Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-10
4 SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE,

IL was on tho Afternoon OF one OF the
hottest days of an Africun summer
that left my farm to ascend the Draa-
kensburg mountain for the purpose of
finding, If possible, al Gland, specie
of antelope, to repleaish my lar,ler for
the coming Christmas. 1 was 1T the
time living alone in n glen formed by
two spurs of the mountain, with but
few neighbors, and no town within 50
miles, but as my Kaffirs had become
sufficiently civilized to understand
that Christmas time meant unlimited
eating, wished, by providing game,
to save an OK. had only five or six
miles to 20, and was we'll mounted, 80
1 did rot hurry, but, leading my horse
where 1 intended to sleep just as the
sun was setting.
The scene around, though quite diff
ferelt from our ideas of what it should
be in December, was very beautiful.
There was no SNOW; no lcatless trees
with their delicate tracery set off by
the glistening hoar frost, nor dark
green frs bending under their white
load but still there was enough to
keep me standing, forgetful of fire.
wood, and I'LL ilad to do for my CON-
fort during the night.
WAS on narrow ledge of rock, sep
arated from the network of hills be-
yond by deep, perpendicular gorge,
ut the bottom of which, 50 fur down
that / could hardly distinguish it, ran
u little burn. The setting sun gave the
peaks that rich purple hue seldom seen
away from heather and on the other
side, as far "a the eye could reach, lay
the thorn-covcrcu flats and hills of
| Natal.
Under the rock was large cave,
where had determined to sleep. It
had il olden times been n regular re-
sort of the Bushmon, but few came
near it now; indeed, l had not known
they came at all, Int, on going in,
found some calabashes and the ashes
of a newly made fire, which could have
only been left by them. There were
other marks on the walls, though evil
IDENTIFY of great antiquity F.; rude sketch
es and drawings of horses, cattle, bows
and arrows, and even of Bushman
riding. 1t is most curious that q race
so low down III the scale of humanity
that their language only contains few
words made up of unpronounceable
clicks, and who, with the exception of
the use OF fire, in their mode of life
differed but little from the ape, should
have learned to do this. 1t may be
that it is a remnant of an old sign lan-
guage, or the remnant of some former
civilization. 1t was full moon, and
after admiring the wonderful lights
and shadows thrown by it on the broken
ground, turned in and slept till near
daylight.
As soon as could SEQ 1 started to
hunt. Much to my annoyance at the
time, though had afterwards cause to
he thankful that my horse was spared
such IL ga'lop us riding down an Gland
entails, [ could find nothing, and
could tell by the spoons that no herd
had been about for some days. 1t WIS
nearly noon before I became convinced
Of this; and, tempted by the shade of
a line OF tree ferns cdging little brook
whose bubble sounded rcfreshingly
amid the great heat, I took NV
saddle off, knce-haitered Prince.
and lay down. OF course, I soon
dozed of, but became awake
again in about couple of hours:
1 say "became awake" because it was
not the natural ronsing mp OF Il person
who has been asleep, but Il sudden re-
turn to consciousness, without any
movement. and with all my wits about
me, and that inward feeling which per.
laps some of my readers may have ex
ner,enced, of something being wrong,
and tension Of all the powers Of hear
ing to discover what it is. had not
long to wait; wl,iz come tiny arrow,
striking the stone ON which my head
had been resting, and where my cap
still was. 1t did not require much
thinking to know that a Bushman's
hand held the bow it had come from,
nor to determine that the snfest thing
I" a" was t" roll quietly into the bed
of the little brook below me. Luckily
this would afford good shelter, and /
could almost reach the edge will, INV
hand. ~
The tremendous violence with Which
these streams come down from tho
bills during the heavy thunder storms.
wears a deep passage even in the hard
est ground and though there was oniv
about III inch Of water, and it was not
yard broad, the banks were full four
feet deep. Leaving my cap where it
| wits, ] rolled over as quietly as I
conll but inst IN i was disappearing,
| another arrow came and struck me il,
the thigh, the only part not yet i'll
safety. 1t took all my self-control to
continue my movements as before I'M
I'll stood croncling ut the lotion.
"Why, the reader may cxclaimn, "tI,e
pam OF such Il tiny arrow could not be
very great " No, neither is the bite
OF snake itself, yet Of the two the