Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-11-07

skinny yellow fist out over the broad
river that crept greasily down to the
equatorial sea.
All around him the vegetable king
dom had asserted Its sovereignty At
his back doomed dense forest, i'm
penetrable to the foot of man, defying
his puny hand armed with aX or saw,
The trees were not high few of them
being above twenty feet, but from their
branches creepers and parasites hung
in tangled profusion, interlaced, join
ing tree to tree for acres-nay, for
miles.
AS far as the eye could reach either
bank of the slow river was thus COW
cred with rank vegetation-mile after
mile without variety, without hope.
The CLASSY surface of the water was
broken here and there by certain black
forms floating like logs half hidden be.
meath the wave. These We're croco.
diles. The river was the Ogowe, and
the man who cursed 1t was Victor
Durnovo, employee of the I.oango
Trading association whose business 1t
was at that season to travel into the
Interior of Africa to buy, barter OF
steal ivory for his masters.
He was a small faced man, with n
squarely aquiline nose and n black
mustache which hung like valance
over his mouth. From the growth of
that curtain-like mustache Victor
Durnovo's worldly prosperity might
have been said to date. No one seeing
his mouth had before that time been
prevailed upon to trust him. Nature
has way of hanging out signs and
then covering them up SO that the
casual fail to see. He was man of
medium height, with abnormally long
arms and somewhat truculent way
OF walking, as il his foot was ever
ready to kick anything or any person
who might come in his way.
Victor Durnovo had sent his boatmen
into the forest to find few dates. n
few handfuls of firewood, and while
they We're absent he gave vent to that
Wild unreasoning passion which is in
hailed into the white mans lungs with
the air of equatorial Africa.
Curse this country" he shouted.
Course 1t, curse it-river and tree, man
and beast!"
Presently peacefulness seemed to
come over him, for his eyes lost their
glitter and his heavy lids dropped. His
arms were crossed behind his head.
Before him lay the river.
Suddenly he sat upright, all eager
ness and attention. Not leaf stirred
1t was about 8 o'clock In the evening,
the stillest hour Of the twenty-four. In
such silence the least sound would
travel almost any distance, and there
was sound travelling over the water
to him. 1t was nothing but a thud re-
peated with singular regularity, but to
bis practiced ears it conveyed much,
He knew that q boat was approaching,
as yet hidden by some distant curve In
the river. The thud was caused by the
contact of six paddles with the gun
vale of the canoe az the paddlers with
drew them from the water.
Victor Durnovo rose again and
brought from the boat second rifle,
which he laid beside the double bar
relied Reilly which was never more
than yard away from him, waking
or sleeping. Then he waited. He
knew that no boat could reach the
bank without his full permission, for
all the rowers could be killed before
they got within hundred yards of his
rife. He was probably the best rifle
shot but one In that country, and the
other, the very best, happened to be in
the approaching canoe.
After the space Of ten minutes the
bont came in sight-a long, black form
on the still waters. 1t was too far
away for him to distinguish anything
beyond thesfact that 1t was native
boat
Eight hundred yards" muttered
Durnovo over the sight of his rife.
He looked upon this river as his own,
and he knew the native of equatorial
Africa. Therefore he dropped bullet
into the water, under the bow of the
canoe, ut 800 yards.
A moment later there was Il sound
which can only be written "P-ttr' be-
tween his legs, and he had to wipe Il
shower of dust from his eyes. A puff
OF blue smoke rose slowly over the
boat and sharp report broke the
silence Il second time.
Then Victor Durnovo leaped to his
feet and waved his hat in the air.
From the canoe there was an answer
Ing greeting, and the man on the bank
went to the waters edge, still carry
insr fhn tiHA nj, no
parted.
DurnovO was the first to speak when
the boat came within hail.
Very sorry" he shouted. Thought
You We're n native boat Must estab-
lisll funk-get In the first shot, you
know"
"All right" replied one of the Euro
peans in the approaching craft, with
q courteous wave of the hand mo
harm DONE
There We're two white men and six
blacks IN the long and clumsy boat.
One of the Europeans lay in the bow
while the other was stretched at his
case In the stern, reclining on the can
vas Of neatly folded tent The last
named was evidently the leader of the
little expedition, while the manner and
attitude Of the man in the bow sug
gested the servitude of disciplined
soldier slightly relaxed by abnormal
circumstances.
who fired that shot!" inquired
Durnovo, when there was no longer
any necessity to shout
Joseph" replied the man in the
stern of the boat, Indicating his COM
pan:ou. WAS it a near thins:"
"About as near as care about. 1t
threw up the dust between my legs"
The man called Joseph grinned.
Nature had given him literally of the
wherewithal for indulgence in that
relaxation, and Durnovo' smiled rather
constrainedly. Joseph was grabbing
at the long reedy grass, bringing the
canoe to standstill, and it was
L. l,f., ,t.N,,.