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, *‘Rvu .., .,.. l l j. y l l, CLEARING UP A MYSTERY Aral sortie Overland 'l‘rall. In the spring of l858 a party of emi rants, numbering thirty-six people, left uncil Bluffs, 1.1., for California, in charge of a guard named Frayne. It has alivnys b=en referred teas “the Frayne tragedy," and the names of many of the people, with a full account of the start, can be found in a book oblished in 1864 entitled “Heroes and artyrs of the Great West." The account as there published follows the party no further than Fort Kearny, but as s the enâ€" tire ex ition was attacked by ndians in Color 0 and every person massacred. During the Indian war of l867-8 the mys- teries surrounding the Frayne party wore cleared away, and it was in this work that I had a hand. In the Fall of 1867 I was at. tached to the garrison of Fort Laramie as a Government scout. The next spring, while on route to Fort Fetterman, seventy-five miles to the northwest, I got the first clue to the fate of the part . As none of them had ever reached Cali ornia or returned or been heard of by letter, it was of course to be supposed that all had been wiped out, but as to where and when was only guess- work. Both forts were practically beseiged, and the Indians had possession of the coun- try as far east as Fort Kearny. I left Laramie an hour after nightfall with a steady rain coming down and the night so dark that I could not distinguish an object five feet away. There were two routes to Feb tcrumn. One was to keep up the valley be tween Twin Mountains and cross the north fork of the Platte River opposite the fort ; the other was to cross the river at Iaramie and to keep to the east of the eastern Twin and cross the mountain at Hatcher’s Pass. The latter route was twonty miles the longer, but I selected it for that reason. THE INDIASS would argue that all couriers would take the shorter route. After etting across the river there was nothing (Io but to give my horse his head and trust to luck. He couldn’t be expected to know my destina- tion, but after being headed to the north- west he was likely to keep that direction unless interfered with. The greatest dan- ger was in the first ten miles. I dared not push him faster than a walk, and after the first ten minutes I could not tell whether we were going east, west, or north. It was 10 o’clock before I dismounted, sat down with a poncho over my head, and struck a light to look at my watch and compass. The horse had borne a. little too much to the north. At midni ht I got another look at the compass, on he had kept the exact course. The rain now ceas- ed, the sky ligbted up, and I made fair progress until it Was evident that morning was at hand. I had made a good twenty- live miles, and must now find a retreat for the day and finish the rest of the journey next night. To have attempted to push through by daylight would have been tak- ing too many chances, as war parties were out in every direction. As soon as‘the light was strong enough to reveal my sur- roundings I rode into the foothills and pushed along to the base of the mountain itself. By sunrise I found a sheltered cove and went into camp for the day. After a bite to eat I turned to and slept until one o’clock in the afternoon, and I had just woke up when the singular conduct of my horse attracted my attention. The cove was formed like a buy. It was not over 200 feet wide at its mouth and extended back about 500 feet. Here and there its sides could be scaled, but at the for end the wall was al- most plumb up and down and A HUNDRED FEET HIGH. I had camped on the right hand side of the cove and about half way of its depth. The horse was at the back end, with his neck stretched out to smell of something on the ground. I at first thought it was a serpent, at as I got up the object appeared to be a wagon wheel. A minute later I reached the spot to find that it was a wheel, or the larger part of one, as a portion had been burned. Such a thing could have belonged only to an emigrant wagon, and I immed- iately began to search for other relics. While the spring grass had just begun to start, the earth in all sheltered spots was covered by a mat of the old grass. It was a feet deep here, but as I went kicking around I soon turned up many things. In the course of an hour I had found enough iron work to satisfy me that six or eight wagons had been burned in the cove. I likewise found some pieces of cock stoves, quite a lot of crockery, two axes, and a lot of bones of horses. I had heard of the Frayue tragedy, but had always understood that it was supposed to have occurred in Colorado. I was now in Wyom- ing and at least 300 miles to the north of the route the party was said to have taken. It was easy to guess what had happened in the cove. A party of emigrants, probably seek- ing for a pass through the mountains, had been driven in there by the Indians. None but Indians would have burned the wagons. I could not find bones enough to represent over four or five horses, and it followed that the others must have been driven off. As to human bones, there was none at all. As I searched about my horse wandered down to the mouth of the cove, and it was about 3 o’clock, and I was still kicking about in the grass when I heard a snort of alarm from the horse, and looked up to see about twenty Indians on their ponies. They had trailed me in, and thought they had me for sure, but at their first yell I rushed for the righthand wall, where trees and bushes were growing clear down to the grass. It was tough climbing, but I was in a rest hurry just then to get somewhere. a not over particular as to the route. The wholel gang came galloping up and opened fire on me, but I was then forty feet up the bank and had the shelter of a mass of rocks. Had halfa dozen of thomdismouuted at once and ursued mel should have been captured, t they waited tomake sure they had not fallen into a trap, and that saved me. As I‘ beasts had found a chance to not gone a quarter of a mile when the groundbeganto dip from both east and pest into a chasm musing north and south. t was A WILD-1.0011156 SPOT, but just the place for me under the circum- stances, and I descended into it until I could go no deeper. \Vhile crouched on the bottom I heard the Indians passing and repassing on both banks, butnone attempted the descend. I remained quiet for about an hour and then began to work my way down the rift to the north. It has been measured since and found to be a quarter of a. mile long. I reached the north end to find that it dropped into astill deeper rift, and that the latter bent to the east and came out into a cove similar to the one I had camped in, but a mile to the north of it. It was sundown when I looked out into this cove, and at its mouth were half a dozen Indians Seated around a camp fire, with their ponies grazing near them. My hope had been to get out and finish the rest of my journey on foot, but I certainly could not get out by that route, and it had now become too late to hope to make my way out of the rift and descend the mountain further north. In the emergency my only safe plan was to retire up the rift and find a good lace to pass the night. I kept clambering IIntel: until I had quite reached the south end, and then I felt it would be safe to start a fire. The bottom of the rift was littered with leaves and branches, and I soon had a cheerful blaze going. Soon after the fire was lighted two great wolves suddenly rush- ed past me, going north. They had come out of the mass of rocks at the south end. Thinking there was a den there in which others might be in hiding, I made a torch that I might inspect the place. Under a tangle of trees which had fallen from above was the mouth of a cave. It was rather small at first, but I rolled aside some of the rocks and found a hole almost large enough to drive a wagon into. This hole led to the south; or toward the cave where I had first seen the Indians. Once fairly inside I could figure it out pretty plainly. The rift had once been a part of the same cave, but the roof had fallen in. The north entrance led into the deeper ravine or canon. Where the south entrance was I proposed to find out. Gathering material for three or four torches, I pushed my way along. For per- haps a hundred feet there was little change in the dimensions. Then I came upon a great chamber measuring fifty feet by thirty. Here the roof was from nine to fifteen feet high, the walls rough and ragged, and the floor very uneven except right in the centre. I continued straight across it until my way was blocked by a great boulder. The atmosphere was dry'and the air sweet and pure, but the darkness was so thick that my torch cast only a small circle of light. I spent about an hour bringing in limbs and brush to build a large fire in the middle of the chamber. \Vhen it got well to blazing, so that I could see every portion of the chamber, I got a great shock. The cavern was a veritable charnol house. There was pot such a. thing as a. perfect skeleton, but there were hundreds and hun- dreds of human bones lying about, each one as white as ivory and as clean as a billiard ball. There were also seven separate and distinct heaps, which turned out to be clothing, crockery, cooking utensils, (be. Hats, caps, and boots were lying about, and against one of the walls were seven rifles. Near by were three axes and two small kegs of powder. The outfit had been provided with spades, shovels, and picks, but these, minus their handles and adly rusted‘ I had kicked out of the grass outside. There were four or five wooden chests among the baggage in the chamber. I pried these open one after another to find them full of clothing or bedding and family keepsakes. In nearly all of them were old letters or account books, and I was not yet through with the first trunk when I knew that I had solved the mystery surrounding the Frayne party. It had been made up of families from Sac City, Boone and Jefferson and I had heard the names of most of them mentioned. In a box which had belonged to Frayne himself I found five letters and an account book. On three of the trunks Were spots where the wolves had gnawed off candle grease. I likewise found Where candles had been placed on the walls. 1 did not finish my inspection that night, but at 10 o’clock fixed a small fire to keep the wild beasts out and lay down and slept till morning. Then I made a. thorough search to see if any of the doomed people had left any record behind them. On the floor of cave I found a book which had been used as an account book by John Martin,a farmer from near Sac City. He had kept a sort of diary from April 28, the day of the start, up to the same day in June, two months later. His jottings were brief, but spoke of dissensions and oflosing their wa '. It was probably some time early in July when the party arrived at the cave. They had, perhaps, decided to rest there for two or three days, as there was plenty of fuel, water, and s. They were discovered and attacke by Indians. There must have been an entrance to the cave on that side, and when they found the Indians too strong them they retreated into it, leaving their wagons to be captured and burned. How that entrance came to be blocked I could not discover, but it looked as if A GREAT LANDSIJDE had occurred. The north entrance probab ly did not exist at that time, but was 0 ed by the convulsion of nature which caved the roof in. The people had carried flour, meal, beans, pork, coffee, tea, and sugar into the cave, but there was not a drop of water to be had. I hunted over the place foot by foot, but not even a damp spot could be found. They had erished one by one simply of thirst, though) it may have been that the supply of air was also cut off when the mouth of the mvern was closed. When a portion of the roof fell in the wild et at the ascended I bore to the left, and before any bodies. Each and every person ad prob- onc took in the chase I was on the heightsg at the bee end of the cove. A lot more Indians came in. and I counted sixtv~six of them as l halted to set breath. They got my saddle and blanket, but nothing more. As the first party came cba ' in, my horse flanked out to the left 0 cm. and reached the plains and headed back for Laramie. He arrived at the fort during the ni lit in good shape. ‘rorn what I saw and heard I was led to believe that at least twenty of the Indians pushed up the bank after me. After reach- ing the crcs'il kept to the north, and as there was a dense th of trees and bushes, with huge boulders scattered about, they had little show to track me. I had ably been dead for months or years when that happened. That afternoon the Indians gave up look- ing for on and rods of to the south and next day I reached Fort Fetierman. it was some months after the Custer massacre be- fore we made up a rty to visit the cave. We found things a at as I had lelt them. In the cave and ravine we found bones enough to represent thirty-two people. The other four might have died on the way out or been captured by Indians in the fight. We brought away most of the goods, and a tab-re of the relics was sent back to riends in Iowa. On a closer inspection it was discovered that considerable work had been done towards digging out. At one side I t 3 s l of the ehamberwasa ledge or shelf, and the men had stood on this and dug upward, out before they had acoom lisbed much thirst had robbed them of strength and they had flung themselves down to die. PBBSIA IS IN A VERY BAD WAY. The film): New l'nder the Control of a Priestly Ollgarehy. The internal affairs of Persia seem to be proceeding steadily from bad to worse. A correspondent of the London Times, who do- clares that he has the highest authority for his statements, writes: “The priestly caste, which has always enjoyed greater authority in Persia than in Mussulam coun- tries of the Sunni persuasion although hum- bled by the present ruling dynasty, has exploited to the utmost the prevailing dis- content for the furtherance of its own ends and the revival of its own prestige. Mahdist doctrinesâ€"i.e., the belief in the speedy ad- vent of the twelth Imam, who is to sweep the unbelievers off the face of the earthâ€" have always had a strong hold upon Shiite Mohammedans. During the last Muharrem festivals the priesthood announced in many mosques that a mahdi and savior unto Persia had risen at Samara, near Bagdad, in the person of Mollah Hajji Mirza Hassan Shirazi, and that he was predestined to rule over the land. This ominous announcement was rendered still more significant by the ommission of the khutbeh, the prayer for the shah, which throughout Is- lam is the most ancient and sacred privilege of royalty. These incidents acquire all the more gravity that the shah feels himself helpless to cope with the impending crisis. Treachery is rampant within the palace it- self, and the shah’s third son, Prince Naib- es-Sultanch, who is at the some time minis- terof war, is known to be in secret sympathy with the malcontent leaders. It is no es- aggeration to say that the shah rules in lit- tle more than name, and, as it were, on suf-. ferance. The power, both in the capital and in the provinces, almost throughout his empire, has passed out of his hands into those of the priestly oligarchy. who are the masters of the situation. The grand vizier himselfâ€"Emin-es-Sultanâ€"has been compelled to enter into secret negotia- tions with the most influential of these holy agitators, the Mollan Mirza Eassan Ashti- any, in the hope, it is alleged, of pursued- ing him that the deposition of the shah would involve the occupation and possible parti- tion of the last great Shiah kingdom by the very Eurpeans whose presence is so loathful to every right-thinking Mussulman.” W THE FALLS 0P MON TMORBNOI. An Electric Light Company Mnrring the Beauty of the Famous Scene. The beauty is likely soon to depart from the far-famed Falls of Montmorenci,so fam- iliar to all tourists to Quebec. The entire waterfall and all the surrounding property have just passed in the hands of the Quebec Electric Light Company, the price paid be- ing $230,000. Already the company has been utilizing a portion of the water power from the river above the contaract as me- tive power for their dynamos, which, situ- ated in a. factory near the foot of the falls, furnish all the lights for the illumination of the streets of Quebec. Now they are likely to draw off so largely increased on amount of water for the proposed extension of their operations that there will be little or none left, particularly in the dry season, to come over the precipice. It is proppsed to manufacture electrical motive power for all the factories and other industrial houses in Quebec, as well as stor- age light for all the passenger cars of the Canadian Pacific Railway. New iron sup- ply pipes, 1,2001’eet long and six feet in diameter, are being constructed to tap the river above the falls, and some of the water so conducted will be used twice over, one of the new factories being erected half way up the cliff adjoining the cataract. A lake twenty miles up the river will probably be damned in order to insure a supply of water in dry seasons. In the purchase of this property is included that of the magnificent manor house overlooking the falls, which was thesummerresideuce of Queen Victoria’s father, the late Duke of Kent, when com- mander of the forces in Canada in the com- mencement of the present century. Here it was that the beautiful and accomplished Mme. de St. Laurent presided over the household establishment and pefit soupcrs of his Royal Highness, whom the French Canadian beauty accompanied to England retiring to a convent after the Duke’s mar- riage to the mot-her of the Queen. .__...__....____â€" AN OLD REGIMEN T Coming Back to Canada After an Absence ' of10 Years. The King‘s Regiment, the 8th Regiment of Foot, is coming back to Canada after an absence of over 70 years. This regiment was formed in 1635 and in 1763 embarked for Canada. In 1775 the regiment was in Upper Canada, some companies being at Niagara and otheis at Detriot. In 1776 part of the regiment was sent to Lower Canada, and in 1785 it returned to England. In 1808 the lat Battalion landed at Halifax and in 1810 it was quartered in Quebec. In the autumn of 1812 five companies proceeded to Fort George. Two companies (the Grenadicrs) of 175 men halted east of the Don bridge, on the Kington road, and then marched up King street to the old Fort, and in April of 1813, the 8th and a few militia and a com- pany of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment bravely fought the engagement that event- ually ended in the capture and burning of the city. This regiment had the first Mason- ic field warrant issued by the Grand Lodge of England, granted in 1755. It was No. 156 for 1770 to 1780 and No. 124 in 1780. [The lad e hold meetings in Canada at l 1 Niagara. at there is no record of the lodge after 1789. Joseph Clement, the ancestor of Jno. M. Clement of Niagara was made a Mason in this lodge. â€"-â€"â€"-â€"-..' The Tailor Made a Distinction. A good-looking actor, who dresses even better than he note, has appeared lately in a new cost. which his tailor would be justi- fied in advertising as a “great success," fora half dozen friends of the actor have, since then, ordered coats of the some out and ttern. ” Ve’ve had another friend of yours in for one of those costs," said the particle of a man, when the actor called at his tailor’s the other day. “ Was he an actor? " “No, sir. He was a gentleman." wosossrot 'sosrswnsrsss TALE. An Indian Sucked Into a louasaln llaelstrom and Pound Two Hundred and rm: muss Away. A despate‘a from Kootonay, B. C., says : Albert Manson, who has reached here from Montana, tells a wonderful story. He says: Two prospectors, named respectively Phil Barnes and Pierre Leger, a Flathead Indian guide named Klikat and myself, left Bon~ ner‘s Ferry on the 7th day of August, and struck out in a northeasterly direction, headed for the peaks and canyons in the extreme northern range of the main divide of the Rockies. The purpose of my two white companions was to prospect for Valu- able miucrals in a section of country which few, if any, white men have ever entered before. My own object was to seek diversion and adventure, and being a newspaper man, to gather facts hitherto unknown and make them public at my leisure. On the 28th day of Augustâ€"according to the observa- tions taken by meâ€"we were within twenty five or thirty miles of the Canadian line and at an altitude of 7500 feet. It was noon of the day mentioned above. On our left was a craggy precipice about eighty feet high overhanginga roaring mountain stream and extending fully two miles to the south. But we heard more than the swash of the running stream. There came to our cars a deep, roaring sound, alternating in force, stronger and weaker, at intervals of a few seconds. It came in‘ jarring sounds, with A VOLUME mun 'rnrxnsu. For some minutes we listened in silence. Then suddenly Klikat spoke. “Me know what him is,” he said, with a pleased air of comprehension. “Him is Big-Hole-in-the-lVater. Him heap water run to hell and put out devil’s camp fire.” “Big hole in the water,” I echoed. “What do you mean by that, Klikatl” “You come look,” he said, advancing to the edge of the precipice and throwing him- self flat on the rock with his head and shoulders hanging over. “Ugh l” be ex- claimed. “Big-Holc-in-tbe-V‘Voter heap mad to-day. Him funny. Water go in ground ; never come out.” . ' Following Klikat’s example I cautiously approached the edge of the projecting rock, throw myself on the ground face downward, and peered down from the dizzy height. Barnes and Leger did likewise. It was a curious and awe inspiring sight that we beheld. Straight down below there was a. deep pool, or lake, about a quarter of an acre in area and. enclosed. on three sides by high walls of eternal rook, thus forming a perpetual and insurmountable barrier to the passage of the water beyond this spot. The noisy mountain stream poured great volumes of sparkling water into this natural basin and then lost itself. The water in the pool swung rapidly around as on a pivot and constantly drifted in a. steadily acceler- ated tidal current toward the centre. And here was the most startling feature of this wonderful stream. In the very centre of the deep water was a LARGE CIRCULAR CAVITY, or depression, tunnel-shapedâ€"a great “suck hole,” in factâ€"fully eight feet across at the surface, {the water spinning round and round, rushing downward with lightning speed. A tremendous force of gravity was at work in that awful pit of darkness. In the centre of this funnel was a great mass of snow white foam, dancing and whirling and scattering flakes of itself around the dark blue rim of the vortex. At intervals of fifteen or twenty seconds there would be a greater downward-rush of water, the pil- lar of foam would disappear with the in- creased s eed of the current ; then the roar woul increase in volume, another pil- lar of foam would form, only to disappear a few moments later as the previous one had done. It was a grand, a. terrrible sight. I glanced at my two friends, who like myself were electrified by this mighty freak of nature. “ If I could find a. ledge of quartz with color in it anywhere near by,” observed Mr. Barnes, "I would crecto. stamp mill right here and drop a. horizontal wheel into that boiling suck hole. Great Scot l but wouldn’t it spin, though l” I rather thought it would, but at that moment my attention was suddenly and and shockingly attracted to Klikat, who had been lying about eight feet away on myleft. There was slow, crumbling sound and then a mass of shelving rock right under Klikat broke loose and. FELL “'I’I‘II A l-‘EARFUL CRASH into the edge of the whirling ool. Istarted to my feet just as I saw the ndian making frantic efforts to cling to the edge of the clill’. But his hold was too slight and the rock crumbled under his grasp. \Vithout uttering word or sound of any kind Kliknt fell headlong into the mad water beneath. After a few seconds he came to the surface. Barnes rushed to one of the pack mules for a. rope, but it was too late. Three, four, five times did Klikut swing around in a -spiral course that gradually grew nearer to the centre of the great funnel, at the some time making frantic efforts to swim out of it. But it \vitslaborlost.3\\’itli n. movement that looked like a sudden twist he shot into the very centre of the vortex. For one brief movement he sprung around like a top, and then down he went with the pillar of foam, out of sight into the bowels of the earth and the darkness of death. We at last reached the south shore of Lake Kootenoy. Justhefore sundown we anchored on the west shore and pulled the canoe out of the water. “’0 at once began prepara- tions for a camp fire and it was while in the act of gathering dry driftwood along the shore that Leger discovered a very ghastly object lying in the water within six feet of land. It was the corpse of a manvan Indian. Leger at once called us to him, and: together We dragged the body ashore. The face of the dead was BADLY HRIIISBD AND TORY and utterly disfigured. The body was very much bloated, too, and all We could see for seertainty was that the corpse was the remains of an Indian. " Hold on 7” suddenly exclaimed Barnes, as he bent over the dead body and cut some- thing from the neckâ€"a piece of ragged cloth. “Byâ€"-â€"!"he cried, as he raised him self erect and held up the article mentioned. “This is the remnant of my silk hand- kerchief, which I gave topoor Klikatto cover the gash he cut on his neck by that dead limb one dayâ€"do you remember 1 And see ! Right here in this corner is my monogrsm~‘ . B.'â€"worked in silk.” It was so. We all recognised the silken rag and we all knew that the corpse before us was the dead body of Klikat, who had fallen into thegfihnnel of that awful an! ir- ranean river, u y 250 miles .a ’ in the rookiesof Northern all yet there was his co , drifted asho e on this lake, between which and the “ big hole in the water" there is not the slightest con- nection, so far as mortal eyes can see. How came he to Lake Rootenay, and how long had he been there? â€"â€"â€"-â€"+â€"â€"â€". A FATAL CHOICE. He Listens to the Panther Carry orr Ills Sleeping Friend. On this night we had made our camp-â€" Joe and I--â€"on the west side of the Salmon River mountains,and on the banks of acrcek falling into the west fork of the Salmon river. Joe was a half-breed boy about IS years oldâ€"an honest, trusty fellow, and a reliable guide~aml just then We had nothing to fear from the Indians. I had been feverish all day, and when I turned in, with my feet to the fire and the . stars above me, at about 8 o’clock, I was a I little bit flinhty. The last I rcmeuiberedvj was hearing Joe collecting fuel for the night. His bed had been prepared about‘ six feet from mine, and he had told me that' a whisper would awaken him if I needed him during the night. ““ . I awoke about midnight with the fever gone and all my senses peculiarly alert. It seemed as if I could hear better than ever in my life before. Just above us was a rifile in the creek, and I heard the waters babbling and caught a splash now and then as the fish ran up or down. I heard a noise in the forest, and know that a dead limb had fallen. A wolf barked, and I figured it out that he was about half a mile away. There was a rustling among the leaves, and I said to myself that a mole was running about. Step ! Step 1 Step i If my head had not been in contact with the earth I could nothavc maul: out the sound. It was faint and light. The horses were lying down, as I knew by the sound of their breathing, and when I lifted my head a bit I saw that Joe was wrapped in his blanket. Stop ! Step ! Step 1 Ah, I have it now ! It is the wolf whose bark I heard five minutes ago. The dull glow of our campfire has caught his eye, and he is prowling about to investigate. He is gaunt and shambling, and at- this season of the year his fur is stained and ragged. He skulks and dodges, advances and re- trouts, and now and then hislip drops down to reveal his fangs. There is no fear of him. Even if there were a dozen they would not attack. If I were to sit upright this fellow would drop his tail and make a bolt for it and not stop running for a. mile. Did I feel the earth jar beside me? No l If there was any movement at all it was caused by one of the horses raising his head to catch the scent of the wolf. The move- ment of a horse lying down or gettin up can be detected by a man in his blan ets 100 feet away. \Vus that noise made by something being dragged. along the earth ‘2 Of course not i A horse when sound asleep will often move one of his feet with a scrap- ing motion. A bear may be prowling about and his skufi‘! skulf! skufi‘l would account for the peculiar sound. “Joe ! Joe 1” The fever has left my throat as dry as tinder, and Isuddenly thirsted. It won’t take Joe over a minute to fill our coffee pot with ice-cold water at the spring. I don’t like to break in on his sleep, but he can make up for it to-morrow when left in charge of the camp. .I .. .. “Joe lJoe l” . He sleeps as lightly as a. fox, and, Indian- like, is awake every two hours to see that the fire is all right. I have called twice and yet failed to arouse him. The night is a. bit chilly and he may have wrapped his head in the blanket. I will sit up and see. But where is Joe? There is the spot where he made his bed, but he is not there. I can see clear around the fire, but Joe’s form is not in sight. He is not after fuelâ€"he is not at the spring. “ Joe ! Joe lJoc l” 1 am on my feet as I call. No answer. He would hear me if halfa mile away, but there is no response. I go to the spring and drink my fill, and return anl heap fuel on the fire and lie down again. Joe is a queer sort of boy. He may have gone down to the Sal- mon to set a couple of traps, or he may have seen Indians pass and followed them. There is no cause to worry. It is sunshine as I open my eyes again. I sit up and look around. Joe is not hero. I stand up and shout ” Coo-c-c-e l” but there is no reply. 1 look down upon the spot where he made his bed, and there is a trail as of some burden being dragged. I follow it, and ten rod away I find pieces of his blanket and blood on the leaves ; at twenty rods the rest of his blanket, torn and bloody. Through a thicket and on the far side of a. log I come upon his dead body, or the ghastly remains of it. While I was lying wide awake, as I have described to you, n panther crept up, sprang upon the sleeping boy and carried him away. I heard only the faint noises I have mentioned, none of them giving the slightest cause of alarm -â€" none of them loud euou vh to have aroused a sleeping warrior. The boy had made no cry, no struggle. Softly us he had alighlcd the gran out had struck him dead with one blow of hispaw. Two of us lay there motion- less and helpless. The panther had his choice. Who can guess what determined it. BRAZIL'S NEW CAPITAL- It “1" be l'lnrcd la a Federal District on the Great l'cnlrnl Plateau. A letter to the Paris Revue Francoise from llio dc Janeiro says that a scientific commission, healed by Senhor Cruls, has been appointed to select the site for the new capital of Brazil. The capital now being at Rio, it is not exclusively under the con- trol of the Federal Government. The con- stitution of the republic of Brazil provides that the capital shall be removed to a Federal district, like the District of Colum- bia in the United States. The commission is czpeetcd to suggest the best place it can find xor this Federal district. The head- quarters of the expedition will be on the great central plateau, several hundred miles northwest of Rio in the province of Miuas Games. This region, at an elevation of about 3,500 feet above the sea. is one of the most healthful parts of Brazil. It is c:- pccted that somewhere in this region, which forum the watershed 'wtwoeu the great rivers Parana, 'l‘ocantius, and Sac Ranciaco, M; 9:,”‘3243 ., ,, --:.’.»:-‘:::oi""~ i 5’.» .o-‘VW will be located. ltho Federal district and the NW capital