Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-04

doouI to DeSln.
 l thought this sound advice. Good luck go with you, my black
 uncle," said. ''I hope you don't feel
 the iniquities of misspent life weigh
 ing on you at the last"
 You look after yourself, and think of
 your own sins, young man," he an-
 swered, with grim smile, and taking 8
 pinch of snuff; and at that very moment
 a flash of lightning, don't know from
 which storm, struck the ground within
 thirty paces of me. That was enough for me, l fairly took to my heels, and as
 went l heard old Indaba-zimbis dry ehuckle of amusement
 l climbed the hill till came to where the chief was sitting with his Indunas, and sat down near to him. I looked a, the mans face and saw that he was in- tensely anxious for his sons safety, and by no means confident of his powers to resist the magic of Indaba-zimbi. He was talking in low voice to the Induna next to him. I affected to take no mo- tice and to be concentrating my atten- tion on the novel scene before me; but in those days had very quick ears, and caught the drift of the conversation.
 'Hearken" the chief was saying, eff the magic of Indaba-zimbi prevails against my son I will endure him no more! Of this am sure, that when he has slain my son he will slay me, me also, and mako himself chief in my place. l fear 1ndaba-zimbi. On!"
 Black one," answered the Induna, ''wizards die as dogs die, and, once dead, dogs bark no more.'
 And once dead," said the chief, ''wiz- ards work no more spells" and he bent and whispered in the Induna's ear, look ing at the assegai in his hand as he whis- percd.
 Good, my father, goodr said the In- duna, presently. 'It shall be done to- night, if the lightning does not do it first"
 "A bad lookout for old Indaba- zimbi," I said to myself. "They mean to kill him." Then thought no moro of the matter for awhile, the scene be- foro mo was too tremendous.
 The two storms were rapidly rushing together. Between them was gulf of blue sky, and from time to time flashes of blinding light passed across the gulf, leaping from cloud to cloud. re- member that they reminded me of the story of the heathen love and his thunderbolts. Tho storm that was shaped like giant and ringed with the glory of the sinking sun made an ex- cellent love, and I am sure that the bolts which 1eapt from it could not have bean surpassed even in mytho- logical times. Oddly enough, as yet the flashes were not followed by thunder. A deadly stiffness lay upon the place; the cattle stood silently on the hill side; even the natives were awed to silence. Dark shadows crept along the bosom of the hills, the river to the right and left was hidden in wreatns Of cloud, but before us and Eeyond tho combatants it shone like q line Of silver beneath the narrow space of open sky. Now the Western tempest was scrawled all over with tho lines of intclcralla light, while the inky head of tho cloud giant to the east was continually suf- fused with 8 white and deadly glow that came and went iH pulses, as though blood of flame was being pumped into it from the heart of the storm.
 The silence deepened and deepened, the shadows grew blacker and blacker; then suddenly all nature began to moan . beneath tho breath of an icy wind. On came the wind; the smooth surface of i the river was ruffled by it into little waves, the tall grass bowed low before 1t, and in it's wake came the hissing sound of furious rain.
 Ahl the storms had met. From each 1 there burst an awful dazzling blaze ! of light, and now the hill on which we sat rocked in the noise of the following thunder. The light went out of the sky, darkness fell suddenly on the land, but not for long. Presently the whole land ! scape grew vivid in the flashes; it ap- peared and disappeared, now every thing was visible for miles, now evcn the men at my side vanished in the blackness. ! The thunder rolled and cracked and pealed1ike the trump of doom, whirlwinds tore round, lifting dust and even stones high into the air, and in a low, continu- ous undertone came the hiss of the rush. ing rain. |
 Iput my hand before my eyes to shield them from the terrible glare, and looked beneath 1t towards the lists of iron stones. As flash followed flash from time to time caught sight of the two wizards They were slowly advancing towards one another, each pointing at his foe with the assegai in his hand. I could see their every movement, and it seemed to me that the chained light ming was striking the iron-stone all round them.
 Suddenly the thunder and lightning ceased for minute, and every thing grew black and, except for the rain, silent.
 "Itis over, one way or the other, chief I called out in the darkness.
 ''Wait, white man, wait," answered tho chief, in voice thick with anxiety and fear.
 Hardly were the words out of his mouth when the heavens were lit Up again till they literally seemed to flame. There were the men, not four paces apart. A great flash fell between them. l saw them stagger beneath the shock. 1ndaba-zimbi recovered himself flrst-at any rate, when the next flash came he