Evening Star Newspaper, September 22, 1935, Page 80

4 Magazine Section “I then proceeded to make myself a little clearer, explaining carefully to my boy, in Ambaric, that Gojo and his band were to set off immediately for Addis Ababa and there get the beer. Each one was to carry a bottle; defend it with his life, treasure it as though it were his first-born; and deliver it, with the label intact, in record time and perfect condition. “To enable Gojo to get it, I scribbled a chit to the manager of Machado's Addis Ababa stores, a man who knew me well, and wouid have sent anything for which 1 asked. I did it all with an air, in order to impress my flamboyant and pretentious host. “Gojo and his family, very literal and simple people, took me at my word. They set off at a run, proposing to run all day and all night until the weakest fell down, when they would halt until he could get up again. As Gojo said, they wanted all twelve to arrive safely. Twelve left hands for a dozen of ale, twelve right hands for the heavy stabbing- spears wherewith to protect them. . . . “Zande went first; because he was the last. A leopard, letting the others pass, dropped on him from a tree, breaking his neck and tearing out his throat. They stopped just long enough to spear the leopard, and for Makon to get from the leopard’s claws a flick across the abdomen. which did him no good. ““That evening, because they were travel- ling straight for Addis Ababa, making a bee- line throurh jungle and swamp and river, over desert and mountain, they had to swim the Blue Nile. Here theyv lost Kasse, not so good a swimmer, and lagging behind the rest. A big crocodile took him. and they could do nothing about it. “On ran the ten and maintained their steady, unchanging jog trot until Taffe fell dead. He had never been quite right since an arrow had gone through him and been pulled out at the back, between his shoulder blades. It had affected his lungs. Round him the rest lay for a brief space, dropping in- stantly asleep as dogs do; and, on Gojo's order, rose as one man, and ran on until Dire, weary, and running carelessly, trod on a snake which, like lightning, coiled and struck him. “They rested while he died, a matter of some twenty minutes. ““Then things went badly. They ran into some thoroughly nasty people, Dankali or Gallas of sorts, gathered about a water-hole. It was essential that the runners should drink; for it was not merely a case of drink or die, but a case of drink or fail to get the beer. ““The bad people waved them away from the water-hole, using threatening gestures and evil words, so Gojo and his seven formed line and -charged with raised spears. Most swift and fierce was their onset, and the inhospitable bad people broke and fled. “But Sahela, alas, took a spear-thrust in the chest. Nor, although he drank plenty of water and put his best foot foremost, could he run well or long. So in time, he fell, re- gretting and regretted, and Gojo put him out of his misery. “Seven ran on and, although there were certain narrow escapes from man and beast and reptile, Gojo led his six into Addis Ababa, received the dozen of ale, turned and, still at a fast jog trot, led them out again, himself carrying two bottles, Assab carrying two, Dawa carrving two, Fitoran carrying two, Galle carrying two, Makon carrying one and Holati carrying one. * “To Assab, Dawa, Fitoran and Galle, Gojo entrusted two bottles each, because they were lion-men, each having killed a full- grown, black-maned lion with one spear: were champion runners; and were faithful unto deatb. “Swift and untiring they ran back, and ail went well with them until they ran into a fog — bad juju of inimical gods indeed; for how shall man run his fastest through a forest in a fog, and how shall he see the enemy who comes upon him suddenly? “Into this fog they plunged, Gojo leading, his hands stretched out before him, running blindly. ‘A man sprang up from behind a great tuft of high reeds. Gojo saw a spear-blade flash, and instinctively ducked as a spear, whizzing past his head, thudded into the broad chest of Assab behind him. “Gojo drove his stabbing-spear up, in a hay-maker's swing, into the abdomen of this sudden assailant ; and, wheeling about, found tragedy indeed, for Assab in falling, the spear transfixing his heart, had broken both THIS bottles. Well, there it was; and no good crving over spilt beer. “That fog was a nuisance, its coming a piece of bad luck. For it not only slowed the pace, but caused another catastrophe. Gojo, still leading, but unable to see well, suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his feet. or rather, one foot. With the other still on terra firma, he made a mighty effort, a spring, threw himself sideways, and fell clear of the game-pit, his precious bottles held high and safe. But Dawa, behind him, fell into the game-trap and was staked; a sharp pointed thing new, that’s news. in the world, that’s news. It is a work that will live. hovering break into storm. A Startling New Serial by H. G. WELLS HEN one of the world’s most forward-looking men starts some- When a magazine carries it to the largest reader audience In the next issue THIS WEEK begins a new serial by H. G. Wells; written in a fiction form new for magazines: telling a storyv of tomorrow. It is called “Things To Come’’; a thrilling story of the next World War and what will happen after it. Wells has been thinking for a long time about the second World War. Last vear he put his thoughts inte a serious, philosophical book. Then he decided that he ought to go further—to dramatize his 1deas in story form for the films; so Wells, great writer that he is, turned out a new form of literary expression, the scenario serial. It is, we believe, one of the forms of the future. THIS WEEK is proud to give its readers the first chance to enjoy it. It 1s the form in which many of the great stories of today and tomorrow will be written. Wells has taken a group of people — John Cabal and his friends — who might have been picked anvwhere from the readers of THIS WEEK He has shown them about their regular occupations, working, playing, loving. Then sudden, undeclared war, death from the skies! Cabal the engineer, Harding the doctor, Passworthy the business man, — who couldn’t believe that there would ever be another war, — all are drawn in. What happens to them, to their wives, their sweethearts and their children is what may happen to you and vour family if war clouds now “Things to Come” is the most pictorial story we have ever read. It does not contain one dull line, one unnecessary word. It is like a series of scenes glimpsed by lightning flashes. Packed with action, yet keenly philosophical. It’s a warning, a challenge, a thrilling drama by one of our greatest novelists, philosophers and world commentators. It will begin in the next issue of THIS WEEK. WEEK through him, his burden destroved “Him also Gojo put out of his misery “But this was terrible. Four bottles out ot the dozen gone' “Count as he might, figure it out with scratches of his spear-point on the ground as he would, Gojo could think of no way by which he could do other than have two of his party carry two bottles. “He took Fitoran and Galle aside and. appealing to all the manhood that was in them, bade them not to die with their sacred bamboo clean precious September 22, 1935 charges in their hands. Carefully he wrapped the bottles in vyet more leaves that they might not knock together, and besought Fit- oran and Galle to drop them gently, nay, lay them down reverently, should catastrophe or death overtake them. “Fitoran and Galle promised to do their best, observing that no man can do more. “On the party ran “When the fog lifted, or they ran out of it, Gojo fell behind and brought up the rear, so that he might watch his young relatives, see all that befell, and urge them to their top speed. “Thus it was that Fitoran, and not Gojo, received in his ear the little dart that seemed to come from nowhere. but probably came from behind a bush not more than ten feet away, pitched on his face, broke the bottles he was carrying, was paralvsed in two min- utes, and dead in five. The sticky stuff smeared behind the barb of the dart must have been a powerful poison, probably of the Strophanthus order. “When the others would have gone bush- whacking for the lurking archer, Gojo cursed them and bade them run, not for their lives but for the beer. “This was terrible. Half the bottles gone. Was this the way torepay the White Master's noble trust in them? “‘On, on, you worthless sons!" he urged the three “And on ran the Bearers of the Beer. “Suddenly Makon collapsed. He had been doing his best in spite of the wound he had received from the leopard that had killed Zande. But now he was in a bad way. “Him also Gojo put out of his misery, and entrusted his bottle to Holati, young and in- experienced but anxious to improve. “And on ran the three, bearing the six bottles. “And when young Holati could run no longer and began to sway, to stagger, and to hold his bottles aloft that thev might not touch the earth when he sprawled, Gojo called a halt, bade them sleep, and then eat of the last of their provender. “And as they lay sleeping, Simba the Lion found them at dawn, sprang, clawed Galle's face and so startled Holati, that, losing his head completely, the clumsy youth used one of his bottles of beer as a club - - and smashed it between the lion's eyes. “Certainly this gave Gojo a fine chance to drive his spear in behind the lion's left shoulder, but it did not excuse the youth's dreadful act; and, although the spear sliced the lion's heart, Simba still had strength to make quite a mess of the front of Gojo and the back of Galle across whom he rolled, clawing hard. “So that when Gojo had pulled himself together, picked himself up, and stopped his wounds with clay, he found that only he and the miserable Holati remained. “That was a small matter — but what of the bottles? Only four remained. For this accursed lion when swiping at Galle had smashed one of the bottles that Galle hugged faithfully to his bosom even in the face of death. ‘‘Again consigning two of the bottles to young Holati's care, with heartening promises of incredible rewards, shattering threats of unbelievable punishments, and a reasonably gentle prod in the back with his spear, Gojo drove the young Holati on before him. “So the two men ran, each with two bottles of beer and the hope of keeping clear and clean their record of reliability, so'-iety, honesty and respectability. “Unfortunately, the shortest line between that spot and their beer-demanding Frangi's camp took them past the temporary but un- savoury depot of some gentlemen who dealt in such black people as themselves. “There are, of course, no such things to-day as slave traders and slave markets, but there is a considerable number of these hawk-faced, Allah-worshipping merchants who do gather to themselves, by various means, quite a following of unintelligent and inconsiderable people — men, women, and children —and take them on personally conducted tours from various portions of Abyssinia to the eastern coast of the African Continent, and thence give them Sunshine Cruises on the Red Sea, letting them go ashore to see the wonders of foreign parts. “From these pleasure cruises they do not return. “And it was a couple of members of this particular merchant-guild who beheld two (Continued on page 11