Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

162 “It was very foony,” he said and chuckled softly. Miles sprang to his feet and paced nerv- ously up and down the stoep. “Funny, Big Un!” he ejaculated. ‘You can call it funny! I think its scandalous— no, it’s worse than that, it’s tragic. I shall send a messenger at once to Trooper Dixon.” “T’ve already done that, missioner. that last night. And I sent another one, riding my horse, to Inyati. He ought to be there in three-four days, easy.” “But why to Inyati, Big’Un. We don’t want the whole troop of police up here. Dixon can handle those fellows alone. All that is necessary is for a man in authority to tell them a few home truths. A man in a uniform can sometimes do more than fifty in plain clothes.” “Vell, yo’ve got one,” Isaacs commented dryly. ‘Oh, , hever mind vot I said then. I sent to Inyati for more police boys—maybe because I vanted to give them a chance to have a little visit with me, or perhaps—to tell you the truth, missioner, I don’t know vhy I sent for them. Some- thing seemed to tell me to, that’s all.” Miles looked at him and shook his head doubtfully. “You are a funny fellow, Isaacs,” he ex- claimed. “TI think that I know you well and then you go and do something like this affair last night. I never know what I should believe. Now last night—”’ Isaacs laughed. “That was very foony!”’ Miles frowned. “I wish you’d be serious,” he expostu- lated. “How can you joke about it? The way that sneering, brutal Gonzales and that horrible little cur of a D’Andra treated you made my blood boil. If you hadn’t made “me promise not to blow off I'd have told them a lot they need to hear. “No, Isaacs. I don’t understand you. Why, man, you accepted their insults and blows as humbly—humbly, do I say? Why, man, you crawled most abjectly. You were—” he hesitated— “‘the sort of a man I thought you were when I first came here. You even laughed when D’Andra threw a mug of beer in your face.” “An’ vot could I have done—thrown it back?” “No; I don’t mean that. But, you see, the way you acted and looked laid yourself I did Adventure open for just the sort of treatment men vw. that type would give you. Goodness, Big "Un. I don’t know when I’ve seen a more degrading, beastly spectacle than the one you presented last night. And the food! And the way your ‘boys’ dressed and stunk! No. You’ve got to tell me all about it— I’m unable to puzzle it out for myself.” “Tt vas all very foony,” Isaacs insisted doggedly. “And I suppose you call the way Gon- zales beat some of his porters funny? I suppose you think the way he treated poor old Tomasi because they couldn’t find any provisions, funny? And the way the por- ters, with D’Andra at their head, went through the huts looking for women— That [I suppose was the greatest joke of it alle” Isaacs’ eyes flashed. No,” he said slowly. “That vasn’t foony—but it vas foony that they couldn’t find any provisions or women, vasn’t it? Av’ vhen I think how they couldn’t find any grain at the kraal and had to buy it from me at my price—vhy, then I chuckle and laugh. Ha, ha!’ He looked up at the missionary. | “You see, missioner,’ he continued, “TI didn’t like the look of that D’Andra an’ I didn’t believe the little he said. An’ so I make a reason for vhy I should ride on ahead and leave him to valk with you. An’ that you found foony, not?” “Yes,” Miles agreed reluctantly. “I wish you could have seen him when he got stuck in the mire—and of course it wasn’t my fault! Iwas so sure I knew a short cut to the store, but, then, it’s so easy to get lost. And he walked and walked, and he was frightened and tired—his pointed shoes hurt him—that gun of yours was so heavy but {insisted on him carrying it... . Yes, that was funny allright. Well, go on.” “Vell, as I say, I didn’t trust that young man or those he said vas with him—some- thing here, inside me, warned me to be on guard. An’ so I rode to the kraal and told ‘Tomasi to send the vomen away with the grain, an’ goats, an’ chickens an’ every- thing. Then, I gave orders that the kraal should be made dirty. I don’t think that took them very long. Twenty years I’ve been hounding those people yet if, for one week, [ miss inspecting—Oy, the filth! An’. then I came on up to my store here an’ my boys made it look as them white men vould COMIGDIOOKSEEO