Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-01-26

her chance Of its being the meme o.
snakes or other evil creatures. 10 Inu
that the interior was vide and warm
l. was dry also, for at the bottom OF tne
cavity lay foot or more Of rotten tin
der and moss brought there by rats or
birds. Upon this finder she lay down,
and, covering herself with the moss anu
leaves. soon sank into sleep or stupor.
How long Nanea slept she did not
know but at length she was awakened
by a sound as Of cultural human yolces
taking in a language that she could not
understand Rising to her knees she
peered ont OF the hole in the tree. It
was night. but the stars sllOne brilliant
~ and their light fell upon an open cir
Gle Of ground close by the edge Of the
river. In this circle there burned
great fire. and at a little distance from
the fire were gathered eight or ten nor
rible looking beings who appeared 10
be rejoicing over something that lay on
the ground. They were small n stat
ure men and women together, but no
children, and all OF them were nearly
naked Their hair was long and thin,
growing almost 10 tIAe eyes. their Jaws
and teeth prOtruded, and the girth OF
their black bodies was out OF all pro-
portion to their height. In their hands
they held sticks with sharp stones
lashed CnlO them, or rude hatchet-lke
knives Of the same material.
Now Nanea's heart shrank within her
and she nearly tainted with fear. for
she knew that she was N the haunted
f0res, and without a doubt these were
the Esemkofu, the evil ghosts that
dwelt in it. Yes, that was what they
W5re, and yet she could not take her
ewes off them; he sight of them held
her w.th a horrible fascination. But if
they We're ghosts why did hey sing and
dance like men? Why did they wave
those sharp stones alOft and quarrel
and strike each ether? And why did
they make a fire as men do when they
wish 10 cook food? More, what was /,
they rejoiced over. that long dark thing
which lay so quiet upon the ground?
II did not look Ike head OF game, ami
it could scarcely be crocodile, yet
clearly * was food Of some sort, for
they were sharpening the stone knives
il order To cUt l. ZIP.
Wals- she wondered thus one Of the
d-eaIru, looking little creatures adj
vauosd 10 the fire. and. taking from 1t
burning Dough, held i, over the thing
th9 lay upon the ground 20 give Eglt to
q companion who was about TO do some
thing 20 it with the stone knife. Next
instant Nanea drew back her head from
the hole. a s,i1ed shrek upon her lips.
She saw what il was newt was the
body of a man. Yes. and these were no
ghosts. they We're cannibals Of whom,
when she was liule, her mother had
told her tales TO keep her from wander
ing away from home.
But who was the man they were about
% eat? Il. could not be one Of them
salv S. for his stature was much greater.
Ga, now she knew. It must be Nahoon,
who had been killed I'D yonder, and
whose dead body the waters had brought
down 20 the haunted forest as they had
brought her alive Yes, vt must be
T. Naho0n. and she would be forced to see
her husband devoured before her eyes.
The l0ught of 10 overwhelmed her.
That ne should die by order of the King
was natural. but that he should be bur
led thus Yei. what could she do to
prevent it,? Well. il 1T cost her her life,
she would prevent It. A. the worst
they could only kill and eat her also,
and now that N3hOon and her father
were gone she was not greatly concern
ed 10 keep her own breath in her.
Slipping through the hole in the tree
Nanea walked qu.etly toward the can
nibals. not knowing in the leas, what
she should DO when she reached them.
AS she arrived in line with The fire
this l5ck Of programme came home to
her mind f0rci5ly and she paused 10
reflect. Jus, then one of the canniba,s
looked up TO see q tall and stately fig
IRE wrapped in a white garment which
as the h3me-light fickered on L SEEM
ed now 10 advance from the dense back
ground Of shadow, and now to recede
into it, The poor savage wretch was
holding stone knife in his teeth when
ne bsheii her, bu, j, did not remain
there l0ng for opening his great jaws
he uttered the most terrified and pierre
ing yell that Nansa had ever heard.
Then the others saw her also, and pres
entity the forest was ringing with
shr.eks of fear. For a few seconds the
0utc3sts stood and gazed then they were
gone this way and that, bursting their
p3.h through the underground like
startled jackals The EsemkOfu Of
Zulu tradition had been routed in their
own haunted home by what they took
10 De- o spirit.
Poor Esem6ofu, they were but mis-
cradle and arriving bushmen who, dr.y-
en- int0 that place OF Ell omen many
years ago. had adoD.ei this means, the
only one open 10 them, TO keep the life
in th ir Wr5,ched bodies. Here at
least they We're ulmolesjed, and as
there was Et-le other food TO be found
amid that wilderness OF trees. they took
what the river brought them When
executions were few i'm the Pool of
Doom zines were hard for them indeed,
for then ,aey were driven to eat each
other
As the iu3rticul3,e cutlery died away
in the distance, Nanea ran forward TO
lock- al he body that lay on the ground,
and staggered back with a s.gh of re-
lief. Ii was no, NlhOOn, but she rec
OScized the face for tina, OF one Of the
party OF eXecutioners. How did he
come here? Had N3hoon killed him?
Had NaAoon escaped? She could not
tell, and az the best it was improbable,
but S-ill the s.sht Of this dead soldier
..t her heart with a faint ray Of hope
for how did ne come 10 be dead if Ma
hoou had no hand in IT, She could
MOI bear to leave him lying 50 near her
hiding place. however, therefore with
no small ,oI she rolled the corpse back
into the water which carried It swiftly