The Globe-republican., 1890-12-10

to her girdle and drew her great knife
from it. thought that she was about
to attack me, and prepared to defend
myself as I best could, for was I'M
armed. But she made no effort to do 50.
Lifting the knife on high, for moment
she held it glittering in the moonlight,
then plunged it into her own breast and
fell headlong to the ground.
l sprang over the wall and ran TO her.
She was not yet dead Presently she
opened her eyes, and / saw that the mad
| ness had gone out of them.
'Macumazahn," she said, speaking in
English and in a thick, difficult voice,
like one who half forgot and half remem-
bered, "Macunazahn, remember now.
1 have been mad. Is she really dead,
Macumazahn?"
Yes" said, she is dead, "and you
killed her"
II killed her, the dying woman
faltered, land I loved her. Yes, yes-I
know now. be ame brute again and
dragged her to the brutes, and now once
more am woman, and she is dead,
and I killed her-because loved her so.
l killed her who saved me from the
brutes. I am not dead yet. Macuma-
zahn. Take me and torture me todeauh,
slowly, very slowly. 1t was jealousy Of
you that drove me mad, and I have
killed her, and now she never can for
give me-"
ASK forgiveness from above" I said,
| for Hendrika had been a Christian. and
| the torment of her remorse touched
| ne.
Il ask no forgiveness" she said.
killed her: may become brute for
ever till she comes to find me and for
give me! only want her forgiveness"
And wailing in an anguish of the heart
so strtn g that her bodily suffering
seemed to be forgotten, Hendrika, the
Baboon-woman died.
went back to the kraals, and, wax
ing Indaba-zimbi, told him what had
! happened, asking him to send some
one to watch the body, as proposed to
give it burial. But next morning it
was gone, and found that the natives,
! hearing of the event, had taken the
corpse and thrown it to the vultures
with every mark of hate. Such, then,
was the end of Hendrika.
/ a week after Hendricks death 1 left
Babyan kraals. The place was hateful
to me now, it was haunted place.
sent for old Indaba-zimbi and told him
that was going. He answered that it
was well. The place has served your
turn" he said; here you have won that
| JOY which it was fated you should win,
and have suffered those things which it
vas fated you should suffer. Yes, and
though you know it not now, the JOY and
| the suffering, like the sunshine and
storm, are the same thing, and will rest
at last in the same heaven, the heaven
from which they came. Now go, Ma
cumazahn."
| asked him if he was coming with
me.
No" he answered, ''our paths lie
apart henceforth, Macumazahn. We met
together for certain ends. Those ends
are fulfilled. Now each one goes his
own way. You have still many
years before you, Macumazahn: my years
will be for the last time. Perhaps we
may meet again, but it will not be in
this world. Henceforth we have each of
Us friend the less"
Heavy words" said.
''True words" he answered.
Well, l have little heart to write Of
the rest of it. l went, leaving Indaba-
zimbi IN charge of the place, and max
ing him a present Of such cattle and
goods as l did not want.
To,a l, of course, took with me. Fort
unately by this time she had almost re-
covered the shock to her nerves. The
baby Harry, as he was afterwards
named, was a fine, healthy child, and l
was lucky in getting respectable ma
tive woman. whose husband had been
killed in the fight with the balloons, to
accompany me as his nurse.
Slowly, and followed for distance by
all the people. 1 trekked away from
Babyan kraals. Ny route towards
Natal was along the edge Of the Bad
Lands, and my first nights outspan was
beneath that very tree where Stella, my
lost wife, had found US as we lay dying
of thirst.
l did not sleep much that night. And
vet l was glad that l had not died in the
desert about eleven months before.
felt then, as from year TO year have
continued to feel while 1 wander
through the lonely wilderness Of life,
that had been preserved to an end.
had won my darling's love. and for a lit
tie while we had been happy together.
Our happiness was too perfect to endure.
She is lost TO me now, but she is lost to
be found again.
Here on the following morning l babe
farewell TO Indaba-zimbi.
Goodbye, Macumazahn," he said,
nodding his white lock at me. Good
bye for awhile. l am not a Christian:
your father could not make me that.
But he was wise man. and when he
said that those who love each other
shall meet again he did not lie. And L,
too am a wise man in nv way Macuma-