Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-15

] looked. The water grew dark; u
cleared, and In II was q picture. I saw
cave with fire burning in 1t. Against
the wall Of the cave rested Stella. Her
dress was torn almost of her, she looked
dreadfully pale and weary, and her eye
lids were red az though with weeping.
But she slept, and could almost think
that ] saw her lips shape my name In
her sleep. Close 10 her, her head upon
SteIlas breast, was little Tota; she had
skin thrown over her 10 keep out the
night cold The child was awake, and
appeared to be moaning with fear. BY
the fire, and In such position that the
light fell full upon her face, and en-
gagged In cooking something I'm rough
pot shaped from wood, sat the baboon-
woman, Hendriks. She was clothed In
baboon skins, and her face had been
rubbed with some dark stain, which was,
however, wearing of.
In the intervals of her cooking she
would turn on Stella her wild eyes, In
which glared visible madness, with an
expression Of tenderness that amounted
TO worship. Then she would stare at
the poor child and gnash her teeth as
though with hate. Clearly she was jeal-
Gus of II. Round the entrance arch Of
the cave peeped and peered the heads
Of many balloons. Presently Hendrika
made sign to one OF them; apparently
she did not speak, or rather grunt, in
order not to wake Stella. The brute
hoped forward, and she gave 1t a Sec
ond rude wooden pot which was lying
by her. II took it and went. The last
thing that l saw, as the vision slowly
vanished from the pool, was the dim
shadow of the baboon returning with
the pot full of water.
Presently everything had gone. ]
ceased to feel strange. There beneath
me was the pool, and at my side stood
1ndaba-zimbi, smiling.
"You have seen things" he said.
81 have" answered, and made no
further remark on the matter. What
was there TO say? "Do you know the
path to the cave?" added.
He nodded his head. 81 did not follow
IL all just now, because it Winds" he
said. "But know it. We shall want
the ropes"
"Then let us be starting; the men have
eaten.'
He nodded his head again, and, going
to the men, / told them to make ready,
adding that Indaba-zimbi knew the way.
They said that was all right; if Indaba-
zimbi had "smelt her out" they should
soon find the Star. So we started cheer
fully enough, and my spirits were so
much improved that was able to eat a
boiled mealie cob or two as we walked.
We went up the valley, following the
course of the stream for about a mile;
then 1ndaba-zimbi made sudden turn
to the right along another kloof, Of which
there were countless numbers in the base
of the great hill.
On we went through kloof after kloof.
Indaba-zimbi, who led us, was never at
a loss; he turned up gulleys and struck
across necks of hills with the certainty
of hound on hot scent. At length,
after about three hours march, we came
to big silent valley on the northern
slope of the great peak. On one side of
this valley was n series of stony koppies,
on the other rose a sheer wall of rock.
We marched along the wall for a dis
tance of some two miles. Then suddenly
Ipdaba-zimbi halted.
"There is the place." he said, pointing
to an opening In the cliff. This opening
was about forty feet from the ground,
and ellipse shaped. 1t cannot have been
more than twenty feet high by ten wide,
and was partially hidden by ferns and
bushes that grew about it in the surface
Of the cliff. Keen as my eyes were, l
doubt if should ever have noticed It.,
for there We're many such cracks and
crannies in the rocky face of the great
mountain.
We drew near and looked carefully at
the place. The first thing noticed was
that the rock, which was not quite per-
pendicular, had been worn by the contin-
ual passage of balloons; the second, that
something white was hanging on bush
near the top of the ascent.
1t was a handkerchief.
Now there was no more doubt about
the matter. With beating heart be.
gan the ascent. For the first twenty feet
it was comparatively easy, for the rock
shelved; the next ten feet was very diff.
cult, but still possible to an active man,
and l achieved it, followed by Indaba.
zimbi. But the last twelve or fifteen
feet could only be scaled by throwing a
rope over the trunk of a stunted tree,
which grew at the bottom Of the
opening. This we accomplished with
some trouble, and the rest was easy. A
| foot or two bove my head the handker.
chief fluttered in the wind. Hanging tc
the rope, Igrasped it. 1t was my wife's.
As / did SO l noticed the face of a baboon
peering at me over the edge of the cleft
the first baboon we had seen that morn
ing. Tho brute gave bark and van,
ished. Thrusting the handkerchief into
my breast, set my feet against the cliff
and scrambled up as hard as ! could go
knew that we had no time to lose, fol
tho baboon would quickly alarm the
others. l gained the cleft. 1t was 6
mere arched passage cut by water, end
ing in "a gulley, which led to wide oper
space of some sort. looked through the
passage and saw that the gulley wa.
black with balloons. On they came by
the hundred. ! unslung my elephant
gun from my shoulders, and waited
calling to the men below to come W
with all possible speed. The brute.
streamed on down the gloomy gulf to
wards me, barking, grunting and show
ing their huge teeth. l waited till they
were within fifteen yards. Then free
the elephant gun, which was loadet
with slugs, right into the thick of them
In that narrow place the report echoet
like cannon shot, but its sound wa
quickly swallowed in the volley Of pierc
ing human sounding groans and screams
that followed. The charge of heavy slug
had plowed through the number of tn,
balloons, of which at least dozen lay
dead or dying in the passage. For mo
ment they hesitated, then they came or