Evening star., 1923-06-03

countered natives for supplies. Fol-
lowing the very edge of the caves of
Africa, each day brought experiences
comparable with nothing in the lives
of the outer world.
/ After passing night of bitter cold
on the heights where the Jaida river
rises, and being pursued the follow
| ing day for many hours by the war
riors Of Tungobesch, who took US
I for enemies, we entered very
strange wilderness.
In this new wilderness every pace
seems to mark off a hundred years
| until you find yourself striding
through a neolithic world of tumbled
monsters and naked men with prog
nathous-like jaws. clicking like
| monkeys among themselves, and
sending blunt-headed arrows after
| unwieldy. large-beaked birds.
The aborigines of this, district are
the Watindige-a tiny tribe that is
| rapidly vanishing. an expiring race.
Since the beginning Of time no other
tribe has assimilated them, none
seems to have won their confidence.
Naked, with a childlike blending of
shyness and passionate boldness,
| trembling in the shadows and mists
of the forest, drifting through the
glades, every quiver IN the grass to
| them the voice of a demon, every
soughing in the trees above the
1 oF hal In 70
gives to their lives a very small COM
| pass. Again, though child of
nature, the native very curiously
maintains the strictest customs in re-
gard to morals. An unfaithful wife
is beaten to death, or such was the
custom until recently, and this in
spite of the fact that her purchase
| price was only five or ten arrows
/ with a few beads thrown in. and the
added fact that neighboring tribes
are almost as amoral as animals.
| *
EACH night the leaplng camp fires
Il lighting up groups of askaris and
porters stewing messes in their sufu-
rias and grilling bits of game. seemed
| to be swaying and struggling to hold
point beleaguered by the dark. The
| terror of the jungle lies in its black
mystery and loneliness.
At whatever hour the red moon
rolled out of the gloomy east l in
variably awoke without further warn
| ing and drew myself reluctantly from
| the blankets, for this was the signal
| that the time to march had come.
| During this safari two struggling
/ porters were devoured by lions; five
| times our lines were rushed by rhinos
| and once menaced by herd of buffa-
loes. One messenger. bearing impor-
tant dispatches, was attacked by a
leopard. We found puff adders under
our bedding and in the packs, and OF
| night a hyena pulling at my blan-
kets awakened me. Besides, there
were the ever dangerous and annoy
ing anopheles mosquitoes, tsetse flies
and wood ticks and "chiggers." from
which the least we could expect were
unhealing veldt sores. In detail these
things are ignored. but the subcon'
scious knowledge of them keeps the
nerves taut.
At the most unexpected moment 6
| snorting whistle. apparently Within
| four feet of the middle of each man:
| back, brings the column to breath
less halt. A sibilant murmur passe.
down the line:
"Faru. faru, MASTER"
We stand tensely, blinded by th'
dark, wondering. where the blow will
fall; and the next moment the shadows
on our flanks seem to heave and thu
great bulk of a rhino is flung among
+. US.
At the first charge the line dis
solves before the beast. If he blum
ders away, every one breathes NOR
easily, and the march is resumed. L
he charges again, again the line dis
solves-and again and again! But l
the occasion warrants. little spurts o
| fame stab the dark, and the snap o
the rifles awakens strange echoes.
The antics of this blind. biunder
ing, furious fool are merely incident
and often amusing. It's no grav
matter to watch naked porters fiyini
like squirrels into thorn trees an
afterward very slowly and very care
fully plucking themselves off again
We marched under the walls o
Mkalama one day when dawn wa
breaking and found the great white
washed bona rearing It's walls OF