The Ivory Trail

S CU

ant people. Out

g, feasting-vanish

reloopers, told us

that might be-sim

and freedom, plenty

of obedience. "Listen

he gloom shall be li

sha

foreloopersy till pr

people. Our law was

ld right the wrong, and

told us, based o

ilding law-courts on

of ages should be pierc

eory displace wro

writ in books that

ow of the strings to

agr

rant people. Th

tooth, and claw and

ribal customs; free

nceptions that were

e in darkness of the

f mercy lest it sap

not answer, nor d

to supermen. If

Cadi-judge

likely to relieve me. I had marched a hundred miles, endured the sickening pain, and waited an extra night at the end of it all simply on the strength

boma wall. Before Fred and Will had come to an end of swearing they saw something that struck them silent so suddenly that I looked up

p (for the chain-gang trailed after with the luggage, and needed to be overawed), walked Professor Schillingschen and Lady Isobel Saffren Waldon. They seemed in love-or at any ra

ble of sounding further depths of gloom-too full of pain bodily to suffer mentally from threats of what might yet be. But

elope. It was written in English, addressed to us three by name (although our names were wrongly spelled). We were requi

was not more than two hundred yards away. As we turned toward it we saw Lady Saffren Waldon being helped into the commandant's litter, borne by four men, the commandant himself superintending the ceremony with a vast de

r-fifths of the circumference the wall was barely breast-high, the roof being supported on wooden pil

her side benches arranged in rows followed the curve of the wall. There was a long table on the platform, at which sat the lieutenant who had summ

it of the Kaiser in general's uniform. The Kaiser was depicted scowling, his gloved hands resti

es leaned with elbows on the wall and gazed at the scene within. The lieutenant glared, but otherwise took no notice of our entry; he gave

clear except for a long single line of natives and six askari corporals, each with a whip in his hand. It was evident at once

end of the line

neither to the right nor left. I judged he knew we were in court-he could hardly ha

he done?"

Heinie to go to hell-you ca

be taken first. The lieutenant called a name, and two great askaris pounced on the trembling

nt shouted, and the cou

n the jaw-bones-strength in the deep-set bright eyes-strength in the shoulders that were square as box-corners without any padding-strength in the lean lithe figure; but it was always brute strength. There was no moral strength whatever in the restle

im sharply-told him he stood charge

what thing, a

ve fatalism came to his rescue, bolstering up the pride that every uncontaminated Nyamwezi ow

beat him!" order

s be soundly punished! Call the next case w

on the bench before she faced military justice. She laid it on the floor at her feet, hesitated, and

ordered. "She must pay attention to me. With th

it with a laugh to another woman to hold, its mother w

! What abou

her. The two sergeants searched thro

is she here for? Wh

lieutenant, and the crack-crack-crack of a thick kiboko descending at measured interva

ordered, "or I shall hav

rom one dialect to another and at intervals inserting, apropos apparently of nothing, the few words of German she had picked up.

a white man's,

oes she

man is the bwana dak

lesson! They tell the same tale. They say a white man passed through the villa

es

y-not for the first time! Instead of going back to her village, she comes here and tries to blackmail the officer

ne tore off the blanket that would have deadened the blows to some extent. She begged, and clung to their feet, but the blows began to rain on her, and pr

er one again!" the

et, and he resumed his stand in front of the lieutenant, looking up at

did you not?" as

what fr

beating him

and the glibness of their answers convinced the lieutenant they were lying. In the absence of all evidence for the prosecution except the unsupported word of a

spit in the lieutenant's face when jerked to her feet and stood again before him-an impossible feat beca

t, and changed his testimony under the lash, whereat he was promptly sentenced to a hundred and fifty lashes and a month on the chain-gang. Under the lash a second time, he recanted-swore that

ght you on British territory are of

a askaris had been sent for in order that proceedings might not be delayed, and the audience could scarcely hear the evidence and sentences because of the crack of whips and the moans of vi

ant he turned once and looked

his particular master. "I have been faithful! Stroke, then, that beard of yours as Bwa

eeded comfort, not ridicule: but the concessio

. Also with giving information to foreigners. Also with serving foreigners in their effort to exploit the

the most melancholy ton

ezi? Now don't d

es

born in th

es

elong in th

s me. My spirit is good. I am

master is the German government, of which His Majesty the Kaiser is supreme overlord! There is a picture of you

oy ob

! Who is yo

to hes

, I ord

nted a finger at

t was a forlorn hope, though. He did not seem to beli

ped to h

ngaged on British territory, under a contract for wages to be paid in Engl

tenant angrily, sitting up like a startled

ng to right and left and indicating the victims o

a stage whisper, but either Fred did no

ce! Si

ered. "That boy has cla

see he

o, the glare changing to a cold grin as he realize

n the chain-gang for deserting from this country and entering foreign service. Further evidence against you will b

. "I give notice of appeal to whatever high

pped the lieutenant. "Put him do

and thrown face-downward on the floor. One of them to

" shouted Fred. "Did you

st give notice by mail, and receive an acknowledgment from the higher

e," Fred told him, "if it costs me all my money an

or your uninvited interruption the Nyamwezi would have had a

and above the heels, raising a great welt where they did not actually cut the skin. He had buried his face in his forea

e'll stand by! We won'

got friends who

derstand a word of it, but the lieutenant

ue papers, and called out our names. That of Brown was included, but Brown was not in court and we were kept standing there until he had been fetched from his tent. He had retired immediate

on't seem to have filled you

but for the moment chose

without a license-with being in possession of ammunition without a permit-with shooting game without a license-with filibustering-with intentional homicide, in that you shot and killed certain men of the Masai tribe within

from my wound to the point of nausea, I actually reeled before this new deluge of trouble, and had to hold on to Fred and W

ou're not fit to try natives, let alone white men! You're a disgrace, that's what

ging on the table with his open palm-

to be ashamed o' yourself! Your court's a bally disgrace, an' you're the worst

ourt and Majestaets-beleidigung!" sn

t the way in which an askari seized Brown's wrists or a sergeant snapped the handcuffs. He was hustled out expostulati

r be careful what you s

ell!" said Will, but the lieute

r belongings thoroughly to make sure they have all your weapons. You are ordered confined within the limits of this township, and if you are detected making any attempt to trespass outside township limits you will be confined as the Greeks are within t

ut we sat down and waited until the two Nubian giants had finished flogging Kazimoto, and when they dragged him to his feet Wil

ordered, and the askaris hustl

nners? Return proper thanks for

o stood

s sake-"

to him, Kazimoto!

ed by tyrants from Europe who never understood the African contention

said Kazim

lute? Don't you k

od salute him!" Wi

oto o

n the chain-gang!" orde

leave th

ck. "Thank the Lord I was born in

ve to make an example of th

far as to threaten us with their hippo-hide whips. I trod on the naked toe of one of them with sufficient suddenness and weight to depriv

midst of a gang of forty men. Nobody washed the wounds on his back. We bought water from a woman who was passing with a great jar on her head, and did that much for him. He was naked. His clothes that the askaris had torn from him had been thrown ou

de more exasperating still by the fact that Coutlass and the other Greek and the Goanese were sp

arkable affinity for paper that had been written on. They took the guns and ammunition first, but after that they emptied everything from

ove useful to their masters. But they forgot to search our pockets, so that they overlo

irst to the Germans was something we could not guess. Even Fred grew gloomy when we realized there was probably not a native on the whole countryside wi

to send Kazimoto with

rse than

ink what we migh

two friends were sitting on camp-stools in the open where they could have a full view of our doings. Assuming the camping-ground to be equally divided betwe

the sand a deep line to denote our boundary,

ith you!" Fred ordered

e charged at th

hat line shall be a dead-sure hospital case!" Fred announced.

ers of this rest-camp

ed. "We've lost our r

are hands and skin you

"By hell and Waterloo, you mistak

out any fear of a visit from the Greeks. It was not that there was much left worth stealing, but a mere visit from them might have had consequences we could never have offset. Alone, unable to rise, I could n

to persuade the Germans that he was in our councils. Fred's mere irritable determination to divide the