Evening star., 1935-12-31
BY LAURENCE sTALLINGs.

lou Guetah, Kenjasmaj and leader of
the right wing, indicated that the two
men would be left behind at Douk-
ham, where there would be relatives
clamoring for blood money He as
signed to them corporal as an agent.
He leaned from the train window
and out of the bosom Of his long
khaki shirt he drew a massive chain
of gold At the end of this chain
there dangled a key for q modern
paracentric lock. This key he in
trusted to the corporal, speaking
softly. other officers remaining re-
spectfully away from earshot. The
corporal, accepting the key in cupped
hands, held it tightly while he made
a profound salute, his head touching
the ground.
The key would unlock box some
where in the Aurussi country and
there would be silver thalers in this
box The corporal, once the blood
money was estimated by judge. by
shrieking village, weeping widow,
vengeful cousins, would retrace his
way to the Gala country and obtain
the money to free the two soldiers.
The train pulled out of Doukham
without further incident, nor did any
one wave a good-by to the three
soldiers. Only the women stood in
the door of the tukul, where the
body had been carried.
General Acts Embarrassed.
The whole incident had been en-
barrassing for the general of brigade.
He had not looked at me. Now he
smiled the friendliest of smiles, dug
somewhere into the folds Of his shirt
tails and produced two mandarins,
proffering one. We peeled the bright
green rind, smiling at each other,
while he spoke in Gala a gentle
speech that seemed to say, "Oh, well,
boys will be boys"
A soldier at risk of his life crawled
along the brake rods outside our car
riage and pushed in to us, some of
the murdered mans cane. We chewed
the sweet out of that. too. 1t was fine
and bracing, the sugar warming like
spirit in the thin mountain air. Pres
emily Moulou Guetah offered the
MauSer, his least dear arm. for eX-
animation. The bond was sealed then;
that he would let white man and
a stranger play with his rifle. We
stood and saluted. We shook hands.
It was best to be as professional
as possible with that Obersdorf ar
senal Q9l3) rifle, else further ex-
animation into his best effects would
be forever denied. One tried in a
most professional manner to bring the
safety lug to neutral, swing the bolt
out sharply. raise the rifle muzzle to
eye and squint along the bore. The
bore had been shot-out, the grooves
thinned near the muzzle. One re-
placed the bolt. snapped the trigger
and returned it, shaking ones head
with disdain.
Enfield Rife.
The Kenjasmaj was delighted. He
slapped his knee, he roared, his eyes
disappearing into the smallpox pits in
shrewd amusement. He then. with
an air of offering a great boon,
reached for the rifle in the brocaded
case. There was no doubt about this
rife 1t was an English Enfield, cut
down for a sporting stock Of walnut,
chased and fretted. and with a rear
sight specially sighted and installed.
Upon the barrel gunsmith Of Pa
ternoster Row in Birmingham had
set his seal. It was a beautiful
weapon. 1t had the easiest sighting
position possible for a high-power
rifle.
We stood in the aisles then, and
practiced swapping it at the gazelles
and small antelope which ran ter
ror-stricken from the approach Of the
train. We practiced until lunch time,
going to the wars.
BY early afternoon our train had
tumbled down the mountains to Ha-
DANA, where there is q water tank.
Soldiers spilled from the trains with
gourds and bottles-some with British
canteens-and crowded about the
tower After the engines thirst was
quenched. concrete basin for water
ing stock was filled with yellowed, fetid
water The warriors drank greedily
from this, filling canteens.
In our coach Moulou Guetah pro-
duced from his tunic q handful OF
millet seed. These grains he munched
from the palm Of his hand, slowly and