Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-20

awe on the man who had met death
without q cry. That bulldog courage
! that makes no noise is the most I'M
! quenchable OF all
The survivors mad stripped the coat
| from the body, and here exposed it; not
in mockery maybe, but to remind them
OF the fght-each gaping wound di-
ploma of honor to he who could cay
| Here my assegai went in. -
Blaine faced the crowd of reckless
| young warriors who gathered about him,
with calmness. They glared into his
| eyes, tourished their assegais before his
face, and tried the tirmness of his nerves
! III variety of ways, but without effect.
His capturer expostulated. One of
these careless, young rutiians might spoil
| the fun at any moment by trying the
| quality of his assegai, so Blaine was
taken at once 10 the chief who was
standing among his Indunas.
As the chief and the prisoner eX-
changed glances, the one recognized
Sirayo and the other saw before him the
officer who had pursued him out of the
| camp. A silence of several seconds en-
| sued, and Blaine saw ring of glttering
| eyes fixed intently upon the chief. Evil
IDENTIFY the men were waiting for the or
| der TO kill, and he braced himself up for
| the death blow
Sirayo, whose tall erect figure was
! draped in kaross of blue monkey skins,
| showed none of the fierce Gag erness of
| his followers. His face was impassive;
| il he felt any curiosity about the capture
| of the young officer he did not show it.
The silence was growing unbearable to
Blaine, when his capturer broke in upon
! it with thrilling whooD. Then he
id ;.,to ,,-
ing, and raised cloud of dust by his
| subsequent movements. He hurled
Imaginary assegais, avoided imaginary
bullets, lodged. leapt, struck, stabbed
at the air. and finally with terrific blow
of his knobkerris brought down an ina
ginary foe.
The man was not mad. He was merely
explaining in his exaggerated way how
he had put body of the enemy to fight
and captured Blaine. His dramatic,
acrobatio performance was greeted with
shrll whistlings, and handsful of dust
were thrown at him in testimony of his
bravery.
Sirayo listened courteously TO this WELL
acted lie, then uttered few words, and
Blaine was taken to one of the huts, in
| whose dark and smoky interior he passed
the night, and the next day and night,
without any incident to relieve him, or
any sign, beyond the cleaning eyes of
his sentry, and a calabash OF amasi, that
he was remembered.
On the second day of his imprison-
ment, as he lay bound with his face to
the small door, so that he could look
over the shopping ground, he saw q ma
tive woman coming up with swinging
stride.
yvotnlnH a
interest, wondering at her upright figure
and 1.-THE movements, aud noting how
the young warriors drew from her path
or smiled upon her steadily as though
afraid to show their admiration openly.
She came in silence right up to the
kraal, when she uttered one word of
greeting and stood resting with her hands
upon her stick and her ewes downcast.
An induna demanded her business, and
in the conversation that ensued Blaine
gathered in some way that he was the
object or her mission. An uncomforta-
bic feeling passed through him that she
had come to claim him to afford sport for
the women of some kraal; then, with a
keen start of pleasure and surprise, he
recognized in her the Zulu girl of Kepje
Alleen.
After while the girl and man walked
on, and as she did not again appear, the
hope that Miss Rath was in some way
working for his release died away. The
heat of the MONDAY sun, too, almost
stifed him; and the inverted bowl
shaped roof above him was like an oven.
He envied the bare skin of the savage at
the door, and would have sold his life
for one delicious plunge into pool of
ice cold water
he had n OF ,r;y l.
cheek to the hard floor for the GOODNESS
in it, he presently felt a spray of water
on his head. IL Sc: up in astonishment,
without speaking, while the cool mois-
ture was spriukled over his face, aud on
his parched tongue. which he thrust ont
rs boys do in u shower.
A low laugh added TO his astonish-
ment, laugh bright with mirth, but
yet soft and melodious.
'Who are you?'' he asked breath
Iessly.
81 am Pala, Inkose-but come out
into the light, and we will talk better.'
Blaine followed the dark figure of the
girl into the light, and looked at her
hungrily, as one who has many thoughts,
vet knows not which TO give utterance
to. Pala continued TO sprinkle water
over his face with a bundle of bushes,
which she drew from calabash OF
water.
Now, Pala. unbind my arm: won't
attempt TO escape. That is it, now l can
listen TO YOU. First tell me about your
mistress?''
"Ah!' said Paia, with a cunning
smile, 'that il good. l was waiting for
you to speak of her. She is well: 1t is
she who sent me TO you.'' Pala paused
and drew a deep sigh. "She is sad at
heart because you are not with her.
Have you many cattle?'
Blaine started at this uumistakable |
confession. ''Eh what - cattle - do |
these people here require ransom?'
''Oh, forget. The white men do not |
give cattle for Il girl when they marry |
Never mind; my mistress has many |
sheep, aud she can keep you In comfort |
and idleness.
Blaine smiled feebly. Was this an of |
fer of marriage that was being made TO |
him, if SO the young woman was going |
to the point with n vengeance. He |
glanced around for inspiration, and |
caught the fierce eyes of a jealous war |
rior fixed on him. '.Humph,'' lie |