The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-02-15

9 SO we started. had my elephant
gun and ammunition. Indaba-zimbi had
his medicine bag and an assegai. We
crept to the top Of the rise like sports
men stalking a buck. The slope on the
other side was strewn with rocks,
among which grew bushes and tall
+ grass.
! .sThey must have gone down the
Donga,o I said to Indaba-zimbi. q
can't see one Of them"
As / spoke there came a roar OF men
all round me. From every rock, from
every tuft of grass rose Zulu warrior.
Befc7e could turn, before could lift 9
gun was seized and thrown.
'sHcld him! Hold the white spirit
fast!'' cried a voice. 'Hold him or he
will slip away like snake. Don't hurt
him, but hold him fast. Let Indaba-
zimbi walk by his side.''
turned on lndaba-zimbi. "You black
devil, you have betrayed mel" I cried.
Swat and see, Macumazahn," he an
swered, coolly. 'tNow the fight is going
to begin"
CHAPTER v.
gasped with wonder and rage. What
did that scoundrel Indaba-zimbi meani
Why haa been drawn out of the laagel
and seized, and why, being seized, was
not instantly killed. They called me
the "White Spirit" Could it be thai
they were keeping me to make me into
medicine3 I had heard Of such things
being done by Zulus and kindred tribes,
and my blood ran cold at the thought.
What an end! To be pounded up, made
medicine of and eaten!
However, I had little time for further
reflection, for now the whole 1mpi was
pouring back from the Donga and river
banks where it had hidden while their
ruse was carried out, and once more
formed up on the side of the slope.
was taken to the crest of the slope and
placed in the center of the reserve line
in the special charge of huge Zulu
named Bombyane, the same man who
had come forward as herald. This
brute seemed to regard me with an affec'
tionate curiosity. Now and again he
poked me in the ribs with the handle
of his assegai, as though to assure him
self that was solid, and several times
he asked me to be so good as toprophesy
how many Zulus would be killed before
the "Amaboona," as they called the Bo'
ers, were t'eaten up"
At first took no notice Of him beyond
scowling, but presently, goaded into an.
ger, prophesied that he would be dead
in an hour. -2r.
He only laughed aloud. "Oh! white
spirit he said, sis it so? Well, I've
walked long way from Zululand, and
shall be glad of rest
And he got it shortly, as will be seen.
Now the Zulus began to sing again
We have caught the white spirit my brother
my brother!
Iron-tongue whispered of him, he smelt him
out, my brother. u
Now the Maboona are ours-they are already
dead, my brother
So that treacherous villain Jndaba.
zimbi had betrayed me. Suddenly the
chief of the Impi, gray-haired man
named Sususa, held up his assegai, and
Instantly there was silence. Then he
spoke to some indunas who stood near
him. Instantly they ran to the right
and left down the first line, saying a
word to the captain of each company as
they passed him. Presently they were
at the respective ends of the line, and
simultaneously held up their spears. AS
they did so, with an awful roar of "Bu'
lata Amaboona"- "Slay the Boers," the
entire line, numbering nearly thousand
men, bounded forward like a buck startled
from it's form, and rushed down upon the
little laager. 1t was splendid sight tc
see them, their assegais glittering in the
sunlight as they rose and fell above
their black shields, their war plumes
bending back upon the breeze, and their
fierce faces set intently on the foe,
while the solid earth shook beneath the
thunder of their rushing feet thought
of my poor friends tho Dutchmen and
trembled. What chance had they
against so many?
Now the Zulus, running in the shape
of bow so as to wrap the lager round
on nthree sides, were within sevensy
yards, and now from every wagon broke
tongues of fire. Over rolled a number
of the UmtetWa, but the rest cared lit
tie. On they rushed right up to the
laager, striving to force way in. But
the Beers piled them with volley after
vol1ey, and packed as the Zulus were,
the elephant guns loaded with slugs and
small shot did frightful execution. Only
jone man ever got on to a wagon, and as
he did so saw Boer woman strike him
on the head with an axe. He fell back,
and slowly, amid howls of derision from
the two lines on the hillside, the Zulus
drew back.
"Let us 60, father!' shouted the SOL
diers on the slope, among whom was
to their chief, who had come up. 'tYou
have sent out the little girls to fight
and they are frightened. Let us show
them the way"
.sNo, no. the chief Sususa answered,
laughing. Swat minute and the
little girls will grow to women, and
I