The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-03

Fort Alone at BuIuvayo During
a Trying T1me-Accused of Magic
by Natives.
Frank r. Thompson, in conversation
with representative of the London Daily
News, supplemented his views on present
| analrs by some OF his recolections of the
early days, when he and Mr. Mcguire
were holding the fort alone in Buluwayo
The concession had been signed" said
Mr.. Thompson, granting us the mineral
| rights of Lobengula's deminions, and Mr.
Rudd had gone down country, while Mr.
Mcguire and 1 waited with Lobengula
We had to keep him and his Indunas in
good temper to satisfy them about the
genuineness of our purpose, and to spend
money literally in gifts. Without royal
charter the concession could not have
peen worked; and we knew that If Loben-
gula turned quarrelsome there would be
nttie nope OF getting the charter signed.
On! the delays, the waiting-now the
queen was at Osborne now she was at
the south Of France, now this thing came
up and now that thing, and all the while
we two were waiting there, in the filth
most all gone, and myself was reduced
to a single pair of trousers.
But one thing brought matters to a
crisis. Mcguire would go and have
Dath-an altogether strange and suspic-
ious proceeding in Matabele eyes. Unfor-
tunately, the pool he selected for his dip
was the kings own sacred drinking water.
He stripped and got in and he noticed
that number of the natives came up
and sat around the pool watching him.
But he cared nothing for that. He had
with him a tooth brush, some cherry
tooth powder and eau de cologne, and he
proceeded to clean his teeth He washed
his mouth, and then rinsed his mouth
out with eau de cologne. The natives
yelled their surprise, and before Mcguire
could do anything they had taken hold
of all his things and carried them off to
the king. He came along to see me-
we'll, with an absence Of attire-and want
ed me to fit him out, but could do moth
ing, for L was limited to one pair Of
trousers myself.
Soon the messengers came summoning
us to the king. We found before him
the array Of natives ready WIZ their ac-
cusations Of what this magician had done
He had poisoned the kings water, they
said. First he had spat in the water,
and 10! it all became as red as blood Chat
was cherry tooth paste) Then he had
turned his face up to his god and had
gone through the act of worship, address
ing his god, 'Ulu, ulu, ulu! Chat was when
he had gurgled his throat with the eau
de cologne), and then he spat on the
ar mr. T1oilIy Z
sorcerer, magician. Well, it cost us
considerable trouble and expense to get
over that bath and to get back Maguire's
clothes.
OFFERS HEAD AS A FORFEIT.
1.-THE time came when Mcguire had to
go down to the coast, leaving me at
BuluWayo alone. He was not many hours
away before one of the Indunas came to
me. Your friend, he said. has stolen
my boy 81 Nonsensel's / said But the
chief insisted, and to treasure him
said: If my friend has stolen your boy
you can cut my head off, Is that so?'
said the chief He and his friends mount
ed swift horses and went off after Ma
CURES wagon. They got there, searched
it, and found the little lad in the box of
the wagon. Mcguire afterward said that
the little fellow had run after the wagon
and he had given him lift up to help
him along. But that made it none the
less awkward for me- I was summoned
before the king. There was only one
thing for me to do. When the king ac-
cused me, admitted 1 was to blame. I
have done wrong, o king! 1 said but
1 am your child. A father beats his
child, but he does not kill him. 1 am your
Child; you cannot kill me. I have done
wrong, but 1 am your child
THAT peril was passed over, but things
daily became more threatening Many