The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-05

there burst an awful dazzling blaze or
light. and now the hill on which we sat
rocked in the noise of the following
thunder. The light went put of the sky.
darkness fell suddenly on the land, but
not for long. Presently the whole land
scape grew vivid in the flashes; it APP
peared and disappeared; now every
thing was visible for miles, now even
the men at my side vanished in the
blackness.
Suddenly the thunder and lightning
ceased for a minute, and everything
grew black, and, except for the rain, 81
lent.
1T is over, n way or the other, chief"
l called out into the darkness.
"Wait, white man, wait answeredthe
chief in a voice thick with anxiety and
fear.
Hardly were the words out of his mouth
when the heavens were lit up again till
they literally seemed to flame. There
were the men, not four PAGES apart. A
great flash fell between them; Isaw them
stagger beneath the shock. Indaba-zimbi
recovered himself first-at any rate, when
the next flash came he was standing bolt
upright, pointing with his assegai to-
wards his enemy. The chiefs son was
still on his legs, but he was staggering
like a drunken man, and the assegai had
fallen from his hand.
Darkness, then again a flash, more
fearful, if possible, than any that had
| D0o4 Hof0-A III 49, - 1-
from the east, right over the head of
Indaba-zimbi. Next instant 1 saw the
chiefs son wrapped, as it were, in the
heart of it. Then the thunder pealed,
the rain burst over us like a torrent. and
[ saw no more.
The worst of the storm was done, but
for a while the darkness was so dense
that we could not move, nor, indeed,
was [ inclined to leave the safety of the
hillside where the lightning was never
known to strike and venture down to
the ironstone. Occasionally there still
came flashes, but, search as we would,
we could see no trace of either of the
wizards. For my part, 1 believed that
they were both dead. Now the clouds
slowly rolled away down the course of
the river, and with it went the rain; and
now the stars shone out in their wake.
"Let us go and see," said the old chief,
rising and shaking the water from his
hair. "The fire fight has ended, let us
go and see who has conquered"
I rose and followed him, dripping as
though | had swum a hundred wards
with my clothes on, and after me came
all the people of the kraal.
We reached the spot; even in that
light I could see where the i~ronstone
had been split and fused by the thunder
bolts. While l vas looking about me, I
suddenly heard the chief, who was on
my right, give a low moan, and saw the
people cluster round him. | went up
and looked. There, on the ground, lay
the body of his son. He was a dreadful
sight. His hair was burned off his head,
the copper rings upon his arms were
fused, the assegai handle which lay near
was literally shivered into threads, and,
when [ took hold of his arm, it seemed
to me that every bone of it was broken.
Ii Il LUZ LIT tIlltl SlOOU gazing
silently, while the women walled.
'Great is the magic of Indaba-zimbi."
said a man at length. The chief turned
and struck him a heavy blow with the
kerrie in his hand.
Great or not, thou dog, he shall die"
he cried, land SO shalt thou if thou sing
est his praises SO loudly"
said nothing, but thinking it probable
that 1ndaba-zimbi had shared the fate of
his enemy, went to look. But I could
see nothing of him, and at length, being
thoroughly chilled with the wet, started
back to my wagon to get a change of
clothes. en- reaching it, 1 was rather sur
prised to see a strange Kaffr seated on
the driving box wrapped up in q blanket.
"Hullo! come cut of that" l said.
The figure on the box slowly unrolled
the blanket, and with great elaboration
took pinch of snuff.
st was a good fire fight, white man,
was it not?" said Indaba-zimbi, in his
high, cracked voice. .'But he never had
a chance against me, poor boy. He
knew nothing about it. See, white man.
what comes of presumption in the young.
1t is sad, very sad, but 1 made the flashes
fly, didn't T."
"You old humbug," I said, "unless
you are careful you will o o learn what
comes of presumption in the old, for
your chief is after you with all assegai,
and it will take all your magic to dodge
that"
Now you don't say So" said Indaba-
zimbi, clambering off the wagon with
rapidity; land all because of this wretch
ed upstart. There's gratitude for you.
white man. l expose him, and they
want to kill me. Well, thank you for
the hint. We shall meet again before
long," and he was gone like a shot, and
not too soon, for just then some men
came up to the wagon.
On the following morning I started
homewards. The first face 1 saw on ar
irving at the station was that of Indaba-
zimbi.
GLOW do you do, Macumazahns:" he
said, holding his head on one side and
nodding his white lock. 81 hear YOU
are Christians here, and I want to try a
new religion. Mine must be a bad n
seeing that my people wanted to kill me
for exposing an impostor."
CHAPTER III.
MDE