The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-02-24

j. is CuSReu uEulC' SuuNSA'y S'
tense, and he knew that Alan Wayne
was near to the hearts OF these three.
He fingered his wine glass. IF was
one Of those men," he began, looking
at nobody, "whO dislike Ten Percent
Wayne | wouldn't tell you about him.
But I'm not. 1t took me only two
hours to get over hating hm and those
two hours were spent in broiling sun
at the wrong end of a half-hnished
bridge.
prince Bodsky and were on
shkari. We were headed home after
a long and unsuccessful shoot in new
country and we were as sore and tired
and bored with the life of the wild as
two old-timers ever get, On the day
I'm telling you about we were trek
king up a river gorge to a crossing.
After lunch and the long rest we still
had ten miles to go to cross and 1t
didn't help things to know that once
over we had to come straight back
on the other side. During the hrsl
| hours march in the afternoon we
heard the strangest sound that ever
those wilds gave forth. 1t was ike
hammering on steel but we refused TO
believe our ears until a sudden curve
brought us bang up against the indis'
putable fact of a girder-bridge in the
throes of construction. Before the
thought of the sacrilege to the game
country-before we could see in this
noisy monstrosity the root Of our re-
cent bad luck-came the glad thought
that we didn't have to do ten miles up
that gorge and ten back. We would
have whooped except that men don't
whoop in Africa--it scares the game.
81 said the bridge was in the throes
of construction. 1t was just that. Its
two Ions girders, reaching from brink
to briok, with their spidery trusses
hanging underneath, fairly swarmed
with sweating figures, and the figures
were black. 1t was that that brought
us to a full stop and just when our
eyes were fixed with the intensity of
discovery, one of the workers looked
up, saw us, relaxed and gave the loud
grunt which stands in Landin for Just
look at thatv in English.
1.-The babbling and hammering
around him ceased, but while he still
stared at us, we saw veritable ap-
partition. A white man, hung between
heaven and the depths Of the gorge,
was racing along the top of the slip
perry girder. His helmet blew off, hung
poised, and then plunged in long tack
Ing sweeps. The man was dressed
in cotton shirt, white trousers and
thick wooden socks. No boots. OF
course, l didn't notice all that till af'
forwards. In his hand he carried a
sjambok. Suddenly the staring darky
seemed to feel him coming but, before
he could turn, the sjambok qulrt came
down with the clinging sting OF hide
on flesh. We saw the blood spurt
The negro toppled without cry. He
fell inside caught on a truss, clung
and finally with struggle drew him
self up on to a stringer. A shout OF
|
Bodsky and 1 had heard it often
the laugh of the African for his broth
er in pain. And then they fell tt
work again. The black with the bloOt
trickling of his back rested lont
enough to get his breath and thel
climbed back to his place on the cir
der. He was grinning. Don't asI
: me to explain Il. Men have died try
ing to explain Africa.
THE white mAn had stopped ant
half turned. He stood, little strad
ding, on the girde:, and switched tn
sjambok to and fro. His eyes wer
blazing From his lips dropped pat
ter of all the vile words in Landir
SwahiIl and half dozen other dia
] Iects-the words that white ma
! learns first if he listens to natives
! The jargon seemed to incite the blacks
} They worked as clumsily as ever bu
harder They started to sing, as th
f African does when he's getting up
e special burst of speed. Then the whit
man walked off the girder on our side
e out of the way. 'Now's our time
It whispered to Bodsky. He shook hi
@ head slowly from side to side but
# was already under way. walked u
= to the white man and asked him il b
t could let us across. He glanced arOul
O as if he hadn't seen our outfit till thu
4 moment and then he looked me squar
r in the eyes. we knock off at six b
e said, and that was all.
Il 81 turned back. I'd been angr
g before but never as angry as tina
a Bodsky was already getting up the fl
g. of tent. 4 saw it coming he sal
v with his quiet little laugh that 70
It never hear when there's anything I
e. laugh at. Look here, BoGsky,'
said, let's walk to the old crossing
t. And he answered, My dear chap, II
in going to sit right here. l wouldn
y miss this for shot at elephant. Tht
ye man is Ten Percent Wayne
IN 'Where'd you meet himT asker
"'Never met him. said Bodsk
Ia but I've heard Of him. So had
Is We sat down together under the
on a couple Of loads and propped tW
f. whiskies-and-warm-water ON anoth,
20 load in front of us and watched Wayr
while Wayne watched his men.
It. "'Suppose we offer him a drink
lit said and ran the sweat off my ey
brows with my finger.
ell "Bodsky locked at me pityingly. IS
i'd you want to set burned again. Do
ce that man look to you as though |
m was thinking aIyout a drink? Well, /
me tell you he lint. Every bit of hi
ly is thinking about that bridge evel
Y. minute God! haven't seen mc
is driven like that si.ce l was a bo
nd Once more there's something new
,,o frioaI And T'vo no%-ar caon n ~,