Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-07

dew, and by the last Pickering of moon
light | saw a man seated beneath it. He
had his back to me and was sitting on
stone and | would have sworn / saw the
sides Of a shCVel-shaped beard sticking out
above his shoulders. Something rested be-
tween his knees. My cOnjectures jumped
to certainty; it was the farmers gun.
l was almost upon him. 1 was too hungry
and tired and weak TO run l stepped to
him stealthi!y, with almost hysterical de-
spair. and raised the great pumpkin at
arms height. and dashed it on his head
with all the strength my muscles and my
desperation could muster between them.
He seemed to groan and fall forward, and
/ turned and staggered away, wondering
fatal.
Utter, horrible blackness set in, and the
eclipse was complete, when l dropped at
last, unable to move step further. All
that night l shiVered from cold and doZed
f. ON WEAKNESS, but before break of day
the cold grew SO great that / had to move
on or shiver to death. Somehow l stag
gered to the trek, though | did not know
which direction | was going, and stumbled
along 1t, afraid to remain still for mo-
ment | felt pretty sure, however, I was
on a road, and | followed it, in dumb con-
sCiousness it would lead me somewhere, if
only back whence 1 started in Bechuana-
land.
At last I came through the blackness to
a bank, and assumed stream. Die or not
die. | could rot ford it then, and utterly
collapsed on the brink. / soon fell in a
stupOr, from which l reused at the first cold
dawn. The water lay at my feet, still and
currentless. 1t seemed broad l lifted my
eyes-it seemed familiar; l partly choked a
yell, for it was the farmers duck pond! At
the cry, n figure on the other bank-a shiv-
ering, miserable, prone wretch-sat up and
groaned. 1t was the trooper, and in his
right hand he held the duck by the neck.
But at the sight of me he dropped the duck
and came running and threw his arms
about me.
by Jove. old man. he spluttered, az am
awfully glad to see you. l saw you run
ming, ard heard that blessed beast shoot
ing. 1t is rare for these fellows to miss
and | made sure you were dead so / was
going to eat the duck myself. How did
you get here?'
II don't know" / murmured in bewilder-
ment I've been walking all night, dodg-
ing Beers looking for you and the duck
and at last thought-or, at least, hoped-I
was on the road forward
My case, he said weakly. Il nearly
ran into the farmer looking for you and a
pumpkin-did you come away without
pumpkin then I sat down under tree
with a club l picked up to bash the Boer
with if he came bothering me, and lust as
the moon was finally eclipsed, the tree or
something fell on me and 1 didn't know
anything more until 1 woke up here. l be-
lieve l thought 1 was somewhere near
johannesburg. l am horribly stiff and cold
and my necks broken, think, by that tree
that fell. Did you get that pumpkin"
L looked at him, conscience stricken
Il lost the bally thing l chartered for
shivered cruelty.
Th-then" said the trooper, chattering
as badly, NEWELL broil the duck Wait
till l get It, and We'll clear out of this
nefghborhood It's t-too warm for us
here
In one sense it was, but, in another, felt
L would never be warm again.
Before the trooper could move I clutched
MIN and dragged him back: and we sank
down In some long grass. From the house
came the towheaded boy. and the con-
seiehceiess rascal was as bright and cheer
full as If he had not been the source of all
cur woes. He had some corn in his hands
for. apparently. the ducks, but that BOYS
eyes missed nothing. He saw the dead bird
on the bank: he picked 1t up and ran with
IL, yelling, back to the house. The TROOPER
and caught at each others hands like lost