The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-13
A Heroic Resistance.
"a Tale of the Liberian Coast. In Thre
Parts.)

of cockroaches from the breast of his thin
pajamas, ne strode toward the entrance,
and heard the rough voice of the quarter
master say: Them devils are a se:zin
the boats, sir. They've got No. half
| way lowered, and are cuttin' the falls OF
! the rest For few moments after ne left
| the doorway, Captain Arme could see moth
ing but the luminous yapor which stream
| ed from the summit of the reelng funnel
| sweeping to and fro across the inky black
| ness at every roll. Then he heard the
| mate calling excitedly for help, and strik-
| ing left and right with his revoiver-butt,
| ne burst through crowd of negroes surg
| ing around the davits. The big Krooboy
| who was thrusting the boats bows off the
| rail went down like a dog as the heavy
! pistol-butt srnote him between the eyes;
| and the mob fell back a pace or two.
| Light a port fire on the bridge, some one.
Rally round, all hands, he roared.
Were comm, sir" answered a voice
out of the darkness. as a few drowsy sea-
men fought their way to their command
| ers side, the Krooboys giving way before
| the swinging capstan-bars and iron pump
| handles Then a port-fire hissed and splut-
| tered on the lofty bridge, and an intense
dazzling green glare shone down on the
| sway:ng crowd below. "Stand back"
| shouted the captain. 1.-The first that lays
| a hand upon the boats 1 shoot" and the
| barrel of his revolver glinted in the light
| of the port fire. For few seconds the ne
| groes stood silent and irresolute, until a
burly leader strode forward, saying some
thing in an unknown tongue, and pointing
to the boats. 81
The mates grasp frightened on his hand
spike as he glanced at the rolling eyes and
scowling faces before him He knew
that if the shippers nerve proved une-
quail to the task it might go very hard
with every white man on board for many
of the Krooboys were armed with match
cts.
''Give us them boat, white man, and
plenty boy live for bring them back" said
the spokesman. eff no fit, we chop you
one time" For moment or two the
captain made no reply, but stood calmly
facing the excited crowd, and glanc.ng
shorewards the mate saw a bright tongue
of fame leap up from the summit Of the
bluff, while a hoarse murmur ran from
man man. Then again the tread of run
ming feet echoed along the after deck, and
a hoarse voice cried, "Ooot o. the way, ye
brutes." The big Krooboy glanced be-
hind him and swung his matchet, but a
tnud upon his woolly head, and the gaunt
figure of the chief engineer leaped into the
circle of light, while the negro, stagger-
ing Sideways, fell groaning upon the deck.
Next moment a wedge of sooty firemen
and greasers, with shovels and rabbles ir
their hands, cleft the crowd apart, and the
Krooboys gave sullenly back on either
side.
Now" said the captain, take that man
away and pump on him. If there's one of
you left on the spar deck in three minutes
I'll shoot him" The negroes went slowly
forward. 1t was the old story; the calm
ness and contemptuous fearlessness of the
European had tr:umphed over the tickle
impulses of the African. The negro savage
is rarely a coward; in some circumstances
he is recklessly brave; but he is always
10th to face a determined white man. l.
Is not unusual to see a score of Stalwart
bushmen flying in terror from the wrath
of sickly white trader, who would be as
helpless as a child in their muscular grip.
This is the more strange, as all the traders
are by no means remarkable for nerve or
courage. while the negroes have probably
faced swift death at the point OF a barbed
spear time before.
"A wee bit frmness gangs a lang way"
said the Engineer painting; IAN I'm think
in it's a gey hard skull he has onyway;
the bit tap wuH no trouble him lang"
The mate burst out into a laugh to re-
Heve his pent-up excitement, as he an
swered: IF it had been any one but a
nigger, the bit tap would have killed him
on the spot
I'm dead tired of them. anyway" OBJ
served Captain Orme slowly. Five dol
lars head from Lagos doesn't cover this
kind Of thing. I wonder what they'll be
up to next" Even as he spoke a wild
yell rose from the foredeck, followed by
a succession of splashes in e4ae sea. Come
back therel Stop them Light another port
fire. he roared
This time a crimson fame bIazed out
from the rail of the spar-leck, and by the
ruddy glare of the Europeanss saw the
Krooboys hurting their gin cases over the
iron buiwarks, while already four or five
sable figures were shooting through the
circle of light which fell upon the long
CLASSY undulat:ons. as the steamer rolled |
and wallowed in the steep swell The
white seamen descended the iron-runged
ladder, but gl.stening matchet-bades bar
red their way and Old Man Trouble stood
upon the winch-drum and Lifted I'D his
voice:
''Lisen liz word, Captain sah" he said. |
I'VE dun pay you all five dclah fer land
on Palm Bluff beach. Liberia man say
no; Captain say no boat. Krooboy swim; |
if white man say no, We chop him. Live /
fer quiet; We go chop Liberia man in |
stead"
Let them CO." advised the mate: eve |
can't stop them now, and would only get |
hurt if We tried. There's no surf in At |
rica big enough to drown a Krooboy"
AS he spoke a crowd of naked figures |
flung themselves over the rail. and the
sea was dotted with swimming heads; |
man after man followed in rapid success |
son, until the deck was empty of all save |
those bound for Terra Leone. The sight |
was no unusual one. for when, as occa-
sionaly happens, the canoes do not come |
off TO meet the coascng- g-steamers, the |
Krooboy passengers swim ashore half a |
mile or more. pushing their gin cases be- |
fore them-*
Il wadna care tae be IN the shoon O. |
that custom-man if they devils wake him |
up the nicht." said the engineer
IT'S not our business rejoinei the mate |
"and he probably deserves it, It won't be |
the first L,ber4an station the willy Krooboy !
has cleaned out I am thinking most OF
the two French traders; / don't suppose !
they'll be molested, but wen warn them |
The long, reverberating boom of the |
steam-whistle rang out four times across
the misty darkness. and then all was S. /
lence again
Il IS hard enough at any time TO sleep
in the tropics during the sitting heat OF the \
rains. and after what had happened none
OF the spectators cared TO return 10 their 1
berths again. They sat smoking instead |
---.,- --,a---