Evening star., 1926-02-14

|
village | took "A photograph out ol
! nv pocket. il represented my deai
little friend Margaret Joyce, aged
about year old ! looked at it toi
some time, when one of the womer
Standing nearby glanced over my
! shoulder. She at once recognized II
| as the picture of a child, Al white
child, No such thing had ever beer
seen in Bashilele land Might she
1 TAX" it into her hand?
Friends We're hastily summoned and
! the child was declared the most lovely
| one that ever walked the earth. The
| women got frighttully excited over it
! They naturally assumed that it rep
/ resented my daughter. 1t was then
! thlt ] did very mean thing.
! l sighed deeply and told them that
| years had passed since ! had seen
! that wonderful child: that I was dying
! To see it again-but how could /? The
( Hashilele of kitambi however kind
! they Were, would not carry my loads
! md | could not get home. Thereupon
! one OF the women shouted To the
| 'rowd. Her appeal was received with
! 1 torrent of applause, and then she
| urHcd TO me.
"Minsenja. you want to see your
! child Tomorrow morning. II the men
! refuse To carry your loads. we women
will do il Won't We And the
women shouted loudly that they
would.
As for me. felt the lowest dog in
Africa; I longed 10 get up and shout
| I, the civilized man. am liar and
| not worthy To lick your feet" But /
| did nothing of the sort. After all
| there was no fear that these good
women would learn the truth, and ]
| am sure their kind hearts rejoiced at
the idea that they would help to bring
| father and daughter together. 1t was
| not true, but as long as they believed
| in 1t, this was of no consequence.
1t mattered TO me more than / can
say. and even 10 this day when ]
| think of il | blush with shame
| have done worse things in my life
! than this, after all. innocent decep
| tion. but | have never done one that
has haunted me SO relentlessly.
Early next morning there they
| We're, the women of kitambi: but the
| men shamed by their wives, turned
! up. too and so we started soon tC
! leave this hospitable people. The
| dear old chief insisted on coming with
| us To see US well installed in the nexl
! village.
| Moving ON again from that point
| the chief of the Badjok. called Mayila
! came to meet us and for this solem
| nifty had donued two pairs of trousers
| three shirts above these mot tucked
modestly away. and other finery
| Sanga, always SO CondeScendingly
| friendly with the natives. shivered
| with rage at the sight; she always
shared my aversion to European
| clothes on black people. Buya, or
| the other hand, was much impressed
| and treated Mayila with the defer
ence q millionaire deserves-or usual
| ly gets. The village was an importa n,
one, but had only recently been estab
| lIshed and was obviously a makeshift
Y + y
NO articles on the kongo can be
written without at least one
| atroclty. Up to now ! had not sue
| ceeded in getting one. but at last for
| tune favored me. That which follows
! Is the authentic account Of one, all
| the more credible, as it Is the villain
| of the piece who makes his confession
Simpson and | were sitting near our
tent teaching Badjok children to make
! bubbles; were we not the apostles
| of civilization? We heard some loud
voices in the village. but that was SC
common an occurrence that we paid
little heed to 1t. Somehow, 1 listened
| after time and distinguished the
| voice of a Mulaba woman begging for
| mercy; then I heard blows.
! L Jumped up and ran in the direc
ton of the sound, and there / saw a
| woman being tied up and dragged
| away by some men. I rushed there
and kicked them away. I asked what
| was the matter. The woman explained
| that the man standing by was her hus
band who had just sold her to the
| Badjok
| asked him if it was true; he told
me 1t was not my business. I made
| 1T so. Was this woman his wife? Yes
Had he sold her as a slave? Yes. Their
lost my head.
AT first my blows We're pretty cor
rect. but as l warmed to the job I be
came less regular; hang it all, this
| was not a contest at the National
Sporting Club; this was assault and
battery pure and simple. When I had
nnlshed there was no skin left on my
knuckles. and the scoundred's face
| looked like black caulifower with
tomato sauce. He had to be carried
away, while 1 took the woman to my
camp.
| The Badjok looked on quietly
though they might have become un
pleasant.
| 1t seems that they had not yet pai6
the price. so they did not consider II
| SLiSi ooSlHoSS 10 lHI0IISIo, DOSlQoS
| they did not want to get into trouble
with the state force.
Though we were still in no mans
land, we were only 40 miles from the
| edge of it, and I had already sent
Mayuyu as a messenger to the near
est European factory. My presence
was known; that saved our expedition
from shipwreck in the last minute, for
my hot temper might have caused us
to lose the fruit Of our labors.
This wide divergence of ideas or
the subject Of women brought fresh
ly to mind an awkward experience
when I was living in Migenja and had
become a great man in the kingdom
I was made a member Of the higher
| nobility and was seen constantly in
secret conclave with the King. 1t is
| to this social distinction and the un
limited wealth l was supposed to pos
cess that / must attribute the misad
Venture-not to my personal charms
| One evening small boy came and
brought me a fowl and two eggs
when wanted to pay him for this
very welcome addition TO our noW