| caption: |
Chapter twenty-four. Famine |
| caption: |
headmen ask for a private loan; letter to Perry |
| text: |
The headmen arrived to see me that same afternoon. They were a tragic sight, lean ghosts of my old friends. Their hair was lank, they were pitiably thin; the dry skin was tight over their ribs and cheekbones. They wanted me to keep quiet about the famine and make them a private loan to see them through. |
| text: |
I argued with them and Namkia for a long time. There seemed no way to clear up that clerk's mistake. They wouldn't believe for a minute that, though loans were the normal thing, they could have free relief in real trouble. They were convinced that if anyone once knew an avid Government would be down on them to squeeze out every penny it could - it was heartbreaking. I gave it up at last (176) and paid out the loan. But I sent a letter in to Perry next day. |
