The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-03
(Continued.l

| ed of her if she were pleased to spend the night there. She bowed her head
 Tn Tn assent and they entered the kraal.
 It was quite empty save for certain | ma1dens dressed in bead petticoats, who waited there to serve her. All the other inhabitants had gone. They took her to large and beautifully clean hut Kneeling on their knees the maid ems presented her with food-meat and curdled milk, and roasted cobs of corn She ate of the corn and milk, but the
 meat she sent away as a gift to the captains. Then alone in that kraal, in which after they had served her even the girls seemed to fear to stay. Rachel slept as best she might in such solitude, while without the fence two thousand armed savages watched over her safety.
 It was a troubled sleep, for she dreamed always of that dreadful-look- ing Isanuzi with the fish-bladders in her hair, yelling to her that her path through life was watered with blood, and bidding her to go back to her own kraal and see whether the words were
 true, an ominous saying of which she could not read the riddle. She dream ed also of the womans coarse, furious
 face turned suddenly to one of abject
 terror, and then of the dreadful end
 the red death without mercy and with
 out appeal which she had Jet loose by
 motion of her hand. Another
 dream she had was of her father and
 her mother, who seemed to be lying
 side by side staring towards her with
 wide open eyes,, and that when she
 spoke to them they would not answer.
 So the long night wore away, till at
 length Rachel woke with a start
 thinking that hand had been laid up-
 on her face, to see by the faint light of
 dawn which struggled into the hut
 through the cracks of the door-boards,
 that the hand was only great rat
 that had crawled over her and now
 nibbled at her hair. She sat up, fright
 aninpr if nd fS
 rose and washed herself with water that stood by in greatsgourds, while
 without she heard the women singing
 some kind of song hymn of winch
 she could not catch the words.
 Scarcely was she ready than they entered the hut, ,saluting her and bring
 ing more food. Rachel ate, then bade one of them say to the captain of the fmpi that she was ready to start. Pres ently the girl returned with the mes- sage that all was prepared. She walk
 ed from the kraal to find her mare, which had been well fed and groomed
 by Tamboosa, who had seen horses in Natal, and knew how they should be
 treated, ,saddled and waiting, whilst be- fore and behind it, arranged as on the previous day. stood the warriors. who received her in dead, respectful silence.
 She mounted, and the procession went forward. With a two hours halt at midday they marched on over hill and dale, passing many villages
 
 the inhabitants of these places de- serted them and, fled, crying, ''Nom- kubulwana! Nomkubulwana!" It was evident to Rachel that the tale of the and they feared lest. should they cross her path, her fate would be their fate. Indeed one of the strangest circum- stances of this strange adventure was the complete loneliness in which she lived. Except those who were actual ly ordered to wait upon her, none dared come near Rachel; she was holy, a Spirit, to approach whom unbidden might mean death
 At nightfaH a they reached another empty kraal, where again she slept alone. When they left 1t in the morn ing she called Tamboosa to her and asked him at what hour they would come to Dingaan's great town. Ungu- gundhlovo. which means the Place of the trumpeting of the Elephant. He at sunset
 So sine rode all that day also till as the sun began to sink, from a hill whereon grew large euphorbia trees, on a. plain backed by mountains she saw the town surrounded by renee inside of which were thousands Of huts, that iri their turn surrounded a. great open space. Now they pushed for ward quickly, and as darkness fell ap- preached the main gate Of the place where, as usual, there was no one to be seen. But here they did not enter, marching on till they came to another gate that of the Intunkulu, the King s house, where, their escort done, the regiment turned and went away, leaV- ing Rachel alone with the envoy, Tam boosa, who still led the white OK. They entered this gate; and presently came to a second. It was that of the Empo- semi, the Dwelling the Kings wives, out of which appeared women crawling on the ground before Rachel, and holding in their left hands torches or grass. These undid the baggage from the cx and at their signals, for they did not seem to dare to speak to her, RacheI dismounted. Thereon Tam booSa saluted her, and taking the horse by the bridle, led it away with the OK.
 Then Rachel felt that she was in had seen her home, which now was so far away. Still proudly enough she followed the women, who, bent dou- ble as before. led her to great nut fat, where they set down her bags, and departed, to return pres ent with food and water.
 Having washed off the dust of her long tourney, and combed out her hair, Rachel ate all she could. for she was and guessed that she might | need her strength that night. Then she lay down upon a pile of beautiful karosses that had been placed ready | for her, and rested An hour or more went by, and just as she was begin | ming to fall asleep, the door-board of the hut was thrust aside, and tall woman entered. who knelt to her ana said:
 Hail InkosazAna! The King asks whether it be try pleasure to appear | before him this night"
 "It is my pleasure" answered Rachel, flor that purpose have travelled here. Lead me to the King
 So the woman went out of the hut, | Rachel following her to find that the
 l~,-s<r <rl,f1 in ayn The woman conducted her through tor tuous reed fences, until presently they | came to an open court where in the | shadow of a hut sat number of men wrapped about with fur karosses. Guessing that she was in the presence of Dingaan, Rachel drew her white | cloak round her tall form and walked slowly, till she reached the centre of the space, where she stopped and stood quite still, looking like a | ehost in the moonlight. Then all the