Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-10-14

| rather peculiar that should have con-
tinued to take such an interest in my
surroundings up to the last minute,
when l was well aware that l was
within a few days OF some catastro-
phe, the nature of which il was inn
| possible for me to anticipate or inn
agine.
| The crimson lines on my hand were
but the index of the mysterious condi-
ton OF my body, and as the time pass
ed and the strain and tension increas-
ed, l prepared myself with calmness
| Tor the verdict of the Boer doctor, if
such was TO be my fate.
The memory of those last days is
very distinct and vivid, and | can ac-
count for every minute of the time up
to a certain point, but beyond that
there is gap and blank, breach
of several years for which l cannot
| render the slightest account or re-
member the doings of n day. have no
explanation to offer, nor am l under
obligations to any mortal to give an
account of myself. They say it was
lunacy, but ] know better than that.
Lunacy cannot be the name Of a state
great deal more wonderful than the
condition of the sanest among you.
For during these years | lived n life
and apparently enjoyed experiences
that madness would gambol from
and temperate, benevolent citizens de-
light in. To cap the wonder and the
climax, ii meyer entered into the good
head of the faithful Hans, from the
first day to the last, that he was the
companion and fellow traveller of any
one but reasonable, sensible creature
like himself, and yet, as | said before,
the interval was not part Of my life.
How do / know, then, what happen
ed in this interval? Well, Hans kept
the record, and now word about this
man.
Hans was educated in Natal, and
the schools in that colony are as good
as any in the world. 1t seems little
odd to stranger to run up against
rough-looking transport rider or an
ordinary laborer in these parts and to
feel compelled to remain silent while
the eXuberant colonial intellect hilds
forth and dilates upon men, things,
literature and universal history with
n natural and easy flow of language
that fairly staggers the average speci-
men of western civilization. And IL
this is the mellow fruit, what can we
say of the blossoms and the buds?
Very little, l confess, for they are
unique and indescribable. The boys
are clever and precocious beyond con-
ception, and they are natural and full
fledged philosophers as soon as they
can talk So pronounced is this youth
full profundity that it gives the tai
ented creatures the appearance of
learning backwards, and so when they
are grown up you are impressed with
the assurance that they know every
thing but what they have forgotten.
So you find each individual, egotisti-
cal self TO be the center of universe,
for the benefit and delight of which
all things have been created.
Now my friend Hans Botman pos
sessed great deal of this colonial ge-
MUS without sign or symptom of the
overgrown bump so uncomfortably
prominent on the craniums of his fell
low-citizens. He had also another rec
ommendation which is, think an un-
discovered trait in nearly all new
countries. l mean quietness of man
ner and an indefinable delicacy of
feeling and sentiment than. which
nothing in this human nature of ours
is more precious and pleasing. Then,
again, he had certain faculty for
friendship which is by no means an
everyday gift. It's power and charm
is universal and this it was at the very
beginning that drew Hans and me to-
gether.
SO it happened that in year or
two he had attached himself to me and
my fortunes without a single word
having passed between us on the sub
ject. My failings and peculiarties
were just as interesting to him as
they were perplexing to myself. So,
in course of time, service became
friendship and from fellow travellers
we changed unconsciously and 'natur-
ally into brothers.
At last the time drew near when /
became aware that / should require
his services and prove his friendship
more than ever before, and | said to
him:
Hans, old fellow, remain with me
to the end"
For answer he took hold of my
hand and held it firmly and affection
ately for a minute or two without say
ing a word. No reply could have been
more eloquent, more satisfying. 1t
was & solemn compact, drawn, sealed
and delivered, a bond and a covenant
to signify that nothing but death
could part us. Now you understand
the kind of man l had to deal with,
and SO when / repeat that Hans kept
the record, it goes without saying that
/ believe every word of his wonderful
story just as surely as if l had kept a
diary of it myself.
Among the Beers in the neighbor-
hood where we lived there was one
man in particular who had a very un-
savory reputation. 1t was curious
circumstance, and one which puzzled
me considerably, that even in the most
favorable weather | disliked and
avoided his presence, and there were
times when / detested him with an in
conceivable hatred. He was a butcher
by trade, and if you could credit the
reports of his fellow-countrymen he
was little less than a kidnapper and
murderer of Kaffirs.
BE that as it may, by nature he was
certainly without soul or sympathy.
One day he came over to the store,
and according to the usual custom he
took hold of my hand and shook it
heartily. The contact caused me to
scream with pain, and to rush head
long from the store. Very soon took
refuge in the stable and threw my
arms around Fuigo's neck in agony of
body and spirit.
That was the last minute and the
last act of my conscious existence un-
til l woke up in Boston more than
three years afterward in still more
curious and remarkable situation.
But Hans SAYS that simply hung on