Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-11
RAN AMUCK IN Time
MALAY MANIAC SAVES AN AMERICAN
FROM A BAND OF kAFFIRS.
Beats OF n Dozen Fierce Blacks Bent
on n Murder-Tn-rn-ra BOOm-de-
ny Serves Well in Cape
Town as m Alarm.

Our brethren" the a~nti-eXpansionist
shifted.
There Is a good DEAL said the aimless
wanderer. somewhat Indignantly. of the
old school Japanese in your makeup. my
boy. You are too exclusive. AS TO breth-
ren-well. L know that if one particular
Malay were to come just now into this
smoking room IL should embrace him.
He was not the first Malay l
had come across. Years ago, 1 spent
some time in Ceylon. and l found that
they were very useful members of
society there. The colony utilized them as
police.
However, my Malay. my own particular
Malay. was not a resident of Ceylon nor of
the Philippines, but of Cape Town. There
L made the acquaintance of an exile from
Boston, who kept a little hotel close to the
Malay quarter. The bar of the hotel proper
was a snug place, where small shipmasters
and petty naval officers came occasionally.
This was the white mems resort. a door Of
the hall led to Il big. bare room, furnished
with long deal tables and benches and 4
piano. This was the gathering place OF the
brownmen, Malays and half castles. An alley
led 10 a back room. where Cape Smoke was
served out to the black men-kaftirs. So.
you see. the Bostonian catered for all,
while strictly observing the laws of caste.
Still. L cannot say that the hotel was at
all times the place for a peaceful man to
frequent.
In the brown room, of an evening. music
was the rule. The Malays did the singing.
and some of them Were very good. indeed
comic songs being their favorites. There
was one of them whom L never called any
thing but John, although that was. of
eoarSe. not It, his us name. He was a beautiful
somwe, and recklessly jolly. He had a roll
Licking voice, and used to below 'Ta-ra,ri
South Africa-so that the hotel trembled.
John was my very good friend.
An Adventure With Kafirs.
"one night 1 got tired of the Bostonian's
"reminiscences of John L. Sullivan and of
the Malay dancing, and went to look Ut
the bar of the blacks. Its patrons were a
dozen big. coal-black fellows, pretty raw,
as they call the still unciviliZed native out
there. They had some rags on their bodies
being compelled in. towns to dress up-but
that only made their ferocious gayety more
unnatural. They all turned to stare at me
when l entered, which | was at once sorry
l had done: and the bartender opened his
eyes. too. He was a huge chap of mongrel
terror when he let himself loose among
his unruly customers. walked to the
bar and called for the house, and smiled
on the Kaffirs with all the sweetness 1 could
This is no place for you. sir SAID the
bartender. and seemed half inclined not TO
serve me. But l could not go without do
ing something, and l was served. | pro-
ceeded to pay the score. l found I had no
tlldilSt. anu drew out at one emu OF nv
watchchain one of those little silver sover-
eign purses which rested in the vest pocket
opposite to my watch. The kaffirs crowded
around again at sight of this curiosity. The
thing did not open smoothly. and two or
three sovereigns We're jerked into the palm
of my hand. The bartender changed one,
and / restored the others to their place.
feeling foolish at having displayed gold in
such a place. Then | got out as quickly as
| could. exchanging the most amiable grins
with the crowd as j bade them good-by.
1t was late on a Saturday night and the
moon was hidden. Now. Cape Town is a
PLACE where one can lose ones self at
and l was not well acquainted. 1 must
have walked a mile before L recognized that
| was far out of my way. 1 turned back,
and made a guess at where I was, and final
ly sought my way down a street which ran
off downfall toward the bay. The moon
suddenly shot out from behind the clouds.
and. at the head of the street. it shone
fairly upon half a dozen dusky figures COM
ing after me: l got just a glimpse. and my
backbone chilled as ! recognized the rags OF
the kaftirs who had been in the BostonIan's
hotel.
Trapped by Fierce Blacks.
The moon dipped again. and 1 knew they
were coming at me through the night, each
mar with a knobkerrie 1 knew what they
wanted-the gold they had seen-and l knew
they had logged me to this lonely place. In
my fright l ran blindly along. with those
big. black. naked feet coming pounding
after me. / did not know where l was run
aAhS ~ eANA Vouio AlsNc DCtIl SHceuIN tltdN
where these brutes Were driving me. il the
capriciouS moon had not again kimmed out
from behind the black clouds and cast her
light in front of me just in time to save me
from plunging into the abandoned quarries
which lie, great PERCEPTIONS holes. near the
n loI Ian 81 L! y y m, mou maan Il e sh hunters gave
them springfng back from the brink. The
beggars had got me in a trap.
They paused a little in front of me, for
the moon once more dived out of sight, and
Just then from the street of Malays from
which had cut off came to my ears the
on his homeward way. 'Ta-ra-ra Boom-de.
ayH L didn't pause to think what l was
SAYING. suppose ought TO have yelled
the pitch of my voice the same diotic re-
frain: 'Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay.' There was an
I IN aR t, m pause iTs a great laugh a %whoop.and
than the first time. The next instant there
was a rush of kaftirs upon me: | saw the
big IH sticks tick raised; l stepped back Instructive
sereeched: my heart bounded up and choked
the cry. for my foot was over the edge,
and bushes. | rolled down the cliff.
Il looked at the place afterward and mar
Eeied was not instantly killed. 1 was
on my head-and when l came to my senses
l looked up. wondering where 1 was and
what had happened, and the moon was out
everything was all right. l tried to get up.
but could not; my leg was broken. As |
tidiiaseu 10 Sill up L saw the kaffirS coming
to me from the other side of the quarry,
where tina carts used to enter. They had
come round to strip my body at leisure.
Wen, sir. in my utter despair at nv help
less condition.. | suppose | went clean crazy.
W men my, voice began to work again ii
Rook up the same cry that had been cut
short by the stun of the fall. and there I SAT-
slaring at the savages. shaking NV FIST M
them, and bowling like Il lunatic .Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de ay. without pause, without tune
ana without any particular reason. fancy
1t startled them, for they stopped and look
go at me IN a perpleNed kind of way. no
doubt greatly. astonished to find me alive
at all. But that was only for an instant.
the next they swooped down. but did nor
reach me, for. running up behind them in
bewildered. drunken. but eager. way. John
came-bleSs him.
run amuck? l suppose not. Keep out of his |
way If you ever do. He is worse than n n,nJ
dog. Inc drink and the singing. added 10
tHis sudden adventure, excited Johns
nerves to the dangerous pitch. and ali / re-
member next is that that MALAY , :.
most unearthly below and sailed IN Ha
a knife. and it was out with a Hash
and he went at the thunderStruck X ffirs ,
quite regardless of numbers, slashing right
and left. tts"e
Wild Man Runs Amuck.
After the first yell he was silent and
when, in his paroxysm. the fight brought |
them all near to me, 1 could see that his |
eyes stuck out far and the froth was dron-
ping in blotches from his mouth, between
his set teeth. The Kafirs stood -bo,r |
but Johns knife was flashing here ana
there without pause. and nothing but a |
fatal blow would lave stopped him. Final
~. one or two of them being badly cut, |