The Detroit times., 1912-11-25
CHAPTER XIII.
(Continuedp

unpopular with my neighbors il ! pro-
duced q fowl that would ny. The
sportsman hereabouts goes OUT with
q gun six feet long. and waits half
day till he gets three partridges in
row on the ground and then lets
drive at them. You see the breech-
loading shotgun isn't common OBJ
ject OF the countryside in this part
OF the world. In TACT, my Own arc
probably the only pair OF twelve-bore
electors In this part of Africa. Purdy
built them for me before came out,
and tell you | had very awkward
job OF il smuggling them into the
country, in spite OF the fact that I've
got. OF course a bit of personal pull
THE worst OF buying those Hun
Garian partridge eggs is that | be
lieve fully ninety per cent of them are
poached," remarked Sir George"
Then, II that's the case, the ex-
pertinent as far as I'm concerned
must drop. We're pretty lawless
crew out here over game laws, but n
one hears OF man preserving, wheth-
er it's in Hungary or In Norfolk, one
naturally feels bound in common de-
cency to back him up. But | suppose
one could get eggs legitimately pro-
duced on a proper game farm II one
was prepared to pay for them"
Certainly. or course. pheasants
eggs are their principal product at
those places, BY the way. why not
try pheasants? You've plenty OF COW
er, and. II the partridges can find
food, they should, too. You ought TO
get fine rocketing shots il you had
rides cut in the proper places among
some OF those steep woods"
The visitor laughed and stretched
cut his hands. He had small and
beautifully-shaped hands, and they
were very carefully kept
you MUST remember we're rather
out OF the world down here. and
there's a good lump of the Atlas and
a number Of very unfriendly people
between here and Mogador. which Is
our nearest steamer port | have tried
importing pheasant's eggs there s-v
eral times, as il happens. i calculPt-
cd the date the boat would arrive. AID
had relays of men strung out between
here and there to run them along
without delay; but as each time tie
experiment has been a izZle, one gets
q bit discouraged. You see, II takes
a couple of hundred men and a good
zeal Oh " Out
ones line of runners"
Sir George Chesterman stared. |
This bFeken=doMn university man, |
whom he was prepared rather 70 pity |
and was open TO help, was evidently |
a person of some considerable local
position. He had not spoken In the
least boastfully; In fact, the egg tale
had been told with the humorous
touch that a man usually does give
TO a story that is told against himself
What on earth could be his history?
Captain Kettle took advantage Of
the lull. and following his subject
doggedly.
Then one might take it you lived
here?"
"One might."-The words were
trifie offensive, but a smile took the |
edge from them.
"A local landowner, in fact?"
"Oh, think I am"
Captain Kettle could have shaken
Sir George and Miss Chesterman just
then. Why did they not back him up
in his search for sound information.
instead of turning the conversation
back again TO what Che considere1) /
were further inanities?
Il suppose you brew your own pow
der and make your own shot here up !!
country" asked Sir George.
Most OF them do. All the big tribes !,
In Atlas have their own powder mills.
and when We run out OF bullets, We
mine lead and do bit OF smelling I
But for Wholesalers we import car i
tridges, and I'm afraid I'm extrava-
CANT enough to do the same for my
shotgun ammunition. Kynochs would
probably be surprised to know that 4
their cartridges cost about eighteen
Pence apiece by the time they reach
me here. But then, OF course, you
jealous nations outside are to blame. /
You put up an absurd interfering law
making II an offense to import Arms
of Precision into this part OF Africa,
and as you have your warships TO
lack you up, and We are not naval
folks, cartridges cost us about seven
POUNDS hundred instead of some ten
chillings. But OF course, we get them
all the same II we like to pay"
You take It easily. It's that small
item of paying that makes things so
hard for some Of us"
The visitor laughed. 81 apologize.
should have remembered Here for
well, for us-you see. it's only a
case Of sending out handful Of ones
men TO do a bit OF mining, and the 4,
gold slugs trickle out to the coast
and come back as coin. We don't
show riches in this country; it's not I.
particularly safe to do that; but It's 4
quite as we'll to have them within \
reach, as | suppose 1t Is all the
world over"
Then II you're a well-off man,
said Captain Kettle acidly, "may ask !
what you are after the Norman Tow
ers for?"
This time there was no doubt about ,
the visitors dislike. Hate for an IN. 4
slant cleaned out Of his blue eyes,
and was as quickly yelled But he did
not pretend to infuse cordially into /
his voice.
my good Captain whatever-your. /
name-is, L don't want your wreck. !
And, BY the way, now We are on the
subject, you might kindly tell me, is
she yours2'
my owner has bought all tho
rights In her from Iloyds.". secs =,
'Ah, Lloyds! An eminent corpora
ton In London. believe? Then yoI
had better get Lloyds to give you de
livery OF your bargain"
wont you?'
"Ig What on earth have I to do
with it? III give you a piece or local
information, II you like, not that