The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-02-15
CHAPTER XVII.


. The Bottle.
THAT hour went by very slow.
ly. Again and again / con-
suited my watch by the
light OF the moon. which was now
rising high in the heavens. and
thought that 1t would never come
to an end.
Finally could see that the
Amahagger captains, who sat at
q little distance. we're getting very
nervous. I picked up my double
barrelled rife and turned round so
that ! faced up hill with a view
of firing It when q yellow hand
clasped the barrel and q husky
voice said:
Don't fire yet, Baas. - ! want to
tell you my story first"
looked down and there was the
ugly face of Hans wearing q grin
that might have frightened the
man In the moon.
well" l said. with cold indiffer.
ence. assumed I admit to hide my
excessive Joy at his safe return.
tell on. and be quick about 1t: l
suppose you lost your way and
never found them"
"Yes. Baas, l lost my way, for
the fog was very thick down there.
But in the end I found them all
right, by my nose. Baas, for those
man-eating people smell strong and
! got the wind of one Of their SEN
tries. II was easy to pass him In
the mist, Baas, so easy that was
tempted to cut his throat az went.
but I didn't for fear lest he should
make a noise. No. walked on
right into the middle Of them.
which was easy. too. for they we're
all asleep. wrapped up in blankets
They hadn't any fires. perhaps
because they did not want them to
be seen. or perhaps because II Is
90 hot down in that low land, l
don't know which. So / crept on,
taking note of all I saw, till at last
I came to little hill, Of which the
top rose above the level Of the
mist. SO that l could see on 1t
long hut built OF green boughs with
tho leaves still fresh upon them.
Z, "Now. I thought that would
creep up to the hut, since It came
iHtp my mind that Raj himself
must be sleeping tberA and that !
might kill him. But while stood
hesitating / heard noise like to
that made by an old woman whose
husband had thrown a blanket over
her head u keep her quiet, or
beetle II. bottle, sort Of droning
oofac that reminded me Of some
.iLy.
II thought awhile and remem-
Dered that when Red Beard was on
his knees praying to Heaven, as is
his habit when he has nothing else
to do, Baas, he makes a noise just
like that. So I crept toward it, and
presently there I found Red Beard
himself tied upon a stone and look
ing as mad as a buffalo bull stuck
in a swamp, for he shook his head
and rolled his eyes about, Just as
though he had had two bottles of
bad gin, Baas, and all the while
kept saying prayers.
"Now I thought that I would cut
him loose, and bent over him to do
20, when by ill-luck he saw my face
and began to shout, saying:
"'Go away, you yellow devil. /
know you have come to take me to
hell, but you are too soon, and II
my hands were loose I would twist
your head Off your shoulders
"He said this in English, Baas,
which, as you know, can under
stand quite well. after which I
thought that had better leave
him alone. While I was thinking
there came out Of the hut above
two old men dressed in nightshirts,
such as you white people wear,
with yellow things upon their
heads that had a metal picture Of
the sun in front Of them"
Medicine men," ] suggested.
"Yes, Baas. or Predikants OF
some sort, for they were rather
like your reverend Father when he
dressed himself up and went into
DOA W pTtdCu. oSSiuS tuCh 4
slipped back little way to where
the mist began, lay down and lis
tened. They looked at him, for his
shouts at me had brought them
out, but Red Beard took no notice
of them, only went on making
noise like a beetle in a tin can.
at is nothing said one Of the
Predikants to the other in the same
tongue that these Amahagger use.
But when is he to be sacrificed!
Soon, I hope, for I cannot sleep be-
cause of the noise he makes
"'When the edge OF the sun APP
pears, not BEFORE answered the
other Predikant. Then the new
queen will be brought out OF the hut
and this white man will be sacri-
feed to her.