The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-12
A SALVATION BOOM
IN MATABELELAND.
A Tale of Music That Temporarily
Charmed in south Africa.
Nv FRANK NORRIS.

sic-mad, magnificent, brave, unspeakably
cruel Matabele.
Jneojusi. who first told it. was an induna
IN Lobeugula's pet regiment or tmpL which
af.erward came TO be the great Imbezzu
iInpi Since the tale is from such high
authority. I think It must be true. lingo
dust is a ring man and a head induna,
and can have more than one wife ana can
speak his thoughts aloud in the Kings
iudaba
II happened when Ingodusl was 10 years
Old and was undergoing AIahunda with
about a hundred other young Matabele
away up in the heart of Matabeleland
somev here between inyungo and the I'm
full river.
BY some fearful mischance. at the very
hight Of the Mahunda indaba, Otto Marks
trekked fun upon it, But the matter must
be told from Ot.o's point of view.
Otto was a sergeant in the Salvation
army. He came from Toledo o., to Mafe-
king in Bechuanaland, which is as far
north as the railroad goes. Otto used to
play the little organ every evening at the
gatherings in the Salvation barracks at
Mafeking until his superior officer de-
clded to boom salvation in that mysterious
wilderness of South Africa known indis-
criminately as "up-country," or Charter
land or Rhodesia, or Matabeleland.
Otto Marks started up In April before
the rains were done, with a transport
rider named West, and a little niger voor-
looper, a 10-year-old Zulu boy.
Eighteen bullocks were spanned into
their wagon; but their load was made up
chiefly of two paTlor organs from Boston,
that were to help outfit the barracks in
some up-coUntry settlement.
That was a strange sight-the eighteen
lean Basuta bullocks very slow-paced led
by the Zulu voorlooper,- and the big,
strange Transvaal wagon, loaded only with
these two boxed-up organs, the name of
the Boston firm stenciled on the outside
of the boards.
For two months Otto trekked steadily
northward, singing hymns upon occasion,
and on Sundays spanning out all day long.
AT times he tried to revive the spirit Of
Righteousness in his transport rider, West,
who basphemed the bunocks hourly in
more ways shan you would believe posi-
BILE, and at times he would try to convert
the little voorloOper. The little Zulu was
stunned and bewildered by Otto Marks
clamor. but Otto's swinging revival songs
with their tambourine accompaniment
sent him into a frenzy of delight, and he
would invariably set 10 dancing, shaking
his fists with vague and furious gestures.
After two months they were stopped by
the Umnyat river, which was in flood,
and We're Obliged to make long cross
country detour. with the line Of telegraph
poles as their guide
The huge wagon lurched down into the
I'D - r1Hr nj.
scattered powders and took the rising
slope Of the opposite bank with the heave
and crash of a stranding galley. West
dashed at the wheel bullocks with the
siambolS Of rhinoceros hide, and hen swore
in Cechuana at the little voorlooper because
he was not prodding on the lead buloclSs,
but was standing motionless at the head of
the span, his hands dangling at his sides,
staring stupidity across the bush. He
was dumb with terror. The wagon slip
ped backward into the bed of the SLUT.
and the bulOcks fell into confusion as tie
voorlooper came running back along the
span, waving his arms wildly.
As was said before, Otto Marks had
trekked full upon an impi of Matabele,
doing Mahunda, and when that happens
10 a white man he were best do himself 10
death as swiftly as he may. For a swift
death, even If 1t be the kind that lies in
the crook of ones forefnger, is better
than the kind that comes slowly and in
the midst of thick smoke and screams
and horried twistings of the body. But
Otto did not know this. and West who
should have known it, chose to think that
they might even then escape. Otto climbed
down from the wagon and he and West
ran up the bank of the SLUT and looked
out far across the bush and saw the Mata-
belle coming down on them slowly in two
long lines But West observed that they
IL mo
ment, and that many of them staggered in
the ranks, sometimes reeling almost 10 the
ground.
Drunk he exclaimed. Drunk with
cape smoke; blind drunk aud dancing.
I've seen these niggers before. we may
get off, but O, lis a chance. Pray your
God for a miracle now. Otto Marks, for
there's little short Of it going TO get us
clear of here. Drunk and dancing" he re-
peated, yes, it's our only chan e. Quick
now. off with case OF that me- deon."
Otto obeyed, at first stupidity and be-
numbed with fear. then, as Vests crazy
expedient flashed upon him, with an excess
of frenzy tearing wildly al the stubborn
boards. prying them up with his hunting
knife wrenching them away with
strength ilat was horn of the moment.
Meanwhile West had started the bull
locks again and he wagon was pulled up
from the bed Of the SLUT and rolled our
through the bush. heading directly toward
the line of dancing natives
They're close in" shouted West in
few moments. Otto "a $ i his head from
his work and saw that it was so Then
the last boards fen aStay ana the little
American organ God out under the Afr
can sun, shining hraVely with veneer and
scrolfwork and celluloid.
pay" cried West 0gain. For Goi's
sake play; pay anything. They'll dance
so long as you can keep it up And
Marks flung himself al the instrument
and dashed his hands upon The keys just
as he lush came, and he green bush was
shut from view ty the scores of crowd ng
brown bodies. glislening with sweat and
ali a-inge with beads and wirework.
Otto was hiccoughng with terror, but
he stuck to his work. playing away at
the only kind Of music he knew, the
Moody and Sankey gospel HYMNS that he
hsd learned Ia Toledo, O., and that he had
found effec We in the Salvation barracks
al Cape Town and at Mafe&ng.
Then that strange procession began. The
voorlooper, gray with terror; West, his
face rfnf1lV the front walking bN