Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-04-11
The Strange Story
OF
ALLAN QUATERMA|H'S WIFE.
BY Il. RIDER HAGGARD.
A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE.

A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE
FOR a moment there was a silence or as
Constituent, and / saw the bronzed faces
of the men turn pale beneath their tan,
while one or two of the women gave a lit
tie scream, and the children crept to their
sides.
"Almightyr' cried Hans; that must be
the Umtetwa regiment that Dingaan sent
against the Basutus, but who could not
come at them because of the marshes, aud
so were afraid 20 return to Zululand and
struck north to join Mosilikaaye."
Larger up, Carries! Lager up for your
lives, and one Of you jump on horse and
drive in the cattle"
At that moment my own wagons came
up. Indaba-zimbi was sitting on the box
of the first. wrapped in a blanket. I-call-
ed him and told him the news.
"IlI tidings, Macumazahn," he said;
there will be dead Beers about tO-mOr-
row morning, but they will not attack
till dawn, then they will wipe out the
laager 50" and he passed his hand before
his mouth.
stop that croaking, you headed
crow" | said. though / knew that his
words were true. What chance had a
laager OF ten wagons all told against at
least two thousand of the bravest saVages
in the world?
"Mucumazahn, viii you take my adj
vice this timer" IndabaZimbi said, pres
emily.
"What is it?'' asked.
"This. Leave your wagons here, jump
on that horse, and let us two run for it
as hard as we can 20. The Zulus won't
follow us, they will be looking after the
Beers"
81 won't leave the other white men," /
said; sit would be the act of a coward. If
die. die"
Very well, Macumazahn, then stay
and be killed." he answered, taking a
pinch of snuff. Come, let us see about
the wagons" and we walked towards the
lager.
Here everything was in confusion. How
ever, got hold Of Hans BOtha and put
It to him If it would not be best to desert
the wagons and make a run for life.
How can we do it?' he answered; two
of the women are too fat to go "A mile, one
is sick in childbed, and we have only six
horses among us Besides, if we did we
should starve in the desert No, Heer
Allan, we must fight it out with the saw
ages, and God help us"
God help MS, indeed Think of the
children, Hans"
q can't bear to think, he answered, in
broken voice, looking at his own little
girl. a sweet. curIy-haircd, bIue-eyed child
of six, named Tota, whom | had often
nursed rs a baby. "Oh, Hecr Allan, your
father. the Prcdicant, always warned me
against trekking north, and would never
listen to him because ! thought him Il
cursed EngIishman; now | see my folly.
Heer Allan. if you can, try TO save my
child from those black devils; if you live
longer than do, or if You can't save her,
kill her" and he clasped my hand.
1t hasn't come to that yet, Hans" /
said.
Then we set TO work on the IaaCer. The
wagons, Of which, including my two, there
were ten, were drawn into the form of Il
square, and the disselbOOm of each Sc
curcly Iashcd with reins to the under
works Of that in front of il. The wheels
also were locked and the space between
the ground and the bed planks of the
wagons was stuffed with branches of the
"wait a-bt" thorn that fortunately grew
near III considerable quantities.
In this way barrier was formed of no
mean strength as against foe unprOvided
I,, ,i.,,.,,,,, ,,I.,c,s Lein,, Iart for Tho man
=, Gr. from, In - mn o,or. an bonr
,l,,,, mot co,,Id ho done
,Ii..o,,.f,,, .,.,,. nc T., tt,o ,lisrog i
of thn. ruttIn which had bann driven nm
close to fine comp some of the Beers
were anxious to get them into the Iaarer
small as IL was or ut least rs many of
them ms il would hold. argued STRONGLY
eroiust This pointfn,, ont that the brutes
vnuId urnh,hIv Inc seizrd with = manic
es soon ms thp tirfnu BEGAN. and wouId
trampIc the defenders of the Iaarer under
foot
Asun alternative pIan I suuoesfed that
so,nn nr thc potivc servants shouId drive
I'M, herd along the valley Of the river tiIl
they reached a friendly tribe or some other
place of safety OF course. if the Xulus
saw them they would hr taken, but the
nature of the Ground was favorable and
II wos possibIe that they nipht rscane If
they started at once. The proposition was
at once agreed to. and. what is more. il
was settled that one Dutchman and sucr
of the women and children as could travel
should 30 with them.
In half an hours time twelve of then
started with the natives, the Boer in
charge, and the cattle. Three Of my OWL
men went with the latter, the three Others
and Indaba-zimbi stopped with me in the
larger.
Tho p,rtiurr ,voe a baort- rraaI-fpc ~ ecera
unnp which do not care to dwell IN,
women wont tha mon ,,ro,,nd md ~,
children Ioor,rd on with scared white rocas
AtInr,rth thay wore ,rnna md far an.
v,as tbon,rnIorit There remained in IN,
Io,,,,a, seventeen white mon fnur natives
a., t,, re-. r,,, -, , ,,.,,,.,, t,, st,,,t =,
tr,,.o1 tbo ,,,,,,a, IN cbfILhad a,,I Ia,
hoh, ond IT,ns Rollins i'm 5our,hto,
Tot whom he could not nal,a mn hi,
mind to mart with UapDiIv hrr motbe,
was already dead
49,. ,,,.,- ..,,., that .,,,..- A..
-N"'' ile' ,r''S S'','o ',,''' W 'u,
W. 1 M go 80.
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i"'P' neN'' -" '"e"'' anu ou '"v ' III!
W ,1,,.,o - c,.il,',, .I,i,r ,,.h,, .h,1,aro
~, Min, -, y, ,.,,.
~ va ',,s, 80 ,',
~ 80, Wy -.
~ -, ,;4,I ,.
=. :" : .
tnan year from the ua'e OF the atIach on
lhe laaStr.
i ne AFTERNOON was now drawing towards
o|,'i-' "". sun mere were no Sl&ns Oh
tl,n,. III, ~ SUM Us S go
- - ~ '''. N,"T y" ABOUT ,"eit gus
that t1 =. ,''''I y
70 tbo Tr,,,.,.,, ~ 80
W. 1 /.