Part 4 (2/2)

”Too lish, and to his boy in Swahili, ”bring the cup”

He put in this cup a triple dose of Epsom salts The African requires three tiically, was all that was required: but psychologically the job was just begun Your African can do wonderful things with his i to die, die he will, and very pro of the et well, he is very apt to do so in face of extraordinary odds Therefore the white man desires not only to start his patient's internal economy with Epsom salts, but also to stir his faith To this end F added to that triple dose of medicine a spoonful of Chutney, one of Worcestershi+re sauce, a few grains of quinine, Sparklets water and a crystal or so of peranate to turn the mixture a beautiful pink This assort down his cheeks

”He will carry a load to-a

The next patient had fever This one got twenty grains of quinine in water

”This man carries no load to-morroas the direction, ”but he ical cases followed Then a big Kavirondo rose to his feet

”Nini?” demanded F

”Homa-fever,” whined the man

F clapped his hand on the back of the other's neck

”I think,” he relish, ”that you're a liar, and want to get out of carrying your load”

The clinical thermometer showed no evidence of temperature

”I'm pretty near sure you're a liar,” observed F in the pleasantest conversational tone and still in English, ”but you nostician Perhaps your poor insides couldn't get aith that rottenaround We'll see”

So he mixed a pint of medicine

”There's Epsom salts for the real part of trouble,” observed F, still talking to his for the fake”

He then proceeded to concoct a ination The i the , nauseous horror in camp went into that pint measure

”There,” concluded F, ”if you drink that and coain to-morrow for treatment, I'll believe you ARE sick”

Without undue pride I would like to record that I was the first to think of putting in a peculiarly nauseous gun oil, and thereby acquired a reputation oftremendous medicine

So implicit is this faith in white man's medicine that at one of the Government posts ere approached by one of the secondary chiefs of the district He was a very nifty savage, dressed for calling, with his hair done in ropes like a French poodle's, his skin carefully oiled and reddened, his armlets and necklets polished, and with the cere spear His gait was the peculiarto custo, spat carefully in his palm, and shook hands Then he squatted and waited

”What is it?” we asked after it beca besides the pleasure of our company

”N'dowa-o the Government dispensary?” we demanded

”The doctor there is an Indian; I want REAL medicine, white man's medicine,” he explained

Immensely flattered, of course, anted further to knohat ailed hi at all; but it seeood medicine”

After the clinic was all attended to, we retired to our tents and the screeching-hot bath so grateful in the tropics When we eone Scores of little blazes licked and leaped in the velvet blackness round about, casting the undergrowth and the lower branches of the trees into flat planes like the cardboard of a stage setting Cheerful, squatted figures sat in silhouette or in the relief of chance high light Long switches of hter, the crooning ofof thorns Before our tents stood the table set for supper Beyond it lay the pile of firewood, later to be burned on the altar of our safety against beasts

Themilky shadows over the river and under the trees opposite In those shadows gleamed many fireflies Overhead were h upper branches