San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-29
and avoided me.

of the cub and twisted its neck, then
threw it onto the ground and added,
"See, now have done your bidding, my
father!''
AS he spoke there came a great sound
of roaring from the cave in the cliff.
The lions had returned and found one
cub dead and the other gone.
"Into the fence!-back into the fence"
| cried, and we sprang over the thorn
bushes where those with us were max
ing ready their spears. Down the side
of the cliff came the lions, bounding on
the scent of him who had robbed them
of their young. The hon came first;
then followed the ioness, and in her
mouth was the cub that Umslopogaas
had assegaied. They drew near, mad
with fury.
They came to the body of the second
cub that lay outside the fence of thorns.
The lion stopped and shifted it. Then
he roared till the earth shook The
lioness dropped she dead cub she was
carrying and took the other in her
mouth.
"Get behind me, NADIA" cried UNI
slopogaas, brandishing his spear, 1.-The
lion is going to spring"
As the words left his mouth the great
brute sprang through the air toward us.
Catch him ON the spears" cried UNI
slopogaas, and budding ourselves to-
gether we held out the assegais so that
the lion fell upon them. But the weight
of his charge carried US to the ground,
and he fell onto us, striking at us and
biting at the spears in his breast. Then
Umslopogaas, who alone had stepped
aside, drove his assegai into the lion be-
hind the shoulder, SO that the brute
rolled over dead
Meanwhile the lioness had stood with
out the fence, the second dead cub in
her mouth, for she could not bring her
self to leave either of them. But when
she heard her mates last groan she
dropped the cub and gathered herself
together to spring. Umslopogaas alone
had withdrawn his assegai from the car
cass of the lion. On she swept toward
the lad; she met his spear, it sunk in, it
snapped and down fell Umslopogaas be-
meath the mass of the hOness She
sprang up, the broken spear standing
in her breast shifted at Umslopogaas;
then, as though she knew that it was he
who had robbed her, she seized him by
the loins and mocha and sprang with
him over the fence.
"Oh, save him. cried the girl NADIA
in bitter woe: and we rushed after the
lioness, shouting.
For a moment she stood over her dead
cubs, Umslopogaas hanging from her
and looking at them as though
she wondered; and we hoped that she
might let him fall. Then, hearing our
cries, she turned and bounded away to-
ward the bush, bearing Umslopogaas in
her mouth. We seized our spears and
followed; but soon the ground grew
stony, and search as we would we
could find no trace of Umslopogaas or
the lioness.
Where is my brother" cried NADIA
when we came back.
"Lostw answered. Lost, never to
be found again"
Then the girl gave great and bitter
cry, and fell to the earth, saying, Il
would that | were dead with my
brotherr'
Let US be going" said Macropha, my
wife.
Have you then no tears to weep for
your SOM? asked man of our company.
What is the use of weeping over the
dead? Does it, then, bring them back"
she answered. Let us be going"
The man thought these words strange,
but he did not know that Umslopogaas
was not born of Macropha.
And SO the time went on till we
reached the kraal where | and my wife
should part.
On the morning after we came to the
kraal, having kissed in secret, though
outwardly we looked sullenly on one an
other, we parted as those part who meet
no more. And / drew NADIA aside and
spoke to her thus: 1--WE part, my daugh- |
ter, nor do know when we shall meet |
again, for the times are troubled, and it |
is for your safety and that of your moth |
er that l rob my eyes of the sight of
you. NADIA, you will soon be a woman,
and you will be fairer than any woman
among our people, and it will come
about that many great men will seek
you in marriage, and perhaps that l,
your father, shall not be there to choose
for you whom you shall wed, according
to the custom of our land. But this
charge you: So far as may be possible
for you to do so, take only man whom
you can love, and be faithful to him
alone, for so shall woman find happi-
ness"
Here l stopped, for the girl took hold
of nv hand and looked into nv face,