The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-11-26

D{;> e TII,I'
She sprane Up and Rushed to cus
Him off.
cut him off. "You are murderer"
she gasped as she faced him.
The man stopped in his tracks and
stared at her. Gradually he took in
| her meaning. "You think ! do it for
for fun?" he exclaimed.
"Murdcrcr" she repeated tensely.
The man glanced at his hut and
turned his back on It With sigh.
"Comc with me-" he said.
II shall never go anywhere with
you," replied Andrea.
The man faced her quickly. "You
will come with me or be carried. Take
your choice"
Their eyes met and held in one Of
those struggles that measure not SO
much the contending characters as the
strength Of the opposing purposes.
The mans purpose won out. Andrea
dropped her eyes and followed him.
He passed swiftly through the krEal
; and along wcllknown path that led
to the fringe Of the forest. Under an
enormous mnfuta tree the butchers
were at work, four to each carcass,
skinning, cutting, hacking with prac-
ticed hands. The meat was being piled
Z In heaps, and at each heap was sta
toned black captain. Under his
! direction q host Of helpers were cutting
the flesh into minute portions.
Beyond the limits Of the trees far
u flung branches squatted a black army
) men with assegais in their hands {;
q women and children with queer conical
|. baskets in their laps. Physically these
Il people were, without exception, Joy
o to the eye, but beyond them, grouped
/ together under another tree and hope
L. lcssly staring, was small band that
o brought sudden tears to Andrea's eyes.
s Never before had she seen human
II bones and skin without flesh, live eyes
staring from the skeleton emblem of
III death
lc At last the division Of the sangul
nary spoil was completed. The we'll
ie fed army lined up each and every mar
~ accompanied by woman or child as
III beast for the small burden. These mer
Is we're also provided with individual
u. brass checks, which they cast into
Ell the baskets at the feet OF the captain
oh upon receipt Of their portion Of meat
At the end, to Andren's amazemcnt
I'll the tally was exact except that 1t lef
Us the starving group out Of the count.
rs Through ii all the white man hat
It's stood grimly by, uttering not wore
OF and leaving her to the assistance o
'"' her own intelligence. She began t
a understand; the posscssors OF the bras
1t, checks had worked for them. But he
eyes fingered pitifully on the starving
|e- She turned to the man with Gcs
ud ture Of plcnding-plcnding for pardo
"a, for herself, mercy for the silent suffer
st. Ing. "What about thesef" she aSkct
he 'They will receive II ration of mi
Mt let" he answered. Tomorrow tn
m men will crawl to tho forests. twice
an week they will get meat checks. In
ILL., month they and their families will b
en fat and sleek. We refuse no cne VIII
ec- wishes to work."
He turned to lead the way back
elr the kraal and, once there, prompt
/ disappeared into his hut Half an ho,
go, later Andrea was nervously movlr
w, about her room, wondering whether
ith put on her frock or not. when Bathtt
Ing arrived with a message. Did she wis
de- to dine alone or with Msunga2
OF "Teli your master" she answerc
pe, "that I will dine with him with plea
lis ure."
During the meal the white mi
'ea, talked, giving her listlessly certain e
planatory information. Eight mont
ads ago." he said, IT struck this countl
8 1t was desoation. In spite Of the b
ach river, which Is quite near by, the who
lest district was In famine. I pass
nte. through ruined kraal after ruin
and kraal, and in some Of them dead bodl
lay about, too dried out In life ev
EN-. to rot. The game swarmed as 1t do
, IN only In dry seasons, and thrivcd."
It's Andrea held both hands out iowa
ugh him as though to stop him. Don't
den she cried, "don't think l haven't
nan. derstood"
and "Upon my word" remarked the m
rms dryly, "you're getting sincere
lust. She sank back in her char witt