Part 64 (1/2)
”Ah! How many other spies has he out in this direction?”
”None”
”Why don't you pass me that hen I ask for it?” demanded Fred
”None! None! None, bwana! I am the only man in this direction! He has sent them north, south, east and west, but I am the only one down here”
”He has a lot more to tell yet,” said Coutlass ”Let me put hot irons on his feet!”
Fred demurred ”He couldn't ht face
”Who cares whether or not he marches!” answered Coutlass ”To tell all he knows is his business! Wait while I heat the iron!”
The Baganda began to screa that he knew no schen had set the closest watch along the old caravan route, and toward his own rear in the direction of Kisuht coht,” said Fred ”Truss hi our et drunk tonight,” warned Will
”Let ed Coutlass ”Leave ust we decided to trust the prisoner with our owntheet drunk and lose him--a threat they accepted at its full face value, but resented because of Brown's and the Greek's behavior the night before They begged to get a little drunk--to get half as drunk as Brown had been--half as drunk as Coutlass had been--not drunk at all, but just to drink a little We were ada the respectful tohite folk
Kazimoto came in toward dark, foot-weary, but primed with news, and anda's story
Schillingschen, he said, washis loaded donkeys graze their way along, and spending hours of his ti the way on every subject under the sun
Besides the fact of his leisurely progress, which was sufficiently ischen's own ten boys were unable to speak the language of the country beyond a few of the coht, usually quite a little distance apart froschen's--and that the donkeys were usually picketed between the two tents in a long line He also told us the ten men had five Mauser rifles between theuns, one of which he carried all day and kept beside his bed at night; the other tere carried behind hiood news on the whole Coutlass went out on the strength of it and began to drink beer fro earthenware crock in which the women had just brewed a fresh supply Brown joined him within fiveeverlasting friendshi+p, Coutlass pro him that Greece and the Greeks had always held his warards
”Thermopylae, y'know, old boy, an' Marathon, an' all that kind o'
thing! How many miles in a day could a Greek run in them days? Gosh!+”
They two drank theentle cattle in the circular enclosure in theout in turns at intervals to --matured our plans in peace
We were too few to dare undertake the task in front of us without the aid of Brown and the Greek It was a case of as not against us must be for us, and the end must justify bothwithout theanda prisoner, and the alive our gaht for athe best, not the worst, of the Greek seee had awakened frolut of beer and hippo ently, and, with the Baganda firmly secured by the wrists between two of our e awoke as if by ate, and the chief leaped to the realization that the beads he had promised his women were about as concrete as his drunken dreaing and arguing--rier and more importunate It was bysickness zone and left the on their own side Our own ue, and in any case illing to dare whatever risks we despised But we took a long bend back and crossed the streaars were out of sight It was a pity not to keep exact faith and give them the proht camp there in the future; but more than two tons of hippo meat was not bad pay for their hospitality
We wished we had as good price to offer at the villages on our way, for sleep under cover we es of fever; and the prie, at least in those parts, had the principle down fine of nothing whatever for nothing Yet as it turned out, the very man whose coates We anda had taken The chiefs of all villages knew hiain; and the men who dared take such a prophet of evil prisoner were looked upon as high government officials at least
We accepted that description of ourselves, letting it go by silent assent, and explained our lack of tents and alenerally travels with as due to haste Heaven only knehat lies Kazimoto told those credulous folk, to the perfectly worthy end ofour lot bearable, but ere fed after a fashi+on, and lodged after a worse one all along our road And who should send in reports about us--and to who in such a hurry toward the north, were governovern left our loads behind--are not all white people crazy? Who shall explain their craziness?
Froanda became a joke When it dawned on his fat intellect that ere hurrying toward Schillingschen with only one rifle ae at all, he juschen's friends; and his fear that we intended to hand him over to that ruthless brute for su to his backbone than the dread of our ischen away