Mlenze-four the man with four legs

There was a man who had bit of  a drinking problem. (putting it mildly) 

He was known as Mlenze Four. Which means (Four legs). 

If you knew him at all you would soon realise why people called him that. 

He could walk so fast and so far that it seemed he must have four legs.!!

We often came across him walking on the side of the road. 

Sometimes on the side of the freeway. 

Ha walked like nobody you have ever seen walking.

One minute he would appear as dot in one horizon and before you knew it he was a fading dot on the other horizon. 

This man could walk. 

He did odd jobs for everyone and regularly worked as a painter. 

The rule was, you could feed him but never pay him his salary, until the job was done. 

Or he would go awol. And when he did you would find him a week later in a mess. 

You see he could drink almost as well as he could walk. 

When he was sober he was a really good worker and us kids loved him. 

And when he was on the sauce he was really, really a mess. 

Legend has it that he lost a leg when he passed out across the railway line.  

And within a few weeks we saw him on the side of the road with a crutch and he was almost as fast as ever.  

We were always amazed how a man who could walk like the wind, loses a leg and still loved to walk. This was way before the era of the Blade Runner, so he was a local celebrity. 

He got more work than ever as everyone who had ever known him took pride in giving him work and he was a good as new,  and the rules were still the same. 

Give him any lump sum and you won't see him for while. 

We  kids jokingly used to call him Mleze THREE!! 

And would laugh at the reference to his loss. 

Then nobody ever saw him again.
I expect he is still walking on the side of the road, on the OTHER SIDE.