Sanders of the River Part 20

"Hullo, hullo!" he grinned, "been looking for you."

Mainward muttered some inconsequent reply. "Rum place to find you, eh?" Venn removed his s.h.i.+ning silk hat and mopped his brow with an awesome silk handkerchief.

"But look here, old feller-about that money?"

"Don't worry, my dear man," Mainward interposed easily. "I shall pay you now."

"That ain't what I mean," said the other impetuously; "a few hundred more or less does not count. But you wanted a big sum--"

"And you told me you'd see me--"

"I know, I know," Venn put in hastily; "but that was before Kaffirs started jumpin'. Old feller, you can have it!"

He said this with grotesque emphasis, standing with his legs wide apart, his hat perched on the back of his head, his plump hands dramatically outstretched: and Mainward laughed outright.

"Sixteen thousand?" he asked.

"Or twenty," said the other impressively. "I want to show you--" Somebody called him, and with a hurried apology he went blundering up the green slope, stopping and turning back to indulge in a little dumb show ill.u.s.trative of his confidence in Mainward and his willingness to oblige.

Mainward was laughing, a low, gurgling laugh of pure enjoyment. Venn, of all people! Venn, with his accursed questions and talk of securities. Well! Well!

Then his merriment ceases, and he winced again, and his heart beat faster and faster, and a curious weakness came over him--

How splendidly cool she looked.

She walked in the clearing, a white, slim figure; he heard the swish of her skirt as she came through the long gra.s.s-white, with a green belt all encrusted with gold embroidery. He took in every detail hungrily-the dangling gold ornaments that hung from her belt, the lace collar at her throat, the--

She did not hurry to him, that was not her way.

But in her eyes dawned a gradual tenderness-those dear eyes that dropped before his shyly.

"Ethel!" he whispered, and dared to take her hand.

"Aren't you wonderfully surprised?" she said.

"Ethel! Here!"

"I-I had to come."

She would not look at him, but he saw the pink in her cheek and heard the faltering voice with a wild hope. "I behaved so badly, dear-so very badly."

She hung her head.

"Dear! dear!" he muttered, and groped toward her like a blind man.

She was in his arms, crushed against his breast, the perfume of her presence in his brain.

"I had to come to you." Her hot cheek was against his. "I love you so."

"Me-love me? Do you mean it?" He was tremulous with happiness, and his voice broke-"Dearest."

Her face was upturned to his, her lips so near; he felt her heart beating as furiously as his own. He kissed her-her lips, her eyes, her dear hair--

"O, G.o.d, I'm happy!" she sobbed, "so-so happy--"

Sanders sprang ash.o.r.e just as the sun was rising, and came thoughtfully through the undergrowth to the camp. Abiboo, squatting by the curtained bed, did not rise. Sanders walked to the bed, pulled aside the mosquito netting, and bent over the man who lay there.

Then he drew the curtains again, lit his pipe slowly, and looked down at Abiboo.

"When did he die?" he asked.

"In the dark of the morning, master," said the man.

Sanders nodded slowly. "Why did you not send for me?"

For a moment the squatting figure made no reply, then he rose and stretched himself.

"Master," he said, speaking in Arabic-which is a language which allows of nice distinctions-"this man was happy; he walked in the Forest of Happy Thoughts; why should I call him back to a land where there was neither suns.h.i.+ne nor happiness, but only night and pain and sickness?"

"You're a philosopher," said Sanders irritably.

"I am a follower of the Prophet," said Abiboo, the Kano boy; "and all things are according to G.o.d's wisdom."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE AKASAVAS.

You who do not understand how out of good evil may arise must take your spade to some virgin gra.s.sland, untouched by the hand of man from the beginning of time. Here is soft, sweet gra.s.s, and never a sign of nettle, or rank, evil weed. It is as G.o.d made it. Turn the soil with your spade, intent on improving His handiwork, and next season-weeds, nettles, lank creeping things, and coa.r.s.e-leafed vegetation cover the ground.

Your spade has aroused to life the dormant seeds of evil, germinated the ugly waste life that all these long years has been sleeping out of sight-in twenty years, with careful cultivation, you may fight down the weeds and restore the gra.s.sland, but it takes a lot of doing.

Your intentions may have been the best in disturbing the primal sod; you may have had views of roses flouris.h.i.+ng where gra.s.s was; the result is very much the same.

I apply this parable to the story of a missionary and his work. The missionary was a good man, though of the wrong colour. He had large ideas on his duty to his fellows; he was inspired by the work of his cloth in another country; but, as Sanders properly said, India is not Africa.

Kenneth McDolan came to Mr. Commissioner Sanders with a letter of introduction from the new Administration.

Sanders was at "chop" one blazing morning when his servant, who was also his sergeant, Abiboo, brought a card to him. It was a nice card, rounded at the corners, and gilt-edged, and in the centre, in old English type, was the inscription-

Rev. KENNETH McDOLAN.

Underneath was scribbled in pencil: "On a brief visit." Sanders sniffed impatiently, for "reverend" meant "missionary," and "missionary" might mean anything. He looked at the card again and frowned in his perplexity. Somehow the old English and the reverendness of the visiting card did not go well with the rounded corners and the gilt edge.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

"Master," said Abiboo, "he is on the verandah. Shall I kick him off?" Abiboo said this very naturally and with simple directness, and Sanders stared at him.