Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-07-02

not, chanting, they were talking gar =
rulously, repeating, if h could have
understood them, every detail of a
tour de fusil; six head for six shots.
" Z as M' sun a. the ee one word ras she
knew. cropped out from their jabber
haunting fugue. What they uore
were six wilde beeste, male and fe-
male, buffoons Of the plains, still pitt
fully groesque, their horse-like tails
trailing like discouraged funeral
plumes.
"Oh. White Man" gasped Andrea
covering her eyes "oh, M'sungo!"
And then it came again, four loads
this time but every n as big as a
horse. Eight men strained under each
carcass of Gland, largest and gentlest
of all h hundred varieties of an
telope that swarm over the length
and breath Of Africa:
! Andrea arose but herr knees trem-
/! 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 khaki
head but not low enough to hide his
eyer sunken and trimmed with
shadows Of fatigue. His face and his
bare arms were streaked with sweat
and lust. His shirt and trousers chung
to him in great dar blots Of moisture.
He hooded to Andrea as he made
i straight for his hut.
Suddenly her strength came back to
her. She sprang up n rushed to cut
him off. "You are a murderer" she
gasped as h faced him. Her eyes
blazed but her lower lip vas trem-
bling piteously.
The mar stopped in his track, and
her meaning. you think l do it for
for fun ," he exclaimed.
Already Bathtub was pushing a cup
Of hot tea into his hands. He took
it. stirred and drank it without ever
taking his eyes from Andrea's face.
Murderer" she repeated tensely.
The man handed back the empty
cup, glanced at his hut and turned his
back on it with a 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 ole 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 craal
and along a well-worn path that led
to the fringe Of the forest. All along
that fringe could be seen the rising
: blue spirals of smoke from small.
camp-ires. Under an enormous
mafuta tree the butchers were at
work. Jour to each CARCASS, skinning,
cutting, hacking with practiced hands.
The n7nof ryAA hA3rn pNSInA to- hal
and at each heap was stationed a
black captain. Under his direction a
host of helpers were cutting the flesh
into minute portions.
Z Beyond the limits of the trees far
{ flung branches sQuatted a black army
i women and children with queer conf
cal baskets in their laps Their
tongues chatted necessarily but their
} eyes. never wavered in their lustful
gaze on the meat. Physically these
people were. without exception, a Joy
to the eye but beyond them, grouped
together under another tree and hope
ilessly staring, was a small band that
brought sudden tears to Andrea's eyes.
) Never before had h seen human
bones and skin without hesh, live
eyes staring from the skeleton emblem
of death. Z
At last the division Of the sansu-
mary spoil WIS competed. Inc well.
fed army lined UP, eac and every
man accompanied by woman or child
as beas for the small burden. These
, men were also provided with individu-
al brass checks which they cast into.
the baskets at the feet Of the cap
tain upon receipt Of their porti..l OF
meat. At the end, to Andrea,s amaze
ment. the tally was exact except that
1t left h starving group ont of the
count.
Through It all the white man had
stood grimly by, uttering not a word.
land leaving her to the assistance &c
her own Intelligence. She began to
understand: the possessors Of the
brass checks had worked fbr tAen,.
But her eyes fingered pitifully on the
starving.
She turned to the man with q ges-
7 ture OF Observation-Disclosures par
don tor herself, mercy for the silent