St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-23
SLAVE-TRADER'S RONANCE
BY HERBERT WARD.

! duu CUptiNCo thlou6h VIC
dismal depths of the great African for
est in search of human prey: Day by
day they had trudged through thorny
undergrowth, beneath the impenetrable
| canopy OF primeVal trees, and each
night they had slept, hungry, upon the
| sodden ground, in the vitiated atmoS-
phere of decaying vegetation.
The region they had traverSed was
uninhabited.
That afternoon Manyema follower
had been wounded by a wooden spear,
adroitlv concealed in the bushes, by the
side of a well-worn elephant track.
Here at last was an evidence of man.
The caravan had halted, and Osmani
had dispatched scouts to survey the vi
cinity.
"Hodir cried voice from without.
Osmani started from his reverie. and
instinctively reached toward the loaded
rifle by his side.
"Karib!"
A curtain was drawn aside, revealing
the figure of an armed negro.
"Ah, Khalifan"
'SaIaam BwanaW The negro crossed
his hands upon his breast and bowed.
"Khabari gam? Speak, what news"
Good news" replied the negro, mind
Iul OF pfGSeINlHS SoOI otilSH. ehC
scouts have returned"
"Vema! And what have they found?"
In few words the negro explained
that the scouts had discovered traces of
large native village, about two hours
march to the eastward OF their encamp-
ment.
Osmanrs face instantly lightened.
sit is we'll" said he. The sun is now
setting. Two hours before the dawn we
march upon that village. Tonight, no
fires, no noise. 'Sikia"'
The night air grew cold. A storm
swept over the forest. The rain filtered
through the thick foliage overhead, and
trickled in streams upon the naked
bodies of the miserable wanderers, who
grumbled and crouched together in
groups.
1t was still dark and cherries when
Osmani emerged from his tent.
"SimiIla! Simllla! Make way there
for Bwana Osmani!'
Silent and Sullen the Manyema ma
rauders arose. stretched their stitfened
limbs and buckled their ammunition
belts around their waists. Each man
rolled a strip of dirty white cotton cloth
around his head, turbanWiSe, to serve
as q discriminating, mark in the coming
FRAY with the native sayages.
"Teudelel Tendele, upeSiP' The or
der to march echoed through the camp,
and in few minutes OSmani and his
marauders, started forth in single file.
No word was spoken, and the only sound
that betokened their progress was a
slight sWishing of leaves and the mutfied
tread of naked feet upon the sp0ngy
ground.
The camp was left In charge of fifty
Well-armed Manyema allies OF Osmani.
The attacking party plOdded through
the dark forest until they came within
sight of the village clearing.
Dawn was just breaking when the
first deadly vOlley was fired. followed
an instant afterwards by the shouts of
"Allah-'llah-IaW as the brutal aSsailants
rushed upon their prey. Women and
children, shrieking and crying, fled in
| slaught. Fowls fled cackling toward
| the woods. Mems deep voices shouted
| incoherentIy, but above the thrilling
| uproar of gun-shots, cries and groanS,
| the fatal "'llah-a-ihu" of the Manyema
| sounded loud and relentless. as they
| crashed through the bushes In the midst
| of panic-stricken savageS, chasing the
| black figures that darted hither and
| thlther, hurting them to the ground,
| and binding them with strips of plated
grass cord.
The sulphurous smoke from the raid
ers' guns, combining with the early
morning mist, produced a dense fog,
which settled in an almost impenetra6le
cloud upon the scene, in the opscurlty
of which the Manyema guns flashed
forth tongues of fame. Osmani had now
| lost all control over his frenZied mob,
| Il nd WI 1IS
tied through the air in all directions.
In endeavoring to penetrate the dark
cloud of fog and smoke, the Arab leader
suddenly found himself face to face
with a burly savage, who bounded to-
ward him, brandishing huge sickle
shaped knife. Osmani raised his re-
volver and fired. The savage groaned
! and fell heavily to the ground. But
Osmani's aim had proved untrue, for
the savage, recovering from the shock.
endeavored to rise. The Arab stepped
forward. "a curse upon you! Die,
YOU black fiendv' The revolver was
| leveled at the natives head, OSmanis
finger frightened upon the trigger. but
| lust as he was about to fire the fatal
| Shot he was startled by piercing
scream. "Hey! Hoyo"' cried female
voice at his elbow, and the next moment
native girl sprang forward ana threw
herself at his feet. CHANGING down.
ward. Osmani caught his breath. The
savage maiden'S beauty fascinated him.
Her mute appeal to spare the wounded
/ natives life was answered, for OSmanIS
hand dropped to his side. He paid no
heed to the grooming savage. His eyes
were riveted upon the graceful maiden
at his feet.
A hurried footstep behind him caused
him to start and turn. The negro Khali-
| fan ran forward.
"Hev. Bwana! Greatly have we
feared for our masters safety; we have
searched in every place for YOU"
Pointing to the kneeling girl and
wounded savage whose fate had been
so strangely averted-Osman waved his
hand. saving: Bind them! Bind them
both! See that the girl escapes not.
Bring her to me in my camp at sunset"
BY noon the wretched captives were
herded together, and OSmanI and his
| heartless minions commenced the return
march to their forest encampment. The
captives were driven in single file. and
occasionally some of the elated raiders
pranced down on either side of the line,
executing a wild dance and singing
| SnatcheS of war songs, winch echoed
strangely through the gloomy woods.
Just as darkness settled upon the for
est, Kha!ifan, the negro, approached
Osmani's tent, leading his female cap
| tive by the wrist.
"Bwana! In obedience to your words,
have brought this heather girl"
"Ha! This is the girl who stayed my
hand when l would have shot. CUES.
ton her, D KhalifanH'
The negro turned to her. Thegirl's
eyes were downcast, but in answer tc
Khalfan's queries mumOled a brlel
reply.
heather say that she begged her fathers
life
"Oh. her father. was it? A powerful
man, KhaIifan, who nearly killed thy
master. She's comedy creature. In
uuire her name"
master! May it please you, hel
names Finela."
Ill is well. Tell her that she enter:
my I:arem."
Kha.ifan explained his masters
words. Tinela cast one hopeless glance