The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-02-20

staggered and fe:i 20 the ground struck
in the chest. Piet felt a spasm of hor-
ror. Deer a-plenty had he shot, but
never till now man, so that his heart
for fash stood still. and his own face
was deathlike. He rode slowly up to
Malula, and found the Kaffir writhing
in a death agony. Piet again dIsmount-
ed, and attempted to offer aid, but the
savage repuised him. With Il look of
hate he glared at the boy, and cried in
his own tongue:
81 am one but tonight come the Zulus,
and no white thing on the farm shall
live. For mine there shall be ten
deathsr'
So he died, glorying in the hope of
speedy revenge and the Boer boy, leav-
| ing him, recovered his new rifle and
rode slowly and mournfully homeward.
Here his troubled mother met him.
"Piet," she said, the Kaffirs have
left u.s."
Il know said he, and looked into
| her brave face, and told her what had
happened and what hIalula had said of
| the nearness of the Zulus.
eff my father had known it, said
her son, ''he would not have left u.s."
"He was Communicated" said the
Boer WIFE "It was his duty Country
| first-always, my son.
But" said Piet, in much perturba-
ton, my father did not think the
blacks would fly. He thought that they,
Basutos, would fight their old enemy,
| U,,I, hat 70
to do? Shall we leave the farm and
trek to Van Boeven's"
The Boer mother pressed her lips
with a frown of pride.
"That was not we'll said, my son."
she answered. "Oom Putter said Stay
AS he obeyed his general and went, so
we shall obey him and stay and fight
till he comes"
1t was a Roman speech. Even as the
words came from her mouth she
looked round and saw Piet, a well
grown boy of Is years; Greta, child
of IL; little Pretorius, and the baby-a
goodly garrison to defend the hearth!
But she saw that hearth, she saw the
dear walls her husband had built to
bring her home as a bride, she saw the
fields he had titled and the barns he
had raised, and seeing them she would
have fought to the last scratch of her
nails like a wildcat, rather than give
them up.
Besides" said she hopefully, what
could the wretch Malula know that we
don't? The Zulus cannot be near, and
if they are, the farmers have out theiI
scouts, and they say the English from
Natal are also ready. Before they reach
our farm the Beers must meet them
and surely the savage shall be strick
en-
Nothing mere was said about desert
ing the homestead. Vrouw Putter wenl
her work quietly, but Piet began to
prepare Now, the farmhouse was
roomy and the garrison most pretty
one, and. puzzle over the matter as ht
might, the boy could not see how its
rough stone walls could be protected a
| once on all sides If the attacking force
| was to be large one. His mother
| was about as good a shot as he, ant
| even Greta could discharge gun at {
pinch, but two or three guns could no
protect so rambling a building. Pie
came to that conclusion with a feelin:
akin for moment to despair, until, a
| last, as he stood in the broad yard look
, | ing at the house, the chickens cam
| | clucking about him in their search TO
food, and he had an idea.
All day he worked busily, leaving
! his mother to the children, and b.
t | nightfall he had prepared a fort t
2 | withstand a siege. Two or three time
| during the afternoon he had slippet
2 off to the top of the kopje, where b.
: could look afar, but each time he cam
/, back, having seen nothing but the roll
1 ing veldt. They had supper, and agail
] Piet slipped away and came back, bu
= now with a grim face.
: 'Mother," he whispered, from tn
e west l heard the war song of the Zulus
j 1t came family with the wind. In tn
: direction also of Van Boeven's farI
: the skies are red and if l go at dark
i fear | shall see the flames rising froI
q his barns"
The mother gathered her baby tigh
in her arms for a moment, and the
a quietly asked her eldest:
l
;, EYES," said Piet, "and, mother, if 70
:, approve, we must leave the house.
e is too big and rambling for US two
e protect"
:. leave the hOuSeT'
= s'Not very far" said Piet and explain
e ed
l. In that land of few dwellers space
e not of much consideration. The farl
# buildings were quite widely scattered
n and Farmer Putter had built his GOV
IS byres and pigpens and so on propt
Is distance away from his house wall
All the afternoon Pet had been marcl
Is ing, laden with packages and bundle
d between the house and the outbuil
1t ings. Now, when it was dark, he pl
lg out all the lights of the house. and IL
windows and doors were stoutly ba
le red.
10 "Where are we going TO sleep" Il
ie children asked accustomed to rise al
W lie down with The sun, and Piet a
le | swered cheerfully, in the chicke
e. | coop"
at | The children, at first aStonished al
th incredulous, were delighted when the
discovered that their brother mea
IS what he said, for the sight of Il
lie | chickens feeding had given the boy Il
e. necessary idea If the house were t.
It, big, the coop could not be accused
lg that fault. About the rocky kop
a. stones We're plentiful and more conve
re lent than wood Therefore, Piet had al
is ed his father in building a solid affa
ae to shelter the many fowls. 1t W