Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-01

expression in the corners OF them. He was
rot nearly so black as most of his fol-
lowers; probably in bygone generations
MS blood had been crossed with that of the
White kendall
lie wore his hair long without any head
dress, held in place by band of gold
which ! suppose represented crown. on
his forehead was a large white scar, prob
ably received in some battle. Such was
his appearance.
lie looked at me with great curiosity.
and have often wondered since what
kind OF an impression | produced upon
him, My hat had fallen off or I had
knocked it off when | fired my last cart
ridges into his people. and forgotten TO re-
place IT, and my intractable hair. which
was longer than usual had not been
recently brushed. My worn Norfolk jacket
was brown with blood from a wounded
or dying man who had tumbled against me
in the sCrmmaEe when the cavalry charged
u.s. and my right leg and boot were stained
in a similar fashion from having rubbed
against my camel where a spear had
entered il. Altogether | must have appeared
most disreputable object.
Some indication of his opinion was given.
however, In remark, which. of course. |
pretended not to understand, that | over
heard him make to one OF his officers
Truly" he said, I'VE must not always
look to the strong for strength. And yet
this little white porcupne is strength itself
for see how much damage he has wrought
us Also consider his eyes that appear
to pierce everything Jana himself might
fear those eyes. Well time that grnds
the rocks will tell US ALL"
All of this | caught perfectly. my ears
being very sharp, although he thought that
he spoke out of my hearing, for after spend
ing a month in their company | understood
the Kendah dialect of Bantu very we'll
Ii
nearer and said:
"You. Prophet Marut my enemy. have
heard the terms of me, Simba the King, and
have accepted them Therefore discuss
them no more. What | have promised |
will keep. What have given give, neither
greater nor less by the weight of a hair"
80 be il, q king" answered Marut with
his usual smile. which nothing ever seemed
to disturb. "Only remember that If those
terms are broken either in the letter or in
the spirit. especially the spirit" (that is the
best rendering | can give of his wor1),
"the manifold curses of the Child will fall
upon YOU and yours. Yes though you should
kill us all by treachery, still those curses
will fall"
May Jana take the Child and all who
worship it, exclaimed the king with evil
dent irritation.
"In the end O King, Jana will take
the Child and its followers-or the Child
of these things must happen is known to
the Child alone, and perchance to its
prophets Meanwhile, for every OF
those Of the Child | think that three of
the followers of Jana, or more, lie dead
upon this field. Also the caravan is now
| out of your reach with two of the white
| lords and many of such tubes which deal
| death. like that which we have surrendered
| 10 vol Therefore because we are helpless
do not think that the Child is helpless.
lana must have been asleep, O King,
or you would have set your trap better"
| | thought that this coolly insolent speech
would have produced some outburst, but in
| fact Il seemed to have an opposite effect.
| Making no reply to 1t. Simba said almost
humby;
| 81 come to drink the cup of peace with
| you and the white lord. o Prophet. After
| ward we can talk. Give me water, slave.
| Then a man filled the great ivory CUP
with water from the skin he carr ed. Simba
took it and having sprinked little upon
| the ground, | suppose as an Offering, drank
| from the cup, doubtless to show that II
was not poisoned. Watching carefully
| made sure that he swallowed what he
| drank by studying the motions or his throat
| Then he handed the cup with bow tc
| Marut who with a still deeper bow passed
| it to me. Being absolutely parched | alb
sorbed about a pint of L, and feeling a
new man, passed the horn to Marut who
| swallowed the rest. Then :, was filled agar
for our three White Ken6ah, the king first
| tasting the water as before after which
| Marut and ! had a second pull.
| When at length our thirst was SatisheC
horses were brought to us, serviceable anc
docile little beasts, with sheer skins fol
saddles and loops of hide for stirrups. Or
| these we mounted and for the next thret
| hours rode across the plain, surrounded by
| strong escort and with an armed Blaci
Kendah running on each SIDE OF our horse:
| and holding in his hand a thong attached
| to the ring Of the bride, no doubt to prevent
| any attempt to escape.
| our road ran past but not through som'
| villages, whence we saw many women anc
| children staring at Us, and through beaut
| ful crops of mealies and other sorts o
| grain that in this country were now JUS
| ripening. The luXuriant appearance of thes'
| crops suggested that the rains must have
| been plent full and the season all that coult
be desired. From some of the villages by
| the track arose a miserable sound OF wall
ing Evidently their inhab tants had already
| heard that certain OF their menkind hat
| fallen in that mornings fight
| At the end of the third hour we begai
| TO enter the great forest Which had seeI
when first we looked down on Kendah land
| Ii was filled W tn Fp endd trees, most o
| them quite strange to me- but perhaps be
| cause OF the denseness or taeir overshad
| owing crowns there was comparatively n,
| undergrowth The general effect Of tn,
place was very gloomy, since little ligh
| could pass through the interlacing follag'
| of the tops of those mighty trees.
Toward evening we came to a clearing
in this forest IL may have been four or fiv
| miles in diameter, but whether II were nat
| ural or artificial / am not sure. / think
| however, that II was probably the forme
for two reasons, the hollow nature Of tn
ground. which lay good many feet lowe
than the surrounding forest, and the won
derful fertility OF the soil, which suggested
lake bottom. Never did see such crop
as those that grew upon that clearing
they were magnificent
vending our way along the road tha
ran through the tall corn. for here ever