Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-08-25
CHAPTER XXXII.


on iron, and the light went out and all
grew still
For awhile NADIA the Lily sat in the
dark Of the cave saying to herself:
canon he will come, my husband; he
will surely come. The Slayers are slain,
he does but tarry to bind his wounds,
scratch, perchance, here and there. Yes,
he will come, and it is well, for | weary
Of my loneliness, and this place is grim
and evil"
Thus she spoke to herself in hope, but
nothing came except the silence. Then
she spoke again, and her voice echoed in
the hollow cave. Now | will be bold;
will fear nothing. l will push aside
the stone and go out and find him.
know well he does but linger co tend
some who are wounded, perchance Ga
lazi. Doubtless Galazi is wounded
must go and tend him, though he never
loved me, and love him not ovcrmuch
who would stand between me and my
husband. He is q foe to women, this
wild wolf man, and most of all a foe to
me- yet will be kind to him. Como.
will so at once" and she rose and
pushed at the rock.
Why, what was this? II did not stir.
Then she remembered that she had
pulled it beyond the socket because of
her fear of the wolf, and that the rock
had slipped little way down the neck
OF the cave.
Now i'll her fear she shrieEed aloud,
calling on the name Of Umslopogaas.
&c 4
slopOgaas! Jmslopogaas.' and that
was all.
Thereafter madness came upon NADIA,
my daughter, and she lay in the cave
for days and nights. And with her mad
ness came visions.
And 10. her madness left her, and she
awoke to know that she was dying and
that voice she loved spoke without tho
hole, saying in hollow accents:
"Nada! Do You yet live, Nada:o
"Ica,' she answered hoarsely. "Wa-
ter. Give me water."
Then came a sound as of a greatsnake
dragging itself along painfully. Awhile
passed, then a trembling hand thrust a
little gourd of water through the hole
She drank and now she could speak,
though the water seemed to flow through
her veins like fire.
"Is it indeed You, Umslopogaas?" she
said, "or are you dead and do dream of
your
at is I, NADIA" said the voice. "Heark-
en-! Have You drawn the rock home:'
ALAS, yes" she answered. "Per-
chance if the two Of us strive at it it will
move"
aye if or strength We're what it was,
but now. Still, let us try"
So they strove with the rock, but the
two of them together had not tho
strength of girl, and it would not
move.
Give over, Umslopogaas," said NADIA.
1--WE do but waste the time that is left
to me. Let us talk"
For awhile there was no answer. for
| UmslopoSaas had tainted, and NADIA
! beat her breasts, thinking that he was
dead.
Presently he spoke, however, saying:
ut may not be. We must perish here,
me on either side Of the stonc not see
| ing each others face, for my might is as
water nor can l stand upon my feet to
go seek food"
Are You wounded, Umslopogaas?"
asked NADIA.
AYE, NADIA; I am pierced to the brain
with the point Of an aX-no fair stroke
the captain of Dmgaan hurled it at
me when | thought him dead and | fell.
| know not how long have lain yonder
under the shadow Of the rock, but it
must be long, for my limbs are wasted
and those who fell in tho fray are picked
clean by the vuturcs-all except Galazi,
for the old wolf Doathgrip lies on his
breast dying, but not dead, licking my
brothers wounds and soaring the fowls
away. 1t was the beai of Il vulture
who had smcllcd me out at last that
woke me from my sleep beneath the
stone, NADIA, and crcpt hithcr, Would
| that he had not Weakened me; would
| that | had died as | lay rather than
! lived little while till You perish thus,
like trapped fox, NADIA, and presently
/ follow you"
at is hard to die so, Umslopogaas,"
! she answered. Il who am yet Young
and fair who love you and hoped TO
| give you children. But SO it has come
about and it may not be put away.
am we'll nigh sped, husband. Horror
and fear have slain me; my strength
! fails, but | suffer little. Lot us tail, 10
more of death; let us rather talk of our
childhood, when wo wandered hand in
| hand; let us talk also of our love and of
| the happy hours we have spent since the
great aX rang upon the rock in the Hala-
! RaN caves and my fear told you the Sc
cret of my wonauhood. See, thrust
my hand through the hole; can you not
kiss it, Umslopogaas:'
Now Umslopogass stopped his shat
tered head and kissed tho Lily's little
hand. Then he held it in his own, and
so they sat till the end, he without, rest
ing his back against the rock; she with
in, lying on her side, her arm stretched
through the little hole. They spoke of
their love and tried to forgot their sor-
row in it. Ho told her also Of tho fray
that had been and how it went.
"Ah," she said, chat was Zinita's