The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-09


made sign to one of them; apparently
she did not speak, or rather grunt, in
order not to wake Stella. The brute
hoped forward, and she gave it sec
ond rude wooden pot which was lying
by her. 1t took it and went. The last
thing that l saw, as the vision slowly |
vanished from the pool, was the dim |
shadow of the baboon returning with |
the pot full of water.
Presently everything had gone. 1
ceased to feel strange. There beneath
me was the pool, and at my side stood |
Indaba-zimbi, smiling.
''You have seen things" he said.
81 have" l answered, and made no
further remark on the matter. What
was there to say? "Do you know the
path to the cave?" 1 added.
He nodded his head. Il did not follow
it all just now, because it Winds he
said. but know it. We shall want
the ropes"
.sThen let us be starting; the men have
eaten"
He nodded his head again, and, going
to the men, l told them to make ready,
adding that Indaba-zimbi knew the way.
They said that was all right; if Indaba-
zimbi had ''smelt her OUT they should
soon find the Star. Sowe started cheer
fully enough, and my spirits were SO
much improved that was able to eat q
boiled mealie cob or two as we walked.
We went up the valley, following the
course of the stream for about mile;
then Indaba-zimbi made sudden turn
to the right along another kloof, of which
| there were countless numbers in the base
of the great hill.
On we went through kloof after kloof.
Indaba-zimbi, who led US, was never at
a loss; he turned up gulleys and struck
across necks of hills with the certainty
of hound on hot scent. At length,
after about three hours march, we came
to a big silent valley on the northern
slope of the great peak. On one side of
this valley was series of stony koppies,
on the other rose a sheer wall of rock.
We marched along the wall for dis
lance of some two miles. Then suddenly
Indaba-zimbi halted.
'.There is the place." he said, pointing
to an opening i'll the cliff. This opening
was about forty feet from the ground,
and ellipse shaped. 1t cannot have been
more than twenty feet high by ten wide,
and was partially hidden by ferns and
bushes that grew about it in the surface
of the cliff. Keen as my eyes were, 1
doubt if l should ever have noticed it,
| tIara c1,nb ,ronl-c nd
crannies III the rocky face of the great
mountain.
We drew near and looked carefully at
the place. The first thing noticed was
that the rock, which was not quite per-
pendicular, had been worn by the contin-
ual passage of balloons; the second, that
something white was hanging on bush
near the top of the ascent.
1t was Observation-Disclosures.
Now there was no more doubt about
the matter. With beating heart l be-
gan the ascent. For the first twenty feet
it was comparatively easy, for the rock
shelved: the next ten feet was very diff
cult, but still possible to an active man.
and I achieved it, followed by lndaba-
| LlulDl DuI l1c lstSG INClNC VI 11lOCCA
feet could only be scaled by throwing a
rope over the trunk of stunted tree,
which grew at the bottom of the
opening. This we accomplished with
some trouble, and the rest was easy. \
foot or two above my head the handker-
chief huttered in the wind. Hanging to
the rope. grasped it. 1t was my wife S.
As did so | noticed the face of q EabCon
peering at me over the edge Of the cleft,
the fist baboon we had seen that morn
ing. The brute gave a bark and van
ished Thrusting the handkerchief init
my breast, set my feet against the Cliff
and scrambled up as hard as could so
l knew that we had no time to lose, TO
the baboon would quickly alarm tn
|, others. I gained the cleft. 1t was
mere arched passage cut by water, end
, ing in gulley, which led to a wide opel
= space of some sort. Hooked through tn
passage and saw that the gulley wa
black with balloons. On they came b
the hundred. | unslung my elephan
9 gun from my shoulders, and waited
i calling to the men below 10 come :,
with all possible speed. The brute
streamed on down the gloomy gulf tt
: wards me, barking, granting and show
= ing their huge teeth. waited till the
L were within fifteen yards. Then l fire
the elephant gun, which was loade
o with slugs, right into the thick of then
|. In that narrow place the report echOe
IL like cannon shot, but its sound W.
IL quickly swallowed in the volley of pier
ing human sounding groans and scream
that followed. The charge of heavy stu!
had plcwed through the number of Il
J balloons, of which at least dozen Ia
y dead or dying in the passage. For a m
L ment they hesitated, then they came {
: again with hideous clamor. Fortunat
81 ly by this time Indaba-zimbi, who al
d had gun, was standing by my side, OF
III erwise should have been torn to piec
T. before could reload. He fired both ba
rels into them, and again checked Il
"a rush. But they came ON again. and nc
withstanding the appearance OF two II
IL tives with guns, which tley let off wi
more or less success. we should have be-
ST overwhelmed by the great and ferocio
er apes had not sg 'i.5 time succeeded
ed reloading the 81 amt gun. When th
e were right ON TO US l fred, with ev
9. more deadly effect than before, for
TX that distance every slug told on the
In long line. The howls and screams of IA
IN and fury were now something inconcei
a able One might have thought that
ne were doing battle with a host of {
~ mons; indeed in that light-for t