The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-01-24

'"toily DdIe III Spots ana Dreaklng OUT
In others into thorn thickets or GASES
OF thick brush. Farther upstream was
a forest of high straight trees, much
higher than the tembas, but inland
this towering growth suddenly fell to
low level of bush that cut gray
line along the horizon. The band of
gray was broken here and there by
the black dome of tree.
MsungO followed the direction of
Andrea's eyes. THAT long gray patch"
he said, that's elephant bush, but
Lord knows when we'll get there"
! The wiZened men led them upstream
and soon they were in the deep shade
OF the high forest, but not for long.
In ten minutes they traversed il, for
II was nothing but a tongue, a long
screen extending from elephant bush
to river. Scarcely had they left its
shelter when the three hunters paused
and with them Msungo. Andrea
/ pressed forward.
The soggy ground was pock-marked
with great holes of varying sizes; the
|
largest, three. Females and young
sters," murmured M'sungo in explana-
/ ton, "all trash" He stood quite still,
his eyes travelling rapidly over wide
radius, pausing suddenly when the
tracker thOughtfully touched grass
blade with his toe or another boy SOL
EMMY measured a spoor with his feet
! placed one ahead of the other, looked
up inquiringly and retired in confusion
Mt the kindly sheer on the faces of the
| hunters.
"Why are you waitlng?" asked An
drea impatiently.
M'sungo flashed a look at her.
'Waiting?" he whispered. "We're not
waiting. Every man here, according
to his lights, is reading. You saw
that cheeky gunbearer measure a
spoor and then withdraw with hang
dog look. He thought he had spotted
male bull. He has made himself
ridiculous for year. Tonight you'll
hear the camp telling the joke on him
over and over again. But the tracker
|
with his toe and presently you'll see
him with a twig broken in the oppo-
site direction. There he goes now
He looks as if he were day-dreaming
doesn't he?"
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 a trail and how many
young. He knows when they came
and when they went. He could fill in
their stay with dozen incidents, each
one complete in itself, such as where
a youngster slipped, fell, squealed 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
| u,
found 1t 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 a 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
well-marked path. In the fine dust
of that runway Andrea saw the iden-
teal monster spoOr that the old black
! had drawn with his finger on the
ground beside her breakfast table.
| Another halt was called. The track
er squatted by one spoor and then an
other. He held up three fingers.
SAll males?" said M'sungo.
The tracker nodded.
big onesY said M'sungo, with that
half-smile of exaltatiOn.
The boy grinned.
| M'sungO touched the edge of the
mighty spoor with his toe. "Mculo?"
"Stalecka :" murmured the tracker.
| anu TOllcu HIS eyes UP iHtO tue tItts
'He says it's whopper." whispered
Msungo. and promptly went into ac-
ton. He took off his jacket and jer-
sey, rolled up his sleeves and frightened
his belt. The tracker stripped to his
breech-clOut and took from one of the
! wiZened a slender-shafted assegai
The three old hunters laid aside the
rifles they had been carrying and the
| gunbearers quietly picked them up.
M'sungo turned to Andrea. Get on
the donkey" he ordered. When she
was mounted her eyes were on a 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
if you should say word out loud you
might get six inches of spear in the
excitement of the moment"
go ahead; won't speak," said An
drea, and pressed her lips together.