Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-20

foI tnc hOyul AIT service, WIS On
reconnaissance flight A hardly credi
bic rumorI had come to the Brits
headquarters in German Fast AfricG
that the enemy had landed in force on
the west coast and we're marching tC
re-enforre their colonial troops. Th
new nrmy was supposed to be no more
than ten or twelve days march to the
west.
Therefore Lieutenant Harold Percy
Smith Oldwick few low toward the
west, searching with keen eyes for
signs of the rumorcd Hun army. Vast.
dense forests in which a German army
corps might have lain concealed unroIlet
beneath him.
Always hoping that he might dis.
cover some sign of their passage. he
continued farther and farther west =
ward until we'll into the afternoon,
above a tree dotted plain through the
center of which flowed winding river
he determined to turn about and start
for camp. 1t would take straight flying
at top speed to cover the distance be-
fore dark but as he had ample gaSo-
line and a trustworthy machine. there
was no doubt in his mind that he could
accomplish his aim. And il was then
that his engine stalled.
He was too low to do anything but
land, and that Immediately while h"
had the more open country accessible,
for directly east of him was a vast
forest into which stalled engine could
only have plunged him to certain injury
and probable death: so he came down
In the meadow land near tn" winding
river, and there started to tinker with
his motor.
lieutenant Smith -O}dwicb was fair
haired. blue-ey and slender; aS he
worked. he hummed tune. And not
only was he outwardiy careless If tn"
Immediate future and of his surround
ings, but actually so. That the dis
trict might be infested by countless
enemies seemed not to have occurred to
bin. He bent assiduously to his work
of correcting without :" much ~ au
upward glance at the surrounding
country And even had he looked. it
is doubtful il he would have seen the
score of figures crouchinS i'll tn" con
ccalment of the underground at tho
edge of the forest. lie hummrd peace.
fully, and his adjustment completed.
tried out his motor for = minr,c or
two, then shut it off and dpscrndcd tn
the ground with the intention of
stretching his legs and taking >muk"
before continuing his return flight to
camp. Now for the first time h" TOOK
note of his surroundings. and was i'm
medately impressed by both the wild
ness and the beauty of the scene.
Some gorgeous blooms upon n flow
ering shrub at little distance from
his machine caught his eyes, and aS
he puffed upon his cigarette he Wake /
over t6 examine the flowers NOR"
closely. As he bent above them. he
was probably some hundred yards from
his plane. and it was at this instant
that Numabo. chief of the Wamabo.
chose TO leap from his ambush aud lead
his warriors in a sudden rush upon tn"
white man.
The young Englishnan's 5 first init
nation of danger was chorus Of say
age yells from the forest behind him.
Turning, he saw score of naked
blacks advancing rapidly toward him.
They moved in a compact mass, but a,
they approached more closely. their
rate of speed nOticcahly diminished.
Yet Smith -Oldwick realized in a quick
glance that the direction of their ap-
proach and their proximity had cut off
all chances of retrcating to his plane.
NumabO was in the forefront. and
1t was at Numabo that the Englishman
aimed his first shot. Unfortunately
for him, it missed it's target. for the
killing of the chief might have perma
nently dispersed the others. The bull
let passed Numabo. to lodge in the
breast of n warrior behind him. and
as the fellow lunged forward with
scream, the others turned and re-
treated. But to the Lieutenant : cha
grin, they ran in the direction of the
plane instead of back toward the for
est he was still cut off from reaching
his machine.
Presently they stopped and faced him
again. They were talking loudly and
gesticulating, and after a moment one
of them began to leap into the air
brandshing his spear and uttcring say,
age war cries which soon had their
effect upon his fellows. so that soOu
all of them were taking part in a wild
show of savagery which would bolster
their waning courage and presently
spur them on to another attack.
d The second charge brought them
Closer to the Englishman. and though
he dropped another with his pistol, it
was not before two or three spears had
been launched at him. lie now had
i've shots remaining-and there were
sill eighteen warriors to be accounted
for.
Now they were longer in initiating a
new rush. but when they did so, it was
more skillfully ordered, for they scat
tered into three bands which, partly
surrounding him, came simultaneously
and though he emptied his pistol with
good effect. they reached him at last.
They seemed TO know that his am
munition was exhausted, for they cir
cled close about him now. with the
evident intention of taking him alive.
For two or three minutes they cir
cled about him until at a word from
Numabo they closed in simultaneously,
and though the slender young licuten-
ant struck out to right and left, he
was soon overwhelmed by superior
numbers and beaten down.
He was all but unconscious when
they finally dragged him to his feet.
and after securing his hands behind his
back, pushed him roughly along ahead
of them toward the jungle. They had
marched for perhaps half an hour when
the Englishman saw ahead of them in
little clearing upon the bank Of the
river, the thatChcd roofs of native huts
showing above crude but strong pail
sade. and presently he was ushered
into a village street, whore he was
Immediately surrounded by thrOng of
women and children and warriors.
Here he was soon the center of an
excited mob whose intent seemed to be
70 dispatch him as quickly as possible.
The women were more venomOuS than
the men, striking and scratching him
whenever they could reach him. until
at last Numabo was obliged to inter
fere to save his prisoner for whatever
purpose he was destined.
As the warriors pushed the crowd
back, opening a space through which
the white man was led toward a hut .
Smith Oldwick saw coming from the
opposite end of the village a number