Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-06-02

with cnvlOuS eyes at their nuInOtcf
companions, happy IN the sweet
oblivion Of dreanless rest.
by Jove, Campignon," said the
younger of the two. what an accursed
climatel After the delicious GOODNESS
of last evening, this reeking heat Is
doubly sitting. tits like stepping from
Paradise into Hades."
And what do you think it will be
when we get further away from the
sea shore and the nights will be more
sultry than the days, Mr.. Dunbar"
the elder replied, lighting a cigarette
with provoking roncllalance.
ST must bear it, suppose"
s'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 jobs comforter, certain
w. Dunbar replied; 'but sufficient for
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."
sit 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
CARS take their sicsta?"
ST confess was" Dunbar said; "if
you thought you had sufficient know
ledge of the language to conduct the
business; for I guess there are shade
trees all the way, and sitting broi1ing
in this sitting atmosphere is simply
maddening."
s'Oh, 1 guess the old fellow knows a
little English, and my small aequaint-
ance with the Cingalese will carry US
through. Sling your gun over your
arm, Mr.. Dunbar. and let US START
It was not difficult for them to find
the hut of the korale, or headman- In
the midst of the thick foliage it looked
like huge wart on the rich vegetation
Coffee, banana, cotton and pawpaw
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 hammock made Of
cocoa fbers, a dirty, foulsnelling old
rascal with small beadlike eyes which
glittered with cunning like a serpent's
Nevertheless he was a great man in his
community, reaping where he had not
sown. and preying like vampire on the
poverty-stricken people by whom he
was surrounded. Serfs tracked him
wherever he went; one held TALBOT
leaf over him in his walks; another car
ried his stick Of Office. and a third beat
off the mosquitoes with a switch. at
present he was unattended, save by a
half-naked peon who famed him with
a punkah.
He was clad in barbaric pomp, yet
rocked in filth, and swelled with I'M
portance in balloon-shaped lzandyan
hat, flowing robe and loose jacket and
the usual muslin scarf As the
strangers entered, the korale sprang
from his hammock, with an agility be-
yond his years, and began to salaam IN
the most approved Cingalese style, but
Campiguon, who had made his acquaint-
ance in his trading trips up the Quagla,
| in a few stern words put stop to bis
| capering ceremony.
Could they have fruit, dried meats and
bread? OF course they could; was not
| all in the village at the disposal Of the
white lords. on whom might the light
Of Buddha rest!
l. When the commissariat question had
been happily settled, and orders had
been given to the villagers to carry pro
visions to the sampan, excellent che
roots were lighted, and Campignon be
gan to pump information from the
korale concerning the party who had
conveyed Sir Harry Grahame up the
river.
For many minutes they talked IN q
\ dialect utterly incomprehensible te
Arthur Dunbar. and supplemented with
many grotesque gesticulations; but the
conference was evidently unsatisfac
to Campignon, for he suddenly turned
to Arthur and said, petulantly:
eve must grease the old villaint
palms; he either knows nothing, or vii
say nothing"
Promise him anything you like,
was the prompt accession.
In moment Campigron jfrgled ,
handful Of rupees before the old man
eyes.
% Then followed torrent of ejacule
tons, little less unintelligible than tn,