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

w YHY do men do 1t?
Several times that Winter
wv the question intruded itself.
Why on earth had I left the
fruity ease of Paris and trav-
eled 5000 miles for the pleasure Of
dashing myself up against sun-baked
Abyssinian foothills-the very essence OF
everything Paris was not!
Once, when it looked as though our
persons were about to be gently
massaged by the hoofs Of 10 buffalo,
the question rose in my mind very
wildly.
Again, q few days later, I squatted.
gazing into the limpid orbs of four
female elephants. Just before leaving
Khartum a fellow became verbose, ex-
planning that one of the favorite
pastimes Of the blase elephant con-
sisted in its wrapping the trunk amor
ously about ones neck and pulling ones
head of. Though it's generally consid-
cred impossible, as I looked into the
eyes of those females two thoughts
occupied my mind simultaneously:
why do men do it," and "Are those
elephants blase?"
AS to the why" of it, in particu-
lar case, there is only one answer. It
was September in Paris. The sunsets
were golden: the twilights fingered,
steely blue, then black velvet, shot with
luminous star dust. Naturally ones
thoughts wandered.
We were sitting in front of Foquet's,
m the Champs ElySeeS. For some time
neither of us had spoken. Yet on all
sides Of us snapped and cracked the
language Of diplomacy.
At length Lake reused himself. "It
seems like Ginning was all these
Trenches lived for" he remarked. ut
gets on your nerves after a while. I'm
not fed up with the town exactly, but
I wouldn't mind getting away-away,
away, where all dogs are wolf hounds
you know"
"You ought to try and see something
of the place by daylight" I advised him.
ITS a CHEEKY place, I've been told.
with wide streets and miles of boule-
wards, lots Of buildings and quite his
torical in a way"
Lets go on a trip somewhere" Lake
burst out with an irrelevancy that
| Uganda, the Belgian Kongo, anywhere!''
mot so fast. Rollo," I answered.
while I'm not tied down to the cotton
mills any more, I've been to Africa once.
I've had my fling. I can't go rushing
about all over the place. I've got OBJ
legations, mani don't know what they
are exactly, but I've got EN-"
WELL. throw your eye over this" he
went on, drawing a bundle of literature
from an inner pocket and tossing me a
booklet. Evidently he'd been brooding
on the subject and accommodating data.
It was an amazing booklet, issued by the
Sudan Government Railways & Steam
erS.
TITS seductive enough" I agreed, "but
my times too limited"
Just a mo-" said Lake. "Khar-
tum's only eight days from Paris"
eff it weren't for my obligations, ]
| might think Of it," I interrupted. Then
suddenly the Champs Elysees dissolved
from the picture. I saw the sum rising
over the 10Y fields of Kilimanjaro-all
primrose and mother-of-pearl; game
herds stretched across endless plains
to be swallowed up by distance: the roar
let off a volley of blood-curdling laugh
ter; a jackal barked.
VAGUELY I heard the laundering
hoofbeats of stampeding zebra; the
picture of black human bodies, oily and
naked. flashed through my chaotic
, mind. Once more I was in the land Of
ticks, heat, thirst. Then I could heal
the rhythmical throbbing of tomtomsi
the sad melody of a "sing song'' under q
colossal full moon.
I shook myself. Without any warning
my resistance snapped. We'll, where !:
it you want to go?" I asked weakly.
1.-THE ~Sudan-Fung Province-tht
binder River-page 28," Lake spoke ex.
citedly. "At Seminar we will pick ur
hired camels-arranged for by the game
warden. The upper part of the river
in the neighborhood of the Khor Galegu
teens with game of all sorts,'" he read
1.-The camels have got me! I've always
wanted to be wakened in the morning
by the cooling Of camels."
The idea of a little plain and fancy
cameleering had me rocking, too. I hao
met temptation-and lost. AS I gazeC
out on the Champs Elysees, all I coulc
see were camel caravans and lizards.
The next loon we met again at one
of those small, unknown Partisan cafe.
where all the Americans swarm to gel
away from all the Americans. In tor.
Itured French We ordered lunch from 9
waiter who spoke ar English as pure
and l~iturgical as Millions.
We'll what's the dope?" I inquired.
With considerable mystery, Lake
pulled a pink slip of paper from hi
pocket. Here's the DOPE" he replied
impressively. Telegram from the gam,
warden, Khartum, reading as follows
''Guns, ammunition, clothing, obtainabl,
here. Will arrange for camels any dat