Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-31

Dark as the night was, the figures of
those crossing the water could be dimly
made out, and Ronald judged that there
must be fully 300 of them. After the first
few had passed thev came along in such a
close body that he was unable to make out
whether there was a female among them.
The numbers of the Kaffirs suficed to show
him that there was no chance whatever of
efecting a rescue of Mary Armstrong while
surrounded by so large body.
As soon as all had crossed. two of the
| Fingoes followed close upon their traces,
| five minutes afterward another started, and
| scarcely had he gone when the three men
who had been sent to the other ford returned
with the messenger who had recalled them.
| Thew left at short intervals after each other,
and then Ronald moupted his horse, which
had now been fetched up, and followed
| with Kreta.
"There is no fear of us missing them,
Chief?"
'No fear of that, incos; that star over there
shines over the Amatolas, they go straight
for it; besides, the two men behind them can
hear them talking. If they turn of, one
come back to tell u.s."
But they did not turn of, but kept on for
hours in straight, undertaking line, tray
cling at fast walk. Ronald Mervyn kept
wondering how Mary Armstrong was bear
ing up. She was a strong, active girl, ac-
customed to plenty of exercise, and at ordi-
nary times could doubtless have walked
long distance; but the events of the day, the
sudden attack upon the wagons, her capture
by the Kaffirs, her uncertainty as to the fate
of her father the narrowing tortures of her
companions, which she had probably been
compelled to witness, and the hopelessness
OF her own late, might well have broken her
down. He was sure that the Kaffirs would
compel her to walk as long as she could
drag her limbs along, but as she was des-
tined as present to their chief, they might,
when she could go no further, carry her.
He groaned at his helplessness to aid her,
and had he not had perfect faith in the
cunning of his companions, and in their
ability TO follow her up wherever she was
taken, he would have been inclined to take
the mad step of charging right in among
the Kafir RS, upon the one chance of snatch
ing her up and carrying her off from among
them.
Ronald Mervyn, of the Cape Rifles, was
a very different man from Captain Mervyn,
of the Borderers. The terrible event that
had caused him to throw up his commission
and leaye the country had in other respects
been Of great advantage. He had for years
been haunted by the fear of madness, and
whenever he felt low and out of spirits this
fear of insanity almost overpowered him.
The trial had cured him Of this; he had
convinced himself that had he inherited the
slightest taint of the curse of the Carnes,
he would have gone mad while he was
awaiting his trial; that he had kept his
head perfect under such circumstances
seemed to him an absolute proof that be was
as sane as other men, and henceforth he
bsnished the fear that SO long haunted him.
It was In truth that fear which had held
him back so long from entering into
formal engagement with his cousin
Margaret. He looked upon it as an abso-
lutely settled thing that they would be
married some day. but had almost un-
consciously shrunk from making that day a
definite one; and although for the moment
he had burst into ft of wild anger at
being as he considered thrown aside, he had
since acknowledged to himself that Mar
garet's decision had been q wise one, and
that it was better that they two should not
have wed.
He had always been blessed with good
spirits, except at the times when the fit of
depression seized him; but since he had
been at the Cape, and been on active duty,
these fits Of depression had entirely passed
away, and his unvarving good temper under
all circumstances had often been the sub
ject Of remark among his comrades. As he
rode along that night he acknowledged,