Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-16

aise heard the shO& and with broad gzins e.
pressed their approval
Good jcbI" they clnckled. "But, by cxapea,
Kmdaitcha come after Bun and you fellas nOw.
Come after camel even.'
"I think III 90 back and see what's hap
pened." remarked to my brother.
Reaching the camp, I found Mcclure IN q
state of mild amusement
"I guess that's fixed him." he chuckled. Fl
didn't feel like killing the old beggar, because
sense, so just loaded q cartridge with an inch
of candle and let him have that. guess he
won't come nosing round again"
For the rest of that day and for week
afteFward guarded the camp, for the two un-
fortunate natives soon became incapable Of re-
lieving me. True to their fixed belief, they be-
gan to die. It was quite easy to see what was
killing Jimmy, but impossible to discover what
allied Joe.
Jimmy,s malady began with sight swelling
on the rim Of his left armpit very much like .
boil. This rapidly increased in size until 1t be-
came . large and painful abscess Doing hts
hest Is q bush surgeon, Bull operated with
razor and for q little while gave his patient
some small relief. Being without antiseptics Of
any kind. however. he was unable to check the
Inflammation, and 1t continued to spread unttl
finally. in great pain. the unfortunate Jimmy
died
ME were all greatly upset by his death. But
the most badly shaken member of the party
was Joe. There was no question now to him
but that he. too, was doomed squatting on his
launches, he refused to eat making no effort
10 stir himself even when Bull, his patience ex-
hausted, picked him up and shook him.
PUN yourself together" MCGUIRE grow1eA
''TIlere's nothing the matter with YOU
But Joe Was firmly convinced that there was
s'Me mindic (sick)," he answered. 'Kurdaitcha
get me. Jimmy die. me die. Kurdaitcha killum
beth"
seven days after the FIRST sign OF swelling
appeared on Jimmy's armpit. we buried him.
Two days later we performed the same service
for joe
"-xurdaitcha got them all right" said my
bre sher gTavely.
5ut Bun remained unconvinced. ''KurdAitcha
be hangedl" he cried. Jimmy died Of blood
poisoning, though how he got it don't under
stand And Joe simply died of funk"
I'm not 50 sure" returned my brother
anyway, reckon we'd be wise to shift"
And let one old medicine man think he'd
beaten Us? Not on your life, boyI There's
scores Of other natives somewhere around and
once they get the idea they've scared US, theym
either drive us right out Of this country wen
have TO massacre them"
There was sound sense in Bulls argument,
and so, dismissing Kurdaitcha as a Pigment Of
aboriginal imagination, we decided to stop where
were Before week passed, however, we
had shifted-and it was Kurdaitcha that shifted
usl was keeping camp next day when be-
came aware Of some one watching me intently,
and, glancing round, discovered that our
enemy, the ancient medicine man, was once
more at his post. All day he sat glaring at me,
mumRling and gr1ntins. until. hearing Bull and
my brother returning to camp close on dusk,
he slipped back into the scrub and disappeared.
"Gurdaitcha win be here tonight" remarked
half jokingly, and told them of the return Of the
old medicine man.