The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-09
evil. Now do you understand why you

eyes," said, s'though don't see how
she and the balloons can harm us. l
think that it will be better to go. If nee
essary we can camp the wagons some
where for while on the journey. Heark-
en-, Indaba-zimbi: say nothing of this to
the Star: l will not have her frightened.
And hearken again. Speak to the head
men, and see that watchers are set all |
around the huts and gardens, and kept
there night and day. Tomorrow we will |
get the wagons ready, and the next day
we will trek"
He nodded his white lock and went to
do my bidding, leaving me not a little
disturbed -unreasonably so, indeed. 1t
was strange story. That this woman
had the power of conversing with ba-
boons knew. That was not so very
wonderful, seeing that the Bushmen
claim to be able to do the same thing, and
she had been nurtured by them. But
that she had been able to muster them,
and by the strength of her human will
and intelligence muster them in order to
forward her ends of revenge, seemed to
me so incredible that after reflection my
fears grew light Still 1 determined to
trek.
So went into Stella, and without say
ing q word to her of the baboon story,
told her | had been thinking matters
over. and had come to the conclusion
that it was our duty to follow her fathers
instructions to the / ter, and leave Bah
van Kraals at once. Into all our talk
need not enter, but the end of it was that
she agreed with me, and declared that
she could quite well manage the journey.
Nothing happened to disturb us that
night. and on the following morning l
was up early making preparations. The
despair of the people when they learned
that we were going to leave them was
something quite pitiable. 1 could only
console them by declaring that we were
but on journey, and would return the
following year.
''They had lived in the shadow Of her
father, who was dead,'' they declared;
"ever since they were little they had
lived in his shadow. He had received
them when they were outcasts and wan
derers without a mat to lie on, or blank
ct to cover them, and they had grown
fat ia his shadow Then he had died,
and the Star, their fathers daughter, had
married me. Macumazahn, and they had
believed that | should take their father s
place, and let them live in my shadow.
What should they do when there was no
one to protect them? The tribes were
kept from attacking them by fear of the
! white man. If he went, they would be
eaten up," and so on. Alas! there was
but too much foundation for their fears.
returned to the huts at midday to get
some dinner. Stella said that she was
did not think it necessary to caution her
about going out alone, as l did not wish
to allude to the subject of Hendrika and
the balloons unless was obliged to.
told her, however, that l would come
back to help her as soon as l could
get away. Then | went down to the ma
tive kraals to sort out such cattle as haG
belonged to Mr.. Carson from those which
belonged to the Kaffirs, for proposed tc
take them with us. Itwas large herd
and the business took an incalculable
I time. AT length, little before sun.
/. down, gave it up, and leaving Indaba
i zimbi to finish the job, got on my horse
+ and rode homewards.
: Arriving, gave the horse to one O
: the stable boys, and went into the cen
S tral hut There was no sign of Stella
d though the things she had been packing
t lay about the floor / passed first int
r our sleeping hut, thence one by one int
D all the others, but still saw no sign of her
t Then l went out, and calling to a Kaffi
a in the garden asked him if he had seer
: his mistress.
i. He answered yes" He had seen hel
d carrying flowers walking towards the
n graveyard, holding the little white cir
} my daughters he called her, by thu
It hand, when the ism stood ''there," ant
t he pointed to spot in the horizon wher'
e it would have been about an hour and ;
= half before. ''The two dogs were will
u them,' he added. I turned and raj
towards the graveyard, which was abou
q quarter of mile from the huts. 0
: course there was no reason TO be anxiou
a evidently she had gone to lay tn
q flowers on her fathers grave And ye
was anxious.
II When l got near the graveyard me
q one of the natives, who, by my order:
l. had been set round the kraals to watc
II the place, and noticed that he was rul
bing his eyes and yawning. Clearly h
had been asleep. asked him if he ha
W seen his mistress, and he answered tina
he had not, which under the circun
II stances was not wonderful. Withou
IL stopping to reproach him, ordered til
man to follow me, and went on to til
t.; graveyard. There, on Mr.. Carson
err grave, lay the dropping flowers whic
6. Stella had been carrying, and there
the fresh mold was the spoor of Tota
We veldschoon, or hide slipper. But whel
were they?
ia 1 ran from the graveyard and Gale
40 aloud at the top of my voice, but no al
In swer came. Meanwhile the native W;
oi more profitably engaged i'll tracing the
;, spoor. He followed it for about hui
: bred yards till he came to a clump
-. mimosa bush that was situated betwet
- the stream and the ancient marble qua
-. ries Just above the waterfall and at tt
;9 mouth of the ravine. Here he stoppe
and heard him give a startled cry.
no rushed to the spot, passed through Il
~ trees, and saw this. The little OPP,
space in the center of the glade had be-
ha the scene of struggle. There, in t
, soft earth, were the marks of three h
IN man feet-two shod, one naked-Stella
- | Iota,c and Handrika,S Nor was this a