Evening star., 1923-06-03

! Noon halt was at Wallo" "neE@
brackish water oozed from the edge
of a salt-incrusted lake; but night
fall found us well in the forest.
4 No enchanted wood of Grimm's had
i half the charm of this stretch OF un-
/ explored bush, marked only by game
trails. It's silence seemed sort OF
suspended animation which might be
aroused any moment into weird and
devastating action. What terrfho
forms lurked within the forest re-
cesses we could not tell, yet on every
hand there multiplied evidence or
terrible, restless lives. Huge wals
lows; pud marks like small weLs1
fair trees torn up by the roots;
pathways as broad as country lanes;
| skulls and horns emphasizing the
| Shadows riot of wanton life ana
unmourned death, bound by no laws
but the lust to conquer and the fierce
determination to live. And yet we
saw little The forest seemed to hold
| its breath as we passed through.
Once the forest about US suddenly
] came to life. For fully twenty min
| utes the shadows danced with the
! light of gray and yellow bodies fash
| ing by; the trees seemed to shake
with the soft rumble Of galloping
hoofs; and strange whistlings and
| markings startled our ears. As sud-
! denly the sounds ceased; and we
shuff1ed on with the uncomfortable
! impression that a thousand eyes
| glared at US from behind the trees.
| But there was drink.
| Each day we found water holei
one a lily pond. fragrant. clear and
] cnlivened by the presence of graceful
birds and beautiful antelope: another,
| a round hole in the shadows, covered
with green scum through which two
wicked little hell-divers swan rest
/ lessly. ("But then. be careful, for II
you drink of one, you will shrink and
| become ugly as a toad; but IL you
only taste the other y We drank
partially. Akida bin Juma and
Dongolaya could not possibly have
| added TO the homellness of their fea-
lures, and 1 certainly saw no improve
ment Besides. the kilongozi, bee
hunter whom 1 had picked up for
guide, tasted all the waters, and he
assured me he had got nothing worse
than varicose veins.
! Still, i suspect that kilongozi.
He was himself forest imp, and
spent forty-odd years stealing honey
from the little folk and running away
from the big folk of the forest. That
forest terrified him, strangely enough;
and later, on his return journey, he
made a detour of seven days in order
to escape It's dangers. Black. wiry
and naked. he was a gibbering child
| CT the wild. A bit of blanket flung
| over his shoulder: a dirty red cap
with a bedraggled feather in it; worn
out sandals: two long, shiny spears;
a scanty string of blue BEADS. with
tiny tobacco pouch-these constituted
his entire furniture and fortune. Yet
he was merry as a child, wise as an
old man. bold and timorous as any
forest creature.
oN the third night after leaving
" the foot of the escarpment we
reached the edge of the forest and
came out upon the trail from Ufiome
which skirts the NASSAU Stepre and
leads past Lol Kissale. The askaris,
setting foot on this road, were jubi
liant; they laughed and chartered and
up TuuS SOHSS dpOuI IL ms
seemed to annoy the kilongozi in
tensely. He became shy and silent
and excessively nervous, muttering to
himself and casting appealing glances
backward.
/ l couldn't understand this at all
until suddenly toward evening he
gave a low squeal. seized me by the
arm and dragged me to one side OF
the trail, his beady eyes fixed intently
on something across the veldt-a wisp
OF smoke.
Master, the Massai!"
In a flash 1 understood. For me
the ribbon of dust winding away
meant friends at the end. I could
envision vast believing ships, scream
ing locomotives and electric lights
that blink the stars out of counte-
nance; but for the kolingozi. all was
dark For him every forward step
meant an invasion into the land Of
the Massai-war on the Hamite
hordes. How little he knows! How
much do 1? His sons. I suppose, will
| drive motor cars. Mine may fling
spears.
Copyright. 1927