Wichita eagle., 1890-01-05

|
track Of the wagons, which in all proba-
bility belonged to {. party Of emigrant
| Beers
The spoor Of the wagons ran in the di-
rection I wished to go, SO followed it.
About mile further on l came to the
crest Of a rise, and there, about five fur
longs away, saw the wagons drawn w
in a rough lager upon the banks of the
| riveT. 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 lager
watching the approach Of my two wag-
ons. l called to them, and they turned
and saw me. The very first man my
eyes fell on was Boer named Hans
Botha, whom I had known well years
ago in the Cape. He was not bad
specimen of his class, bat very restless
person, with a great objection to author
ity, or, as he expressed it, ga love of
freedom" He had joined party Of the
emigrant Beers some years before, but,
as I learned presently, had quarreled
with its leader, and was now treklzing
away into the wilderness to found a lit
| tie colony of his own. Poor fellow! It
was his last trek.
Glow do you do, Meinheer Botha2" I
said to him in Dutch.
The man looked at me, looked again,
then, startled out of his Dutch stolidity,
cried to his wife, who was seated on the
box of the wagon:
Come here, frau, come. Here is Al
Ian Quatermain, the Englishnan, the
son Of the 'Predicant.' How goes it,
Heer Quatermain, and what is the news
down in the Cape yonder::"
81 don't know what the news is in the
Cape, Hans, answered, soler1ly; ''but
the news here is that there is a Zulu
impi upon your spoor and within two
miles Of the wagon. That l know, for I
have just shot two OF their sentries, and
l showed him my empty gun.
For a moment there was silence Of
astonishment, and I saw the bronzed
faces of the men turn pale beneath their
tan, while one or two of the women
gave little scream, and the children
crept to their sides.
Almighty" cried Hans, "that must
| be the Umtetwa regiment that Dingaan
sent against the BasutuS, but who could
not come at them because of the marshes,
and SO were afraid to return to ZuIuland
and struck north to join Mosilikaaye."
''Laager up. Carries! Lager up for
your lives, and one of you jump on a
/ horse and drive in the cattle"
At that moment my own wagons came
up. Indaba-zimbi was sitting on the box
of the first, wrapped in blanket. l
called him and told him the news.
''Ill tidings, Macumazahn," he said;
! ''there viii be dead Beers about to-mor-
row morning, but they will not attack
till dawn, then they viii wipe out the
Iaager so.' and he passed his hand be-
| fore his mouth.
''Stop that croaking, you white headed
crow" l said, though I knew that his
words were true. What chance had
lager of ten wagons all told against at
least two thousand Of the bravest savages
in the world?
"Macumazahn, viii you take my adj
vice this timer" Indaba-Zimbi said, pres
emily.
..LThat ie ;te' -
"This. Leave your wagons here,
jump on that horse, and let Us two run
for it as hard as we can go. The Zulus
won't follow us, they viii be looking af-
ter the Beers"
81 won't leave the other white men,"
| said: lit would be the act OF q coward.
If | die, die
Every well, Macumazahn, then stay
and be killed." he answered, taking a
pinch of snuff. Come, let US see about
the wagons" and we walked towards
the lager.
Here everything was in confusion.
However, got hold of Hans Botha and
pat it to him if it would not be best to
desert the wagons and make run for
life
How can we do it?' be answered;
''two of the women are too fat to 90 a
mile, one is sick in childbed, and we
have only six horses among us. Besides,
if we did we should starve in the desert.
No, Heer Allan, we must fight it out
with the savages, and God help US"
God help us, indeed. Think Of the
children, Hans,''
Il can't bear to think" he answered,
in broken voice. looking at his own
little girl, sweet, curly haired, blue
eyed child of 8, named Tota, whom l
had often nursed as baby. ooh, Heer
Allan, your father, the Predicant, al
,--a,,aj ma no CT +,ol-I-i,,c- ,,o,-+l,
and never would listen to him because
l thought him a cursed Englishman;
now l see my folly. Heer Allan, if you
can, try to save my child from those
black devils; if you live longer than l
do, or if you can't save her, kill her,
and he clasped my hand.
ut hasn't come to that yet, Hans" 1
said.
Then we set to work on the lager.
The wagons, of which, including my
two, there were ten. were drawn
into the form Of a square, and the
disselboom of each securely dashed
with reins TO the underworks OF
that in front Of it. The wheels also
were locked, and the space between the
ground and the bed planks Of the wag-
ons was stuffed with branches of the
wait a biz" thorn that fortunately grew
near in considerable quantities. In this
way barrier was formed Of no mean
strength as against q foe unprovided
with firearms. places being left for the
men TO fire from. In q little over an
hour everything was done that could be
~
disposal of the cattle, which had been