Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-12-19

myself among some banana trees and
watched what passed through o crack In
the wall.
1.-THE man on the mule was old and fat,
his hair was white and his face yellow
and wrinkled. / knew him at once, for
often have heard of him before, who has
been the tsrror of this country for many
years. He Is named the Yellow Devil BY
the blnck people, but his Portuguese name
Is Percira, and he has his place in q secret
spot down by one of the mouths Of tho
ZambezL Here he collects the slaves, and
here the traders come twice n year with
their dhows TO carry them to market.
Now, this man looked at my mistress
as she stood terrified with her back against
the wall Then he laughed and cried
aloud in Portuguese: Here We have a
pretty prize. This must be that JuAnna
of whose beauty have heard. Where Is
your father, my dover Gone trading up the
river, has he not' All, l knew IL, or per
haps i should not have venturcd here
But IL was wrong of him to leave one so
pretty all alone. Well, well, he is about
his business and I must be about mine
for 1 also am merchant, my dove, a
merchant who trades In blackbirds. One
with silver feathers docs not often come
my way, and must make the most of her
There Is many young man In our part
who will bid briskly for such eyes as
yours. Never fear, my dove, we will soon
find you a husband.
land now II you are ready he said,
we will be moving, for IL Is eight days
journey TO my little nest on the coast, and
who can tell when the dhows will como 10
fetch my blackbirds' Have you anything
to say before you 60, my dovct'
mistress, was set upon It, Then the slave
traders shot down such of the captiyes rs
they thought to be of no value, the driv-
ers hoggcd the slaves with their three
thonged sjambochs of hippopotamus hide,
and the line moved or down the banks of
the river.
when all had gone. crypt from my
hiding place and sought out those men OF
the settlement who had escaped the
slaughter, praying tn I'M to find arms and
follow on the Yellow DEVILS spoor, wait.
ing for an opportunity to rescue the Shop.
herdess whom they loved. But they would
not do this, for the heart was out of
them. They were cowed by fear, and most
Of the hcadmen had been taken captive.
No, they would do nothing hut weep over
their dead and their burnt kraals. You
towards, l said, If you will not come,
then / must 60 nlone. At least let some
of you pass up the river and search for
Mavoom to tell him what has CHANGED
here In his house
They said that they would do this,
and taking n blanket and q little food i
followed upon the track of the slave driv-
crs. For four days I followed, sometimes
coming in sight of them, till ut length my
food was done, and my strength left me.
On the morning of the fifth day could
60 no farther, SO crept TO the top Of a
koppie and watched their long limo wind.
ing across the plain. In its center were
two mules, and on one of these mules sat
a woman. Then l knew that no harm
had befallen my mistress rs yet, for she
still lived.
Now, from the top OF this koppie saw
a little kraal far away TO the right, and
to this kraal came that afternoon with
my last strength. told its people that ]
had escaped from the slave drivers, and
they treated me kindly. Here IL was also
that 1 learned that some white men from
Natal were digging for gold In these
mountains, and next day travelled on in
search of them, thinking that pcrchancC
they would help me. for know well that
the English hate the slave drivers. And
here, my lord. am come at last with
much toll, and now, pray a.. deliver my
mistress the Shepherds - from the hands
Of the Yellow Devil. oh, my lord, seem
poor and wretchcd, but | tell you that II
you can deliver her you shall win n great
reward. Yes, will reveal to you that
which have kept secret all my life aye.
even from Mavoom my master will ~
veal to you the secret treasures of my peo
pie, the Children Of the Mist"
Now, when Leonard, who all the Will,
had been listening attcntively and In 81
lencc to Soas tale, heard her last words, he
raised his head and stared Mt her, think
ing that her sorrows had made her mad
There was no look of madness upon the
woman's fierce face, however, but only one
OF the most earnest and indeed passionate
entreaty. So, letting this matter go by fol
the while, he spoke to her.
"Arc you then mad, mother" he asked.
You see that / am alone here, with one
servant, for my three companions, OF
whom the people in the kraal told you,
are dead through fever, and myself am
smittcn with IL, and yet you ask me,
alone rs / am, To travel to the slave trad
er's camp that is you know not where,
and there, single handed, to rescue your
mistress, II indeed you have n mistress
and your tale Is true. Arc you then mad,
mothert''
mo, lord, l am not mad, and that
which tell you is true, every word of 1t.
know that l ask n great thing, but
know also that you Englishmen can dc
great things when you arc well paid.
Strive to help me, and you shall have your
reward Ay should you fail and live
can still give You n reward-not much
perhaps, but more than you ever earned. -
Newer mind the reward now, mother, -
said Leonard testify, for the yelled sar'
casm of Soa's speech had stung him, ''un'
less, indeed, you can cure mo of the fe
ver," he added, with n laugh.
II can do that, she answered quietly.
Tomorrow morning will cure you"
so much the BETTER he said, with an
incrcdulous smile, and now of your wis
dom tell me how am to look for your
mistress, to say nothing of rescuing her,
when l do not know where she has been
taken to. Probably this nest of which the
Portugce talked l. II secret place. How
long has she been carried OFF,
This will be the twelfth day. lord. As
for the nest, It Is secret. That have dis
covered. lt Is To your wisdom that look
to find it
Leonard unused awhile; then n thought
struck him. Turning to the dwarf, who
had been sitting by, listening to all that
was said in stolid silence, his great head
resting upon his knees, he spoke tn him
in Dutch:
Otter. wcro you not once taken ms a
slavc!''
Yes, baas, once, ten years ago"
How was it,
THUS, baas. was hunting on the
Zambczi with the soldiers of n tribe there.
1t was after my own people had driven
me out, because they said that I was toe
ugly tn become their chief, as i was born
to be. Then the Yellow Devil, that same
man of whom the woman speaks, fell up
on US with Arabs and took us to his plnce,
there to await the slave dhows. He was a
stout man, horrible to see and elderly.
The day the dhows came in escaped by
swimming. All the others who remained
alive were taken off In ships TO Zanzibar. -
Gould you find your way to that place
again, Otteri"