Evening star., 1921-08-14

count" thought. had never shared
| in any of the meat that the fighting
men brought home from time to
time; still. 1 had seen too much of it
to be shocked.
OF course they had seen US long be-
fore We reached the place. and of
| course they knew who I was-every
soul in the range knew it by that
! time. Nevertheless. you should have
heard the yell they thought it neces-
| sary to raise when We came in.
F.; The men seized their spears and
danctd madly; the women put down
the cooking pots and howled like
dogs. And every dog in the place
joined in the clamor.
Are they going to attack?" asked
the poet with interested curiosity.
Wait and see," said. I walked
up to the biggest warrior-they were
none of them very big-called him
by his tribal name and clapped him
on the shoulder. He had me round
the neck in a minute, and 1 remem-
Der I found myself thinking that it
! would be a good missionary act to in
troduce that unknown luxury, soap
to the people of the ranges.
Pigeon of the Hills" he yelled
rubbing his face on mine.
Pigeon Of the HilIsr' the whole vii
| lage took up in chorus. Most of
them did not remember me. as they
all acted as if they had only lived
| for that moment and that event-to
see me back again. Food was cram
med into my mouth and into Roth
ery,s.
tion, and two old women began to
| rub our legs. The dogs stood afar Off
and howled like wolves. as native
dogs do, and the girls acted in much
the same way. Stimulating unbearable
| terror
| But the white girl, in her fringe of
| grass, with her wonderful hair falling
down, stood and looked at US silently
She did not run away. She crept
nearer and nearer. No one in the
village seemed to notice. The old
us. Somebody started a dance, and
they were hard at it before long
pounding the earth. leaping, and sing
ing sto express their Joy and excite
ment. And Grace Gordon. in the fire.
light, crept up and up.
| When she had come within arms
length she reached out and touched
my hand. Something told me what
i she wanted. lad my hand beside
hers, and long and earnestly she COM
| pared the two. Then she spoke in
the mountain tongue.
| i + X
ux1OU are like me-" she said.
1--WE are of the same village
idiom. There are many. many others
in that village. Will you come to il
with meT"
would they, love me there?" she
asked, an infinite sadness in her voice
I hesitated. Somehow I could no,
lie to her. this poor white-savage
girl. Never. 1 thought. would the
/ people Of her village" receive hel
as quite one of themselves. 1t had
gone on too long for that.
They will love you little" wal
all I could say.
"Will no one love me much?" she
asked, leaning forward with hel
brown eyes full of fear. Then will
not 60"
Something broke in my breast al
that, and I took her firmly by the
hand.
II will love you." I told her. 81
will love you very: very much, and
garden. and will cut down the forest
, and keep the devils of the bush away
and carry spear and club for you
For knew I must speak to her after
the way of the natives or she would
not have understood. MT,
What are YOU saying?" asked VIII
Ills, who had never taken his eyes OF
her, though 1 am bound to say she
swept him with her glance as though
he was something insignificant ON the
| far horison.
/ told him.
"Whan will you take her awayT'
"Now." s51
"Now! why?'
"Because she IL sort OF slave
to these people, and thsy probably
wouldn't give her. up In cold blood
lThey are all worked up with dancing