The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-12

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border police but Burton knew the
ground and they pushed forward Finally,
when II was grown so dark that they
| hardly could see the ears of their horses,
both pulled up suddenly, for from the veldt
| upon their right they heard a voice as OF
| one in distress
who are your" Phillips called. There
! was no reply, but a figure arose from
the darkened plain and stood totterlng be-
/ fore them. They swung themselves out
| OF the saddle, and a match flared in Bur-
| tons hand. Appears to be a kind of
man." he drawled, after cynical inspec-
J ton.
"Gemn," came from the figure, "scuge
me if l am not quite m'self." His words,
| like his high silk hat appeared to have
| been crumpled up by the catastrophe.
: "Medchins all smashed, horse gone off;
| 'bandoned, you see, on the lonely plain"
| He lurChed upon Burton's neck. 'Scuge
| me-" he walled. cheerfully, "but I am so
! drunk"
you are, indeed" assented the other,
land that's your horse about twenty feet
| from here" 1t was so, indeed, although
the patent medicines had all been smash
ed the faithful steed remained. He
| seemed to glance at them with look of
| resignation, and submitted without COM
ment while they hoisted the rider up ag in.
might as well take him along" said
| Burton in disgust. Appears to be picked
| well, but ought not, you know to remain
| out here" The rescued man tumbled off
now and then like the White Knight in
Alice" but by riding one ON each side of
| him, they generally caught him in mid
| air. Proceeding thus, they reached the
| camp of the border police, and were greet
ed with irOnical applause. Burton knew
| most of the men; a letter which he
| brought made them still more welcome.
| of nd aff I'd ar their. h0 r.
| lay back at ease around the camp
| fire. Invisible horses champed and
| schuffled upon the plain around them; the
troopers smoked and looked up at the
watching stars, and presently, for lack of
| something better, they began to have fun
| with the patent medicine man.
He stood UP in the freight, which flick
cred upon his silly face, well pleased to
| have such an audience "Ge-mn," said ne,
don't mock a fellow man. These friends
of mine, who brought me out of danger
who knows where they themselves may
| be tomorrow? Who knows what peril
lies before them? They. 1 shay, don't mock
a victim of circumstances. It's wrong,
ge'mn."
That's right somebody said. ''Wish
that the victim had left us come of his
| circumstances, though. I'm thirsty"
But the orator, now in the moralizing
line, scared to still loftier nights, and
touched affairs of state. "Thish war;" he
| cried. "Oh, my, what an iniquity! You
young men pant after fame and fortune,
but lisht to my ripper wisdom. For again
| I shay it's wrong ge'm'n."
Wrong, is it?" said the captain of the
police He thoughtfuly blew some tobac-
co smoke at the stars and then he spoke
deliberately, as one who does not often
air his views. There was a little uneasy
stir among the men around him, for it
was 10 these he spoke: The niger who
L l.
but he isn't much worse case than the
Uitanders down yonder. Englshmen
treated like dogs, and on land which ought
to be Englands Wrong, is it? Have
the Beers kept their word with us? Wrong
Well, my good friend, would merely point
out to you that a war which would change
| that government, such a war would give
liberty and security to every man, white
and black, In South Africa, would give
another solid country TO the race that can
point to its record and say: L leave things
better than found them. 1 would just
merely point out to you these trihing facts.
and ask you, Why is a war like that
Wrong?
The patent medicine man had stood ap-
palled, with his mouth wide open, during
this speech. He staggered backward
now, trpped over saddle and went down
with all on board Rolling helpless upon
the plain, he hurled up at the sky, like
the proud mother in the joke. his final
word of triumph:
Because it is. So there"
In the morning the two adventures had
last word with the captain, and then
mounted their horses. The medicine man.
who was now sober if not sensible. wished
to go with them, but this offer was re-
jected. They rode to little eminence and
stopped; they were on the border line the
danger line which needed only to be cross
ed by fighting parties to mean a war. A
solitary falcon lowered high in the nm
furnished blue, and before them stretched
the Transvaal, its veldt as yellow as a
sea Of gold. Old Zwagers farm lay like
dot in this and over everything a Sab
bath quiet brooded, but here the shark
could be struck which should set South
Africa afire. They felt the delight of now
er, sense of danger and daring leaped in
their blood, and they rode straight for
ward resolutely.
| Zwager's place was built up in a wav
usual to that region. stone wall encir-
| cled the squatty Dutch buildings. AMI
| served TO keep the calves in the front
| door yard. A fence might have been cas-
| Ter but Zwager's great-grandfathers had
managed It this way, and what had been
| goodNenough for them was good enough for
| Zwager. They were admitted though tha
gate by a lazy Kafir boy. and riding
| up 10 the house, beheld the owner
Before the door, in the sunshine. sat an
old and grizzled Bora Boer of the Great
Thick. He stared at them for a moment