilization had exercised an influence upon 
 the small world of Oudemon that was more or less 
 
 Z7^ 
 
disturbing of the quiet order deemed by the sages 
 essential to the best interests of their people. 
 
 Well, since that time the changes in my life's rou- 
 tine consequent on marriage and the growing de- 
 mand of business and social amenity upon my 
 attention have crowded out of mind much of 
 thought that would have been given to Oudemon. 
 At wide intervals a message has come of the old 
 affectionate, cheering nature, and occasionally there 
 has flashed into my brain an idea or suggestion that 
 I would persuade myself was an impression borne 
 on the vibrant ether from friends below the Ameri- 
 can equator. Olive would always persist in the 
 belief that they were then "remembering us," for 
 now and then a vivid salutation or inquiry seemed 
 to challenge her delicate sensibilities from Stella or 
 Ellice, to which she would strive to make answer, 
 and I do believe with fair success. 
 
 The reader may recall the stone that Ellice dis- 
 covered during our exploration of the mine. I had 
 slipped it into my pocket and brought it home. One 
 day I showed it to Lezoont, expert lapidary of Chif- 
 fony & Storr. He pronounced it a sapphire of 
 great value. This I had polished and set in a silver 
 belt buckle, with Dexter's beryl on one side and 
 the ruby given me by Stella on the other. Very 
 few who saw this cincture, worn by my wife on 
 company occasions — her only jeweled ornament 
 aside from a ring set with an emerald and her 
 wedding ring — had any conception of their value. 
 
 Z77 
 
The emerald must have been picked up by Jabber, 
 as I found it in the basket he had carried that event- 
 ful day, with several common pebbles and bits of 
 quartz and mica that he, it is likely, in imitation of 
 his human companions, had gathered. For this 
 emerald Chiffony & Storr offered me $2,000. As 
 for the sapphire there was nothing like it in their 
 wonderful collection, or in any other known to 
 them. Our ordinary acquaintances admired Mrs. 
 Browne's pretty blue, and red stones, but, of course, 
 they were not so very costly, otherwise they would 
 not be set in "common silver," although the design 
 of that buckle was certainly a highly artistic piece 
 of workmanship, and displayed the crystals to great 
 advantage. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 378 
 
DONALD A. WOLLHEIM