The record-union., 1895-04-27

food and water, and whatever else we re-
quired, should be placed at my disposal.
A guard of a couple OF armed men was
told to keep away intrusive or too Curl
Gus tribes-people from our quarters.
We killed sheep, and enjoyed square
meal; after which l went, surrounded
by concourse of interested natives, to
stream close by, where l had good
wash, combed out my hair and beard,
and made myself presentable for the
next interview with the fascinating
Mapana. For the rest of the afternoon
we sat resting, and Iuxuriated in quiet
smoke
At about o'clock a young headman
came with message that Mapana wished
to see me again. He seemed by no
means pleased with his errand, and pre-
ceded me with a very unprepossesslng
scowl upon his face. The Queen was now
only attended by few of her women. l
sat down near her; my conductor stood
leaning upon his assegai.
'Seleni." said Mapan, looking at him,
II wish to speak with the white man
alone; you can leave me-"
Queen" answered the young man,
not too ciYily, l thought, "this man is
stranger. Who knows his heart? He
may cherish mischief. / stay to guard
the Queen from danger"
to see the color run under the clear bru-
nette of her skin. There is no danger"
she said, with some asperity. "Go, till I
call for you"
Making an obeisance, Seleni, much
against his will, stalked out of the kotla.
Mapana turned to me. "Seleni is
kinsman of mine," she said. "and he
presumes upon it,"
l had noticed that this young man and
one or two others among the headmen
were slightly paler in color than the rest
of the tribe, and l told Mapana so.
es," she returned. "Seleni is de-
scended from the white man from whom
l descend, but by a baser branch. My
fOretathers came directly from the white
man vino settled among the Um1anzi long
ago, and married the chiefs daughter.
That white man-MorinZa, we call him
became ruler over the tribe, taught US
many things, and left the family of
chiefs to which l belong. | have sent for
you"-here she inquired my name,
things which l have here. They were
Morinza's, and they have always been
cherished in my family"
Here she took the necklet of coins from
her neck and handed it to me. She had
also, for my inspection, the sword l have
spoken of, and an old-fashioned book,
very handsomely bound in red leather,
she took from a covering Of soft hide, in
which it was carefully wrapped.
was intensely interested, and first ex-
amined the gold coins composing the
necklet. There were seven IN all, four
large and three smaller. I recognized at
once the head Of Charles L, and made
out without difficulty that the coins were
twenty-shilling and ten-shilling pieces of
that Kings reign. l next took up the
sword. The scabbard had once been
handsome in leather and metal, but was
now worn and battered. The sword it,
self, straight, narrOwish rapier, was a
very beautiful one. 1t was in excellent
condition and finely engraved. On the
center Of the blade were these words In
old-fashioned lettering:
"RUPERTUs MAURTTo sUo.
BREDAE, 1885,
Latin for: From Rupert TO his AIau-
rice. Before Breda, I63S."
Now IN the mind of every school boy
said Cressey, pausing in his narrative)
the names Rupert and Maurice always
run together. They were uephews of
Charles l., sons of Elizabeth, Queen of
Bohemia, and they are we'll known in
English history. Since l came TO Cape
Town l have been to the library, and 1
find that Prince Maurice served his first
or second campaign in 1888 with the
Prince OF Orange at the siege of Breda.
Prince Rupert was there learning the
trade of war at the same time. The
meaning OF the inscription on that
sword-which l have, and will show you
presently-ls to my mind perfectly clear,
w ell, TO get on with my yarn. AS | sat
in Mapaua's kraal with the sword in my
hands, l began to wonder whether I was
in dream. Was it possible that the
beautiful brunette before me- chieftain of
tribe OF Outlandlsh katfirs. came of
such stock as this? The idea seemed too
wildly improbable. Yet, ii her tale and
the evidence before me meant anything,
1t meant that this sword, these gold coins
had once belonged TO Maurice of the
Rhine. I took the book in my hand and
turned over its yellow pages. What I
saw there yet more electrified me, and
stimulated yet further my imagination.
The book was an old French work on
hawking, entitled, LA FaucOnnerie: par
Charles d'Esperon; Paris: 1906" on the
hy-leaf was written, in an antique, yet
clear hand:
"Mauritio 2. d. d. Mater Amantissima Eliza
betha Z. 1865"
Translated, this would run: ITO Mau-
rice, Prince, gift from his loving mother
Elizabeth, Queen, l635."
There was no earthly reason to suppose
that the inscription upon that old tly-leaf
lied.
That book, then, had once belonged to
L A4ICC -hduiiC6S udu OuC0 D66u the loving
gift to him OF the unlucky, beautiful
Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, his mother.
1t seemed so strange, so tragic, to find
here these relics of the old stuart blood
TO see before me perhaps even a descend
ant Of that ill-starred line, that my mind.
as gazed from the old book to Mapana,
from Mapana's soft eyes to the book
again. ran in flood OF strangely mingled
emotions. l asked Mapana again to tell
me how these things had come into her
family.
She reiterated that her father and grand
father had always told her that theso were
the things Of Norma twas not this name.
asked myself, an African corruption Of
Morltz or Maurice?), the white man.
their ancestor. That he had them with
him when he encountered the tribe.
That IN those days the Umfanzi lived
much farther to the west (she indicated
the direction with her hand, not far from
great water probably the south Allan
tIc); that other things of his had also for
merIy belonged to them, but had almost
all been lost in wars and wauderings.
Now, have been always fond of his
tory, and as youngser the story of the
Stuarts had deep interest for me. l had
a clear recollection in my mind that
Prince Maurice had been lost at sea some
time during the Commonwealth or Crom-
Wells PrOtectorate, while on q privateer-
ing expedition. Was it not possible
asked myself, that he had been wrecked
Oft the African coast, or even marooned
by discontinued crew? | find. by the
way, on coming down country, that Mau-
rice was actually off the west coast of At
rlca in l602, the year of his supposed
death. he is believed by some to have
been lost in a storm off the West Indies,
but the circumstance of his death seems
to be vary fnuch shrOuded in Tnvatarv