A Few Days After This Incident I Was Returning
Home One Morning From A Tree In Which I Had
Been Keeping Watch For The Man-Eaters During
The Previous Night.
Coming unexpectedly on the
quarry, I was amazed to find dead silence reigning
and my rascals of workmen all stretched out in
the shade under the trees taking it very easy
- some sleeping, some playing cards.
I watched
their proceedings through the bushes for a little
while, and then it occurred to me to give them
a fright by firing my rifle over their heads.
On the report being heard, the scene changed
like magic: each man simply flew to his particular
work, and hammers and chisels resounded merrily
and energetically, where all had been silence a
moment before. They thought, of course, that I
was still some distance off and had not seen them,
but to their consternation I shouted to them that
they were too late, as I had been watching them
for some time. I fined every man present heavily,
besides summarily degrading the Headman, who
had thus shown himself utterly unfit for his
position. I then proceeded to my hut, but had
scarcely arrived there when two of the scoundrels
tottered up after me, bent almost double and
calling Heaven to witness that I had shot them
both in the back. In order to give a semblance
of truth to an otherwise bald and unconvincing
narrative, they had actually induced one of their
fellow workmen to make a few holes like shot
holes in their backs, and these were bleeding
profusely.
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