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

-1Ney StdILcU Oul, q Skeleton ydNdl"
cade. The three wizened ones led h
way and Andrea measured their inn
portance by the fact that they ar
ried M'sungo's battery Of rifles, re-
specially surrendered by the gum
bearers as a fitting tribute from on
lockers to men who were hunters in
their own right. M'sungo nodded to-
ward them and spoke to Andrea over
his shoulder. The old boys are my
brothers in arms and they carry the
guns as a sort of insignia. When 1t
comes down to business they'll slip
them to the trained bearers"
Behind Andrea came Marguerite.
his attendant before and Bathtub aft
err him: then followed the gunbear-
ers, a single tracker and a single wa
ter-boy. No hangers-on were allow
craal. Over M shoulder Bathtub
carried slung a cracker tin. container
of all the food allotted to the day.
In ten minutes march they came to
the river which. in spite of its prox-
unity to the camp. Andrea % saw
for the first time. Often she had sug-
gested to M'sunso that she wished to
had set in a straight line anG he had
invented manifold reasors for keeping
her from its shores. The mosi. effica-
lciOus of these arguments were snakes
and crocodiles but while she conceded
the strength of those two d~eterrcnts
she could not soap from an intcitive
belief that there was something else
some other ranking cause in the
back Of M'sungo's mind.
The river was a observation-disclosures
stream, deep. sluggish. hordered for
the most part by ~iat-topped banks.
Where its shores were broken into
shelving slopes these were covered
with a towering growth of reeds and
matted elephant grass. There was a
sand-spi here and there and on each
were, lying what appeared to be logs
cast up by food.
AS the expedition reached the crest
of the bank, thereby coming into full
view of the river, the logs, one by one,
elevated themselves a foot into the air
through all their length and moved
silently, swiftly, horribly into the wa
ter. Andrea caught her breath. She
had seen crocodiles in captivity but
distorted legs. to sink silently into
murky depths and Turk.
White Man." she whispered, "are
they as awful as they look?"
"They are" he answered. sit is
pretty generally accepted that more
natives succumb to crocs in Africa an
nually than to any other one cause.
l " 0ANCPSAAo ~ 1llu SIIl0ItROAs IL
sounds unbelievable until you know
the native mind. A man will be taken
at a certain crossing and half an hour
later you may see his companions
%leisurely wading the stream at rhe
same place. The explanation is that
they CONSIDER that the victim lost his
life solely by, reason of the cheap
brand Of medicine he carried. Each
one is convinced that his W bit of
stone, rag or twisted wood is the real
thing and nothing can dissuade him
until the moment when he too is
snatched under"
How chastity" said Andrea. and
how pitiful."
yes. 1t is" said M'sungo and add
ed: Sort Of knockout to faith, isn't
it? But even crocs have character.
There are certain crossings swarming
with them where they are known to
be friendly and where no one has
ever beer attacked"
BY the time he finished speaking
the natives had baled out a wide,
clumsy scow and M'sunso nodded to-
Andrea to slide down the slippery
landing chute and climb In. She was