Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-02-20

when you begin to get hot" con-
tinued Msungo, ''just take off what
you don't want and drop it. We peo-
pie ahead can't lose anything If we
try. The boys used to pick up my
dead matches until / stopped them.
When you come to the bush, shed your
skirt, get off Marguerite and leave
him. Walk lightly and hang on till
you drop. If you last long enough,
you'll see me take the big gun. That's
the beginning Of the end and when 1t
happens you are to do just one thing.
Look around you. Somewhere near
you are bound to see big tree loom
ing out Of the bush. Go to it, hug It,
stay with it whatever happens till !
cali YOU"
A moment later. they were off at a
terrific pace, the tracker in the lead,
M'sungO next, then the gunbearers,
Andrea, and after her the tagging rest.
For hours they kept on with
out break or a pause.
Andrea watched Misungos long stride,
fascinated by its unvarying pendulum
swing. The gunbearers took shorter
steps. They walked pivoting on the
ball of the foot; just before each step,
their heels jerked inward sharply Tor
the thrust back. She leaned forward !;
Marguerite had his eyes wide Open
He seemed to be breathing softly, as
though he. too, were bent on playing
the game.
Quite suddenly they came out OF the
forest into a broken NANCY space. Inc
heat and glare was terrific. Here and
there were scraggy groups of thorn,
apparently burnt up by the sun, but In
reality very much alive. To one side,
an enormous acacia cast its grateful
blot of shade. The tracker, pausing
at last, looked straight up, transtixed
In an eloquent pose.
Andrea followed his gaze. AT an
incredible height she saw branch,
freshly broken. Her reason battled
with incredulity; it told her that only
one thing could have reached the
branch and snapped 1.-THE up-fiung
trunk Of the rearing beast they were
following. For the first time, In her
life, measuring again that height, she
felt actual ave. M'sungo cast glance
over his shoulder. His face was alight |;
his eyes shone with swimming Drill
lance.
A few minutes later they came to
the ragged edge of the elephant bush.
The tracker cast left and right with
quick, jerky steps. Here the three
bulls had separated joyful sign, for it
showed intention to feed. The tracker
came to halt, dropped the tip of his
assegai shaft to chosen spoor.
M'sungo looked back at Andrea impa-
| tiently. She threw herself from Mar
guerite's back and hastily stripped OF
her jersey, unbuttoned her skirt and
let it fall. She stood in helmet, khaki
shirt and breeches, puttees and tight.
! ly laced bootS-an adorable study in
brown. But M'sungo had no time for
artistic effects; he turned from her
with nod and plunged into the bush
| in the wake of the tracker.
Fortunately for Andrea the going
was now much slower. 1t was not that
| the spoor was harder to follow-in
| fact, it was much easier, for through
the jungle of stunted sapling no man
could pass save where an elephant
had plowed a way-but that now every
indication OF the games progress had
to be read, studied and accurately val
ued. Here began the exercise of that
| finished science which M'sungO had
placed SO high, giving due credit to
those forerunners who had marked its
stages with their life's blood.
The state of parted vine, or half
masticated leaf. bore some message
upon the true reading of which hung
] the delicate balance of success or fail
ure. Slower and slower fell the pace
and in measured proportion silence
was born and seemed to grow and
spread and throb till it hung in the
air like some sitting all-permeating
mist Beneath 1t the heart beat with
an irregular rat-tat-tat and breath
came in hurried gasps In spite of the
men before her, Andrea felt alone,
adrift on sea of unseen but lowering
perils. She looked over her shoulder.
Only Bathtub was in sight behind her,
tense, one foot in air, waiting for her
to take her next step before he placed
his foot. His naked body, exposed to
the merciless sun, streamed with
sweat.
holding her arms before her face to
ward off the Unfortunately encroaching
vines and branches that seemed to OPP
pose the way, but invariably parted at
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