The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1892-06-17


task. But when the sun rose In un-
cIouded splendor they moored their
saEnpan under she spreading boughs Of
a 5read-fruit tree, and, after a nasty
meal, filed their mouths with the
blood-red bete1 nut and flung them
selves down to sleep the torpid slumber
of the weary.
How hot Il wssi
Not q breath of air was stirring
amidst the dense mass Of vegetation; not
a tvig nor Leaf autteredi the long
white paddy stalks, or Wild rice,
glittered ana aparlrled IN their Natery
! costing pieces IS though they were
/ fashioned in FURNISHED silver. The
bufatOs had betaken themselves to
/ their watering places. The birds were
I evidently worn out, for they were no.
/ where to be seem the beetles crawlcd
| feebiy over the cooler shrubs but they
/ could not summon energy to get up a
/ single hum or buzz; and even the ants
! dropped their lilliputian loads.
| The Europeans could not sleep. a
| short, stertorous, feverish unconscious
ness was their apology for slumber,
| and before the first hour of repOse was
/ passed, they rose from their reclining
| position. yawned YEARLY, and looked
| with envious eyes at their humber
| companions, happy in the sweet
| oblivion of dreauiess rest.
by Jove, Campignon," said the
! younger of the two. What an accursed
climate! After the delicious GOODNESS
/ of last evening, this rocking heat is
dOubly sitting. It is like stepping from
Paradise into Hades."
And what do You think it viii be
/ when we get further away from the
sea shore and the nights viii be more
sultry than the days, Mr.. Dunbar"
the elder replied, lighting a cigarette
with provoking nonchalance-
II must bear it, I suppose"
''If You can; but you have seen moth
ing of the roughness of the trip yet
/ In twenty miles more we shall be in
the wilderness, and then look out for
squalls
You are a Jobs comforter, certain
w." Dunbar replied; ''but sufficient Tor
! the day is the evil thereof. BY the bye,
we cannot be far away from the vii
lage where we were to lay In our sup
plies, and get our last chance of infOr-
nation from the headman."
at lies just beyond the bend Of the
river, not two miles away" was the re
ply. Were you thinking OF going to
see the headman while these poor beg
gars take their siestaP"
- confess was" Dunbar said ''if
you thought you had sufficient know
ledge OF the language to conduct the
! business for guess there are shade
I z
in this sitting atmosphere is simply
maddening."
ooh, guess the old fellow knows a
little English, and my small acquaint-
ance with the Cingalese will carry us
through. Sling your gun over your
arm, Mr.. Dunbar and let MS start"
| It was not difficult for them to ffnd
the hut of the lsorale, or headman. In
the midst Of the thick foliage it looked
like a, huge wart on the rich vegetation.
Coffee, banana, cotton and pawpav
shrubs grew in wild Profusion around
it, though it had, literally speaking, no
/ garden
Passing through the crazy doorway,
they found an elderly, dried-uP man
nearly asleep on a hammock made OF
cocoa fibers, a dirty, foul-smelIing old
rascal with small bead-lilze eyes which
gliLtered with cunning like a serpent's
Nevertheless he was great man in his
| community, reaPing where he had not
sOwn, and Preying like vampire on the
poverty=striclen people by whom he
was surrounded. Serfs tracked him
wherever he went; one held q TALBOT
leaf over him in his walks; another car
ried his stick of Office, and third beat
/ OF the mosquitoes with a switch. AT
present he was unattended, save by q
half-nalzed PeOn who famed him with
g PtnHHdh.
He was clad in barbaric pomP, yet
reelzed in filth, and sweued with i'm
pOrtance in q ballOon-shapcd lzandyaI
hat, a flowing robe and loose jacket aut
the usual muslin scarf. As the
strangers entered, the lzOrale sprane
from his hammock, with an agility be
yond his years, and began to salaam il
the most approved Cingalose style: bu
CamPignOn, who had made his acqUaint
, ance in his trading trips up the Quagla
~ Ii
capering ceremony.
Could they have fruit, dried meats anl
bread? Of course they could; was no
all in the village at the disposal OF TIN
white lords, on whom might the igh
OF Buddha rest!
When the cOmmissariat question haS
! been happily settled and orders hat
i been given to the villagers to carry pro
! / visions to the sampan, excellent che
/ ! roots We're lighted, and CampignOn be
gan to pump information from tn
korale concerning the party who hal
conveyed Sir Harry Gruhamc up tn
river.
For many minutes they talked in
dialect utterly incomprehcnsibie I
Arthur Dunbar, and supplemented wit
many gFOtesque gesticulGtions; but tn
= conference was evidently unsatisfaC
: to CamPignOn, for he suddenly turnet
to Arthur and said, Petulautly:
. 1--WE must grease the old villain
palms. he either knows nothing, or vii
- say nothing"
. promise him anything you like,
was the prompt accession.
In a moment Campiguon jingled
. handful OF rupees before the old man
eyes.
Then followed torrent of ejaculs
ticns, little less unintelligible than tn
: En- ~ -