Hunting
Dangerous
African
Buffalo
By H. A. Bryden
li. .1. Bryden. the co-author with
Percy Selous of "Tracel and Biy
dame.'’ is a man alto was boat to
the chase. From his youth it has
been his ruling passion and he has
gone with his ride all >>rer the world.
In every continent his fame as a
Nimrod is known, and he has a mod
est direct style of presenting his j
adventures, tinged with a little touch |
of poetic sentiment here and there. |
which is rerg pleasing indeed. If any I
fault at all could be found with him
it would be that he was over modest
and inclined to boast for others in
stead of telling his own story.
< incident highly in- !
dicative of tho ex- |
traordinarily danger-!
ous character of the
African buffalo is re
lated by Mr. Ainsley
Williams, the gentle
man scout of the fa
mous Niger water
shed exploring party.
I had missed him from his ac
customed stations and on his re
appearance he was generally ban
daged uu and one leg was in
splints. It appears that one late after
noon when the shadows in the brush
were growing to the point of almost
complete darkness though the sun
still illuminated the tops of the trees,
he was returning to camp alone save
for a Senegambian gun bearer noted
for his bravery. Both were mounted
on native ponies, wiry and keen of
senses. Suddenly Williams' ,pony be
gan to snuffle and snort and both
stood stock still refusing to advance
into the darkness cf the foliage
arched trail. Williams quickly un
slung a double barrelled ten gauge
Parker with which he had been after
fowl. He meant to slip in a buck shot
cartridge, but before he more than
had his gun across his pommel, with
a grunting bellow the huge form of
an old bull buffalo rushed out of the
darkness ahead and charged the two
with all ferocity.
It was impossible to turn out of his
way and all that Williams could do
was to lean forward and pull both
barrels point blank. The massive
horns and frontal bones must have
shielded the beast from any injury,
save enough to infuriate it more than
ever. The next instant Williams’
pony was disemboweled with a side
swipe of the bull's horns and the
rider was pitched into the brush with
a broken leg. On over the dying
pony rushed the buffalo and his
charge drove the second pony end
over end on top of his Senegambian
rider. The two rifles he carried flew
iuto the brush ami one fell near Will
iams. It was the Winchester forty
four. Williams dragged himself over
to it and found it uninjured, but a
tragedy was transpiring meanwhile,
Giving the p-or gun bearer no clmnce
for his life, the bull swept first one
tip of his mighty horns and then the
other into the jumble of horse and
man and in his blind fury knelt on
them and stamped on them. Th's
happened in the fraction of a minute
of course, and was terminated only
when Williams, mustering all his
strength, rose to his knees and began
pumping soft-nosed pellets into the
bull’s flank, raking him forward into
vital parts. The murderous creature
fell on top of his victims and when
searchers attracted by Williams’
cries, found them, horse, bull and
Senegambian lay dead in one heap.
Most Dangerous Game in Africa.
It Is agreed upon all hands by ex
perienced hunters in Africa that the
buffalo is one of the three most dan
gerous four-footed foes that man can
attack. Most men class this animal
with elephants and lions, as game that
requires the highest attributes of skill
courage and caution to bring to bag.
As a matter of fact, it may be laid
down that more deaths and dangerous
accidents happen annually In Africa
In hunting the buffalo tnan in the
chase of any other species of heavy
game. In regions where large num
bers of these splendid beasts still wan
der, in troops of three hundred, four
hundred and even more, and where
they have been little disturoed. the
hunter has no great difficulty iu shoot
ing as many as he requires. In fairly
open country, where scattered covert
exists, and where they can be readily
approached—for they are by no means
keen-sighted creatures—a man may,
he begins to think, shoot buffaloes as
easily as he can shoot oxen. But,
directly a buffalo is wounded and his
blood-spoor has to be taken up, and
the hunter has to follow him into the
dense coverts to which he retreats,
the business is entirely changed. Then
you may prepare to lo'k out for your
self, to take up your heaviest and
most reliable weapon, and to follow
the track of your game with every
sense alert, and your rifle handy for
an instant and most deadly onarge.
You will find, too, that the native
spoorer, who trotted In front of you
readily enough on the blood spoor of
elephant, and even lion, will now
greatly prefer to follow in your rear,
and leave you to take up your own
person the first and dangerous risk
in the dark ami shadowy thickets into
which you are advancing. He knows
—none better—the dark, evil fury
and the lurking, noiseless ways of the
beast of which you are in search.
The buffalo, so soon as ho is wounded,
seems, indeed, to think of little else
than a bloody revenge, i nlike most
other game, which, when wounded,
will almost invariably t-take tuem
selves in flight as far from the pur
suer as possible, he usually retreats
some distance into the densest bush,
and then either hides up in some
dark corner, where the shadows are
deep and dense, or, t.rning upon his
line, takes a parallel path back, and
so waits for his foe; or he will e%eu
follow back upon his own spocr and
conceal himself. Sometimes he will
stand lurking amid the dark thickets;
at another time, if badly wounded,
he will lie down; in either case pre
pared and determined to inflict a
bloody revenge for the nurts under
which he is smarting. Year after
year fatal accidents happen in Soutu
African buffalo hunting, year after
year men, if not killed outright, are
terribly mauled; and. until the buffalo
is completely exterminated, he will
rest of the day was spent in skinning
and cutting up the game. Part of the
natives were sent back to the Boer
camp, laden with as much meat as
they could carry—the Boers requiring
not only fresh meat for immediate
use but enough to make a supply of
'•biltong" (salted sun-dried flesh); the
remainder of the flesh was bestowed
upon the native villagers who -vere
rith the expedition.
Large numbers of buffaloes were
still reported a little further ahead,
among the lagoons and marshes of
this region, and the Dutch hunter,
therefore camped lor the night, ate a
hearty supper by the roaring fire, and
slept soundly till early dawn. Before
sun-up the pgrty were again stirring.
In less than two hours’ time the na
tives had led the way to a broad,
marshy lagoon, or “vlei,” as the Boers
call it, surrounded by drier ground,
upon which grew bush, acacia trees,
and a few tall palms. Part of this
lagoon was shallow open water, the
remainder consists of a dense bed of
tail reeds, which led to further
swamps and lagoons beyond. The
sight that met the Dutchman's eyes,
as he and the natives crept cautiously
towards the edge of the "vlei,” and sur
veyed the scene from behind a screen
of bush, was a wonderful one. In and
about the "vlei," stood a troop of not
less than two hundred buffaloes, some
rolling in the shallow, some drinking,
some standing belly-deep in water, j
dark and motionless. The buffalo i
birds (a species of starling-Buphaya !
Africans) those watchful allies of
these animals and rhinoceroses, were ,
flying hither and thither, many of j
them packing and feeding on the ticks I
and parasites which infest the buf- j
falo. A number of small white herons, j
too, were about the "vlei." some of J
which were also to be seen actually ]
perching on the broad backs of the !
great game. In any case the stalk re- j
qttied caution, and, with these watch- j
ful ‘'buffel-vogel" about, extreme care j
was, as the Boer saw. essential. Con- !
cealed behind a thick mass of bush, j
to which he and the Hottentot had ;
crept, the Dutchman waited patiently j
and was determined to finish off his
task. As soon as the reeds were
reached, tlie blood spoor was easily
to be followed. The heavy bullet had
evidently raked the lungs, the bull
was bleeding freely, and large patches
of crimson marked its path. The reeds
were very tall—twelve or fourteen
feet—anil thick, and the spooring
seemed so dangerous an operation
that the Hottentot, who was carrying
a second gun—a Martini Henry—fell
behind, leaving his master to take the
first risk with his heavy eight-bore.
At. every step—they were wading
knee deep in water—the hunters
stopped to listen. They had not pen
etrated fifty yards through the avenue
of broken reeds, afforded by the pass
age of the bull, when in an instant,
and without warning, the beast was
upon them. The Boer was knocked
fiat niton his back by the charge; the
bull had miscalculated his distance,
had no doubt, charged for the sound,
and had struck his netuy with his
nose, which was held high, as is the
habit of these brutes when charging.
Galloping over the prostrate Boer, the
Buffalo went straight for the Hotten
tot a few paces behind. This unfor
tunate the brute struck with his horn
and tossed on one side some yards
into the reeds. Then, continuing its
career, the bull passed on out of the
“vlei" and took shelter in some thin
bush, where it was afterward found
dead. The Boer, all the wind knocked
out of him. and severely bruised,
picked himself up, retrieved his rifle,
which was flung yards away, and then
sought the Hottentot. The unfortunate
servant lay among the reeds aud
water, a terrible wouud gaping just
below his chest, to the left—breathing
his last. He lived only a short time,
and died a pathetic and unwilling ob
ject lesson in the risks and dangers
of following a wounded buffalo into
thick covert.
Some Perils of Buffalo-Hunting.
Occasionally hunters have been at
tacked by a solitary buffalo which has
charged them before a shot has been
fired, and without apparent provoca
I
I
if /■/// A11 * ' I ^
ONE WILD LUNGE LIFTED HORSE AND RIDER FROM THE GROUND.
be found as savage and as dangerous
as the lion himself, and, withal, far
more revengeful.
Stalking a Buffalo Herd.
I cannot better Illustrate the char
acter of these determined and plucky
animals than by an adventure nar
rated to me not long since in the hunt
ing veldt by a Boer hunter from the
Transvaal. He had been tracking
with some ether compatriots far to
the northwest of Lake Ngami. Flesh
was badly wanted in camp, and as
tsetse fly was prevalent in the
marshy country, north of the Okanan
go river, on which they were out
spanned, and the natives reported
large herds of buffaloes, he left ms
horses behind him, ferried across the
river, and spent the next two days in
hunting. He had with him his own
Hottentot servant, a good and reliable
hunter, and a fair shot, and he had
as well several natives of the dist-iet
who were anxious for meat, and ready
to show him the game.
On the first day the Dutchman came
across some fifty buffaloes grazing
in fairly open veldt. Getting behind
some good and convenient covert, and
with the wind in the right direr tion,
he had little difficulty in shooting two
fat cows and a young, fresh bull. The
cows were pretiy easily secured; but
the young bull, although shot through
the lungs, jumped on his legs from
some long grass and bush, then
walked up, charged fiercely at the
spooring party, and was only killed
within a few feet of the hunter. The
till the troop moved and a fair shot
offered. %
Attacked by an Enraged Buffalo.
At last several fat cows, for which
he had been waiting came, together
with a tremendous old bull, within
20 yards. Selecting the best cow. the
Boer aimed behind the j>oint of the
shoulder, and brought her down. She
fell instantly to the shot, struggled a
little further- and soon lay dead. The
Boer had hoped and expected to bring
down another cow. His intentions
were frustrated, however, by the bull,
which charged upon the instant: direct
ly towards the rifle smoke. Within
ten yards, the Dutchman, who was
kneeling, fired again, hitting the grim
beast in front of the chest, and turn
ing it. Meanwhile, at the ound of
the firing the whole immense herd
floundered out of the “vlei,” and went
off crashing through an angle of the
reed beds, and thence far into the
bush. As they fled the Bo^r shoved
in another cartridge, took aim at a
retreating cow eighty yards off, and
by a lucky shot, broke her back. She
fell bellowing, and was quickly dis
patched. Leaving the natives to skin
and cut up these carcasses, the
Dutchman now took up the pursuit of
the wounded bull, which he had
marked In his flight through a dense
patch of reeds to the -ight of the la
goon. The beast had turmu oP aione,
and the greatest care had to be taken
in following It through such covert.
But the Dutchman had hitherto al
ways had gre»» Wk with buffalo..
tion. In such instances it has usually
been found either that the animal
had been previously wounded by some
other hunter, or had keen clawed by
a lion; in either case its naturally
morose temper having been rendered
vet more dangerous.
No hunter ought to attempt to tackle
a buffalo with a rifle of lighter calibre
tnan a 5.77 double express.
Once plentiful all over Southern Af
rica wherever water was to be found,
the buffalo has now to be sought far
in the interior. There is one singular
exception to this statement. Many
years ago the Cape government
passed an act protecting under se
vere penalties the buffalo—as well as
the elephant—in Cape colony. In the
forest and densely bushed regions
bordering the coast line, some strong
troops of buffaloes are still to be
found between Mossei bay and the
Kowie river. A few years ago, dur
ing a great drought, some of these
fine beasts were to be seen drinking
In the river within a few miles of the
town of ITitenhage. These animals
can only be shot in Cape colony by a
special permit from the governor, and
on payment of the sum rf ten pounds
for each specimen obtained. Beyond
Cape colony the sportsman has to
travel nowadays several hundred
miles before he call hope to find buf
falo. Perhaps the best country exist
ing at the present time is the low and
unhealthy region lying in Portuguese
territory between the Sabi and Zam
ttnon the Busi and Pungue
Cyprus Wine.
During the fiscal year ending March
31, 1908, 456 gallons of wine were ex
ported from Cyprus to the United
States, a new departure, which may or
may not lead to further business.
Cyprus wine is considered somewhat
heady for ordinary use, and its value
in commerce has been lessened by the
flavor acquired from carrying it to
port in tarred skins. Within recent
years roads have been constructed
through the grape districts, enabling
the wine to be conveyed in barrels, re
suiting in a decided improvement in 1
flavor. While the grapes are of ( >
quality, the primitive and unscienUlic
methods still prevalent in wine-making
result in course and strong wines,
which do not keep well. The exports
of wine at present go mainly to Egypt,
while the brandy made from the wine
goes to England.
Usually.
Teacher—“What is a Laplander?”
Young Miss—“An awkward man in a
crowded stseet car.”
Millions for Barrels
Fifteen million eight hundred thou
sand two hundred and fifty-three dol
lars' worth of forest products was used
last year in making barrels, for the
potatoes and apples of the farmer, for
the flour and meal of the miller, for
the nails of the hardware man for
cement, and for the many other users
of the faithful slack barrel.
Reports from 950 cooperage com
panies in all parts of the country show
an increase of $1,569,688, or 11 per
cent., in the value of last year's prod
uct over that of the previous year.
The states of Pennsylvania, Missou
ri, Michigan. Arkansas and Virginia,
in .the order named, turned out 56.8
per cent, of the total production of
slack staves and heading, much of
which was a by-product of the lumber
mills.
Ohio lead in the quantity of hoops
rivers and their tributaries, and about
the tributaries of the Zambesi, on
its easterly course, large herds of
buffalo are still to be found. This
country, however, is only accessible
during the African winter—April to
October—unless the risk of deadly
fever be taken. There are still buffa*
lo to be found, to. about the Chobe
river, in the far-off swamps and
marshes of the Upper Okavango. In
these regions the tsetse fly is ceitain
to be found in the buffaloes’ haunt,
and the hunter must perforce do all
his work on foot.
As the African buffalo is one of the
toughest and most difficult of all game
animals to bring to bag, so that hand
some creature, Burchell's zebra
(Equus Burchelli), the zebra of the
plains, is by far the most easily de
stroyed. A single 450 Express or Mar
tini-Heury bullet will at once turn
this fleet and handsome animal of the
troop, an easy victim (if not a eady
killed outright) to the hunter's next
shot. With a broken leg the zebra
is instantly helpless; with a broken
limb, and a shot through the body to
boot, one of the larger African an
telopes, such as a hartebeeat or brin
dled gnu, will often run for miles, and
finally escape the hunter altogether.
As an almost invariable rule Burch
ell’s zebras are hunted on horseback;
they are fleet and enduring, and even
a first-class South African hunting
pony must be in very good form, and
upon hard even ground, to carry his
rider within hail of them. Most usu
ally these animals are to be met with
feeding on open grassy plains, or in
open bush, where large glades and
clearings are to he found. In a tail-ou
I end chase across flats, with a fait
| start, they can usually gallop clean
away from the mounted man. If it
were not for a habit of curiosity, they
would, indeed, be “kittle cattle’’ to
come up with on the great plains.
But tlieir curiosity is often their un
doing. I have many times galloped
; steadily behind a troop of these ze
bras, and then halted for a moment
The zebras would then wheel quickly
round in line .and stand for a minute
to have a good look at the pursuer
This was the time to put in a steady
shot. Sometimes, even when the bun
ler is galloping, they will turn round
and stand for a moment, apparently
out of sheer curiosity.
txiei rninaimg me Hincan ^eura
In semi-bushy country, where theii
i view is more circumscribed, these ze
bras are without much difficulty shot
In Masbonaland large numbers O'
those zebras have been shot withii
the last few years by the pioneer*
and settlers. I have found that by
making a long « 'our am* getting be
tween them anil the bush to whict
they run for shelter, these animals
when feeding in the open can b<
driven about and shot pretty much a'
will. They seem for the time to be
come "ustered, lose their heads, try
to make short cuts past t1'-* mountec
men, and so fall victims'. In forme;
days these magnificent beasts ran ii
immense numbers In all the opei
country front the Orange river to th«
Zambesi. They are still to be founr
in large troops in the Xgamiland conn
try, in remoter parts of Masbonaland
and in still I rger numbers east anc
northeast of (Masbonaland. towarc
tlie coast. Beyond the Zambesi they
are widely distributed in Africa, be
coming exceedingly plentiful agait
upon the groat plains between the
cast coast and T’ganda. South of tht
Orange river they seem seldom, i
ever, to have ranged. Burchell's ze
bra is not to be confounded witl
the more ashline black and white
mountain zebra tE Zebra), which is
perfectly striped all over. The B rch
ell's zebra is best mown to the Brit
ish public of all this handsome group
good examples being always on view
in the Zoological society’s gardens
As a general rule this zebra Is no'
perfectly banded down the legs—as it
its mountain cousin—but a variety
sometimes called by scientists“Cbap
man's zebra," is to be found in the
interior, with the white 1 gs pretty
generally banded as far down as the
fetlocks. The average Europeai
sportsman, having shot a few of thest
beautiful creatures as specimens, wii
usually stay bis band and spare them
unless meat for bis followers is abso
lutely needed. The Boer and native
hunter, on the contrary, shoot then
whenever they get the chance, merel;
for the price of the skin—a matter 01
a few shillings up country. And sc
tlie species becomes exterminated, h
is a thousand pities! Of all sight*
in the fair veldt—and there are many
to charm the eye—I know of few no
bier than a good troop of Burchell’s
zebras, creatures which seem to hav»
been created for on other purpose
than to adorn the wilderness
Whether feeding quietly among the
herbage; or resting in the beat 01
mid-day; or fleeting across the plain
their striped coats, as clean and shin
ing as a well-groomed race horse
gleaming in the sunlight;, brisk, beau
tifnlly proportioned, and full of life
and spirits; these zebras represent
tha highest perfection of feral life.
True children of the sun-drenched
plains, long may they yet flourish to
decorate the African veldt!
By permission of Longmans. Green ft
C'o., New York.
(Copyright, 1905. by Benj. B. Hampton.)
Worldly Wisdom.
As there is a worldly happiness
which God perceives to be no more
than disguised misery; as there are
worldly honors which in his estima
tion are reproach, so there is a world
ly wisdom which in his sight is fool
ishness. Of this worldly wisdom the
characters are given in the Scriptures,
and placed in contrast with those of
the wisdom which is from above. The
one is the wisdom of the crafty, the
other that of the upright; the one
terminates in selfishness, the other in
charity; the one is full of strife and
bitter envyings, the other of mercy
and of good frid'a—Blair.
manufactured, closely followed by In
diana. the output of these two states
forming 67.3 per cent, of the total pro
duction.
Town Built of Meerschaum.
The town of Vallecas, in Spain, is
almost entirely built of meerschaum.
Vallecas has on its outskirts great
quarries of a meerschaum too coarse
for pipemaking, and a meerschaum
built town is the result—an ivory
white town that shines in the Span
ish sun.
Noah in the Automobile.
We lived in the ark, and they found us
at last.
Packed up in the attic, reposeful and
quiet.
And Dorothy said: “Mr. Xoali, you are
failing.
I’ll telephone the doctor and tell him
you’re ailing—
It’s probably something to do wit 1 your
diet.”
This world’s not at all like it was in the
past.
In Dorothy’s grandmother’s day.
You’re sick. Mr. Xoali, and you ought to
be dosed:
It’s something quite had, I can tell by
your sneezes—
Perhaps ’pendicitis or nervous prostra
tion.”
I felt—I admit it—a little elution
To heat* I was subject to modern dis
eases ;
I never had more than quinsy at most
In Dorothy's grandmother’s day.
“I think.” she continued, “I'll serd you
to ride.
For really your paleness Is very dis
tressing.
The automobile will be here in a minute.”
She brought out a roller skate, lifted me
in it.
And e’er T could give my dear sons a
last blessing
She pushed it. l ne'er felt such a ‘gone
ness” inside
In Dorothy’s grandmother’s day.
Then madly it clattered, and wildly it
flew. ^
Ail jiggles and joggles, unsteered and
unsteady.
Till out I was hurled, and my senses for
sook me*.
I fell seven inches' And Dorothj* took
me
And said: “It’s so healthful— you’re
better already,”
In Dorothy’s grandmother’s day.
The- Doll- I>\y/~
—? ' ^
It had been raining four days. The
whole world seemed so gray that it
was hard to tell where the sea began
and the sky ended, and the twins, sit
ting on the window-sill swinging their
feet, looked as gloomy as the weather.
“There's nothing we can do here
when it rains!” grumbled Bess.
“And at home, echoed Jess, the
younger twin, "we could always play
something.”
"We've got to keep quiet, because
poor mother's head is worse to-day,”
said Bess, when Aunt Edna came in.
“Where are all the dollies?" she
asked.
"They’re all coming to pieces, so
there’s no fun playing with them!"
cried the twins together.
"Then I know the very thing to do,"
declared their aunt. "We will have a
dolls' hospital. You can both be
trained nurses, and I'll be the head
surgeon. Bess, you get the patients
ready, and Jess, you must run and get
the mucilage pot and my workbasket;
they're my surgical instruments. Oh,
and just ask Mary to lend you tvso of
her caps, and give you some clean
pinafores."
Bess ranged the cots neatly against
the wall, and when Jess came back
Aunt Edna pinned a little red cloth
cross on each right arm. Then the
hospital staff was ready to make
rounds.
It was surprising how much there
was to be done; stitches taken here
and there, paper dolls to be glued to
gether. To tell the truth, every cot
in the hospital was crowded, and the
nurses and surgepn had their* hands
full for over an hour.
As Aunt Edna rose to leave the
room, she said: “Now I'm going to be
a really, truly nurse, and go to see
how poor mother’s head is.” She nod
ded. and closed the door.
"I do believe it's going to rain to
morrow.” said Bess, very cheerfully
this time.
“Oh, 1 hope so!” answered Jess, just
as gaily.—Alice Van Leer Carrick.
sorry Me Lost mis Bait.
Two youngsters were fishing by the
side of a brook when one fell in and
narrowly escaped with his life. The
grief of the other was so prolonged
that a sympathetic bystander asked
if the half-drowned boy was a rela
tive.
•■.Vo.” said tlie other, tearfully, "he
wasn't no relation, but he inout's well
been; he had all de bait in his pocket,
and now it's all gone.”
Don't Like to Be Er.cored.
Clara, aged six, did not know the
meaning of an encore, and was very
much disgusted with the children's
concert in which she took part.
"I just know we didn't make a single
mistake,” she exclaimed, ‘yet the peo
ple in front got cross and made such a
fus that we bad to do it all over
again."
A Small Boy’s Witty Answer.
Teddy was walking with a chum
acros a toll bridge.
"Do you know who built this
bridge?" asked his chum.
"No.” replied Teddy, “hut if you'll
go across you'll be tolled at the other
end."
WHAT THE LITTLE TOTS SAY
Mamina—This paper says that too
many fur rugs iu the house are un
healthy.
Little Inez—Why don\ you get the
doctor to prescribe for them, mamma?
AN EARTHQUAKE FORETELLER
This Seismograph Is a Simple Thing
and Can Easily Be Made
Out of Wood.
This is the picture of the seismo
graph—the earthquake foreteller—
which was first put into use by the
Japanese in 1897, and has since been
adopted by all nations.
Every oscillation of the earth, no
matter how slight, causes the needle
The Seismograoh.
in this instrument to scratch a line on
a plate of glass, whose surface is cov
ered with a thin film of lampblack.
German Princes Well Reared.
The really, truly, flesh-anri blood
princes of to-day are not. like their
prototype of romance, clad in velvets
and satins ami feathers; and they do,
occasionally, lay off their jeweled corn
nets to assume quite matter-of fact and
up-to-date headgear, says Youths' Com
panion. The recent marriage- of an
other of the kaiser’s sons brings to
mind the fact that those princes are
no longer sturdy lads subject to the
domestic economy of the nursery.
For these princelings were brought
up on principles well adapted to any
careful household. No "slashed suit
and doublet" for their active days!
Their mother was far too good a
housewife for such extravagances.
Not only were the boys' clothes of
strong and practical manufacture, but
so long as there was anything left of
then), they were handed down from
one brother to another, made over in
the kaiser's owm workroom.
Sometimes the kaiser's rtjyal trou*
ers were cut down to fit princely little
legs, now grown much too long aud
too important to be encased in second
hand habiliments.
The royal mother had due regard to
the practical economy of her own at
tire. Wolf von Schierbrand. in "Ger
many; the Welding of a World Power.”
gives an instance of her prudence.
In 18% at the Berlin Municipal ex
position, a very costly dress was ex
hibited, having an exceedingly long
train. The kaiser took a fancy to this
garment, and wanted the kaiserin to
buy it. She smilingly refused.
“What use would it be to me?" she
said. "With two or three hoys always
hanging on my skirts, it would be tern
In a jiffy.”
WHOLE FAMILY
“An.l you haven't any little brothers
or sisters?"
"No, sir; I’m all the children we ve
got."
The Bed-Time Bear.
Down the dark corridor, hunting for m-\
Comes, when I'm tucked Into bed.
The hungriest bear that you ever did see.
And, though I bury rny head
Deep in the pilluw and 'tend to be sleep
ing.
Still he conies prowling and growling and
creeping
Nearer and nearer, till, just when I seem
To shiver all over with fright.
He catches and smothers me so I can't
scream.
And squeezes me (lre'fully tight.
Then I'm not scared, but I just hug him.
too.
And say: "Daddy, dear, I Just knew i:
was you.”
—Harper's Weekly.
No Drums in the Middle Ages.
As we came to the middle ages,
when the nations of modern Europe
were struggling into existence, we find
that, at first, the drum was not use!
at all. says Jessie Katherine MacDon
aid in St. Nicholas. So, although mel
ody had been known and practiced foi
many centuries, rhythm had been
quite forgotten. For what there is left
to us of the music of the middle ages
contains no bars and we know that
it was slowly and monotonously
chanted, without the least accent.
In the eleventh century, however,
things began to Improve, more particu
larly as the Crusaders brought into
Europe all sorts of percussion instru
ments from the east. Various kinds of
drums, tambourines and cymbals wore
then seen in Europe for the first time
since the days of savages, and they
have been used, with very little
change, ever since.
Young Patriots in Japan.
In the schools of Japan, much promi
nence is given to military interests in
order to stir patriotism in the hearts
of the children. Histories of Japan s
wars are studied in detail, stories of
heroism are told, and traditions of
Japanese endurance and bravery are
carefully preserved. The boys are or
ganized into "companies,” and taught
to go through military exercises. The
stratagems of generals are explained
by means of diagrams, and patriotic
holidays are marked by big celebra
tlons. Toy guns and swords are fa
vorite playthings with the youth ol
the country, and mock battles are toi
infrequent.