The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-08

Will Dllnd1nR Btdre upon the al
ready burnt-up veldt, and scorch-
a ed what1lfttle vegetation still re-
- -. manned into hopeless brown
nothingness.
+ Deep cracks and assures traced an end
less mosaic upon the face of the wagon
track, which did duty for road, and
shaped themselves into. grim caricatures
of mouths, all thirsty and expectant for
the rain which did not come.
Up to the steep slope of road that
wound it's toItueus way from Glands
river to the Swart Kopjes, there toiled
the figure of a wearied man His apology
for a coat hung open upon his breast, and
showed faded and dust-tanned shirt be-
Meath A pair of welI-worn riding
breeches, rusty shoes of Unframed hide,
and wide-brinrmed hat, whose brim had
long lost all semblance of its original
shape completed his attire. The attire
of tramp. Sometimes tramp clothes
cover gods heart.
over his shoulder, suspended by a
string, hung an ancient and battered
camp kettle containing a little coffee,
sugar and the remaining portion of Il
chunk of biltong which he had begged
from 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 If
only he could have stayed there, and
slept, and drank, and slept again until
perchance the last deep sleep of all should
oVertake him-and be welcome. With
half-muttered oath he turned again and
went EDWARDS. From this elevation ne
could see across the valley to where
haf1r village lay sleeping in the midday
neat, and far beyond in the south to
where the hills of Machaliesburg showed
faint and blue upon the horizon.
1t was little easier going now, for the
track sioped gradually down to the old
dry Watercourse across which nestled the
halhr kTaal. But it was not on this that
his eye was ever fixed mile or two
beyond the kraal there wound a silver
ribbon that even at such a distance flash
ed and shimmered in the suns rays with
all the prismatic delicacy of a fairy
crystal river. And bound round in the
sllvern ribbons loop rose up a grove Of
tan orange trees which hid from his sight
the tiny farmhouse towards which he
toiled
AS ne approached the "sluit," his pace
became slower, and more painful: he
pressed his hand to his side as if in palm.
ana the pallor of exhaustion showed gray
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 huge rock, when he lay himself
down with sigh of content and with
his arms folded under his head was soon
sleeping the deep. sleep of one whose
endurance has reached it's limits
Ahd' while he slept, tiny ragged cloud
came creeping up from the far south
over the tall peaks of Machaliegburg it
grew and spread. And, as it grew, from
the uttermost parts of heaven a faint
groWl of thunder sounded a solemn
warning to the clements
for awhile again there was silence.
A silence, Ike the Egyptian darkness
that might be felt
But all the While the clouds were gath
ering thicker and blacker and before
them came a faint, cool breeze thar
stirred the w.thered vegetation. and
SWayed gently the branches of the
parched trees, and kissed lightly the
forehead of the sleeper-the sill small
voice of the storm
Suddenly flash of intensest light shot
vivid from the heart of the clouds and
paled the sun. Again that awful ST.
fence, but only for the space of a breath.
Ihen, 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 pom
OF the compass came hurryng fierce
black clouds, that spread across the
heavens and blotted out the sun; and
with them mighty wind, that gathered
up the dead leaves and tossed them high
IN air, and tore branches from the trees
and made playthings of great bou ders
and rushed Shrek ng through the rocky
kopJes, rejoicing in the destruction that
followed in its train. Presently few
huge drops of rain fell, like giant tears
succeeded by smaller drops that fell
more closely As the ferceness of the
wind began to be exhausted. the thunder
less loud, and the lightnings less fire.
quent, the heavy mass of black cloud
that filled the whole sky burst Then
a torrent of rain. came sweeping down
upon the accumulated dust of months.
and filled the gaping crevices that zig
Jagged across the veldt, and drenched
the thirsty grass, and, ever increasing.
sent volume of water bounding down
the erstwhile dry water course that
threatened to turn it speedily again into
a 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
4iASO q ISuSS uilQeT the Sn6lI6f6Q sue OF
the rock and curling himself upon it,
dog-liHe, was speedily asleep again.
He was awakened later by a tiny rivu-
let, which at first had been content to
flow by the earthly barrier, but now,
enlarged by the junction of other stream
lets, threatened not only to carry away
his resting place, but even to under.
mine the big rock for whose shelter he
had been so grateful. Recognizing this,
with many a grunt and muttered oath,
he rose, gathered the fragment of coat
across his breast, and started once again
towards his goal.
The thunder and lightning were over
now, but the ra n continued to fall heav-
lily, although already a bright streak of
blue appeared above the SUBMITS of
fredericksburg.
An hour later he was passing through
the kaffir kraal, where numerous tiny
nlggers, with much shouting and ges-