The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-19

we rose, and, leaving Tota still asleep,
crept cautiously in the direction in which
the horse had vanished. When we had
gone fifty yards OF so, we made out its
remains lying ON the yeldt, and caught
sight of two great cat ike forms Sinking
away in the gray hight.
To go any further was useless: we
knew all about it know. and we turned
to look for the other horse. But our cup
of misfortune was not yet full; it was
nowhere to be found. Soon we came
upon its spoor, and chen we saw what
had happened. Terrified by the sight
and smell of the lions, it had with des-
perate effort also burst the rein with
which it had been knee battered, and
galloped far away. For now we were
left alone in these vast solitudes without
a horse to carry us, and with q child who
was not old enough TO walk. fos more
than little way at time.
Well, it was no use giving in,. so with
few words we went back to our camp,
where found Tota crying because she
had woke to find herself alone, and ate
little food. Then we prepared to start.
First we divided such articles as we must
take with us into two equal parts, reject
ing everything that we could possibly do
without. Then, by an afterthought, we
filed our water bottles, though at lifetime
l was rather against doing so, because
of the extra weight. But Indaba-zimbi
overruled me in the matter, fortunately
for all three of us. l settled to look
after Tota for the first march, and gave
the elephant gun to Indaba-zimbi. At
length all was ready, and we set out on
foot. BY the help of occasional lifts over
rough places, Tota managed to walk up
the slope on the hillside where had shot
the Petite buck. At length we reached
it, and, looking at the country beyond,
| gave an exclamation of dismay. To
say that it was desert would be saying
too much; it was more like the Barroo
in the Cape-a vast sandy waste, stud
| ded here and there with low shrubs and
scattered rocks. But it was great ex-
panse of desolate land, stretching as far
as the eye could reach, and bordered far
away by line of purple hills, in the
center of which a great solitary peak
scared high into the air.
''Indaba-zimbi," l said, 1--WE can nsver
cross this if we take six days"
GAS you will, Macumazahn," he an.
swered; 'but L tell you that there
he pointed to the peak-"there the white
man lives. Turn which way you like
but if you turn you will perish"
l reflected for a moment. Our case
was, humanity speaking, almost hopeless
1t mattered little which way we went
We were alone, almost without food
with no means of transport and chile
to carry. As well perish in the sandy
waste as on the rolling veldt or among
the trees of the hillside. Providence
alone could save us, and we must trus
to providence.
"Come on said, lifting Tota on t
my back, for she was already tired
"All roads lead to rest
How am l to describe the misery OIL
the next four days? How am 1 to tel
how we stumbled on through that awful
desert, almost without food, and quite
without water, for there were no streams
and we saw no springs? We soon fount
how the case was, and saved almost al
the water in our bottles for the child
To look back on it is like a nightmare
can scarcely bear to dwell on it. Day
after day, by turns carrying the chilC
through the heavy sand; night after
night lying down in the scrub, chewing
the leaves, and licking such dew as Their
was from the scanty grass! Not spring
not pool, not head of game! 1t wa
the third night; we were nearly mac
with thirst. Tota was in a comatos,
condition. Indaba-zimbi still had lit
tie water in his bottle-perhaps wine
glassful. We moistened her lips ant
our blackened tongues with it. Thel
we gave the rest to the child. 1t revived
her. She awoke from her swoon to sim
into sleep.
See, the dawn was breaking. The hill
were not more than eight miles or s.
away now, and they were green.
There must be water there.
''Come," said.
Indaba-zimbi lifted Tota into the kin
of sling that we had made out of tn
blanket in which to carry her on GU
backs, and we staggered on for an hou
through the sand. She woke crying TO
water, and alas! we had none to Civ
her; our tongues were hanging from on
lips; we could scarcely speak.
We rested awhile, and Tota mercifull
swooned away. Then Indaba-zimbi too
her. Though he was so thin, the oil
mans strength was wonderful.
Another hour; the slope of the grea
peak could not be more than two mile
away now. A couple of hundred yard
off grew large baobale tree. Could w
reach its shade? We had done half tn
, distance when Indaba-zimbi fell from e1
haustion. We were now so weak ths
neither of us could lift the child ON t
, our backs. We each took one of he
hands and dragged her along the roaC
| Fifty yards-they seemed to be fit
, miles. All, the tree was reached at las
compared with the heat outside, the sha6
. of its dense foliage seemed like the dus
, and cool of vault. remember thinl
ing that it was a good place to die il
, Then remember no more.
woke with feeling as though I'll
{ blessed rain were falling on my face an
f head. Slowly, and with great difficult.
! Iopened my eyes, then shut them agail
| having seen a vision. For space Ia
thus, while the rain continued to fall;
r saw now that must be asleep, or off N