Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-06-23

to her husbands side, begging him not to
leave her. The two young men and rose,
ran across the veranda and the bright,
naoonlit paved yard into the little kitchen,
where did not know at first whether to be
most alarmed on seeing the cooks brother,
who had rushed in from the nelghborlng
"cour" at the first noise of the falling stones,
standing ruefully rubbing his head, which
was bleeding from blow he had received,
or amused at seeing half dozen full-grown
men capering about like so many children,
whimpering, teeth chattering from terror,
all talking at once and each giving differ
ent version of the story in high-pitched
voices.
I stood gazing at the ceiling when a sharp
thud above me made me leap suddenly in
to the air, and stone larger than my fist
fell at my feet.
After quieting his wife's fears G. (my
brother-in-law) followed us, and instead OF
sympathizing with the general terror, sharp
ly told the servants to stop all this non
sense, that he would soon find out the prac-
tical joker, cut him months wages-tle
usual threat-and deprive him of his month
ly bag of rice. Then he ordered them to
proceed at once serving the rest of the din
ner.
The excitement was too great to permit OF
my doing anything so prosaic as toreturn to
dinner while this mystery was unexplained,
so the two youths and l remained in the We
randa. One fetched his gun and fired into
the woods and across neighboring ravine,
hoping that if the aggressor were hidden in
its wooden recesses the sound of firing would
cause him to desist.
He then climbed tall tree, from which,
as it was glorious moonlight night-and
no one who has not seen the beauty of a
tropical full moon can have any idea Of its
soft yet clear brilliance-hecould see great
distance, while fearfully peered about
among the low bushes, keeping all the while
in the close vicinity of my six-foot compan-
ion, who, pooling the whole affair,
did not, I could see, like it at all. I confess
that surreptitiously picked up the stone l
had found in the kitchen and smelled it, to
see if I could find any trace of birthstone.
An hour or two elapsed, and still the stones
fell, doing more or less damage. Some
times one or two would come bang bang
after each other; then quarter of an hour
would elapse, and we would think it was all
over, when the noise and battery would re-
commence.
1t was getting beyond our usual hour for
retiring for the night, but somehow we for
got to propose breaking up our little party.
10 tn
my sister, the two young men and 1 talked
with bated breath, and I did not at all en-
Joy the prospect Of the night before me, as
occupied one Of the three pavilions-smali
wooden rooms built outside the large house
with a connecting Veranda between, and
whether the thrower of the missiles was or
was not supernatural parsonage, did not
relish his vicinity. About II O'Clock the
servant came 10 say thatthe noise and dam
age still continued, when G. once more re-
paired to the kitchen and announced his in
tention Of sending for the police to find out
and punish the offender. Accordingly his
cousin went off in his little caleche to the
nearest police station, and returned with
three men-one French creole, one an
Irishman and hethird English. When we
explained the circumstances to them they
smiled in superior manner and said
"You'll never find it out, whatever it is; it
has been practiced in several parts of the isl
and before, and quite lately, too. Some weeks
ago we were sent for to Savanne for the
same cause The inhabitants left the house
and we stayed there alone on the alert for
three days, and, though we watched steadi-
ly night and day, the very glass globes of
the lamps were broken in the room where
we were sitting; we saw the stones fall and
heard the sound as they struck the outside
roof, but never once saw any appearance OF
even crack in the ceiling, and left the place
without having found out anything"
This was not satisfactory but twas lit
tie reassuring, in the long hours before fell
asleep, to hear the police pacing up and
down the veranda, or when their steps ceas-
ed, to know, by the tell-tale scent of their
cigarettes through the open window, that
they were not slumbering. l had meant to
keep the stone picked up as memento OF
the incident, and had it put in my room ;
but fearing such an uncanny object might
take to capering about my premises at the
witching hour of midnight opened my
window and deposited it outside.
The police left next morning, as they said
it was quite useless to remain. G, and his
cousins had to be in Port Louis daily from
10 in the morning till 5 O'Clock, so my sister
and l were left to face the terrors, which,
however did not look half so great by day
as by night. My sister would not ask a
question, nor listen when the servants vol
unteered details; but my curiosity, which is
considerable, overcame my terror, and l
kept going backward and forward to the
servants quarters to mark the progress of
affairs so as to report them faithfully to G.
in the evening.
l discovered that the principle victims of
the missiles were the cooks two sons, bright
little fellows of and 10 years of age.
Wherever they were the stones fell thick
est-in the avenue, among the trees, in their
own hut or in the detached kitchen. On
mentioning this circumstance to my brother
he Immediately sent for Manuel, told him
to punish his children once, and make them
understand that he would have no more
Of this tomfoolery going on, and ordered
them to be shut into room alone all night,
and guardian placed at the door TO watch.
l was quite aghast at this summary and, as
| thought, cruel behavior, but | only at
tempted a faint remonstrance, and made up
my mind to reserve the rest of my exciting
adventures for a more sympathetic ear.
Next morning the guardian declined to
watch the children any longer, as stone
had left large lump on his own forehead.