Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

"Just a moment, Lake." I said. "why
do men do it?"
do what?" he asked, with raised eye
browS.
Dash off to an inferno like the Sudan
for no reason at all. Why?"
Because it's there, I guess" he an
swered.
And SO we went.
The trouble begins as soon as one
sets foot on the foreshore of Africa
It Is naturally expected, just like bacon
with the jolly old eggs. The great Afri-
can tradition Internationally guaran-
tees 1t. Some refer to it as trouble
others adventure" according to the
conditions Of their arteries.
With explosive suddenness, my ad.
ventures fructified on the quay at AL
exandria. And, though for some days
they seemed purely financial in char.
acter, they were none the less adven-
lures, bewildering and intricate. It was
then, for the first time, the full mean
ing Of the phrase: II speak of Africa
and golden joys came home to me
Whoever 1t was wrote Shakespeare, he
knew his Egypt. After guides and no.
tells had taken most of my gold I 60,
on to Khartum.
X X X X
THE sun was setting. Palm trees
their fronds motionless in the still
air, split its ,rubicund face into alter
nate strips OF ebony and deep plutonic
red.
We sat in the garden Of the game
warden. Not long since the strident
cry of the Muezzin echoing from NINA
ret to minaret had called the faithful
to prayer. Following a time-worn Gus
tom, the English, too, were gathering
but not for prayer. In cool dingle and
bosky nook they were about to &c
through the ritual of "tea" and sun
downers." No ss-lunged priest of the
tea-caddy or siphon bottle shrieked out
his reminder Of this time-worn cere-
mony. None was necessary. AS one
man they came.
Capt. Coldthirst was the game war
den. The entire Sudan was his prin.
cipality-a million square miles, more
or less; his subjects were hoofed, clawed
and horned. It was easy to see that the
welfare Of his four-legged wards was as
vital to the captain as though they
could cast a ballot with each hoof
who strikes them down strikes me-
would have been a fine motto for his
CkCob, WAttI ROoSlUly OH ddIU~fdEh TAIL
pant on a field Of halfa grass.
In a state of languid Incidence we re-
clined on well-stretched canva steam
er chairs. Without moving, Coldthirst
rolled his head on the back of his chair
until he could fix both Lake and me
with a dreamy eye.
when you get up on the binder
River" he remarked listlessly, do me a
favor"
We politely agreed.
IF you see any sick Ariel gazelle, put
them out of their misery. And, oh!
yes" he added as an afterthought, IF
you run into any AbySSinian poachers
up there killing my game give them
the same medicine"
You mean?" I queried.
Shoot 'em dead"
"But how will we know they're Abys-
Sinian poachers?" I inquired without
enthusiasm.
"You can't mistake EN-" he an.
swered, letting his head roll back to its
normal position. They'll be SO heavily
armed"
"Gosh!" said Lake.
Personally, 7 remained silent. I didn't
tell the captain that the approach of
heavily armed person always short-cir-
Quilted my motor nerves I couldn't, my
uvula was not functioning. Nor did ]
mention q traditional family inhibition
touching on Abyssinian poachers, thai
ran way back to the days of our origi-
nal ancestral amoeba. 1t was impossi-
BILE. I seemed to be affected with 6
slight touch Of duck-pip.
The following day we were of. Like
a garment that had outlived its useful.
| vNAnc xvyn lfcnA NlAI Aiutlfua+ it, W. -
no regrets. A spirit Of eager anticipa.
ton possessed us. We were Adventures.
bound. We were elated-hilarious, ever
| We rode donkeys. :
Some Of our encourage had gone or
ahead with the camels and prepared oul
first camp for us. 1t was in the middle
| of a vast plain. The ground sheet hao
been spread; the table set, and on II
the Shamadans twinkled invitingly. II
was thanked on either hand by our cots
The roof was the sky.
1t was u introduction to a life Of
| biblical simplicity. The feverishness OF
the world was gradually fading; oul
| thoughts began to turn to elemental
things - heat - thirst - hunger - the
| stalking and killing Of game. The ad.
| vance wavelets of a great ocean of peace
| began to fill u consciousness with theil
! playful lappings.
We breakfasted at $3.50 am. and were
away at 4, mounted on our donkeys. A
white-robed figure, with a candle Ian.
tern, led the way. For two hours VIC
| plodded through the darkness, then thu
first faint harbingers of dawn began tt
! tint the East-''The Lord of Night shook
of his drowsy head" Atonce, the Arabs
stopped and prepared to say their pray.
ers. Fascinated, we watched them.
X \ X Il
FACING the East. they followed ou'
hole in the dry grass, shaped liks
a wash basin; then, kneeling, went
through the pantomime of washing
hands and face. This attended to, the!
bent their foreheads to the ground
chanting their prayers that Mohammet