The record-union., 1895-04-27
4 LEGEND OF PRINCE MAURICE.
PART !.

PART ].
1t was Christmas-time at the Cape,
when many man and woman of British
blood, jaded by the sun and drought of
an up-country life, flocks down to the
sea. Cape Town and her charming sub
urbs were crowded; and the pleasant
watering places of Muizenburg and Kalk
Bay were thronged with folks dying
once more to set eyes on the blue ocean,
to lnhale the fresh breezes and to remind
themselves Of their own sea-girt origin.
From every corner of South Africa, from
the old Colony, the Free State, the
Transvaal, from far Bechuanaland, they
had come. You might see sun-scorched
wanderers from the tar interior, hunters,
explorers, prospectors and pioneers.
Some had come to restore broken health;
some to taste again the sweets Of ciViliza-
tion, to spend hard-won money, or, per-
chance, an enthusiast might be seen who
had been attracted south a thousand
miles and more by the weeks cricket
tournament on the Western Province
ground at Newlands.
Cape Town was at her best and brayest;
Adderley street was as crowded as
Bond street in June, and upon every
manu- were 10 DS SeSu anu uSdTu pl9aSduL
faces. CHEEKY voices and the hearty greet
ings Of friends long severed by time and
distance.
On the evening of the 23d of December
young man sat in his pleasant bedroom
In the annex of the International Hotel,
which lies rather out of the heat of the
town on the lower slopes of Table Noun
tain. 1t was an hour before dinner, and
the young man sat in his shirt sleeves
before the open window, idly smoking a
pipe and teasting his eyes on the glorious
view that lay before him.
Jack Compton had just come down
from two years travel and sport in the
far lnterior-you might tell that by his
lean, sun-tanned face and deeply en-
Drowned arms, and by the collection of
curlos-blrd skins, photographs, horns,
heads, assegals and other articles that
Uttered tue rOom-and, after a rough
time OF II, was now enjoying to the full
the ease and relaxation of life at the Cape.
1t was noble prospect that lay spread
before him-none nobler in the world.
Cape Town, with its white houses and
dark-green foliage, contrasted strongly
IN the near foreground with the peerless
blue and the sweeping contours of Table
BAY. Out at the entrance to the bay
RObben Island swan dimDly into the lar
Atlantic. Across the bay the eye was first
smltten by the binding dazzle of the
beach OF white sand below Blaauw berg.
mountain scenery, the jagged sierras of
StellenDOsch and the Iar line of Hotten-
tots Holland melting in blues and pur-
pies upon the horizon. Under the set
ting sun the crests of these distant
sierras were rapidly becoming rose
tinted, and the warm browns and pur-
Dies glOrined thousand fold. Never,
thought Jack Compton, as he pulled con-
teuledly at his pipe, mad he peheld a
more enchanting scene.
At that instant his door was flung open,
and tall, sun-burnt, keen-eyed man of
30 entered the room. Halo, Jack, YOU
old buffer" he exclaimed, what are YOU
up to sitting here broodiDg like a pelican
at d saltpan? Pye been looking for you.
I've been chatting for the last two hours
with most interesting Johnnie Just
come round from W altlsch Bay. He's
been trading and hunting IN a new Yeldt
tar inland TO the northeast, and he's had
some extraordinary times. The country
he's been in Is, seemingly, quite unknown
TO Europeans; games as thick as sheep in
fold, and he's had the most wonderful
shooting. But there's one adventure
which he'll tell US more about after din
ner, which has hit my fancy amazingly.
AS far as 1 can make out, Cressev-that's
the name OF the man-has discovered
some extraordinary link with the past.
hattlr woman, chief OF some native tribe,
with good white blood in her veins
Cressey has got some OF her belongings,
and has promised to show them to us
later on"
But" put in Jack Compton. what
sort OF man is this Cressey? Can you
depend upon what lie says? There are
some champion liars in this country, and
any amount of improbable yarns floating
rom one ear TO another. The Afrikander
Is the most credulOus person in the world,
and there's something in the climate
which quickly iniects the Britisher-
Fl,,r i
and diamonds are primarily responsible
for 1t all, and the Old-tashioned Boer,
who's the most mary els walIowing Great
ure OF the nineteenth century,"
"Ihaps ali right, old chap" laughingly
replied Tim Bracewell. AZ won't saw
any more at present. You shall Judge
for yourself. In my opinion this man
Cressey isn't one OF your natural born
AnanIases. de gives one the Impression
OF being perfectly straightforward, He's
quiet, unassuming sort of man, rather
hard TO draw than otherwise By the
by, we mustn't talk too loud. He's
got bedroom somewhere in this build
ing"
Half an hour later the two friends were
lounglng about the stoep OF the Interna-
uOnai waiting the summons to dinner,
when Qulet-loOklng man in blue serge
came up the steps. Tim Bracewell
stepped forward and met him and intro
duced him to Compton. The newcomer
was weA-set-up man of middle hight
He had fair brown hair, short beard
and pair of keen, steady, blue-gray
eyes.
After dinner, which the three men par
took OF at table together, they came out
to the stoep again, and fixed themselves
IN snug corner for coffee and cigars.
They had exchanged good deal of their
experiences together at the dinner-table
and Tim Bracewel now called upon
Cressey to give them the promised his
tory OF his main adventure.
Well lsaid Cressey), it's queer yarn,
and / don't know what you'll say 10 it,
\ Iou're the first I've told it to; and let me
ask you not 10 talk about it outside.
don't want to be bothered by papers and
lnterviewers and all the rest of it.
shall report my story to the Colonial
Secretary for what ips worth, and then
I've done all / intend TO. / started from
Walhsch Bay with two wagons, loaded
up with tradiug-gear, just eighteen
months ago. 1 intended to hunt bit,
and l had five good ponies with me.
had also in my outfit three very good ma
tive "boys''-One, especially, April"
3 most useful chap; he was Mangwato,
capital FELLOW at languages, and under
STOOD Zulu and Dutcn and one or two
ZamDesi dialects. lie was good driver,
cook anu hunter-One of the best all
round natives j ever came across.
Well, L trekked through Damaraland
and Ovampoland up TO the Cunene River.
hadn't much trouble with the Ovampo,
as L knew their chiefs and headmen. But
they're a rum lot, and you've got to
watch 1t in their country l did pretty
well, and sent down a decent troop of
cattle taken in barter to place pve got
in Damaraland.
Alter several months left the Cunene
and worked uD for a new bit of country