The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-08-05

the Zulu.
Now on the third night came to a
little kraal that stands on the farther
side of the river at the foot Of the noun
tains In front of the kraal sat an old,
old woman basking in the rays of the
setting sun. She saw me and spoke to
me, saying: Young man, you are tall
and strong and swift of foot. Would
you earn famous weapon-a club that
destroys all who look on itY
II said that would have such club
and asked what should do to win it.
"'You shall do this said the old. old
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 a gloomy
forest. 1t is very dark in the forest, but
you must push through it till you come
to an open place with wall of rock be-
hind it. In the wall of rock is cave,
and in the cave you will find the bones
of man. Bring down the bones in q
/ bag and will give you the club
while she spoke thus people came
out of the kraal and listened.
"'Do not heed her, young man. they
said, unless you are 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 Amatongo. 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 passeYs by that they should bring
them, offering the great club for re-
ward, but they dare not
- They lie,' said the old woman.
There are no ghosts there. The ghosts
| live only in their cowardly hearts
There are but wolves. l know that the
bones of my son lie in, the cave. for
have seen them in a dream; but, alas!
my old limbs are too weak to carry me
up the mountain path and all these are
towards. There is no man among them
since the Zulus slew my husband. Gov
ering him with wounds
"Now l listened, saying no word, but
when all had done l 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, strangeri Look on it
Was there ever such cluby and Galazi
held it up before the eyes of Umslopo-
gaas.
Il looked at it," went on Galazi, ''and
l tell you, stranger, n great desire came
into my heart to possess it.
I" How is this club namedT / asked
of the old woman.
" He is named Watcher of the Fords,
she answered, and be has not watched
in vain. Five men have held that club |
in war and q hundred and seventy and |
three have given up their lives beneath |
it's 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 |
a great fashion. There is but one other |
weapon to match with it in Zululand. |
and that is the great az of Jikiza, the |
chief of the People of the Ar, who |
dwells in the kraal yOnder-the ancient |
horn HATED Imbubuzi. the GroanmakeT. |
that brings victory. Were ak GrOan-
maker and club Watcher Of the Ford |
side by side there are no thirty men in
Zululand who might stand before them.
1 have said. Choose and she watched
me cunningly through her horny eyes
AT length she rose. 'Lai lar she said
the Watcher is not for this one This
one is but child. l must seek me a
man; must seek me a manP
Not so fast, old wife, said; will
you lend me this club to hold in my
son and to snatch them from the people
of the ghostsY
"'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 he is yours, and he shall
bring you glory, and you shall die a
great death at last, holding him aloft
among the dead
80 on the morrow at dawn took
the club Watcher in my hand and lit
tie dancing shield and made ready to
start
Now, stranger, if you have strength
come to the mouth of the cave and look
ont for the moon is bright
SO Umslopogaas rose and crept through
the narrow mouth of the cave. There,
above him, great gray peak, shaped
like seated woman, lowered high into
the air, her chin resting upon her breast.
the place where the cave was being, as
it We're, on the lapO the woman. Below
this place the rock ran down sharply
and was clothed with little bushes.
Lower down yet was forest. great and
dense, that stretched to the lip of a cliff.
and at the foot of the cliff, beyond the
waters of the river, lay the wide plains
of Zululand.
"Yonder, stranger" said Galazi, point
ing, ''yonder is the kraal where the aged
woman dwelt. There is the cliff rising
from the plain up which / must climb:
there is the forest where dwell the Anna
tongo, the people of the ghosts; there, on
the hither side of the forest, runs the path
to the cave, and here is the cave itself :
See this stone lying at the mouth Of the
cave; it turns thus, shutting up the !
mouth of the cave-it turns gently.
though it is SO large a child may move
it, for it rests upon sharp point of rock.
"Only this, the stone may not be push :
ed too far; for, lookl if it came to here
and he pointed TO a mark in the mouth c
Of the cave, ''then that man must be l
strong who can draw it back again, !
though have done it myself, who am Z
not man full grown. But if it pass ]
beyond this mark, then, see, it will roll !
down the neck of the cave like pebble
down the neck of a gourd, and l think
that two men, one striving from within
and one dragging from without, scarce
Iy could avail to push it clear. Look.
now, / close the stone, as is my custom Of /
q night, thus"-and he grasped the rock I
and swung it around upon its pivot, on
which it turned as door turns. THUS
leave it. and though. except those to
whom the secret is known, none would ;
guess that = cave was here, yet with
push Of the hand it may be rolled back
But enough Of the stone.
81 started from the kraal OF the old ]