The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-12-31

chase. "obolo" She is horriiled After
ward she listens to the report Of native
runners that herd OF elephants is In
the district and is invited TO tho hunt by
white Man They start down n croco-
hunt
The trackcr stood llnbc,icvablJ
erect. heels off the ground. 1t was af
though by an effort oil will he had sus
pended himself in air, so still was he
so wholly was his body cons"cratcd t.
tho act Of listening. Suddenly nj,
wide nOS'rilS Uliivcrrh with Il visible
fiuttcrinC and distcndel TIL their out
or rims showed white A lnok ot
sensual and incffablc content spread
over his face as he drew down into
his lungs that breath Of tainted breeze.
lie smcllcd the prey; the wind was
right.
Presently Andrea caught the odor
and her whole body trcmbled as from
an ovcrmastering physical contact.
IhiS smell was unlike all others the
mind gave 1t color and substance. 1t
crept through the forest like q dark
cloud, an omlnous warning to all frail
creatures to get out Of the way. She
felt suddenly cold and glanced over
her shoulder with q halfformcd notion
of retreat; then her eyes fell Oil
M'sungo and she forgot all else in an
absorption that was above fear.
He had become filed with an cs-
scnce of youth, rs though years Of life
had rushed from past and future to fill
to ovcrtloWlng the cup OF this one
tranSccndcnt moment. His face was
tense but alight and his ordinarily
gray eyes had attained to an unfathom-
able blue thnt seemed to deny meas
'ire to the depth Of his emotion. His
thin lips were drawn in the crooked
line of fixed Smile-a smile that
struggled on the verge of an infinite
solCmnity. When he moved he gave
an indefinite impression of discm-
bodied action as if spirit alone passed
OIL, leaving flesh behind. Like a black
monitor the trnckcr went before him.
Andrea was suddenly aware that
M'sungo carried the big gun. It's dead
weight of eleven pounds lay in his
hands lightly as though it also were
sustained by spiritual force. She had
not seen him take it and there was
something shostly in the mere fact OF
his possession Of il. IIcr mind was in
turmoil; she knew that upon the
taking over Of the big gun had hung
some vital instruction TO herself but in
that primal moment Of suspense, mem
Ory was an agoniZing blank and moth
ing more. She followed blindly in the
cautiously pauSing footsteps of the
single gunbcarcr that crcpt before her,
close on the heels Of his master.
1ntinity seemed TO come ana go be-
fore they had advanced twenty PAGES.
She came to the bare trunk Of big
tree whose top had been fcllcd by
lightning and at that moment M'sungo
looked back, n terrible frOwn on his
face. Without taking her eyes from
his she leaned against the stump Of
the tree and put her arms around it.
Memory came to her She remembered
what he had told her to do. She
huggcd the tree in Il great relief while
her eyes still followed the white man
and the two black shadows that he
seemed to throw, one before, one be-
hind.
Suddenly the tracker paused with an
nnmistakablc finaiity. His hands went
up In an even, swift gesture Of warn
ing. His body sank gradually lower
and lower till 1T stretched nat and still
as Il log at the side OF the narrow
trail. With long-studicd. cautious
movements the white man passed over
him and stood erect, at once steady
and quivcring. as heat waves culver
steadily in the air arising from
parched soil.
Not forty PAGES from where Andrea
huggcd her protecting trunk and
scarcely wenty In advance Of Msungo,
the domes Of two trees topped the
even mass Of the saplings about them.
Into the shadows beneath these trees
he was peering with an intensity that
communicated itself to Andrea. She
too stared desperately as though by
m effort she might send light into
darkness with her gaze.
Presently she was rewarded; three
shadows within the shadow slowly
took form. Once seen, they advanced
In distinction until they stood out to
vision rs does the Coal Pit on q starry,
mooness night. They we're three
clouds, omInous dusky, thundorous.
Suddenly from ono Of them came II
rumble that rolled pondcrousy away
through the silent world. Andrea,
Ignorant of the majesty Of the intcs-
tlnal cOmm0tions Of the mighticst OF
bp0Stc SDotchcd n Npptipp irpprcScion