Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1920-02-06
CHAPTER |.
ReInian and Arab,


Lieut.. Albert Werper had only the
prestige of the name he had dishon-
ored to thank for his narrow escape
from being cashiered At first he had
been humbly thankful, too, that they
had sent him to this God-forsaken
Congo post instead of court-martial-
ing him, as he had so justly deserved;
but now six months of the mOnotony,
the frightful isolation and the loneli-
ness had wrought a change, The
young man brooded continually over
his fate.
He regretted the gay life of Brussels
as he never had regretted the sins
which had snatched him from that
gayest Of capitals, and as the days
passed he came to center his resent
ment upon the representative in Congo
land of the authority which had exiled
him--his captain and immediate SUI
perior.
The senseless hatred Of the lieuten-
ant grew at last into a form of mania.
The captains natural taciturnity he
distorted into a studied attempt to in
suit him because Of his past shortcom-
ings. He imagined that his superior
held him in contempt, and so he chafed
and fumed inwardly until one evening
his madness became suddenly homi-
cidal. He fingered the butt of the re-
volver at his hip, his eyes narrowed
and his brows contracted. At last he
spoke.
"You have insulted me for the last
timer he cried, springing to his feet
II am an officer and a gentleman, and
shall put up with it no longer without
an accounting from you, you pig"
The captain an expression of sur
prise upon his features, turned toward
his junior. He had seen men before
with the jungle madness upon them
the madness Of solitude and unre,
strained brooding, and perhaps touch
of fever.
He rose and extended his hand tC
lay it upon the others shoulder QuieI
words of counsel were upon his lips
but they were never spoken, Werpel
construed his superiors action into
an attempt to close with him. His re
volver was on a level with the cap
tain's heart, and the latter had taker
I but a step when Werper pulled thu
trigger. Without a moan the man SAM
to the rough planlJing Of the veranda
and as he fell the mists that hat
clouded Werper's brain lifted, so tina
he saw himself and the deed that 1t
had done in the same light that thosC
who must judge him would see them.
He heard excited ordinations from
the quarters of the soldiers and h,
heard men running in his direction
They would seize him, and if the!
didn't kill him they would take hin
down the Congo to a point where {
properly ordered military tribuna
would do so just as effectively, though
j in a more regular manner.
Werper had no desire to die. Neve
before had he so yearned for life as il
this moment that he had so effectiyel,
forfeited his right to live. The mel
were nearing him. What was he t
do?
In despair he turned and fled iron
the oncoming soldiery. Across tn
compound he ran, his revolver still
clutehed tightly in his hand. At tn
gates a sentry halted him. Werper di,
not pause to parley or to exert the in
auence of his commissioning morel
raised his weapon and shot down tn
Innocent black. A moment later tn
fugitive had torn open the gates an
vanished into the blackness of tn
Jungle, but not before he had trans
ferred the rifle and ammunition belt Q
the dead sentry to his own person.
All that night Werper fed farthe
ana farther into The heart OF the wi
derness, more fearful Of the huma
huntsmen in his rear than Of the vii
carniyora ahead.
Dawn came at last, but still the ma
Nodded on. All sense of hunger an
fatigue were lost in the terrors of cor
terminated capture. He could thin
only Of escape. He dared not pau,