Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-09-30

THE CRIMSON MAGNET
The Electrical Adventures Of American In Africa
Hunting for His Affinity.
BY ]. q. FAGAN
BY ]. q. FAGAN.
Copyright. 1900

ertles. BE this as il may, the fact re-
mains that quite a proportion of the
travellers who ride or drive through
this rocky glen experience strange
shocks more or less violent. 1t cer-
tainly adds somewhat to the mystery
of the situation that some of the suf-
ferers assert that the bolts descend
from the clouds, while others are just
as positive that they issue from the
surrounding boulders or from the
highway itself over which they are
travelling. Stories without number
were circulated about "Kloof marks"
and "Kloof struck people," and / re-
rode gayly along. When had crossed
the highest point of the ridge and
was about to descend into the long
gully, it was midnight. They called
it three hours ride to the Lynch Pole
at Murder Neck, and from there about
the same distance to Bert Klinker's
farm, on the edge of the high veldt.
We were about half way through the
gorge when Fingo became very un-
easy, jumping from side to side as il
he were treading on hot ashes. l dis
mounted and examined his hoofs, and
finding nothing unusual, we started
again.
After while / began to feel queer
myself. / became conscious Of a tick
ling sensation all over my body, and
ii very soon dawned upon me that l
was becoming charged with the Kloof
lightning, but how or from what quar-
ter l could not imagine. Then Fingo
became excited, and before long we
were galloping through the Kloof in
regular Tam O'Shantcr fashion, as il
his highness himself were close upon
our heels. But the faster we flew the
more bloated or stuffed with the
strange fluid l became, until at last
l must have reached the bursting
point, for l began to lose conscious
ness, while my eyes and mind were
filled with visions of electrical or mag
netic lines, figures and coruscations Of
marvellous form and variety.
When / regained my senses found
Fingo standing quietly by my side-I
must have fallen heavily, for my
shoulder was quite painful and there
was some kind Of wound on my right
wrist When we arrived at Klinker's
farm the sun was high in the heavens.
Something i'm my appearance or per-
haps the touch of my hand reused the
old Dutchman's suspicious, for he
looked me all over and then exclaimed:
whats the matter, young man?"
Hungry, that's ALL" / replied But
the Boer turned my right hand over
and over and examined it carefully,
then he called OUT
Come quickly, old wife, and look at
the mans hand"
After a scrutiny the kindly old wo-
man traced with her finger q thin red
line beginning at the tip OF my right
thumb, passing round the bruise on
my wrist, and along to the tip of my
little finger, taking, as it were, the
form of a horseshoe magnet.
Heaven protect u.s." cried the old
woman, sinking into chair.
by the Almighty" exclaimed her
husband, "the man is Kloof-struck,
and the worst case | ever saw"
On my return to the store I told
Hans all about it, and then | tried to
dismiss the affair from my mind. In
few days the wound on my wrist dis
appeared, but the kloof marks re-
manned. Instead of disappearing, the
lines began to expand somewhat, and
the color turned slowly from a light
red into a deep crimson. At the end
of six months ] became aware that
my whole system was approaching
the brink of some great crisis or
change. / had not the slightest idea
what it was to be, nor did care, but
had just curiosity enough to consult
q Boer doctor, who examined me care.
fully and then said:
Prepare for lunacy."
What" ] exclaimed, "the most fan
tastic and horrible of human afflic.
tions?"
Exactly" he replied with empha-
sis. You understand me-kloof lun.
acy."
A few hours later Hans and | were
sitting outside the store, enjoying the
evening breeze and watching the prai.
rie fires in the distanse sweeping and
tearing along in their death dealing
race with the wind. / was cheerful
but Hans was respondent and wished
me to prepare for the worst. / tried
to rally him, and TO change the direc
tion of his thoughts called upon hin,
for story. "It may be the last" ]
said, "but / don't think so. At any
rate, brace up"
you remember" / continued chow
the brave Macbeth remained undaunt
ed until Birnam Kood moved up tc
Dupsinane. / have some of that ole
warriors courage, if none of his vices
and shall die hard, always remember
ing, however, that fatal proviso
weather permitting
So, after little coaNing, Hans re
lated the following story, which h,
declared was the experience Of ;
newspaper man on his first visit t
the Transvaal very many years ago:
THE RAID ON THE NIGHTGOWNS
"My horse is tired so am I. Eigh
! hundred miles on horseback is no joke
We are still about fifty miles from tn,
| gold fields in the northeast corner o
| the Transvaal.
For days we have seen nothing bu
plains. Now we are among the noun
tains and we are happy.
THE sun is setting, and the hills
| decked i'm wondrous mantle of greer
and gold, are in their glory. There il
life, there is what you may call savage
beauty everywhere.
I'VE jog along up the dusty road
There is a Dutchman's farm TO th'
right of us, and another TO the left
Now look up among the hills, you SEE
! patches of Kaffir corn here, there ant
! everywhere. Overlooking these gar
dens perched prettily among the crag'
are numerous little conical watcl
towers and if you cared TO drag your
self up to one of them, you would FIND
inside Il hungry Kafiir, a NANCY dos
! and a spear. These are the sleeples:
guardians of the corn and the sugar
cane. Again, nesting among the