The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-09-06
THE HOTTENTOTs MESSAGE.
A South African story.

tell you, Matu, that saw it with
my own eyes"
And tell you, Klaas. that 1 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 seaccow
(hippopotamus), when it was only
log that struck itP 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 dogr' .anHS
"A loud laugh arose from the other
Hottentots, and poor Klaas (who GER
tainly '0as 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 a long, low, white
fronted building of one story, with
matched roof that stuck out 80 far in
front and came so low down over the
windows that it quite reminded one of
the huge white road-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 as to form three sides
of square. A wide, shady veranda
ran along its front, while behind it lay
a small garden patch, with hedge of
prickly-pear so thick and strong and
armed with such terrible thorns that
the boldest thief would hardly have
tried to creep through it.
Don't be too hard upon Klaas,
lads" 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, 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 Gully], seven years ago,
they were building a new stable, and
wanted some long iron nails to finish
it. So the Baas master] told me to 60
and borrow some nails from the En-
glishman on the other side of the spruit
water-course]. l was just wondering
how that was to be done for | didn't
know English, and 1 was pretty sure
the English Chrstimenshe didn't know
Hottentot-when the Baas made some
scratches on 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 wss laughing at me"
continued klaas, 'and at first L didn' t
wan to go; but the Baas was begin
ming 10 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 to the Englishman-believe it or
not as you like--he 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, II have heard
that the white men can do such things.
Perhaps the Baas drew n picture OF the
nails on the wood"
"Well, | won t believe that till l 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-
heer Van Zeel."
"Ahar' 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. NoD you'll
see, brother Matu, whether I've been
telling lies"
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
cd him still more, and that was the
| thought of the cakes which he was car
| rying. Like all Hottentots he was fond
of sweet things, and the temptation to
eat one of them grew stronger every
moment. -.t.
| Hut how about the letter. According
to Klaas, the scratches on the chip had
told the story which they were meant
TO tell. Ii these scratches on the pa
per had the same power, it might be
awkward Tor him.
All at once bright idea struck him
He stopped short, thrust the letter