AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



citedly. Those who did not talk crooned weird, 

 improvised chants in which they detailed the doings 

 of the camp. 



We fell very quickly into the half doze of too 

 great exhaustion. It never became more than a 

 half doze. I suppose every one who reads this has 

 had at some time the experience of dropping asleep 

 to the accompaniment of some noise that ought 

 soon to cease — a conversation in the next room, 

 singing, the barking of a dog, the playing of music, 

 or the like. The fact that it ought soon to cease 

 permits the falling asleep. When after an interval 

 the subconsciousness finds the row still going on, 

 inexcusable and unabated, it arouses the victim to 

 staring exasperation. That was our case here. 

 Those natives shouldjiave turned in for sleep after 

 a reasonable amount of powwow. They did nothing 

 of the kind. On the contrary, I dragged reluctantly 

 back to consciousness and the realization that they 

 had quite happily settled down to make a night 

 of it. I glanced across the little tent to where Cap- 

 tain Duirs lay on his cot. He was staring straight 

 upward, his eyes wide open. 



After a few seconds he slipped out softly and 

 silently. Our little fire had sunk to embers. A 

 dozen sticks radiated from the centre of coals. 

 Each made a firebrand with one end cool to the 



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