Adventure Magazine Cover — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Cowman’s Five Senses At the end of the invocation the induna unslung a small calabash from around his neck, which was hung there by a sinew string, and shook out some of the contents on to the beshe’s head. It was the dried blood of an ox, This done, several abafan came up and tied the beshe’s hands and feet, who was whimpering softly. The fat umfazi came up and scolded her, remarking that she should be proud to be made the hlwepu smari (crocodile’s bride.) One umfan got hold of her feet and an- other her head. They walked to the edge of the bank where at the bottom, half in and half out of the water, the reptile still waited. ‘There was a second’s silence, and then the two abafan swung their living bur- den once and let go. The body described a large arc, and was caught in the wide- open jaws of the waiting reptile. There was a sharp scream cut short as the hlwepu dived to the depths with his meal, leav- THE COWMAN’S FIVE 49 ing a trail of dark crimson on the waters. The induna beat his chest and told the assembled people that the mvula (rain) would come, as it was ‘“‘growing”’ even then. The abafan with hand drums beat them as hard as they dared and led the march toward the kraal, where there was to be drinking, dancing ‘and singing ey into the night. AS THE sun’s rays lengthened in the hot afternoon the form of a log | rose slowly from the depths of the river. Long, smelly and moss-barnacle- covered it was as it slowly drifted toward the natural bay. Arrived there, those tremendous jaws opened to show four rows of sharp, rusty, saw-like teeth. A little bird fluttered down and into those jaws. Both portions closed on it once; but when they were opened the bird was busy picking, picking the ‘“‘rust”’ from those saw-like teeth. SENSES by Allen Lee Haase AVE yuh ever heard the rawhide sing when a dogie hits the ground? Have yuh ever heard the desert moan? Now that’s an eery sound. Have yuh ever heard a mountain lark, as he trills high up o’erhead? If yuh hain’t, yuh hain’t heard nothin’; yo’re not alive, yo’re dead. Have yuh ever smelled the camp-fire’s tang when the pot begins to boil? Have yuh ever smelled the tarpaulins with their taint o’ honest toil? Have yuh ever smelled the smoke and hair when a mav’rick starts to bawl? If yuh hain’t, yuh hain’t smelled nothin’—don’t believe yuh can smell at all. Have yuh ever felt the give an’ take of a buckskin twixt yer knees? Have yuh ever felt the awesomeness of a ten-mile grove o’ trees? Have yuh ever felt the dizziness after hearing a rifle ‘sping’? If yuh hain’t, yuh hain’t felt nothin’—yuh must be a funny thing. Did yuh ever taste the sweetness 0’ the air when the sky begins to pink? Did yuh ever taste the alkali in that creek across the sink? Did yuh ever taste the honey from the tree the bears have torn? If yuh hain’t, yuh hain’t tried nothin’; where yuh been since yuh been born? Have yuh ever seen the sun spring up when mornin’s hushed an’ still? Have yuh ever seen the blood-red shine o’ that Sangre Christo hill? Have yuh ever seen the dust spurt up when a greaser’s shots hurl bye If yuh hain’t, yuh hain’t seen nothin’-—yuh must be a city guy. ye GOMIIGooo <S' C@