Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
took the girl into my tent and had
Kamau sleep out in back"
X II


THOSE rustlings in the trees-Lovett
= understood them now He could
| imagine how the natives, surprised and
bewildered, yielding the girl out of sheer
dumfoundedness. had flung about,
without understanding or concerted
F., action, just waiting and watching. i.
| They were watching them now, of
course. But this uncertainty would not
last forever. He wished he knew what
he might expectl
And to think of Sallie Bryce, willful,
defiant Sallie, making her way down
there alone at night, confronting that
crowd in the hut! She was child, with
child's blithe way of playing with
audacity. She had let him in for 1t
row. This was what she called putting
1t over. He could not trust him
| self to comment.
He merely said briefly. "You need
not trouble to have your tent taken
down. The porters have run away.
She was watching him anxiously, for
all her show of triumph.
why, you just said" she began,
and he CURLY cut her short.
| II supposed they we're hiding out for
the show. and that could bring them
in But now I'm sure it's because they
Afraid? But what off"
II wish knew!" he said grimly. AS
he strobe over to the breakfast table and
poured himself cup of coffee, he flung
back, Doubtless we'll have a chance to
find OUT
Sallie turned, rather slowly, and shep-
herded her shy little charge back into
her tent. Then Lovett heard her ex-
planning to her brother.
Bryce's reaction, when he came hur-
rying out, gave Lovett the full measure
OF his inexperience. Bryce was little
apologize to Lovett. as the man in
charge of the safari, for his sisters
rashness. but clearly he took pride in
what he termed "the youngsters
spunk." He seemed merely concerned
that Lovett's dignity should not take
the thing too seriously.
Hang it. it's not matter of what
feel" said the young Englishman.
ITS matter Of getting stranded, help
less in this forsaken wilderness"
Suppose We get out after those por-
tiers ourselves?" said Bob cheerily. "Or
scout out around the country for more?
Or we might send back to some of
those villages we came through for
fresh supply"
"Or we might write a letter to the
Times" said Lovett. He added with an
effort at explanation: there's nobody
to scour or send. We can't spare the
camp-boys; they are all we have, and
I'd not be justified in sending them
alone-no porters would come for them
anyway. You don't know what it took
to get these"
well, what do you propose to do?"
He sounded, to Lovett's strung-up
nerves, as if he were discussing pos
sible diversions for the day.
Go down to the village presently"
Lovett said, and he lighted Q cigar
cite without further speech.
y + X
DAWN was coming with tropic rush.
~ The darkness was thinning about
them as if gray gauze curtains were
being drawn swiftly up, and the sill
very shapes Of the hutS below them
stood out like cardboard stagings from
the mysterious background of the for
est +. The Eastern sky was a back
drop of lemon green. against which the
fiat. outspreading tops of trees were
defined, and crimson edge of the sun
was working sharply up behind the
branches as if pulled by a string.
A sudden rush Of light and warmth
touched the breakfast table, quencfing
the light Of the candles, and the boy
blew them out.
But it was not the dawn Phil Lovett
was watching :. His eyes were search
ing the clearing. Not soul in sight
&. :. =. Down at the palaverhouse, I'M
doubtedly, getting the right magic from
the medicine man. His ears had been
conscious for some time of the drums
He'd 60 down there as soon as he
had got his thoughts in order.
But he had no need to go to the
village. A few minutes more and the
village was coming to him. He saw
the blacks come streaming into the
clearing between the huts, jabbering
and shouting among themselves, pour
| ing along the way up to the tents.
The chief and his headmen were in
| the lead, the tall spears in their hands
catching the light of the sun on their
| polished points, and after them trooped
| men, women and children, curious,
crowding rabble.
Lovett went forward to meet them,
and the chief came forward while the
others paused. He was an impressive
| looking savage, erect and dignified. like
an ebony statue in his bit of bark
cloth, his tall spear in his hand. An
ivory horn hung about his neck, and
iron bracelets glinted on his arms and
| legs below the knee.
Through the tent flaps Sallie watched
those two men confer, that savage in
his bark-cloth, and the young English
man In his khaki She had no real
feeling of danger about the scene
no more than she had had the night
before when in hot impulse she had
gone to that crowded hut. The whole
thing seemed unreal to her, somehow, a
picturesque scene, like the rest Of this
/ strange Africa. She was only concerned
for fear Lovett would surrender the
| poor creature at her feet, and her
| tensity and suspense were all for her.
The little creature was suddenly
murmuring to her, apparently in
pleading.
"They shant take you-you are
SAFE" Sallie crooned.
| Sallie's eyes turned anxiously back
to the conference. Lovett was shak-
ing his head-he raised q hand In
determined negation. Sallies heart
raced with relief; He was refusing!
Well, that was settled, thenl However
he felt about it, he wasn't going to
| give the girl up /. She had not really
known what to expect from that queer,
cold caution of his, but she had meant
to fight to the end.
( But excitement began to touch her
as she saw the agitation of the blacks,
who began to crowd about Lovett, yell
| ing and shouting and demanding. The
place was suddenly pandemonium.
Lovett was trying to hush them; she
heard his voice through the tumult, first
in attempted persuasion. then in more
ringing authority, but the uproar rose
over him. The mob ringed him in,
yelling and jostling.
The chief withdrew in the midst Of
his throng, the babble increasing with
every step from camp.
Radiantly Sallie hurried out.
| You've kept herl"
He looked as II he did not see her.