Part 62 (1/2)

I crossed the stream and continued forward alone about another reat blue boulders with cactus dotted all about There was the usual herd of cattle grazing near at hand, but the place had an unaccountable forlorn look, and the s on an ant-hill to watch the cattle seemed too listless to be curious, and too indifferent to run away The big brown tetse flies, that crossed their wings when resting, were everywhere,themselves every once in a while by a bite on the back of the hand that stung like a whip-lash They see for coat-sleeves, and a dozen of the on each side of me One could drive them off, but they came back at once, as horse-flies do when poked off with a whip

When I drew near the village nobody came out to look at me, which was suspicious in itself nobody shouted nobody blocked the way, or dragged thorn-bushes across the gateway There were blackin the shadows of the eaves, who looked up and stared atstill to care whether their skins were glossy--unoiled, unwashed, unfed, by the look of the death, but cruelly denied it

One man, thin as a wisp of smoke, rushed atTheover, and there he lay, too overcome by inertia to move another inch, his arm uplifted in the act of self-defense nobody else in the village stirred There were more huts than people, more kites on the roofs than huts Some of the littlest children played in the hut doors, but nearly all of then of nor black earthen jars that witnessed that the wo water fro, as it were, out of a belt of tetse flies On one side of a narrow streaether; to the west of it there were scarcely any, although the wind blew from east to west

”There's no fear of news about us reaching any government official,” I announced ”There's a curtain of death between us and the government that even suspicion couldn't penetrate!”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE SLEEP THAT IS NO SLEEP

Ten were the plagues that Israel fled, and leaving left no cure, Whose progeny self-norance, idolatry its lure, And death the goal till, clarion-called, lost Israel coain

Till then that loaded lash that bade the tale of bricks increase (Eye for an eye, and lih ye weep; The conqueror's heel for Africa!--The fear that shall not cease!-- Desire, distrust, the alien law!--The sleep that is no sleep!

------------------It is a characteristic of the so-called Sleeping Sickness that is deci the tribes around Victoria Nyanza that the victioes into a co the disease until the end, usually inally down froypt, themselves say that the dreaded sickness is a ”visitation” by way of revenge on theeance, they are at a total loss to explain

Kazione five days, and then caht He ca, unaccountably froanda lay,--avoiding the regular safari route and the belt of sleeping sickness villages, caanda, arrayed in khaki coat, red fez, and bordered loin-cloth, gifted with tongues, and self-confident beyond belief

He knew nothing of us at first, for we sat in our hut with a s, nervous about flies, even Coutlass, reckless as a rule of anything he could not see, and perfectly indifferent to death for others, now fidgety and afraid to swagger forth

One of our Nyareat shout of ”Hodi!” and caain inside to await our pleasure We could hear others outside, listening under the eaves When we had kept hi too much notion of his own importance, Fred nodded to him to speak [ Hodi! Equivalent to ”May I come In!”]

”Is it true, bwana,” he asked, ”that the Germans will come soon and conquer this part of Africa?”

”Certainly not!” said Fred

”There is one out here, a Baganda, who says they will surely coion of Islam will be preached from end to end of everywhere, and that the Germans are the true priests of Islam They will come, says he, when the time is ripe, and call on all the converts of Isla all white folk, like the English, who do not accept that creed If that is true, bwana, whither shall we go, and whither shall you go, to escape such terrible things?”

”Does the Baganda know there are white e?” Fred asked

”Not yet, bwana”

”Don't tell hi him in here Tell him there are folk in here who say he is a liar”

The Nya outside There is precious little performance in Africa without a deal of talk At the end of about ten ain shouted ”Hodi!” and this tier, seven other of our ownup the rear

”Jareat effort at bravado, when his eyes had grown accusto white men had worn off He was a very cool customer indeed [

Jambo! Kiswahili equivalent of ”How d'you do?”]

”Whose pi the salutation