Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-09-09

ered II Durled among the kraals or
his people.
THE grave is not like a Kaflir grave,
which is forgotten in n single night,
for at the head of il is n beautifully
polished stone, and this is the legend
that the grateful mother and her
child have caused to be inscribed
on it:
Sacred TO the Memory
Ring Kop.
Greater love hath no man than this,
That a Ia lay down his life
For his friends"
CHAPTER III.
At first ] paid very little attention
to the Katirs, but after Hans had told
me Il few more stories about them |
could think Of nothing else. ] soon
found out that my guide was a first
rate fellow. He never seemed to for
get the main purpose of my trip to
Africa, so | was not at all surprised
when one day he said to me:
"Mr. Clipper, l think / can under
stand the effect of the weather upon
you, but to my mind there is another
point TO be considered, namely, what
influence can you have upon the
weather." He backed up this ques-
ton by two or three of the most un-
canny yarns about Kahir witch doc
tors and rain-makers that ever fell
from human lips.
Never mind what / believed and
what | did not, / saw the point and
determined to hunt up a rain doctor
without any delay. SO we made
forced marches up country till we ar
rived at Newcastle, then we crossed
the Drackensburg mountains into the
Transvaal, left the town of Utrecht
on our left and gave ourselves very
little rest until we went into camp
on the other side of the Blood river,
close to the great Kraal of Kabooli in
Zululand.
Here was the home Of an old sor-
cerer named Slango, and he was the
man we had determined to investi-
gate.
One day after a lot of Kafir ETH
quette and talk, we secured an inter-
view with the old man. We found
him seated on a rock in the shade,
busily asking himself questions and
answering them, Hans Informed me.
lie was very old, very dirty, all dried
~ and covered with cattails, feathers,
teeth and other charms. You can't
hurry a Katiir, so after a few hours
beating about the bush we offered him
some gold to give us an exhibition of
his rain-making power. lie at once
shook his head and said the rain was
too far away down in the Zwasi
country, where they had more need of
it.. In fact the old fox was 50 stub
born that we had almost made up our
minds to leave HIM alone when Hans
hit upon a plan to tickle the rascal's
cupidity and his stomach.
Every morning for n week we sent
two of our latest oxen to feed close
to the old mans hut. We wished him
TO feast his eyes and his mind on a
vision of beef. Then n evening we
sent him a present of a huge chunk OF
raw meat. Next morning at sunrise we
found him seated at our fire talking to
one of the wagon drivers. He said he
had come TO tell us that he was fond
of beef.
WELL" said Hans, 1--WE will give you
two beautiful oXen for a shower of
rain"
The old doctor sat at the fire buried
in thought for nearly two hours, then
he arose, walked away a short dis
lance, turned around and called out to
Hans:
This fine old Kaflir doesn't want
your oxen, but if he should happen to
send for you be sure you come in a
hurry"
The very following night, about {
o'clock, a Kaffir boy came TO the wa.
CONS and said to us, "cOme along"
1t was almost midnight when we ar.
rived at the top of a rocky hill and
found the rain-maker in the middle OF
a clump of bushes busily stirring a pot
which was boiling over a blazing
cracking fire. The stars were shining
brightly and in our vicinity great
crags and rocks doomed up on al
sides.
1t was a weird and awcsome sight rs
the e%nchanter began a slow jog around
the pot, while from the bushes there
o a deafening din of rattles and
k~ettledrums.
Very soon his jog changed to IA crazy
dance, ever faster and faster, until his
legs and arms were lost in a maze OF
dizzy revolutions. Before long
caught some Kind of infection from
the scene or the atmosphere, for
left Hans standing in the rear while
sprang forward and, grasping the wiz
ards gorud | drank deeply of the un'
earthly mixture. Then tried to keeT
time to the musical medley that came
from the bushes, and that was all
knew about it, but afterwards Hans
told me this dreadful incredible story:
You see, sir" said he, II tried to
stop you, but ii was of no use. In less
than two minutes you were just as
crazy as the Kafir. / was c%ontented
to see YOU dance, and, as / thought,
mimic the old sorcerer, but when you
began TO talk Zulu and howl out long
strings of Kafir gossip ard war cries,
| thought it was time to put a stop TO
the foolery. But before / could make