raid of
being left behind than of the manhandling. Coutlass took hold of his
outstretched arm, hoisted him, cracked his shins for him against the
top step, and hurled him rump-over-shoulders into the compartment,
where the other Greek and the Goanese grabbed him by the arms and legs
and hove him to an upper berth, on which he lay gasping like a fish out
of water and moaning miserably. Their compartment was a mess of
luggage, blankets, odds-and-ends, and angry men. Coutlass found a
whisky bottle out of the confusion, and swallowed the stuff neat while
the other Greek and the Goanese waited their turn greedily. There was
nothing much in that compartment to make a man like Hassan feel at home.

"Those Greeks," said our red-bearded traveling companion as we shut the
door again, "are only one degree better than Indians--a shade less
depraved perhaps--a sight more dangerous. I sure do hate a Punjabi,
but I don't love Greeks! The natives call 'em bwana masikini to their
faces--that means Mister Mean White y'know. They're a lawless lot, the
Greeks you'll run across in these parts. My advice is, shoot first!
Walk behind 'em! If they ain't armed, hoof 'em till they cut an' run!
Greeks are no good!"

We introduced ourselves. He told us his name was Brown.

"There's three Browns in this country: Hell-fire Brown of Elementaita,
Joseph Henry Brown of Gilgil, and Brown of Lumbwa. Brown of Lumbwa's
me. Don't believe a word either of the other two Browns tell you!
Yes, we're all settlers. Country good to settle in? Depends what you
call good. If you like lots of room, an' hunting, natives to wait an'
your own house on your own square mile--comfortable climate--no
conventions--nor no ten commandments, why, it's pretty hard to beat.
But if you want to wear a white shirt, and be moral, and get rich, it's
rotten! You've a chance to make money if you're not over law-abiding,
for there's elephants. But if you're moral, and obey the laws, you
haven't but one chance, an' she's a slim one."

"Well," said Fred, genially, "tell us about the only one. We're men to
whom the ten commandments are--"

"You look it!" Brown interrupted. "Well, what's the odds? You'll
never find it, and anyhow, everybody knows it's Tippoo Tib's ivory. I
mean to have a crack at spotting it myself, soon as I get my farm
fenced an' one or two other matters attended to. Gov'ment offers ten
per cent. to whoever leads 'em to it, but they can't believ