Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-26

| Tugela, the thatch was woven in by
skilled hands, the floor Was stamped and
polished after days of labor, but in ter
| minutes all that remained was q heap OF
smoulderiug ashes.
On their way to the hill above, the
Zulu women and men turned to watch
the destruction of their homes-which
to them, were as dear as the homes OF
| their white enemies.
Mary, warned by the reflection on the
mist. turned to watch, and tears gath
cred in her eyes as she looked
Blaine's troop of horse marked the
beacon of fire and advanced at trot.
Sirayo also saw the leaping flames aud
his black eyes seemed to reflect the glare
for they shone like Goals of fire.
"Someone will die for that. The hand
that fired 1t has lit his way TO death.
have said it,
CHAPTER XI-THE SON OF DESTINY.
Amid the ashes of the burnt village
Blaine's troop took their breakfast
gathering cobs of green corn from the
feathery tipped maize stalks to roast on
the embers.
There they waited for the colonel to
come up, while above them on the ridge
was handful of Zulus looking down
upon their ruined homes.
column of horse moved up the valley
at q leisurely pace, and the sun was well
up when it joined Blane's advanced
| troops. The hungry troopers were soon
busy clustered about a dozen fires roast
ing corn and boiling water for steam
ing pannikin of black coffee. Between
alps the men would glance up 20 the
small groups of Zulus above them, and
they speculsted on the chance of a brush.
cit would be mighty tough place to
tackle,' observed Rove, running his
eye over the bowlder-strewn track. GA
score of men should hold it against g
hundred. and it . no place for cavalry to
swarm up.
$50 1t seems, sure enough, an
swered q trooper, who was chewing a
stalk of imphi (sweet cane). But trust
the colonel-if he goes up, we'll he goes
ur, that's all. -
| Rowe went off to study the leader,
| whom everyone IN camp called the
| colonel, and who, as he had already dis
covered, inspired the most implicit con-
| fdence in his men. He saw a tall, lean
| limbed man, dressed in plain gray rid
| ing dress and broad smasher, bound
found with strip of red, and wearing
| no weapon but a revolver suspended
| from wide leather belt.
This was Col. Redvers Buller-an Off
Ger who has since shown his generalship
| on the sands of Egypt. His extraordi-
nary coolness in danger, carried to
point of absolute indifference, had
caught the admiration of all men in the
army his strong individuality had gwen
him an influence which his rank at the
time did not warrant, and his self-re-
lance, readiness, capacity for endurance
and marvellous "eye for the country
had won the onidence of his men.
Where he LED they would follow without
question and without hesitation.
His eyes were gray, rather small but
keen and commanding. His nose was
thin and long, his lips thin, with an ex-
preston abou; them babitually stern and
at times ill-tempered. His voice was
sharp, quick an6 clear. and when raised
in reproof it fell like the lash of a whip,
making the offender quail. There was
nothing genial about the colonel; he was
essentially a leader of fighting men,
grim and hard, with muscles of iron that
defied all fatigue.
Near him was another notable figure,
engaged like good horseman in attend
ing to his charger, fine, splendid gray.
He was running his open hand, rather
white and delicate, over the animals
coat, and stopping where he felt q SWELL
ing to pick out f'tick'' which bad Sc
GREETED itself under the hair and was
swelling itself out with blood.
Stop moment and look at horse and
rider, for the latter is prince imperial of
France, and the horse is the same that
led to his death.
Unlike the other officers of irregular
horse, the prince wore sabre in addi-
ton to his revolver, and n pith helmet in
place of the usual smasher. His slight
but we'll built figure showed him to pos
sess uncommon activity, and the care he
gave to his horse was evidence OF q
thoughtful and kindly disposition.
Now he rubs his hand over the horse's
Duzzle, and turns to the colonel. His
oval face is grave and purposeful. The
small mouth is sensitive, the clean cut
jaw and chin show signs of power, the
delicately chiseled nose, is one of the true
Napoleon shape, but the eyes are the
charm of the face. They are large, grey
eyes, calm in their gaze, yet with q tinge
of sadness in them, and that look OF des-
tiny which is seen in the expressions of
some men.
Presently hubbub of voices an
nounced that something unusual had &C.
Cured. A number OF men were eagerly
glanoing up to the ridge where the group
of Zulus had been joined by a man on q
white horse.
Que of the officers possessed a field
glass and this was eagerly in demand.
1t was in time handed to the prince, who
stood on an anthill and looked long and
earnestly.
The man on the white horse was try
ing to encourage the Zulu to show fight.
He rode up and down, and his arm could
be seen in violent gestulation.
'Who is It? some chief l suppose. -
A Basuto of Cochran IS horse-a picked !
lot OF native Aforementioned a mo-
ment up, and Immediately pronounced |
the man to be SIrayo.
1.-THE same spy who escaped from the |
camD?' queried the prince. "We may |
hope to take him prisoner if he will only |
stsnd.''
What strange fate has thrown the heir |
of Napoleon across the path of the de-
scendent of Chaka, the Zulu conqueror.
The one reared among the glitter and |
pomp in the brightest palace, in the
brightest city in the world. The other !
born in hut, reared in q cattle kraal, |
and trained to warfare from the time he
could hurl stick. Twice they met and I