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

mean to work and work and work to
bring this to pass, and 10 bring that
to pass, until at length it comes to pass
that with these living eyes I behold
Wambe dying the death that he gave
to his child and my child"
"Well said," answered.
cay, well said, Macumazahn-well
said, and not easily forgotten. Who
could forget-oh, who could forget:
See where this dead hand rests against
my side? So once it rested when alive
Aid now, though it is dead, now every
night it creeps from its nest and
strokes my hair and clasps my fingers
in it's tiny palm. Every night 1t does
this, fearing lest I should forget. Oh,
my child-my child! Ten days ago L
held thee to my breast, and now this
alone remains of theer' And she kissed
the dead hand and shivered, but never
q tear did she weep. "See noW," she
went on, 1.-The white man-the prisoner
at Wambe's kraal-he was kind to me.
He loved the child that is dead-yes,
he wept when it's father slew lt-and
at the risk of his own life told Wambe,
nv husband-ah, yes, my husband-
that which he is. He, too, it was who
made q plan. He said to me, GO
MaiWa. after the custom Of they peo-
pie, 60 purify thyself in the bush
alone, having touched a dead one.
Say to Wambe. thou goest to purify
thyself alone for fifteen days, accord
ing to the custom of the people. Then
fly to they father, Nala, and STIR MN
up to war against Wambe for the sake
of the child that is dead
This, then, he said, and his words
seemed good to me, and that same
night ere 1 left to purify myself came
news that white man hunted in the
country, and Wambe, being mad WITH
drink, grew very wroth, and gave or
ders that an Impi should be gathered
to slay the white man and his people
and seize his goods.
Then did the Smiter of Iron (EV-
ery) write the message on the green
leaves and bid me seek thee out ana
show forth the matter, that thou might
est save thyself by flight And behold,
this thing have I done, Macumazahn,
the hunter, the Slayer of Elephants"
"Ah,..' 1 said, Il thank thee. AND
how many men he there in the lmpi OF
Wambe?"
"a hundred men and half hun
dred."
"And where is the Impi?"
"There to the north. 1t follows on
thy spoor.
II saw it pass yesterday, but my
self I guessed that thou wouldst be
higher to the mountain, and came THIS
way and found thee.
Tomorrow at the daybreak Will
the slayers be here,
"Very possibly" I thought to my
self. But they won't find Macuma-
zahn. / have half mind to put some
strychnine into the carcasses of those
elephants fer their especial benefit,
though
knew that they would stop to eat
the elephants, as indeed they did, TO
our great gain, but I abandoned the
idea of poisoning them, because was
rather short OF strychnine.
"Or because you die not like to play
the trick, Quatermain." I suggested,
with q laugh.
II said because I had not enough
strychnine. It would take a great deal
of strychnine to effectually poison
three elephants answered the old gen.
tleman testify.
I said nothing further, but I smiled,
knowing that old Allan could never
have resorted to such an artifce, how
ever severe his strait.
But that was his ,iiaJ; he always
made himself out to lie most unmer-
ciful person.
Well (he went on), at that moment
Gobo came up, and announced that we
were ready to march.
II am glad that you are ready,
said; because if you don't march, and
march quick, you will never march
again, that is ell.
"Wambe has an lmpi out to Kill US,
and it will be here presently"
Gobo turned positively green, and his
knees knocked together
"Ah, what did I say?' he exclaimed.
Fate walks about loose in Wambe's
country"
Every good; now all you have got to
do is to walk a little quicker than he
does.
mo, no; you don't leave those ele-
phant tusks behind.
II am not going to part with them,
I can tell you.'
Gobo said no more, but hastily dl-
rected the men to take up their loads
and then asked which way we were
to run.
"Ah," I said to Maiwa, (which
way?
There" she answered., pointing TO-
ward the great mountain spur which
lowered up into the sky some forty
miles away, separating the territories
of Nala and Wambe.
(To be contln Led)
AS 1t is Done in France.