San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-01-31
QUATERMAN>S WIFE.
By Il. RIDER HAGGARD.
Author Of Colonel Quaritch, V. c." "Ih.
Nelson's VIII" "A Tale Of Three
Lions" Allan Quatermain,"
"She," Jess" etc.


felt inclined to answer "bosh," but re
Numbering the very remarkable in.
stances which he had given of hil
proves in occult matters, lSheld my
tongue, and taking little TOta into my
arms. worn out with toll and danger and
emotion, went to sleep.
Invoke just as the dawn was beginning
to flame across the sky in sheets OF prim-
rose and of gold, or rather it was little
Tota who woke me by kissing me as she
lay between sleep and waking, and call
ing me Papa" 1t wrung my heart to
hear her. got up, washed and dressed
the child as best | could, and then we
breakfasted as we had supped, on biltong
and biscuit Tota asked for milk, but
had none to give her. Then we caught
the horses, and saddled mine.
"Well, Indaba-zimbi," | said, now
what path do your bones point to-"
straight north" he said. The jour
ney will be hard, but in four days we
shall come to the kraal Of white man,
an Englishman, not Boer. His kraal
is in a beautiful place, and there is a
great peak behind it where there are
many balloons.
looked at him. This is all nonsense,
Indaba-zimbi," said. whoever heard
Of an EngIi5hman building a house in
these wilds, and how do you know any
thing about it? | think that we had
better strike east towards Port Natal.
LAS you like, Macumazahn,' he an
swered. but it will take us three months
journey to get to Port Natal, if we ever
get there, and the child will die on the
road. Say, Macumazahn, have my words
come true heretofore, or have they not?
Did not tell you not to hunt the ele-
plants on horseback? Did not tell you
to take one wagon with you instead of
two, as it is better to lose one than two?"
You told me all these things" an
swered.
And so tell you now to ride north,
Macumazahn, for there you will find
great happiness-yes, and great sorrow.
But no man should run away from hap
piness because of sorrow. AS you will,
as you Will!
Again | looked at him. In his divina-
lions | did rot believe, but yet came TO
the conclusion that he was speaking what
he knew to be the truth. 1t struck me
as possible that he might have heard of
some white man living like a hermit
in the wilds, but preferring to keep up
his prophetic character would not say so.
Very well, Indaba-zimbi," | said;
''let us ride north"
Shortly after we started the river we
had followed hitherto turned off in a
westerly direction, 50 we left it. AL
that day we rode across rolling uplands,
and about an hour before sunset halted
at little stream which ran down from a
range of hills in front of U.s. By this
time was heartily tired of the biltong,
SO taking my elephant ritie-fOr | had
nothing else-I left Tota with Indaba-
zimbi, and started to see if could shoot
something. Oddly enough we had seen
no game all the day, nor did we see any
or the subsequent days For some
mysterious reason they had tempo
rarily left the district crossed the
little streamlet in order to enter
the belt of thOrns which grew
upon the hillside beyond, for there
hoped to fad buck. As | did SO | was
rather disturbed to see the spoor of two
lions i'll the soft, sandy edge of a pool.
Breathing a hope that they might not
still be in the neighborhood, | went on
into the belt of scattered thorns. For
long while | hunted about without seeing
anything, except one dinker buck, which
bounded off with a crash from the other
side of a stone without giving me
chance. AT length, just as it grew dusk,
| spied a Petite buck, a graceful little
creature, scarcely bigger than large
hare, standing on a stone, about forty
yards from me. Under ordinary cir
| should never have dreamed
of firing at such thing, especially with
an elephant gun, but we were hungry.
So sat down with my back against
rock, and aimed steadily at its head.
did this because if struck it in the body
the three-ounce ball would have knocked
it to bits. At last pulled the trigger,
the gun went off with the report of a
small cannon, and the buck disappeared.
ran to the spot with more anxiety than
should have felt in an ordinary way
over kOodoo or an Gland. To my delight
here the little creature lay-the huge
bullet had decapitated it. Considering
all the circumstances, do not think |
nave often made a better shot than this.
out if any one doubts, let him try his
1and at rabbits head fifty yards away
With an elephant gun and three-ounce