The Detroit times., 1909-05-21
.AMLION
Or HudeoND NDOuslAe
. CHAPTER VII.
The story Of the Second Discard.


went farther south TO see whether
there might be anything doing In my
line there. But. what with peace con
ferences. everything was dull as ditch
water. So took boat over 10 Cape
Town, and had look In at the little
h war Germany was carrying OIL In Ma
maQualand. But the n.sEsrs there
wanted me TO ;Jke cattle aat such
truck for my good guns. ane that was
too dangerous. .ben drifted north by
degrees as far as the French Congo
"Business was brisker there. but by
bad luck the Froggies got wind of nae
while / was selling OF consignment
Of Long Danes lad bought Wholesale
4 from a caravan further nor:b They
dropped on me in bunch. goS away
by the akin or my teeth. mnG wi;n no
more than I could carry shout me.
which was chiefly fcol.
"rve been hard pusaed in my time.
but those fellows broke Al records as
hrstlers. was so closely hunted
that even my guides gave rp and
abandoned me-
you don't know CkIkest Africa.
Arendsen. but | do. and tell you |
felt mighty mean when | found my
self stranded there. 20 mangrove
swamp en- the edge OF an impossible
river. with the bloodhouads hard at
my heels. There | was, al the end OF
my tether. with no prospects but Il
drumhead courtmartial, firing party.
and shallow trench in the mud
where the land-crabs burrow."
He shrugged his shoulders in creep
n dfafaefa ~ the nfrfnrA 10 had ra-
called to memory.
Il had calculated that | had about
m hour more TO live when | saw a
fellow come calmly sailing down river
E out OF the heat-haze in a canoe. Think
Of what thar meant TO me then, Arend-
sem
when be was nearly abreast OF me
saw from his dress that he was a
white man, and hailed him. but he
took no notice. II gave me a sicklish
feeling To think that he might pass
~ on the other side, like the Levite
of scripture, when all wanted OF him
was q lift across.
Il felt pretty desperate then. tell
you. or | wouldn't have done what
did. | dived into the moving mud
and struck out at top speed after that
ur8l thdAis Ou MN lOI NrOQ
sake to wait for me. He didn't-be-
cause he was deadaR
Il saw that before | clambered on
board. picked up the paddle and
made a bee-line for the bank | had
IN idea. an inspiration. reckoned
that I had still half an hour TO the
good. and what dye think | did,"
Arendsen adopted bored express
sion, and shook his head
II dropped stone dead there. Arend.
sen. | became a corpse. | said the
long goodbye to poor old Dominic Sea
ger, and In damned hurry. IT was
the only way to prevent the French
men from following me 10 a finish.
1T had TO be a quick change. OF
course, and hadn't leisure to sort out
my few belongings, so | slowed them
about the body wholesale as soon as
I'D emptied its pockets. left ii COM
4 pletely equipped for Identification, and
- Tor appearance II had been so mess
ID about by the niggers that it might
have passed for anyone In the wide
world.
Then tramped about in the mud
q bit. first in my own boots and then
with bare feet. snapped ,twigs and
branches, and left all the marks Of
lifeand-death struggle. | dug out for
the nearest cover and clung TO a leafy
bough scarcely daring to breathe.
In half a minute the first of the
Frenchmen's black-boys were yelping
about the body. and their yap brought
up the rest OF the expedition at a dog
trof
There was a great palaver over
their find, and they seemed disap-
pointed to think that they hadn't been
there in time TO shoot me themselves.
They never doubted that 1t was me.
for the first thing they came across
was my papers. However, they were
well enough pleased to think they had
heard the last OF ne, and SO had their
niggers dig a neat hole In the mud
and tuck poUr old Dominic tidiiy into
n
"In the end the Frerchmon turned
tail and made or. Ia a desperate hur-
-fyy-te- -get-baek- beyond tho Herman
border. And was saved. | WIS saw
ed,
Wei. after I'd quieted down
again. began to wonder who was
now. ard what I'd better do next. This
la wEe.c you begin to come In. Arend-
sen. I've brought you Up to the mo-
rent when I first opened the PAPERS
had Inherited from the dead man
There was heap OF then In he
csaoe. besides what Td found In his
pockets.
~1'hat fellow must have been born
cr!acky. ..s held royal flush OF the
.haest at ;hc identical ihstart when
he was put out o; action. It's mine
now
Hc vas speaking excited!y now. as
10 rsca:le,. the prospect which nad
been tempting e.,olsh tn bring him
back within reach CT Black Dirck. anl
that individual Also would seem 10
hayo hs~n infected b. hts obvious
f1ki "a his eTrand. At snv tate he
cil t.s. taKc an advantage " the
TACT thAs Seaeer hal once more poca.
eted h;s revolver and produced la its
place ths package OF papers.
The olack-beardod man studied doc.
unert After document until ne had
mastered all the details OF his fellow
eoonndrefs scheme. And he couli
not but admit TO himself that Il was
3 very feasible one. 80 strong. in its
sheer simplicity. that failure seemed
( almost Impossible.
0eager fllled the dead mans shoes
20 perfection as far as outward ap
pearsncs wont, might even have beer
the original Of that faded photograph
neny years old. which. was included
iE the collection. Miles ouaiutance
the uncle Who rad been .niudsd Il
make his nephew nulti-Tnillionair,
on snch curious terms, was safely bun
80 .nd In anv case had maya. ce