Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-20
CHAPTER XIv-Continued.

Colville did more than gaze he actually
CAPPED at the other. There was no mis-
taking the cultured accent of an English
gentleman. and yet-the thing could not
be: he fancied he was bewitched.
MY dear Jimmie. have l changed so
much then since last we played smoker
together in the club?"
"Well, I'm blessed!" muttered Colville
or to be candid. he used the subaltern's
variant of the phrase.
you soon will be If you don't do as l
tell you.' came the emphatic assurance.
But before 1 go. for I must give the
people at Ibi chance-though 1t is
thousand to one I shall be too late-who
is the lady your friend inquired about?
Colville wanted to say so much that he
found but few words. He could only
gasp:
MY dear Warden-didn't you hear?"
Il heard her name, of course. but it
cannot be lady of the same name in
whom 1 was once interested. STILL 1t is
an odd thing it should be mentioned to-
night and in this place Who is she?"
'Oh. d-n 1t ALL" groaned Colville, ''how
could any poor devil guess he was in for
this sort of stew when he started from
Ibi yesterday"
Il assure you we are wasting precious
time. Jimmie. Perhaps 1t is my fault. but
the question was a natural one under the
circumstances. Tell your men it Is all
right, or they may want to prevent my
departure: they understand those drums
you know. My only hope of success in
case I am stopped at the bend Is to keep
up the pretense that 1 am a special en-
voy from the emirs in the interior. Some
day, if we win through this business. l
shall have fine yarn for you. Good
bye!'
But look here, old chap. can't let
you slip away like that. Confound it! l
don't know what to say. but the plain
engaged to. Miss Evelyn Dane, is inside
the mission house now. this minute. and
the man l brought from Ibi Is the Earl
Of Fairholme He told me all about you
on the way up. He's decent sort and
he is wild over Miss Dane But 1t is only
fair to add"
A series Of blood-curdling yells and
volley of musketry that lit the bush with
spurts of flame put an abrupt end to Col
ville's qualifying sentence. He was SO
taken aback by the extraordinary coinci-
dence that Warden should arrive at Ka
dana almost at the same instant as the
man who had come there with the
avowed intent of taking Evelyn Dane
home to England as his wife. that for one
bemused second he failed to grasp the i'm
minence or extent of the native on
slaught.
1t was otherwise with Warden. Though
his brain might we'll have reeled at the
officers lips, the incessant watchfulness
demanded by the life of the past five
months had created in him q second ma
ture. While his heart asked tumultuous
questions and found no answer to any of
them, his head dictated the steps that
must be taken II they were to offer any
sort OF organized defense.
Company! Attention. he shouted.
-Four men remain with the launch, keep
steam UP and shove off from the bank;
all others follow to the mission. Double
march! Benz Kali, run the canoe ashore
and GOMEZ!
The loud command. proceeding appar-
entity from their leader. though not In
their leaders voice. was promptly obeyed
by the Hausas. They came running across
the clearing loading their rifles and fixing
bayonets as they ran.
Now, Colville. take hold" said War
den, coolly. I'm afraid I startled you
out Of your wits. but they're your men,
not mine.''
The younger man needed no second
bidding. Glad Of the night that hid the
scarlet in his face. he told the small
squad to surround the mission house.
veranda than on it. Hume and Fair
holme with two women in white dresses
had rushed out at the first sound of fir
ing, and they were painfully distinct In
the ngnt tnat came from q large lamp IN
side the room at the back.
. Shout to them to get inside, close the
doors and extinguish all lights" said
Warden. keeping close to Colville during
the combined rush to gain the obscurity
afforded by the heavy beams that sup
ported the upper story.
Colville obeyed. He was honestly glad
that stronger man had taken control.
His knowledge of the country told him
that most serious and far-spread rebel
IT. u y,Sy
guns, were in the hands of tribe famed
for its fighting qualities. He had dozen
men. not counting the four in the launch,
to meet the onset of as many thousands.
He did not fear death, for he had faced
it many times. but 1t was one thing to
enter on a definite campaign no matter
what the odds. and quite another to find
himself plunged into seemingly hopeless
fight in a time of profound peace, and at
the close Of an exhausting Journey un-
dertaken to oblige sporting British peer.
He had to below his instructions twice
before the alarmed occupants of the mis-
sion house quilted the veranda. The
sound of his own voice was helpful; it
steadied him. 1t was in his natural tone
that he growled to Warden:
''Fairholme admits that he is an ass.
rather boasts of tt. in fact, but Thought
Hume would have more sense than to let
the women stand there offering clear
target"
They are safe enough yet" was the
reply Their rooms face the river; the
attack is coming from the bush"
Wouldn't it be better to take to the
river at once?''
mo, that means certain death. There
are three canoes. and each has Norden-
feldt mounted in its bows
Good Lord, man, a Nordenfeldt.'
Yes. and M'Wanga has dozen twelve
Founders in two batteries at Oku. Not
that they will ever be of much use to
him. I took care of that. But ! failed
utterly to get on board the canoes. They
were moored in midstream, guarded day
and night, and the guns were sheeted
Moreover, have been out of gear nearly
six weeks. This is big business, Col
vile. How is it no one knew of what was
going on?'
There were rumors, but they died
Did they send Forbes in my place."
Yes"
THAT explains it. He is a capital fell
low in an Office. To ask him to unravel
an Oku plot was to set bat catching
sparrows by daylight"
They had plenty of time to discuss mat
tiers thus coolly. No West African fight
ing man would demean himself by de-
livering an assault on an enemys posi-
ton without a preliminary hubbub-- of
yells and wild shooting. 1t is different
when he is the defender. Then he will
lie close as a partridge till the precise
moment that his usually antiquated guns
can most effectually belch forth de-
stroying blast of nails. iron scraps. peb-
bles, and broken glass and pottery.
But the seconds passed, and the min
utes. and no horde of demoniac figures