The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-12-11

serves DeEore us without their Weap-
ons.
They were conquered, they said, and
Wambe was dead, so they came to
hear the words of the great lion who
had eaten them up. and of the crafty
white man, the jackal who had dug a
| hole for them to fall in, and of Maiwa,
Lady of War, who had led the charge
and turned the fate Of the battle.
So we let them hear the words; and
| when we had done an old man rose
and said that in the name Of the people
1 he accepted the yoke that was laid
upon their shoulders, and that the
more gladly because even the rule of a
woman could not be worse than the
rule of Wambe.
Moreover, they knew Maiwa, the
Lady of War, and feared her not.
though she was witch, and terrible
to see in battle.
Then Nala asked his daughter If she
/ was willing to become chieftainess of
I the tribe under him,
Maiwa, who had been very silent
! since her revenge was accomplished,
answered yes, that she was, and that
her rule should be good and gentle to
those who were good and gentle to
her. but the forward and rebellious
she would smite with rod of iron,
which, from my knowledge of her char
acter, thought exceedingly probable.
The headmen replied that that was
good saying, and they did not COM
| plain at it, and so the meeting ended.
Next day we spent in preparation for
| departure.
Mine consisted chiefly in superin-
| tending the digging up Of the stockade
OF ivory tusks, which / did with the
| greatest satisfaction.
There were some five hundred OF
them altogether.
l made inquiries about it from Ev-
cry, who told me that the stockade had
been there so long that nobody seemed
to exactly know who had originally
collected the tusks.
There was, however, a kind of super
stitious feeling about them, which had
always prevented the chiefs from try
ing to sell this great mass of ivory.
Every and examined it carefully.
and found that although it was SO old,
its quality was really as good as ever,
and there was very little soft ivory in
the lot.
At first was rather afraid lest, now
that my services had been rendered,
Nala should hesitate to part with so
much valuable property; but this was
not the case.
~, 4r1a 4fr foof
he merely said:
Take it. Macumazahn, take it--you
have earned it WELL"
And to speak the truth, though say
it who shouldn't. / think l had.
So we pressed several hundred Matu-
ku bearers into our service. and next
day marched off with the lot
Before we went took formal fare
well Of Maiwa, whom we left with
bodyguard Of 300 men to assist her in
settling the country.
She gave me her hand to kiss in
Queenly sort of way, and then said;
sMacumazahn, you are brave man,
and have been good friend to me in
my need.
IF ever you want help or shelter, re-
member that Maiwa has good mem-
Dry for friend and foe.
"AlI have is yours"
And so thanked her and went.
She certainly was very remarkable
woman.
A year or two ago heard that her
fetter Nala was dead. and that she
had succeeded to the chieftainship Of
both tribes, which she ruled with great
justice and firmness.
/ can assure you that we assembled
che pass leading to Wambe's town with
feelings very different from those with
which we had descended it few days
before.
But if was grateful for the issue of
events. you can easily imagine what
poor Eyery's feelings were.
When we got to the top of the pass
he actually, before the whole Impi,
Topped down upon his knees and
thanked heaven for his escape, with
tears running down his face.
But then, as I have said. his nerves
were shaken; though now that his
beard was trimmed, and he had got
some sort Of clothes on his back and
hope in his heart. he looked very
different man from the poor wretch
whom we had rescued from death by
torture.
Well, we separated frorf Nala at the
little stairway or pass over the mount
ain, Every and / and the ivory going
down the river which we had come up
a few weeks before. and the chief re-
turning to his own kraaI on the farther
side of the mountain.
| He gave us an escort Of 100 men,
however, with instructions to accom-
pany US for six days journey, and keep
the MatnEu bearers in order, ana then
return.
knew thatin six days we should be
! able to reach a dlstric. where porters
were plentiful. and whence we could
easily get the ivory conveyed to Della
goa Bay.
And did you land It up safe?"
| asked.
swell. nc" said Quartermain, 1--WE
lost about third of it crossing a river.
| "a flood came down suddenly. just
as the men were crossing and many
| of them had to throw down their tusks
to save their lives.
1--WE had no means Of fishing Il up.
I end so we had to leave II, which was