The National tribune., 1891-04-09

] vented me at irSt from DISTINGUISHING oigeCls
that lay strown about. Turning TO Norsh' L
said:
Il don't see much here TO scare tho stupid
! follow Truly there is an uncanny look about
/ the place, but one can account Tor that by the
amount Of awe coniured up by JAMS assertion,
! 20 say nothing Of the awful look of fear has
! face was wearing when he came running back
! TO us"
As finished this remark. my wife touched
me on the arm, and said, " Look over there!
! What can il be- o, Geof, il is a man. !"
Turning my eyes iu tho direction Norah was
! pointing j saw what ] al once knew TO be the
! figure of 3 man, but whether of Gods creation
or the fancilul work Of nature ] could not say.
! The queer sensation Of an icy finger tracing
1 out tho line Of my spinal vertehrR began 10
affect me-not that ] was in the least alarmed.
/ ] have never been tie faintcst biz nervous;
! i knew that, IL tho figure were thing OF llie,
one man. In niuetv-nine cases out Of hundred,
/ is as good as another. Besides. had / not NOrah
with me2 She WAS a host in herself ! never
! for n moment reclzoncd on Jan; he, though
/ brave ms a Trojan In the open and among his
4 fellows, was too strong a believer in the super
natural TO be Of any assistance when il appeared
90 him question of battling with the Eyl
! One.
On going mp to the object which had pro-
/ yOlgcd SO much alarm found ID 10 be the body
1 OF "a native IN a sitting posture The seat upon
which il rested rudely resembed a chair
such an one as is usually described as a hall
I porleT's-aud had apparently been roughly
hewn from a fragment Of neighb0rinC stone.
The body seemed at first 10 give evidences Of
| a sudden death, but on closer examination
recognized that there was method In its dispo-
\ sition; and, Judging by the fact that several
| articles were placed mcthudically in a half
/ circle in front Of the body, I came to the con-
Cusl0n that a native burial OF "A more than
I ord nv ll "a hn1 bDan harg Carried
but how long since remains TO this day mys-
terry.
The body, found on closer inspection under
/ the light of several matches, was la an cx-
I trome mummifod condition. Indeed, have
] never seen anything Of a similar order SO well
! preserved. The most curious fact was that
/ there appeared 10 be nothing On or about tho
/ body 10 show that any process had been used
! TO bring about such perfect preservation, un-
] less, As ] aftcTwgrd thought, smoke had acted
! as presoryatiyc. j was led 10 fancy this from
the large quantity Of W0od-ashes with which
/ the llO0r Of the cavern was stTcWR, and the
I dark grimy appearance of the roof rs seen by
1 the dim light Of the matches ] burned. The
! atmosphere Of the cave was very dry; no
moisture could be detected on the walls, this
! condition Of surroundings going long way in
/ helping the smoke 30 perfect its work.
As for the mummy itself, when IN life the
man must have been Of an age apprONmatiug
\ 90 40 vears-a fine specimen, too, Of his kind,
considerably above six feet in hight on
! touching il a gray kind Of dust remained upon
/ the finger and the body when tapped gave out
a sound as docs stretched parchment There
! was scarcely any shrunkon appearance, except
I below The eyes, the lids of which were down,
4 the other parts of the body appearing much
! the same as they may have GOue during life T;
/ the lips In particular bad retained their tut
/ ness. ] have never been able 10 account for
rssf 81 4Ff moi
/ ing lis soidity sufficiently long FOR the skin 10
/ become dry enough 20 escape the ordinary
] shrinking thereby losing, rs most mummies
7 DO what ] may cali their resemblance 10 their
4 living selves.
We'll, Geoil what do you think OF him "
asked Norah.
Quite a puzzle, little woman, can't make
/ him out az ALL there are no haairs living
4 hcreabouts, nor have ] heard Of ANY ever hav-
ing done so; yet he is a katiir as his wool
! shows
Don't you think Geof, that he may have
/ been some great swell among a people living
about here ages ago, or perhaps have come ont
4 on a big hunting expedition aud met with some
/ accident or died very suddenly, and SO have
been vauIted' in this cave as a cheap aud ex-
petitions mode OF iutcrmcutY DO you know
i seem 10 have au iudist.nct remembrance Of
/ reading that, somewhere ln TIE interior 81
/ Africa, there did onco exist q tribe who were
/ acquainted with some wonderful means Of pre-
serving their dead
Skittlcs,' ] replied. you are of now into
vain imagiuiugs, as our parsOn friend at Kip
drift used 10 say. ! never heard Of such a re-
port, nor do j believe you have; but I'll tell
you what-Im going 10 bring him along as
the Americans have 10. ] guess Wen trade him
OF 10 some advantage. The Cape Town Mu-
scum authorities ought 10 make bid az any
rate they should have a chance IL the beggar
doesn't cut up rusty and make himself small
by falling into dust Oh his reappearauce ia
broad daylight and fresh air"
= How arc you going TO get him away from
here, GeOfF" asked h0rah. "Of course the
boys won't help you, and-wcll, / don't quite
think / can"
Oh lll find a way to get the old chap out
OF this. Why, be can't weigh much more than
old bones. ] hope ] sha'n't tumble him into the
river; thcre4l he good chance Of it, though
getting over those slippery powders"
90 But, Gcof dear! Il you get him out where
is be to slccpY The second wagon is full, and
we cannot have him Do our wagon that wall
be altogether too much"
why, Norah, / do believe you are losing
pluck. ] thought you could stand anything
/" So ] can, GcOf-at least almost anything
bat TO have him Ia our wagon at night; Oh
don't believe ] could. lie might sit with u'
during the day; I'D rather like that; 'twoud
be something 10 study aud speculate over"
Wei see what can be done bat take him
must. j reckon there win be "a row II I.lLcu.
gula gets wind Of ii; anyhow I'D chance H."
IN was not without considerable trouble that
] managed % get our mummy 0u toterm-Grma
Once or twice lie had very narrow ESCAPES 81
going seawar3 in advance d my intentions bu
j eventually got hlm safely 10 the wagons
Away from the uHEauny ard, while the mula
nay occupied IT, awsOMc-iOU.Iug chamber aus
prize seemed 10 lose much of Is dread charac
ter, aud j found ia very little time after ~
arrival ina camp that siEpenc', ono Of tho yOyr
lo0pers 20 the oxen had developed quite 81
affection Tor ID, aud, by force OF example. hat
broken through the fears aud trcmll4ugs ~ hf
, brethren. ] was glad u This aud did aIl in IN,
s power 90 foster the intimacy, and helped not
20 litl'n 90 DO 20 By is'Ticatiu. marvellous his
! 1 tory (or lIo "ucw-f0uua out" stating anon.
other things that ho was a lost king Of "a
0 Zulu nation, Ion which tribe AN my boss had
o / great respect. further told them that be wa
}. mentioned Ia tie Faka-puka thc book +; al
b native. nave great respect Tor books.
3 ia " days ] bad the zats,aeii1n 10 fcl
70 that my boys were quite rcc1ucilcd L. rs pre-,
@ cHce aud Boo a fashion, pridcd themselves upo
z being followers o.. tHC disc0Fcrar Of SO cmiIeu
a q parsonage rs lnkose MlMui for by tha
u name DE WAS now become familiarity known
e My WI.c.s objections were BOT 50 easily Oyer
v come, IFS presence ln our wagon made her uu
d easy, and b. was Only by representing % Lc
j. that possible damage Huul1.Tcudcr him value
j. less as "a trade commodity that she al last pu
y away her seraplcs j rugged up a chair-shape
II scat at the after part or The wagon, iu which
placed tHo mummy, SO THAT By keeping the 81