Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^UED 5ZM1- WEEKLY^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ V ^ ^ __ - - - ' - - - . ~ l. m. grists sons. Publishers, v Jl 4am^S tltc promotion of the pW^lJ?oeiat, Jgrirultural and Commercial .Interests of. the people. TERMH^^cop^ErtriNc??J^ NCK i ESTABLISHED 1855 ^ YORK, S. P., FRIDAY, OCTOBER ^4, 1019,, - ~~~ ISTO. 85 1 V ^ "W COP>WOHT 0 1 tjfc xo?tauR6)<a <j CHAPTER VIII?Continued. "J He asked several other" questions, but at last appeared satisfied, and after that we discussed the guard duty of the day, both agreeing it would not be safe for us to permit any possible pursuit to pass by us up the river unseen. Skm professed himself as unwearied by the night's work and willing to stand the first Watch. I lay down In the tree shade, and must have fallen asleep almost Immediately. I do not l^now what aroused me, but I Immediately sat upright, startled and instantly awake, the first object confronting me being Sam on .the crest of the opposite ridge, eagerly beckoning me to Join him. The moment he was assured of my coming, and without so much as uttering a' word of explanation, he vanished >?/? c)<ailnnr nf fho vnndc f miv IMV ouauvn Vfc %MV vv?.v. I crossed the ravine with reckless haste, clambering np the opposite bank, and sixty feet beyond suddenly came Into view of the broad expanse of water. Scarcely had I glimpsed this iWling flood, sparkling under the sun's rays, when my gaze turned upstream, directed by an excited gesture of the negro. Less than a mile away, ' Its rapidly revolving wheel churning the water Into Mam In ceaseless battle, 4 against the current, was a steamboat. A number of moving figures were perceptible on the upper deck. I stared at the apparition, scarcely comprehending the reality of what I beheld. "Yer bettah stoop down more, sab." Sam urged. "Fer sum o' dem fellars might see yelr yet. Ah nebber heerd nuthln' ner saw no smoke till she cum a-puffin' 'round de endo'dat p'Int.i Ah cudn't dare go fer yer then, sah, ier rear aeya see me, so An jus nat'arly lay down yere an' watched her go by." "Is It a government boat?" "Ah reckon maybe; leastwise thar's a heap o' sojers aboard her?reg'lars, Ah reckons, fer dey's all in uniform. But everybody aboard wasn't sojers." "You know the sten'Mer?,,/ "Yas, sah. Ah's seed her face afore dl8 down et St. Louee. She uster run down de ribber?she's de John B. Glover. She ain't no great shakes ot a boat, sah." ,. His eyes, which had been eagerly following the movements of the craft, turned and glanced at me. "Massa Klrby he wus aboard dat steamer, sah." "Kirbyl Are you sure about that, Sam?* "'Course Ah's sure. Didn't Ah see him Just as plain as Ah see you right j now? He wus forrad by de rail, near: de Dllot house, a-watchln' dls whole i shore like a hawk. Dat sure wus Massa Kirby all right, bat dar wan't nobody else long wld him." "But what could he be doing there bn a troop boat?" The negro scratched his head, momentarily puzzled by my question. "Ah sure don't know, sah," he admitted. "Only dat's perzackly who it was. Ah figure it out 'bout dls way, j sah: dat nobody * kin tell yit which way we went?up de ribber er down de ribber. Long cum de John B. Glover, an' Massa Kirby he Just take } a chance an' goes aboard. De sheriff he goes der odder way, downstream in a rowboat; an' dat's how dey alms ter sure head us off." I sat down at the edge of the bluff, convinced that the conclusions of the ?' u .i. mi i i negro were pruoauiy vorreci. ximi | ' was undoubtedly about how It had . happened. Tb attempt pursuit up| stream with only oars as propelling power would be senseless, but the passage upward of this troop boat afforded Klrby an opportunity he would not be slow to accept. Getting aboard j would present no great difficulty, and his probable acquaintance with th? captain would make the rest easy. The steamer by this time wtu moving diagonally across the river, head toward the other shore, and was already so far away the men on deck . were Invisible. It was scarcely prob' able that Kirby would go far northward, but just what course the man would take when, once more ashore was problematical. Where he might choose to seek for us could not be guessed. Yet the mere fact that he was already above us on the river was j In itself a matter for grave consideration. Still thus far we remained unioeaten, anu mere was less unnger In that direction than downstream. Once we attuined the Rlihols and made arrangements with Shrunk the immediate danger would be over. Then I need go no farther?the end of the adventure might be left to others. I looked up?the steamer was a mere smudge on the distant bosom of the river. It was late afternoon before Rene finally emerged from the cabin to learn the news, and I spent most of tlje time on wntch, seated at the edge of the bluff, my eyes searching the surface of the river. While Kirby's presence upstream unquestionably increased our peril of capture, tills did not cause me as iuuch_uuxious thought levils Owit nonce of flie Block Bowk Wof? iffaiidflll of Central) cod, *Skea of 0?lriiliRr?g?k, tfwnWtt<Urncjj wtuKin^Tftc PMr^M bjIwvMiF^w as did the strange disappearance of Free Pete and the two women. What had become of them during the night? Surely they could never have outstripped us with only a pair of oars | by which to combat the current, and yet we had obtained no glimpse of them anywhere along that stretch of river. The knowledge that the steamer which had passed us was heavily laden with troops was most encouraging. In itself alone this was abundant proof of the safe delivery of my dispatches, and I was thus relieved to realize that the duty had been performed. There might be wonder and later the necessity of explanation, yet no one would suffer from my absence, and I was within the limits of my furlough?the re-enforcements for Forts Armstrong and Crawford- were already on their way. So, altogether, I faced thq task of eluding Kirby with a lighter heart and renewed confldencej Alone, as I believed bim to be, and In that new country on the very verge of civilization, he was hardly an antagonist I needed greatly to fear. Indeed, as man to man, I rather welcomed an encounter. There is little to reeord, eithet of the day or night. The latter shut down : dark but rainless, although tne sky was heavily overcast by clouds. Sam made no endeavor to speed his engine, keeping most of the way ctyse to the deeper shadow of the shore, and the machinery ran smoothly, its noise indistinguishable at any distance., Day nau Dot oruaou wuou unuiu iv mc mouth of the Illinois and turned our bow cautiously up that stream, becoming Immediately aware that we had entered new waters. The negro, Ignorant of what was before us, soon beached the boat on a sand bar, and we decided it would be better for us to remain there until dawn. This was not long in coming, the graying sky of the east slowly lighting up the scene and bringing into view, little by little,' our immediate surroundings. Nowhere appeared the slightest evidence of life, either on water or land; all was forlorn and dead, a tlsta of utter desolation. Sam was standing up, his whole attention concentrated on the view upstream. "Do steamers ever go up this river?" I asked, surprised at the volume of water. He glanced around at me as though startled at my voice. "Yas, sah; putty near eny sorter boat kin. Trouble Is, sah, we's got started in de wrong place?dar's plenty watah t'other'side of dls yere bar." "Who told you the best way to find Shrunk?" His eyes widened and searched my face, evidently still somewhat suspicious of any white man. "A nigger down St. Louee way, sah. Dey done cotched him an* brought him back afore he even got ter Beardstown." "And you believe you can guide us there?" "Ah sure can, If whut dat nigger sed wus correct, sah. Ah done questioned him mighty partic'lar, an* Ah members ebery sign whut he glv' me."; He grinned broadly. "Ah sorter sus-r picioned Ah mought need dat Information." "All right, then; it Is certainly light i enough now?let's push off." We had taken the sand lightly and were $ble to pole the boat into deep water with no great difficulty. The broader river behind us remained veiled in mist, but the gray light was sufficient for our purpose, enabling us to proceed slowly until our craft had rounded the protruding headlhnd, out of sight from below. "'Tain't so awful fur from yere, sah," Sam called to me. "What?the place where we are to land?" . | "Yas, sah. It's de mouth ob a little creek whut yer nebber see till yer right plum at it. Bettah keep'yer eyes open 'long dat shore, sah." The girl, alertly bent forward, was first among us to detect the concealed opening, which was almost completely screened by the overarching trees, her voice ringing excitedly as she pointed it out. Sam was quick to respond, and almost before I had definitely established the spot, the bow of the boat swerved and we shot in through the leufy screen, the low-hung brunches sweeping ugainst our faces and scraplug ul yig the sides. It looked a veritable cave, and indeed all I remember noting in my first hasty glance through the shadows was the outline of a small boat moored to a fallen tree. I scrambled over, found precarious footing, and made fast. "So this is the place?" I questioned incredulously, staring about at the dark, silent forest, which still remained in the deep night shade. "Why, : there's nothing here." "No, sah; dar certenly don't 'pear fer ter he much," and the negro crept out of the cockpit and joined me, !" 'ceptin' dat boat, par ain't no boat \ I 'round yere, les' folksTh'os bin a-ridln' in It, Ah reckon." 1 Sam advanced cnutiouslyfjmd bfegfln i anxiously; to scan the ?rdund, beating : bkck and forth thrpjUgh the under-,1 brush. Aftefr Watching him'Vmoment 1 my ga?e settled on the strange boat* and I crept along the log, curious tp examiner jit toore closely, It ha? the .< appearance of being newly built, 'the paint unscratched, and 'exhibiting few marks of usage. A single pair of oars lay crossed in the bottom, and beside these was an old coat and some ordinary fishing tackle?but nothing to arouse any interest. Without doubt it belonged to Amos Shrunk, and had been left here after, the return from some excursion either up or down the river. I was, still staring at these things and speculating abont them when the negro called out from a distance that he had found the path. Rene answered his hall, standing pp j in the boat, and I hastened back to help her ashore. We had scarcely exchanged words during the entire night, but now she accepted my proffered hand gladly, ' and with a smile, springing lightly 1 from the deck to the insecure footing 1 of the log. "I do not Intend that you shall lenve me behind," she said, glancing about ! with a shudder. "This is such a horrid plqce." "The way before us looks scarcely better," I answered, vainly endeavoring to locate Sam. "Friend Shrunk evidently is not eager for callers. Where is that fellow?" , * "Somewhere over in that thicket, S1 think. At least his voice sounded from there. You discovered nothing in the boat?" "Only a rag and some fishing tackle. Come; we'll have to plunge in somewhere." She followed closely as I pushed a | passage through the obstructing underbrush, flnaljy locating Sum at the edge pf a small opening, where the light was sufficiently strong to enable | us to distinguish marks of n little-used trail leading along the bottom of a ; shallow gully bisecting the. sidehlll. At the crossing of a small stream we noticed the imprint of several feet in the soft mud of the shore. One plainly enough was small and narrow, beyond all question that of a woman, but the others were all men's, one being clad in moccasins. Sam, still ahead, started to dlnmber across the trunk of a fallen tree, but came to a sudden halt, "Good Lord o' Mercyl" He Exclaimed Excitedly, "What'e Dat?" staring downward at something concealed from onr -view on the other , side. "Good Lord o' mercy I" he exclaimed excitedly, "what's dot?" I was close beside him by this time | and saw the thing also?the body of a man lying on the ground. "Wait where you are, Rene!" I exclaimed, waving her back. "There is a man lying here Reyond the log. Come, Sam; we will see what he looks like." t He was slow in following, hanging ' back as I approached closer to the ! motionless form, and I could hear the muttering of his lips. Unquestionably ; the man was dead; of this I was assured before I even knelt beside him. ; He lay on his face in a litter of dead leaves, and almost the first thing I noticed was the death wound back of I his ear, where a large-caliber bullet had pierced the brain. His exposed hands proved him a negro, and it was i with a feeling of unusual repugnance ! that I touched his body, turning it over sufficiently to see the face. All , -* * l l-<? .nhnlln ! (11 UllCt! I MICW linn, uuuuic ituuiij iu | repress n cry of startled surprise as ! I stared down into the upturned i face?the dead man evidently murdered, shot treacherously from behind, was Free I'cte. I sprang to my feet, gazing about blindly into the dim I woods, my mind for the instant dczed | by the Importance of this discovery. What could it mean? IIow could it j have happened? By what means had he reached this spot in advance of us, j and at whose hand had he fallen? He could have been there only for one ; purpose, surely?In an attempt to guide Eloise Beaucaire and the quad icon Delia. Then what had become of the women? Where were thef now? I stumbled backward to the suppor. of the log, unable ^to answer any ono of these questions!" remembering only j in that moment that I must tell Rene | the truth. "Tell mo?please," she begged. "Is 1 i the inr.n dead? Who is he, do you t ! know?" i \ - t "Yes," I replied desperately. "He Id dead, and I reeognitfed his face. He Is the negro Pete and has been killed, shot from behind." ' "Pete," shq echoed. grasping at the log/10 keep erect,' her eyes on that dimly revealed figure In the leaves. "Free Pete, Carlton's Pete? Howcould he have got here? Then?then the others must have been with him. What has become cf them7" "It Is all mystery? the only, way to solve It Is for us to go on. It can do no one any good to stand here, strtring at this dead 'body. When we reach/ the rnhln we mav learn what has OC*/ eurred. Go.on ahead, Sara, and we will follow?don't be afraid, boy; It Is not the dead who hnrt usl" She clung tightly to me, shrinking past the motionless figure. ; She was ShexClung Tightly to Me, Shrinking Past the Motionless Figure. not sobbing; 'her eyes were dry, yet every movement, each glance exhibited her depth of horror. I drew her closer, thoughtless of what she was, ray heart yearning to speqk words ?r comfort, yet realizing there was-nothing left rae to say. "Do not mind me,'.* she said, pausing before the utterance of each word to steady her voice. "I?I am noti going to break down. It?It is the suddenness?the shock. I?I shall be strong again In a minute." "You must be," I whispered, "for their Hves'mny depend on us." It was a short path before us and became more clearly defined as we advanced. A sharp turn brbught us into full view of the cabin, w4hlch stood In p small opening, built, against the sldehlli, and so overhung -with trees as to befflThrfbl^ the direction of our approach. TVe could see only the side wall, which contained one open window, and was a One-room affair, low and flat-roofed, built of logs. Its outward appearance was peaceful enough, and the swift beat of my pulse quieted as I took rapid survey of the surroundings. "Sana," I commanded, "you are to remain here with Rene, while I learn i he truth yonder. Yes1," to her quick protest, "thnt will be the better way? there is no danger and I shall not be gone but for a moment" I seated her on a low stump and left them there together, Sam's eyes rolling about in a frightened effort to perceive every covert In the woods, but the girl satisfied to wateh me Intently as I moved cautiously forward. A dozen steps brought me within view of the front of the cabin. Yhe door had been smashed in and hung dangling from one hinge. Another step, now with a pistol gripped In my hand, enabled me to obtain a glimpse within. Across the puncheon threshold, his feet even protruding without, lay a man's body; beyond hinh half concealed by the shadows of the Interior, appeared the outlines of another, with face upturned to the roof, plainly distinguishable because of a snow-white beard. ' CHAPTER IX. The Trail of the Raldert. Shocked and unmanned as I was at this discovery, to pause there staring at those gruesome figures would have only brought fresh alarm to the two watching my every movement from the edge of the clearing. Gripping ray nerves, I advanced over the first body, watching for any sign of the presence of life withih the cabin. There was none?the work of the murder had been completed, nnd the perpetrators had fled. The dead man, with ghastly countenance upturned to the roof rafters, and the snowy beard, was undoubtedly the negro helper, Aruos Shrunk. Peto's description of the appearance of the man left this identification beyond al) dispute. He had Ik en stricken down by a savage blow | which had literally crushed in one I side of his head, hut his dead hands ; yet gripped a rifle, as though he had, fallen lighting to the last. Tim other mini, tiie one Ivinc across I the threshold, had b"en shot, although I did not ascertain this fact until after I turned the body over sufficiently to reveal the fuce. This was disfigured by the wound and covered with, blood, so that the features could scarcely be seen, yet I Instantly recognized the fellow?Carver. Surprised out of all control by this unexpected discovery, I steadied myself against the log wall, fully aroused to the sinister meaning of his presence. To a degree the com plete significance of this tragedy in- . stuntly gripped my mlad. If this fellow Carver had been one of the assail J in*s then It was absolutely^ certain ; lmt Klrby must also have bocri present? the leader of the attack. This ; Inevitably meant that both men bac been aboard the steamer, and latei wero pat ashore at the mouth of th< Illinois. And, now that I though about It, why not? It was no accident and I- wandered jthRtj tjie possibility had never occurred to me before. Th< gambler naturnlly knew all the gosslj of the river, and beyond question h< would be aware of ithe reported ex Istence of this underground statloi for runaway slaves. It was commoi talk as far down as St Louis, and hb mind would instantly revert to th< possibility that the fleeing Rene mlgh seek escape through the assistance o Shrunk. The mysterious vanishing o the boat would serve to Increase tha suspicion. Even If this had not oc curred to him at first, the steame would have brought news that no keel boat hod been seen on the lower river while the captain of the John B Glover, or someone else on board wnnld hnve hepn sure to have men tioned the negro helper and sugges that he might have had a hand In thi affair. To follow that trail was, In de^d, the most natural thing for E'<r by to do. He had not overtaken Rem because she was not yet there, but h bad unexpectedly come upon the othe fugitives, and, even though the en counter had cost the life of his hench mdn, Carver, It also resulted In th death of two men who had come be tween him odd his prpy?the negr and the abolitionist. ? The seen cleared In my brain and became vlvli and real. I could alViost picture in dt tail each act of the grim trdfeedy. Th two revengeful trackers?If there wer onlyy two engaged, for others migh have been recruited on the steamermust have crept up to the hut In th night or early -morning. Posslbl Kirby had learned of some othe means of approach from the big rivei Anyway the fact that Shrunk ha been trapped within the, cabin woul Indicate the final attack was a sui prise. .The negro might have bee asleep outside and met his death 1 an attempt at escape, but the oi whife roan, finding flight Impossible had fought desperately to the last an Iiad killed one antagonist before r( celving his death blow. This was al plain enough, but what had becoms c Kirby, of the two women?Elolse am the quadroon mother? ' i Uncertain what to do or how to ac I could only turn to the waiting gii and the negro to tell them what I ha found. They listened as though scarcel comprehending, Sam uttering ltttl moans of horror, and appearing hell less from fright, bat Itene quiet, mer< ly exhibiting her emotion in the whip ness her face and quickened breatl ing. Her eyes, wide open, questional seemed to sense my uncertainty. As ended the tale and concluded with m theory as to what had occurred fo lowing the deed of blood, her quic mind asserted Itself. "But this must have happened ver lately; the fire still smoldered, yo said. When do you think that steame could have landed here?" "Why, perhaps early last evening. "And it lias not occurred to you thn the boat might have waited here whil the man Kirby went ashore?" "No; that could scarcely be true, 1 the steamer was transporting troops what was it you were thinking about? Mi-ru. ?_ -1, II "it 18 Ull UUIK, ui uiuisc, sue ow slowly, "we can only guess fit whe happened. But to me It seems impos slble that the man Klrby could hav accomplished this alone?without ai sistance. The boat - we saw at th landing was not his; It must hav been Pete's, and there Is no evldenc of any other trail lending here from th river. If, as you Imagine, he knei the captain of that steamer, and som of the other men aboard were Mlssoi rians and defenders of slavery, h would have no trouble In enlistln their help to recover his runawa slaves. They would be only too glu to break up an abolitionist's nes That Is what I believe has happened they came ashore in a. party, and th steamer waited for them." "And you think the prisoners wer taken along? Yet Kirby would nc want to transport them up th<} river. "As to that," she insisted, "he coul not help himself. He needed to ge away quickly, and there were no othe means available. He could only hop to connect later with some craft soutl bound on which to return." "You may be right," I admitted, In pressed, yet not wholly convincet "But what can we do?" ^ She looked at me reproachfully. "You should not ask that of a girl. The words stung me. "No; this is my task. I wo v mini 'Vplflipr enn w remain here, only lotig enough to bur those bodies. It would be inliuma not to do that. Sam, there Is an ol spade leaning against the cabin wallgo over and get it." He started on his mission relu< tantly enough, glancing constantl backward over his shoulder to insur . . A ? J nimseii 01 uur preseuue nuu iuiuuh avoiding any approach to the ope door. Unpleasant as our task was 1 proved to be less difficult of accon plishment than I had anticlpatet There were blankets In the cabl bunks, and In these I wrapped th bodies. They were too heavy, ho* over, for me to transport alone, and ! required some threatening to indue Sam to give me the assistance necei sary to deposit them Ju the shallow grave. Only the fear that I woul not have him with us longer couipelle his Jci-iir<g me. lie was more frigh / V "T t ' # l 1 Ljed at the thought of being left alon : than of contact with the dead. San i t filled In the looce earth, roi itding It , Into forjn, end the two of as stood t above the fresh mound, air bent ? heads bared to the sunlight, while 1 j I endeavored to repent brokenly a few i words of prayer. Now our first neees slty was food. Of thjs I found a fulr i supply, and compelling Sam to assist i ine. we hastily nrenared n tvnnn meal 3 over the open fire. It was eaten withb ont, no one of us desiring to remain t in the midst of that scene of death; t and the very knowledge that the f dread burial was completed a.id that t we were now free to depart iirought to y all of us a renewed courage, r It scarcely seemed probable that one . man alone, or eveu two men, bad coinniltted this crime, and the sole survivor disappear so completely with the I, prisoners. I had turned each detail . over and over In my thought, while t I worked, yet to but little purpose, e The only prbserit solutlod of the prob. lew seemed to be our return to that . hidden^basln where our boat lay, and p then remaining there in concealment e until the darkness of another nlgpt I rendered it safe to once more venture ? the river. i. I spoke of this to her, as I flnnllj e approached where ste rested on the y stumpy eager and glad to escape from 0 all memories' of that somber cabin I e had just left. (j "Ton?you are no longer so confly dent," she said;, "your plan has f failed r ( "I am afraid it has," I admitted, t "for it Was based altogether on the - assistance of Amos Shrunk, tie Is no ( longer alive, and I do not know where j to turn for guidance. There would 1 seem to be danger in every direction; .. the only question is?in which way lies o the leastf* r "You begin to regret4 your attempt tn nld mp?" r "No," impulsively. "So far as thai r goes I would do it all over again, torn i safety means more to me now than ? ever before?you must belleVe that.' d "Why should I? All I have brought ?. you is trouble. I can read In youi II face how discouraged yon Are. Toe ij must not think 1 do ^ot understand, d I do understand?perfectly. What yon have done has been only a response t. to impulse; merely undertaken I through a spirit of adventure. Then? d then why not let It end here, and-7 Sara and I can go on to-rtp whatevei 5 Is before us? li Is nothing to yon.* e "Ton actually believe I would con ). sent to that?" I asked in startled sur ?. prise at the vehemence of her words C "Thht I could prove such a cur?" i. "But why not? It would hot tx r a cowardly act at all. I could nol I blame you, for I have no claim on y your service?never have had. Ton 1. have don* a thousand times too muct b already; you have risked honor, repu 1 tat ion, and neglected duty to aid mj y escape; ana?ana i am miuung ui yui u ?can be nothing." J v ,r "Nothing to me?" "Certainly not. tVby Speak like ? that? Have yota forgotten again thai va "Certainly Not Why Speak - Llk< * That? Have You Forgotten Agalr That I am a Slave?a Negress?" d I am a slave?a negress? Think t Lieutenant Knox, what it would mear r to you to be caught in my company; e to be overtaken while attempting tc t- assist me in escaping from my master Now no one dreams of such a thing ? and no one ever need dreank Yoi 1. have had your adventure; let it enc here. I shall be grateful to you al ways, but?but I eahnoi bear to draj " you deeper Into this mire." "You order me to leave you?" s "I cannot order; I am a slave. Mj e nnlv nrivlleee Is to reauest, urge, lm y plora. I can merely Insist that it will n be best?best for us both?for you tc d go. Surely you also must realize thai -I this Is true?" "You have been brooding over all : '/this," I said gently, "sitting here alone y and thinking while we worked. I air e not going to answer you now. There y is no need. Nothing can be done until n! night, whatever we decide upon. Tot i will go back with us to the boat?" It "Ieg; 1 Simply cnnnor Bray nerrr ? i-1 her eyes wandering toward the cabin I (To be Continued). D e ^ | XT An experimenter has succeeded ir Jj; successfully substituting . crystals 01 a Rochelle salt for dry cell batteries li ... telephone circuits to transmit an( v amplify sound. 'I .w l' d d XT pure glyeerln will help to dissolvi t-1 fruit stains from linen. ? tf*. ' ' ' i ' A: MIGHTY HUNTRESS IS SHE | ,'k.' *. ' -J i v r 'YM Lady McKenzie Going Again Into u1 iuuh iue tike ran Will Rely Mainly en Canadian Indiana for 8oout Work in Africb?'Thinks Thai There a/re Still Important Oi#< c coveries to be Made?Is Willing to Risk Her Life. New Vork Sun, October It. JLady MacKenzle, mighty huntreya, Vv on Id nt thp Hnt?l> Amor veaterdftv that she expects to leave for Bast Africa within three weeks td renew bfr exploration of the Tana River country. , . She has been in New York* assembling equipment ,and arranging for the 4tsposition in this country of nlnd tons of trophies now stored at Ifombaasi. Many of these will1 be presented to the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History and to other museuips. Lady MacKenzld's exploration ottt* Tana River, one of the moat treacherous streams in the world throughout i j'j Its more than 2,000 miles of windings | through dense jungle and papyrus swamp, was Interrupted by the war, \ t Jjfl and the camp ehe established at the junction of the Tana and TbekJ Rivera was taken over by the British government as a military base. Heavy equipment will be waiting for her ' when ehe arrives. | She will take as part of her.egqlp, meat medical supplies to be used In an i effort to overcome an eye disease which threatens to blind the entire ( race of Masai* Canadian Indians as 8eout*' t '1 am going to try an experiment in ' :1? iriilri*.* and scouts." said the notld big , game hunter la?t evening. "Lending . my safari -will be three Canadian In( dians chosen by me because of their i skill, courage and endurance. These. , men will be invaluable for canoe work ! and for tracking. As always happens V | in such explorations and big fame hunts, the black men will stand Just | so much hardship and then they will , quit, deserting if possible. I shall have J j to rely upon my Canadian Indiana . when the pinch copes, because I am . going through with the Job this time." The coming expedition will be Lady . MacKensie'e third big venture la Africa, where she proved' her qkitt.ga . a big game kfller and as an egpigrer. Accompanying her on. previous hunts, were Bill Judd, who was CoL ^ j velfs lion hunter, and E. Sheliy, Whir ^ wna with Paul Rajney. F, Postna, , another noted big game hunter, Was , with her on two expfdftionf. t "in 1916," said Lady MacKensie . yesterday, "I was about to penetrate r the Tana River Jungle, and had coi tablished My base camp at the Juno* tion of the Tana and^Theki rivers When the British told me I would have to I abandonWny project They'considered t it too dangerous at the tlme\ I realise the job that lies /before me In attempt ins 10 explore una muo auninii ? ? and its basin, but I feel that the die- ^ - coveries possible will be worth risking my life for. One can only guess what lies along the turbulent Tan* , The Somalia have reported many times 'too | much elephant,' meaning great herda of elephants, and they' have reported swards of lions, rhino, bippp and j 1 > I other great begsts. I want to find out / if these stories are true and get specimens. As for snakes, I know they / will be present They are the only . things I really fear, "After I have supervised the shipment to this country of a great store / of tj-ophles I shall visit the JKasal, I taking a complete surgical and medical oiitflt, including a doctor skilled in oculism. Thle* race, a branch of the * } Zulu and one of the moot remarkable tribes in Africa, is affliated with an eye disease closely resembling trachoma. Unless this disease la checked - ??n> kn.ii speeciuy tne wnoie inuv win ik.wiwi i In a few years. I am hopeful of sue- W I cess in another mission. The Kaaai women are practising a form of race suicide in the fear that their children . will be made slaves by the xylites, i Something must be done to make tWhn I understand that white peoplq no > longer make slaves of black people." When Lady MacKenxle was in > British East Africa, near the border of i German lhast Africa, in 1014, her party 1 encountered a war party of blacks that had crossed the border and were pref paring to attack the natives under British rule. She moved camp ana back trailed, reporting the encounter r to the British authorities at Nairobi. * The authorities assumed that it, was I merely a tribal war, but when runners ) were sent out it was found that the t* German ruled natives had seised all the water holes along ' he border and I that machine guns commanded strat~ i egic positions. On top of this wtth? i in four weeks came the news that Qeri many had gone to war. It was obvious, I Lady MacKenzle said, that the GerI man government in German East Africa had received war orders from Berlin at least seven weeks before Eu- , . rope was plunged into war. Lady MacKenzle has live elephants ^ to her credit and innumerable lions, " - *- ha and i ninoceruaco, ivuyiuuai vimnm ' zebras. She has had more than one narrow escape from death In her hunt* ' ing expeditions. While trying to pho* I tograph a charging lion she took '% second, too long to seek cover, and the . / brute's' rush knocked her down. Be* i.' *. * a fore he could rush again she downed him with a single shot, \ v i r i?s, / ^"j it*"'' <i*V , :~T, J k f / tit i I