The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-03

His cheeks were flushed and his eyes
shone with the light of gratified pride
= nave chosen you," said the officer,
IN spite Of your youth, not only be-
cause OF the speed of your horse and
your own activity and zeal, but be-
cause Of the character you have gained
While in the service of the company.
1t Is not to every man of the pioneers
1 would trust 200 sovereigns in gold.
And. look here, young man, Farreps
death by fever left a vacancy among
the sergeants. I'll say no more except
that IN the company a sergeant always
stands a chance Of becoming a lieu
tenant I trust you, Maxwell You
understand your orders?"
Gross two rivers going due north;
then head for big kopje, which 1 will
see from the bank Of the second river;
there I shall find Lieut.. Adairs' camp,
get receipt and return"
Exactly; you will get there shortly
after nightfall. Remember, you have
no danger from wandering Matabeles,
II Lobengula keeps his promise of truce,
until Adair hands him the money. AS
to any one else, there is not soul in
Mashonaland save the Matabeles and
ourselves. l wouldn't send you alone
If 1T were otherwise. The real fact is,
1 can tell you, there have been deser-
tons and discomfort lately, and II
don't 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 auda-
cious band, who, in insignificant num-
bers, marched a few years ago right
into the country Of the most dreaded
Kaffir king in South Africa, the fero-
cious Lobengula, rode off on his mis-
sion with a glad and proud heart This
was his chance, but he felt that he
had earned it, and, as his horse bound
ed through the long grass and breasted
the waters of the great rivers, Max
wells imagination was picturing a glo-
rious future of which that day should
be the beginning. There was scope,
indeed, for dreams. gazing on that rich
and measureless veldt, which could fat
ten countless herds, which could yield
incalculable stores of grain. whose
river beds were sanded with gold An
other Give? Who shall read the
dreams of youth?
SO f1eetly sped his horse that the
messenger 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, be-
fore the sun quite disappeared on the
however, darkening, and the kopje was
merging swiftly into the gray shadows
of evening, when suddenly from the
tall grass to his right came loud cry.
1t was not the nearness of the voice,
though that was startlingly close, that
brought Maxwell to a sharp halt. 1t
was the fact that it was a civilized
voice-as distinctly discernible from
Kaff1r cry as could be. and voice,
also, that seemed in distress.
"Wacht cen better (wait little).
It was the cry of a Dutchman, a
Beer and it amazed the courier so that
he refined in his horse. What, he
thought, could Boer be doing in that
wild land, hundreds of miles from his
Transvaal settlements? At any rate,
if he needed help
"Wacht cen beetje" came the call
again, II but sharply, commandingly.
From the grass, high as a mans head.
came a denser shadow than that Of
any Of the f1eeting cloud. and the beat
Of a horses hoofs. Maxwell, in the
dusk, saw only the vague outlines Of
the rider swiftly approaching. Sud-
denly something cleaned in a parting
ray Of the sun, and the pioneer realized
| that a long rifle was pointed at him.
With a cry, not of fear, but of anger at
having been deceived by the first call
for help, the youth whipped his revol-
YER from it's holster and fired at the
still shadowy hoTseman. At the same
instant he pressed his knees to his
horses TANKS and the brute plunged
| forward-too late! The courier's at
tention had been so concentrated on
his right that he had not noticed
another apparition stealing on him
from the left. AS the horse started
forward a strong arm clutched the
reins and forced it back. while anoth-
| i Ill M
we'll from the horse.
Without a word. the two strangers
leaped from their horses and, bending
over the body. rified 1T Of it's money
belt, containing 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.
81 hit him too hard, I'm afraid" said
one. He's not gone, is her"
mot he" said the other. 1.-THE night
air will bring him round soon enough.
Have we got all?"
cts slowed snugly in the belt which
I have. Safer there. There's no time
to divide up now. Picket the young
un's horse beside him. We can't leave
that running loose.
They did so. and soon the sound Of
their galloping horses was again
smothered in the thick rank grass. as
they rode off, as Swiftly as they had
come.
The moon was up when the heavy
dews from the cloudless sky and the
night wind Of the veldt brought back
to Maxwell his lost senses. He stag
gered to his feet, and for a long time
he stood looking at his impatient horse,
and pressing his throbbing head in
vain effort to remember what had hap
pened. It was not until he had clam
bered into the saddle and his hand had
wandered to his waist, round which his
money belt had been, and found that
gone, that the full strength of his mis-
fortune was understood. The mission
confidenced to him had failed and he
was disgraced-robbed like any green
horn. Robbed? A sudden horrible
thought paled his cheeks. Would the
commander Of the expedition believe
his story? The officer had himself
limited that the TRUST would have been
a temptation to some, and-he had no
wound to show save paltry lump on
his head no proof, no witness that he
had been attacked at all. In doubt
and misery he rode back to camp with
a sore heart and hanging head.
Next day he faced gathering Of the
officers in the headquarters tent. He
had told his story, and it was received
with greater increduiity, even, than he
had feared. One estout, loud-voiced
man laughed 1t to scorn. Don't tell
me-" he cried. You're little more than
a boy yourself, Maxwell, but a child
could invent better tale than that!
Look here! You say they were Beers
You ought to know that no Boer or any
other white man would venture into
Mashonaland unless he was protected
by being one of us. Lobengula's scouts