Part 4

My Algerian experience quite braced me up when I arrived in that most charming city, Tunis. Although I did not meet the Esperantists residing there, I did not hesitate to enter the Old Town, restaurants, and world-famed bazaars just as if I had resided in Tunis for long years.

But, for my present readers, it is not well that I should describe this city, but better that I should hasten to beautiful Malta, the fruitful island whose past history has been so bloody and full of interest.

Even ere the ship had come to a standstill in the harbour I recognised our energetic comrades, Dr. Busuttil and Messrs. Agius and Dominic Chiantar.

These three devoted friends kindly drove me over the beautiful surroundings, and took me into the luxurious hall of the Knights of St. John of olden time, and into various churches. Will they kindly accept my renewed thanks!

And ever the same language, intelligible without difficulty!

But it was not in Malta that I terminated my Esperantic wanderings, for, after a broiling visit to the interesting Syracuse, I found in Palermo the genial Dr. Nalli, Secretary of the Sicilian Society. He kindly devoted a whole day to me, and proved that he who has not visited Palermo has missed a city of many charms.

There also I enjoyed an excellent lunch _à la Palermo_, while my fellow tourists lost more than two hours waiting in vain at a French hotel.

When in Rome, do as Rome does!

Truly a wise proverb, and he who follows it not can in no way fully enjoy a foreign tour. But to carry it out completely it is of course necessary to speak either the national or the international language, and I personally found the latter the more easy and pleasurable of the two!

That evening the menu on board was printed in Esperanto.

And now, as far as concerns the Esperantists, my journey had come to its termination. From beginning to end one long unmarred pleasant transition from one paradise to another.

Ajaccio and Villefranche are not, up to the present, notable Esperanto cradles.

In fact, my readers must not be disappointed when they learn that I no longer visited Esperantists. Except near Ajaccio, where I casually met our eminent botanist and contributor, Mr. Clarence Bicknell, who, wearing the green star in his buttonhole, was searching in a little field for plants, I did not see a known Esperantist until my return to London.

Thus I carried out my wish, and enjoyed the thorough change which health demanded. And, in truth, when I left the fine art-full cities of Italy, and her lakes to be dreamed of, and had said _Au Revoir_ to the tourist-haunted Switzerland, I had begun to fear that I had forgotten Esperanto!

Such should a thorough change be, is it not so?

But I now gladly find that the fingers run over the typewriter keys almost as freely as of old, and that the mountain snow has not succeeded in freezing the flow of Esperantic ideas.

In conclusion, I advise all who can take such a journey: hesitate not, but go to-morrow, and, if possible, on the day after to-morrow also. And one may be allowed to regret that one did not go yesterday as well--but this last is somewhat unwise, maybe!

"LA LEONOJ DE LA ARBARO DE GIR. (HINDUJO, N.W.)."

Eltiraĵo de l' "Madras Mail" de l' 15.3.'05, de H.K.G.

La melfeliĉo, kiu ĵus okazis ĉe la Katiawar Arbaro, kiam Majoro Carnegie mortiĝis de leono, malĝojamaniere atentigas al la stato de leonoj Hindaj.

Estas ĝenerale konjektita ke nuntempe ekzistas tre malmultaj leonoj en Hindujo (la diferenco, inter la Afrika kaj Hinda leono, estas bonekonata: la Hinda estas senkolharo).

Tamen, tiu kredo de nelonge estas pruvita tute erara. Pro nedisputeblaj postsignoj ilia nombro estas nune kalkulata ĉirkaŭ 100.

Plie, tiuj ĉi leonoj fariĝis pli sentimaj ol antaŭe: iliaj postsignoj troviĝas apud domoj apartigitaj, vilaĝoj, kaj eĉ urboj. Ili elportis bestojn el limoj de la Kolegio Ĉefurba: la vilaĝanoj ne volas vojaĝi krom grupe, kaj kun armiloj, kaj lanternoj, kaj eĉ tiamaniere time.

La kaŭzo de la plimultiĝo estas simpla: la Arbaro Gir'a dum multe da jaroj estis gardita por ĉaso: granda spaco estas netrapasita de homoj, kaj estas malmulte konata.

Por savi la vivojn homajn kaj bestajn, kaj por eksigi perdon je la malriĉaj vilaĝanoj, la tempo venis por detrui tiujn ĉi leonojn ĝis ilia nombro estos multe malpliigata, kaj ĝis la danĝera brutaro estos forpelata ree en siajn profundaĵojn arbarajn.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Esperantist, Vol. 2, No. 6, by Various