The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-09-24

1854
Thus until the fire died away and the
moon came up in the east the warriors
danced and tom tommed, while the
women and older men sat around in
dusky and silent drifts.
FOLLOWING all the others came N'dubi,
the high priest, black and horrid, COW
cred With gree-grees, or charms, con-
slstlng of human bones, small gourds,
ballsao of human hair and chicken feath-
ers In his hand he held small
wooden idol, which he waved threat
eningly on all sides, springing this way
and that, and singing in a low, droning
chant:
10! the spirit Of M'limo is upon me.
The god of the mountains is abroad.
See! He seeks for some one into whose
soul he can enter.' Then consecu-
lively N'dubi poked his hideous wood
en- idol under the noses Of his breth-
| ren of the priestcraft and found them
wanting. After making several aero
batic rounds without being able to find
the man the M'limo wanted, N'dubi
suddenly began to, shout, N dubi is no
more; he is dead! I am M'limo, I am
M'limoW And so saying he rushed
away into the darkness and disappear
ed in the direction Of the Matoppo hill,
at the top of which was the cave Of the
god.
Then it became known among the
Matabele and Makalaka tribes that
N'dubi had become M'limo He lived
IN the cave and sequestered himself
from everybody but his brethren of
the priesthood, who fed him. The
Matabele did not look upon the COM
missariat as food, but as sofferings'' to
the god.
Soon afterward strange rumors be-
gan to- reach the white residents Of
Matabeleland The Mlimo was proph-
esying their destruction. s'Not one of
them should remain alive, nor one
stone of their houses be left standing
upon the other" So said the dusly
oracle. At a given time all the Mata-
belle and Makalaka servants Of the
White men were to rise and murder
their masters. The plot was well laid,
but, after the manner of most savage
schemes, it miscarried.
Death Decreed for N'dubi.
Nhe uprising took place on time.
BulaWayo was besieged and many out
lying residents We're massacred Then
1t was that, the South African COM
pany, which employed Mr.. Burnham,
the American scout, decided to act.
The M'limo Of the Matabele had for
feited his life many times over and his
death was demanded.
To Mr.. Armstrong, the superintend
ent Of the MangWe district, was in
trusted the connection Of the scheme,
and to Mr.. Burnham it's execution. The
latter had been trained in Woodcraft
and in scouting among the Western In
dams, and better man could not have
been found.
Even after the raid on BuluWayo had
been repulsed, the M'limo, from his
sanctuary in the Matoppo hills, con-
tinued to propnesy and to issue his
commands by messengers to his broth
ers, who made known their purpOrt.
The purport Of these commands was
to induce the Matabele to continue the
war, under the promise that the bull
let's Of the enemy should turn to water.
In this emergency Mr.. Burnham re-
ceiyed hurried orders to report to Mr..
Armstrong. On the Goth OF last June
the two men met at the MangWe sta
ton, and talked the matter over. There
was no doubt as to the peril Of the en-
terprise. The Matoppo hill, where the
cave Of the false god was situated, was
strongly fanked by kraals, some Of
which contained as many as six hum
dred warriors. In order to effect their
object and capture or kill the god that
was sowing the seeds of discord and
death it was necessary to pass these
kraalS.
Before dawn on June % Mr.. Burn
ham and Mr.. Armstrong rode quietly
away from Mangwe on their dangerous
expedition, unaccOmpanied and unob-
served At daybreak they were well
away from the habitations Of men,
They kept to the lowlands as much as
possible, following the valleys and the
many breaks in the sandy hills.
On the following morning, June %,
they started at dawn on the last and
most dangerous stage Of their journey.
Four miles from the cave Of the So
called god they saw parties Of natives
passing to and fro. They carefully
selves in the grass, escaping observa-
ton only by great good fortune.
They were now afraid to mount their
horses for fear Of discovery. The hoofs
Of the beasts were muffled and they
were led slowly forward, peering pc
fore them after the manner of still
hunters on the trail. They were con-
graduating themselves upon their es-
cape from the party of Matabele war
riors when, turning a sharp corner of
the trail, they came upon. a party Of
women carrying beer and grain
Moment of Deadly Peril
The women were moving along a
path which crossed the trail some
twenty yards in advance Of the two
men. Burnham saw the women first.
being in the lead ''Stop!" he whis1.S,
pered, catching his companions horse
by tho bride rein. The women came
slowly and silently along the path,
passed and disappeared without a
glance in the direction Of the two men.
| Two miles more of creeping and
crawling and guessing as to the more
suitable route, and the two men ar.
rived close under the shoulder Of three
| high kopjes, in the center one Of which
was located the cave Of the M'limo.
They almost deemed themselves Sc
cure from further interruption, know
ing the the hilltops were practically
deserted. They were breathing their.
horses and resting themselves when
suddenly they were confronted by the
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