Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-04-03
CONTINUED from Last Week.
THE STRANGE STORY
Of
Allan Quatumain'SW Wife
BY II. RIDER HAGGARD,
AUTHOR OF "SHE," "KING SoLoMoH's
Miles," "JEss," "CLEo-
PATRA," ETC.
A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE.
CHAPTER XII.

1 -
tives looked at the torn fragments o
the dogs, and at the marks of violence
and l heard them swearing to each othel
that whether the Star lived or died they
would not rest until they had extermi
mated every baboon on Babyan's Peak.
echoed the oath, and, as shall be seen
we kept it.
We started on along the stream, fol
| lowing the spoor of the balloons as we
best could. But the stream left nc
spoor, and the hard, rocky banks but
! little. Still we wandered on. All night
we wandered through the lonely moon
lit valleys, startling the silence into
| thousand echoes with our cries. But nc
answer came to them. In vain our eyes
searched the sides Of precipices formed
| of water-riven rocks Enthusiastically piled
one upon another; in vain we searched
| through endless dells and fern-clad
crannies. There was nothing to be
found. How could we expect to find two
| human beings hidden away in the re-
cesses of this vast stretch of mountain
| ground, which no man yet had ever fully
explored? They were lost, and in all
| human probability lost forever.
To and fro we wandered hopelesSly,
till at last dawn found US footsore and
weary nearly at the spot whence we had
started. We sat down waiting for the
sun to rise, and the men ate of such
food as they had brought with them,
and sent to the kraals for more.
| sat upon a stone with a breaking
heart. can not describe my feelings.
| Let the reader put himself in my posi-
ton and perhaps he may get some idea
of them. Near me was old Indaba-
zimbi, who sat staring straight before
him as though he were looking into
space, and taking note of what went on
there. An idea struck me. This man
had some occult power. Several times
during our adventures he had prophe-
sled, and in every case his prophecies
had proven true. He it was who, when
we escaped from the Zulu Impi, had told
me to. steer north, because there we
should find the place of a white man
who lived under the shadow of great
peak that was full OF balloons. Perhaps
he could help in this ex6remity-at any
rate it was worth trying.
slndaba-zimbi," / said, 'tyou say that
you can send your spirit through the
doors of space and see what we can not
see. At the least know that you can
do strange things. Can you not
help me now? If you can, and will save
her, I will give you half the cattle that
we have here"
81 never said any thing of the sort,
Macumazahn," he answered. 81 DO
things, I do not talk about them.
Neither do I seek reward for what I do
like a common witch-doctor. 1t is well
that you have asked me to use my wis
dom, Macumazahn, for l should not
have used it again without being asked
no, not even for the sake of the Star
and Yourself, whom love, for if so my
spirit would have been angry. In the
other matters I had part, for my life
was concerned as well as yours; but in
this matter / have no part, and there
fore might not use my wisdom unless
you thought we'll to call upon my spirit.
However, it would have been no good to
ask me before, for I have only just
found the herb want" and he produced
a handful of leaves of a plant that was
unfamiliar to me. 1t had pricl1ly leaves,
shaped very much like those of the COM
mon English nettle.
"Now, Macumazahn," he went on,
''bid the men leave US alone, and then
follow me presently to the little glade
down there by the water"
I did so. When 1 reached the glade I
found Indaba-zimbi kindling small fire
under the shadow of a tree by the edge
of the water.
''Sit there, Macumazahn," he said,
pointing to a stone near the fire, land
do not be surprised or frightened at any
thing you see. If you move or call out
we shall learn nothing"
1 sat down and watched. When the
fire was alight and burning brightly the
old fellow stripped himself stark naked,
and, going to the foot of the pool,
dipped himself in the water. Then he
came back shivering with the cold, and,
leaning over the little fire, thrust leaves
Of the plant have mentioned into his
mouth and began to chew them, NUT |
leaves he threw on the fire. A
dense smoke rose from them, but he |
held his head in this smoke and drew it |
down into his lungs till saw that he |
was exhibiting every sign of suffocation. |
The veins in his throat and chest |
swelled, he gasped loudly, and his eyes, |
from which tears were streaming, |
seemed as though they were going to
start from his head. Presently he fell |
over on his side, and lay senseless.
was terribly alarmed, and my first i'm
pulse was to run to his assistance, but /
remembered his caution,
and sat quiet.
Indaba-zimbi lay on the ground like
person quite dead. His limbs had all
the utter relaxation of death. But as 1
1 saw them begin to stiffen,
exactly as though TigOr morris had set in.
Then, to my establishment, I perceived
them once more relax, and this time
there appeared upon his chest the stain
Of decomposition. 1t spread and spread;
in three minutes the man, to all appear
ance, was livid corpse.
sat amazed watching this uncanny
sight and wondering if any further
process was about to be enacted.
Perhaps Indaba-zimbi was going to fall
10 dust before my eyes. As watched I
noticed that the discoloration was be-
ginning to fade. First it vanished from
the extremities, then from the larger
limbs and lastly from the trunk. Then
n turn came the third stage of relaxa-
lion, the second stage of stiffness or
-Egor, and the first stage of after-death
collapse. When these had all rapidlv