Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-01-23

turned on lndaba-Zlmbl. You black
devil, you have betrayed mel" cried.
''Wait and see, Macumazahn," he an
swered, coolly, Now the fight is going
30 begin"
CHAPTER V.
l gasped with wonder and rage. What
did that scoundrel Indaba-zimbi mean?
Why had been drawn out of the lager
and seized, and why, being seized, was
not instantly killed. They called me
the white Spirit" Could it be that
they were keeping me to make me into
medicine? / had heard Of such things
being done by Zulus and kindred tribes,
and my blood ran cold at the thought.
What an endl To be pounded up, made
medicine of and eaten!
However, | had little time for further
reflection, for now the whole Impi was
pouring back from the Donga and river
banks where it had hidden while their
ruse was carried out, and once moro
formed up on the side of the slope.
was taken to the crest of the slope and
placed in. the center of the reserve line
In the special charge of a huge Zulu
named Bombyane, the same man who
had come forward as a herald. This
brute seemed to regard me with an atfec-
tionate curiosity. Now and again he
poked me in the ribs with the handle
of his assegai, as though to assure him
self that was solid and several times
he asked me TO be SO good as to prophesy
how many Zulus would be killed before
the "Amaboona," as they called the Boz
ers, were ''eaten up"
At first | took no notice of him beyond
scowling, but presently, goaded into an.
ger, prophesied that he would be dead
in an hour
He only laughed aloud. "Ohl white
spirit" he said, lis it so? Well, I've
walked long way from Zululand, and
shall be glad of a rest"
And he got it shortly, as will be seen.
Now the Zulus began to sing again
We have caught the white spirit, ms brotheri
my brother
Iron tongue whispered OF him he smelt him
out, my brother.
Now the Maboona are ours-they are already
dead, my brother"
So that treacherous villain Indaba-
Zimbi had betrayed me. Suddenly the
chief of the Impi, gray-haired man
named Sususa held up his assegai, and
instantly there was silence. Then he
spoke to some indunas who stood near
him. Instantly they ran to the right
and left down the first line, saying a
word to the captain of each company as
they passed him. Presently they were
at the respective ends of the line, and
simultaneously held up their spears AS
they did so, with an awful roar of "Bu-
lata Amaboona SHAY the Beers" the
entire line, numbering nearly thousand
men, bounded forward like buck startled
from it's form, and rushed down upon the
little lager. 1t was splendid sight to
see them, their assegais glittering in the
sunlight as they rose and fell above
their black shields, their war plumes
bending back upon the breeze, and their
fierce faces set intently on the foe,
while the solid earth shook beneath the
thunder of their rushing feet. | thought
of my poor friends tho Dutchmen and
trembled. What chance had they
against so many?
Now the Zulus, running in the shape
of bow so as to wrap the lager round
on othree sides, were within seventy
yards, and now from every wagon broke
tongues of fire. Over rolled number
of the Umtetwa, but the rest cared lit
tie. On they rushed right up to the
lager, striving to force way in. But
the Beers piled them with volley after
volley, and packed as the Zulus were,
the elephant guns loaded with slugs and
small shot did frightful execution. Only
one man ever got on to wagon, and as
he did so saw Boer woman strike him
on the head with an axe. He fell back,
and slowly, amid bowls of derision from
the two lines on the hillside, the Zulus
drew back.
LET us go, fatheri' shouted the sol
diers on the slope, among whom l was,
to their chief, who had come up. "You
have sent out the little girls to fight
and they are frightened. Let US show
them the way"
mo, no" the chief Sususa answered,
laughing. "Walt a minute and the
little girls will grow to women, and
women are good enough to fight against
Boers!'
The attacking Zulus heard the mock
cry VI buelT fellows anu TuSHGu lOTWdrQ
again with a roar. But the Beers in the
lager had found time to load, and they
met with warm reception. Reserving
their fire till the Zulus we're packed like
sheep in kraal they loosed into them
with the roers, and the warriors fell in
little heaps. But saw that the blood
of the Umtetwas was up. They did not
mean to DO beaten back this time, and
the end was near. See six men had
| leapt on to a wagon, slain the man be-
hind it and sprung into the lager
They were killed there, but others fol-
lowed, and then l turned my head
But could not shut my ears to the cries
of rage and death and the terrible S'geef
Sgeef of the savages as they did their
work OF murder. Once only looked up
and saw poor Hans Botha standing on
wagon shifting down men with the butt
of his rifle. Then assegais shot up to-
wards him like tongues of steel, and
when looked again he was gone.
turned sick with fear and rage. But
alasl what could | do? They were all
dead now, and probably my own turn
was coming, only my death would not
| De so SWlIJ.
The fight was ended and the two lines
on the slope broke their order and
moved down 90 the lager. Presently
we were there, and a dreadful sight it
was. Many of the attacking Zulus were
dead-quite fifty / should say, and at
least hundred and fifty we're wounded,
some Of them mortally. The chief
Sususa gave an order, the dead men
were picked up and piled in heap.
while those who were slightly hurt
walked off TO get some one to tie up
their wounds But the more serious
cases met with different treatment.
The chief or one of his indunas consid-
cred each case. and if 1t was In any way
bad the man was taken up and thrown
into the river which ran near. None OF
them offered any objection, though one
poor fellow wan TO shore again. He did
not stop there long, however, for they
pushed hi m back and dros ned him by
force
The strangest case Of all was that Of
| the Oh iefs own brother He had been
captain of the line. and his ankle was
smashed by a ballet. Sususa came up
to him, and having examined the
wound. rated him soundly for falling in
the first onslaught
The poor fellow made the excuse that