The Press., 1892-08-11

saw things unspeakable. Each told a different tale. but all agreed in the hor- TOT of it.
 The young men began to cease their visits, and at length, as the fady showed no preference, only one continued to pay his weekly call.
 | being that one, it is necessary to say something about myself.
 was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and early became an orphan. My aunt strug- gled to keep me and give me that school ing which all Caledonian youth get, until at thirteen years of age 1 went as cabin boy on board ship bound for Algoa Bay, where one of their black southeasters drove our ship on shore, a complete wreck. Refusing another ship, wandered into the interior, and know, ing the use. of tools through my aunt's husband, who was carpenter, served a short pprenticeship to wagon maker, then worked as journeyman until had saved enough to set up on my sole ac- count, and in my twenty-fifth year found myself established in business, with house, garden and shop of my own. in the village of Drowsy Dorp. had four spirited horses and most of the fix ings for an Africander, all wanted was a wife, and Hitges' daughter seemed to fill the bill. 1 was not such pushing lover as some of the other suitors, for it was my desire to watch the girl and be assured that made no ruinous mistake in the most vital act of my life. and did not at the time experience any of the frightful incidents which had so closely followed my rivals. But one dark night, some time after l had become the sole pretendant, my turn came.
 It is the custom of the South African Boers to eat their heaviest meal at about ten o'clock at night. This is owing to | the warmth of the climate and the flies, which are both largely got rid of about that hour.
 In consequence spark does not see much of his attraction" until approach ing eleven p. m., and then short half hour is all that time allows for purposes of lovenaking.
 Necessarily, always staid to supper, and then for little chat after it., hating to go, for before me was lonely ride of twenty miles in the dark. dismal brush Whether it was because appeared to be her last chance or because acquaint- ance had made her appreciate me better, Katarina began to be very gracious to me. Her face lighted up when l ar rived, and she seemed to cling to me when left.
 For myself had found her indus trious, clean, intelligent and good tenn pered, so my affection grew apace; be- sides, and above all, she was handsome woman. had separated from my love with great hopes, for had received my first parting kiss and request to return soon, two things which Cape girl does not give unless she means them. | It would be almost daylight when l! arrived at the village. The night was dark and the time just upon ''thae wee sma' hours ayant the twal.' My ride would have been an unpleasant one to d greenhorn, but although l was some times followed by q pack of hyena wolves or jackals, and once shot d leop- ard which sprang at me from the side of the road, and also knew that was talk ing chances largely in my favor) of meeting a lion on the stalk. had no thought of danger.
 | My head and heart were full of hope full and successful love. So fear was 'awa." Suddenly the fact that l was entering the narrow part of the kloof and approaching Jacks Flat struck me. I admit never passing the grave at the fork but l felt doubt and an ex- | pectation, not so much from actual dread l of the unknown as from the fact that many of my rivals who had been scared were old comrades of mine. having passed through Kaffir war together, and l was aware of their courage and frank truthfulness. 1AG5
 did not doubt their having seen some l horrors, but thought perhaps they might | be accounted for in some rational or common way.
 1 The narrow part of the kloof 1 now entered was in itself an ''uncanny place, 5 not more than thirty yards wide, three | quarters of which was at present the dry bed of torrent, the drainage of the whole kloof and hills about it. This, during the rainy season, was strong river, joining the still larger one, which ran down the main kloof at Jacks Flat. The roadway was much the highest side, and the stones, which had rolled down the hill and had accumulated at the bot tom, swarmed with those large, flat bodied gray lizards peculiar to the cape, and said to be poisonous. The dense bush came down to the torrent bed on one side and to the road edge upon the other. Scarcely had my horses hoofs commenced to echo down the gorge than a fearful series of piercing screams. | howls and shrieks vibrated from the other end of the clough. growing louder and more horrible as neared the fork My horse, a young and spirited animal. was commencing to get frightened, par ticularly as every now and then the screams became partly like the snap ping, laughing. ferocious howl of the spotted hyena. ..@.
 The grave was on the other side of the large torrent bed on Jacks Flat, and in such dark night, with naught but dim starlight, things were not distinctly dis cernible; but the yelling din came from that spot, and 1 could dimly perceive two creatures fiercely contesting on top of the grave itself. The figures were in perpetual struggle and movement. some times one on top. and at times the other: it was evidently an intense and ferocious fight for mastery between creatures new and strange to me.
 One appeared to be an enormous bab- oon, as big as large man. but with 8 hyena's head, and from whom that par ticular howl came. The other was a tupendous ant bear. with what looked like the head of a baboon. l distinctly heard and partly saw these strange ob- jects, and straining my eyes with my hair almost on end in desperation. urged my horse toward the grave. He shrank from the objects, and sidling to the edge of the larger torrent bed. refused to go further. dreaded risking his legs among the large cobblestones which loosely formed the torrent bed, and so turned his head in order to try the effect