The Red Cloud chief., 1913-05-15

nOWHng natlVe serVantb
where is FiereT I asked.
"'The others are bringing him; he
will die soon. too they replied.
"'And the buffalo?'
"'Dead.' was the laconic reply.
"A thick food of blood was contin.
ually flowing from my mouth and the
right side Of my face. The natives
lifted me into the boat. and with
every moment the blood flowed faster.
"Quick.' I managed to gasp. the
medicine chest!'
They brought 1t to me. There was
only one thing to do and that quickly.
Sew, sew, sew! Terrible necessity
taught me how to ply the surgical
needle. With q native holding my
shaving-mirror before me and another
supporting me by the shoulders.
thrust the needle through the flesh.
A Jagged, irregular hole as large 40
my hand gaped in my right cheek:
my under lip hung loosely quivering.
Under the Mortified gaze Of the ma.
tives I jabbed the bent needle again
and again into my flesh and cobbled
the tattered ends together.
"The pain was excruciating. Heav.
en- alone helped me to keep my
senses. To this day do not know
how I managed to do II. The lower
Jaw was broken in two places-near
the ear and near the lip--and from
this crushed mass a long splinter OF
bone with three teeth attached hung
loosely by the nerves and flesh Of the
gums. The whole outer flesh Of the
lower jaw was scraped loose. Teeth.
roots and bones lay white and shin.
mering through the hole in my cheek.
My tongue, pierced by the point Of
the buffalo's horn. was half torn
from It's foundations. I spat contin-
uously splinters Of bone and teeth.
AT last the operation was finished
to the best Of my ability, and ban.
daged by face as best I knew how.
A strong stimulant gave me new life
and helped me to face the other sur.
gical operation for Fiere.
I'm the meantime the tent had been
erected and bed prepared for my
poor companion. from whom James.
the cook, had already cut the clothes
with a pair OF scissors. He had re-
covered consciousness, and softly his
pale lips formed the words, tres
mauvais' (very bad). He had been
pierced and tossed three times. The
left breast muscle hung loose; heart
and lungs were untouched. In the
left side. between heart and hip. was
a great tear. This wound imme.
diately sewed together James wash.
ed, bandaged and put Fiere to bed
He breathed regularly. and seemed
to sleep.
might fell dark and dismal-a
night full Of pain. during which my
mouth seemed full of red.hot stones
Toward morning a short. troubled
sleep gave me temporary relief from
my awful agony. With the gray light
Of dawn I awoke to fresh tortures
Everything was deadly still. sum
moned the servants by clapping my
hands and they opened the tent door
Then I arose and crossed over tC
Fiere's bed. The first light OF day
fell on a pale. shrunken face. 1t was
death"
So, on the very Threshold OF sue
cess, one was taken and the otheI
left, a shattered wreck. Far from al
aid and alone with his native ser
wants. Lieutenant Graetz faced Tho
situation as only a man Of his call
ber could. One Of the natives wal
dispatched at once to Kasama, II
northeastern Rhodesia. to summon
help. This was the nearest point In
habited by white men.
DR.. G. r. Randall. the district sur
geon, and Mr.. Cookson. the magis
trate Of Kasama, marched day ant
night for two days to his relief
Hastily further operations were pei
formed under the most difficult cir
cumstances. And then. on an I'm
provised stretcher. Graetz was cal
: ried to Kasama. One can imagin
the painful journey, journey ren
: dered all the more pitiful because o
: the loss Of his trusted assistant. Tn
q relief party buried poor Fiere a
Charenama but later his body vii
be brought to Kasama and re-interre
: there by the white fathers Of tn
n Catholic mission.
To most men this disastrous Sc
back would prove an insurmountabl
Z hindrance to the completion OF tn
t. program but with Lieutenant Graet
It was different. He has starte
4 again and will continue his tourne
! until It Ia completed or until deaf
h claims him. He intends to reach tn
l. mouth Of the Congo by the end of tn
It year. A man Of superlative grit. VIII
o flinches from no dangers and VIII
s knows not what the words fear an
II defeat mean!
r He is entitled to place in histor
n beside Livingstone. Stanley. Gordo
N and the others. yet probably he wi
n be forgotten except by those wh
" fully appreciate all he has achieve
y, for science. When we head at tn
l. tS~ t,,nv a