Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-05-11

course, uldnt notice all tnat Till al
forwards. In his hand he carried 4
sjambok. Suddenly the staring darby
seemed to feel him coming but, before
he could turn, the sjambok quirt came
down with the clinging sting Of hide
on flesh. We saw the blood squirt.
The negro toppled without a cry. He
fell inside, caught on a truss. chung,
and finally with a struggle drew him
self up on to a stringer. A shout OF
laughter went up from his fellows.
Bodsky and had heard 1t often
the laugh OF the African for his broth
er in pain. And then they fell to
work again. The black with the blood
trickling Off his back rested long
| enough to get his breath and then
climbed back to his place OH the CIR
der. He was grinning. Don't ask
me to explain 1t. Men have died try
Ing to explain Africa.
| "The white man had stopped and
half turned. He stood. a little strad-
ding. on the girder. and switched the
sjambok to and fro. His eyes were
blazing. From his lips dropped pat
ter OF all the vile words In Landin.
Swahili and half a dozen other dia.
lects-the words that white man
learns first If he listens to natives.
The jargon seemed to incite the blacks.
They worked as clumsily as ever but
harder. They started to sing, as the
African does when he's getting mp q
L tnl hs,r 81 -
man walked Off the girder on our side,
out Of the way. 'Now's our time
whispered to Bodsky. He shook his
head slowly from side to side but !
was already under way. walked up
to the white man and asked him II he
could let us across. He glanced around
~ II he hadn't seen our outfit till that
moment and then he looked me square
In the eyes. We knock OF at SIX he
said. and that was all.
~ turned back. I'd been angry
before but never as angry as that.
Bodsky was already getting up the fiy
Of tent. I saw 1t coming he said
with his quiet little laugh that you
never hear when there's anything to
laugh at. Look here. Bodsky.' |
said, let's walk to the old crossing.
And he answered. My dear chap, I'm
going to sit right here. wouldn't
miss this for shot at elephant That
man is Ten Percent Wayne
"'Where'd you meet himT asked
"'Never met him. said Bodsky
but I've heard Of him. SO had l.
We sat down together under the fly
on q couple Of loads and propped two
whiskies-and- warm water on another
load in front OF us and watched Wayne
while Wayne watched his men.
"'Suppose we offer him a drink
said and ran the sweat Off my eye
brows with my finger.
"Bodsky looked at me pityingly. Sc
you want to get burned again. Does
that man look to you as though he
was thinking about drink? Well, lei
me tell you he isn't. Every bit of him
is thinking about that bridge every
minute. God! haven't seen men
driven like that since / was q boy
Once more there's something new In
Africa! And I've never seen a man
drive himself like that, anywhere Al
the Monaghan and Tatar that In said
to Turk In every Russian seemed te
be leaking out of Bodsky's narrowed
eyes.
"We sat there and drank and smoked
and sweated, and sulked. Every once
In a while Bodsky would say some
thing. First 1t was: Those boys are
them with him. Then 1t was: 'Ht
knows something about the sun. Ht
keeps his head In the shade-spot from
that lonely palm And finally: Col
ilngeford, / never despised your intel
lect before. What are you sulkinl
fort Can't you see what's up? Cam
you understand that IL man will
stand for two hours shifting an incl
at a time with the shade rather thar
disturb half q dozen niggers at worl
to go and get helmet he isn't goinl
to call those niggers or to let couple
Of Ioafers like us crawl across hi,
Orders? What you and I are staring
ut IL just plain common garden worl
with q capital w, stark naked and
ugly, but it's great
"And right there saw the light. tt
us two the mystery OF Ten Percen
Wayne was revealed. He could drive
men. He could make bricks withou
straw. While work was on, nothing
else mattered. Right and wrong were
measured by the needs Of that bridge
and death was too good for the shirk
er. And with the light forgot th'
brute I'm the man tearing along tht
dizzy height Of the girder to lash I
loafer and only remembered that M
had risked his life to avenge just ont
moment stolen from the days work"
The stem Of Collingeford's win.
glass snapped between his fingers
I'm sorry" he said, laying the pieces
aside. He smiled little nervously
on the three tense faces bsfore him
II DONG tell that story often. 1t goes
too deep. Not everybody understands
Some people call Wayne 60 better thar
a murderer; but I'm not one Of them
And Bodsky says there have been q
lot OF murderers he'd like to take II
| his rIUb"