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Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965

"The Magician"

When antelope were so far off that it was
impossible to kill them, and the approach of night made it useless to
follow, he would often shoot, and leave a wretched wounded beast to die
by inches. His selfishness was extreme, and he never shared any
information with his friend that might rob him of an uninterrupted
pursuit of game. But notwithstanding all this, Burkhardt had so high an
opinion of Haddo's general capacity and of his resourcefulness that, when
he was arranging his journey in Asia, he asked him to come also. Haddo
consented, and it appears that Burkhardt's book gives further proof, if
it is needed, of the man's extraordinary qualities. The German confessed
that on more than one occasion he owed his life to Haddo's rare power
of seizing opportunities. But they quarrelled at last through Haddo's
over-bearing treatment of the natives. Burkhardt had vaguely suspected
him of cruelty, but at length it was clear that he used them in a manner
which could not be defended. Finally he had a desperate quarrel with one
of the camp servants, as a result of which the man was shot dead.


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