The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
DANCE OF THE MATADELE.
A TALE OF nUSIc THAT Tenn
PORARILY CHARMED IN
SOUTH AFRICA.


the Mntabee-the music mad. magnificent, brave,
unspenknbly cruel Mntabclc
Ingodusi. who first told II. was an induna in
Lobengulas pct regiment or impi which after
ward came TO be the great Imbezzu impi Since
the tale Is from such high authority. think II
must be- true. 1ngodusi is ring man and :. dcaS
induna, and can have more than one wife and can
speak his thoughts aloud in the kings indnbn.
1t happened wien 1ngodusi was 10 years Old
and was undergoing Mahunda with about hui-
dtrd other young Mntabclc, away up in the hear
Of Matabccland. somewhere between Inyungo
and the Jmfuli river
l}y some fearful mischhncc, at the very height
Of tho Mahunda indnba. Otto Marks trckkcd fun
upon II. iiut the matter must be told from Otto's
point Of view.
OUo was sergeant in the Salvation Army.
lie came from Toledo, %, To Mafcking in Bcchua-
naland which is az far north as the railroad goea
otto used to play the little organ every evening
at the gathcnn in the Salvation barracks AZ
Mafeking. until his superior officer decided to
boom salvation In that mysterious wilderness II
South Africa known Unfortunately as up
country" or Chartcrland, or Rhodcsia. or Mate
belcand
Otto Marks started ZIP in April before the rains
were done, with a transport rider named West,
and n LITTLE negro yoorloopcr, a ten year old
Zulu boy
wagon. hut their lood was medc up chiefly Of two
pnrlor organs from Boston, that 10 help out
1T the barracks in some up country settlement
That was a strange sight-thc eighteen lean
Basuto bullOckH very slow paced. led by tho
little Zulu vo"rluopcr. and the big, strange
Trnnsvaal wagon loaded only with these TIVE
boxed up organs, the name of the Boston firm
srncitd ON the outside Of H." boards
For two months Otto uckked steadily north.
ward. singing hymns upon occasion. and on
Sundays out spanning all day long At times
he tried to revive the spirit Of righteousness in
his transport rider. West, who blasphemed tho
bullocEs hourly in more ways than you would
believe possible. and at times he would try II
convert the little vpnrloupcr The little Zulu
was stunned and hcwidcrcd by Otto MarkS's
c'anOr, but Oito's swinging revival songs with
their hmbourinc accompaniment sent him into
frenzy 81 delight ard he would invariably set
To- dancing, shaking his fists with vague and
furious gestures
After two months they stopped by the
Jmnyau River which was in flood, and wcrs
obliged to make a long crois country dctour.
with the line Of telegraph pplcSas their guide
The huge wagon lurchrd dow n into the bed
Of the SLUT, plowcl across through the scattered
buuGcrs and took the rising slope 81 the oppo.
sit" bank with the hcavc and crash cf s,randing
the siambok Of rhiuuccr,s hide. and then swnro
in Bcchunaa Al the little vpurlpoper because no
was not prOdding on tho len 1 buocks. but was
standing moiluulcSs at the head Of the span, his
hands dangling at his sdc7 s:arins supply
across the bush. He dumb with terror
The wagon slipped backward into the bel Of tho
slut, and the buliucas icll into confusion as tho
Noorloopcr came running back along the span.
waving his arms Wildly.
~ was SAID before. Otto Marks had trckked
full upon an iGipl II MGtabcle. doing Mahunda.
anu When that la; pens To- u white man he wors
best do himself 10 death ~ swiftly as he mas,
IN the cruuk ut ones oro!nger. is better than tho
kind that c,mcs slowly ana in the midst Of thCH
srlpae, and srrcRrl' and kurrid twis,ings ui tho
body. But on" did NJ, know this ana West
Who should have hnown H. chose - mink thar
4 they might even then escape. onto climbed
down from the wagon and he aud West rau up
the bank al the siU!i and looked out .nr across
thcm slowly IN two long Inc, Bul West Observed
thai they advanced w.'h a regular cadcnCcd move.
rann,, sometime rccn- aim >. Ia the ground
Drums, he cNsaim"i Drunk win cape
nS a Sns 6 % wS may get H. but On "%s s
rhanc'. ray. your God for miracle now,
get u, clear q: here Drums and dancing no
repeated; YES its our only chance Quick now,
OF N.iIH the case 81 that mc!utcun"
ga" obr;ci 81 itd siupitly and bcnumbed
with fear, tncn, hs West = crazy cNpc' en-; flashed
at We stubborn DoaniI, pryinG them IN With his
hunnn; knife, wrcnchlng hem away with a
strength mat born ~ the
Meanwhile West had started III. bull1cks again
Slut and S out Sr"asR The bu as 0i GeSd nns
They re- close in shouted West. in a few mo.
ment; OTTO r.isrd h,s head from MS work and
saw thatit wa,. =" Then the last b ards fell
away and the little American organ sltod Gus
undcr The Nric%n sun shining hr3veIy with
play" crlci Vest again For Gods sake.
pia% , play anEy,.nng theyl dane SO Ions,
AZ toe instrument aud dashed his hands on Mo
hcvs iust as the rush came, and the green bush
was shut from yicw by the scores Of crowdin6
a!lnsle with beads, and wi'cwork
QUO was hicc"uChng with terror but he stuck
music he knew, the Moody and Sankrv Gospel
hymns tina, he had learned in l"lelo, ohio, that
at cape own and al Maicking.
o Then ,hH, slrange er"SeSSon began Tho
gray with terror; west his tGcr set rirdly 10 tho
front, walking by the wheel buIlocks; The creak-
,oilirr Al ,hc 'ncodcon playing gospel hymns
fog the hf he loved, while close pressed about them
a" ssNs :" SRsrEy sS the Su S$s
shields and tossing aaserhls aud kirris the air
MGs. m@a a. my Me- Ialn IaG" can be- hei,
tp'tures Of the MahundH rites, dizAlcd and con-
fused by the drunkenness Of the Cape smoke.
uto'S music caught them and held them and they
danced aud dauCch as though they would never
tire, dHzcl and hrwildcrcd, working themselves
int" fury lraring and shouting aloud without
otto s'Iuck into fresh HYMN with a veritabls
frenzy The excitement and the StrangcLcss "
th" t!ing was beginning 10 tell upon him as we'll
No barracks Eattcrin had ever aroused such
enthusiasm T. this Ey now he had come 10.
pul for the Snorc, saIo'.
pu'' Tor the shore,
Ted not the raging waves
Though loudly they roar
And after this witHout moments pause he
dashed into
am so glad tAat Jesus loves me-
when that YVES done l." dug his fingers into
the 'cilGl id tcNh again kncauinE them with Il
the :. re stn " ais NO arms, SwaNIns from Sido
&" SIDE and WIN hi" feet thrcshcd OUT the rythm
upoI the pedals pave
HAllrlulah It's done
nlirNt In thr SIn
Sudde ly he MAtabclr began To sing catching
up The tunes with the Quirknrss and fai ity ~
srNHgcs, Slngl L. The airs 81 these Gospel
hymns the NuriS 81 he war ,urg Of "MuScl-
ckUtsc." ,hs chant Of iar lilark Hul,:
Yang glah
l"NO ~ NE
Aai U"uth
Then at last the tension broke. The thing was
A. l..1 A.