Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-24
CHAPTER \N
Ilomewnrd

| rTIIERE is not much more to write OF this
l. expedition, or II that statement be not
| strictly true. not much more that | wish
TO write, though I have no doubt that
! Ragnall, II he had a mind that way, could
make n very good and valuable book con-
cerning many matters on which. conflnng
myself to the history of our adventure, l
have scarcely touched All the atfnities
between this Central African worship of
tho Heavenly Child and its Guardian and
that Of Horus and Isis in Egypt from which
it was undoubtedly descended, for instance.
Also the part which the great serpent
played therein. at is may be seen playing
n part in every tomb upon the Nile, and
indeed plays n part in our own and other
religions. Further, our journey across the
desert to the Red Sea was very interest
ing, but l am tired of describing journeys
and of making them.
The truth is that after the death Of
Hans like to Queen Sheba when she had
surveyed the wonders of Solomon's court
there was no more spirit in me. For quite
a long while | did not seem to care at all
what happened to me or to anybody else.
We buried him in a place of honor, exactly
where he shot Jana. before the gateway
of the second court. and when the earth
was thrown over his little yellow face
felt as though half my past had departed
with him into that hole.
Poor drunken old Hans. where In the
world shall / find such another man as you
were? Where in the world shall | find so
much love as filled the cup of that strange
heart of yours?
dare say it is a form of sefshness, but
what every man desires is something that
cares for him alone, which is just why we
are so fond of dogs. Now Hans was
dog with a human brain and he cared for
me alone. Often our vanity makes us think
that this has happened to some of us in the
instance OF one or more women. But honest
and quiet reflection may well cause us to
doubt the truth of such supposing. The
woman who, as We believed, adored us sole
y has probably in the course of her career
adored others or at any rate, other things.
To take but one instance, that of Ma
meena. the Zulu lady whom Hans thought
he saw in the Shades. She, / believe did
me the honor to he very fond of me. but l
am convinced that she was fonder still of
her ambition. Now Hans never cared for
any living creature, or for any human hope
or object as he cared for me, There was
no man or woman whom he would not have
cheated or even murdered, for my sake.
There was no earthly advantage. down to
that of life itself, that he would not, and in
the end did not, forgo for my sake; wit
invested in my rotten gold mine and thought
nothing OF losing-for my sake.
That is love in excelss, and the man who
has succeeded in inspiring 1t In any crea-
ture. even in low, bibulous old Hotten-
tot, may feel proud indeed At least / am
proud. and as the years go by the pride
increases, as the hope grows that some
where in the quiet Of that great plain which
he saw in his dream l may find the light
of Hans's love burning like a beacon in
the darkness. as he promised ] should do,
and that it may guide and warm my shiver-
ing, newborn soul before l dare the ad-
venture of the Infinite.
Meanwhile, since the sublime and the ri