Catoctin clarion., 1908-10-22
CHAPTER VIII.
Continued.


"Then. of course, he guessed that
had had something to do with your
seizing the koppe ana holding 1t while
the Impi rushed the place from the
mountain, so he determined to torture
me to death before help could come.
"Oh, heavens, what mercy 1t Is to
hear English again.
; "How long have you been prisoner
here. Every?' asked.
"Sjx years and bit, Quatermaia;
I have lost count of tho odd months
lately.
II came up here with Major Aldey
and three other gentlemen and forty
bearers.
THAT devil Wambe ambushed us and
murdered the lot to get their guns.
"They weren't much use to him when
he got them, being breech-l0aders, for
the fools fired away all the ammunition
in a month or two.
However, they are all in good or
der, and hanging up in the hut there.
"They didn't kill me, because one OF
them saw me mending gun just be-
fore they attacked us. so they kept me
as a kind of armorer.
"Twice tried to make bolt Of it,
but was caught each time.
Last time Wambe had me flogged
very nearly to death; you can see the
scars on my back.
Indeed, l should have died if it
hadn't been for the girl Maiwa. who
nursed me by stealth
"He got that accursed iron trap
among our things also, and I suppose
he has tortured between one and two
hundred people to death with it.
1T was his favorite amusement, and
he would go every day and sit and
watch his victim till he died.
Sometimes he would give him food
and water to keep him alive longer,
telling him or her that lie would let
them go If he lived to a certain day.
But he never did let them go.
"They all died there and l could
show you their bones behind that
gock."
THE devil" I said, grinding my
teeth. II wish I hadn't interfered.
wish had left him to the same fate"
"Well, lie got taste of it, anyway"
said Every. I'm glad he got taste.
There's justice in 1t, and now he's
gone to place where l hope there's
another ore ready for him.
"By Jove! I should like to have the
setting of it"'
And so he talked on, and sat and
listened to him, wondering how he had
kept his reason for so many years.
But he didn't talk as l have told it,
in good English.
He spoke very slowly. and as though
he had got something in his mouth.
continually using native words, be-
cause the English ones had slipped his
memory.
At last Nala came up and told us that
food was made ready, and thankful
enough were we to get it, can tell
you.
After We had eaten we had a consul.
tation.
Quite thousand Of Wambe's SOL
diers were put hors de combat, but at
least two thousand remained hidden
In the bush and rocks, and these men,
together with those in the outlying
kraals, were source Of possible dan.
ger.
The question arose, therefore, what
was to be done; were they to be fol-
lowed or left alone?
waited until everybody had spoken,
some giving one opinion and some an
other, and then, being appealed to, I
gave mine.
1t was to the effect that Nala should
take q leaf out Of the great Zulu
'TChako's book and incorporate the
tribe not destroy It.
We had good many. women among
the prisoners.
Let them, suggested, be sent to the
hiding places of the soldiers and make
an offer. y.
If the men would come and lay down
their arms and declare their allegiance
to Nala they and their town and cat.
tie should be sparei.
Wambe's cattle alone would be seized
rs the prize of war. q
Moreover. Wambe having left nc
children, his wife, Malwa should be
declared chieftainess of the tribe, un'
der Nala.
If they did not accept this offer by
the morning of the second day, II
should be taken as a declaration that
they wished to continne the war.
Their town should be burned, their
collecting and driving in in great mum
bers, would be taken, and they would
be hunted down.
This advice was at once declared
to be wise, and acted oil. -
The women were dispatched, and
saw from their faces that they never
expected to get such terms, and did
. not think that their mission would be
in vain.
Nevertheless, we spent that after
noon in preparation against possible
s surprise, and also in collecting all the
wounded of both parties into hospital
which we extemporlZed out of some
huts, and there attended to them az
best we could.
( That evening poor Every had the
first pipe o. tobacco that he had tasted
for six years.
Poor fellow, he nearly cried with Joy
over ii.
The night passed without any sign OF
attack, and -on the following morning