The Globe-republican., 1890-10-01
'Look!! loOk.i Ookr' he screamed.

Look! look! Lookr' he screamed.
Then suddenly the great spear flashed
down towards my breast, felt nothing.
but it seemed as though it passed
through me.
''See!' rOared the Zulus. ''Indaba-
zimbi has speared him; the red assegai
stands out behind mis- back"
Roll over, Macumazahn," Indaba-
zimbi Kissed in my ear, roll over and
pretend to die-quick! quick"
lost no time in following these
strange instructions, but falling on my
side, threw my arms wide, kicked my
legs about and died as artistically as
could. Presently gave stage SILVER
and lay still.
''See!" said the Zulus, 'he is dead, the
spirit is dead. Look at the blood upon
the assegai.'
Stand back! stand back.' cried In
daba-zimbi, ''or the ghost will haunt
you. Yes, he is dead, and now 1 will
call him back to life again. Look" and
putting down his hand. he plucked the
held it aloft. THE spear is red, is it
not? Watch, men, watch! 1t grows
white"
"Yes, it grows white they said. ''Oh,
it grows white!'
'.It grows white because the blood re-
turns to whence it came" said Indaba-
zimbi. Now, great spirit, hear me.
Thou art dead, the breath has gone out
of thy mouth. Yet hear me and arise.
Awake, white spirit, awake and show
thy power. Awake! arise unhurt..'
began to respond cheerfully to this
imposing invocation.
''Not SO fast, Macumazahn, whispered
Indaba-zimbi.
took the hint, and first held up my
arm, then lifted my head and let it fall
again.
He lives! by the head of T'Chaka. he
lives!' roared the soldiers, stricken with
mortal fear.
Then slowly and with the greatest
dignity gradually arose, stretched my
arms, yawned like one awakening from
heavy sleep, turned, and looked upon
them unconcernedly. AS l did so 1
noticed that old Indaba-zimbi was al
of perspiration stood upon his brow, his
limbs trembled and his breast heaved.
AS for the Zulus, they waited for no
more. With howl of terror the whole
regiment turned and fled across the rise,
SO that presently we were left alone
with the dead and the swooning child.
How on earth did you do that. In
daba-zimbi?" asked. in amazement.
Don't ask me, Macumazahn," he
gasped. "You white men are very
clever, but you don't know every thing.
There are men in the world who can
make people believe they see things
which they do not see. Let US be going
while we may, for when these Unite twas
have got over their fright they will come
back to loot the wagons, and then per-
haps thy will begin to ask questions
that 1 can't answer"
And here l may as we'll state that l
never got any further information on
this matter from old Indaba-zimbi. But
have my theory, and here it is, for
whatever it may be worth: l believe
that Indaba-zimbi mesnaerized the whole
crowd of onlookers, making them be-
ieve that they saw the assegai in my
heart and the blood upon the blade.
The reader may smile and say: ''Im-
possible!' but l would ask him how the
Indian jugglers do their tricks unless it
is by mesmerism. The spectators seem
to see the boy go under the basket, and
there, pierced with daggers, they seem
to see women in a trance supported in
mid air upon the point of a single
sword. In themselves these things are
not possible; they violate the laws of
nature, and therefore must be illusions.
And so, through the glamor thrown
upon them by Indaba-zimbi's will,
the Zulu Impi seemed to see
me transfixed with an assegai that
never touched me. At least that is
my theory: if any one has better. let
him adopt it. The explanation lies be-
tween illusion and magic of most i'm
posing character, and l prefer to accept
the first alternative.
To pv I