New-York tribune., 1912-04-21
THE HARD MAN

-Sandhurst-Po -Potsiam business there.
The thing that puzzles me- though IS that
it doesn't look modern: the sort OF thing a
fellow would DO who'd been out Of touch
with his profession for a time. ch;
Bennett looked up quickly, and slapped
hi, hand upon his thigh cXcitcdIy. You We
hit it," ne cried. I've been wondering what
it was that struck me rs queer about It all,
and YOU We put Your finger on the very thing.
| Old practice. that's what. Now, that looks
promising II holds possibilities YOU know.
! Yes Sir. it surely does. And he fell to
musing. with his arms about his drawn-up
knees.
I've heard that Allison knows more about
| il than he's saving. put IN Burnham
thoughtiuv. "PontitcX-you know, the
\ Battery chap-tod me this morning there
WAS something working up like Yeast. tie
SAYS he knows Allison is laying all sorts OF
pipe and getting queer reports from some
roundabout channel he's in touch with. d
like to get something of to The Herald
that would make EN- sit up, and | ShouIdn't
wonder il this will be it.
The dusk began to fall and the pale amber
tints OF the campfire glowcd wclrily against
the darkcnlng sky.
They say the old man actually knows
who the fellow is, said CrandalI, after a long
pause: and De Lcsscps glanced up al the
others and smiled, but said nothing.
"IIc speaks the native language, docSn
| he" asked young Darrow little dlitldently;
| He had not yet Smoothed out all his ruitted
feathers. "You ought to know, he went on,
addressing The Times" man.
81 know he speaks about every native dL,
lcct to be found in this Internal, sun baked
land. replied DE LcSScpS quietly. Il know
he can get himself up i'll native rg and trot
about for weeks at a time, and the man
doesn't live that can spot him. He's done
it scores of times. and there isn't another
white man ever heard OF who can. VI to
whether he knows who this chap is, or not,
| can't SAY.
But YOU would know before any OF us,
| if" began Darrow, when the older man cut
him off sharply.
"That'll do, Son, he said quietly. "fou
don't know your man. His own father
would have no more show than the rest OF us.
told YOU he played fair, and he docS-don' t
YOU ever forget that. If there's a big thing
coming off. he'll send for us all together.
About this other thing. rs | say, | don't
know how much ne has up his sleeve; but |
| do know that months before this expedition
was officially announced Allison was up
here in native rig Perhaps its not ncccS-
sarv to tell YOU. Darrow. that's not news,
and YOU must keep it To Yourself. He's been
over every foot OF the ground, even into
Ouladan.
Inside Ouladan, Good Lord You don't
mean it," cried Burnham cXcltcdly.
"Ycs." answered De LcSScpS, watching
the morose face OF young Darrow. He
spent a week there inside the walls. You
see. he's a hard man, and he has habit OF
doing ANYTHING ne tackles very hard indeed
| He could not help the little shaft and he
felt secretly pleased when the youngSter
flushed He got wind OF 4 chap he'd heard
a good bit OF in one way or another IN the
native backwatcrs and the drift that filters
into official quarters. Nothing very much,
or definite in any way, YOU understand, but
sufficient to build little speculative theory
ON. This country is full Of hints; but cold
facts are hard 10 get, rs perhaps YOU We
noticed. The natives don't talk much for
the Great Chief has a nasty little habit OF
clipping mans neck Just above the ShouI-
| derS when he talks loosely.
Ugh Pleasant Johnny, | must say re-.
marked Burnham. with a shuddcr, and pulled
a blanket up around his shoulders as he spoke.
\ buglc sounded kccnly in the twilight,
and there was the muftlcd sound OF many