Evening star., 1909-03-10

lSIi1Hdcl WlO Ildu lOOheu TOuuu dI uSI
| bidding. saw Zulu warriors leaping down
| from the crest of the wall. and Zulu cap
| tains rushing in by the opened door. At
this terrible sight he slid to the ground
purposing to reach his gun which he had
left there. and defend or kill himself. who
knows which. But before he could lay
| hand upon it, those fierce men had
pounced upon him like leopards on a goat.
Now they held him fast, and a voice-it
was that of Tamboosa, called through the
darkness:
| Hail to thee! Inkosazana. Come down
| now and pass judgment on this wild beast
who would have harmed thee
"Tamboosa." she cried, the Inkosazana
| has fed away, only the white woman in
! whom she dwelt remains; her spirit hangs
| in wrath over the people of the Zuius, as
| an eagle hangs above hare. Tamboosa,
there Is blood between the Inkosazana and
| the people of the Zulus, the blood Of those
who gave her the body that she wore who
| lie slain by them upon the bed at Ramah.
! Tamboosa, there Is blood between her and
| Ibubesi, the blood of the white man who
loved the body that she wore. and whom
she loved. the white lord whom Ibubesi
| did to death this day because she who
was the Inkosazana would not give her.
self to him. Tamboosa. the Inkosazana
| has suffered much from this lbubesl,
| many an insult, many a shame, and Wnen
| she called upon the Zulus. out Of all their
/ thousand thousands there was not sim
gle spear to help her, because they were
too busy killing those holy ones whom she
called her father and her mother. Ana
so, Tamboosa, the spirit of the lnkosaza-
ma departed like bird from the egg,
leaving but this shell behind, that is full
of sorrows ana Of dreams. Yet, TAM
| boosa, she still speaks through these lips
of mine. and she says that from the SEED
of blood that they have sown. her people.
the Zulus, must harvest woe upon woe, as
while she dwelt among them she warned
| them that 1t would be If i'll came to those
she loved. Tamboosa, this is her com
mand-that ye shield the breast in which
she hid from the wild beasts, Ibubesi and
| all evil men, and that ye lead this shape
to Mole, the daughter of Seyapi, whom
Ibubesi brought to death, for with Nole II
would dwell"
Thus she walled through the deep dark
ness. while the soldiers who packed the
space below groaned in their grief ana
terror because the soul of the lnkosazana
had been made a waaderer by their sins;
and the curse of the lnkosazana hau
fallen on their land
| Again the lightning f1ared and in it they
| saw her standing on the crest or the nut.
! She had let drop the spear as though she
needed it no more. and her arms were
| outstretched to the heaven, and her beau
| tiful face was upturned, and her long
| hair foated in the wind. Seen thus by
| that quick, white light. which shone IN
| the madness of her eyes. she seemed no
| woman but what they bad tabled her to
! be, a queen of spirits. and at the vision OF
| her they groaned again. while some OF
| them fell to the earth and hid their faces
| with their hands.
The darkness fell once more, and man
| went into the hut to bring out the lamp
| that burned there When he returned
Rachel stood among them; they had not
| seen or heard her descend. 1shmael saw
her also. and feeling his doom In the herce
|
his hand and caught her by the robe,
praying for pity.
At his touch she uttered wild scream.
which pierced like knife through the
hearts Of all that heard 1t.
| Suffer it not she cried. oh! my peo-
p]e suffer not that be thus de1led.
| They rent him from her with blows and
execrations, looking up to their chlet LOT
his word to tear him to pieces.
| NO." said Tamboosa. grimly. he shaii
| to the king to tell his story ere he de-
| Save me. Rachel, save me-, he moaned.
| you don't know what they mean L was
mad with love for you. do not Judge me
har arshly and send me to be tortured
I This appeal of his seemed to pierce the
darkness Of her brain, and for little
while her face grew human
.I Judge not she answered In Zulu;
| "nray to the Great One above who judges.
| Oh, man. man." she went on in a kind of
eerie whisper. what have / done to you
| that you should treat me thus? why did
| Won command the soldiers to Kill my
father and my mother: mott r.. wv mhy Sriue uao yau yau
my soul, and fill me with this madness?
| Take me away from this accursed town.
| Tamboosa before heavens vengeance
| falls on it. and let me see that face no
| more"
| Then some of them made a guard about
| her and led her thence, along the central
| street and through the barricaded gates
| that they broke down for her passage.
l TN 10
They led her to littie cave IN .'ie Sup op,.
! of the opposing hill, for, although no rain
| fell, the gathered storm was breaking: the
lightning flashed thick and fast, the thun-
der groaned and beloved and wild wind
beat the Sc reeching trees.
Here In the mouth of this cave kachei
sat herself down and looked at the kraal
Nafooti. awaiting she knew not what,
while the imp pillaged the town. ana
Ishmael, already half dead with fear, re-
| NAMED bound to the roof-tree or the nut
| that had been her prison.
| Whilst she waited thus, and watched. or
sudden one of the outer huts began 70
burn though whether the lightning or
| some soldier had fired 1t none could tell.
Then in an instant, as it seemed. driven
by the raging wind. the flame leapt from
roof to roof till Mafooti was but a sheet
of fire. The soldiers at their work Of pill
lage saw and rushed hither ana thltner.
Aronfusedly, for they did not know the
maths and were tangled in the fences.
| A figure appeared running down the cen
trail street, figure of flame. for his
clothes burned on him, and those by Ra-
chel said.
| See see Ibubesi!
He could not reach the gate, for blaz-
ling hut fell across his path. Turning ne
sped to the edge of a cliff that rose near
by. where because of its steepness, there
vas no wall Here for while ne ran up
and down till the wind-driven fire from
IneW-Iit huts at its brink leaped out upon
him like thin, scarlet tongues. He threw
himself upon the ground. he rose again.
heating his head with his hand. for his
long hair was ablaZe. Then In his tor
ment and despair, of sudden he threw
himself backward into the dark guif be-
meath. Fifty feet and more he fell to the
| rocks below and where he fell there he
Ilay till he died. and on the morrow the
Zulus found and buried him.
Thus did Ishmael depart out of the life
of Rachel to the end which he had earned
| Nor did he go alone. for of the Zulus
in the town many were caught by the fire
|iment mustered at dawn that same regl-
ment which had escorted the Ihkosazana
to the banks of the Tugeal. fifty and one
men were missing, while numbers OF
others appeared burned and blistered.
| "Ah,'' said Tamboosa. as he surveyed
the injured and counted the dead, the
| curse is quickly at work among us, and
| think that this is but the beginning of
evil. Well. l expected it. no less
| AS for the town of Mafooti 1t was ut
| terIy destroyed. TO this day the place is
a wilderness where the grass grows rank
between the crumbing, f1re-blackened
walls. For the people OF lbubesi who had
fled, returned thither no more. nor would
| z.,.e., h,,iI1 u-l,are If had been since still