Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
By Mary Hastings Bradley
r. Thrilling Contest With an African Witch Doctor.

+, the moment she reached camp. Kamau
always knew everything.
| Dinner was ready on a table in the
open, with places set for two only, as
Bob Bryce was taking his in his tent.
Lovett stopped at that tent. found him
comfortable, then went on to the boys,
to whom he gave orders. emphatic and
low-toned, to get hold of every porter
that night for an early start next morn
| ing. 1t would be hard-the men
would want to stay over for the show.
But he'd get them, If he had to collar
them himself. Thank Heaven.
the business wasn't till sunset of the
next day. With luck they'd be is miles
| away.
He walked back to the table. sallie
was still in her tent. He could hear
her voice, exclaiming over something,
and the next moment she came running
out to him.
"Oh, Capt. Lovett! What is this
about the ghost girl? My boy says she's
going to diel Is that true?"
Lovett registered few swift inten-
tions about that conversational boy.
I'm afraid it is" he said reluctantly.
"Her sister died"
"Oh, has she the same sickness?"
After he cursed his clumsy truth
telling. For he said: mo, not as
simple as that. think the sister was
drowned"
He did not add that the natives con-
sidered the death due to witchcraft and
that an old man had paid the penalty
of their suspicious. His were the bones
in the banana trees. The death of a
chiefs daughter exacted the extreme
penalty.
"Then why is she going to die?"
Sallie was insisting.
Its because she's twin" he ex-
planned, even more slowly and uncom-
fortably. "Fact is, natives have a
deuced queer notion about twins. Often
they kill one at birth-the Wakondo
do-and that is the custom here, they
say; but, since these were the chiefs
daughters, the witch doctor let them
both live-but only as one person. They
had the same name, ate OF the same
dish and were never apart an instant"
"Well?"
"And now, since the sister Is dead,
they think this girl must die, too. The
spirit divided between their two bodies
must be reunited"
"They are going to kill her?"
"She's considered part of her sister.
It's really "a special favor that she's
been allowed to live at all. And. if
they didn't kill her now and send her
SplrlC 10 JOIN her SlSIcI, tllcy u lecI tllCy
we're bringing all sorts of punishment
upon their village. This Is religious
| thing you know"
"And you're staying here and letting
it happen?" You're letting them kill
this girl?" Sallie's young voice rose
incredulously, and her young eyes
turned on him In horror.
He stiffened. 1T isn't a thing I
can stop"
"Not thing you can stop? OF course
you cant" said Sallie stoutly. And then
in shocked amazement: You mean
you aren't going to do anything"
There is nothing can do. There
is no administration here yet-these
people have never seen a white official.
There is no post we can reach"
"Administration-of The words
seemed to be choking Sallie. Cant
you do something on your own re-
sponsibility?" she demanded holly.
you're a white rnan-with guns
and-and authority Why, haven't you
ny-any-courage?
y X X
THERE we're sparks in Lovett's eyes
l. cold glints of bated anger, but his
| manner was glacial. He merely vouch-