San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-19

nome, where my. was walung 10 pe
comforted.
In due time the inquest came and the
funeral speedily followed, while Jacks
Flat got worse name than ever-if that
were possihle-so much so that no one
would pass the fork after sunset.
| had begun considerable market gar
dening on the farm for the purpose of
supplying the shipping in Algoa Bay,
and periodically drove down wagons
loaded with vegetables and produce; SO
making considerable profit. y
1t sometimes happened that could
not go myself, but forwarded to my
agent in the bay, and received an &C
count of sale and balance by return. l
had dug a large amount of young pota-
toes, which together with some early
fruits loaded a wagon, ready to start IN
the cool of the evening. My wife ex-
pressed her desire to go with it, as she
wanted to make some purchases. OF
course she went, taking with her civ
ilized Kaffir servant girl, Hottentot
driver and forelooper or OK leader IN
the shape of small boy, the drivers
son.
1t was about week after the rainy
season, and the torrent beds in both
kloofs were full of water, though no
longer running, so the wagon had to
cross the drift of the larger torrent bed
at the fork to get on to the road down
the main kloof.
The wagon arrived at the Bay all right
and returned, reaching the Dorp about
six in the evening. Ihad requested my
wife to outspan near the village and
start for home early in the morning, but
there being so much grass and water on
the road the oxen were not at all tired
on their back journey with an empty
wagon, so she determined to give me
pleasant surprise by coming much sooner
than expected.
About midnight the wagon arrived at
Jacks Flat. where the oxen, evidently
scared by something in front of them on
the roadway, began to struggle from
the path. This being extremely danger
Gus at this place, the boy was reused
from sleep and told to foreloop the oxen.
He started to do so at once, but present
ly came back, flying into the rear of the
wagon tent. saying, 1'Spook! missis!
spookv The boy was too frightened to
be of further service, but the driver
the best | ever had-stnck manfalIy to
his seat on the wagon chest in front,
and by free and firm use of his long
bamboo whip, with its fifteen feet of
lash, got the oxen well into the drift.
to the front of the tented wagon, and
thus described what she saw: Under
large, dark bush, which was close by
the road and overhanging it, stood gil
gantic skeleton, with what appeared a
coal of ardent fire upon its head, and
she saw the same through the tail of
the wagon after passing it. Expecting
to see it enter the rear of the wagon,
she snatched down her rife, and just as
she had it in rest and the oxen were in
midstream. something, she could not see
what, knocked the driver off the box
No way discouraged, he mounted again,
and bravely got the wagon across the
drift and out of danger.
Looking out of the back of the wagon
my wife declared that she saw by the
starlight the skeleton form walking
along the bank edge of the water and
the reflection of its figure in the shining
surface. Nothing further happened then
that night. About two weeks after this
last episode the female Kaffir servant, in
looking at the pictures of an illustrated
magazine, came upon an anatomy and
Immediately screamed, THE spook, the
spook!" so she must have seen it also.
This became a trouble to me, the more
so as the civil commissioner or magis-
trate spoke to me privately about the
trouble at the Flat and told me that as
was proprietor of the territory where all
this occurred my character obliged me
to discover and end the trouble, and sc
enable him to punish the guilty.
The general belief was that it was all
owing to Hitges having killed his brother
in the old time, but | and the commits.
sioner thought it was material crime
which was responsible.
Still was troubled, and it was some
time before thought out PLAN but nc
sooner did so than put it into practice,
sent my wife to the Bay with load OF
potatoes-four tons-with directions tC
remain there with her cousin and on nc
account to return by that wagon; to lei
the empty wagon outspan at the DorI
ON its return, when two of my male
friends would get in and ride to my
place, but to lie down in the wagon just
as they came to the fork.
In the evening Icrept down, alone and
on foot, but with my rife on my shoul
der, to the fork and hid myself behind
some extra large powders right opposite