Evening star., 1925-07-12

so II cannot be our boys. hut IL looks
just like Manibura's walk"
A. looked. then took my arm and led
me into the tent. STAY there: ! Will
go and see, he aid.
could not stay. so went out again
and watched the boys as they greeted
A Then I saw how grave he looked
and. as they came nearer, saw how
worried was the expression on the
bows faces. and lost all hope. At last
they were inside the bona. inside the
Itent--twelve of them. They sat on the
floor and told their tale.
| listened like one frozen. They had
reached NYgara safely. They had
taken the animals and put them on
the wagon: one of the deer. that had
struck up q friendship with the zebra.
insisted on following. When they got
as far as N'Dangasera two OF the
boys had said what a pity II was to
let ALL that -four and sugar fall into
the hands OF the Nasal.
But l thought II was already
burned" said n.
| No. not then. The Nasal had warned
| the boys in the store that IL would be
burned. and told them not to touch
anything. and had gone away and left
everything behind. Then, when the
| boys tried to drag the bags out. the
! Nasal had come down the sides of the
| hill like ants and taken il from them.
They also cut the traces Of the wagon
and lashed the gombes until they ran
| away. Then they took the ca which
held the oil and turned it over the
! boxes in which were mem -sahib's anil
mails and burned them all The deer
and the zebra they speared to death:
then they opened the cage in which
was mem. sahib's animal Saladin and
I speared him until he died.
! The dogs" aueried A. Some were
killed. other ran away.
/ The house," he asked. Burned,
so the Nasal had told them. They
/ had come away. 80 did not see II.
And so the narrative went on. Much
of it | did not hear, or, hearing, did
not understand What a death, My
poor animals. all gone. Every one OF
them so docile. they had never expert
enced unkindness. and to meet such
Ia death, II was unbelievable.
Manibura laid a hand on my knee.
What could | do. mem .sahih? ] was
| 'peke vako' lalonel." Poor boy, one
against host
They got up and went out, and A.
gave them food. | sat still. trying 10
realize the dreadful tragedy NV ami
mails and my home all gone All the
little treasures one collects, that could
never be replaced: but | scarcely gave
them a second thought at the time.
NV thoughts were ell OF the poor
dumb creatures that had trusted me
, so implicitly This was the way the
Ma ssai showed their gratitude. At that
moment. in the bitterness of my heart,
7 wished them every evil that could
possibly befall them-men. women and
children.
THE next day Mai ID. returned.
There had been fight: the big
| guns had done execution among them
much to their CONSERVATION. The
X. A. RS returned with many trophies
shields. spears and the much-deco'
rated breastplates and headdresses
| There was no longer any need for us
! to act as sentries.
The next day our boy returned with
the news that the Liopi would attack
that night Everything was settled
They were now 900 strong.
A. had finished the wire entangie-
ments. Nothing much bigger than a
kitten could get through.
When night came. silence was i'm
posed on every one. There must be no
| talking at all.
{ One OF the X. A. RS came and ex-
| mined our guns. A. asked Tor an
other one. 1t was brought to him
|
can load this one for me- said A.
mo. it's no use your having another
your shoulder will never stand it. You
will do more good loading mine" So
II was agreed.
The natives simply poured in. All
seemed to have heard that the Nasal
meant to attack. Whatever had kept
them from doing so the previous
nights we did not know. but we were
more than grateful that they had
waited. They would get warm re
ception II they came. We had nearly
/ 100 K A RS, all OF whom had seen
service in German East Africa, to sa
nothing of nine Europeans, some OF
them crack shots.
Silently ammunition was served out
The X. A RS had taken their meals at
the posts they had occupied all day
and excellent meals they were. A. and
sat at the door OF our tent, our guns
resting on our knees. ysE II
How | wish they would come<and
get this awful uncertainty over,
whispered A. Have you hte vero
nal?"
Yes. Don't worry.' ], replied
J II am awfully sorry I allowed you
to come: it has been no life for a
than ! can tell you A. went on.
Don't say another word. re-
piled. 'T have never known what
life was until I came out here II
has been perfect every minute, until
a fortnight ago"
We'll. shake hands, Margaret,
You have been a real good pal"
That from A, | knew. was thu
sNfrhest prafSe could have