The Washington herald., 1914-05-10
Copyright, lsl4.)


with the Parroh man ocoorred. tn,
women of that country are famous fol
their good looks-they are Galllnas with
dash of European blood that dates from
the days OF Vasco da Cana and the Eng
lish slave traders. and the Porroh man
too. was possibly inspired by a faint
Caucasian faint in his composition. Al
any rate, the Porroh man stabbed the
woman to the heart as though he had
narrowly missed Pollock. But Pollock
using his revolver to parry the lightning
stab which was aimed at his deltoid mus.
Gle. sent the iron dagger flying. and, fir
ing. hit the man in the hand.
He fired again and missed. knocking q
sudden window out Of the wall Of the hut
The Porroh man stopped in the doorway.
glancing under his arm at Pollock. Pol
lock caught glimpse Of his inverted face
in the sunlight. and then the Englishman
was alone, sick and trembling with the
excitement OF the affair, in the twi-
light of the place. 1t had all happened
In less time than It takes to read about 1t.
The woman was quite dead. and. having
ascertained this, Pollock went to the en-
trance of the hut and looked out. Half
a dozen Of the porters Of the expedition
were standing up in a group near the
green huts they occupied. and staring to-
ward him, wondering what the shots
might signify.
Pollock came out Of the hut cautiously
and walked toward the river. looking over
his shoulder at intervals. But the Por-
rob man had vanished. Pollock clutched
his revolver nervously in his hand
One Of his men came to meet him. and
as he came pointed to the bushes behind
the hut in which the Porroh man had
disappeared. Pollock had an irritating
persuasion of having made an absolute
fool of himself: he felt bitter. savage.
at the turn things had taken. At the
same time, he would have to tell Water
house-the moral exemplary, cautious
Waterhouse-who would inevitably take
the matter seriously. Pollock cursed Bit
terly at his luck, at Waterhouse, and es-
peciaily at the West Coast Of Africa He
felt consummately sick OF the expedition.
And In the back Of his mind all the time
WIS a speculative doubt where precisely
within the visible horizon the Porroh man
might be.
It is perhaps rather shocking. but he
was not at all upset by the murder that
had just happened. He had seen SO much
brutality during the last three months,
so many dead women. burned huts, dry
ing skeletons, up the Kittam River in the
wake Of the Sofa cavalry, that his senses
were blunted. What disturbed him was
the persuasion that this business was
only beginning.
He swore savageIy at the black. who
ventured to ask a question. and went on
where waterhouse was lying. feeling ex-
asperatingly like a boy going into the
headmaster's study.
Warehouse was still sleeping on the
effects of his last dose of chlorodyne. and
Pollock sat down on a packing case be-
side him, and. lighting his pipe, waited
for him to awake. About him were scat
tered the pots and weapons Waterhouse
had collected from the Mendi people, and
which he had been repacking for the
canoe voyage to Sulyma.
Presently Warehouse woke up, and.
after judicial stretching, decided he was
all right again. Pollock got him some
tea. Over the tea the incidents Of the
after some preliminary beating about the
bush. Waterhouse took the matter even
more seriously than Pollock had antici-
pated. He did not simply disapprove; he
scolded, he insulted.
You're one of those internal fools
who think a black man isn't a human be-
ing" he said. i can't be i'll a day with
out you must get into some dirty scrape
or other. This is the third time in
month that you have come crossways-on
with a native. and this time you're in for
it with a vengeance. Porroh, too!
They're down upon you enough as it is,
on. And they're the most vindictive
devils on earth! You make a man
ashamed Of civilization. To think you
come OF decent family! If ever cum
Der myself up with a vicious, stupid
young lout like you again.
STEADY on, now" snarled Pollock. in
he tone that always exasperated Water
house; steady on
At that Warehouse became speeches.
he jumped to his feet
Look here. Pollock" he said, after a
struggle to control his breath. You must
go home. 1 won't have you any longer.
I'm Ill enough as it is through you"
Keep your hair on" said Pollock,
staring in front of him. I'm ready
enough to 60"
Waterhouse became calmer again. He
sat down on the camp stool Very WELL"