The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-06-08

morning, MS cOcodHut-oiIeu
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' Gmp)." 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 a myriad silver
ed specks of damp starting out on his
dusky skin. The stately palms are still
as hothouse 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
uE behind us and join the human
stream. Johns back is soon a score
of running rills; but except sometimes
to lift a hand from his shafts to wipe
his dripping face with the fringe OF
his head cloth, he does not heed.
Sudden4y the leader OF the long pro
cession pulls up to brush his strag-
Cling hair from his eyes, and we ars
in danger OF a series of collisions
But the alert following swerves rapid
ly and N 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 Pettah, 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. 'Mahata! Ma
hata!" (Master! mastery he cries,
as II to say. Give place there," Ma
hata, Mahata!" answering voices cry
and some of the lower caste coolies
almost naked. scurry from before us.
endangering the baskets of freshly
gathered hill-grown tea which they bal
ance on their heads. But the bullock
drivers are Of a different tempera-
ment Their cultural cries as they sit
on the front of their tented carts and
poke with naked foot and little stich
and twist the tails OF their giant horn.
ed, numbering beasts, almost drown
my coolies voice. "Hyak, Hyak," they
rumble loudly; but the wayward bull.
locks scarcely respond. and from time
to time tn street Is completely block
ed Portly native merchants. tai, AT.
CHAN money lenders and sellers OF
betelnut and other Indian spices
thread their way through the crowd.
and sometimes my vehicles shafts
are seized by an Insignificant Sinhal.
ese policeman, and John is forcibly
shouldered through widening open.
ing. Presently he is prancing un.
daunted again through the outskirts of
the locality and into the town. TIL,
with his breast heaving like the sides
OF a blown animal he sets me down
at my office doorway
Indefatigable John. He could run
for an hour beneath a zenith sun with
nut changing his stride. Sometimes
during the ascent OF hill | might te n
him not to hurry. Always he replies
~Sir, yes l liking quickly run" Every
day quick. soon die" I would answer
for 1t is said that the average Indian
ricksha coolie either runs himself tc
death or retires in ten years. Sir
no. running quickly. making plent,
money; byemby buying one, two. three
cocoanut tree. marry one girl" "So?'
Eyes sir" You thinking you strong
all same bullock?" asked. Master
no; bullock no good. he lazy" Blu
only bad white man making coolie rur
too fast" Yes sir Plenty bad white
man. sir" And he would spring alert
ly ahead and set me down at my des
sinat ION. and, salaaming. retire to tn.