The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-02-06

cropped out from their jabber with
the steady recurrence Of a haunting
fugue. What they bore were six wilde
beeste, male and female, buffoons Of
the plains. still pitfully grotesque.
their horse-like tails trailing like dis
couraged funeral plumes.
"Oh. White Man." gasped Andrea,
covering her eyes, "oh, M'sungol"
And then 1t came again, four loads
this time, but every one as big as
horse. Eight men strained under each
carcass Of Gland, largest and gentlest
of all the hundred varieties Of ante
lope that swarm over the length and
breadth Of Africa.
Andrea arose, but her knees trem-
bled so that she quickly sat down in
one of the wicker chairs, clutching its
arms with hands gone white as though
all the blood in her body had hidden
in shame. Then came the white man,
followed by gunbearers, water-boy and
crackers. His face and his bare arms
were streaked with sweat and dust.
His shirt and trousers chung to him in
great dark blots Of moisture. He
nodded to Andrea as he made straight
for his hut.
Suddenly her strength came back
to her. She sprang up and rushed to
cut him Off. you are a 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 I do 1t for
for fun?" he exclaimed.
Murderer" she repeated tensely.
The man glanced at his hut and
turned his back on it with sigh.
Come 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.
and along well-known path that led
to the fringe o. the forest. Under an
enormous mafuta tree the butchers
were at work, four to each carcass,
SHINING, cutting, hacking with prac-
ticed hands. The meat was being piled
toned a black captain. Under his
direction host of helpers were cutting
the flesh into minute portions.
Beyond the limits of the trees far
flung branches squatted black army
men with assegais in their hands !;
women and children with queer conical
baskets In their laps. Physically these
people were, without exception, a JOY
to the eye but beyond them, grouped
| together under another tree and hope
lessly staring, was a small band that
brought sudden tears to Andrea's eyes
Never before had she seen human
bones and skin without flesh, live eyes
staring from the skeleton emblem OF
death.
At last the division of the sangui
nary spoil was completed. The well
fed army lined up, each and every mar
accompanied by woman or child as
beast for the small burden. These mer
were also provided with individual
brass checks, which they cast int
the baskets at the feet of the captain
upon receipt of their portion of meat
At the end, to Andrea's amazement
| a. hat of
the starving group out of the count.
Through 1t all the white man hat
stood grimly by. uttering not a wore
and leaving her to the assistance o
her own intelligence. She began +
understand the possessors of the bras
checks had worked for them. But he
eyes fingered pitifully on the starving
She turned to the man with ges
ture of pleading-pleading for pardo
for herself, mercy for the silent suffer
ing. "What about these?" she asked
They will receive ration of mi
let" he answered. Tomorrow tn
men will crawl to the forests. twice
week they will get meat checks. In
month they and their families will b
fat and sleek. We refuse no one VIII
wishes to work"
He turned to lead the way back
the craal and, once there, prompt
disappeared into his hut. Half an hou
later Andrea was nervously movin
about her room, wondering whether
put on her frock or not, when Bathtu
arrived with a message. Did she wis
D to dine alone or with Msungo?
Tell your master" she answers
: "that l will dine with him with plea
ure."
! During the meal, the white ma
e talked. giving her listlessly certain e.
planatory information. Eight monti
e ago." he said, 81 struck this countr
i 1t was desolation. In spite of the b
4 river, which is quite near by, the who
s district was in famine. l passt
!. through ruined kraal after RUNE
d kraal, and in some of them dead bodi'
n lay about. too dried out in life eve
to rot. The game swarmed as it do
Il only in dry seasons, and thrived."
<D1rno hold hofb hands ont toxya,