Part 38 (1/2)
”D'you suppose they think,” I said, ”that if they had us in jail in this God-forsaken place we'd divulge the secret of Tippoo's ivory?”
”Why don't we tell 'eood idea that we laughed ourselves back into good temper--even Broho had no notion whether we knew the secret, being perfectly sure ould not be such fools as to tell the true whereabouts of the hoard in any case
”I want to get even with all Africa!” he grumbled ”I want to make trouble that'll last! I'd start a war this minute if I kne! If it weren't for those bloody Greeks laughing at ht than any ten men in the world ever were before in history!
Yes, sir! And my name's Brown of Lu that no trouble was likely, the Nubian soldiers came out of ambush and marched away We ate supper The Greeks and the Goanese subsided into te by a fire they had placed so that they could watch the Greeks'
enca reestion, and he unclasped the concertina
Then for three-quarters of an hour he played, and we sang all the tunes we knew least likely toThe Marseillaise and Rule Britannia again and again in pious hope that at least a few bars ht reach to the commandant's house on the hill
Whether they did or not--whether the commandant writhed as we hoped in the torture of supreme insult, or slept as was likely from the after-effect of too much bottled beer with dinner--there were others who certainly did hear, and in with, the part of the townshi+p nearest us was the quarter of round grass roofs, where the aborigines lived; and the Bantu heart responds to tuneful noise, as readily as powder to the match All that section of Muanza, man, woe (It was streng politzeilich verboten for natives to enter the European caround, so that except when they wanted to steal they absolutely never trespassed past the hedge)
Enraptured by the unaccustomed strains they sat quite still until some Swahili and Arabs cau, and other Greeks, until most of the inhabitants of the eastern side of toere either squatting or standing or pacing to and fro outside the ca reached the DOAG--the store at the corner of the drill-ground, where it seemed the non-co Pleasure, except as laid down in regulations, is not permitted in Gerht Gereant-major, all the worse for liquor, turned out as if to a fire and came down street at a double
They had kibokos in their hands The first we heard of their approach was the crack-crack-crack of the black whips falling on naked or thin-cotton-clad backs and shoulders There was no yelling (it was not allowed after dark on Ger in the dust as a thousand feet hurried away Then, in the glow of our laed in front of us
He was aI noticed about hi's His general build was heavy The fair mustache eneral air was that ratiate by seeressively, with a smile more than half made up of contempt for courtesy ”Ich heiess Schubert-Feldwebel Hans Schubert”
”Wass wollen Sie?” Will asked He was the only one of us who knew Gerlish and was glad to show it off
”You make fine music! Ach! Up at the DOAG very near here we Unteroffitzieren spend the evening, all very fond of singing, yet without music at all Will you not colish tunes!” lied Fred
”Ach! I do not believe it! Kone--brandy--whisky--ruetting up ieant- ti, and changed his tactics ”Listen! You gentlemen have not too many friends in Muanza! I speak in friendshi+p I invite you on behalf ofwith us
That can do you no harm! In the course of friendly conversation much can be learned that official lips would not tell!
”Ko hurts like hell If I stay here I can't sleep Anything to keep froo and look after Brown!”
”Who'll watch those Greeks?” Fred demanded ”They'd as soon steal as eat!”
”We'd better all stay here together,” said Will, ”and take turns keeping watch till ht face, but I did not think he was in earnest
”Ach!” exclaianz einfach! You shall have askaris!”
He turned and shouted an order A non-co back up-street
”You shall have three askaris to guard your ca and e money in his pocket We waited until the Nubian soldiers caeants, Schubert leading us all, and I liood as carried eants marched with the air peculiar toto be aht forward, three abreast, swinging their kibokos with a sort of elephantine sporty air They were hts and thicknesses, but each alike impressed ination of his own, and no virtue, but only an animal respect for whatever can make to suffer, or appease an appetite