Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-30

save tn9m Oy QrdHtuk JUS cuasS opou
himself.
He lured the Basutos after him by
taunts, aud led them In direction away
from his dispirItsd followers. For
short time the Bssutos gained on the
chief, but when they were shouting in
their exultstiou, the white horse sud-
denly shot away like an arrow.
The baffied pursuers looked TO their
long Martini rifles, when the gallant
gray passed them with his long strides,
and the prince alone went in pursuit.
Yard by yard he gained upon the flying
chief, the laggard horsemen behind
watching with breathless interest. when
Sirayo again disappointed their e2pecta-
tons. Suddenly swervin9 from tbs plain
he went headlong down a rocky path on
the further side of tbs hill.
The Prince had TO draw up on the
brink and by-and-oye, was joined by
the others. The men dismounted and
fired at the flying norseman, but he rode
ON uuhurt, aud presently reaching
small kopie, he paused to shake his
assegaI, then was lost 10 view.
The scene from the fat top of the
mountain, robbed of its human element,
was one of quiet beauty. Below the
sheer drop of the precipice nestled
native village, the smoke still rising
from the fires. and the cattle grazing
quietly around. rushing mounta n
| stream foamed in broad white line
round the huts. Beyond was the open
| grass veldt stretching away to lofty
| hills, with other hills and ridges beyond
| lined with dark line of forest trees.
| The village below, however, was aban-
doned. Its frightened owners we're now
| flying across the veldt, leaving behind
| all their simple household effects, as
much treasured by them as il they were
as priceless Us rare ornaments in Euro
| pean mansions. The calm, pure air rat
tied to the sound of rifle reports as the
troopers, with many jest, fired aimless
shots at the flying people, to make them
| run the faster.
War has its epics-its heroes and hero
| isms-its acts ard sublime Immigration,
| like that of Sir Sidney Smith-but it
is often cruel, vindictive and cowardly.
Down the steep, rough track, which
Sirayo had traversed, wound the troop,
| each man leading his horse, with the
| exception of the prince, who had fit Of
recklessness upon him. They off saddled
| on the banks of the noisy stream, and
| some of the marksmeu amused them
selves 10 shooting the few head of cattle
left behind by the Hulus.
The poor brutes received the bullets
that were fired into them by Impractical
hands In q silent stupor, pitiful beyond
| the power of expression. A buffalo would
have charged de,wn upon his slayers, but
these patient creatures met their death
where they stood their bodies shrinking
| under the shock of each leader missed i,
until they weakened from loss of blood,
| rod xritb and fail This
Is warl
The huts were specimens of careful
I construction and housewifely care. The
long wands were placed so close together
that 1t was almost impossible to stick q
knife between, and they were polished
smooth with beeswa2. Outside the door
of one on a patch of clean sand was a
| pathetic sight. Only q little kraal, made
| of smooth pebbles, with kuuckie joiuts
from goats and deer for cattle--but 1t
was the work of little children, their in
nocent laughter mingling with the voice
of the brook rs they played their games
In the morning. While still engaged at
their happy play the warning had come i.
their mothers had snatched them up,
and now they were hiding in some wolf $
hole, where they trembled In fear of the
| approach of the fierce white man.
The torch was placed to the huss and
they famed on high. So that village
too was left in ruins to mark the track of
the civilized foe, while the blood from
Que OK slaughtered while he drank =,
stained the pure stream deep red.
as the mounted men left the place, the
prince leaped over the burning fence of
thorn which had formed the ring of one
cattle kraal. He was reckless with a
purpose, so it seemed, eager to show that
no faint of fear was in his blood.
1t was that restless, reckless spirit, the
desire to do some feat of arms that
brought him again into that fatal meet
ing with the warrior he had chased that
day.
| ITO be Continued