Part 2

Nikola Tesla, the great electrician, says, however, that this trouble only arises from want of knowledge as to the proper way to handle the rays. If they are held at a certain distance from the skin, there is not the slightest danger of accident.

The curious part of the wound inflicted by the X ray is that the burn is not felt at the time the mischief is being done. A person can allow his skin to be exposed to the X rays until it is badly burned without experiencing any pain until some time after the damage has been done. The injured part first swells, and then shows all the symptoms of a burn.

One man who had exposed his foot to the rays to discover a rifle-ball that was lodged in his heel received a burn that took eleven months to heal.

It seems curious that such a severe injury could be inflicted without any warning of pain. No sensation of warmth is felt until the part is burned, and then, according to Mr. Tesla, the pain does not seem to be on the surface as in ordinary burns, but deep-seated, in the very bones themselves.

* * * * *

There is fresh news from Brazil and Uruguay.

In Brazil, the insurgents, under their leader, Anton Conselhiero, were defeated, and the town of Canudos, which had been their stronghold, was taken from them.

So severe and crushing was the defeat which they sustained, that it is thought that the revolution has been brought to an end.

The battle lasted four hours, the rebels fighting with great courage and determination. The well-trained government troops proved too strong for them, however, and when the Brazilian artillery was brought to the front, and began to pour a steady fire into the rebel army, the ranks were broken and the insurgents fled for their lives.

The Brazilians pursued them hotly, and it is said that when the fight was over Conselhiero's army was almost annihilated.

In Uruguay the rebels have gained the upper hand, and it is hoped that that war will also be brought to a close very shortly.

The Uruguayan insurgents were much stronger than the Brazilian; indeed, they outnumbered the government troops, and fought so fiercely that Uruguay had to give in and ask for an armistice.

This the rebels granted, and during the cessation of hostilities negotiations for peace were immediately set on foot.

The terms of peace which the rebels offered were that they should have the right to choose the next President of Uruguay, and the governors of six of its provinces. They also demanded that all insurgents who had been dismissed from the regular army should be reinstated, and all who had been exiled on account of the rebellion should be allowed to return to their homes.

The Government is not willing to grant these terms, but it is thought that the rebels are so strong that they will be able to insist on the acceptance of their conditions.

* * * * *

Company E, of the Eighth New York Regiment, has started on an important military expedition.

It is the desire of the commanders to find out just what the practical value of a bicycle would be in time of war.

To demonstrate this, Company E, which is the bicycle company of the regiment, received orders to make a week's trip on Long Island, instead of going to the state camp as usual.

It is the intention to have the command cover a distance of five hundred miles during the week, each man carrying with him the regulation kit of a soldier on the march.

This outfit consists of the canteen or water-bottle, knife, fork, spoon, and combination frying-pan and plate, a blanket to sleep in, and of course a rifle, bayonet, and cartridge-box.

With the bicycle command, all these articles had to be stowed away so that the hands should be free to control the wheel.

The blanket was therefore strapped on the handle-bars, the musket slung under the saddle, the cartridge-box and bayonet hung from the soldier's belt, and slung across the shoulders were the canteen and a haversack containing all the other articles.

With all these articles the bicycle will be heavily loaded, and one of the points which the authorities especially wish to prove is whether it is possible for men to make any distance on wheels when they are so heavily weighted.

The baggage that we have described is the very least that a soldier can carry, and if no great distance can be accomplished with such a load, the wheel is of little value for purposes of war.

The military authorities are also desirous of proving just how reliable the bicycle itself is. Every one knows what the wheel can do on a level road or smooth track, but it has not been demonstrated how a troop of wheels will last on rough country roads.

Company E has taken no tents; the men are to sleep under such cover as they may find on the way. No food has been taken, or provided for; the men will have to forage, or seek for their own rations.

Their one extra is a bicycle ambulance. This is a very novel affair, and is made of a covered stretcher slung between two tandems. The men have been allowed to put kettles and coffee-pots inside the stretcher at the start, but if in case of illness the ambulance is needed, even these small comforts will be left behind.

They have with them an engineer to make maps, and a photographer, who has a camera slung under his saddle instead of a musket.

The experiment is to be made on Long Island. When the Shinnecock Hills are reached, two days will be spent in scouting and reconnoitring, with skirmishes and sham fights to follow.

They will thus have a week of practical campaigning.

* * * * *

While we are on the subject of wheels we are reminded of a recent decision that bicycling is illegal on Sunday in New Jersey.

This fact came out through a lawsuit. Two cyclists were riding in the town of Westfield, N.J., one Sunday, and came into collision, one of their wheels being wrecked.

The man whose wheel was damaged claimed that the accident was due to the other's carelessness, and sued for twenty-five dollars to cover repairs to his machine.

When the case came into court, and the judge heard that the affair had occurred on Sunday, he dismissed the complaint.

He stated that bicycling on Sunday was an illegal practice, and that no one could come before a court and ask for protection from an accident that had happened to him when he was engaged in an occupation that was against the law.

This decision will be a great surprise to a good many young folks, who have hitherto regarded Sunday as their best day to go a-wheeling.

* * * * *

We told you about Mr. Andrée, who made an effort last year to reach the North Pole by balloon, and who intended to repeat the experiment this year from Spitzbergen. The news has just reached us that he has made his start.

On the 15th of July, the wind being in a favorable direction, Mr. Andrée determined to begin his dangerous voyage.

Being anxious to get away before the wind should change or die out, the preparations were hurried forward, and in three hours and a half after he decided to make his attempt, all was in readiness.

Accompanying the daring explorer were two other venturesome men, Mr. Strindberg and Mr. Fraenkel.

Stepping into the car, they gave the word to have the balloon cut loose. They rose rapidly till they were about six hundred feet in the air, but at this altitude a cross-current struck them, and they were driven earthward again until they almost touched a projecting rock.

It was feared that the attempt had failed, but the three men in the car set to work vigorously throwing out some of the sand-bags that had been put in the car for ballast, to steady it, and the balloon soon rose again and continued on her course.

The weather was clear, and the _Eagle_, as the balloon was called, was visible for an hour. It appeared to be moving at the rate of twenty-two miles an hour, and to be taking the exact direction that Mr. Andrée had wished that it should.

The adventurers expected to reach the Pole in two or three days, but had prepared themselves for a trip of as many months.

Nothing has as yet been heard or seen of the balloon. Russian steamers have been sent along the coast of Siberia in search of it, and it is hoped that some news may be gleaned through the circulars that the Czar caused to be sent among all the peoples around the Polar regions, asking them to watch for the balloon, and report it as soon as seen (see page 860).

A good deal of excitement was caused by the capture of a carrier-pigeon in Norway.

Stamped on the bird's wings was "North Pole, 142 W. 47.62."

It was thought at first that it was one of the birds which had been taken by Andrée on his expedition, and that the North Pole had been discovered.

It was found, however, that Andrée's birds were all marked "Andrée, A.D. 1897," and after a few days of excitement and wonder, it came out that the bird belonged to a German pigeon-flying society, and that it had been released in Heligoland.

Carrier-pigeons are a particular breed of pigeon which have the wonderful quality of flying home no matter how far away they are carried.

Societies have been formed to fly these wonderful birds, and they have been taken hundreds of miles away, over seas, to test this strange quality.

The result has always been the same: the moment they are released they circle round and round for a time, as if trying to make out their bearings, and then fly off straight for home.

This attribute has made them of great value to man in many ways.

In times of war, messages have been sent by their aid.

A man has made his way out of a besieged city, taking one of the birds with him, and by its aid has been able to send word back that he has reached his friends and will bring the needed help.

The Emperor of Germany has just got himself into trouble over carrier-pigeons.

Wishing to see for how long a distance they could be relied on in case of war, he sent a messenger over to England, who carried with him a great number of these clever birds.

They were all marked so that they could be recognized, and on the shores of Dover, England, they were set free. Six hours after they had all found their way back to Düsseldorf, Germany.

The despatching of these birds attracted the attention of the English people about Dover, and when it was discovered that they were the property of the Emperor of Germany there was a good deal of talk over it.

The English people are always afraid that some foreign nation is going to try and invade their country, and imagining there was some deep and dark foreign plot underlying the pigeon-flying, they demanded of the authorities if the German Emperor had obtained permission to fly his birds.

When it was found that permission had neither been asked nor accorded, the fear of a plot grew so strong that the matter was finally carried to the House of Commons, and an explanation demanded.

The Under Secretary of War stated that the subject was already under consideration.

* * * * *

A rock covered with curious characters has recently been discovered in Mexico, in the mountains of the Magdalena district, state of Sonora.

The characters appeared to resemble the Chinese so closely that a well-educated Chinaman was asked to go to see the rock and give his opinion about it.

He had no sooner looked at it than he declared it to be a veritable Chinese inscription. He made a copy of it, and has already translated enough to show that the writing was cut in the stone about two thousand years ago.

There are ten lines of characters on the parts of the rock exposed to view.

The Chinaman who translated the inscription said it was an account of a Chinese settlement that had once been established in the place where the stone was found. He said that in the history of China there was a record of an expedition which had been sent to that portion of the western coast which is now Mexico.

If this is true, the Continent of North America was discovered by the Chinese centuries before the time of Columbus.

Evidence is coming to light in various parts of the globe of the tremendous journeys that were undertaken by the Chinese in the early days of civilization.

It has lately been discovered that they at one time formed colonies in the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

In Australia evidences have also been discovered of Chinese habitation.

* * * * *

It has been reported that King Menelik of Abyssinia has appointed a Russian General to be the Governor-General of those provinces of Abyssinia which lie in and around the equator.

The appointment of a foreigner to such a post shows very distinctly that the Negus is really anxious to shed the light of civilization upon his people.

M. de Leontieff, the Russian appointed by King Menelik, has already made two visits to Abyssinia, and is therefore well known to the King. He was at one time the bearer of rich presents from the Czar to the Negus.

The position which M. de Leontieff will hold under Menelik is similar to that held by General Gordon in Egypt. Gordon found many opportunities to improve the condition of the people under his authority, and as M. de Leontieff is a very intelligent man, he will undoubtedly do all in his power to help King Menelik to develop his country. G.H. ROSENFELD.

THE GREAT ROUND WORLD AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED ON IT. 1144

CHAPTER II.

It is not for nothing, then, that we are taught in church to call all men our brethren, and we must learn to realize that all the nations of the earth are akin to us and to one another, and that the differences between them in looks, in moral qualities, and in mind are really not much more than what we often see in the members of one large family, where one brother may be a genius and make a great name or a fortune for himself, while another will never get beyond the simplest schooling and, later on, the plainest work as laborer or poorly paid clerk. Take the most light-complexioned child to the tropics, and there let him lead an outdoor life--hunting, herding cattle, building, ploughing, and harvesting--then look at the middle-aged man; you will find him burnt by the sun, tanned by wind and weather to a dark brown which will not bleach off even should he return to his native northern country to live. His children will be born darker than he was, his grandchildren probably darker still, and so on. What, then, must be the change should the descendants of a particular set of men live thousands--not hundreds, but thousands--of years in one particular zone of the earth, under the same conditions of climate, food, and local nature generally--what we call "environment"?

This is exactly what happened to those detachments which once upon a time separated from the original human family. Each may have gone forth at random, but there was the earth to choose from and to be had for the taking; and, wherever such a detachment settled, there was nothing to prevent its posterity staying on and on, and developing their own peculiarities under local influences; for it would take many, many centuries before there would again be a lack of room and the process of separation would be repeated. Thus were formed the subdivisions of the human kind, with their striking characteristics and distinctive peculiarities, which we call the great Races of the World.

Now, if this thing were to happen to any one of us--that we should discover brothers and kinsfolk of whom we knew nothing before--we would be very curious to find out all we could about them: where they came from, what had happened to them during all those years until they settled where we found them, and when and why they separated from their forefathers, who were also our own. These are the very things we want to find out about the various nations who live in the world now, and those who have lived in it before anything existed of what is now in the world, all the way back to the beginning.

The task is quite easy, so long as we have books to help us, histories to tell us year by year all that went on in every part of the Great Round World, as our newspapers tell us day by day what is going on in it now. But books do not take us very far back. It is only four hundred years since printing was invented, and not more than six hundred since the art of making paper out of rags has been known. But people could write hundreds and hundreds of years before that was invented, and used almost anything to record the memorable doings of their day--bark of trees, skins of animals (parchment), "papyrus," a material made of the fibres of a plant. Short inscriptions over the entrances of temples and palaces, or cut with the chisel on monuments erected in memory of great events or above the graves of famous men, and long inscriptions covering whole walls or even the face of high rocks smoothed for the purpose, were like so many stone books, pages of which are continually discovered and read by our scholars.

But we come at last to times so remote that there is not a trace of the roughest writing, not a fragment of the crudest monument, to tell us the story of the men who, then as now, must have thought and labored and invented, only so much more slowly, under difficulties which we can hardly picture to ourselves. "What, then," is the natural question, "what can we know of such times, and of earlier ones still? How do we know things happened in the manner described a few pages back?" We know it, in the first place, _by analogy_, _i.e._, because the same things have happened over and over again in the same manner in times which we know all about, _and are happening now, under our eyes_--for what is the constant tide of immigration which keeps coming in from the East but, under modern conditions, the same swarming off from overcrowded native hives of seekers after more land and new fortunes? In the second place, the oldest races of the world left abundant traces by which we can determine not only the places of their settlements, but their mode of life and the degree of culture they successively reached.

There has certainly been a time when men did not know enough to build dwellings for themselves--or, not to be unfair, had not the necessary tools--but lived in the forests which then very nearly covered the globe, using such natural shelter as they found ready for them, almost like the savage animals which it was their main business to fight and kill in self-defence and also for food and clothing. Caverns in steep mountain-sides must have been their most luxurious, because safest and best-protected, retreats. Many dozens of such caverns are known in all parts of the world, and the tale they tell is not difficult to read. Several have become very famous, from the wealth of finds with which they rewarded the searchers. Some appear to have been used as burying-places, for the ground in them is covered to a great depth with broken-up human skulls and skeletons, while outside, on the rocky ledges or platforms before the mouth of the cavern, are found the traces of large fires, built again and again on the same spot--ashes, and cinders, and charred bones of animals; also broken marrow-bones, horns, hoofs, and other remains of plentiful meals, showing that then already it was the custom to feast at funerals.

Other caverns have as certainly been used as dwellings. Hence the name of "cave-dwellers," which has been given to those otherwise unknown races. How very crude and primitive their mode of life is shown by the vast quantities of tools and weapons in hard flint--generally broken--which are found intermixed with the other remains. They are very simple: heads of spears, blades of knives and scrapers, some indented like coarse saws, hatchets and mallets chipped into shape with no attempt at polishing--such, with occasional variations in bone, was the sum total of the cave-dwellers' equipment for the chase, for war, and for domestic purposes. That they could, with such slender resources, hold their own against the animals whose haunts they shared and who then were so much more numerous than men, is the more wonderful that those animals were of monstrous size, more than twice the size of the same kinds now, not to speak of some huge beasts which then roamed woods and plains in herds and are now wholly extinct--such as the mammoth, the ancestor of our elephant.

In all those heaps of tools and fragments, not a trace of any metal has been found; wherefore this oldest of all times of which we can catch stray glimpses has been given the general name of "Age of Stone."

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