Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-22
A HUMHY'S BE0UEsT.

river with perhaps greater satisfaction
than the actual results would warrant, fo
l met with but meager success. Mer
there were who did now and again find ;
diamond that repayed them for their out
lay and hard work, but instances wer,
rare. / regret to say was not one o
them, although for years wrought as {
digger, barely paying my way, full ofhop'
and sanguine that sooner or later should
yank out stone that would repay me al
and send me on my homeward way re
joicing.
After about four years of diamond-dig-
ging 1 began to feel somewhat lonely in
my domestic life. Quite unexpectedly op.
Portunity served me for lettering my con-
dItion in that respect.
| fell in love. Stupid people have
asked, "Who on earth could you find out
there to fall in love with ?"
My reply has invariably been: of you
could have seen Norah Kildare your con-
tempt would have been as keen as mine
for such questions
People at home here, in England, never
seem to understand that circumstances pro-
vide compensation for all drawbacks con-
nected with them, if we only wait their
time. Circumstances had brought Colonel
Kildare to the banks of the Yaal river in
search of that with which he could recoup
himself for losses incurred by iniudicious
speculation at home. His was not a lone
case; there we're other families-some of
them very good families, too, in all re-
spects-other in some, but not in all.
I the time l met Norah first of all she
was but Is or 10 years of age-a splendid
specimen of girlhood, tall, Of . proud bear
ing, though not by any means naughty
royal type of blonde; such wealth of
hair, and eyes "too softly blue" yieing with
the heavens cerulean tint. A capital
horsewoman, fearless and therefore grace
full Riding the widest of horses, she
would sometimes start off on q mad burst
across the veldt. and ride for miles return
ing some hours later with the horse blown
but tanned, guided and controlled with
nothing but thin switch in her hand.
The reader may smile incredulously.
Does he think exaggerate? Not bit.
can assure him, if Norah hadn't been
a bit different to the rest Of her sex, she
couldn't have stood the life we led after
we were married, forced, as We were, to
enter upon what some folks call more
legitimate means of accumulating money.
Colonel Kildare, or, as he was locally
known, "The Colonel" and myself entered
into trading partnership. He was to re-
main behind and look after the digging
interests, while adVentured upon trad
ing trip to the Zambesi. Norah, against
whose wishes there was no one to demur,
decided that our marriage should take
place before my departure, in order that
SHOULD | see fit, | may accompany my
husband" The Colonel broke up his
establishment and went to live at the hotel
the very morning | started with the
wagons had two, laden with all kinds
or Kaffir truck, which included beads,
wines, fancy-colored blankets and mirrors,
with which to trade, in return for skins,
ivory and feathers.
Norah had been a general favorite all
along the river. The diggers divided into
communities, varying in number accord
ing with the prospects held out by the re-
turns from the different claims. Not one
of the camps but Norah had visited on her
sturdy gray mare, generally for the pur-
role.
Norah on this, to us, eyentful morning
held quite a levee at the wagons and
many were the souvenirs handed her by
men who had rallied, under her ministra-
ton, from the, trying fever or the bed
where accident had laid them prone and
helpless, and who, in all human probable
ity, would be separated by unknown dis
tanees from the chance Of seeing her again
long ere the time for our return from the
interior.
After variety of adventure by food
and field, we arrived at K'gwani, native
kraal some forty or fifty miles south of the
river Zambesi At this place we remained
some two months, making remarkably
successful run of trade with the hunters Of
the Mcselikatze tribe, who had been very
lucky and brought in large quantities of
skins and ivory, together with good sup
ply of ostrich feathers.
Being so near to the Victoria Falls /
thought it would be thousand pities to
return southwark without first taking a
look at so famous and picturesque spot;
so | unspanned the oxen one fine morning
and started for the falls.
No words Of mine can help 10 extol the
beauty of spectacle which has been so
frequently described by others whose pens
have done such graphic justice in the por-
travail of this wondrous water picture
We remained for over a week at this
pleasant place, making quite picnic of
our visit, thoroughly exploring the vicin-
ity. We were lucky in arriving at time
when game was fairly abundant As a
rule. travellers to this far-off region COM
plain of the scarcity of animal life.
In the neighborhood Of "the falls" there
are to be found many interesting objects;
hut what pleased Norah and myself most
were the grandly PERCEPTIONS rocks and
deep ravlnes through which the Zambesi
courses its way eastward. These rocks and
rayiues are not easily traversed, but with
discretion and pluck combined we found
our way famously. Numberless caves
peuetrate the sides of these deep ravines,
in some of which we found cLrios sufii-
Gent TO stock half OF the curiosity shops in
London.
One dav, having fatigued ourselves by
clamberins over rocks and exploring
cave in which we had discovered nothing
deserving mention, we sat ourselves down
at its entrance, while the Griqua who had
! accompanied us made preparations for
making tea, as an accompaniment to a
piece Of boiled buffalo meat and bread.
While the Griqua was thus busy we
amused ourselves by all kinds of surmises
as to the past and future of the river.
From these surmisings we were after a
while aroused by Jan placing our frugal
repast before US. Having done this, he
withdrew. and started, as he advised US, for
the purpose of investigating the interior
of the cave and seeing for himself what
there was to see, taking with him as a pre-
cautionary measure a flaming brand from
the fire. Norah and myself set 10 work at
once to satisfy our inner wants, succeeding
fairly we'll. had just got my pipe under
way when all at once a loud shrek, COM
ing from the interior Of the cave, reached
nr1r cars and an instant after the lsrinIln boy