Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-13

| witnesses. Capt. Dslston found seat
! on camp stool, where he sat with folded
| arms and an unmoved expression. Rowe
! and Dick stood
| The Basuto was the first 10 be exam
| ined. giving his evidence in his native
/ tongue with sonorous accent and a wealth
! of gesture, waiting with hand uplitte d
/ while his replies were interpreted.
! The court was com posed of Command
! ant ID 'Arcy, Col. Baker and the colonel.
/ "You asked the colonel for leave to
| go back to the nights bivouac. What
reason had you for going back.
81 went back for sDoor. When
hunter goes after a wounded beast he
goes straight to that place where he last
saw it. -
wouu ed. -
"How does the chief know that?' de-
manded Dick quickly, becoming himself
the examiner.
81 am asking you. You went back TO
find the spoor. What spoor did you ex-
pect to fnd?''
"BlOod spoor!'' said Dick in his deep
voice, and with fierce roll of his eyes.
"What, Did you think Capt. Blame
had been wounded? If sd, by whom?'
The officers of the court leant forward.
Their suspicious of foul play were evil
IDENTIFY to receive confirmation.
Capt. Dalston flashed his black eyes
moment upon the witness, then shifted
his glance to Rowe, who looked unmis-
takubly moved.
The Basulo lifted his arm. 1.-The
night was cold, - he began, land my
blanket had hole in ia large hole. "
eyes, yes said the examiner,
irritaDly; "never mind your blanket and
the - hole. Come to the point.
Dick had no intention of coming to
the point He had something to tell,
and he meant to tell it in his own way.
:That night was cold - he continued,
Every cold, and the wiud stole like @
thief through the holes i'll the blanket,
which is an old blanket, and might be
replaced by Il better one. Men got uD
ana stamped their feet-some walked
about until it was far into the night.
Then for time there was silence, and
in that silence | heard the voice of the
lost spirit calling aloud-even the spirit
that inhabits the body of the night To-
Gust. | drew nv blankets over my
head, and was afraid. Someone was to
die. -
'What nonsense Is this!''
prefer. "This man is no fool. Someone
was TO die-wh0 was it?''
Dick shook his hand above his head.
al listened. Some one rose up. 1t was
Captain Blaine: he talked q little, then
went away, and by-and-by the sentry
came back. / listened, for well knew
that now the spirit had called him out
there into the darkness. Presently an
other arose softly, and like snake he
stole away. NV ear was to the ground
now, and ! heard one eXclaim in alright
such a noise as q man makes when he
is surprised by some terrible thing. |
knew the spirit terrified him; then l
heard q blow, and l again covered my
head. That il all. -
$50 you believe that Captain Blaine
was knocked down, who by! Who did
it, q locust or the spirt?' asked the ex-
aminer argrily.
Dick looked grave. He did not like any
one 10 make light of serious matters, aud
would give no more answers.
Rowe was now questioned, but he had
not much light to throw upon the mat
ter. All he could.tell was that they had
actually found traces of blood. and signs
which led to the supposition that the
missing officer Ind been captured.
- IL IS my OplulOu, sdiu AONe. luHt
Capt. Blaine was knocked on the head
bv some prowling Zulu, and that he is
now alive.
'There is some reason in that view,
observed one of the court.
at does not account for the pistol
shot, however, nor the loosening of
Capt. Rlaiue's horse interooeed the
Colonel. ado you think the Zulu car |
ried out the whole plan?''
oval, it would be like the cussed saw
age TO play such n trick
.You forget, - interposed the Colonel |
grimly, tthat the Zulu even if he had /
been cunning enough, would not have /
been able to select Capt. Blaine's horse (
from the troop.
81 cannot understand why the horse !
was driven away or why the pistol was |
fired - remarked au officer.
elf you will allow me word, - said /
Dalston calmly, 81 may account for that !
circumstance. The assassin /
did not want any search made. He ac-
cordingly, l imagine, turned the hu,sJ
adrift to give color to the idea that /
Blaine aad purposely ridden away and he |
fired the shot to cause an alarm, which /
would lead to an early march from the /
spot.
Eyes, hat is an explanation which ,
fits the scheming of an accom- plished ras-
cal, but not of Zulu. Possibly the man
may have thought that Blaine's absence !
would have been attributed to his fear of
an attack.
"Exactly,' replied Dalston. "He
upon our thinking that Blaine
had bolted under fear.
'.lf that view Is TO be accepted - said
D 'Arcy, warmly, 'the man who struck
the blow could have known nothing of
Capt. Blaine. He is not man TO run -
..Yet it does not bring us any nearer
to an explanation of the affair. Captain
Blaine, believe, was very popular
officer among all ranks. and l cannot
why this treacherous attack
should have been made upon him by
one of his comrades.
1.-The thing is monstrous, said Com
nande. darcy. hotly. 'Blaine had
not Il single enemy. Ny belief is that a
Zulu planned the whole affair; watched
rs approach, marked Blaine out-you
know he was a noticeable man on his bay
and tracked him down after crebping
among Us.
"In that case.'' SAID Dalston, ..he
would have killed Captain Blame aud