The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-07-29
MEDICINEMAN CHAPTER XXI

mEDlCINEMAN
 CHAPTER XXI
 The other walked ahead with the gliding step of the jungle-bred. The American followed close on his heels. weapon ready for instant use.
 Shortly afterwards, he discov- cred the cause of the Niam- Niam's nirth. For there was fugitive trail cutting sharply to the left: the wilderness ceasing as basalt ridge rose like wall: short climb; and there, few minutes from where Lincoln had almost surrendered to despair, he saw below his feet the great lake offer ing its steaming expanse to the sun.
 The pygmy pointed to the south ern rim of the lake where a forest vanished toward the horizon. It was through this forest, he ex- plained, that the path led to the Meeting of the Elephants.
 An easy path he added. "Hai" - with sly humor - "a path so easy and so broad that even a great Arab sheikh cannot miss it."
 Lincoln smiled. He liked the man for his irony-irony was such a human trait. Too, he was grate- full to him. He'd give him a pres ent. But what? His resources were decidedly limited.
 Then he remembered his silver p>f IL clogged with miasmic atoms, it had stopped ticking.
 He took it from fold of his waistshawl.
 The others beady eyes glis- tened.
 He grabbed the watch. Nor did he stop to give thanks. Rapidly, lest Lincoln change his mind, he half ran. half slid down the basalt rocks and dashed into the jungle that took him silently to- its bosom.
 Laughing, the American looked after him. Then, he, too, left the ridge and turned toward the forest
 He was utterly worn out Still he was near the end of his quest, the end of his crusade. He would succeed would die in succeeding.
 Nobody would ever know of his sacrifice. Soon he would be for gotten. People. chiefly democra- cies, were quick at forgetting Forgetting the good as we'll as the bad.
 There was, for instance, his brother, Raoul.
 Raoul. so careless and gay. AL ways at odds with his stern, puri- tanical New England stepfather Fond of rorses, champagne, wo- men. Drummed out of the army for dedication of regimental funds.
 Yes. Raoul, also. was forgotten than God!
 He reached in the evening a ramshackle hut where the season before. a Negro hunter must have kept his simple belongings.
 He went inside; stretched out.
 He tried to sleep; could not His head ached. It was so hit in here, so stuffy.
 Why not sleep in the open?
 He started to get up. Could not. His limbs refused to obey.
 His feet were like lead. His mouth was parched. His temples throbbed. A flood of red color with broad. interlacing veins f1oated before his eyes. Sven as his mind became a blank, he knew what it was: a sudden. violent attack of black water fever - the worst fever in the world
 An hour passed Two.
 A narrow beam of moonlight light stabbed into the hut. Grad ually it widened, heightened. Two hands then.
 Small, powerful, black hands, one closing about a knife, that leaped from the outside darkness into the moons silver stream. A small, powerful, black body fol- | lowed.
 It was the Niam- -Niam.
 There was this wondrous anu let which the Arab had given him. It had reused his greed. Perhaps he could steal more. So he had followed.
 ell would kill if he had to.
 He raised his blade. Then. as he twisted sideways to give more strength to the blow. the moon- beams fell on the prone mans face, bringing it out startlingly greenish-white, showing lines of intense suffering.
 And something clicked in the Niam-Niam's primitive brain. He had come here to steal. belike to kill, He remained to pity - and help.
 He ran back into the jungle: returned with handful of wild herbs. Using his fingers and his saliva. he mashed them into an evil smelling pill. He forced 1t down the Aperican's throat, gent ly massaging the trachea. Then he suuated down by Liiicoln's