Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12

dened brow and his cheeks and neck. sun
burned almost to hlackness. His Kaffir
charges halted in their tasks, and their
gaze followed his. In the clearly bright
African air the threatening gray stone walls
of the strong Jail, built commandingly on
high, big-bowldeIed Kopje, looked close at
hand. although good mile away. Vry-
burg, the tiny capital of the British terri
tory. lay to the left hill-bound, silent,
street deserted IN the furnace heat. two
rows of glazing houses with roofs and walls
of galvanized iron.
Suddenly quick-eyed Kaff1r cried pa
ors" and pointed to the flagstaff in front
of the Jail With a grunt of relief the
white man swung his rifle to his shoulder,
and the Kaffirs threw their tools into the
wheelbarrowS. There fiuttered up the head
of the flagstaff a red flag, the sign to all
outside working parties to return. But to-
day work ceased at o'clock, and the con-
victs were not marched directly to the Jail,
but to a small lake beneath the kopje,
where twice a week they laved themselves.
An instant change took place in tho man
ner of the prisoners. They joked as they
left their harrows in shed, and trottcd
forward SO quickly as to inconvenience their
warden. A big, glossy black man, his fine
figure concealed by the prison clothes, led
the way, humming as he Went, il low,
sing-song pleasant melody, a chant Of war
times. The others took it up; threw his
hands above his head, and skipped a step
of the war dance.
Easy, Sixpence!" crowled the guard.
Easy you big rascal
The big Kaffir in the lead slowed UP and
turned with grin to the white nan. I.ojnt-
ing finger down great red throat.
"Ba-a-as Tabacr' he murmured.
The guard threw him a piece of tobacco,
which the Kaffr cleyerly caught and slap
ped into his mouth. At once the four or
five other kaffirs of the gang turned. and,
reading good nature in their SenGry's face,
held out their hands mutaly
Like babies for candy, unused the Eng
lfshman. as he distributed the small lux
urieS. They're a rum lot. Not one of
them in for less than three years, and that
fellow Sfxpence a lifer, and, by Jove, to
see them laughing now, without handcufr
in the crowd of EN-, you'd think them
schoolboys going in swimming"
They reached the little lake, shallow at
the banks, deep in the center, where a
1usby, marshy island lay, more water than
mud. The other working parties had fore
gathered, and SiXpence and his comrades,
each armed with piece of soap, soon
Joined the crowd in the water swimming,
Spluttering, playing in the cool pond like
BOYS. The white guards, leaning on their
rifles, stood, at intervals, round the bank.
In the shadows a group of blacks danced
a mock war dance, naked as monkeys, ad-
Vancing and retiring with fantastic arms,
Grooming the hum of the imps. Then it
was difficult, almost impossible, for the
guards to distinguish each his own men.
some distinguishing mark; stripped. bob
bling their black and woolly heads in the
water, there was tantaliZing likeness
among all the swimmers. After 4 time
they began to come out, one by one, and
dress. Then a guard made his gang fall in
and marched them up the kopje to the
prison gates. Another followed and an
other until the village guard was left last
to bring in his men. He was young and re-
Gently employed by the town; he could not
talk the native dialects, and now he was
much perturbed, for he could give to him
self no explanation of the evident fact that
there was none left in the water, and yet
he was one man short. The Kaffirs only
chartered and laughed at him. enjoying the
excellent joke His eye anxiously searched
the surface of the lake; there was nothing
there, The rushes on the mud bank could
barely have concealed a rabbit. Hoping
that Sixpence, the missing man, had. in
mischief-for the kaffirs abounded in ma
licious tricks-sipped away with another
gang, the guard hurried the others to the
Jail, where he reported what had hap
pened.
The warden of the Jail received the re-
port without comment or rebuke, but
promptly seized a rifle from the rack, left
the other prisoners to be shut up in the
cells by few guards, and took the rest at
run to the lake. Meanwhile the gang
had hardly left the bank of the pond be-
fore, in the gathering dusk, there was a
rustic among the Scant rushAs of the mud
bank. The mud stirred, and from the soft
bed, where it had been entirely immersed
leaving only the face to the air, arose the
black form of Sixpence. Silently he slip
ped into the water and swan ashore as
silently, his broad face stretched in a joy
Gus grin. He stayed for no covering, but
crawled up the steep banks, stopped down
as low as he could, and away across
the stony bluffs which surrounded the
prison, He had not gone a hundred yards
before the guards came running down to
the lake and saw him. The warden shout
ed to him to halt, but Sixpence ran more
swiftly, yet not in a direct line. In
iightning-like ZigZag course he darted from
right to left obliqualy, always onward, but
in such short, swift lacks that he was an
almost impossible target. Five guns were
aimed at him; five guns swerved mo-
mentarily right and left to find a mark be-
fore they were fired. Sixpence waved his
hand merrily over his head and disap-
peared beyond the bluffs, unhurt Zulu
servant led down two sadded horses, but
the warden looked at the setting sun and
shrugged his shoulders.
No use,' he said. It'll be dark in ten
minutes, and the black fellow will be hid
den somewhere. I suppose you know he
was in for manslaughter?'
The village guard hung his head.
''Oh, ] don't blame YOU" said the war
den ''Older hands than you can't be taken
in. L suppose he buried himself in the
mud. OF course, there will be an inquiry
There was, but a very short one, held IN
the Jail. In the middle of il a laundering
demand for admittance was made with
krobkerry on the outer gate The guard
who opened the wicket led SiXpence before
the, court Of inquiry, cheerful ard fat,
and with as broad a smile as ever He eX-
ptained to the court that he had been
home, had suffered from Inconsistencies,
had enjoyed himself, and was gladly back
again.
Very little food over there" he said
pointing to the north, but plenty 'scoff
here"
So the bewildered officials took him in to
his great content, and, after giving him
twelve lashes for the trouble he had
caused, allowed the man who preferred
prison to freedom to resume his former
life. He never, after that, behaved other
wise than as a model prisoner, save Lnce
again, two years later when he escaped
and returned before, taking his lashes
with perfect good humor, and eating big
supper Immediately after them. He be-
came a privileged character, an uncommis-
stoned assistant about the Office until, in
ten years, with African self-complacence.
he looked upon himself as far above all
other prisoners. and rather as a permanent
semi-officiai, permitted even on occasion to
hold the keys Indeed, he had committed
murder under the greatest provocation.
and his good humor his strength, and his
faithfulness to the only home he had ever
known, where meals We're certain all the
year round. made him a favorite with the
warden, to whom he attached himself as a
II mi nfh ndxy