Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-05-30
The Strange Story
ALLAN QUATERMAIH'S WIFE,
BY Il. RIDER HAGGARD.
A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE.

| ran from the graveyard and called
aloud at the top of my voice, but no an
swer came. Meanwhile the native was
more proftabIy engaged in tracing their
spoor He followed it about a hundred
yards till he came to a clump of mimosa
bush that was situated between the stream
and the ancient marble quarries just
above the waterfall and at the mouth of
the rayine.
Here he stopped, and heard him give
startled cry. ! rushed to the spot, passed
through the trees, and saw this. The lit
tie open space in the centre OF the glade
had been the scene of a struggle. There,
IN the soft earth, were the marks of three
human feet-twO shod. one naked-Stella's
Totals, and Hendricks. Nor was this all.
There, close by, lay the fragments of the
two dogs-they were nothing mOre-and
one baboon, not yet quite dead, which had
been bitten in the throat by the dogs. All
around US was the spoor of numberless
balloons. The full horror of what had
happened flashed into my mind.
NY wife and Tota had been carried off
by the balloons. AS yet they had not been
killed, for # so their remains would have
been found with those of the dogs. They
had been carried off. The brutes, acting
under the direction Of the womau-monkey,
Hendrika, had dragged them away to some
secret den. there to keep them till they
died-or killed thenl
For a moment / literally staggered be-
meath the terror of the shock. Then l
reused myself from ny despair. l babe
the native run and alarm the people at
the kraas, tell them to come armed aud
md HI Mt
like the wind, and turned to follow the
spoor For few yards it was plain
enough-Stella had been dragged along.
| could see where her heels had struck the
ground; the child had, | presumed. been
carricd-at least there were no marks of
her feet.
At the waters edge the spoor vanished.
The water was shallow, aud they had
gone along in it, or at least Hendrka and
her victims had, in order to Obliterate the
trail.
| could see where q moss grown stone
had been freshly turned over in the water
bed. ran along the bank some way up
the ravine IN the vain hope of catching
sight Of them. Presently l heard bark
I'm the cliffs above me; it was answered by
another, and then saw that scores of ba-
boOns were hidden about among the rocks
on either site, ard were slowly swinging
themselves down to bar the path. To go
on unarmed rs | was would be useless. |
should only be torn to pieces as the dogs
had been. So / turned and fled back to-
wards the huts
AS drew near could see that my mes
senger had reused the settlement, for ma
tiVpg with md LrnrrinG in their
hands were running up towards the
kraals. When reached the hut met
/ Indaba-zimbi, who wor a cry seriou5
face.
80 the evil has fallen, Macumazahnr
he said.
at has fallen" answered.
Keep Il good heart, Macumazahn," he
said again. "She is not dead. nor the lit
tie maid, and before they die we shall find
them Remember this, Hendrika loves
her. She will not harm her or allow the
babyans to harm her. She will try to hide
her away from you, that is all.
pray God that we may find her." l
groaned. THE light is going fast"
'Fhe moon rises in three hours" he an
swered, I'VE will search by moonlight. 1t
is useless to start now; see, the sun sinks
Itl us get the men together, eat, emu ihdke
things ready. HGHbG CACHE Hasten
slowly, Macumazahn."
As there was no help | took his advice.
could eat no food, but l packed some
up to take with us, and made ready ropes
and n rough kind of litter If we found
them they would scarcely be able to walk.
Ali if we found them! How slowly the
time passed. II seemed hours before the
moon rose. But at last it did rise
Then we started. In all we were about
hundred men, but we only mustered
five guns between us, my elephant roer,
and four that had belon ged to Mr.. Car
son.