Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-01-07

Tom, quietly
'"Tom, you must go. I say you must.
Or
We'll. Ted"
I'VE must surrender can't have
you killed"
What would they say?" and the .
uoy-he was only boy in years
rluckcd a leaf and chewed II TO moist |
en- his parched tongue, They had taxi
en- TO the scrub, he and his brother. at
dawn when surprised by looting !
band from one of the roaming COM ,
m8ndos, and they had stood the siege /.
an day. wounding two OF the enemy in I
the first hour. What would they
Eay?' That settled the matter, and
Ted said no more. He had merely used
the word surrender as threat. They
had never been to England--they were
COlonials through and throughput
the pride of race was strong in them.
Moreover. this Yves their own weld. The
white house was their home. They
knew every bush and every tree. Their
word had been law with the servants.
. Nv sur Nhutl was HON W ut luOubll
VI seriously. When they do come,
Tom" said Ted, with a sigh, they will
come quickly after sunset, but silent
ly,"
81 am dead tired, Ted wish they
/ would come now"
After shutdown! You have done
we'll, sonny: am proud of you.
care you, MOVE" and Toms freckled
I face grew red with pleasure.
"Ja-but lie down, lie dead still, and
listen--when they do come keep your
cover, and fire at the flash. Leave the
rest to me-"
The shadows crept swiftly over the
brown weld. shut out the hill, and
stole silently up to the knoll. It was
night in a twinkling. and the Beers
began to move. First they poured in
a volley, having trained their guns in
the waning light; then they stole down
the slope, and up towards the knoll.
"They must be dead" said one.
stone dead"
They have not fired for two hours:
see you?"
"Ja--it Is over We have lost time
but maybe they have good boots and
money" They advanced, neverthe.
less, with caution. and one. when near,
threw a stone. Hi kerels." he shout
ed taking care to seek cover. I'VE
give you one more chance. Come out
now--or you are dead
There was no reply, only the deep
boom of the ostrich from beyond the
ridge. The trumpet call rang over
the veld-and a dikkop uttered its
plalntive whistle as IL passed over
head TO the great dam where the
brothers had so often bathed. Then
the cool evening wind came signing
up over the hot lands, rustled the
scrub, and !led up over the mountain.
The Beers crouched listening for many
minutes; then one holder than the rest
lcTawled up and fired. There was no
reply, and the man stood up. II was
Hans, and never again would he
dream of the troop of ''mooi cows, ="
lowing to the kraal in the evening, for
a bullet struck him in the chest.
Mi Gott." he cried.
Then Ted, who had silently crept
out to the shelter OF an ant-hill on the
rand, fired rapidly at some figures on
the slope, and the Beers ran.
Come, Tom"
ia, Ted"
The two brothers slipped off into
the night, but not towards the house,
where the mother watched anXiously.
All night, with hunger on them, they
walked, till in the morning they reach.
ed Teds troop of horse. At breakfast
the troop rode up to the farm, and be-
tore noon Ted was waving a good.by to
his family. They did not see him
again. A month later, when the crops
were ripening, the news came that the
soldier son had died on the field glo.
lriOu3ly. The mother looked at her
young son with fear in her eyes; but
no word was spoken. The boy gaZed
away across the weld, and there crept
into his face the look she knew so well,
for she had seen it on the grave, stern
face of her dead husband when he
took his gun to ride out against the
Kaffirs; and on the fine face of her
eldest. Oh, it was bitter to bring such
into the world, and yet sweet
The boy went to the stable, saddled
bis horse, and strapped on his rife,
"Good-by, my son." she said with a
"Good-by. mother" he said. Il will
catch the troop beyond the mountain"
II. a