The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05

was to work gradually down to the Buff
falo river, across which he hoped to eff
fect retreat into Natal, while that of
Nahoon was to linger in the neighbor-
hood of the kraal of Umgona, which was
situated not very far from their pres
ent camping place. in the vague hope
OF speaking with, or, at least of seeing
Nanea, the girl to whom he was af-
tianced. who within a few weeks must
be taken from him and given over to
the king.
A more eerie-looking spot than that
where they where encamped Hadden had
never seem Behind them lay a tract of
land, half swamp and half bush, where
the bunalo were supposed to be hiding
beyond which in lonely grandeur rose
the mountain of Ihandhlwana, while in
front was an amphitheatre of the most
gloomy forest, ringed round in the dis
lance by sheer-sided hills Into this for
est there ran a river which drained the
swamp, placidly enough upon the level
But it was not always level, for with
IN three hundred yards of them it dashed
suddenly over precipice, of no great
height but very steep, falling into a
boiling rock bound pool that the light
OF the sun never seemed to reach.
What is the name of that forest Ma
hoOn?" asked Hadden.
1T is named Emaggoodu. The Home
of the Dead the Zulu replied absently,
for he was looking toward the kraal of
Nanea which was situated an hours
walk ll,ht5 away over the ridge to the right
=
Because the dead live there, those
whom we name the Esemkofu, the
Speechless Ones. and the AmahloSi, from
whom the breath of life has passed away
and who yet live on
Indeed said Hadden, land have you
ever seen these ghostS?"
Am [ mad that ] should go to look
for them, White Man? Only the dead
enter that forest and it is on the borders
of it that the people make offerings 10
the dead"
Followed by Nahoon, Hadden walked
to the edge of the cliff and looked over
it. To the left lay the deep and dread
Unlocking pool, While close to the bank
OF It,, placed upon narrow strip OF
turf between the cliff and the com
mencement of the forest, was a hut.
WHO lives there?" asked MADDEN.
1.-THE great Isanusi, she who is named
Jnyanga or doctoress, she who is
named the Bee because she gathers wis
dom from the dead who grow in the
forest
do you think she could gather enough
wisdom to tell me whether L am going
to kill any buffalo, Nahoon?"
"Mayhap, White Man, but he added
with a little smile, chose who visit the
Bees hive may hear nothing, or they
may hear more than they wish for. The
words Of that Bee have a sting"'
Good. I will see if she can sting me-"
$50 be it," said Nahoon, and turning
he led the way along the cliff till he
reached native. path which zig-zagged
By this path they climbed till they
came to the grass at the foot of the des-
cent and walked up it to the hut. 1t
was surrounded by u loWf ence of reeds.
enclosing small courtyard paved with
ant-heap earth beaten hard and polished.
In this court yard sat the Bee, her stool
being placed almost at the mouth of the
round opening that served as a door
way to the hut. At first all that Had
den could see, crouching as she was in
the shadow. was a huddled shape wrap
ped around with a greasy, tatterd cat
skin karOSS, above the edge of which APP
peared two eyes, fierce and quick as
a little fire and ranged about it in a
semi-circle were a number of human
skulls, placed in pairs as though they
were talking together while other bones,
to all appearance also human, were feS-
TONED about the hut and the fence of
the courtyard.
81 see that the old lady has got all
but he said nothing.
Nor did the witch doctress say any
thing; she only fixed her beady eyes
upon his face. Hadden returned the COM
pliment. staring at her with all his
might till suddenly he became aware
duel. His brain became confused, and to
his fancy it seemed that the woman
before him had shifted into the likeness
of a colossal and hOrrid spider sitting
at the mouth of her trap, and that these
bones were the relics of her victims.
"Why do you not speak, White Man?"
she said at last in a, slow clear voice.
your thoughts. You are thinking that 1
who am called the Bee should be better
named the Spider. Have no fear, l did
not kill these men. What would it profit