Evening star., 1935-09-22
September 22, 1885

the bottles in yet more leaves that they
might not knock together. and besought Fit
oran and Gale to drop them gently. nay, lay
them down reverently, should catastrophe or
death Overtake them.
"Fitoran and Gale promised to do their
best. observing that no man can do more.
"On the party ran.
When the fog lifted, or they ran out of it,
GoJo fell behind and brought up the rear, so
that he might watch his young relatives, see
all that befell. and urge them to their top
speed
Thus it was that Fitoran. and not Colo,
received in his ear the little dart that seemed
to come from nowhere but probably came
from behind bush not more than ten feet
away, pitched on his face. broke the bottles
ne was carrying, was paralysed in two min
utes. and dead in five. The sticky stuff
smeared behind the barb of the dart must
have been powerful poison. probably of the
SrOphantknS order
when the Others would have gone bush
whacking for the lurking archer, Colo cursed
them and bade them rum not for their lives
but for the beer
This was terrible. Half the bottles gone.
Was this the way to repay the White Masters
noble trust in them?
ION. on. you worthless sonsr he urged
the three
And on ran the Bearers of the Beer
Suddenly Makon collapsed. He had been
dong his best in spite of the wound he had
received from the leopard that had killed
Zande But now he was in a bad way.
Him also Colo put out of his misery. and
entrusted his bottle to Holati young and in
experienced but anxious to improve.
And on ran the three. bearing the six
bottles
And when young Holati could run no
longer and began to sway, to stagger, and to
hold his bottles alolt that they might not
touch the earth when he sprawled. Colo called
halt, bade them sleep, and then eat of the
last of their provender.
And as they lay sleeping, Simba the Lion
found them at dawn, sprang clawed Gales
face and so startled Holati that, losing his
head completely. the clumsy youth used one
of his bottles of beer as club - and smashed
it between the lions eyes.
Certainly this gave Colo fine chance to
drive his spear in behind the lions left
shoulder. but it did not excuse the youths
dreadful act; and, although the spear sliced
the lions heart, Simba still had strength to
make quite mess of the front of COLO and
the back of Gale across whom he rolled,
clawing hard.
80 that when Colo had pulled himself
together, picked himself up, and stopped his
wounds with clay he found that only he and
the miserable Hoati remained.
That was a small matter - but what of
the bottles2 Only four remained. For this
accursed lion when swiping at Gale had
smashed one of the bottles that Gale hugged
faithfully to his bosom even in the face of
death.
Again consigning two of the bottles to
young Holati's care, with heartening promises
of incredible rewards. shattering threats of
unbelievable punishments, and a reasonably
gentle prod in the back with his spear, Colo
drove the young Holati on before him.
So the two men ran, each with two bottles
of beer and the hope of keeping clear and
clean their record of reliability, sol riety
honesty and responsibility.
Unfortunately, the shortest line between
that spot and their beer demanding Frangi's
camp took them past the temporary but un-
savoury depot of some gentlemen who dealt
in such black people as themselves.
There are, of course, no such things