Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-06-07

morning, his cocoanut-oiled
Ell skin shining like FURNISHED
metal, eyes aglow with readl-
ness, hair done up behind like wom-
ans He was young coolie, 1.-the
and strong. Master ready?" Yes,
Jack" "Sir, no. John. Jack all same
'Yakka (imp)." Eyes, John" Sir,
thank you. Master 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 dollhouse vines, the sea is sheet
of glass, sun-emblazoned, a menace to
the eye. open out my big white UNI
brella, and my coohe at once adjusts
his swinging step to the changed bal
ance of tho little man cart Others
rickshas, their hoods up, are rolling
on ahead; we come up in their rear,
and other naked-footed runners pad
up 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.
Suddenly the leader Of the long pro-
cession pulls up to brush his strag-
Cling hair from his eyes, and we ara
in danger of a series of collisions
But the alert following swerves rapid.
ly, and N a second we are a newly led
troop, and the delayed rickasha man,
unless he make special efforts, which
may provoke rivafrous sprinting, must
hang OH 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
hatal" master! mastery he cries,
as if 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 stick
and twist the tails Of their giant horn
ed, numbering beasts, almost drown
my coolies voice. sHyak! Hyak!" they
rumble loudly; but the hayward bull
locks scarcely respond, and from time
to time the street is completely block
ed. Portly native merchants. tall 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-
csc policeman, and John is forcibly
shouldered through widening open
ing. Presently he is prancing I'M
daunted again through the outskirts of
the locality and into the town. till.
with his breast heaving like the sides
of a blown animal, he sets me down
at my Office doorway.
interchangeable joint He could rur
for an hour beneath zenith sun with
out changing his stride. Sometimes
during the ascent of a hill might tell
him not to hurry. Always he replies:
~sir. YES. / liking quickly run" Every
day quick, soon die" l would answer.
for it is said that the average Indian
ricksha coolie either runs himself to
death or retires in ten years. "Sir
no: running quickly, making plenty
money; byemby buying one, two, three
cocoanut tree, marry one girl" "So?"
Eyes sir" 'You thinking you strong
all same bullock" I asked. Master.
no; bullock no good, he lazy" "Bht
only bad white man making coolie run
too fast YES sir Plenty bad white
man, sir" And he would spring alert
ly ahead and set me down at my des.
unation, and, salaaming. retire to thu