The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-10-10
AN AFRICAN ROMANCE.
CHAPTER VI.

I was not slow to take 1ndaba-Ztmbfs
hint About hundred and fifty yards
to the left of the lager was a little dell
where had hidden my horse, together
with one belonging to the Beers, and
nv saddle and bride. Thither we went.
I carrying the swooning Tota in my
arms. To our Joy we found the horses
safe, for the Zulus had not seen them
Now, Of course, they were our only
means of locomotion, for the oxen had
been sent away, and even had they been
there we could not have found time to
inspan them. / laid Tota down, caught
my horse, undid his knee halter and
.saddled up. As ! was doing so thought
struck me, and l told Indaba-zimbi TO
run to the lager and see If he could
find my double-barreled gun and some
powder and shot, for l had only my ele-
plant ''roer- and few charges of pow
der and ball with me.
He went, and while he was away poor
little Tota came to herself and began to
cry, till she saw my face.
''Ah, have had such a bad dream"
she-said, in Dutch; 81 dreamed that the
black Kafirs were going to kill me.
Where is my papa?"
Iwinced at the question. "Your papa
has gone on a journey, dear l said,
''and left me to look after you. We shall
find him one day, You don't mind go
ing with Heer Allan. do you?"
NO" she said, little doubtfully,
and began to cry again. Presently she
remembered that she was thirsty, and
asked for water. / led her to the river
and she drank. "Why is my hand red
Heer Allan?" she asked, pointing to the
smear of Bombyane's blood-stained
fingers.
At that moment felt very glad that I
had killed Bombyane.
cit IS only paint, dear" said; ''see,
we viii wash 1t and your face"
As | was doing this Indaba-zimbi re-
turned. The guns were all gone; he
said the Zulus had taken them and the
powder. But he had found some things
and brought them in sack. There was
q thick blanket, about twenty pounds
weight of biltong or sun-dried meat a
few double-handfuls of ships biscuits,
two water-bottles, tin pannikin, some
matches and sundrfes.
''And now, Macumazahn,r he said,
1--WE had best be going, for those
Umtetwas are coming back. saw one
of them on the brow of the RISE
That was enough for me. I lifted
little Tota on to the bow of my saddle,
climbed into it and rode off. holding her
in front of me. Indaba-zimbi slipped a
rein into the mouth of the best of the
Beer horses threw the sack of sundries
on to its back and mounted also, hold
ing the elephant gun in his hand We
went eight or nine hundred yards in
silence till we were quite out of range
OF sight from the wagons which were in
a hollow. Then pulled up, with such
a feeling of thankfulness in my heart as
can not be told in words; fer now knew
that, mounted as we were, those black
demons could never catch rs. But
where were we to steer for? / put the
question to Indaba-zimbi, asking him if
he thought we had better try and follow
the oxen that we had sent away with
the Kaffirs and women on the preceding
night He shook his head.
1.-The Umtetwas will 60 after the oxen
presently he answered, land we have
seen enough of them"
Quite enough" / answered, with en-
thusiasm: II never want to see another;
but where are we to go? Here we are
with one gun and a little girl in the
vast and lonely veldt- Which way shall
we turn?"
Our faces were toward the north be-
fore we met the Zulus," answered
Indabs-zimbi: 'Elet Us still keep them to-
ward the north. Ride on, Macumazahn;
tonight when we off-saddle will look
into the matter"
So all that long afternoon we rode on,
following the course of the river. From
the nature of the ground we could only
go slowly, but before sunset / had the
satisfaction of knowing that there must
have been at least twenty-five miles
between rs and those sccursed Zulus-
Little Tota slept most OF the way, the
motion Of the horse was easy, and she
was worn out
At last the sunset came, and We Of
=saddled in q dell by the river. There
was not much to eat, but soaked some
biscuit in water for Tota, and Indaba-
zinm and made scanty meal of bill
tong. When we had done / took of
Tots's frock, wrapped her up in the
blanket near the fire We had made, and
lit pipe l sat there by the side of the
orphaned child. and from my heart
thanked Providence for saving her life
and nine from the slaughter of that
day. What a horrible experience it had
beeni Il seemed like a nightmare to
look back upon. And yet it was sober
fact. one among those many tragedies
which dotted the path OF the emigrant
Beers with the bones of men, women and
children These horrors are almost for
gotten now; people living in Natal, for
instance, can scarcely realize That some
forty years ago six hundred white peo-
pie, many of them women and chill
-dren. were thus massacred by the Impis
of Dingaan- But it vas so, and the
name OF the district, Heeaea, or the
Place OF Weeping, viii commemorate
them forever.
Then fell to rejecting on the extra
ordinary adroitness old Indaba-zimbi
had shown in saving my life. It ap-
peared that he himself had lived among
the Umtetwa Zulus in his earlier man
hood, and was a noted rain-doctor and
witch-fnder. But when T-Chaka, Din
gaanis brother, ordered a general
massacre of the witch-fnders, he had
fed south and so saved his life. When
he heard therefore, that the regiment
was an UDtetwa regiment which, leay-
ing their wives and children, had broken
away from Zululand to escape the cruel
ties OF Dingaan. he, under pretense of