Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-02-03

n. WV Ss~N
JESS.
always does toward sunset. Indeed, all that
remained of it were a few strictly local and
miniature whirlwinds, which would suddenly
spring up on the road itself, and twist and
twirl fiercely round, raising mighty column
Of dust fifty feet or more into the air, where
it hung long after the cause of it passed, and
then slowly dissolved as its particles floated
to the earth.
Coming along the road, in the immediate
track Of one of these desultcry and inexplic-
able whirlwinds, was a man on horseback.
The man looked limp and dirty, and the
horse limper and dirtier. The hot wind had
taken all the bones out of them, as tho Kaffirs
say, which was not very much to be wondered
at, seeing that they had been journeying
through it for tho last four hours, without
of saddling. Suddenly the whirlwind, which
had been travelling along pretty smartly,
halted, ana the dust after turning round a
few times In the air like dying top, slowly
began to dissolve in tho accustomed fashion
The man on tho horse halted, too, and con-
templated it I'm an absent kind Of way.
@It's just like mans life" be said aloud to
his horse, coming from nobody knows where,
nobody knows why, and making little
{ column Of dust On the worlds highway, and
then passing away and leaving tho dust to
fall to the ground again, and be trodden
undsr foot and forgotten"
The speaker, stoat, well sst up, rather ugly
man, apparently ON the wrong ode Of 80, with
pleasant blue eyes and q reddish, peaked
= beard, laughed little ct his own sententious
re0sction, and then gave his jaded horse a
tap with the sjambock in his hand.
Come on, Blesbok, be said, Tor we shall
mover get to old Croft's place tonight By
Jovel b6lisve that must BE- the turn
and b. pointed with his whip to . little rut.y
track that turned from the Wakkerstroon
main road and stretched away toward
curious, isolated hill with . large Fat top, that
rose out Of the rolling plain some four miles
to tho right SThe old Boer said tho second
turn" be went on, still talking to himself.
but perhaps he lied. I am told that
some Of them think it . good joke to send
IN Englshman q few miles wrong. Let's
zee. they said the place was under tbs lee Of q
table topped hin, about half IN hours ride
from the main road, and that Is . table
topped hill, % think viii try it. Come on,
Blesbok," and he put the tired nag into
sUt Of 4tzipple," Or amhling cantsr, much
affected by South African horses
1Life b queer thing" reflected Capt
John Mel to himself Is no slowly cantered
along. sNow here am I, at the age of
"a, about to begin the world again as
assistant to an Old Transvaal farmer. Il il q
pretty end to all onsh amhitidns, ard to four
teen years. work in the army; but it Is what
It has to como to, my boy. 20 you had better
mako the best Of il"
Just then his cogftatioDs were interrupted,
for On the farther side Of gentle slope there
suddenly appeared an extraordinary sight,
Over tho crest Of the rise of land, now some
four Or i've hundred yards away, pony with
. lady on its back came wildly galloping,
and after it, with wings spread and out
stretched neck, hugo cock ostrich was
speeding along, covering twelve or fifteen
test at every stride Of its long legx The pony
was still twenty yards ahead Of the bird, and
coming toward John rapidly, but strive a. it
would Il could not distance the swiftest thing
on all the earth. Five seconds passed; the
great bird was close alongside now. ALL
and John Mel turned sick and shut his eyes
- be rode, for be NV the ostrichit thick leg
fly high into the air and than sweep down
like loaded bludgeon-
Thudl 1t had missed the lady and struck
her horse upon the spine, behind the saddle,
Tor the moment completely paralyxing it, SO
that it fell oil of heap ON to the veldt In a
moment the girl ON its back was up and of
toward him, and after her came the ostrich.
Up went tho great leg again, but before it
came crashing on to her shoulders she had
flung herself face downward ON the grass.
In I'M instant the huge bird was on top OF
her, kicking at her, rolling over her and
crushing tho very life out Of her. It was at
this juncturc that John Mel arrived upon the
scene. Tho moment the ostrich saw him be
gave up his attacks upon the lady ON the
ground ard began to waltz toward him with
ponlpons sort of step that these birds some
times assume before they give battle. Now,
Capt Mel was unaccustomed to tho ways Of
ostrlches, and 30 was his horse, which showed
. strong inclination to bolt; q, indeed, under
other circumstance his rider would have
been glnd to do himself. But he could nos
abandon beauty in distress, 20, finding it i'm
possible to control his horse, he slipped of It,
and with his sjambock, or hide whip. in his
hand, valiantly faced the enemy. For mo-
ment or two the great bird stood still, blink
ing its lustrous eyes at him and
6SAAtAy 0yAnH ~ kItCCAOk 00Ck W 8QQ
fro. Then an Of sudden Il spread out
it, wings and came for him Ike
q thunderbolt. He sprang to ono side, and
was aware Of rustic, Of rustling feathers,
and Of vidon Of thick leg striking down.
ward past his head Fortunately it missed
him and tho ostrich sped past like Hash.
Before he could turn, however, it was back
and had landed the full weight Of one Of it,
awful forward kicks in ths broad oe hi
back, and away he went hsad over hssl6 ma
shot rabbit In second he was On his legz
again, shaken, indeed, but not much The
worse and perfectly mad with fury and pain.
At him came the ostrich, and at the ostrich
went be. catching it Q blow across the slim
neck with his sjambock that staggered It for
moment Proiting by the check, b seized
tho bird BY the wing aad held ON like grim
doafh with both handA Than they began to
gynte. slowly at first then quicker, and YET
moro quick, till at last it seemed to Capt
John Mel that time and space and the solid
earth were nothing but Q revolving vision
fixed somewhere in the watches OF the night.
Above him, like stationary pivot, lowered
the tall, graceful mock, beneath him spun tie
top like legs, and in front of him was q soft
black and white mass Of feathers.
Thud and cloud of starsi He was OH hi
back, and ths ostrich, who did not seem to DC
affected by giddiness, was on him, Furnishing
him dreadfully. Luckily an ostrich cannot
kick man very hard when he is fat on the
ground. II he could there would have been
an end Of John Mel and this story need never
have been written.
Half q minute or 20 passed, during which
the bird worked his sweet win upon his pros.