Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-18

east, and his rival the west, and before
each there burned little fire made of
some scented root. Moreover, they were
dressed in all the paraphernalia of their
craft, snake skins, fish bladders, and l
know not what besides, while round their
necks hung circlets Of balloons teeth
and bones from human hands. First l
went to the western end where the
chiefs son stood. He was pointing with
his assegai towards the advancing storm
and invoking IL In voice OF great ex-
element
"Comc, fire, and lick up Indaba zimbil
"Hear me, Storm Devil, and lick In
dabazimbi with your red tongue!
"Spit on him with your rain!
"Whir, him away in your breathl
snake him as nothing-melt the mar
row in his bonesi
run into his heart and burn away the
liesl
"Show all the people who is the true
Witch Finderl
"Let me not he put to shame In the
eyes of this white man!'
Thus he spoke, or rather chanted, and
all the while rubbed his broad chcstfor
he was a very fine man with some filthy
compound of medicine al monti'.
After while, getting tired of his
song, l walked across the ironstone, to
where Indaba- zimbi sat by his fire. IIe
was not chanting at all, but his per-
formance was much more impressive
It consisted in staring at the eastern
sky, which was perfectly clear of cloud,
and every now and again beckoning at
it with his finger, then turning round to
point with the assegai towards his rival
For n while looked at him in silence.
lie was n curious wizened man, appa-
rently over fifty years of age, with thin
hands that looked rs tough as wire. His
nose was much sharper than Is usual
| among these races, and he had queer
habit of holding his head sideways like
| bird when he spoke, which, in addi-
! ton to the humor that lurked in his eye,
| gave him n most comical appearance.
! Another strange thing about him was
! that he had single white lock of hair
among his black WOOL At last l spoke
to him:
"lndaba- zimbi, my friend" I said,
"you may be good witch doctor, but
|
beckoning at the blue sky while your
enemy is getting n start with the storm" "
"You may be clever, but don't think
you know everything, white man." the
old fellow answered, in high cracked
voice, and with something like grin.
"They call you Irontongue," l went
on; "you had better use it, or the Storm
Devil won't hear YOU"
"The fire from above runs down iron,"
he answered, $50 keep my tongue quiet.
Oh, yes, let him curse away, I'll put him
out presently. Look now, white man."
looked, and in the eastern sky there
grew cloud. At first it was small, but
very black, but it gathered with extraor.
dinary rapidity.
This was odd enough, but as ! had
seen the same thing happen before it did
not particularly astonish me. 1t is by
no means unusual in Africa for two
thunderstorms to come up at the same
time from different points of the COM
pass.
"You had better go on, Indaba-zimbi, y
l said, "the big storm is coming along
fast, and will soon eat up that baby OF
yours" and pointed to the west
Babies sometimes grow to giants
white man. said Indaba-zimbi, beckoH
ing away vigorously. "Look now at my
cloud-child."
looked; the eastern storm had spread
itself from earth to sky, and In shape
rcsembled an enormous man. There
was its head, its shoulders, and its legs
yes. it was like a huge giant travelling
across the heavens. The light of the
setting sun escaping from beneath the
lower edge of the western storm shot
across the intervening space in sheet
of splendor, and, lighting up the ad
vancing figure, wrapped its middle il
hues of glory, too wonderful to be de
scribed; but beneath and above thi
glowing belt his feet and head wer,
black as jet Presently, as l watched
an awful flash of light shot from thu
head of the cloud and circled it about a
though with crown of living fire aRc
vanished.
"Aha," chuckled old Indaba-zimbi
"my little boy is putting on his man
ring" and he tapped the green ring OF
his own head, which natives assum,
when they reach a certain age and dig
nifty. "Now, white man, unless you ar,
bigger wizard than either of us yo,
had better clear of, for the fire fight j
about to begin"
l thought this sound advice.
"Good luck go with you, my blacl
uncle" / said. II hope you don't fee
the iniquities of misspent life weighing
on you ut the last"
"a. Il II. ,.,,Ir