Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-02-06
NUMBER 50.

| which led 10 the sleeping huts was
Stella, leading little Tota by the hand
She was very simply dressed in loose
blue dress, with a vide collar, and Cir
died in at the waist by a little leather
belt. In the bosom of her robe was a
bunch Of orange blooms, and her rip
ping hair was tied in single knot be-
hind her shapely head. She greeted me
with smile, asking mo how had slept
and then held Tota up me to kiss
Under her loving care the child had
been quite transformed. S e was neatly
| dressed in garment OF the same blue
stuff that Stella wore, her fair hair was
brushed; indeed, had it not been for the
sunblisters on her face and hands one
would scarcely haze believed that this
was the same child whom Indaba-zimbi
and had dragged for hour after hour
through the burning, waterless desert.
'Wemust breakfast alone, Mr.. Allan"
she said; my father is so upset by your
arrival that he will not get up yet. Oh,
you can not tell how thankful | am that
you have come. / have been so anxious
about him Of late. He grows weaker
and weaker; 1t seems to me as though
the strength were ebbing away from
him. Now he scarcely leaves the kraal;
have to manage every thing about the
farm, and he does nothing but read and
think"
just then Hendrika entered, bearing
jug Of coffee in one hand and of milk
in the other, which she sat down under
the table, casting look Of little love at
me as she did so.
"Be careful, Hendrika; you are spill
ing the coffee said Stella. Don't YOU
wonder how we come to have coffee
here, Mr.. Allan9 l will tell you've
grow 1t. That was my idea. Oh, have
lots of things to show you. You don't
know what We have managed TO do in the
time that we have been here. You see
we have plenty Of labor, for the people
about look upon my father as theirchief"
Eyes, said, "but how do you get all
of these luxuries OF civilization?" and
pointed to the books, the crockery and
the knives and forks.
VERY simply. Most of the books my
father brought with him when we first
trekked into the wilds; there was nearly
wagon-load of them. But every three
years we have sent an expedition of
these wagons right down to Port Natal.
The wagons are loaded with ivory and
other goods, and come back with all
kinds of things that have been sent out
from England for US. You see, although
we live in this wild place. we are not
altogether cut of We can send runners
to Natal and back in three months, and
the wagons get there and back in year.
The last lot arrived quite safe about
three months ago. Our servants are
very faithful and some Of them speak
Dutch we'll"
"Have you ever been with the wagons?'
asked.
''Since / was child have never been
moro than thirty miles from Babyan's
Peak. she answered, DO you know,
Mr.. Allan, that you are, with one excep-
ton, the first Englishman that have
known out of book. Isuppose that must
seem very wild and savage to you, but |
have had one advantage good educa-
tion. My father has taught me every
thing, and perhaps know some things
that you don't. | can read French and
German, for instance. think that my
fathers first idea was to let me run wild
altogether, but he gave 1t up"
"And don't you wish to go into tho
world2'' asked.
Sometimes" she said, when l get
lonely. But perhaps my father is right
perhaps it would frighten and bewil-
der me. At any rate he would never re-
turn to civilization. 1t is his idea, you
know, though am sure | do not know
where he got 1t from, nor why he can
not bear that our name should be spoken.
In short, Mr.. Quatermain, we do not
make our lives, we must take them as
we find them, Have you done your
breakfastP Let us go out and ! VIII
show you our domain"
rose and went to my sleeping place
to fetch my hat When | returned Mr..
Carson-for after all that was his name,
though he would never allow 1t to be
spoken-had come into the hut. He felt
better now he said, and would accom-
pany us on our walk If Stella would give
him an arm.
So we started, and after us came Hem
drika with Tota and old Indaba-zimbi,
whom found sitting outside as fresh as
paint, Nothing could tire that old man.
The view from the platform was al.
most as beautiful as that from the lower
ground looking up to the peak. The
marble kraals, as | have said, faced
west, consequently all the upper terrace
lay in the shadow OF the great peak till
nearly eleven o'clock in tho morning,
which was a great advantage In that
warm latitude. First we walked through
the garden, which was beautifully culti-
waited, and one of the most productive
that ever saw. There were three or
four natives working in ii and they all
saluted my host as "Baba, or father.
Then we visited the other two groups
OF marble huts. One Of these was used
for stables and outbuildings, the other
as storehouses, the center hut having
been, however, turned into a chapel.
Mr.. Carson was not ordained, but he
earnestly tried TO convert the natives,
most OF whom were refugees who had
come to him for shelter, and he prao-
ticed the more elementary rites OF the
church for so long that | think he began
30 believe that he really was clergy
man. For instance, he always married
those of his people who would consent
to a homogeneous existence and bap-
tized their children When we had ex-
amined these wonderful remains OF an
tiquity, the marble huts, and admired
the orange trees, tho vines and fruits
which thrive like weeds in this marvel
GUS soil and climate, we descended to
the next platform and saw the farming
operations in full swing think that
it was the best farm have ever seen in
Africa. There was ample water for pur-
poses Of irrigation, the grass lands DO
low gave pasturage for hundreds Of head
OF cattle and horses and, for
natives, the people we're most In
dustrious. Moreover the whole place
was managed by Mr.. Carson on the Coz
operative system; he only took 1.-THE Of
the produce indeed, in this land OF
teeming plenty, what was he TO do with
more? Consequently the tribemen, who,
by the way, called themselves the
Children Of Thomas were able to ac-
cumulate considerable wealth. All their
disputes we're referred TO their father"
and he also was Judge of offenses and
| crimes. Some we're punished by Inn
prisonment, whipping and loss Of goods,
other and grsver transgressions by ex-
pulsion from the community, a fat
which TO one OF these favored natives
must have seemed as heavy as the de-
cree that drove Adam from the garden
Of Edan