Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-15
(6l7ERMATES VTFE
- Z RIDER HAoaAln


fraal, to eat Of one howl, to share one
fortune till they reach the grave. Hear
now, my people, you know this woman"
and, turning, he pointed to Hendrika.
who, unseen by us, had been led out OF
TIE prison hut.
"Yes, yes, We know her." said little
rine Of head men, who formed the prim-
hive court Of justice, and after the fash
Ion of natives had squatted themselves in
: circle on the ground in front OF us.
.Wc know her; she is the white babyan
woman; she is Hendrika, the body serv-
ant Of the Star"
"You know her." said Mr.. Carson,
"but you do not know her altogether.
Stand forward, Indaba-zimbi, and tell
the people what came about last night in
the hut of Macumazhan."
Accordingly old Indaba-zimbi came
forward, and, squatting down. told his
moving tale with much descriptive force
and many gestures, finishing up by pro-
ducing the great knife from which his
watchfulness had saved me.
Then was called upon, and in few
brief words substantiated his story; in
deed my face did that in the sight of all
men.
Then Mr.. Carson turned TO Hendrika,
who stood in sullen silence, her eyes
fixed upon the ground, and asked her II
she had anything to say.
She looked up boldly and answered:
"Macumazahn has robbed me Of the
love Of my mistress. I would have
robbed him of his life, which is little
thing compared to that which have
lost q. his hands. l have failed, and l
am sorry for ii, for had killed him and
left no trace the Star would have forgot
ten him and shone on me again"
"Never," murmured Stella in my ear;
but Mr.. Carson turned white with
wrath.
"My people," he said, "you hear the
words of this woman. You hear how
she pays me back, me and my daughter
whom she swears she loves. She says
that she could have murdered man
who. has done her no evil, the man who
Is the husband Of her mistress. We
saved her from the babyans, we tanned
her, we fed her, we taught her, and this
IL how she pays us back. Say, my
people, what reward shall he given to
her?'
"Death," said the circle of indunas,
pointing their thumbs downwards, and
AL the multitude beyond echoed the
word death"
Death" repeated the head induna,
adding: IF you save her, my father, we
will slay her with our own hands. She
Is babyan woman, devil woman; ah,
yes, we have heard of such before; let
her be slain before she works more evil"
Then it was that Stella stepped for
ward and begged for Hendrika's life in
moving terms. She pleaded the savagery
Of the woman's nature, her long service,
and the affection that she had always
shown toward herself. She said that !,
whose life had been attempted, forgave
her, and she, my wife, who had nearly
been left widow before she was made n
bride, forgave her; let them forgive her
also. let her be sent away, not slain. let
mot her marriage day be stained with
blood.
Now her father listened readily enough,
for he had no intention of killing Hen
drika--indeed, he had already promised
not to do so. But the people were in n
different humor, they looked upon Hen
drika as devil, and would have torn her
to pieces there and then, could they hay o
had their way. Nor were matters mended
by lndaba-zimbi, who had already gained
great reputation for wisdom and magic
In the place. Suddenly the old man rose
and made qtite an impassioned speech,
urging them to kill Hendrika at once or
mischief would come of il.
At last matters got very bad, for two
of the indunas came forward to drag her
of to execution, and it was not until
Stella fairly burst into tears that the
sight of her grief, backed by Mr.. Car
sons orders and my own remonstrances,
carried the day.
All this while Hendrika had been
standing quite unmoved. At last the
tumult stopped, and the leading induna
called to her TO go, promising that il
ever she showed her face near the kraals
again she should be stabbed like jackal
Then Hendrika spoke to Stella in low
voice in English:
Better let them kill me, mistress. bet.
ter for all. Without you to love l shall
60 mad and become a babyan again"
Stella did not answer, and they loosed
her. She stepped forward and looked
1t the natives with a stare of hate. Then
she turned and walked past me, and as
she passed whispered native phrase In
my ear, that, being literally translated
means, "Till another moon," but which
has the same significance as the French
Eau revoir."
1t frightened me, for knew she meant
that she had not done with me, and saw
that our mercy was misplaced. Seeing
my face change she ran swiftly from me
and as she passed Indaba- -zimbi, with q
sudden movement snatched her great
knife from his hand. When she had
gone about twenty PAGES she halted
looked long and earnestly on Stella
gave one loud cry as of anguish, and
fed. A few minutes later we saw hel
FAR away, bounding up the face of an al
most perpendicular cliff-a cliff that no
body except herself and the baboons
could possibly climb,
"Look," said Indaba-zimbi in my ear
"look, Macumazahn, there goes the
babyan frau. But, Macumazahn, she
will come back again. All, why will
you not listen to my words? Have they
not always been true words, Macuma
xahnr and he shrugged his shoulders
and turned away.
For while was much disturbed, but
At any rate Hendrika was gone for tho
present, and Stella, my dear and lovely
wife, was there at my side, and in hel
smiles forgot my fears.
For the rest of that day, why should
write Of it?--there are things too happy
and too sacred 10 be written of.
AT last l had, if only for little while
found that rest, that perfect Joy which