Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-10-04
A BRAVE WOMAN.

war. The fierce tribe who inhabited thi.
| country from tho first conquest by tho
English in 1884 bore the yoke of thralldom
with no good grace. and had on more
than n occasion since that time broker
out in revolt against their conquerors.
and as many petty breaches of discipline
and good behavior had gone unpublished,
had at length thrown down the gauntlet
to England and commenced hostilities by
a sudden and violent attack upon her
native allies. the Fingres, an adioin.
ing tribe. A call TO arms was made by
the colonial authorities, and as soon as
forces could be organized they were sent
with all haste to the front to check these
savages in their career of rapine and
plumber. 1t is during the time that passed
between the breaking out Of the war and
the arrival of troops to the rescue of the
scattered white population In this rebel.
lious district that the following episode
took place.
Situated about fifteen miles from Ibeka,
a small native village and in the Idutche
reserve, was a lonely mission station,
comprising a small chapel, q house and 0
few native huts. Here it was that 0
member of the Church of England Mis-.
sionary society carried on his labors and
sought to turn these savages from their
ways of darkness to those of light. The
family besides tho minister consisted OF
his wife and three small children. tho
eldest a girl aged l2 and two boys, aged
respectively 10 and z. besides which were
two native female servants.
At the time of the attack by tho Kafirs
upon the Fingres the missionary was
away from home attending to his religious
duties at a n~eighboring village. The first
news of the rising that reached his wife
was Of a dreadful massacre that had
taken place by the Kafirs near IbeKs, In
which the proprietor of o store and his
family had been murdered by a band OF
these bloodthirsty warriors after a stub.
born resistance, and the store looted and
burnt. The poor woman was for the mo.
ment paralyzed with fear as to what would
be the fate of her husband, far from home
and unarmed, and in the midst Of these
relentless foes, and also what would be
the fate for herself and her children IL an
attack was made upon them. The first
night was passed In anxious watching and
waiting and hoping against hope that her
husband might return, though she knew
that unless warning had reached him in
time he must be ere now surrounded.
The morning dawned without any event
ofimportance having occurred, and the day
wore on and no sign of either friend or
enemy was seen. Another night passed
and another dawn broke, and with it came
terrible news. A friendly native who had
been travelling on during the night re.
ported to one of the servants that the
tends at Q%uintana had cruelty ~butchered
the missionary is q drunken frenzy, turn.
ing a deaf ear to his entreaties to spare
him who Ihad done them no harm, and
that he had died after enduring terrible
torture, asking pardon for his ~murdegers.
The shock was terrible to the afflicted
wife, but the instinct of the mother
arose within her for the preservation Of
her children. She assumed command of
the little garrison and set herself about
victualing it to withstand a siege If neces-
sary. Everything was brought in from
the chapel and stored in the house, the
windows and doors were barricaded with
bags of mealies (corn), and anything
that came to hand that would serve to
turn a spear or stop a bullet. A plentiful
supply of water was brought in from tho
stream, and lastly all the available arms
of the quondam fortress were turned out,
loaded and put in readiness at some small
loopholes that had been left for the pur-
pose.
A friendly native went out to recon
hotter, and about 10 o'clock returned with
the startling information that a band Of
about fifty men, on foot and on horse
back, were making their way across the
plain in the direction of the station, and
were then about three miles distant, COM
ing ON at a leisurely pace, but fully armed.
The doors were instantly fastened and
barricaded and every corner of the house
was inspected by its brave commander,
who determined to sell herself and her
little ones as dearly as possible. She
strove to rally the courage of her little
force by prayer and a recollection that
they were in Gods hands, but the servants
were almost beside themselves and
moaned and wept at their impending
danger. A little hero arose in the eldest
boy, who said: You and Tomb shoot,
mamma, and / and Harry will load the
guns" Nearly an hour passed in this
dreadful suspense. The approaching
party came leisurely on and headed toward
a point a quarter Of q mile to the left Of
the house. where they paused, and hope
began TO assert itself that after all they
might pass and leave them unframed.
But it soon became evident that the re
suit of this short halt only meant n
council Of war as to the plans to be pur-
sued in attacking the house, their
eagle eyes having taken in the fact that
it had been put into a stage of siege and
that the inmates were determined to show
fight. About a dozen of the horsemen
galloped forward, and pulling up their
horses a hundred yards from tho house,
one of their number rode forward o few
PAGES and sending out his strong voice. he
uttered in the peculiar rolling, mellihuous
language of the Kaffir a summons upon
the garrison TO surrender, promising that
their lives should be spared. There was
not an inmate of that household that did
not know how little the word of a kafiir
could be relied upon, and the reply that
was sent forth to this demand was that
the band should move on about their bust
ness and leave their masters. the English,
to theirs. A derisive laugh from the saw
age followed this, and he yelled out a
blood curdling answer that his band
would tear the hearts out of the inmates,
as they had from the father. They then
retired towards their allies on foot, and
after a short consultation came forward
with many yells and brandishing of as
segais towards tho house till they were
within seventy yards. when they stopped
and commenced a wild firing upon the
fort, the balls from their rifles pattering
upon the sides and roof, but doing no
damage.
The brave lady. with her n compan-
ion in arms and surrounded by the two
boys, who each grasped a cartridge, sent
a reply in the shape Of a volley from their
rifles which took effect upon Il of the
enemy. A fusilade was kept up on both
sides for some minutes, the gallant little
band inside being untouched. but several
Of the besiegers had been wounded and
their fury was raised to a frenzy as they
were met by n CALLING FIRE, try what quar-
ter Of the building they would. Again
they retired to consult, and rs a result
mounted their horses and, followed by the
footmen, rode away. The brave woman.
almost exhausted by the great physical
strain that had been put upon her. found
vent In a food Of tears as she threw her
self into the arms of her boys and, grasp
ing the hand of their brave ally, they
sank upon the ground and gave thanks
for their preservation. But they knew
the craftiness and hate of the savage too
well not TO be aware that the worst was
not yet over and that the band would re-
turn. perhaps with reenforcements, and
attack them.
That day passed IN anxiety but no