Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06

| the mutual defense. He stuck to 1t stolidly
that he was ''plenty-too-much bad shot, "
and Carter was too much occupied in keep
| ing up his own fire to spare time for fur
| Their coercion. But as he changed rifles with
Laura he said every poisonous thing to
White Man s-Trouble that his mind could
invent, and that African listened, but made
neither answer nor reply
The fight was going badly against the fac
| tory force. The Okky mems original sur
| prise had been very complete, and they had
rushed the outer line of the defenses all
round. The inner line consisted merely of
the buildings; and the factory boys had
bolted for these. and had Joined the mulatto
clerks and the Portuguese who were there
already. The whole Defense of course, was
badly managed; but, then, it must be re-
membered that it was devised by traders,
| not by soldiers. If it had not been for Car
ter's education on the moors and warrens
| deadliness with a rifle against rushes at
close quarters, the factory would have been
put to the storm within five minutes of the
first attack
tory boys were kroos, and these though
they are magnificent workers and about as
amphibious as seals, are emphatically not
fighting men. They battled manfully
enough after the shock Of the first surprise
and because no path of escape offered it.
self; and while there were trade guns to
fire they derived fine encoura cement from
the noise of the black trade-poWder explo-
sions and the acrid smell of smoke. But
few of them made any attempt to reload
their flintlocks a second time, and for cold
machete work at close quarters they had
little appetite So by ones and tWos and
tens they began slipping off into the bush
to be hunted down piecemeal by the savage
enemy later on-and soon only the clerks
and the two fever-shaken Portuguese were
left alive in the lower buildings.
1t was at this point a new engine was
added to the attack Dawn had Just leaped
up yellow and sickly over the sea when a
crash rang out that Jared the air and every
building about the pace
Hear that?" croaked Carter. That's a
cannon, and a brass one. you can tell
by the ring. It's probably one of those old
brass guns that the Portuguese used to ca st
for the natives two hundred years ago. One
of my curiosity dealers promised me fifty
golden soverefgns for a genuine specimen
If 1 don't spot that gun and pick off the
certainty. But they've got the blessed
thing so jolly well hidden among the BUSH!
Well, I'm going to ease up on my own
shooting and watch for the next flash. Get
me drink, you plucky darling. will you or
else my throat will crack in two. Bring a
chattie of water; that's what l want The
heat Of this night has been about the worst
l have known on the Coast"
TITS too hot to last" said the girl I'm
afraid even the water in the chattie will be
as warm as tea"
She went into the mess room, and pres
emily came back on hands and knees to
keep below the showers of pot-leg which
were perslstently whistling overhead. and
gave him the wet porous bottle, and crouch
ed beside him under the breastwork as he
drank.
We'll, my sweetheart" said Carter. "if
It isn't unlucky to drink ones best girls
health in water, here's your toast! You're
the finest plucked lasse in all the wide and
Wondrous earth, and now I come to think
OF 1t. l don't believe l ever proposed to
you"
No, you never did. don't see why you
should
Stick your head lower down. That thing
that said 'Whisp-whisp' was rifle bullet
They've got a blooming marksman down
there, and 1 can't have you picked off. And
don't talk rubbish You know you're jolly
going to marry me as soon as ever we can
afford 1t. II ever we get out Of this. which
isn't likely" He clapped an arm snugly
round her, and w-o-s-h case a load of pot
leg into the other side of the bedding which
protected them. Got any silly objections
to make to that?'
Have you thought over what 1t means.
George? You know I'm not white"
CTo be continued next Saturday,