The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-02-15
HIE STRANGE STORY
s s8t VII ssss5
Allan 4 guaternail 4 S Wife
BIZ H. RIDER HAGGARD,
AUTHOR OF 'sSuE," KING So1oAoN's
MnsEs," sJEss," "CLEo-
PATRA," ETC.
"A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE.

For moment there was silence OF
establishment, and saw the bronzed
faces of the men turn pale beneath thei1
tan, while one or two Of the women gave
little scream, and the children crert
10 their sides.
almighty" 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, and so were afraid to return to
Zululand and struck north to join
Mosilikaaye."
"Laager up, Carries! Lager up for
your lives, and one of you jump on a
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.
called him and told him the news.
s'Ill tidings, Macumazahn," he said;
'sthere will be dead Beers about to-
morrow morning, but they will not at
tack till dawn, then they will wipe out
tho lager so, and he passed his hand
before his mouth.
''Stop that croaking, you white-headed
crow" said, though I knew that his
words were true. What chance had a
laager of ten wagons all told against at
least two thousand. of the bravest saw
ages in the world?
s'Macumazahn, will you take my
advice this time?" lndaba-zimbi said,
presently.
ssWhat is it?" I asked.
''This. Leave your wagons here,
Jump on that horse, and let us two run
for it as hard as we can go. The Zulus
won't follow us, they will be looking
after the Beers"
81 won't leave the other white men, -
/ said; cit would be the act of a coward.
It die, die"
Every we'll, 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 every thing was in confusion.
However, l 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
SLOW can we do it?' he answered;
''two of the women are too fat to go a
mile, ono is sick in childbed, and we
have only six horses among US. Be-
sides, if we did we should starve in the
desert. No, Heer Allen, we must fight
it out with the savages, and God help
u.s."
'sGod help us, indeed. Think Of the
children, Hans''
81 can't bear to think" he answered,
In a broken voice, looking at his own
little girl, a sweet, curly-haired, blue
eyed child of six, named Tota, whom I
had often nursed as baby. ooh, Heer
ALLAN, your father, the Predicant, always
warned me against trekking north, and
Il never would listen to him because /
thought him cursed Englishman; now
Y see my folly. Heer Allan, if you can,
try to save my child from those black
devils if you live longer than l do; or if
YOU can't save her, kill her." and he
;clasped my hand.
s'It hasn't come to that yet, Hans," I
said.
Then we set to work on the lager.
The wagons, Of which, including my
two, there were ten, were drawn. into
the form of a SO uare and the dissGD boom
of each securely dashed with reins to the
Eunderworks of that in front of it. The
wheels also were locked and the space
between the ground and the bed-planks
of the wagons was stuffed with branches
of the swait-a-bit'' thorn, that fortu-
nately grew near in considerable guam
Titles. In this way a barrier was formed
of no mean strength as against foe I'M
provided by firearms, places being left
|for the men to fire from. In a little
over an hour every thing was done that
could be done and discussion arose as
ito the disposal Of the cattle, which had
been driven up close to the camp. Some
of the Beers were anxious to get them
into the lager, small as it was, or al
least as many of them as it would hold
il argued strongly against this, pointing
out that the brutes would probably be
seized with panic as soon as the firing
began and trample the defenders of the
laager under foot. AS an alternative
plan suggested that some OF the native
Servants should drive the herd along the
valley of the river till they reached q
friendly tribe or some other place Of
safety. OF course, if the Zulus saw
them they would be taken, but the nat
lure of the ground was favorable and il
Twas POSSIBLE that they might escape i
they started at once. The proposition
twas at once agreed to, and, what is more
lit was settled that one Dutchman and
such of the women and children as could
strayel should go with them. In half al
hours time twelve of them started with
4 THE natives, the Boer in charge and the
cattle. Three Of my own men went witt
1.-THE latter; the three others and Indaba
Ezi1nbi stopped with me in the lager.
1 The parting was q heart-breakinf
iscene, upon which do not care to dwell
Tho women wept, the men groaned ant
1.-THE children looked on with scared white
faces. At length they were gone and
|for one was thankful of it. There re
|mained in. the lager seventeen white
/. | men four natives, the two Boer frau'
lwho were too stout to travel, the woman
/. in child bed and her baby and Hans
- ln 51YyA