The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20

ting there, the RATS awash II I take
You ! shall have to iettIson some OF my
But they had no further arguments.
They sat placid. They had lived in
cousnship with fear all their saualld
lives. and hero at last had arrived the
strong man who could certainly protect
them II he would. And they Intended no
should.
Carter thought for minute. and then,
~ wont have IT,, said he Trouble,
drive them ashore"
White Mans Trouble spoke, ana moth
Ing happened. He laced into their bare
bacI,s with Ills chiuuot. but sim they
did not bulge. One of them who seemed
OF be spokesman, merely talked to him
quietly.
The Krooboy explained Dem bush
men very uneduc2te Dcy say II you
no take 'eni dey lib for die. Dem big
black fellow there wild ono ear, he gay
II YOU no take him to walk into dem
ribber an be crocodile chop"
They'll do 1t. too confornd them"
Garter assured himself texedfy.
And so 1t came to pass, as he could
not very well condemn the enterprising
seven to death--for that Is what leaving
then amounted to--he was forced 10 take
their with him; and very idle. inefficient
boatiaen they proved. They knew 10th
ing or, the river. once the two miles of
their fishing had been passed: they had
no idea OK the obvious set OF currents.
no eyes for the plainest shoal. II they
were left to themselves for q dozen
minutes t,ey would run the raft into the
bush. and. as likely as not. get on board
n cargo Of red ants, that seemed to have
white-hot teeth when they started to
bite. They gorged upon the scanty store
OF dried Ash y they were not watched,
! and never caught more unless they were
necessarily goaded. When the ieeking
yellow river was more than usually full
OF crocodies they would dangle their legs
over the side; and when the raft was
drifting past a village which was most
song. They always felt that they great
white ju-ju man. under whose protec-
ton they had elected to place themselves,
was competent to shelter them II he so
desired. And II he wiled otherwise, and
they died. we'll. that did not greatly con-
Germ them. They We're very exasperating
animals and Carter about three times
day much wished that the handling of
them could be transferred to some of
| those kind-hearted people ut homo who
always insist that the negro of the West
! Africa hinterland Is man and n brother
They had a small dugout canoe in tow.
and greatly they needed 1T. After twice
| running the big raft down streams that
ended in impossible morass and having
tediousy to tow and punt her back
| against the current. they always here
after sent. the lighter craft ahead on
| voyages Of discovery. Or. to be more
accurate, Carter had TO go In her with
one OF the fishers as assistant. The ex-
| cellent White Man Trouble had limits
TO his intelligence. and there was no
| driving into him that water which would
carry n canoe that drew three inches .of
water was too shallow for 4 heavy raft
that drew three feet.
The Winchester rifle and the remains
two things that linked them now With
civilization. They lived in the African
manner, upon African food; the. intricate
branching OF the creeks was charted in
matchet scratches upon the smoothed
surface OF log Of wood. even English
speech was discarded in favor of the ma
| two tongue.
Carter had shaved till the steamy at
iuosphere OF the bush had turned his
razors into mere sticks OF rust; and with
| the growth of his red stubble OF beard
all respect for his outward man had van
ished. He caught sight of himself one
| evening In pool of black water. We'll. .
Swizzle-Suck Smith was a filthy old
| rufian. but at his worst he looks a prince
| 10 me now. That. suppose, Is where
| gray has the pull over ginger"
But It was the rescue of the King of
| Okky which really gave the turn to the
whole OF Carter's fortune. They had got
| the raft into a regular cul-de-sac of reeds
| and water-lilies. and she lay there stuck
| on a shoal in the face of falling river.
Greeks radiated all around them like the
| spokes Of come gigantic wheel The place
| was alive with crocodles and flies. Not
very far away an intertr!bal battle adj
vertised itself By an ugly mutter of
| firing.
AN chop no lib" said White Mans
| Trouble, by way of winding up the sum
of their difficulties"
well. find some" Carter snapped.
! Make spears ard stab the fish up out
OF the mud il you can't catch them with
nets or hooks. Only see that there's a
meal ready for me when get back. oil.
I'll lam into you with that chiquot you're
so fond OF using"
He went Off then In the warped dugout'
| with the one-eared man as bow pole,
laboriously hunting for passage into
some main stream. The river beneath
! them gave UP fat bubbles of evil doors.
! tho banks OF slime on either side reebed
under the sun blaze. A dozen " ,es
Carter thought he saw open water g..eail,
and pushed on, and a. dozen times found
| himself embayed. And always he had
! to jet down compass notes with nail