The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-26
las have so often had to do before and
And now a fresh difficulty arose.

| SINCE.
And now q fresh difficulty arose.
| Wambe's soldiers insisted upon ac'
| companying us, and what is more, did
| all they could to urge us forward, as
they were naturally anxious to get to
the chiefs place before evening.
But we, on the other hand, had ex'
cellent reasons for not arriving till
night was closing in, since we relied
upon the gloom to cover our advance
upon the koppie which commanded the
town.
| Finally they got so importune that
we had to fatty refuse to move faste",
alleging as a reason that the girl was
tired.
They did not accept this excuse in
good part. and at one time l thought
that we should have come to blows, Tor
there is no love lost between Butianas
and Matukus.
At last, however. either from motives
of policy or because they were so evil
IDENTIFY outnumbered, they gave in, and
sufferet. us to so our own pace.
earnestly wished that they would
have added to the obligation ny going
theirs, but this they absolutely de-
clined to do.
On The contrary. they accompanied
us every foot of the way, keeping up a
running fire of allusions to the Thing
that bites" that Jared upon my nerves
and discomposed my temper.
About 430 in the afternoon we came
to a neck or ridge Of stony, ground,
whence we could plainly see Wambe S
town, lying some six or seven miles
away, md 5000 feet beneath us.
The town is built in valley, with
the exception of Wambe's own kraal;
that is situated at the mouth of some
caves upon the slope Of the opposing
mountains, over which hoped to see
our Impi's spears come flashing in the
morrow's light.
Even from where We stood it was
easy to see how strongly the place was
fortified with schanses and stone walls
and how difficult of approach.
Indeed, unless taken by surprise, 1t
seemed to me quite :mpregnable to a
force operating without cannon. and
even cannon would not make much 1m-
preston en- rocks and stony koppies
/ filled with caves.
Then came the descent Of the pass,
and an arduous business it was, for
the path-if it may be called path
was almost entirely composed of huge
water-worn powders, from the one to
the other of which we had 10 jump like
so many grasshoppers.
1t took us two hours to get down,
and travelling through that burning
SUN. when at last we did reach the
bottom I for one was pretty nearly
played out
Shortly afterward, just as it was
growing dark, we came to the first line
of Notifications, which consisted OF a
triple stone wall pierced by a gateway
50 narrow that a man could hardly
squeeze through it.
We passed this without question, be-
ing accompanied by Wambe's soldiers.
Then came belt of land, three hun.
dred PAGES or more in width, very rocky
and broken, and having no huts upon
it.
It was in hollows in this belt that the
cattle were kraaled in case of danger.
On the farther side were more foru-
iications, and another small gateway
shaped like an inverted v, and just be-
yond and through it I saw the kopple
we had planned to seize looming up
against the line of mountains behind.
As we went I whispered my sugges-
tions to our captain, with the result
that at the second gateway he halted
the cavalcade, and addressing the cap
tain of Wambe's soldiers, said that we
would wait here till we received Wam-
be's word to enter the town.
The other man said that was well,
only he must hand over the prisoners
to be taken up to the chiefs kraal, for
Wambe was hungry to begin upon
them" and his heart desired to see
the white man at rest before he closed
bis eyes in Sleep and as for his wife,
surely he would welcome her.
Our leader replied that he could not
do this thing, because his orders were
to deliver the prisoners to Wambe at
Wambe's own kraal, and they might
not be broken.
How could he be responsible for the
safety of the prisoners if he let them
out of his hand?
No; they would wait there till Wam-
be's word was brought.
TO this, after some demur, the other
man consented, and departed, remark
inc that he would soon be back.
AS he passed me he called out, with
a sneer. pointing, as he did SO, to the
fading red in the western sky: LOOK
your last upon the light. white man,
for the Thing that bites lives IN the
dark"
Next day it so happened that 1 shot
this man, and do you know, l think
that lie is about the only human being
who has come to harm at my hands
for whom I did not feel sincere sorrow
and, in a degree, remorse.
CHAPTER VII.