Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-27

| hopeless search, ana from the coustdht
recurrence of the word umpagai he
knew they attributed his disappearance
| 10 witrhcraft.
and excited speech, warned him that
! they had made some discovery. Presently
he caught the word soldiers i'll Zulu, fol-
lowed by the mama of Sirayo, and he
! guessed that the men had detected the
presence of the troop or horse.
| On leaning forward and looking mp, ne
| saw the head of a warrior bent forward
| in absorbed inspection of some scene
which was being played. Blaine guessed
| what thar scene was.
In the strange look of expectation
| upon the Zulu's face-in the the witch
ing of his lips-he could almost trace the
! stealthy movements of Sirayc upon
! the doomed troopers, and when the war
| rior suddenly held his breath he knew
| that the supreme moment had come, and
| when in uncontrol!Gble exultation the
! man shouted his war cry, Bluine, for
| getting all, groaned aloud.
There was a movement above, and an
| other Zulu who had been sitting on the
! rock leant over and peered into the ifs
| sure. Blaine made sure he was detected.
! for the man seemed 10 LOOK straight
upon ann, anu III Ills aluT Ill he uTc" bdSh
hurriediy, making noise with his feet.
The quick ear of the savage detected
the sound. and his "yoh'' of surprise.
shouted Into the hollow cave, rolled with
Il wierd, booming sound, and went dying
away in hollow groun through the
opening at the far end.
A few words were spoken above. and
from the sound, Blaine could tell that
several Zulus hal stretched themselves
Hat on their stomarhs above. The bars
/ of shadows on the curtain of light told
him that they were looking down, but
he knew that look rs long as they liked
they would not be able to pierce the
durkuess.
For several minutes they listened in
com plete silence until he made certain
they would hear the loud beating of his
heart.
Then IN that intense silence there came
another sound, at first low, then more
and more distinct
As he listened intently trying TO locate
il, he found that the noise came from
something within the cave, and next it
cane from the hole at the far end.
1t was of slthering sound, coming
from II soft, sliding, stealthy movement,
that had something III it of IL trearherous
nature, and as he listened to it he fel.
m unaccountuble horror steal over him.
He knew not why, but it seemed to him
that something awful would soon break
upon his sight.
The strange soft noise was evidently
detected by the sharp ears above-for
some of the men poke in low tones, and
their voices descending again, re-echOed
through the cavern.
Al the sound rolled awav in sullpu
murmurs, Blaine noticed with relief hat
the sithrring movement had ceased. He
lifted his hand to his throat which
felt dry and parched, when a sharp hiss
from the corner forced an exclamation of
alarm from his lips.
The Zulus heard, and their tongues
moved freely as each give his opinion as
TO the cause of the noise, and the best
way of investigating the mystery.
There was apparently difference of
opinion, Que holding out that it was
umpagati, while the others laughed at
this. At last silence was again restored,
and then u sudden blaze of light de-
scended into the cave.
a Zulu had fastened piece of finder
10 the end of an assegai and lowered it.
This spark of light was a comfort to
Biaiue, but though he would have looked
long ut this eyes were drawn away to
to the hole at the end.
He saw the dark circular outline, and
that was all. No-within the black cir
Gle something shOne with hard, metal
lie lustre. As he looked, this dull rehec-
ton grew brighter, and resolved itself
into two fixed points of light.
The steaithy. siithering noise was re-
sumed, the lights famed with greater
bau huE no la
auce cas-. by the flaming finder, and
theu-with horror, he saw the hideous
head of u huge snake appear.
This fiat head was thrust out yard
from the hole. on the muscular neck,
from which the skin hung in folds, and
there il was held still as death, except
for the darling OF the siken tongue.
The fixed s;nre of those ldleSs eyes
was terrible. He tried to look them
down, but they famed with fearful
greenish hue of malignant rage, and 10
escape their influence he turned away,
feeling the strain upon him in stupor
of the brain. He reeied and clutched at
the assegai, but this was suatched away.
and the Zuius above shouted in triumph
as they saw his body sway into view.
He stood below, once agaiu, in dark
ness; rifle barrel changed in the tisSure
above, aud bullet almost grazed his
head. The report confused him by its
terrible rererberations, as 1t rolled
round the enclosed space.
Then. blended with the roar of the
report. lie caught the fierce Missing of
the boa, ana he sprang to the further
end of the cave.
He had just leapt away, when an
other torch of finder was lowered; aud
the Zulus p-ered down to see the effect
Of their shot.
The snake ceased its furious Kissing at
the appearance of the light. but its head
swaYed about from side to side, with its
red jaws dstenjed.
The spectacle was appalling, and
though brave man, he felt his heart
die within him Ut the thought of the
awful fate in store.
With swift movement the reptile
darted its head along the floor of the
cave, until it lay stretched out half its
length in dark, sinuous curves. Blame
crouched back against the wall: the boa
raised its head. and glarej ut MIN. Th.
flame from its eyes crossed, and seemed
to pierce his brain in one luTid flame.
He felt its hot and foul breath OH his
face, and then as it swaved TO and fro.