The Press., 1894-11-08


 next we toiled on, only outspanning
 once or twice during the daytime and
 at night by the water 10 rest and refresh the oxen for few hours At last, an hour before sunset on the second day,
 Angus and l, who were riding ahead of
 the wagon, spied suddenly among some
 sameel doorn trees the tent of wagon,
 to which we cantered. Suddenly, as we
 reined up, the foreclap was cast aside, and wild figure of a woman appeared
 and scrambled down from the wagon box. It was Vrouw Starreberg, but ter ribly, sadly altered from the stout if somewhat grim good wife I had seen a couple of years before. Her dark stuff dress was torn and cut about by the thorn bushes; her erst fat, smooth face, broad though it still was, was lined and haggard and terribly fallen away; but, above all, there was rolling vacancy, a wildness, i'll her eye that made me fear at once for her reason. Under one arm she clasped tightly a big Bible, and never ill the subsequent days that we were together did she once relin- quish it. It seemed that some terrible calamity had overturned her reason.
 Whence come ye, George Ken stone?' (she had known me we'll for years) she cried in harsh, high pitch ed scream very painful to listen to. Take me out of this desert and back to my home. have been cast away these six weeks, able to move neither hand nor foot for freedom. The man called husband is dead, and my servants have fled, and the oxen are gone the Lord knows where.
 'I scarce knew how to begin with her.
 I'm sorry, Tant' Starroberg, I said, to find you ill this plight. I'm afraid there has been sad mischief, and your husband has been shot. Is it not so? We will help you gladly, of course, and early ill the morning. when the oxen will be rested, we will take you out of this place. fear you have suf- fered much. But how came poor Dirk by his end? Was it the boys?'
 ''At the mention of. Dirk her whole expression changed. Her eyes filled with a terrible light. In her best days Vrouw Starreberg was hard featured, ugly woman. Now she looked almost tiendish.
 " Poor Dirkp she shrieked, with horrible scorn. Poor Dirk? No, I am not afraid to own it! The man you call Dirk Starreberg-he was no more hus- band of mine-died by my hand. shot him. Yes, dead shot him as he sat by his fire. And why? Because he lied and was unfaithful. Because he forsook me for that mop headed, blue eyed, pink faced doll, Jacoba Veeland.
 "'And when at last had discovered all-he talked overmuch ill bis sleep, the traitor-and taxed him with it, here in this very veldt, he laughed me to scorn and told me he was tired of my black face and my sour ways and gloried in his evil love. Jal he taunted me that was old and barren, I that had made man of him and brought him gold and flocks and herds and set him up. And so 1 shot him, as say. could endure it no longer, and the servants, having trekked to this place with me, fled, and the oxen wandered, and I am alone, tho Lord help me!' At the next instant the poor, overwrought creature fell ill q swoon upon the sand
 Well, it was all very horrible, al though even now we hardly knew what to believe. But we brought her to, gave her some brandy and put her into her wagon for rest. And later on took her some soup and bread and made her eat 1t. She was exhausted now and told me in low voice that she had lived on | meaL and water for weeks past. Pres | ently we turned in, and all was quiet.
 Ut was, l supposed, some little time | after midnight that Angus and I were | reused by a loud voice beyond the camp fire, which lay between the other wag- on and our own. We listened It was the vrouw herself. Hastily we got down from the kartel and went toward her. She was beyond the fire, and her figure was well nigh lost ill the gloom of night We could just see her white zapje and an arm waving frantically. It was terrible and uncanny scene There stood the woman, screaming in wild and excited tones at something be- 7ond, what we could not see and shiv- cred even to imagine. Yes she cried, you come here to frighten me, Dirk 5tarreberg. feared you not in life. I ear you not in death. I slew you, and would slay you again. But I know why you walk thus through the veldt md come seeking to drive me mad night liter night Tomorrow-now that can will come and bury your bones, md you may rest quiet if you can Trouble me no more, I say-begone!'
 Angus and l could stand it no lon ger, sick with horror though we were
 " Come back to your wagon, Vrouw called out You are reaming. Go to rest again.
 Still glaring in front of her, the woman stepped back till she had met UT advance. 1 am bound to say that l I { ooked, and Angus looked, with terri jed eyes, but saw nothing'of what she !! aw or thought she saw We took the oor mad creature's arms She was rembling and wet, literally bathed in ( What the tension must $ ave been if this sort of thing had been g oing on night after night I shuddered | [ ven to think of. We took her to her vagon and gave her strong dose of s randy and water, and presently she | 9ll into heavy sleep. Then Angus and !, ot down our karosses, rekindled roar ,g fire and sat smoking by the blaze for 1e rest of that night. Scared as I was, believe l dozed once or twice, and ngus swears to this day that he once wv the figure of Dirk Sarreberg pass ithin the freight 50 yards away. He oke me, but it had gone. The cattle ere uneasy and disturbed again, and IT Kaffirs, who had heard the vrouw liking, as they said, at spook, lay lddled together under our wagon. It as uncanny, devilish uncanny, can Il you, that intangible horror about ( e camp.
 "Well, the rest of my story is short. ! rouw Starreberg was moving before avn and insisted that we must trek a ack to the old camp and bury the skel- ttj