The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-13
THE WONDERFUL SCRATCHES.
A South African Story.

And l tell you, Klaas, that ! won't
believe it until see it with mine Your
eyes see too much sometimes, you know
Don't you remember telling us how
your boat had been upset by sea-cow
(hippopOtamus), when it was only
LOG that struck il? or how YOU came
scampering home saying that you'd
been chased by lion, and after all it
was nothing but Mynheer Jansen's big
yellow dogn'
y loud laugh arose from the other
HOttentots, and poor Klaas (who GER
tainly rus given to telling wonderful
stOries) looked very foolish indeed
The building in front of which the
little black-faced, long-armed fellows
were having their talk was very good
sample of the ordinary South African
farmhouse. 1t was long, low, white
fronted building of one story, with a
thatthed roof that stuck out so far in
front and came so low down over the
windows that it quite reminded one of
the huge white broad-brimmed hats
worn by the Dutch and English farmers
of those parts.
just in front of the door grew one
enormous tree, the spreading boughs of
which had sheltered many merry
party. The stables and out-houses
came straight out from the two ends of
the building, so Us to form three sides
of a square. A wide, shady veranda
ran along its front, while behind it lay
q small garden patch, with hedge of
prickly-pear so thick and strong and
armed with such terrible thorn5 that
the boldest thief would hardly have
tried TO creep through it.
Don't be too hard upon Klaas,
dads" said another HottentOt, coming
up at that moment. ''You know that
the white men are all workers of Won
ders, and that whoever goes among
them sees many strange things. Come,
brother klaas, let US hear all about it,"
And Klaas, a little encouraged by
seeing that there was one man in the
company who seemed inclined to believe
him, began as follows:
'When | was with the Dutch Christi
menshe Christian at Springboks Kloof
Antelope Gullyl seven years ago,
they were building new Stable, and
wanted some long iron nails to finish
it. So the Baas masterl told me to go
and borrow some nails from the En-
Iwater-coursel | was Just wondering
how that was to be done for didn't
know English, and | was pretty sure
the English Christimenshe didn' know
NATURALIZATION the Baas made some
scratches on a chip of wood with a
burned stick, and told me to give that
to the Englishman, and he would know
what was wanted"
The listeners all looked at each other,
as if hardly knowing whether to believe
him or not.
Il thought he was laughing at me,
continued klaas, land at first | didn t
wan to 90; but the Baas was begin
ming TO. look angry, and there was a
big shamrock whip of rhinoceros skin
hanging behind the door, so | thought
I'd better start, And when | gave the
chip 70 the Englishman Abelieve it or
not as you like--ho went and brought
out the nails directly.
There was pause when klaas end
ed, and no one seemed to know what to
say to his story.
''Well,' observed at length the man
who had Just come up, 81 have heard
that the white men can do such things.
Perhaps the Baas drew picture Of the
nails on the wood"
"Well, won't believe that till | see
it," said Matu, Young Hottentot who
had but lately left his own tribe, and
was new to the ways of the white men.
''Matu," cried voice from the
veranda at that moment, ''take this
letter and these six cakes over to Myn-
heerVan Zeel."
s'Aha!" cried Klaas, exultingly, as
Matu came back with the letter in his
hand and the cakes in a bag on his
shoulder" these are the same kind of
scratches that the Dutch Christimenshe
made on that chip of wood. N0aO you'll
Isee, brother Matu, whether I've been
telling lies" 4 ......
The words haunted Matu all the way
across the bare stony plain that lay be-
tween him and Mynheer Van Zeel's
farmhouse. But something else haunt
ed him still more, and that was the
thought of the cakes which he was car
irying. Like all Eottcntots he was fond
of sweet things, and the temptation to
eat one of them grew stronger every
moment.
Hut how about the letter? According
to Klaas, the scratches on the chip had
told the story which they were meant
to tell. If these scratches on the pa
per had the same power, it might be
awkward for him. go ar.
All at once bright idea struck him.,
He stopped short, thrust the letter
under huge stone, and having salts
fled himself that it was quite out of
sight (or rather that it had no chance
of seeing what he was about) he pulled
out and ate one of the cakes, took up
the letter again, and then went merri-
fly on his way, feeling quite sure that
all was safe now.
The very first person he met on reach
ing the farm was -Mynheer- Van Zeel
himself who, with his broad-leayed hat
pulled down over his hard brck-red
face, his big silyer-mounted pipo in his
mouth, and long knife stuck in the
waistband Of bis close-litting. buckskin
trousers, dooked every inch a regular
Boerfarmer He glanced through the
better, empded tue cakes out OF The bag,
we