The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-04-16

4 u
found his scattered and broken bones,
the fragments Of his assegai, and -four
dead balloons. They had set upon him
and torn him to pieces. @
my father was very much frightened
at this, but still he would not let Hen.
drika go, because he said she was
human, and that 1t was our duty to re-
claim her. And so we did--to certain
extent, at least. After the murder oi
Hendrix the baboons vanished from the
neighborhood, and have only returned
quite recently, so at length we vent
ured to let Hendrika out. BY this
time she had grown very fond of me;
still, on the first opportunity, she ran
away. But in the evening she returned
again. She had been seeking the
balloons, and could not find them.
Shortly afterward she began to speak
1 taught her-and from that time she
has loved me so that she will not leave
me. / think it would kill her II l went
away from her. She watches me all
day and at night sleeps on the floor OF
my hut. Once, too, she saved my life
when | was swept down the river In a
flood; but she is jealous, and hates
every body else. Look how she is glar-
Ing at you now because am talking to
you'll"
looked. Hendrika was tramping
along with the child In her arms and
staring at me in most sinister fashion
out OF the corners Of her eyes
While was rejecting on the baboon
woman's strange story and thinking
that she was an exceedingly awkward
customer, the path took sudden turn.
"Lookp saM Stella, 'there is our
house. Is 1t not beautifully"
1t was beautiful indeed. Here on the
western side Of the great peak a bay bad
been formed in the mountain, which
might have measured eight hundred or
a thousand yards across by three-quar-
ters Of mile in depth. At the back of
the indentation the sheer cliff rose to
the height of several hundred feet, and
behind 1t and above 1t tho great Babyan
Peak lowered up towards the heavens.
The space Of ground, embraced thus in
the arms Of the mountain, as 1t were,
was laid out, as though by the cunning
hand Of man, In three terraces that rose
one above the other To the right and
left OF the topmost terrace we're chasms
in the cliff, and from each chasm fell
a waterfall, from no great height, in
deed, but Of considerable volume. These
two streams flowed away on either side
OF the inclosed space, one towards the
north, and tho other, the course OF
which we had been following, round the
base Of the mountain. At each terrace
they made cascade, 80 that the travel
er approaching had a view OF eight
waterfalls at once. Along the
edge OF the stream TO our left were
placed Kafir kraals, built In orderly
groups with verandas, after the Basutu
fashion, and very large part of the en-
tire space OF land was under cultivation.
All OF this noted at once, as well as
tho extraordinary richness and depth OF |
the soil, which for many ages past had |
boon washed down from the mountain |
heights. Then following the line Of |
en excellent wagon road, on
which we now found ourselves,
that wound DIP from terrace
TO terrace, my eye lit upon the crowning
wonder Of the scene. For in the center
Of the topmost platform or terrace,
which may have inclosed eight or ten
acres OF ground, and almost surrounded
BY groves OF orange trees, CLEANED
Of which / had never seen the
ike. There were three groups OF them,
me In the middle and one on either
'ide, and q little TO the rear, but, as I
afterwards discovered, the plan OF all
vas the same. In the center was an edi-
Ice constructed like an ordinary Zulu
is to say, In the shape Of
only 1t was five times the size
II any hut ever saw, and built Of blocks
u hewn white marble, fitted together
With extraordinary knowledge OF the
principles and properties OF arch build
ng, and with 80 much accuracy and fin
sh that 1t was often difficult TO find the
ronts Of the massive blocks. From this
enter hut ran three covered passages
eading TO other buildings OF an exactly
imilar character, only smaller, and each
Vhole block was inclosed by marble
vail about four feet in height
OF course we were as yet too far OF to
60 all these details, but the general
utline ! saw at once, and It astonished
ne considerably. Even old 1ndaba-zim-
4, whom the baboon-woman had been
nable TO move, deigned to show won
er. I'F .i .F1 |
"ohl" he said; "this is place Of mar
els. Who over saw lrraals built oi
ghite stone2" 400.
Stella watched our faces with an ex-
ression OF intense amusement but
aid nothing. aH' fIf
''Did your father build those kraals2r
gasped at length.
my fatheri no, OF course mott she
"How would IL have boon
'ossiblo for one white man 10 do 30, or
o have made this roadp He found them
s you see" .i..t. mN
WHO built them, then9" I said again.
Il do not know. Ny father thinks
hat they are very ancient. for the
'eoplo who live here now do not know
low 10 lay one stone upon another, and
hese huts arc so wonderfully con-
tructed that though they must have
TODD for ages, not stone OF them has
allen. But can show you the quarry
'here the marble was cut; It Is olcse
y, and bohind II is the entrance 70 an
ncicnt mine, which my father thinks
'as silver mine. Perhaps the people
rho worked the mine built the marble