The times., 1897-03-29
MAXWELL'S MISSION.
A Ride Through LObengula'S
Country.
HOW the Good Name of Pioneer in
MashonaIand Was Jeopardized,
and How His Intrepidity
Saved 1t.

the commanding officers tent Ills cheeks
were flushed, and his eyes shone with the
light OF gratified pride.
II have chosen you," said the officer,
''in spite Of your youth, not only because
OF the speed Of your horse and your own
activity and zeal, hut because OF the char
acter you have gained while in the ser
vice of the company. 1t is not to every
man OF the pioneers l would trust 200
sovereigns in gold And, look here, young
man: Farrel's death by fever left va
cancy among the sergeants. III say no
more, except that in the company a ser
geant always stands chance OF becoming
a lieutenant. I trust you, Maxwell. You
understand your nrders?'
Gross two rivers going due north; then
head FOR d biz kupje which / viii see from
the banks of second river: there / shall
find Lieut. Adairs camp; get a receipt for
the money, ana return.
Exactly; you Will get there shortly after
nightfal Remember, you will have no
danger from wandering Matabeles, if LC-
bengula keeps his promise of truce, until
Adair hands him the money. As To anyone
else, there is nota soul n Mashonaland save
the Mataheles and ourselves. | wouldn't
send you alone if it were otherwise. The
real fact is, 1 can tell you, there have been
desertions and discomfort lately, and L
l don want to risk losing any money at the
hands of some man who might be tempted
TO ride off with it,
The youngest trooper of that audacious
band, who, in insi Enificant numbers,
marched few years ago right into the
country of the most dreaded Kaffir king
IN South Africa, the ferocious Lobengula,
rode off on his mission with glad and
proud heart. This was his chance, hut
he felt he had earned it, and, as his horse
bounded throughthel long grass and breasted
the waters of the rivers, Maxwell IS ina gina
hon was picturing a glorious future OF
which that day should he the beginning
There was scope, indeed, for dreams, gazing
pn that rich and measureleSs veldt, which
could fatten countless herds, which could
yield incalculable stores of grain, whose
river beds were sanded with gold An
other India? Another Give? Who shall
read the dreams OF youth?
SO fleeuy sped his horse that the mes
senger had crossed the first river and
was in sight of the second, beyond which
he could already see the "kopje' or hill
which was his destination. before the sun
the veldt. 1t was, however, darkening,
and tie kopje was merging swiftly into
the gray shadowsof evening, when suddenly
from the tall grass to his right, came a loud
call. 1t was not the nearness of the voice,
though, that was startIfngly close, that
brought Maxwell TO a sharp halt 1t was
the fact that it was a civilized voice-as
distinctly discernible from a Kaffir cry
as could be, and a voice, also, that seemed
lp distress.
"Wacht cen beetje,'' (wait little).
1t was the cry of a Dutchman, a Boer,
and it amazed the courier so that he
reined in his horse. What, he thought.
could a Boer be doing alone in that wild
land, hundreds OF miles from his Trans
vaal settlements? At any rate, if he
needed help
"wacht cen beetje!" came the call
again, but sharply, conimandingly. From
the grass, high as a mans head, came a
1enSer shadow than Of any fleeting
cloud, and the beat of a horses hoofs
Maxwell in the dusk saw only the
Fague outlines of a rider swiftly ap-
preaching. Suddenly something CLEANED
u a parting ray OF the sun, and the pio-
1eer realized that a long rifle was point
ng at him. With a cry, not Of fear, but
Of anger at having been deceived by that
first call for help, the youth whipped his
revolver from its holster and fired at the
still shadowy horseman. AT the same
instant he pressed his knees to his horses
Hanks and the brute plunged forward
too late The courier's attention had
been SO concentrated on his right, that he
not noticed another apparitiOn stealing
upon him from the left. a s the horse
reins and forced it back, while another,
welding knob-kerrie, struck Maxwell
senseleSs from his horse.
without word, the two strangersleaped
from their horses, and, bending over the
body, rifled it Of its money belt, contain
ing the golden burden. Not until that was
done did they speak, and, although the
first man had called TO the messenger in
Dutch and with Beers accent, now they
spoke in English.
Il hit too hard, I'm afraid,'' said one.
"He's not gone, is he?''
Not he said the other, "the night air
will bring him round soon enough. Have
we got all?''
Its slowed snugly in the belt which l
have Safer there. There is no time to
divide up now Picket the young 'un's horse
beside him. We can't leave that running
luuscl''
They did so, and soon the sound of their
gallopng horses was again smothered in /
the thick rank grass, as they roGe off, as
swiftly and mysteriously as they had |
come.