The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-10-30

They were conquered, they said, and
| Wambe was dead, so they came toI
| 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
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 a witch, and terrible
| to see in battle.
Then Nala asked his daughter if she
was willing to become chieftainess Of
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 We're good and gentle to
her, but the forward and rebellious
she would smite with a rod of iron,
| which, from my knowledge Of her char,
| acter, thought exceedingly probable.
The headmen replied that that was
a 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 I did with the
greatest satisfaction.
There were some five hundred of
them altogether.
1 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, 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 I 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 i'll
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.
When 1 spoke to him Oh the subject
be merely said:
"Take it, Macumazahn, take it-you
have earned it We'll"
And to speak the truth, though say
it who shouldn't, / think 1 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:
"Macumazahn, you are brave man,
and have been a good friend to me in
my need.
"If ever you want help OF shelter, re-
| ory for friend and foe.
call have is yours"
And so l thanked her and went.
She certainly was very remarkable
| woman.
A year or two ago I heard that her
| father Nala was dead. and that she
| had succeeded to the chieftainship of
| ho 1nd
| justice and f1rmness. -
1 can assure you that we ascended
the 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 Every'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 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 a very
different man from the poor wretch
whom we had rescued from death by
/ torture.
| Well, we separated from Nala at the
| little stairway or pass over the mount
min, Every and 1 and the ivory going
| down the river which we had come up
| Ia few weeks before, and the chief re-
| turning to his own kraal on the farther
| side of the mountain.
He gave us an escort Of $50 men.
| however, with instructions 10 accom-
| pany us for six days Journey, and keep
| the AIatuEu bearers in order, and then
! return.
| l knew that in six days we should be
able to reach a district where porters
| were plentiful, and whence we could
easily get the ivory conveyed to Dela
goa Bay.
"And did you land it up safe?"
| asked.
"WelI, no." said Quartermain, I'VE
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.
! I'VE had no means of fishing it up
| and so we had to leave it, which was
! very SAD.
However, we sold what remained
| for nearly seven thousand pounds; so
we did not do so badly.
Il don't mean that l got seven thou
sand pounds out Of it, because, you
see, 1 insisted upon Every taking 4
half share.
Poor fellow, he had earned 1t, if
| ever man did.
| "He set UP store N The old colony
on the proceeds. and did uncommonly