San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-10
LANGALULA.

Langalula was a great chief. The
people he ruled were numerous and war
like; his assegais were 10000; his tribe
had many cattle. So the missionary at
his kraal was glad indeed when he felt
he had touched Langalula's heart, for
it meant the conversion of a whole
heather nation.
When the king goes over, the people
soon follow him.
Langalula said, clam convinced; bap-
tie me-"
But the ways of white men are incom-
prehensible. Though the missionary had
been preaching that very thing for
months, yet when Langalula gave in
he answered: Conviction alone is not
enough. You must wait awhile till l
feel that your life shows forth works
which are meet for repentance" Langa-
lula grumbled. He was little accus-
toned to such contradiction. But he
knew it was hard arguing with these
priestly white men, who will baptize
starving slave every bit as soon as a
great chief. So he held his peace, and
though he chafed at it waited the mis-
sionary's pleasure.
- By and by one day the missionary
came to him. "Langalula, he said con-
descendingly, Il have watched you close
ly for many weeks now, and think l
can baptize YOU"
Then all my sins will be forgiven:"
asked Langalula.
All your sins will be forgiven" the
missionary answered.
But must put away my wives?" Lam
galula asked once more.
"All save One," answered the mission
airy. 1t was point of doctrine.
Then, l think" Langalula said, Il
will wait for a week, so as to make up
my mind which one of them is dearest
to me-"
But he said this deceitfully, knowing
that all his sins were going to be forgiv-
en-, and determining in the interval to
marry another wife, whom he would
keep as his own when he put away the
others, for there was young girl COM
ing on, black but comely, the daughter
of Khamsua, a neighboring chief, whom
Langalula had seen and whom he wished
to purchase. And since the last love is
always for the moment the greatest
the chief cared very little whether he
must put away all his other wives or
not if only he could keep MaIali. She
had driven out all the rest of them. He
had watched the girl growing up at
khamsuas for years and had said to
himself always, whenever Malali is of
manageable age see if do not buy her
and marry her.
In pursuance of this plan, as soon as
the missionary was gone, Langalula rose
up and took the fighting men of his tribe
with him that there might be no dispute,
and marched into the country Of Malalis
father, whose name, as | said, was
Khamsua. When Khamsua heard Lam
galula was ON his way to his land with
5000 assegais, not to speak of winchester
rifles, he went out to meet him with
great retinue.
Khamsua cringed. Langalula said to
him, Il am come to ask for Malali."
The moment Khamsua heard that he
was unspeakably terrified and flung him.
self down on his face and clasped Ian
galulas knees, for Khamsua was only a
small chief in the country compared with
Langalula.
80 my king" Khamsua said, so lion
of the people, did not know so great
a monarch as you had set his eyes on
Malali, and before you asked Montelo's
people came and offered oxen on Mon
telo's behalf for Malali, and sold her
to them because | was afraid of Mon
telo and could not have believed so great
chief as you had ever looked upon her. "
Langalula smiled at that. "Oh, as for
Montelo," he said, Il can easily take her
from him, and then l can get the mis-
sionary to marry us"
Khamsua, however, answered like a
fool. 1T cannot be. The Christians
are so straight laced. MOntelo is aChris-
tan now. He was baptized week age,
and Malali was married to him in Chris
tan fashion. Even if you were to kill
Montelo and take her to your kraal |
don't believe the missionary would mar
ry You
Langalula turned to his men. Kill
him." he said simply. And they killed
him with an assegai.
AS soon as that was finished Langalula
marched ON into MOntelO's country.
When he arrived there, MontelO crept
out to meet him and tried to parley with
him. But Langulula would not parley
with the man who had deprived him OF
| Malah.
1--WE will fight for it," he said angrily.
And they fought foi it then and there,
and the uUshot of it all was that Ian,