Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-04-10
CONTINUED from Last Week
THE STRANGE STORY
OF
Allan guatamain'S wife
By ii. RIDER HAGGARD,
AUTHOR OF "SHE," "KIEe SoLoMoN'l
MEEs," "JEss," "CLEo-
PATRA," ETC.
A NEW AFRICAN ROMANCE.

ever have found that cunningly-hidden
| cave, unless, indeed, Indaba-zimbi's
magic ION which be blessings) had come
to our assistance.
We bore her to the open air, laid her
beneath the shade of tree, and cut the
bonds loose from her ankles. As we
went glanced at the cave. 1t was ex-
actly as 1 had seen it in the vision.
There burnt the fire, there were the rude
wooden vessels, one of them still half
full of the water which 1 had seen the
baboon bring. felt awed as looked,
and marveled at the power welded by
savage who could not even read and
write.
Now 1 could see Stella clearly. Her
faos was scratched and haggard with
fear and weeping, her clothes were al
most torn off her, and her beautiful hair
was loose and tangled. sent for water,
and we sprinkled her face. Then I
forced little of the brandy which we
distilled from peaches at the kraals be-
tween her lips, and she opened her eyes,
and throwing her arms about me chung
to me as little Tota had done, sobbing:
THANK Cool thank God!"
After awhile she grew quieter, and
made her and Tota eat a little food from
the store that we had brought with US.
!, too, ate, and was thankful, for with
the exception of the mealie cobs had
tasted nothing for nearly four-and-
twenty hours. Then she washed her
face and hands, and tidied her rags of
dress as we'll as she was able. AS she
did so, by degrees I drew her story from
her.
1t seemed that on the previous after
noon, being wearied with packing, she
went out to visit her fathers grave,
taking Tota with her, and was followed
there by the two dogs. She wished to
lay some flowers on the grave and take
farewell of the dust it covered, for, as
we had expected to trek early on the
morrow, she did not know if she would
find later opportunity. They passed
up the garden, and, gathering some
flowers from the orange trees and else
where, went on to the little grave
yard. Here she laid them on the grave
as we had found them, and then, sit
ting down, fell into a deep and sad
reverie, such as the occasion would nat
urally induce. While she sat thus,
Tota, who was a lively child and active
as a kitten, strayed away without
Stella observing it. With her went the
dogs, who had also grown tired of in
action; a while passed, and, suddenly,
she heard the dogs barking furiously
about hundred and fifty yards away.
Then she heard Tota scream, and the
dogs also yelling with fear and pain.
She rose and ran as swiftly as she could
toward the spot whence the sound
came. Presently she was there. Be-
fore her in the glade, holding the
screaming Tota in her arms, was a.-
figure in which, Notwithstanding the
rough disguise of baboon skins and col
oring matter, she had no difficulty in
recognizing Hendrika, and all about
her were numbers of balloons, rolling
over and over in two hideous heaps, of
which the centers were the two unfort-
innate dogs now in process of being
rent to fragments.
"Hendrika, Stella cried, "what does
this mean? What are you doing with
Tota and those brutes?"
The woman heard her and looked up.
Then she saw that she was mad; mad
ness stared from her eyes. She dropped
the child, which instantly flew to
Stella for protection. Stella clasped it,
only to be herself clasped by Hendrika-
She struggled iercely, but it was of no
use-the Babyan-frau had the strength
of ten. She lifted her and Tota as
though they were nothing, and ran off
with them, following the bed of the
stream in order to avoid leaving a
spoor. Only the balloons who came
with her, minus the one the dogs had
killed, would not take to the water, but
kept pace with them on the bank.
Stella said that the night which
followed was more like hideous might
mare than reality. She was never
able to tell me all that occurred in 1t.
She had a vague recollection of being
borne over rocks and along kloofs,
while around her echoed the horrible
grunts and clicks of the balloons. She
spoke to Hendrika in English and
Kafir, imploring her to let them go;
but the woman, If may call her so,
seemed in her madness to have entirely
forgotten these tongues. When Stella
spoke she would kiss her and stroke her
hair, but she did not seem to understand
what it was she said. On the other
hand, she could, and did, talk 10 the
balloons, that seemed to obey her i'm
plicitly. Moreover, she would not allow
them to touch either Stella or the child |
in her arms. Once one of them |
tried to do so, and she seized dead |
stick and struck it sogheavily on the |
head that it fell senseless. Thrice |
Stella made an attempt to escape, for |
sometimes even Hendricks giant |
strength waned and she had to set them |
down. But on each occasion she caught |
them, and it was in these struggles that |
Ssellas clothes were so torn. At length |
before daylight they reached the cliff,
and with the first break of light the as
cent began. Hendriks dragged them up |
the first stages. but when they came to |
the preclpitous place she tied the strips |
OF hide, OF which she had a supply wound |
round her waist, beneath Stella's arms. |
Steep as the place was, the balloons as
cended it easily enough, springing from |
g knob OF rock to the trunk of the tree |
that grew on the edge of the crevasse.
Hendrika followed them, holding the |
end OF the hide in her teeth, one of the |
balloons hanging down from the tree to |
assist her ascent. It was while che was |
ascending that Stella bethought her of |
letting fall her handkerchief in the |
faint hope that some searcher might see
1t.