The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-05
BY II. RIDER HAGGARD.

sSrne curiously shaped green leaves,
something like the leaves of the gutta-
percha tree in shape, only somewhat
thicker, and Of more. aeShy sub
stance.
AS though by hazard the girl picked
one of these leaves out Of the basket
and smelled at it; then she handed it
to me.
took the leaf, and supposing that
she wished me to smell it also, was
about to oblige her by doing so, when
my eye fell upon some curious red
scratches on the green surface Of the
leaf
"Ahr' said the girl to (whose name,
by the way, was Maiwa), speaking be-
meath her breath; "read the signs,
white man."
Without answering her I continued
to stare at the leaf.
1t has been scratched, or rather, writ
ten upon, with something sharp such
as q nail, and wherever this instru-
ment had touched it the acid juice
ozzing through the outer skin had
turned a rusty blood color.
Presently I found the beginning OF
the scrawl, and read this, written in
English, and covering the surface OF
the leaf, and of two others that were
in the basket:
Il hear that 4 white man is hunting
in the Matuku country.
"This is to warm him to fly over
the mountain to Nala.
"Wambe sends an Impi at daybreak
to eat him up because he has hunted
before bringing hongo.
For Gods sake, whoever you are,
try to help me!
II have been the slave of this devil
Wambe for nearly seven years and
am beaten and tortured continually.
"He murdered all the rest Of US, but
kept me because I could work iron.
"Maiwa, his wife, takes this; she is
flying to Nala, her father, because
Wambe killed her child.
Try and get Nala to attack Wambe.
"Maiwa can guide them over the
mountain.
"You won't come for nothing, for the
stockade of Wambe's private kraal is
made of elephants .tusks.
"For Gods sake, don't desert me, or
I shall kill myself!
II can bear this no longer. q
JOHN EVERY"
"Great heayens" I gasped. Every
why, it must be my old friend"'
The girl, or rather the woman Mai
wa, pointed to the other side of the
leaf, where there was some more
writing.
1t ran thus:
II have just heard that the white
man is called Macumazahn.
"If so, it must be my old friend
Quatermain.
"Pray God it is, for know he won't
desert an old chum in such fix as 1
am.
ut isn't that Pm afraid of dying;
I don't care if die; but want to get
q chance at Wanda first"
"No, old boy" thought to myself;
ut isn't likely that am going to leave
you there while there is q chance of
getting you out.
II have played fox before now
there's still q double or two left in
ME.
II must make plan, that's all.
"And then there's that stockade of
tusks.
II am not going to leave that
either"
Then I spoke to the woman.
You are called Maiwa:"
1T is So"
"You are the daughter of Nala and
the wife of Wambe?'
ut is so."
".You fly from Wambe to Nala?"
II do"
"Why do you fly? Stay, would
give an order" and calling to Gobo, I
ordered him to get the men ready for
instant departure.
The woman, who, as I have said,
was quite young and very handsome,
put her hand into kind of little
pouch made of antelope hide, which
she wore fastened round the waist,
and to my horror drew from it the
withered hand of child which had
evidently been carefully dried in the
smoke.
II fly for this cause" she answered,
hoIdipU tho noor littla hand toward