Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1895-10-19
/ could scnle the blue air.
WHERE SAVA6ES WALK 0N GOLD
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Ny first visit to South Africa was
made one lovely summer afternoon in (
the City Of New orleans. My guide
on that occasion was the well-known
Phil Crozier, brother of the famous
Arctic explorer.
we were sitting in one of those de- I
Iightfully cool arbors back OF an old 4
battanad Widowed creole house on /
Jrsuline street, grouped around a ia
bic whereon stood those pillars OF
southern comfort big box OF regal
las and Il huge pitcher of jnlep Tie !
company was rather distinguished (
one. and / remember how magnificent
IL Col. William r. Curtis, of the Gov
ernor's staff. who had just come from
some arduous duty, shone among US
civilians iii his rare and radiant uni
form.
..une of the oldest things | ever
saw in my life,v remarked Crozier
with a luxurious drawl Of reminis-
cence, .sand | have seen more odd
sights than most men, happened one
day when | was out hunting lions in
the South African bush. / always
took my dead ease about it, and that
was probably the reason why l bag
ged so many in South Africa, where
lions are easy enough to find, but diff
ficult to get coed quiet pop at.
II travelled through that country
with two Kaffir guides, proper tall fell
lows without a stitch on them. shin
ing in the sun like great bronze liz
ards / also had Kaffir boy about u
q clever little chap, but. like most of
his kind. wofully given not merely to
prevaricatiol, but to deliberate "
ing.
ION this particular day 5 had struck
the bad luck of tanning my horse, and
my two kaffirs had ridden ahead of
my OK team which was rooted over,
and in which we slept at night, to see
IL they could find native doctor.
II may remark in passing that the
South African grass, like the Western
wheat Of this country, grows very
high. We were within sight of that
mountain peak called Crows Nest,
which may be considered as marking
the line Of division between Mashona-
land and Portuguese GaZaland.
st was the dry season, and the sun
always hot in South Africa, seemed
simply trying to broil everything in
sight that afternoon
Though had in the wagon a good
supply Of wet goods We had run short
OF water and | would have given a
cool hundred. I think, for one cool
drink of Adams ale, of which how-
ever, my guide told me there was no
y prospect till we reached the next
camp.
4 was very much amused 10 see a
huge, black-topped siIver-sided cloud
IN the shape Of q funnel, with spir-
81 twist. travelling along very rapidly
nlgh In the air, toward Mt. Crows
Nest the peak of which may have
deem some ten miles from where we
We're tfekking along in middle valley
Inc cause for my amazement you
VIII readily understand when I tell
you that during the dry season South
Africa, though noted for it's FREQUENT
bracing breezes, is also noted for IT,
absolutely cloudless skies.
GAS 1t ncared Crows Nest. with OK
traordinaIy velocity, 1t seemed alrnos
as vast as the mountain itself, though
much broader at top than at bottom
Suddenly as EaZed there came col
iision colossal, and the next monan
my summer cloud of wonder had van
ished like o. vision.
1T was the most sudden disappear
anee conceivable. 1t was seen an,
not seen. like the smile of the light
ming. and stood there. under tile bro
ing sun, bathed in perspiration, ruf
bling my eyes in amazement and tenn
ted to fancy that / must have had
symptom Of some impending diseas
of the optic nerve.
II was climbing back into the o
cart and we had trekked along tw
miles further, as my thirst was b,
coming simple internal tortt.
when my ears always preternaturaIl
acute, heard over IN the bush towai
the right. near the mountain, a so
of splashing, dashing sound, qui
faint ut first, to be sure, but sugge
tive of falling water.
/" Thank heaven. cried; that mu
be mountain brook, Tom and kit
ed my Kaffir boy. who was little
front driving the oxen, take the buc
ct you lazy rascal, and run into Il
bush over there, and don't come ba,
till you can fetch me some watc
I'm sure i heard n brook
"He grUH.bled something about
lions getting him. and | replied -f
spoke the Kaffir language almost
fuently as / do English--that
would be sorry for the ilou; such
boy would give him an awful sto
ach ache.
'.Sulkily he went into the thick