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

one SIDE and TO the road edge upon the
other. Scarcely had my horses hoofs
commenced to echo down the gorge than
fearful series of piercing screams,
bowls and shrieks tibrated from the
other end of the clough, growing louder
and more horrible as l neared the fork.
Ny 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 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;
1T was evidently an intense and ferocious
fight for mastery between creatures new
and strange to me.
One appeared to be an enormous bab-
Don, as big as a large man, but with a
hyena's head, and from whom that par
ticular howl came. The other was a
stupendous ant bear, with what looked
like the head of baboon. / distinctly
heard and partly saw these strange OBJ
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 siding to the edge
of the larger torrent bed, refused to go
further. l 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
of a rifle ball ON the family outlined
strugglers.
But my horse took the bit in his teeth
and Immediately started off at gallop
down the main kloof toward the vii
lage. managed after awhile to master
him, turn him and walk him back to
the fork, but nothing was to be seen or
heard except the growl of leopard in
the distant hills, which was, as usual,
like a man saving wood.
was vexed with myself for having
failed to decide upon what had heard
and seen. was annoyed at being in
precisely the same situation as my rivals
were in the matter of knowing what it
was which scared me, so to avoid jeer
determined to hold silence and await
events.
do not believe the creatures | saw
were supernatural or fiends from lower
world, while at the same time | did not
know of anything on earth which was
like them in shape or voice.
/ thought if spirits returning We're a
possibility that it might not have been
Hitges who killed his brother, and that
the evil ghosts of the original contest
ants, fearfully deformed, were suffering
a periodical renewal of their strife. But
was at sea in conjecture and so staid
for further developments.
Having become an accepted lover, Gus
tom as well as desire compelled my
visiting my inamorata twice a week.
viz, Wednesdays and Saturdays, staying
in the clubhouse at Hitges' all Saturday
night.
/ made several of these visits and
stoppings, but never heard or saw any
thing more.
Our wedding day was decided on, and
it was agreed that Katarina should go to
the Bay and buy her trousseau, staying
at her cousins in the town during her
visit. was to drive her, of course, and
so brought my new Cape cart and two
best horses for the occasion. 1t was a
twelve hours ride, so we started very
early in the morning and arrived in Al
goa Bay about four O'Clock p. m.
The evening was spent in Visiting, and
in the morning, while the ladies went to
make their Purchases, took the oppor-
tunity of doing some business ON my
own account.
found the Jacks Flat mysteries had
reached the Bay with the usual exaggera-
tions, and was closely questioned as to
my knowledge of them: OF course
avoided the subject, and my reticence so
sharpened the curiosity that when at
noon Katarina told me she was ready to
return lost no time, but had the cart
and horses at her cousins door in quick
order.
We started with host of good wishes
US, and making only one
Stoppage reached the Dorp in good time. |
The horses being little worn, l changed
at my house, putting in pair of fresh,
half broken colts.
1t was about midnight when we
reached the fork at Jacks Flat, and we
turned to go up the branch klocf. This
was the most dangerous part of the
road, for here the thick bushes hung |
over the track, doubling the darkness,
while the precipitous bank of the tor
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