The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-09-06


body. A moments glance showed that
the gaping hole had been caused by
gunshot wound. The gun must have
been fired with the muzzle almost
touching the back The shooting coat,
being intact, had been drawn over the
body after death, which must have been
instantaneous. The secret of the poor
wretch's death was plain to me in
flash Some one Of the crater, presum-
ably Gunga Dass, must have shot him
with his own gun-the shot that Hrreo
the brown cartridges. He had never at
tempted to escape in the face of the
rife fire from the boat
pushed the corpse out hastily and
saw it sink from sight literally in
few seconds I shuddered as watched.
In. dazed, half conscious way turned
to peruse the notebook. A stained and
discolored slip of paper had been insert
ed between the binding and the back
and dropped out as I opened the pages.
This is what it contained: ''Four out
from crow clump; 8 left; 8 out; 2
right; back; 2 left; ID out; 2 left; Z
out; / left; back; 2 right; 6 back; 4
right; Z back" The paper had been
burned and charred at the edges. What
it meant could not understand. l sat
down on the dried bents, turning it
over and over between my fingers until
I was aware Of Gunga Dass standing
Immediately behind me with glowing
eyes and cutstretched hands.
"Have ycu got t." he painted.
"Will you not let me look at it also? I
swear that will return it. -
"Got what? Return what?' asked
ssThat which you have in your hands
It will nelp US both" He stretched out
his long, birdlike talons, trembling with
eagerness.
ssI could never ind it, :" he continued.
ssEe had secreted it about his person.
Therefore I shot him, but nevertheless
was unable to obtain it. -
Gunga Dass had quite forgotten his
little fiction about the rifle bullet. re-
ceived the information perfectly calm
ly. Morality is blunted by consorting
with the dead who are alive.
"What on earth are you raving
about? What is it You want me to give
you?''
ssThe piece Of paper in the notebook.
It will help Us both. Oh, you fool! You
fool! Can you not see what it will do
for us? We shall escape.
His voice rose almost to a scream,
and he danced with excitement before
me. own I was moved at the chance
of getting away.
ssDon' skip! Explain yourself. Do
you mean to say that this slip of paper
will help us? What does it mean?''
"Read it aloudl Read taloudi I beg
and pray to you to read it aloud. .
I did so. Gunga Dass listened de-
lightedly and drew an irregular line in
the sand with his fingers.
"See nowl It was the length of his
gun barrels without the stock. I have
those barrels. -Four gun barrels cut
from the place where caught crows
straight out; do you follow me? Then
three left. All, how well I remember
when that man worked it out night aft
e1 night! Then nine out, and SO on.
Out is always straight before you across
the quicksand. He told me SO before l
killed him. %
'But if you knew all this why didn't
you get out before?'
sI cid not know it. He told me that
he was working it out year and half
ago, and how he was working it out
night after night when the beat had
gone away and he could get out near
the quicksand safely. Then he said that
we would get away together. But was
afraid that he would leave me behind
one night when he had worked 1t al!
out, and SO I shot him. Besides, it is
not advisable that the men who once
get in here should escape. Only I, and
am Brahman.
The prospect of escape had brought
Gunga Dass' caste back to him. He
stood up. walked about and gesticulated
violently. Eventually I managed to
make him talk soberly, and he told me
how this Englishman had spent six
months night after night in exploring,
inch by inch, the passage across the
uuicksand; how he had declared it to
be simplicity itself up to within about
20 yards of the river bank after turning
the flank of the left horn of the horse
shoe. This much he had evidently not
completed when Gunga Dass shot him
with his own gun.
In my frenzy of delight at the posi-
bilities of escape I recollect shaking
hands efusively with Gunga Dass after
we had decided that we were to make
an attempt to get away that very night.
It was weary work waiting throughout
the afternoon.
About 10 o'clock, as far as [ could
Judge, when the moon had just risen
above the lip Of the crater, Gunga Dass
made move for his burrow to bring
out the gun barrels whereby to measure
our path. All the other wretched IL