Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-13
THE STRANGE STORY
 or Allan 0uateTmain'S Wife
BY Fl. RIDER HAGGARD,


 cross this if we take six days"
 "As you will, Macumazahn," he an- swered; 'but I tell you that there'- white man lives. Turn which way you like, but if you turn you will perish" {,
 I reflected for moment. Our case was, humanly speaking, almost hopeless. It mattered little which way we went We were alone, almost without food, with no means of transport, and a child to carry. As well perish in the sandy waste as on the rolling veldt or among the trees of the hillside. Providence alone could save us, and we must trust to Providence.
 "Come on," L said, lifting Tota on to my back, for she was already tired. "All roads lead to rest"
 How am to describe tho misery of the next four days? How am I to tell how we stumbled on through that awful des- ert, almost without food, and quite with out water, for there were no streams, and we saw no springs? We soon found how the case was, and saved almost all the water in our bottles for the child. To look back on it is like nightmare. can scarcely bear to dwell on it. Day after day, by turns carrying the child through the heavy sand; night after night lying down in the scrub, chewing the leaves and licking such dew as there was from the scanty grassl Not a spring. not pool, not a head of game! It was the third night; we were nearly mad with thirst. Tota was in a comatose condition. Indaba-zimbi still had lit tie water in his bottle-perhaps wine glassful. We moistened her lips and our blackened tongues with it. Then we gave the rest to the child. It revived her. She awoke from her swoon to sink into sleep.
 See, the dawn was breaking. The hills were not moro than eight miles or so away now. and they were green.
 There must be water there.
 "Come," l said.
 Indaba-zimbi lifted Tota into the kind of sling that we had made out of tho blanket in which to carry her on our backs, and we staggered on for an hour through tho sand. She woke cry ing for water, and, alasl we had none to give her; our tongues were hanging from our lips, we could scarcely speak.
 We rested awhile, and Tota merci- fully swooned away. Then Indaba- zimbi took her. Though he was so thin the old mans strength was won derful.
 Another hour; tho slope of the great peak could not be m ore than two miles away now. A couple of hundred yards of grew large, baobale tree. Could we reach it's shadel We had done half the distance when Indaba-zimbi fell from exhaustion. We were now so weak that neither of us could lift the child on to our backs. We each took one of her hands and dragged her along the road. Fifty yards-they seemed to be fifty miles. An! the tree was reached at last; compared with the heat outside, the shade of it's dense foliage seemed like the dusk and cool oi a vault. I remember thinking that ii was 9 good place to die in. Then I re. member no moro.
 1 woke with feeling as though the blessed rain were falling on my face and head. Slowly and with great diff ! ,fculty l opened my eyes. then shut them again, having seen a vision. Fol "a space l lay thus, while the rain con !tinued to fall; I saw now that must be asleep, or of my head with thirst ol fever. If I were not of my head how came to imagine that lovely, dark eyed girl was bending over me sprink ling water on my face? A white girl too, not a Kaff1r woman. However, tho dream went on.
 "Hendrika," said voice in English tho sweetest voice that I had ever heard somehow it reminded mo of wind whis pering in the trees at night. "Hendrika I fear he dies; there Is a flask of brandy in my saddle-bag; get It."
 i "Ah! ahr' grunted harsh voice II answer; ''let him die, Miss Stella. H. will bring you bad luck-let hir- die, say" I felt movement of ar abov' me as though the woman of my visiol turned swiftly, and once again opene my eyes. She had risen. this dream woman. Now I saw that she was l and graceful as a reed. She was ;-ngry too; her dark eyes flashed. and sh pointed with her hand at female wh stood before her, dressed in nondescri
 kind of clothes such as might be wor1 by either a man or woman. Tn woman was young, of white blood. ve- short, with bowed legs and enormou
 shoulders. In face she was not ba'
 >\&& g ARA