The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-14
PASSING OF THE TRAMP.
TFrom Black and White.l

The fierce African sun beat down
with binding glare upon the already
burnt-up weld, and scorched what little
vegetation still remained into hopeless
brown uothingness-
Deep cracks and assures traced an
endless mosaic upon the face of the
| Wagon-track, which did duty for a road,
and shaped themselves into grim carl
catures of mouths, all thirsty and ex-
| pectant for the rain which did not
come.
Up the steep slope Of road that
/ wound its tOrtuOuS way from Glands
| River to the SWart KOpjes there toiled
| the figure of a Wearied man. His apol-
| Ogy for a coat hung open upon his
! breast. and showed a faded and dust
| tanned shirt beneath A pair of we'll
| worn riding breeches, rusty shoes of
! untanned hide, and a -brimmed
hat, whose brim had long lost all sem
| blance OF its original shape, completed
| his attire. The attire of "a tramp. Some
times tramp clothes cover gods
over his shoulder, suspended BY a
! string, hung ancient and battered
| camp kettle containing a little coffee,
| sugar and the remaining portion of a
chunk of biltong which he had begged
| from a none too kindly disposed. Boer
| woman on the previous day.
] When he reached the top of the hill
/ he paused awhile. and looked back
! towards the river 1t looked cool enough
there. If only he could be lying under
! the shade of those huge trees whose
roots were laved by the clear running
/ water II only ne cOulQ nave stayed
there, and slept, and drank, and slept
again until perchance the last deep
| sleep of all should oyertake him-and
be welcome. With a half-muttered
] oath he turned again and went EDWARDS.
/ From this elevation he could see across
/ the valley to where a Kaffr village lay
/ sleeping in the midday heat, and far
! beyond in the south to where the mills
l of fredericksburg showed faint and blue
upon the horizon.
1t was a little easier going now, for
the track sloped gradually down to the
/ old dry water course across which
nestled the Kaffir krall. But it was not
/ on this that his eye was ever fixed. A
mile or two beyond the kraal there
wound a silver ribbon that even at
such a distance flashed and shimmered
I in the suns rays with all the prismatic
delicacy of a fairy crystal river And
pound around IN the SllVern RIBBON
loop rose up q grove OF tall orange
trees which hid from his sight the tiny
farm house towards which he toiled.
As he approached the SLUT has pace
became slower, and more painful; he
pressed his hand to his side if in
pain, and the pallOr of exhaustion
showed grey beneath the bronze of his
face.
He scrambled down into the bed of
the SLUT" and climbed heavily up the
opposite bank There he sought the
shade of a huge rock, when he lay him.
self down with a sigh of content, and
with his arms folded under his head, was
soon sleeping the deep sleep of one
And, while he slept, tiny ragged
cloud came creeping up from the far
south. over the tall peaks of Mach
alleSburg it grew and spread. And, as
it grew, from the uttermOsr parts of
heaven a faint growl of thunder sound
ed a solemn warning to the elements
For awhile again there was silence.
A silence like the Egyptian darkness,
that might be felt.
But all the while the clouds were
gathering thicker and blacker, and be-
fore them a faint. cool breeze
that stirred the Withered vegetation
and sWayed gently the branches of the
parched trees and kissed lightly the
forehead of the sleeper-the still, small
voice OF the storm.
Suddenly a fash of intensest light
shot vivid from the heart Of the clouds
and paled the sun. Again that awful
silence, but only for the space of a
breath Then, with no more warning,
the storm broke. Lightnings flashed
from within and without the Clouds |
and thunder after thunder echoed and
reverberated among the hills. From
the four points of the compass came |
spread across the heavens and blotted |
out the sun; and with them a mighty
wind, that gathered up the dead leaves |
and tossed them high in air, and tore /
playthings of great bOulders and |
rushed shrieSing through the rocky /
kopjes, rejoicing in the destruction that /
followed in its train. Presently a few /
and these We're succeeded by smaller /
drops that fell more closely. AS the /
fierceness of the wind began to be ex- /
hausted. the thunder less loud, and the |
lightnings less frequent, the heavy /
mass of black cloud that filed the /
whole sky burst Then torrent of
rain came sweeping down upon the ac-
cumulated dust Of months, and nIIed
the gaping crevices that zigzagged
across the veldt, and drenched the
thirsty grass, and, ever increasing, sent
a volume of water bounding down the
erstwhile dry watercourse that threat
ened to turn it speedily again into
river.
with the first clap of thunder the
man aWOke and stared sleepily up at the
sky. Then foreseeing what was to
come. he banked up the dry, crumbling
earth into a ledge under the sheltered
side of the rock, and curling himself
upon it, dog-hke, was speedily asleep
again.
He was awakened later by tiny
rivulet what at first had been content
to flow by the earthly barrier but now
enlarged by the junction of other
streamlets, threatened not only to
carry away his resting place, but even
to undermine the big rock for whose
shelter he had been so grateful Rec
ognizing this, with many a grunt and
muttered oath. he rose, gathered the
fragment of coat across his breast, and
started once again toward his goal.
The thunder and lightning were over
now, but the rain continued to fall
heavily although already a bright
streak of blue appeared above the sum
mits of MachaIiesburg.
An hour later he was passing through
the Kafir kraal, where numerous tiny
niggers, with much shouting and ges-
ticulation, We're sorting out the oxen
which at the approach of the storm /
they had hurried1y driven home. {
"Tumela, Morenap shouted one little
coal-black imp. whose skin shone I
bright under the glistening rain drops.
''Tumela, MorenaJ' he shouted back,
pleased to hear the sound of a voice
again after the great loneliness through y
which he had passed; and thereafter {