Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-12

| though we knew that they Were grain:
within fifty yards. This being so, v.
could only make UP the fire and take on
chance. Shortly afterwards I went t.
sleep with little Tota in my arms. Sud
denly was awakened by hearing tina
peculiarly painful sound, the scream o
a horse, quite close to the fire, which
was still burning brightly. Next secont
there came noise Of galloping boots
and before could even rise nv poo
horse appeared in the ring of freight
As in flash of lightning, saw his star
ing eyes and wide stretched nostss, am
| the broken rein with which he had bee,
knee haltered flying in the air. Also
saw something else, for On his back wa
a great dark form with glowing eyes
and from the form came a growins
sound. It was hon.
The horse dashed on. He gaIlopet
right through the fire, for which he hat
run IN his terror, fortunately, however
without treading On US, and vanished
into the night. We heard his hoofs for {
hundred yards or more, then there wa.
/ OA4CAOCs OAOACA INV di1h dS1lLl w C1SsdEl
growis. AS may be imagined, we die
not sleep any more that night. but waited
anxiously till two hours later the dawz
! broke.
As soon as there was sufficient light
we rose, and, leaving Tota still asleep
crept cautiously in the direction in which
the horse had vanished. When we had
gone fifty yards or SO, we made out its
remains lying on the veldt, and caught
sight of two great cat like forms sinking
away in the gray light.
To go any further was useless; we
knew all about it know, and we turned
to look for the other horse. But our cup
OF misfortune was not yet full; it was
nowhere to be found. Soon we came
upon its spoor, and then we saw what
had happened. Terrified by the sight
and smell of the lions, it had with a des-
perate effort also burst the rein with
which it had been knee battered, and
galloped far away. For now we were
left alone in these vast sohtudes without
horse to carry US, and with child who
was not old enough to walk for more
than little way at a time.
Well, it was no use giving in, so with
a few words we went back to our camp,
where found Tota crying because she
had woke to find herself alone. and ate a
little food. Then we prepared to start.
First we divided such articles as we must
take with US into two equal parts, reject
ing everything that we could possibly do
without. Then, by an afterthought, we
filed our water bottles, though at the time
l was rather against doing so, because
of the extra weight. But Indaba-zimbi
overruled me in the matter, fortunately
for all three of us. / settled TO look
after Tota for the first march, and gave
the elephant gun to lndaba-Zimbi. At
length all was ready, and we set out on
foot. By the help Of occasional lifts over
rough places, Tota managed to walk up
the slope on the hillside where had shot
the Petite buck. At length we reached
it, and, looking at the country beyond,
I gave an exclamation Of dismay. To
say that it was desert would be saving
too much; it was more like the Barroo
in the Cape-a vast sandy waste, stud
ded here and there with low shrubs and
scattered rocks. But it was a great ex-
panse of desolate land, stretching as far
as the eye could reach, and bordered IA.
away by line of purple hills, in the
center of which a great solitary peak
scared high into the air.
"Indaba-zimbi," said, "we can never
cross this if we take six days"
''As you will, Macumazahn," he an
swered; ''but tell you that there"-and
he pointed to the peak-''there the white
man lives. Turn which way you like,
but if you turn you will perish"
l reflected for a moment. Our case
was, humanity speaking, almost hopeless
1t mattered little which way we went.
We were alone, almost without food,
with no means of transport and child
to carry. As well perish in the sandy
waste as on the rolling veldt or among
the trees of the hillside Providence
alone could save Us, and we must trust
to providence.
Come on" I said, lifting Tota on to
my back, for she was already tired.
''All roads lead to rest"
How am | to describe the misery Of
the next four DAYS? How am l to tell
how we stumbled on through that awful
desert, almost without food, and quite
without water, for there were no streams.
and we saw no springs? We soon found
how the case was, and saved almost all
the water in our bottles for the child.
To look back on it is like nightmare.
| can scarcely bear to dwell on it. Dav
after day. by turns carrying the child
through the heavy sand; night after
night lying down in the scrub, chewing
the leaves, and licking such dew as there
was from the scanty grass, Not spring,
not pool, not head of camel 1t was
the third night; we were nearly mad
with thirst Tota was in comatose
condition. Indaba-zimbi still had lit
tie water in his bottle-perhaps wine
glassful We moistened her lips and
our blackened tongues with it. Then
we gave the rest TO the child 1t revived
her. She awoke from her swoon to sink
into sleep.
See, the dawn was breaking. The hills
were not more than eight miles or so
away now. and they were green.
There must be water there.
Come" / said.
Indaba- bi lifted Tota into the kind
Of sling that we had made out Of the
blanket in which 10 carry her on our
backs, and we staggered on for al hour
through the sand. She woke crying for
water, and alas. we had none TO give
her; our tongues were hanging from our
fps; we could scarcely speak.
VIZ ruc-a.I aUhiIa and Ton y,o-~:ft,l1v