The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-07-23
SITS A YEAR

was for vengeance on the malignant
creature that / looked upon as my
murderer. | rightly imagined he
was not aware Of his success. No
doubt he thought he had missed me
and / was still lying asleep, in proof
of which | soon heard the whiz of
another arrow striking above. Nov
ing down about yard to where the
overhahging ferns would conceal me,
quietly raised my head; the ground
was slightly rising and ] could see
around for some distance. There
was my horse uneonsciously grazing
away, but the grass was too long for
me. to see my enemy's whereabouts.
/, however, guessed that he would
try and get between us and so | wait
ed, watching, and grasping my rife.
Ten minutes passed in silence and
then | fancied that the grass was
moving unnaturally. In another Sc
cond a hand and bow appeared, |
heard little twang and saw the tiny
messenger of death again pierce the
spot where I had been. | kept my
self from firing, though covered the
place. Surely he would become i'm
patient and give me better chance.
Another ten minutes and suddenly,
in a different spot, which commanded
a better view of my cap, little black
head peered over the grass. 1t was
enough; and as | fired a shrill shrek
and spasmodic spring into the air
told me that had nothing more to
fear.
Getting out as quickly as possible
| dragged myself, for the limb was
now much swollen and becoming
more and more painful. to my sad
die, where | carried in n little bottle
some eau de luce for snake bites, and
poured out large dose. After
drinking it ] caught my horse, sad
died it, and picking up two of the
arrows went to have a look at the
dead Bushman. lie was scarcely
over four feet high with arms so long
and thin as to reach deformity. short
and bow-kneed legs supporting Il lit
tie round body-he had evidently
not been starving lately-and fea-
lures so closely resembling those of
an intelligent ape that had there been
a tail no one would have thought
twice about the matter. | did not
remain long; there was no time to-
lose so, taking his bow, / mounted
and putting the horse at his best pace
started on my long ride. | knew
perfectly well that the only chance,
such as it was, of saving my life de-
pended on my reaching Ladysmith
that night and obtaining medical as
sistance.
The distance was fully sixty miles
and, with but one exception, there
were nothing but Dutch beers hous-
es on the road, whence | could not
hope for any help. For the first
twenty miles ! kept steadily on my
way, though the agony was dreadful
and | could hardly sit on my horse
| then reached an Englishman's farm,
pulled up, told my story and asked
for spirits to keep my strength up,
and the loan of a fresh horse. |
shall not easily forget his wife's
scared look as she came out and saw
me by the light of her fiickering cam
die. | suppose must have seemed
half mad. They brought me out
full bottle of whiskey and a tumbler,
which | filed and drank off neat;
but they had not got a horse sup"
They were. he said, all running and
IL would take hotirs to find them.
SO started again.
| do not remember much more of
that wild moonlit ride; | became
drowsy and half delirious, just re-
tanning sense enough to 90 straight.
How | did it do not know, as for
the greater part of the way there
was no road. and even in daylight
and with nothing the matter should
have hesitated in more than one
place. However, providence OF in
stinct guided me right and, as was
afterwards told. for | remembered
nothing about it, reached the town
at one o'clock, p. Unjust eleven
hours after | had left ! had finished
the whisFey on the road and it was
to that the doctor ascribed my ulti-
mate recovery. For nine days | was
in a high fever and delirious, and it
was more than six weeks before | got
up; and for years afterwards the