Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-02-20
Douglas NeUton

beggar really does belong, one could
do something" a British port officer
once walled. But where on earth is
one with a merchant who enters under
place of birth, the coast OF Bohemia I"
Rather like an eagle with q sense Of
humor, Savaran. A tall, dark, limby
fellow with startling military gifts and
no modesty at all about his own genius.
A creature of extravaganza gestures and
queer dominating power, he was q sort
of Harun al Raschid and Francis Villon
rolled into one. with a touch Of Napo-
leon to make him more complicated.
Young though he had been then, he
had played the very deuce with the
tribes of the desert and the jungle, so
that when the World war came there
were some who almost hailed 1t as q
relief from Savaran.
After that Africa nee more seemed
the goal inevitable, and he drifted by
natural stages Ca little fighting both
for and against the Angora Turks, for
example) to Mcquala, the capital of the
Keef coast.
The Keef coast is one of the few re-
naming GASES where a man looking for
trouble finds it. 1t is the colony Of one
of the more ooze-along European pow
ers, and since its local citizens still re-
gard death by the sword as the highest
form of good breeding, there is plenty
of scrapping. Most Of it is dOne-aS
with the French and Spanish-by q
corps recruited from dare devil foreign
ers, the Legion Sanitaire.
Savaran enlisted as a private in the
Sanitaire with the idea of winning
fame in his own name at last. One sur
misses that as, for the first and only
time on record, he seems to have been
betrayed into candor about himself. II
is his own name that is entered on
the corps roll, together with the fol-
lowing historical details:
Ages.
Trade or occupation-Field marshal
Birthplace-New Orleans, La, U. S. A
In any case, n can be quite sure
that Savaran came to this beauty in
vested, bug infested portion of the east
African seaboard determined that his
capacities should win him a high COM
mand, if not a governorship. And be-
ing Savaran, he undoubtedly advertised
his intentions to the world at large, the
Sanitaire and his sergeant. What is
more, since he was Savaran the wOrlc
at large and the sergeant believed him
to be absolutely capable of making gooo
his boasts.
The sergeant thereupon acted like q
sergeant. He had no taste at all fol
privates who proved him, as he was
c~onspicuously incompetent in all the
military arts, nor had he the nature
that allows rankers to step over his
head and snaffle honors greedily de-
sired by himself. Further, in his lieu
tenant he had a nan after his owr
heart, SO that between them they kept
Savaran not merely a private, but very
painfully a private.
Instead of marching out to wars anC
glory, Savaran became almost per-
m~anently scrubber of the Mcquala bar
racks. Instead of battles and the adj
ventures of the desert, he was giver
stable cleaning, guardroom duties, anc
other shifting little jobs. When he
protested he got cells, and bad marks
on his promotion sheet. The sergeant
was no soldier, but he vas an artist
in other ways.
1t is testimony to Savaran's determin-
alton to win fame by legitimate means
that a nature SO akin to a volcano
remained reasonably meek SO long. But
steadily the grinding monotony, the
heats, the smells, the tin kettle amuse-
ments, the %bimonthly bouts Of malaria
and the too frequent familiarity with
the lookup, stocked the rage within him
And one day it fared out.
On that day the sergeant came leer-
ing to him and said: 'You want pro-
motion, my Thereafter? I am satisfying
you. An escort leaves for Nenussi to-
morrow. You go as student corporal
under Lieut.. Garsali and myself"
S~avaran's eagle face became cheer
fully ferocious-a bad sign-as he lis
tened, for he understood.
The cavaran route to Nenussi was in
fernal, half fiery desert, half stony hill
gorges. Neither Garsali nor the SER
geant would have taken it unless they
were conveying something or some one
of such Importance that it meant hon
ors. Also, there were brigands on the
route and that was why he was being
taken along. Garsali, even more in
: competent than the sergeant, was
greedier of medal ribbons for his pigeon
breast. He meant to make Savaran
do all the donkey work of fighting, GER
tain that his underling's genius would
enable him to apply for great glories,
Savaran saw the pretty trick, grinned
grimly and smote the sergeant on the
nose. Then he walked to the lookup
on his own account. 1t would NEAR a
court marshal, but that also meant that
he had spoilt the sergeant's game.
He vas wrong there. The sergeant
followed him to the cells and, after
threatening hell here and hereafter
showed his native cunning. He tolc
Savaran that he would go on the escort
all the same and that he would await
the court marshal until he returned. HI
meant to use Savaran's ability anC
break him in his own time.
Savaran sat himself down on thu
stone sleeping bench, lifted his fee
clear of the flea zone and said indif.
~ferently: II was a fool ever to come
to this stye of pariah hogs. However