Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-16

woman. Tomorrow morning at the
first light you shall go up to yonder
mountain and she pointed to the noun
tain where you are now, stranger, where
the Stone Witch sits forever waiting
for the world to die. 'Two-thirds of the
way up the mountain you will come to
path that is difficult to climb. You
shall climb the path and enter gloomy
forest 1t is very dark in the forest, but
you must push through it till you come
to an open place with a wall Of rock be-
hind it, In the wall of rock is cave,
and in the cave you will find the bones
of a man. Bring down the bones in a
bag and l will give you the club
"While she spoke thus people camo
out of the kraal and listened.
"'Do not hood her. yeung man, they
said, unless you ;>ro weary Of life. Do
not heed her, she is crazy. The noun
tain is haunted; it is the place of ghosts.
Look at the Stone Witch, who sits upon
it. Evil spirits live in the forest and no
man has walked there for many years.
Her son was foolish-he went to walk
in the forest, saying that he cared moth
ing for ghosts, and the Arnatongo, the
ghost folk, killed him. That was many
years ago, and none have dared to seek
his bones. Ever she sits here and asks
of the passcrs by that they should bring
them, Offering the great club for re-
ward. but they dare not
"'They lie said the old womaS.
There are no ghosts there. The ghosts
live only in their cowardly hearts
There are but wolves. know that the
bones of my son lie in tho cave, for |
have seen them i'll dream; but. alas!
my old limbs are too weak 10 carry me
up the mountain path and all these are
towards. There is no man among them
since the Xulus slew my husband, COW
ering him with wounds
"Now listened, saying no word, but
when all had done asked to see the
club which should be given to him who
dared to face the Amatongo, the spirits
who lived in the forest upon the Ghost
mountain Then the old woman rose,
and creeping on her hands went into the
hut. Presently she returned again,
dragging the great club after her.
look on it, stranger! Look on it!
Was there ever such Il club and GalaZi
held it up before the eyes of Umslopo-
gaas.
Il looked at it," went on Galazi, land
| tell YOU, stranger, great desire came
into my heart TO possess it.
" How is this club namcd| | asked
Of the old woman.
" He is named Watcher of the Fords,
IL, l,x l,c 4
in vain. Five men have held that club
in war and hundred and seventy and
three have given up their lives beneath
its strokes He who held it last slew
twenty before he was slain himself; for
this fortune goes with the club, that he
who owns it shall die holding it, but in
Il great fashion. There is but one other
Weapon to match with it in Zululand,
and that is the great ak of Jikiza, the
chief of the People of the AK, who
dwells in the kraal yonder-the ancient
horn haftcd lmbubuzi, the Groanmaker.
that brings victory. Were AK Groan-
maker and club Watcher Of the Ford
side by side there are no thirty men in
Xululand who might stand before them.
! | have said. Choose and she watched
Inc cunningly through her horny eyes,
At length she rose. La! la" she said,
the Watcher is not for this one. This
one is but Il child. | must seek me a
man; must seek me a mann
"'Not so fast, old wife, said; will
| vou lend me this club to hold in my
hand while | go to find the bones of YOU
| son and to snatch them from the people
of the GHOSTS
"Boy, your eyes are honest she said
| still peering at me. Take the Watcher
go seek the bones. If you die, let the
club be lost with You; if you fail bring
him back to me; but if You win the
/ bones, then lie is yours, and he shall
bring you glory, and you shall die {
great death at last, holding him alof
among the dead
so ON the morrow at dawn tool
the club Watcher in my hand and lit
tie dancing shield and made ready t.
start.
Now, stranger, if you have strength
come to the mouth of the cave and lool
ont for the moon is bright"
So Umslopogaas rose and crept through
the narrow mouth of the cave. There
above him, a great gray peak, shaped
like seated woman, lowered high int,
the air, her chin resting upon her breast
the place where the cave was being, a
it were, on the lap the woman. Below
this place the rock ran down sharply
and was clothed with little bushes
Lower down yet was forest, great an,
dense, that stretched to the lip of cliff
and at the foot Of the cliff, beyond tn
waters of the river, lay tho wide plain
Of Zululand.
"Yonder, stranger" said Gala2i, point
ing, ''yonder is the kraal where the age,
woman dwelt There is the cliff risin,
from the plain up which | must climb
there is the forest whore dwell the Anna
tongo the people Of the ghosts; there, Of
the hither side Of the forest, runs the pat
to the cave, and here is the cave itself
See this stone lying at the mouth of tn
cave; it turns thus, shutting up tn
mouth of the cave-it turns gently
though it is SO large child may NOV
9 y,s,l,