The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-12-24
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drca .npairuuy.
M'SunSo flashed look at her.
"Watlng?" he whispered. "We're rot
waiting Every man here, according
to his lights, is reading. You saw
that cheeky gunbcarcr measure q
Spoor and then withdraw with hang
dog look. lie thought he had spotted
Il male bull. He has made himself
ridiculous for Il year. Tonight you'll
hear the camp telling the joke on him
over and over again. But the traclier
touches Il blade Of grass bent one way
with his toe and presently you'll! see
him with twig broken in the oppo-
site direction. There he goes now.
He looks as if he were duy.drcaming.
doesn't hcI"
Andrea nodded.
"Well, he isn't" continued Msungo.
"By now he has read the whole story.
He knows how many females made
this mess of trail and how many
young. He knows when they came
and shcn they went. lie could ill III
their stay with dozen Incidents each
ono complete in itself, such as where
4 y0ungStcr slipped, fell SQucn!cd and
got spanked by his mother. But such
trimmings of details impress them
selves only on his SubconsciOus mind.
In reality his whole attention is fixed
on the main chance. BY the season Of
the year he knows that this herd Is not
travelling alone. The track of the
males is nearby. If we didn't have
the three old hunters we would go up
the bank of the river until we struck
1t, but we don't have to because they
found it by chance this morning at the
first streak of dawn"
While he talked, the tracker stud.
led, the three wizened sat aloof taking
snuff. Now, at nod from M'Sungo.
they arose and proceeded swiftly
along the margin OF the big trees.
Presently they swerved to the left and
plunged through underground to a
well-markad path. In the fine dust
Of that runway Andrea saw the idcn.
tical monster Spoor that the old black
had drawn with his finger on the
ground beside her breakfast table.
Another halt was called. The truck.
rr SQuattc,l by one Spoor and then u3'
other. lie held up thrc" fingers.
All ma!cs? said Msungo.
The tracliCr nodded.
big ones?" said Nsungo, with tha!
half smile OF cXultltion.
The boy grinncd,
M'&ungn touched the edge Of the
mighty SpoOr with his toe. "Mcu!o?"
"Stulcc!ia ;" mur'Murcd the tracker
and rolled his eyes up into the trce2
"IIc says it's a whGppcr," whispered
ArSungo aEG promptly went into aC
ton. lie took off his jacket and jer
Sey, rolled up his sleeves and frightened
his belt. The tracker stripped to his
brecch-clout and took from one Of the
wizenGd slcndcr-shaftcd asscgai
The three old hunters laid aside the
rifles they had been carrying and the
sunbcarcrs quietly picked them up.
Msungo turned to Andrea. "Get on
the donkey" he ordered. When she
was mounted her eyes were on level
with his own. Listen" he said
you'll ride now, because when we
strike the bush you can't. Please lis.
ten, because from now until the Kill
nobody is going to speak to you and
il you should say word out loud You
might set six inches of spear in the
excitement Of the moment"
go ahead; won't speak," said An
drea. and pressed her lips together.
"When you begin to get hot" con.
tinued Msungo, "just take off what
you don't want and drop 1T. We peo.
pie ahead can't lose anything if we
try. The boys used to pick up my
dead matches until I stopped them.
When sou come to the bush, shed your
skirt, get Off Marguerite and leave
him. Walk lightly and hang on till
you drop. If you last long enough,
you'll see me take the big gun. That's
the beginning Of the end and when II
happens you are to do just one thing.
Look around you. Somewhere near
you are bound to see big tree loom.
ing out Of the bush. Go to 1t, hug IL
stay with it whatever happens til J
call YOU"
A moment later. they were off at 0
terrific pace, the tracker in the lead
M Msungo next, then the gunbearera
Andrea, and after her the tagging rest
For hours they kept on with.
out 81 break or a pause
Andrea watched M'sungo's long stride.
fascinated by its unvarying pendulum
swing. The gunbearers took shorter