Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1916-05-12

COuFASs 4 uluu NUNlCe III tuNN ulA 1A-
forwards. In his hand he carried
sjambok. Suddenly the staring darby
seemed to feel him coming but, before
he could turn, the sjambok Quirt came
down with the cllnging 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 strlnger. A shout OF
laughter went mp from his fellows
Bodsky and l had heard II often
the laugh OF the African for his broth
er in pain. And then they fell 10
work again. The black with the blood
trucking OF his back rested long
enough to get his breath and then
climbed back to his place on the Cir
der. He was grinning, Don't ask
me to explain II. Men have died try.
ing to explain Africa.
'The white man had stopped and
half turned. He stood. little strad-
ding, on the girIier, and switched the
sjambok to and fro. His eyes were
blazing. From his lips dropped pat
ter OF all the vile words in Landiu,
Swahill and a half q dozen other dia-
lects-the words that q white man
learns first IL 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 up a
special burst Of speed. Then the white
man walked OF 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 n he
could let us across. He glanced around
as II he hadn't seen our outfit till that
moment and then he looked me square
In the eyes. we knock or at SIX he
said, and that was all.
II turned back. ia been angry
before but never as angry as that.
BOdsky was already getting up the fly
OF tent. 4 saw It coming he said
with his quiet little laugh that you
never hear when there's anything to
laugh at. Look here, Bodsky.' l
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 himf' asked.
"'Never met him. said Bodsky,
but I've heard of him. SO had /.
We sat down together under the fly
on a couple of loads and propped two
whiskies-and-wa 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 on my eye
brows with my finger
"Bodsky looked at me pityingly. 50
you want 10 get burned again. Does
that man look to you as though hi
was thinking about a drink Well, lei
me tell you he isn't Every Bit OF him
Is thinking about that bridge every
minute. God haven't seen meT
driven like that since was a boy
Once more therJs something new In
Africal And I've never seen a mar
drive himself like that, anywhere AL
the Monaghan and Tatar that is said
to Turk in every Russian seemed Il
be leaking out OF BOdsky's narrowed
eyes.
1--WE sat there and drank and smoked
and sweated, and sulked. Every once
in a while Bodsly would say some
thing. First 1t was: Those boys are
from the South. Must have brought
them with him. Then II was: He
knows something about the sun. He
keeps his head in the shade-spot from
that lonely palm And finally: Col
lIngeford, l never despised your intel
lect before. What are You suIIsine
fOr7 Can't you see what's up? Cam
you understand that II a man will
stand for two hours shifting an incl
at time with the shade rather than
disturb half dozen nlggers at work
to go and get helmet he isn't goinp
to call those niggers of to let couple
Of loafers like us crawl across bis
girders7 What you and / are staring
at ~ just plain common garden work
with capital w, stark naked and
ugly, but it's great
"And right there saw the light. I'd
us two the mystery Of Ten Percent
Wayne was revealed. He could drive
men. He could make bricks without
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 shlFk
er. And with the light I forgot tins
brute in the man tearing along the
dizzy height Of the gIrder to lash 9
loafer and only remembered that he
had risked his life to avenge just one
moment stolen from the days work"
The stem Of ColIingeford's wine
glass snapped between his fingers
I'm sorry" he said, laying the pieces
aside. He smiled a little nervously
on the three tense faces before him
81 don't tell that story often. 1t goes
too deep. Not everybody understands
Some people call Wayne no better than
a murderer; but I'm not one Of them
And BOdsky says there have been q
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