The Van Buren press., 1912-06-08

! lHOIulHS, his CONoaHutOi'N'
skin shining like Furnished
metal, eyes aglow with readi
ness, hair done up behind like wom'
ans He was a young coolie, 1.-THE
and strong Master ready?' Yes,
Jack" Sir, no. John Jack all same
'Yakka (imp)." Yes, John" Sir,
thank you. Mister very good mas
! ter"
Out we go on the long white road be.
tween sea and jungle, the flexible
spine of my human steed bending with
each giant stride, and myriad silver
ed specks Of damp starting out on his
dusky skin The stately palms are still
as dollhouse vines, the sea is a sheet
Of glass, sun-emblazoned, a menace to
| the eye | open out my big white UNI
| brella, and my coolie at once adjusts
his swinging step to the changed bal
ance of the little man cart. Others
| rickshas, their hoods up, are rolling
| on ahead; we come up IN their rear
| and other naked.footed runners pad
VI behind us and join the human
stream. Johns back is soon a score
of running rills; but except sometimes
to lift hand from his shafts to wipe
| his dripping face with the fringe Of
his head cloth, he does not heed.
Suddenly the leader OF the long pro
cessIon pulls up to brush his strag
! Cling hair from his eyes, and we arc
In danger of series OF collisions
But the alert following swerves rapid
ly, and IN second we are a newly led
troop, and the delayed rickasha man,
unless he make special efforts, which
may provoke rivalrous sprinting, must
hang on to our rear,
Through Crowded Streets.
| Now we come to the Peltah and my
oolie breaks away from the main body
and darts into that strange human and
animal medley which throngs the ma.
tive business quarter Mahatal Ma.
hata!" (Masterl mastery he cries,
as II to say, Give place there" Ma.
| hata! MahataI" answering voices cry
almost naked, scurry from before us
endangering the baskets Of freshly
gathered hillgrown tea which they bal.
ance on their heads But the bullock
drivers are Of different tempera.
ment Their cultural cries as they sit
on the front Of their tented carts and
poke with naked foot and little silica
and twist the tails OF their giant horn,
cd numbering beOsls, almost drown
my coolies voice. "llyak' llyat'" they
rumble loudly; but the hayward bul
locks scarcely respond, ana from time
70 time tn street IL completely block.
ed, portly native merchants tai. Al,
CHAN money lenders and sellers OF
! botonut and other Indian spIcos
thread their way through tho crowd,
and sometimes my vehicles shnlts
are seized by an insignificant Slnhal.
csc policeman, and John Ia forcbly
shouldorcd through n Widening open.
Ing, Presently he IN pranelng un
daUntod again through the outskirts OF
the locality and into the town. tn,
with his breast hoayng like the Sides
of n blown animal, no sets me down
at my once doorway
lndefatlgablo john lie could run
for an hour beneath zenith sun with.
out changing bis stride sometInes
during the ascent Of = hin might leu
him not to hurry Always he reples,
"slr, yes liking quickly run" Every
day quick, soon de-" ! would answer,
FOR II IN said tina, the average indian
rleksha coolIo either runs himself 10
death or retfes IN ten years, "slr,
no, running quickly, making plenty
money, byemby buying ono, two, three
cocoanu, tree, marry ono girl" SOY"
Eyes sir" "You thinking you strong,
all name bullock ! asked, Master
no, bullock no good, he lazy" "Dut
only bad white man making eoolle run
too fast" Yes ALI, Plenty bad white
man, sir" And he would spring alert
~ ahead and set mo down at my dos.
unation, and, ATTAINING, retire 10 the