The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-09-13

and Club still led the way.
Now they stood before a hill measur-
ing perchance three thousand PAGES
round its base. 1t was of no great
height and yet unclirnbable. for after a
man had gone up a little way the sides
of it were sheer, Offering no foOthOld 10
the rock rabbits and lizards. No ons
was to be seen without this hill, nor in
the great kraal of the Ealakazi that lay
to the east Of il, and yet the ground
I about this was trample1 with the hOofs
! of oxen and the feet of men. and from
within the mountain came the sound OF
lowing cattle.
Here is the nest of the Halakazi,"
quoth Galazi the Wolf.
Here is the nest indeed" said Um-
slopogaas, "but how shall we come at
| the eggs to suck them? There are no
branches TO this tree"
But there is a hole in the trunk" an.
! swered the Wolf.
Now he led them little way till they
came to a place where the soil was
trampled at the entrance to a cattle
kraal, and they saw that there was a low
cave that led into the cliff like an arch.
way such as you white men build. But
this archway was filled up with great
blocks of stone placed upon each other
in such fashion that it might not be
forced from without. After the cattle
were driven in it had been filled up.
Not here may we enter, said Galazi;
follow me-"
50 they followed him and came to the
north side of the mountain, and there.
two spear casts away, a soldier was
standing. But when he saw them he
vanished Of sudden.
There is the place" said Galazi, land
the fox has gone to earth in it."
Now they ran to the spot and saw a
little hole in the rock scarcely bigger
than an ant BEARS burrow, and through
the hole came sounds and some light.
Now where is the hyena who will
try a new burrowY' cried Umslopogaas.
"A hundred head of cattle to the man
who wins through and clears the way"
Then two young men sprang forward
who were flushed with victory and de-
sired nothing more than to make great
name and win cattle, crying:
Here are hyenas, BulaliO.@
ITO earth. then" said Umslopogaas,
land let him who wins through hold the
path awhile till others follow"
The two young men sprang at the
hole, and he who reached it first went
down upon his hands and knees and
crawled in. lying on his shield and hold
ing his spear before him. For little
while the light in the hole vanished, and
they heard the sound of his crawling.
Then the noise of blows, and once more
light crept through the hole. The man
was dead.
Then Umslopogaas crept into the hole,
taking no shield, but holding Groan-
maker before him. and at his heels crept
Galazi When he had gone the length
of six spears he stretched out his hand
and. as he trusted to do, he found the
feet of that man who had gone before
and died in the place. Then Umslopo-
gaas the wary did this: He put his head
beneath the dead mans legs and thrust
himself onward till all the man was on
his back, and there he held him with one
hand. gripping his two wrists in his
hand. Then he crawled forward little
space and saw that he was coming to the
inner mouth of the burrow, but that the
shadow was deep there because Of o
great mass of rock which lay before the
burrow, shutting out the light. This
is we'll for me-" thought Umslopogaas,
for now they will not know the dead
from the living. l may yet look upon
the sun again" Now he heard the Ha-
lakazi soldiers talking without.
The Zulu rats love not this run"
said one; they fear the ratcatcher's
stick This is good sport" and man
laughed.
Then Umslopogaas pushed himself
forward as swiftly as he might, holding
the dead man on his back, and suddenly
came out of the hole into the open place
in the dark shadow of the great rock.
BY the Lily!- cried a soldier, there's
another! Take that, Zulu ratg' and he
smote the dead man heavily with ker-
RE. And that" cried another, driving
his spear through him so that it pricked
Umslopogaas beneath. 'And that! and
that! and tEat!-' said others. as they
smote and stabbed.
Now Umslopogaas groaned heavily IN
the deep shadow and lay still. mo
need to waste more blows" said the man
who had struck first. This one will
never go back to Zululand, and 1 am
thinking that few will care to follow
him. Let US make an end; run some or
you and find stones to stop the burrow,
for now the sport is done"
He turned as he spoke and so did the
others, and this was what the Slaugh-
terer sought. With swift movement
he freed himself from the dead man and
sprang to his feet. They heard the
sound and turned again, but as they
turned Groanmaker pecked softly and
that man who had sworn by the Lily
was no more a man. Then Umslopo-
gaas bounded forward-On to the great
rock he bounded-and stood there like
a buck against the sky.
mot so easily is Zulu rat slain. o
We weaselsr' he cried, as they came at
him from all sides at once with a roar.
He smote to the right and the left
Now foes were all around, leaping up
at the Slaughterer; everywhere shone
spears, thrusting at him from this side
and from that. Those in front and to
the side Groanmaker served to stay,