The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-07-23


me, quietly raised nv head the
ground was slightly rising. and /
could see around for some distance
There was my horse uneoneiousIv
grazing away. but the grass was too
long for me to see ny enemies where
ab0utz. /. however, guessed that be
would try and get between "a. and 50
! waited watching. and grasping my
rife.
Ten inmates passed ia silence, and
then ! faucied that the grass was
moving unhaturalIy In Another
second q maud aud bow appeared /; 1
heard little twang, aad saw the tiny
messenger Of death again pierced the
spot where had been. / kept my-
self from firing, though / covered the
place. Surely be would become i'm
patient, and give ne better chance.
Another ten minutes, and suddenly.
n different spot, which commanded
better view of my cap, . little
black head peered over the grass IL
was enough and as / fired. q sbrill
Shrek and a spasmodic spring in the
air told me that I had nothing more
to fear
Getting out as quickly as possible,
| dragged myseif-for the limb was
now much swollen, and becoming
more and more painfal-to nv sad
die, where / carried in little bot
tie 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 or three
Of the arrows, went 10 have Q leok at
the dead Bushman. He was scarcely
over four feet high, with arms 50
long and thin as to reach deformity.
short and bow-kneed legs supporting
a little round body-be had evident
Ia not been starving lately-snd fea-
lures so closely resembling those Of
an intelligent ape, that had there
been q tail, no one would have
thought twice about the matter. /
did not remain long; there was 40
time 10 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 IL was, Of
saving my life depended on ny
reaching Ladysmith that night, and
obtaining medical assistance The
distance was fully sixty miles, and.
with but one exception, there were
nothing but Dutch boers' houses 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 nv horse. I
then reached an E1glishman's farm.
pulled up, told nv story, and asked
for spirits to keep my strength up.
and the loan Of fresh horse. shall
not easily forget the vife's scared
look as she came out and saw me By
the light Of her hiekering candle. /
suppose | must have seemed half
mad They brought me ont q full
bottle of whiskey and a tumbler.
which L filed and drank of neat;
but they had not got a horse up"
They were, be said, all running, and
it would take hours TO find them.
So started again l do not remem-
Der much more Of that wild moonlit
ride; {; became droEsy and half-de-
lirious, just retaining sense enough 10
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,I
should have besitated in more than
one place However. Providence or
instinct guided NE right, and, as
was afterwards told, for i remember
about il, / reached the town
at one A N-just eleven hours after
| had left / had finished the whis-
sey On the road. and it was TO that
the doctor ascribed my ultimate re-
covery. For nine dsys / was in q
high fever and delirous; and it was
more than six weeks before got up;
and for years afterwards the wound
did not heal Even 20 the present
isy il occasionally bursts out afresh.
md viii probably continue to do 50
to the end Of nv existence.