FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137  
138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>   >|  
ining him to quicken the task, while the bearers set down the hurdle beneath the tree, and quite as a matter of course Dan appeared with the tin bowl and a bucket of water. Mark hurriedly fetched the doctor's knapsack and helped over the dressing of the wound, watching the while the change which had come over the little patient who lay seriously and fixedly gazing at Mark, while, as soon as the task was completed he stretched out his uninjured arm so that he could touch Mark's hand. As on the previous morning Mak stood like a spear-armed sentry till all was over, uttered a word or two like an order, and the pigmy party marched back to the edge of the forest and disappeared. "Well, Mark," said the doctor, who had been very observant, "I suppose that touch meant `Thank you and good-bye.' But he might have paid me the same compliment. However, he evidently considers you to be the chief." "No, he could not have done that," said Mark. "Old Mak shows them all that he considers himself the black boss." The doctor laughed. "But I say," said Mark eagerly, "did you notice that little chief?" "Yes," said the doctor. "I did notice it, and was going to speak about it. He was quite a dandy this morning, with his black ostrich feather and his brass wire band round his forehead. He looked quite smart. He must be the chief." "But I say, doctor, is that brass wire?" "Of course; the same as his bangles and the rings about his ankles. What else could it be? One thing's very plain. There are ostriches up here somewhere, and these people set store by their feathers. Now do you see what it means?" "Yes," said Mark, "that the chief wears one and that none of the others do." "I didn't mean that," said the doctor. "I meant that they evidently traded with dealers who come up the country here and use coils of brass wire as their current coin to exchange with the natives." "Coils of brass wire which they cut in lengths, I suppose, to deal with these little blacks." "That's quite right, my boy; but what are you thinking about?" "I was thinking," said Mark, "that if these traders came right up here and dealt with the pigmies we should have heard about it." "Might or might not," said the doctor. "Yes," said Mark, who seemed very thoughtful, "and I might or might not be right if I said that I believe it isn't brass but gold." "What!" cried the doctor. "Nonsense!" Mark seemed as if he did not hear the d
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137  
138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

doctor

 

notice

 

evidently

 

suppose

 

considers

 

morning

 

thinking

 
ankles
 

pigmies

 

bangles


forehead

 

Nonsense

 

looked

 

thoughtful

 

ostriches

 

natives

 
exchange
 

traded

 

dealers

 

country


feather

 

current

 

blacks

 

people

 

feathers

 

lengths

 
traders
 

However

 

fixedly

 

gazing


watching

 

change

 

patient

 

completed

 

stretched

 

previous

 

uninjured

 

dressing

 
hurdle
 

beneath


matter
 
bearers
 

quicken

 
appeared
 

fetched

 
knapsack
 

helped

 

hurriedly

 

bucket

 

compliment