Adventure Magazine Cover, August 18, 1921 — page 144: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

138 forest, but I’ve never seen so good-looking a stone as this.” The Kafir, watching him, was smiling contentedly and with great apparent satis- faction. ‘““Never saw one anything like it,’’ Charlie went on. “In facgé I think the thing’s about as big as will find a ready market. I'll not say it’s the biggest stone that’s been found since old Tom Cullinan kicked up the Cullinan diamond at the Premier, for it’s far from it. But it’s as flawless as anything I’ve ever handled and a wonder- ful shape.” Abruptly Charlie turned to the Kafir again. “I'll give in,” he said. “I don’t think you’re an I. D. B. trap after all. I don’t think you know what Illicit Diamond Buying means, and I don’t think this stone ever came from Kimberley. It’s far too big for anybody to manage to steal—particu- larly a Kafir. I wonder who found it.”’ Still as if easily following the conversation and almost as if divining the white man’s thoughts the Kafir pointed to himself. “T found it, M’Lungu. I have found many.” “Where?” And again the vague wave of the arm to the north. “Lapa.” The Kafir, without any pretense at bar- tering, had already spread one of the pieces of limbo on the counter and was busily arranging the other pieces and the wire and beads inside it. To him the business appeared to be over. “Will you bring the other diamonds to me and sell them?” Charlie asked. Gravely the Kafir shook his head. “Tkona, M’Lungu.” “How much do you want for this one?”’ The Kafir’s hand was on the pipe and again caressing it affectionately. Without speaking he picked it up and slipped it under the knots in the package he had made. ‘“‘Then it’s ‘Good by, old pipe,’ ” Charlie said whimsically and half-sorrowfully. Next moment the Kafir had passed through the doorway and was trotting swiftly northward. N ar “I THINK we'll outspan here, Piet. (Oa) It looks as though wagons had out- spanned here before. But long ago.” “Ja, baas. “Hang it. Uitspan. Old, old uitspan.”’ I wish I’d brought tinned Adventure vegetables with me,’ Charlie broke out at an angle. “TI wish I’d brought some tinned vege- tables with me,” he repeated. ‘‘Here we’ve been out two whole weeks now and never a vegetable.” “Ja, baas,” the Cape-boy agreed again. “In the Cape plenty wild spinach. Plenty wild ’sparagus. Way up here nothing. Meat, meat, plenty meat. That all.” “Gives a fellow veld sores. to forget vegetables.” The sun was an hour up and the Cape- boy ordered the Kafir with him to get wood and start a fire for breakfast. “T’ll take a walk while you’re cooking, I was a fool Piet. I may get a shot at something,” Charlie said. ‘More meat.” ‘Ja, baas. Guinea fowl—korhaan round here.”’ For a mile or more he walked directly away from the old tracks. Soon the grass grew higher and thicker. Short scrub and bush began closing in in all directions. “Better get out of this,’’ Charlie thought to himself. “Getting too thick. Don’t know what I may run into and I’ve only got a shotgun.” Almost unconsciously he turned sidewise and walked along skirting the denser bush. Straight ahead, but a couple of hundred yards away, a low bush with red spots on it suddenly became visible. Just as uncon- sciously he aimed for it. Thinking and yet not thinking he knew that anything red was unusual and needed investigating. In a few minutes he was up to it. Then for a while he stood utterly dumfounded. “Tomatoes?” he said _ incredulously. “Wild tomatoes? Some poor devil must have had a camp here years ago and planted tomatoes and they’ve been propagating themselves ever since.” Eagerly he reached and plucked some of the undersized tomatoes and ate them. As a man starving for fruit or vegetables he gulped them down. “Not going to leave many of those,” he soliloquized. Quickly he ate all he could without nau- seating himself. Then he eagerly set to work to collect what remained in his hat to take back tocamp. In a few minutes all within easy reach had _ been picked. Thoughtfully Charlie stood off and, stoop- ing, looked through the bottoms of the plants. Several good-sized tomatoes were COMIGHOO S CO