CHAPTER XXI 



BACK HOME FROM AFRICA. NINETY DAYS ON THE 

 WAY THROUGH INDIA, JAVA, CHINA, MANILA 

 AND JAPAN. THREE CHOW DOGS AND A FI- 

 NAL SERIES OF AMUSING ADVENTURES 



AT last the day came for us to say good-by to the 

 happy hunting grounds and return to the perils and 

 dangers of civilization. Occasional newspapers had 

 filtered into the wild places and in the peaceful 

 security of our tents we had read of frightful min- 

 ing disasters in America, of unparalleled floods in 

 France, of the clash and jangle of rival polar ex- 

 plorers, of disasters at sea, of rioting and lynching 

 in Illinois. Automobile accidents were chronicled 

 with staggering frequency, and there were mur- 

 murs of impending rebellions in India, political 

 crises in England, feverish war talk in Germany, 

 volcanic threats from Mount Etna, and a bewilder- 

 ing lot of other dreadful things. 



In contrast to this dire picture of life in civilized 

 places, our pleasant days among the lions and wild 

 beasts; of Africa seemed curiously peaceful and 

 orderly. Now we were to leave to go back into 

 the maelstrom of the busy places and bid farewell 

 to our friendly savages and genial camp-fires. The 



360 



