The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-06-29

heart beat painfully with suspense and a
vague awe. Then again came that
mournful wall.
This time l thought that / could local
ize it. 1t seemed to proceed from the
hillside above me. Pushing the brush
wood aside 1 crept stealthily upward,
sometimes slipping, sometimes crawling
on hands and knees, often pausing to
listen, but all was still save for the rip
ping of the water below. Atlastt the cry
rang IL again, l was on the right track!
My breath came quickly from suppressed
agitation, but I still crept forward and
upward. twas near to the rocky summit
of the hill now. Suddenly Iheard a low
moaning. l paused, then stealthily ap-
preached the spot whence it proceeded.
1t was so dark under the brushwood
that I could see nothing, and
pistol and rifle would alike have been
useless in case of danger, but l had I'M
~unsheathed my hunting-knife and held it
in my hand. There was a rustic, a rush
and the next moment l was rolling in
mortal struggle with some fierce creature
down the hillside. 1 gave it one des-
perate thrust with my knife, and
w%renching myself loose 1 heard my
enemy crash through the bushes until 3
yell of pain and rage mingled with the
thud of a heavy body falling OF some
projection that had arrested its down.
ward course. This time | knew that the
cry was from some animal in distress.
Scrambling to my feet lit my lamp,
and bv its feeble ray 1 CROPPED my way.
along the track of the creatures fall,
until I saw, caught on a tangled mass
of roots and trees that had been torn
away in some long past storm from
whence they grew, the shape of a large
gaunt dog, the picture of famine and
despair. Blood was trickling from a
deep wound in his side, and blood was
dripping from his jaws where he had
been lacerated by the thorns and stones
as he had rolled through and over. As
the CLEAN of my lantern caught his hag-
gard eye he raised his head and fixed on
me a look of defiant woe and ~desolation
which l shall never forget.
Then | spoke to him and the defiance
melted away, he even let me touch him
and staunch the blood issuing from the
wound 1 had inflicted. At that moment
l realized the agony animals must often
feel at not being able to speak to us.
That dog had a story to tell, and could
only look at mt with his pathetic eyes,
and | felt sure that he was dying.
Pulling off my oat and shirt, I tore
the latter into strips, and bandaged his
wound as we'll as l could. Iplaced the
lantern beside him so as to convey the
idea to him that / meant to come back.
and as l carressed him before leaving
him he licked my hand.
Then, taking the sound of the water
for my guide, [ made for the ford as
quickly as l could.
When 1 reached the, impromptu en-
campment of the Beers, 1 found them
in great excitement. My story served
only to bewilder them, but they ac-
quiesced in my proposition that we must
try to save the dog, if only to endeavor
through him to fathom the mystery
which still chung to my adventure.
1t was lear dawn now, and 1 suggested
that two of them should accompany me
when Returned to the dog, whilst the
others should return to the farm and
arrange some sort of litter on which the
poor beast could be removed from where
he lay to quarters more likely to con-
duce to his recovery.
BY the time my two companions and l
reached the scene of my nights work
the day had broken, and the heavy mist
was beginning to rise.
The dog was still alive and wagged his
tail feebly in acknowledgment of my
presence. He seemed better after he
had Tapped some water which l brought
for him in q pannikin | had borrowed
from one of the Beers. and out of which
they had been drinking coffee which
they had brewed to keep up their spirits
during their midnight watch.
1 then proposed to my companions
that we should search the spot where ]
had first encountered him, forit appeared
TO me that he must have been a self.
constituted guard of something, which ]
suspected would prove to be a corpse.
Acting on this suggestion we toiled
through the %brushwood until, close to
the foot of the rocks which crowned the
summit of the hill, we at last discovered
a spot where, half buried in the earth,
lay the Wondering form of a Kaffre.
The body had evidently been buried
carefully, but the ground had been
scratched away, doubtless by the poor
dog. The skull of the corpse was beaten
in, apparently by some heavy instru-
ment, and there were old stains of blood
on the shirt. My companion told me
that the path through the wood was a
little used shortcut on the road to the
diamond-fields, and our supposition was
that the poor fellow had been murdered
and robbed on his return from working,
and perhaps from pilfering diamonds
there. If so, his love for riches had cost
him dear. There was nothing on him
to identify him by.
As soon as the men came with the lit.
ter we got the dog on to it, and took him
to the Beers house, where I undertook
his cure, my host having hospitable given
me an indefinite invitation. After find.
ing that it was only a Kaffre's corpse that
was in question, their interest as to trac.
ing the murderer ceased entirely, and ]
went by myself with a spade to cover up
the remains of the poor fellow. My in.
terest in the dog amused my host great
ly, but 1 must say that they tolerated the
inconvenience that / gave them in a most
amiable n
The poor animal recovered much more
quickly than 1 expected, and became
greatly attached to me. As soon as he
could run about | tied him up whenever
he was not in my sight, for once I caught
him in the act of making off to the poort,
and as soon as he could travel [ took
him away with me.
Some time after / was travelling in the
Rustemberg district. and halted at the
house of a well-to-do Boer. 1 had my
wagon with me, but was riding in from
of it; the dog accompanied me. The
Boer told me where l could outspann
and asked me to come and have a cup O
coffee and a chat after 1 had seen the
oxen unyoked. AS 1 had ridden up t.
the door I had noticed a man wall
quickly into the house. and l also re
marked that Watch" as 1 had named
the dog, seemed very uneasy.
After seeing to the outspanning of the
wagon l returned to the house will
Watch, and sat down with the Boer anc
his wife. Two little boys were porine
over their well-thumbed lesson-books il
a corner. Watch disturbed their equa
nimity by shifting at them.
".He won't bite" L said; she is a very
good-natured dog, although a very gooc