Part 43 (2/2)

For seconds that seemed minutes--for minutes that seemed hours the poor wretch spun, his elbows out, his knees up, his tongue out, his face wrinkled into tortured shapes, and his toes pointed upward so sharply that they almost touched his shi+ns Then suddenly the toes turned doard and the knees relapsed The corpse hung lihedits back on what to them must have sy there It was to be there until evening, some one said, for an example to frequenters of theback The pattering of feet ceased

The market-place across the square resumed its hum and activity Then a native orderly caled to my feet and limped after him up the steps

Practically at the mercy of the doctor, I made up my mind to be civil to him whether that suited me or not I rather expected he would come to meet norance of German, I should contrive to answer his questions

But I need not have worried I did not even see him He had left by the back door, and the orderly washed the wound and changed es, and the orderly was gentle now that his master's back was turned

”Didn't he leave hen he would see , ”He did not--there is not--there is nothing doing!”

CHAPTER EIGHT

IPSOS CUSTODES

We were an ignorant people Out of a gloo into the salooht be--sie and wealth and freedom, plenty and peace and play, And at all the price of obedience ”Listen and learn and obey,”

We were told, ”and the gloonorance surely is shame”

We listened to your foreloopersy till presently Cadis canorant people Our laas ”an eye for an eye,”

And he ronged should right the wrong, and he who stole should die-- Bad law the Cadis told us, based on the fall of eres should be pierced, said they, with Light And scientific theory displace wrong views of Right

The Cadis' larit in books that only they could read, But what should we know of the strings to that? 'Twas gloonorant people The Offizieren came To lend to law eye, tooth, and claw and so enforce the saht are the tribal customs; free speech is under ban; Displaced are looht, Nor is there salt of ht

They strike--we may not answer, nor dare we ask them why

We sold ourselves to supere

I sat down once more on the hospital steps, and listened while Fred and Will relieved the seemed likely to relievepain, and waited an extra night at the end of it all sieon would not see o and hide somewhere, like a wounded animal

But there were two -place

The path to the water-front led past us directly along the southern bo they saw so that struck them silent so suddenly that I looked up and saw, too Not that I cared very much To me it seemed merely one last super-added piece of evidence that life was not worth while

Plainly the launch had come from British East, of which Schubert had spoken Hand in hand from the water-front, followed by the obsequious Schubert, all s trailed after with the luggage, and needed to be overawed), walked Professor Schillingschen and Lady Isobel Saffren Waldon They seeled and soyle; and she rimaces that the Syrian maid fell behind to hide her face

None of us spoke We watched the that the worst had happened at last I was incapable of sounding further depths of gloom--too full of pain bodily to suffer ht yet be But the other two looked miserable--more so because Fred's bearded chin perked up so bravely, and Will set his jaw like a rock

Not one of us had said a hen the biggest askari we had seen yet strode up to us--saluted--and gave Fred a sealed envelope It ritten in English, addressed to us three by naly spelled) We were required to present ourselves at the court-house at once, reason not given The letter was signed ”Liebenkrantz,--Lieutenant”