The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-05


 from you. Say-come with soldiers. If ne behave bad, tell them kill him. They obey you. No mind me. I not afraid of that wild beast now"
 Then Rachel said to the indunas:
 T hear the Kings word, and under stand that he wishes me to receive this Ibubesi- Yet I know that man, as l know all men, white and black. lie IS an evil man, and it is not my pleasure to speak with him alone. Let hln come with a guard of six cap talns, and lett the captains be armed with spears. so that if I give the word. there may be an end of this Ibubesi.''
 Then the messengers saIuted and de- parted as before
 On the morrow at about the same hour praiser, or herald, arrived out side the inner fence of the kraal, and after he had shouted out RachePs ti- ties, attributes, beauties and supernat- ural powers for at least ten minutes, never repeating himself announced that the indunas of the King were without accompanied by the white man lhubesi. awaiting her permission to en- ter She gave it through Noie, and the horn wand in her hand, seated her self upon a carved stool in front of the great hut. Presently an altercation arose upon the further side of the reed renee in which she recognised Ish- maePs strident voice, mingled with the deeper tones of the Zu1us. who seemed to be insisting upon something.
 They command him to take off his headdress.' said Noie, and threaten to beat him if he will not.''
 "Go. tell them to admit him as he is. that I may see his face. and learn if he be the white man whom I knew, or another" answered Rachel. and she went.
 Then the gate was opened and the messengers were jed in by women. After these came six captains. carry ing broad spears. as she had command nf a RachePS whole nature shrank at the sight of his dark. handsome features. She loathed the man now as always; her instinct warned her of danger at his hands. Also shn remembered his threats when last they met and she re- 5ected him, and what had passed be- tween him and her father on the fol- lowing day. But of all this she show ed nothing. remaining seated in silence with calm. set face.
 Ishmael was advancing with a some what defiant air. Except for a kaross upon his shoulders he wore European dress, and the ridiculous hat with the white ostrich feather in it. both of them TOW much the worse for wear, which she remembered so well. Also he had a lighted pipe in his mouth Presently one of the captains appeared to become suddenly aware of this pipe for stretching out his hand, he snatch ed it away. and the hat with it. throw ing them upon the ground. Ishmael. WHOSe IeeIQ ana IDS were nuTt, lurnou on the man with an oath and struck him, whereon instantly he was seized. anI would perhaps have been killed before Rachel could interfere had it not been unlawful to shed blood in her presence. AS it was, with motion of her wand, she signified that he was to be loosed, command that Noie inter preted to them. At any rate they let him go, though a captain placed his feet on the hat and pipe. Then Ish- al ord nd ly:
 How do you do? I did not expect to see you here." and he devoured her beauty with his boId greedy eyes though not without doubt and dread or so thought Rachel.
 Taking no notice of his greeting she said in a cold voice:
 T have sent for you here to ask if you have any reason as to why should not order you to be killed for and therefore against me?"
 Now Ishmael paled, for he had not expected such welcome. and began to deny the thing.
 Rachel. 'I have it from the Kings lips, and from my own knowledge. Re member only that here I am the In kosazana with power of life and death. with this wand, in a minute you will have gone to your account.
 ''Inkosazana or not" he answered in a cowed voice. you know too much might follow her to Zululand to ask her life. and you see that the plan was good, for you came. and.' he added, re- covering some of his insolence and familiarity; i've are here together, two white people among all these silly mig gers.''
 Rachel looked him up and down; then she looked at the indunas seated in silence before her, at the great limbed captains with their broad spears beyond, reminding her in their plumes and attitudes of some picture that she had seen of Roman gladiators about to die. Lastly she looked at the delicately-shaped Noie by her side, with her sweet, inscrutable face, the woman whose parents and kin this outcast had brought to a bloody death, the woman whom to forward his base ends he had vilely striven to murder. Slowly she looked at them all and at him. and said:
 ''Shall I explain to these nobles and captains what you call them, and what you are called among your own peo- pie? Shall I tell them something of your story, MT. Ishmael?''
 You can do what you like,'' he an- swered sullenly. You know why I got you here-because I love you: I told you that many months ago. While you were down at Ramah I had no chance with you, because of that old hypocrite of a father of yours, and this black girl,' and he looked at Noie vic iously. Here I thought that it would be dffferent-that you would be glad of my company, but you have turned yourself into a kind of goddess and hold me off, and he paused.
 Go on,'' said Rachel.
 'All right, I will You may think yourself a goddess, as I do myself sometimes. But I know that you are a woman too, and that soon you will get tired of this business. You want to go home to your father and mother, don't you? Well, you can't. You are a prisoner here for these fools have got it into their heads that vou are their Spirit, and that it would be unlucky to let you out of the country So here you must stop, for years, perhaps, or till they are sick of you and kill you. Just understand, Rachel, that nobody can help you to escape except me, and that I shan't do so for nothing"
 Rachel strengthened herself upon her seat. grippling the edge of it with he" hands, for her temper was rising, while Noie bent forward and said something