Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-25

0OW uSlucs tuo OAdHBc TISc eeoec AAoah
0riqualand West, and the Transvaal from
Bechuanaland. g
found tho country almost entirely
depcpulated. Not very long before Mo-
silikatzi the Lion, Chaka's general, had
swept across II in his progress toward
Whist Is now Matapeleland. His foot
steps were evident enough. Time upon
timS l trekked up to what had evidently
been the sites of the Kaffir kraals. Now
the kraals were ashes and piles Of tum-
bled stones, and strewn about among
!, the rank grass were the bones Of hun
dreds pf men, women and children, all
Of whom had kissed the Zulu assegai.
Wewere trekking parallel with the
Kolong river when herd Of blesbock
crossed the track. fired at one Of them
and hi. it behind. 1t galloped about q
thcrsnnd yards with the rest of the herd,
then lay down. AS we were In want Of
meat. not having met with any game for
few days past. i jumped on to my re-
manning horse, and, telling Indaba-zimbi
that 1'would overtake the wagons or
meet them on the further side OF rise
about an hour trek away, l started
after the wounded buck. AS soon as
csme within a hundred yards Of it,
however. It Jumped up and ran away as
fast as though it were untouched, only
to lie down again at distance. fol-
lowed, thinking that strength would
soon fail 1t. This happened three times.
On the. thipl occasion it vanished behind
ridge, and though by now ! was out Of
both temper and patience thought !
might as well ride to the ridge and see II
could get shot at it on the further
side. et 9
Ireacised the ridge, which was strewn
with estones, looked over 1t, and saw--a
Zulu impi! H
rublsd my eyes and looked again.
Yes, there was. no doubt of it. They
were halted about thousand yardsaway,
by the water; some We're lying down, some
wef9 cooking at fires, others were stalk
ing about with spears and shields in their
hands: there might have been two thou
sand of them in all. While was won
der;nz--and that with no little uneasi.
ness--what on.earth they could be doing
there, suddenly heard wild cry to the
right and left Of me. ] glanced first one
way, then the other. From either side
two great. Zulus were bearing down on
me, their broad stabbing assegais aloft,
and black shields in their left hands. The
manfp the right was about fifteen yards
away. he to the left was not more than
ten. On they came, their fierce eyes al
most, starting out Of their heads, and
felt, with cold thrill Of fear, that in an
other three seconds those great chang
vans" might be buried in my vitals.
On such occasions we act i suppose,
more from instinct than anything else
there is no time for thought. At any
rate, dropped my reins, and, raising
my gun, fired point blank at the left
hand pap. Tbe bullet struck full in the
middle of his Shield, pierced it and
passed through him, and over he rolled
upon the veldt. swung round in the
saddle; most happily my horse was nc
customed to standing lstih when fired
from his bacl ,lalso hS was 40 surprised
he did not know which way to shy.
The other savage was almost on me; his
outstretched shield touched the muzzle
Of my gun as l pulled the trigger of the
left b|tq. I, It exploded. the warrior
spruig pf4ltire3 the air sndfell against
my lprse dead, his spear passing just in
front of my face.
Without waiting to reload, or even to
look If the main body of the Zulus had
seen the death ,af-.their, two scouts,
turned my horse and drove my heels
into his sides. AS soon as ] was down
the slope Of the rise Ilpalled little 10
the right, in order 10 intercept the
wagons before the Zulus saw them. !
had not gone 800 yards in this new di-
xection when, to my utter astonishment,
] struck trail marked with wagon
wheels and the hoofs of oxen. OF wag.
ons thur hauSt have beehlat least eight,
and several hundred cattle. Moteoyer,
they had passed within twelve hpurs;
could tell that by the spocr. Then i un.
derstood the impi was following the
track Of the wagons, which in all proba.
biiity belonged TO q party of emigrapt
Beers.
The'spoor of the wagons ran In the di
rection wished to go, SO followed it
About mile further on l came to the
crest of rise, and there, about five fur
longs away, saw the wagons drawn ur
In rough lager upon the banks Of the
river. There, too, were my own wagons
trekking down the slope towards them.
In another five minutes / was there
The Boers-for Beers they were--were
standing about outside the little laagel
Watching the approach of my two wag.
i called TO them. and they turned
nd saw me. The very first man my
<&4es fell on was Boer named Hans
oths, whom ! had known well year:
ngo in the Cape. He was not bad
Z opecimen Of his class, but very restless
{ person, with great objection to author
1ty, or, as he expressed it, "a love Of
Freedom" He had joined party of the
emigrant Beers some years before, but
- ! learned presently, had quarreled
with its leader, and was now trekkine
sway into the wilderness TO found lit
t1e colony of his own. Poor fellow! II
was his last trek.
How do you do, Meinheer Botha?'
said tqhiR in Eptoh.
The ila6 ioolEsd at me, looked again
then, startled out of his Dutch stolidity
cried to his Eifs, ssho, was seated on tn.
box of the wagon: - :
"Come here, frau, come. Here is AL
Ian Quatermain, the Englishman, tn,
son Of the 'Predicant.' How goes it
Heer Quatermain, and what is the new
down la the Cape yonderf'
II don't know whatth news is in the
Cape, Hans" answered, solemly; "bu
the news here Is that there is Zulu
mp upon yonr spoor and within two
miles OF the wagon. That know, for
( have just shot two OF their sentries," ant
showed him my empty gun.
For monent there was a silence Of
y estonishment, and | saw the bronzeG