Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-04-25

cross this if we take six days"
"As you will. Mscumazahn." he an
swered: but tell you that there"-and
he pointed to the peak-"there the white
man lives. Turn which way you ike, but
If you turn you will perish"
reflected for moment. Our case was,
humanity speaking, almest hopeless. 1t
mattered little which way we went We
were alone, almost without food, with no
means of transport. and a child to carry.
AS well perish in the sandy waste as on
the rolling veldt or among the trees of the
hillside. Providence alone could save US,
and we must trust to Providence.
'Come OF" | said, lifting Tota ON to my
back, for she was already tired. ''All
roads lead to rest"
How am to describe the misery of the
next four DAYS? How am to tell how we
stumbled on through that awful desert.
almost without food, and quite without
water. for there Were no streams, and we
saw no springs? We soon found how the
case was. and saved almost all the water
in our bottles for the child TO look back
on it is like a nightmare. | can scarcely
bear to dwell on ii. Day after day, by
turns CARRYING the child through the
heavy sand: night after night lying down
in the scrub, chewing the leaves, and lick
ing sucn-lew as there was from the scanty
grassl Not a spring. not pool, not head
of camel
II was the third night: we were nearly
mad with thirst. Tota was in il cOmatOSe
condition Indaba-zimbi still had little
water in his bottle-perhaps a wine-glass-
ful. We moistened her lips and our
blackened tongues with it. Then we
gave the rest to the child. 1t revived her.
She awoke from her swoOn to sink into
sleep.
See, the dawn was breaking. The hills
were not more than eight miles or SO away
now, and they were green.
There must be water there.
Come" | said.
Indaba-zimbi lifted Tota into the kind
of sling that we had made out of the
blanket in which to carry her on our
backs. and we staggered on for an hour
through the sand. She woke crying for
water, and. alasI we had none to give her:
our tongues were hanging from our lips,
we could scarcely speak.
We rested awhile, and Tota mercifully
swooned away. Then Indaba-zimbi took
her Though he was so thin the old mans
strength was wonderful.
Another hour; the slope of the great peak
could not be more than two miles away
now. A couple of hundred yards off grew
a large baobale tree. Could we reach its
shade! We had done half the distance
when Indaba zimbi fell from exhaustion.
We were now so weak that neither of us
could lift the child on to our backs. We
each took one of her hands and dragged
her along the road. Fifty yards-they
tp ha he
were reached at last; compared with the
heat outside, the shade of its dense foil
age, seemed like the dusk and cool of
vault. remember thinking that it was a
good place to die in. Then l remember no
more.
woke with a feeling as though the
blessed rain were falling on my face and
head. Slowly, and with great difficulty,
opened my eyes, then shut them again,
having seen vision.
For space l lay thus, while the rain
continued to fall; saw now that / must
be asleep, or off my head with thirst or
fever. If | were not off my head how
came | to imagine that a lovely dark-eyed
girl was bending over me sprinkling
water on my faceS Awhile girl too not
a Kaflir woman. However, the dream
went on.
"Hendrka," said voice in English, the
sweetest voice that had ever heard; some
how it reminded me of wind whispering
in the trees at night. "Hendrika, l fear
he dies; there is Il flask of brandy in my
saddle bag-get it"
'Ah ah.' grunted a harsh voice in an
swer: "let him die, Miss Stella. He will
bring you bad luck-let him die, l say.
/ felt movement of air above me as
though the woman of my vision turned
swiftly, and once again | opened my eyes.
She had risen, this dream woman. Now
saw that she was tai and graceful as
reed. She was angry, too; her dark eyes
flashed, and she pointed with her hand at
a female who stood before her, dressed in
noudescript kind of clothes such as might
be worn by either man or a woman.
The woman was young, of white blood,
very short, with bowed legs and enormous
shoulders. In face she was not bad look
ing, but the brow receded, the chin and
ears were prominent-in short, she re-
minded me of nothing so much as "A very
handsome monkey. She might have been
the missing link.
The lady was pointing at her with her
hand.
How dare your" she said. "Are YOU go
gotten what | told you, Babyan (baboon)?"
"Ahl abr grunted the woman, who
seemed literally to curl and shrivel up be-
meath her anger. Don't be angry with
me, Miss Stella, because 1 can't bear it. |
only'said it because it was true l will
fetch the brandy"
Then, dream or no dream, l determined
to speak.
Not brandy" gasped in English as
well as my swollen tongue would allow;
''give me water"
"Ah, he lives" cried the beautiful girl
"and he talks English. See, sir, here is
water in your own bottle You were
quite close to q spring the other side of
the tree"
l struggled to a sitting position, lifted
the bottle to my lips and drained it. OH
that drink Of cool, pure water! Never had
l tasted anything so delicious. At the
first gu!p felt life flow back into me-
But wisely enough she would not let me
have much.
mo mOrel no morer' she said, and
dragged the bottle from me almost by
force
THE childi'' said-''is the child dead?"
81 do not know yet, she answered. 1--WE
have only just found you, and l tried to
revive you first"
turned and crept to where Tota lay by
the side OF Indaba-zimbi 1t was imposSi-
BILE to say if they were dead or swooning.
The lady sprinkled Tota's face with the
water, which l watched greedily, for my
thirst was still awful, while the woman
Hendrika did the same office for Indaba-
zimbi. Presently, to my vast delight,
Tota opened her eyes and tried to cry, but
could not, poor little thing. because her
tongue and lips were so swollen. But the
lady got some water into her mouth and,
as in my case, the effect was magical. We
allowed her to drink about a quarter of a
pint and no more, though she cried Bit
terly for it. Just then old Indaba-zimbi
came to with a groan. He opened his
eyes, glanced around, and took in the sit
uation.
What did 1 tell you, Macumazahnf"
and he seized the bottle and took long
pull at it.
Meanwhile sat with my back against
the trunk Of the great tree and tried TO
realize the situation. Looking to my left
l saw two good Horseshoe bare backed,
and one with rude lady's saddle on it,
BY the side of the horses We're two dogs,
OF stout greyhound breed, that sat
watching us, aud near the dogs lay dead
Airiie buck, which they had evidently been