Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-01-23
,imost reaenea civilization. Discard

was content
When Discard was content he smoked
a slower pipe than usual, watching
each cloud of smoke vanish into thin
air. He was smoking very slowly this
the third evening of their encampment
at Msala. There had been heavy rain
Curing the day. and tile whole lifeless
forest was dripping with continuous,
ceaseless CHATTER Of heavy drops on
tropic foliage, with an amalgamated
sound like widespread whisper.
Oscard was sitting in the windowless
room without Il light. for light only
attracted a myriad Of heavy winged
moths. He was seated before the long
French window, which, since the sash
had gone, had been used as II dooA
Before him in the glimmering light of
the mystic Southern Cross the great
river crept unetuously. silently to the
sea. 1t seemed to be stealing away
surreptitiously while the forest whis-
pered OF it. In its surface the retlec-
lion Of the great stars of the southern
hemisphere ran into little streaks of
silver, shimmering away into darkness
All sound of human life was still.
The natives We're asleep. In the next
COON Joseph in his hammock was Just
on the barrier between the waking and
the sleeping life. as soldiers learn to
be. Oscard would not have needed to
raise his voice to call him to his side.
The leader of this hurried retreat had
been sitting there for two hours. The
Shiny moving surface of the river had
entered into his brain; the restless
silence Of the African forest alone kept
him awake. He hardly realized that
the sound momentarily gaining
strength within his ears was that of
paddle-a single, weakly irregular
paddle. 1t was not q sound to wake
q sleeping man. 1t came so slowly, SO
gently through the whisper of the drip
ping leaves that it would enter into
his slumbers and make itself part Of
them.
Guy Discard only realized the mean
ing of that sound when black shadow
, crept on to the smooth evenness of the
rivers breast. DISCARD was eminently
man of action. In moment he was
on his feet and in the darkness Of the
room there was the CLEAN of rife
barrel. He came back to the window
watching.
! He saw the canoe approach the bank.
lie heard the thud Of the paddle as 1t
was thrown upon the ground. In the
gloom to which his eyes were accus-
toned, he saw a man step from the
! boat to the shore and draw the canoe
up. The silent midnight visitor then
turned and walked up toward the
house. There was something familiar
in the gait-the legs were slightly
bowed. The man was walking with
great difficulty, staggering little at
each step. He seemed to be In great
/ pain.
Guy Discard laid aside the rifle. He
stepped forward to the open window.
us that you, Durnovo:" he said,
without raising his voice.
Yes" replied the other. His voice
was muffled as il his tongue were
swollen, and there was startling
break in It,
Oscard stepped aside and Durnovo
passed into his own house
"Got Light" he said in the same
mutted way.
In the next room Joseph could be
heard striking n match, and moment
4 later he entered the room, throwing
flood Of light before him.
| Good Cod" cried DISCARD. He step
ped back rs il he had been struck, with
his hand shielding his eyes
! Save ns!" calculated Joseph in the
same breath.
I! The thing that stood there, sickenng
their gaze. was not a human being nj
ALL Take mans eyelids away, leav-
ing the round balls staring, blood
streaked; cut away his lips. leaving the
srinning teeth and rcd gums; shear Off
his ears-that which Il; left is not man
at all This had been done to Victor
Durnov0. Truly the vengeance Of man
is crue.cr than the vengeance of God!
Gould lie have seen himself, Victor
Durnovo would never have shown that
face, or What remained of 1t, to q
human being. He could only have
killed himself. WHO can tell what cru
elties had been paid for, piece by piece,
In this loathsome mutation: The
slaves had Wrecked their terrible venge-
ancc; but the greatest. the deepest,
the most inhuman cruelty was In let
ting him 81
They've made Il pretty mess of me-"
said Durnoro. in 81 aic!ening, lifeless
voice. and lie stood there with terrible
caricature of /! grin.
Joseph set down the lamp with q
groan and Went back into the dark
room beyond. where he cast himself
upon the ground ana buried his face in
his hands.
F; 20 Lorlr' he muttercd 80 God in
heaven, kill it. kill it,"
Guy Oscard never attempted to run
away from 1t. He stood slowly gulp-