Kafir Stories: Seven Short Stories

Kafir Stories: Seven Short Stories

"Fate leadeth through the garden shews The trees of Knowledge, Death, and Life; On this, the wholesome apple grows, On that, fair fruit with poison rife. Yet sometimes apples deadly be. Whilst poison-fruits may nourish thee." THIS is how it all happened. They met at the canteen on Monday morning at eight o'clockJim Gubo, the policeman, and Kalaza, who had just been released from the convict station where, for five long years, he had been expiating a particularly cruel assault with violence upon a woman. 'Ntsoba, the fat Fingo barman, leant lazily over the counter, but as the regular customers for the morning "nip" had all departed, and no one else had yet come, he went outside and sat in the sunshine, smoking his oily pipe with thorough enjoyment. He did not in the least mind leaving Jim Gubo in the canteen, because Jim and he had long since come to an understanding, and this with the full approval of the proprietor. Jim was, so to say, free of the house, and got his daily number of tots of poisonous "dop" brandy measured out in the thick glass tumbler, the massive exterior of which was quite out of proportion to the comparatively limited interior space. These tots (and an occasional bottle) were Jim's reward for not exercising too severe a supervision over the canteen, and for always happening to be round the corner when a row took place. Moreover, the till, besides being as yet nearly empty, was well out of reach; the counter was high and broad, and the shelving, sparsely filled with filthy looking black bottles, was fixed well back, so as to be out of the way of the whirling kerries which were often in evidence, especially on Saturday afternoons. The great brown, poisonous looking hogsheadssuggestive of those very much swollen and unpleasant looking fecund female insects which are to be found in the nethermost chamber of the city of the termites, and which lay thousands of eggs dailyhad safety taps, of which 'Ntsoba's master kept the keys. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 20491
Author: Scully, W. C. (William Charles)
Release Date: Jan 31, 2007
Format: eBook
Language: English