Page:Harris Dickson--Old Reliable in Africa.djvu/283

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
FISH EATERS
269

fish. So Mr. Bim laid aside his glass and hurried towards the river, but the Colonel stopped him, "Come back here, McDonald; let Zack run that show."

"I'm not going there; thought I'd look out and see if my hippos were floating down."

"You come back." McDonald squirmed into a chair and sat still. He saw Zack put down his bell and glare at a crowd which was incapable of being thrilled by hot cat. Then, with unerring intuition Zack picked out their leader, the bell-wether of the bunch. To him he spoke scornfully: "Jes look at you! Aint you a beaut? Standin' on one foot, wid a rag hangin' to yo' neck, an' don't even know what hot cat means. I'm gwine to open yo' mouf an' poke a chunk o' sense into yo' head." Zack slapped a chunk of fish on a plate with a knife and fork, and headed for the leader. Odok, the Shilluk, stood steady on one leg, his hair done into a Punch-cap, plastered with white ashes. Zack met him face to face. "Here, Side," he commanded, "tell dis nigger I'm gwine to give him one piece; twon't cost nary cent." Said filed this message in the circumlocution office, and the answer meandered back: "Shilluk no eat by dem tings; Shilluk eat so." To illustrate the process, Said went through the motions of rending meat with teeth and fingers.

"All right, nigger," said Zack, "if you can't