Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-08-20
A TERRIBLE VISITOR.
ny DAVID KER.
"a story of the Hottentot Country

story, little people, said Mrs. Muir
ray, laying down her book. "Well
what shall it be-"
killing lionl" cried Ernest
clenching his fist about the size of {
large plum, with the air of st. George
facing the dragon.
"Going hunting with the Hotten.
tots, as DR.. Livingston did" suggested
Johnny.
"No-tell us something about your.
self and your children, Aunt Mary
whispered little Kate, nesting at hel
aunt's feet, and looking up with ex-
pectant eyes.
"You little rogue, you know Tn
never tired of talking about them,
said her aunt, stroking the curly head
"Well, there's one story of that sort
which you've not had yet, and I'll
tell it you, though / don't like to
think much about it even now.
"When | first went to the Cape with
your uncle, just after we were mSr-
ried, we had to go a long way up into
the interior, right to the edge of the
Hottentot country, which was much
wilder place then than it is now. In
deed, it seemed to me just as if / had
gone out Of the world altogether, for
we only got letters from home once in
four or five weeks, and except one or
two of the old Dutch Beers we were
the only while folks in the whole dis
trict.
"After a time, however, l got to
like this wild life very much, but just
at first it was terribly lonely. SO long
as your uncle was with me, l didn't
50 much mind; but, being the only
doctor within reach, he was sent for
somewhere or other almost every day.
The native chiefs seemed always to
be having something the matter with
them, and of course, it wouldn't do to
disoblige them. So your poor uncle
had to pack off in all kinds of weather,
and very often be away from me all
day and all night.
'Then was the time that / really
used to get frightened Except our
big Dutchman, Hans, who hardly
ever opened his mouth except to put
a pipe in it, all our servants were Hot
tentots, and, although | got on very
well with them after a time, yet Just
at first / felt as if l should never get
used to their ugly faces and their
queer ways.
"But the worst thing of all, so far
as was concerned, was the noise
made in the dead of night by the wild
beasts that used to come and drink at
the river, which ran close past our
house. 1t was a very wild part of the
country, as I've told you already, and
it really seemed to be haunted by
every creature that came out of Noah's
ark.
''First there would be a hippopota-
mus, grunting and crashing through
the great reeds along the bank, with
a noise like half dozen carriages
driving at full gallop through the
roof of glasshouse. Then there
would be lion, seeming to shake the
whole air with his roar; and then four
or five crocodiles, splashing and snort
ing over some piece of carrion that
had come floating down the stream;
and then some dreadful native bird
that seemed to have no name, Ct sup
pose because nobody could invent one |
bad enough for it), keeping up sort
of horrid, moaning cry by the hour
and then a whole gang of
those huge African vultures, scream
ing and fighting overhead; and so on,
and so on, till it was just like an army
Of lunatics fighting with an army Of
mad dogs
81 remember well what fright I
got one morning when | came out
and found the print of a lions great,
round paw within 20 or 30 yards of
he doorl And few days later, when
happened to look up as / passed UNI
Ter big tree near the river bank, and
Jaw monstrous serpent coileS around
one of the boughs right over my head,
md just getting ready opounce down
lpon me, | felt as if the only thing
eft for me to do was to get down to
he Cape as fast as possible, and sail
BY the very first ship for home.
"But although / thought at first
hat | never could get used TO such a
life, | did, somehow, little by little;
md all the more because your uncle
vas very good about these constant
,anics OF mine. and alwava tried In